A while ago, one of my friends told me about taking his kids to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games. Since my kids are grown and gone, I have not been there in years. He told me about a game I had never heard of called
“Whack-a-mole.” The game is played is a large, waist-level box with five holes in its top and a large, soft, hammer. The kids stand in the center of the playing field and moles come up out of the holes. The goal is to whack the moles and keep them in the ground.
As the game starts, only one mole comes up at a time. But then it gains speed. You whack one but two more come up. You whack the two and four come up. Soon there are moles all over the place. As the game ends, the kids are whacking everywhere, trying to keep the moles down, but there are too many of them. The game ends in frustration but with some very tired kids!
Sounds like life today, doesn’t it? Life starts out with a few moles. When you are a kid you have homework, playground, household chores, and family stuff. By the teen years, maybe a part-time job, playing on a school sports team, church ministry, and your first car are moles that pop up. Then college years add a few more moles. By the time you are 25 there are moles popping up all over the place. It seems that each year that you live adds a few more moles.
As we age, the number of problems and worries seem to grow. Marriages, kids, house payments, jobs, businesses, and the pressures of modern living seem to gather speed. In old age, we deal with aging, health issues, disease, grief, living on a fixed income, and issues of family. Right now, we play
“Whack-a-mole” with the quarantine, COVID-19, stock market declines, riots, and political rancor. The economy, the world situation, China, and so much more swirl around in our minds. Many of us are playing a vigorous game of
“Whack-a-mole” in our personal lives with job lay-offs, masks, and trying to pay our bills. At some point, most of us get overwhelmed because there are moles everywhere and our ability to whack them is faltering.
Twila Paris, the singer and songwriter, wrote about being overwhelmed a few years ago. She was feeling anxious about what was happening in the world. She says:
"I don't even remember exactly what was going on. I'd probably been watching too much news," she says. Driving to her mother's house which was thirty minutes away, the anxiety almost overwhelmed her. (Most of us can understand, can’t we?)
In the silence of the car, God spoke to Twila's heart.
"He said, ‘Just remember, people do what they will, but at the end of the day I'm the One with the ultimate authority. Remember that I am in control.' "
“Oh, yeah, God is in control,” Twila mused with that certain degree of cynicism. She thought this overused phrase was almost become a cliché as she repeated it. But as Twila meditated on the meaning of those four words (God is in control) for several minutes, the peace of Christ began to fill her heart. For the rest of the drive, Twila’s heart was at rest with the simple but profound truth that God was taking care of every problem and circumstance. She saw God high and lifted up, sovereign and real, powerful and mighty, and able to handle everything.
Soon, Twila she found herself humming a tune that God gave her. She said:
"I usually write at the piano, but the words of the chorus came to me before I got to my mom's house. God met my need in the form of a song." Twila Paris admits that when she wrote the song she was thinking of big world events. But after she recorded it, people have thanked Twila for a song that spoke to them as they faced their individual crises and challenges.
Dear friend, if you would apply this truth to all the “moles” of life, God will bring you His peace. To simply know with assurance that God is in control of your finances, your career, your health, your marriage, your children and grandchildren, and so much more is the most profound thing I have ever uncovered. I have known it in theory and in theology, but just like Twila, the truth of this had not touched my worrying and my despair. Then, wham! I had some problems I couldn’t solve in my own strength. Suddenly, I went from a theoretical knowledge of the sovereignty of God to seeing His hand in everything. I found that when you make God a part of your life, things will never be the same.
Folks, God is in control!! Grasp it! Believe it! Claim it! Broadcast it! As I have gone through rough times myself, the lyrics of the song that Twila wrote that day have helped me so much. This one song “God is in Control” is from her
“Beyond A Dream” album. It has helped me remember the Biblical concept of the sovereignty of God. And it has helped me cope with confusion, worry, and despair. Here is the chorus to Twila’s song:
God is in control.
We believe that His children will not be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose to remember and never be shaken
There is no power above or beside Him
We know, oh, God is in control
Oh, God is in control.
