I love sausage, pepper and onion sandwiches, but unfortunately they don’t love me. I know they don’t love me because within hours of eating them I have this intense burning in my chest, that no amount of Rolaids, Mylanta or Zantac is able extinguish. Does that stop me from eating sausage, pepper and onion sandwiches? Of course not! It may reduce the number of times I indulge but I still continue to eat them occasionally.

I sense that I am not the only one who eats certain food knowing that it is going to give them heartburn.

Wouldn’t it be great if it were only certain foods that gave people heartburn? Truth is heartburn is caused by fear, anxiety, worry, apprehension, uncertainty, etc. Let’s face it, it is not easy living in such uncertain times. Every day we encounter disturbance of all kinds. What amazes me is how we are drawn to these disturbances.

How many times have you been stuck in a traffic jam because of an accident on the other side of the road? During Operation Desert Storm, the recent conflict in Iraq, the space shuttle explosion, 911 people were drawn to their TV sets. I heard people say they couldn’t stop watching it. How many people have trouble getting to sleep after watching the 11 o’clock news and yet they continue to watch it. How many people, charities and churches have been disturbed by the sharp drop in the stock market?

Recently when my brother-in-law Mark Berry was experiencing medical complications one after the other and his situations was very tenuous, his son Devon expressed how disturbed and confused he was by everything that was happening. He said to Diane, “I don’t know what to believe about God any more.”

Disturbance such as these often cause us to question if God knows what He is doing? Like the prophet Habakkuk and Jeremiah, like Job and King David, too mention a few, we become disturbed by life situations that are unfair, unjust, and often times down right wrong.

Ron Susek in his book God Will Answer points out several other common day disturbances.

These every day disturbance of the heart diminishes God’s glory, power, and sovereignty.”

“Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the well spring of life.”

So what should we do when we are suffering heartburn because life seems to be conspiring against us?

In Mark 4:35-41you find the story of the disciples and Jesus crossing the sea in a boat.  While Jesus is asleep in the bow a tremendous storm comes across the sea and threatens to capsize the boat.  The disciples, overwhelmed by fear, awoke Jesus and said,

“Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?”

What do you do when one of life’s storms disturbs and threatens your life?  Do you rail out at God and accuse God of not caring like the disciples?  Or do you put more trust in God?

I believe we tend to rail out at God.  Why is that?  I believe we have a distorted view of God.  To each confirmation class I give them a list of images of God and ask them to circle the one that they most identify God with.  Youth Specialties published this list of God's identities.

Of course all of these identities are not Biblical. If you want an accurate view of God you will need to turn to Psalms 93, 145, 119, 75, John 3:16,17, Romans 9: 16. Until we have a Biblical understanding of who God is and an ever growing personal relationship with this God we will continue to have a distorted view of God and continue to have heartburn.

God wants us to have heartburn but not the kind we are accustomed to. Instead of the heartburn caused by worry, fear and the likes you and I could have the kind of heartburn that produces peace.  This kind of heartburn is the hiding of God’s Word in our heart.  It is the burning, the passion, the desire to know God with all of our heart, all our mind, all of our soul.

There was a book and movie released several years ago titled, You Are What You Eat.  It is so true.  What you feed your mind about God will determine your perception of God, your relationship with God, your trust in God.

If growing your relationship with God is not a priority you will continue to allow life's disturbances to cause us to rail out at God.  God’s wisdom and advice to you and me is

“Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the well spring of life.”

Our heart dictates to a great extent how we live.  God’s Wisdom this morning is telling us to guard our hearts above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the path of righteousness and godliness.  Make sure your affections, your passions, your likes push you in the right direction.  Keep your eyes fixed on God and don’t allow life’s distractions to sidetrack you.  As Paul said,

“Run with perseverance the race
that is set before you,
looking for Jesus the pioneer
and perfector of our faith.”