Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

Paul prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.  He demonstrated this power in raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion, and every title given not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church which is His body the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” (HCSB)

Paul here unlocks the key to one of the greatest needs in the Church of our day…and really of any age.  We need to know the grace of God better.  He just finished exhorting the believers to praise the God of our Lord Jesus Christ because of all of the spiritual blessings that He has bestowed on those whom He chose from before the foundations of the world.  Praise Him!  Rejoice in Him!  Praise the glory of His grace!

Often our praise is dull and lifeless.  It is ordinary, feigned, lip-service to our God and benefactor.   Why?  How does our praise become dull and lifeless?  How is it possible that a Christian could engage in empty praise, vain worship? Paul answers in the prayer that he offers up on our behalf.  “That God would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him so that our hearts may be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, the glorious riches of His inheritance…and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us”…which is the same power that He used in raising Christ to His exalted position above all created things.

My exhortation is very simple.  Pray that God would grant that the eyes of your heart be enlightened to know the glories of His grace and power within you.  If you are a Christian, this is true of you.  God has given you immeasurable grace, has and continues to work His immeasurable power in your life to conform you to the image of His Son and to bring you to glory.

May He fill our hearts with joy in reflecting upon His grace.  May He fill our hearts with wonder at the vast chasm that once separated us from Him and the bridge of His love and grace that now exists because of Christ.   May He fill our hearts with peace and rest as we ponder how He is continually working His great power in us, how great that power truly is – that He also working in raising Christ from the dead and exalting Him.  Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

May He be glorified as we are not only satisfied but overflowing with joy in rejoicing over His abundant grace to us!  Happy rejoicing today dear brothers and sisters

“The duty of delight…”

So we just moved and I am going through some of my old papers in order to shed some extra weight so to speak and clear up my shelves.  I write a lot.  I didn’t realize how much I’ve written…scratched notes and thoughts down on random scraps of paper and/or half used journals that I am uncovering.  Strange.  I think sometimes I loose them or put them down and move on to the next one.  Anyway, here is an excerpt from one of my “journal” entries from December 21, 2002:

“In reading Piper’s ‘Gods Passion for His Glory,’ Edwards’ life is told and his book is included…on page 74 it talks about the difference between believing that God is holy and merciful and ‘sensing’ God’s holiness and mercy.  He says that we must have a ‘true taste’ and delight in God’s mercy and holiness.  I think that is what is lacking in my life…a true passion for God.  What does it mean to truly hunger for and delight in God’s Glory?  To sense God’s grace, mercy and holiness.  I think to sense God’s holiness means to abstain from sin.  Much more of it to abhor sin.  [The one who] utterly despises sin is the one who truly senses God’s holiness.  To sense God’s holiness I imagine is to feel the suns warm rays on a clear sunny day at the beach.  To [taste the sweetness of] and feel the liquid of your favorite drink going down your esophagus.  I think to sense God’s holiness is to have the hairs on the back of your neck stand on edge at the thought that though you are lone, someone is very much there with you.  But not just anyone.  This someone is the one whom the prophet of old spoke of as lofty and exalted.  This one is the one who’s train utterly fills the temple.  The one whom both the heavens and earth flee before.  This one is encircled by burning lights who cry out day and night that He is holy, holy, holy.  That someone who resides inside of those called by His name.  To sense God’s holiness is not only to abstain from but to shudder at the thought of sin.  To sense God’s holiness is to wish oneself accursed, yea even utterly destroyed due to one’s complete destitution before Him.  To sense God’s holiness in totality would be to cease to exist.  To be done away with.  Yet to sense God’s holiness is to be flooded with more than abundant grace and mercy at the recognition of a life saved.  Herein is our delight.  That a holy God would be entertained by wretched, worthless sinners such as we.  That a holy God would extend Himself to those wretched, worthless creatures to give them access to Himself.  That a holy God would give the best that could ever be given, Himself, to worthless wretched creatures in spite of themselves.  Oh the depths of the riches of the glorious grace and mercy of God in His unfathomable lovingkindness toward men!!!”

Oh for that sort of delight.  For that sort of passion.  I think that this is a life long pursuit.  Many would probably give up in pursuing a delight in God for the difficulty of it.  It is climbing the highest mountain.  It is walking the longest road.  And yet it holds the satisfaction of reaching its peak, or of finding your destination.  It is the refreshment of a cool breeze on a hot and humid day.  More than that, it is a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa (coffee for me) on a cold winters evening.  More than that…it is your last – first kiss…it is the groom seeing his bride for the first time at the altar…it is the enjoyment of seeing your child for the very first time, when they take their first breath in this world…it is a good nights rest.  And it is greater than that still.  What is your greatest, longest lasting pleasure and delight?  It is that, except infinitely more enjoyable, infinitely more holy, infinitely more glorious.  To delight in God, who is the greatest good…it is unspeakable.

