by Howard Watson
You, like many others, feel "flustered", or "flabbergasted"
or "frustrated" from time to time. Frustration comes in
many ways with many names. Some of us get really frustrated with
mechanical tasks which don't work right or fast enough. Working
in a tight spot or without a clear view can "get to" even
a talented and experienced technician on occasion. Confident and
determined persons don't give in or give up the first time failure
happens.
In the Christian life, things don't always appear to be turning
out all right. Sicknesses, unseasonal weather, unexpected expenses
or personal attacks from others who dislike or don't want to relate
to us can cause stress and alarm.
One thing every Christian learns is patience in waiting on God's
completion of His will and way with us.
There are only three, at the most, places in which the word "frustrate"
occurs in the KJV AND EVEN LESS in other modern translations of
the Greek and Hebrew. In Ezra 4:5 the Hebrew word "Haphar"
from "parah" means to break or to make void. It is used
for the efforts of enemies of Zerubbabel and the Jewish workers,
who were rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem, to stop them from
their work. Then in Isaiah 44:25 the same root word is used for
Jehovah who makes vain and void the false and lying words of false
sages and diviners, but who, on the other hand, confirms the prophecies
of His own prophets who speak His words of truth. In the New Testament,
Paul uses the Greek word "atheto", meaning to set aside
or reject. This is in Gal. 2:21. The KJV translation here is "frustrate"
for the setting aside of the gracious work of God in Christ for
a supposed self-righteous keeping of the law. The KJV reads: "I
do not frustrate the grace of God...."
A true follower of Jesus learns patience in trial and persistence
in believing God's words of promise and hope. When we walk with
the Lord, we find Him enabling us to do the "undoable"
and to visualize the "unseeable", while ovecoming our
fears within and without, for His perfect love banishes fear (see
Lk. 21:19; Ro. 5:4; I Thess.1:3; James 1:3,4; I John 4:18).
In Christ Jesus our work and life is bound up in Him and His promises
which never fail, for His words shall not fail.
Delays may occur and our time table may need to be changed. Sometimes
we think we're not ready or we are past reaching our goals. Remember
our one main goal is to be found in Christ and held by Him, while
resting in that mighty hand. Just as the word "frustrate"
is hardly found in the Bible, it need not appear in living our abundant
life in Him.
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