Give Us This Day - 4

 Give Us This Day - 4

Subject – Kiss the Wave

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:9-15 (NKJV)
⁹  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
¹⁴  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

--Today we continue the series “Give us this day” and hopefully we are all learning how to, one day at a time, live for Jesus, lean on Jesus, and thrive in this life.

--Most of us, if I were to mention the name Joseph Merrick, would have no clue who I am talking about. He was born in Leicester, England, on August 5, 1862. If I said he was the Elephant Man, we would know.

--Films and movies have been made about his story. Very few people have ever suffered from more physical deformities than him. All of his fingers were useless nubs. 

--His misshapen head was the circumference of a man’s waist, his distorted mouth made his speech almost impossible to understand. His right arm was twice the size of his left. His deformed legs barely supported…

--In nineteenth century England, a perverse form of entertainment was human novelty exhibitions. Joseph was a headliner and one of these exhibits. Posters about him said he was half man/half elephant. 

--People paid their shillings to see this human freak show and people would shriek at the horror of his sight. One day a surgeon named Frederick Treves wandered into the human circus. His initial reaction:

Doctor Treves – He was the most disgusting specimen of humanity I had ever seen. 

--But Dr. Treves didn’t shriek and turn away. The sight of Merrick stirred his scientific curiosity and his empathy for this man. He tried to talk to him but could not understand him. He gave him his business card. 

--It was that business card that the London police found on him as he huddled in a dark corner of a train station like a wounded animal. The police called Treves who came and took Merrick to the London Hospital.

--Shortly after Merrick arrived, Dr. Treves ordered him a tray of food but failed to warn the nurse about his appearance. When she saw him she dropped the tray and went out of the room screaming. 

--Over time they adjusted to his appearance. Dr. Trevor orchestrated a very careful experiment for Merrick. He had a woman enter his room, smile at him, wish him a good morning, and shake his hand. Treves recorded:

Treves – The effect on poor Merrick was not quite what I expected. As he let go her hand he bent his head on his knees and sobbed until I thought he would never cease. He told me afterwards that was the first woman who had ever smiled at him, and the first woman, in the whole of his life, who had shaken hands with him. 

--The smile…the touch proved to be the tipping point, the turning point. He began to change from a disfigured thing into a man. Treves began to understand Merrick more and found him to be quite intelligent. 

--Another surprise the doctor found out about Merrick, he was a veracious reader of the Scriptures. He began to sneak him into plays, operas, and gave him books to read. 

--He would take him into the countryside where he loved to listen to birds singing, chase rabbits, and pick wildflowers. He would respond to the doctor quite often, “I am happy every hour of the day.”

--Merrick died at 27 and Dr. Treves eulogized the infamous Elephant Man this way: 

Treves – His troubles had ennobled him. He showed himself to be a gentle, affectionate and loveable creature… without a grievance and without an unkind word for anyone. I have never heard him complain. 

--Never heard him complain? How is that even possible with the kind of trauma he experienced? Happy every hour of the day? How does someone who was mistreated for so many years profess happiness every hour of the day?

--You may not be responsible for the difficulties you’ve had to endure but you are response-able. Our lesson learned from Merrick is this…the obstacles we face are not the enemy. More times than not, we are the enemy. The obstacle, believe it or not, is the way. 

1. Kiss the Wave.

--In regards to the obstacle or obstacles in our lives, it is vitally important that we learn to kiss the wave. This is actually a quote from the great Charles Spurgeon:

Spurgeon – I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages. 

--Another minister/pastor (not quite as famous) has always had a similar quote but maybe not quite as catchy as Spurgeon’s. 

Pastor Rick – Don’t let your problems or difficulties push you away from God but allow them to push you into a deeper relationship with God.

--Let me help you understand that kissing the wave doesn’t mean we won’t experience storms or even get seasick during them. There is a God Who can rebuke the wind and the waves…Peace, be still.

--This is so important to understand and is in many ways contrary to much teaching we hear today. Before you can rebuke the storm, you need to accept it. You can’t move past the pain if you ignore it or deny it.

--When you get cancer or any other bad diagnosis or problem, denying the evidence before you does no good. If you don’t own it, it will own you. 

--Kissing the wave is confessing what’s wrong, as in the case of cancer, but it is also confessing what is right—God’s healing power. The healing process can begin with a brave question to your sickness or difficulty. 

“What have you come to teach me?” or “God, what can I learn about You through my pain?”

Batterson – When we find ourselves in difficult situations, we get so focused on getting out of them that we fail to get anything out of them. Then we wonder why we find ourselves in the same situation all over again. There is nothing wrong with asking God to change your circumstances, but His primary objective is changing you. The circumstances you are asking God to change may be the very circumstances He is using to change you. 

--In the words of Pastor John Piper, “Don’t waste your cancer.” You can fill in the blank with whatever challenge you face. Don’t waste it. Maybe it has come to teach you a lesson that could not be learned any other..

--Kissing the wave starts with a brave question…What have you come to teach me? When it comes to suffering, you must recognize that it has the power to enrich your life in a way that nothing else can. 

--Verses please, Pastor. Listen to the Apostle Paul and tell me if he may be saying to all of us…Kiss the wave that throws you against the Rock of Ages. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                ⁹  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
¹⁰  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--If you find yourself in a season of suffering, all that I am saying can be difficult to handle. No judgment here because I have had my share of pain. I know this…everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. 

--We have dealt with some pretty heavy things today. The pain and suffering of the Elephant Man Joseph Merrick and his discovery of happiness in the middle of pain. He found much peace in the Word. 

--We have discussed when we have an obstacle or obstacles in our way (health, family, marriage issues, kid problems, or any other pain) that we have to learn to kiss the wave that pushes us against the Rock of Ages.

--I felt God say “Stop” with the sermon and give people a chance to lean against Jesus in their pain so we stop. Jesus, give us this day!