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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 8th June 2008 AMLEARNING FROM ICEBERGS - Pastor Colin Meadows Psalm 1:1-6, Philippians 4:4-9, Nehemiah 1:5-11 Ø Icebergs have much to teach us! We can learn such a lot from icebergs. Made up of frozen fresh water, they float about the world’s oceans for years on end. Perhaps the most famous one we may remember found itself in the path of the liner Titanic one dark cold night in 1916. Water has some amazing properties for as it freezes it decreases in density and floats. Water is the only substance I am aware of where the solid form is less dense than the liquid. This is critical for water life for it means that water will freeze from the top down, leaving water beneath for life to continue. But let’s get back to icebergs! Icebergs are classified in size under different names: growler, bergy bit, small, medium, large and very large! Their life span is usually from 3-6 years, depending on the initial size and on local conditions. Some are huge. In March 2000, for instance, a large section of ice broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf that covered 4,500 square miles and up to half a mile thick. What I find most fascinating about icebergs is while they may be huge, only a small tip is visible above the surface. The percentage of the berg that is visible depends on the density of the ice itself and of the seawater. The exact density of icebergs varies depending on how compressed the snow was when the berg formed while the density of the ocean varies according other factors. Thus only one sixth to one ninth of the mass of the berg is visible above the water surface. Most of the berg is under water and thus out of sight – lets call it one eight above and seven eights beneath! The visible is being supported and pushed up by the invisible. What is above is only there because of what is below. This principle of the visible being supported by the invisible is equally true when it comes to our own lives. Our public lives, how we appear to others, the character traits and qualities that we display outwardly, are visible as a result of what is happening beneath the surface. The seen appears as a result of the unseen. Our public world thus reflects what is going on in our private world. I see this principle displayed in the life of Nehemiah. What were the key elements of Nehemiah’s private world, which supported his public world? If we can learn what these qualities were then we could apply them in our lives and so grow to be all that God intends for us to be. Ø Prayer sustained his inner world! Nehemiah’s private world was enveloped and saturated in prayer. So much of the record of his life is about prayer. Neh 1:4 “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Neh 2:4 “Then I prayed to the God of heaven…” Neh 4:9 “But we prayed to our God…” Such times of prayer don’t have to be long. His prayers at times were very short cries for help… Neh 6:9 “But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” Nehemiah’s public life was thus buoyed up and nurtured by prayer. He kept in constant communion with God, over both the big and the small issues in his life, daily, a moment-by-moment trust. Prayer for Nehemiah was listening to God and getting in tune with what God intended to do. It was not about trying to twist God’s arm. Prayer is listening for God’s quiet voice and then stepping out in obedience. We don’t invite God to bless what we have decided to do but rather we accept his invitation join up with what He is already doing. Prayer is not we cajoling God to change his mind but rather allowing him to change our minds to line up with his will. Is that true in our lives? Do we set aside time to be quiet in God’s presence, to allow His Holy Spirit to gently nudge into line with His will? Or are our lives so filled with frenetic activity as we make our quick decisions? Are we afraid of times of silence while we wait for him to speak? I love the story of Elijah after he fled from Queen Jezebel and hid in a cave at Horeb. God told him to wait in the presence of the LORD. A great and powerful wind came, and then an earthquake, then a fire, but God was not in any of these. We then read in 1 Kings 19:12 “After the fire came a gentle whisper…” Then God spoke to him, quietly telling him what he should do. Let us seek to develop our prayer relationship with God for in so doing this will sustain our inner world. Ø God’s Word sustained his inner world! God’s Word sustained Nehemiah’s private world. He held God’s Word in high regard and strongly supported Ezra and the others when they proclaimed it to the people. Neh 8:9 “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people…” He was I sense immersed in God’s Word, allowing the spiritual truths of the Scriptures to flow down into his innermost being, to sustain his outer world. His heart was strengthened daily by a good intake of spiritual nourishment. Joshua was just like that too. He learnt from God very early in his life that he could only accomplish the task God had given him by meditating on God’s Word. Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Allow God’s Word to sustain you. Don’t be a spiritual midget, getting by on scraps of spiritual nourishment from time to time. Daily seek to read portions of the Bible and allow it to sustain your inner world. Ø His friends sustained his inner world! Nehemiah’s private world was further sustained by the support and encouragement of others. He didn’t try to be a lone ranger, getting along by himself. When he received permission from the king to go to Jerusalem, for instance, he involved others. He didn’t try to attempt the task alone. Neh 2:7-8 “I also said to him, ’If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me with safe conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?’” Nehemiah allowed others to help him achieve the task God had given him. He knew he couldn’t manage by himself. When he arrived in Jerusalem and saw the scope of the task that lay before him in rebuilding the walls, he then brought the city elders into his confidence, so that they could work as a team. Neh 2:17 “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’” Nehemiah was a man who lived in dependence of others. He allowed his inner world to be strengthened and sustained by the