Dear friend, as you try to sort out the quarantine, the craziness in our country, and the issues of your life, it is really easy to have despair. But remember the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-30, 33). He told us:
"So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes ... Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? … Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, … and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern”.
(The New Living Translation)
So, what do you do when life has you playing
“Whack-a-mole?” Here are a few things that help me:
1. Continually remind yourself that God is in control. When people around you are crying:
“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” is when you might break into Twila’s song
. When worry and anxiety get you out-of-control, that when you remind yourself that God is in charge of the universe and every problem that concerns you. When things are crazy and chaotic, that is when you to submit to the sovereign rule of God. Psalm 146:10 says:
“The LORD reigns forever …”
2. Look to God for His direction and help. When you don’t have the answers and you don’t know where to turn, look up. God has the answer. Pray. Leave your problems in God’s hands to solve. The psalmist (34:6) gives this testimony:
“This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles.” I have whacked a lot of moles in my life. But I can testify to the peace and power of giving my moles to God!
3. Rely upon Him for strength and courage. When you give up trying to carry the load, solving the problems, and thinking that your job is whack away every mole, that is when you find peace. Psalm 68:19 is one of my favorite verses. It says:
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” You can get courage from His providence and protection. What strength it gives me to know that God is carrying my problems and whacking at my moles with me!
4. Fight the temptation to worry and despair. Refuse to let Satan and his minions to get you worked up. Use Jesus word’s
“Get Thee behind Me, Satan!” Don’t be tempted by pity-parties, anger, revenge, discouragement, and other demons. When I am whacking moles, I try to remember what Nehemiah (8:10) said:
“The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Worry and despair only make things worse. Instead, keep looking up!
5. Worship Him privately and daily in Bible reading, prayer, and meditation. When you drink of the well of God’s Word, you will not get thirsty. When develop a strong prayer life, you will get in the habit of letting God have your problems and draw on Him for strength. When you seek the deeper truth of Scripture by meditating and contemplating the ramifications, implications, and the ways that God wants to apply His Word to your life, you will see the way God wants you to handle the moles. Private and daily worship is how mature Christians keep singing and keep persevering. This is how you can be the person in Psalm 84:7 and
“go from strength to strength”
6. Claim God’s promises from the Scriptures and hide them in your heart. Here are 10 Bible verses I repeat to myself all the time:
Psalm 46:1:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:10 where God says:
“Be still (relax) and know that I am God.”
Isaiah 41:10:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 59:1:
“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.”
Jeremiah 29:11:
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:31:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
1 Corinthians 10:13:
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Philippians 4:13:
“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19:
“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Memorize these verses. Put them on your dresser in your bedroom, on the table next to your bed, on the sun visor in the car, or someplace where you see them when you are whacking your moles. They will calm your heart and draw you closer to the God of your strength!
7. Worship with God’s people each week at this church. Each week, the songs and message are designed to help you find God’s help for daily life and your ministry out in the world. If you commit to weekly worship, God will give you encouragement and new coping tools to handle the moles in your life. The psalmist (122:1) said:
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” Being in church every Sunday will help you cope with a crazy world, keep you walking with God, and create friendships with others who are fellow mole-whackers too.
8. Be thankful for the moles you get to whack! The church in the Greek city of Corinth was one of the moles that frustrated the Apostle Paul. They were critical, carnal, and conflicted. Read First and Second Corinthians and you will see what I mean. Yet, despite all these moles that Paul had to whack in Corinth, he still writes:
“I always thank God for you …” (1 Corinthians 1:4). In fact, read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and you will see how Paul rejoiced in the moles he had to whack. Thankful hearts and attitudes of gratitude are some of God’s greatest tools to combat moles in your life. Thank God for hardships, disappointments, and problems. God will use them to strengthen you, improve you, and bless you.
Folk, as we all play
“whack-a-mole,” let’s not lose heart! God is on the throne. He will see you through!
I love being your pastor!
Pastor Mark Platt