presence of supportive friends. When he sat down for a meal, for instance, he had plenty of friends to advise him and encourage him on his journey. Neh 5:17 “Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.” Surround yourself with people who can stimulate and encourage you on your journey through life. Make sure that they are positive people, people who will inspire you and strengthen your faith. Nehemiah needed to have positive people near him for he also had plenty of detractors; people who were trying to discourage and deflect him from his task. You too can be harassed by friendly fire, attacks from people who should be on your side. You need thus to surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Life is too short to allow yourself to be stunted and stymied by negative whingers! As an example of a positive person, Ezra was a great encouragement to Nehemiah. Ezra was someone who was focused on what God wanted to do and he thus would have stood with Nehemiah through the darker times. Do you have an Ezra who is standing with you right now? Someone who is praying for you and seeking to encourage you on the journey of faith? We see this demonstrated in the life of David. When David’s world was falling apart, his friend Jonathan came to him to lift him up. 1 Samuel 23:16 “And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” Who is helping sustain your inner world right now, to find strength in God? Do you have an Ezra or a Jonathan who is there for you, cheering you on, supporting you no matter what is happening? If you do then thank God for them. If you don’t have such a person, ask God to direct you to someone who will stand with you. Yes, allow supportive friends to sustain your inner world. Ø The presence of the LORD sustained his inner world Nehemiah certainly was focused on prayer and on God’s Word. He was further strengthened and encouraged by the presence of friends around him. But most of all, his private world was sustained by God himself. He had established a moment-by-moment trust in God. This trust did not depend on how strong he felt or what was happening but rather purely on whom God was. He had a right view of God as the one who strengthens and sustains, who is a refuge for all who seek after him. Nehemiah’s life was sustained by his awareness of God’s presence. He had a right view of God. You sense this as you examine his prayers… Neh 1:5 “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands…” There are times in life when it is difficult or even impossible to pray, when we struggle to read and absorb God’s Word. There will be times when our friends seem far away. What happens at such times? We must cling onto God, no matter what is happening. Nehemiah was keenly aware of God’s presence in his life moment by moment, sustaining and strengthening him for the challenges of life. Do you such a picture of God? Yes, it is true that prayer will strengthen us, study of God Word will build us up, the support of friends is vital but most of all is our day-by-day awareness of God’s presence. God is the one who never changes, who will always be there for us, even if everything else fails. There is a very beautiful verse that Les Coulson often includes in his prayers that illustrates the close intimate relationship we are speaking of here. Deut 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Let us have that picture of God, as the one who is our refuge, who longs to wrap his arms around us in loving protection and care. There are times in life when things just fall apart. Nothing seems to make sense. At such times, we must cling to God for in so doing we will find that he is enough. David experienced that truth when his world caved in and he was left all alone. Even Jonathan was not there to encourage him. What did he do? 1 Samuel 30:6 “David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.” There may be times in life when all you have left is God. At such times you will find, like David and millions like him have found, that God is all you need. Allow the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, to sustain and strengthen you as you press on. I was greatly challenged by the response of some Sri Lankan Christians when they were asked about their faith in God after the tsunami of 2004. They responded that they would not walk away from God because of what had happened, for ‘he was all they had left’. When all is stripped away from your life, what do you have left? When Job was stripped of everything he replied: Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Let us be people of faith who are sustained by the very presence of God alone, buoyed up to face whatever the day may bring, protected and enclosed by God’s everlasting arms. Ø Let’s learn from icebergs Next time you see a photo of an iceberg remember that most of it is out of sight. What you see if there because of what you do not see. This is what is happening in our lives as well. Beneath the surface, our inner world is determining what will show above the surface. What lies beneath the surface of your life that is pushing up what is visible to others? Allow your outward person to be buoyed up by prayer, by meditation on God’s Word, by wise friends who are encouraging you day by day. But most of all seek to be a person who rests by faith in God’s presence. That is how Nehemiah lived. King David knew and lived these truths. A rough translation of Psalm one could go like this: Blessed is the man who doesn’t choose bad travelling companions but rather walks with wisely chosen friends. He is someone who immerses himself in God’s Word and who doesn’t let rubbish clutter his heart and mind. He seeks rather to absorb God’s revealed Word 24/7 through prayerful meditation; for in so doing he knows he will be fruitful. Evil people don’t live this way and they will thus perish but the person of faithful and intelligent living will know God’s protection. The Apostle Paul knew and lived these truths. Phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right…think about such things. Whatever you have learnt from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Let’s learn from icebergs, supporting the visible by strengthening the invisible through prayer, reading of God’s Word, the encouragement of godly friends and by our simple trust in God!
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