I long for that delight.  I desire that sort of delight.  The journey toward such a delight is long, and it is difficult.  But it is good.  It is good because that which is its aim is infinitely delightful.  The pursuit of worldly gain and other such possessions is empty and shallow.  It is temporary.  It is flawed and soiled by sin’s stain.  But God is Holy and Righteous and Good, Perfect, Glorious, Gracious, Loving, Merciful…to write the love of God is a futile endeavor.  But to pursue the love of God, will never leave one ashamed.

I titled this the duty of delight, because it is a task.  It is a difficult, labor some task.  I could have just as well titled it the “pursuit of delight in God” or something like that.  As much as I would pursue prayer for the sake of communion with God, I would more pursue delight in God.  Delight in God would make all of my pursuits in God infinitely more enjoyable.

You are Gracious and Compassionate…slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.  I pray for each of my dear friends who would read this…I pray for us all, that you would create in us a heart that finds its highest joy, its greatest good in You and You alone.  May our hearts be sick, as David wrote, may our hearts pant after You as a deer for water.  May our souls thirst for You, the Living God, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in an unapproachable light and yet who has made Yourself known to us through Your Son, the Man Jesus Christ.  May we not grow tired, may we not grow weary in seeking this.   Burn His light into our hearts….burn it so that we can desire no one or no thing besides You.  Let us fall in love with the thought of His appearing.  Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good, how blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 34:8

“You will make known to me the path of life, in your presence is the fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

Blessed be the Name of the LORD!

Why do we always ask “why” when difficulty strikes?  I’m not talking about after we’ve had time to think about it, pray about it, and have others comfort and encourage us through it.  I’m talking about the initial gut response.  When something difficult happens our first thought, more often than not is “why?”  Why me, why now, why this?  Strange it seems, particularly once you’ve gone through the trial that you even asked why to begin with.  Then again, I guess sometimes all you’re left with is why with no further response from the Lord.  Some things, we’ll never know and were never meant to know.  Somethings He makes clear to us knowing that we are flesh, weaklings.

But where does that gut response of “why” come from?  Most likely it comes from the expectation that we deserve only good in life.  Certainly for the unbeliever there is often that expectation.  That they are inherently good and that they deserve only good to come.  Even that god, their god, is a god of only good things and that disaster and calamity should never befall them.  But that is not the God of the Bible.  That is certainly not the Father of Jesus Christ nor the Father of His Church.

So what about believers?  When disaster and calamity strikes and we respond with “why” what are we saying?  I think that we too are saying “why me, why this, why now?”  And I think that we are often responding with that thinking that we too deserve only good things.  Is that wrong of us to assume?  We are children of the King.  Children in the Beloved.  We are the Lord’s and we expect that He will work out everything for our good and His glory in the end…right?  And what about those who are more charismatic among us who assert that there aren’t really any difficulties that should befall us and that we shouldn’t even be physically sick (I recently had someone who was of the charismatic persuasion say to me – with reference to Isaiah 53 – that Jesus’ bore our sicknesses and that through His death we are healed and so my wife’s physical distress would be healed if we believed that and claimed it).  What about that?  There is certainly much to be said for their faith, though their interpretation of scripture is somewhat lacking.  And there is much to be said about their fervency for prayer and trusting that God would move because they pray in faith.

But what else are they saying?  In a sense, and I don’t believe that everyone of them is saying this nor do I believe that every other believer thinks this way but for the most part it is probably true, in a sense they are saying that God should give us what we ask for no matter what it is and that we shouldn’t ever experience physical or any other distress because God never meant it to be that way for us.  That is so close to the truth its almost difficult to combat.  Certainly God created us “good” and for “good.”  However things did not remain that way.  And there is really no promise in scripture that now things ought to be completely good and at ease for us as believers.  Quite the opposite.  I’ve been reading through I Peter and he assumes that difficulty will arise and that this difficulty is a part of what it means to walk in Christ’s footsteps.  Certainly Paul’s life – who was a man of faith and a man of prayer – was full of difficulty.  Are we to assume that he was in some sort of sin or that he didn’t have enough faith or that he didn’t pray earnestly enough and that this is why his life was marked with difficulty both physical and otherwise?  Certainly not.  And ultimately we have Jesus who said “in this life you will have tribulation but to be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.”  And His life, what was it if not marked by “grief and sorrow.”  Are we, His disciples, to live a life greater than He, our Master?

I guess in the final analysis we have to conclude that what is “our good” that God is working all things toward, is ultimately not up to us.  In other words we can’t and won’t know what the “good” is that God is working all things toward.  We don’t really know what good thing we need and we don’t really know how best to work out situations and circumstances in our lives in order to reach that good.  But we can rest in knowing that God knows.  And we can rest in knowing that God is the One who is and always will be in control and that He is at work to work all things together for our good, whether they are “good” or “bad” according to our perspective.

In the end, we must assert with Job that it would be foolish to only be willing to accept good from God and not adversity.  Accepting the good and adversity in this respect is more of an attitude adjustment.  There is not really anything that we can do to accept or reject adversity from God.  But the acceptance, as we saw – at least from the first and last couple of chapters of  Job – has more to do with an attitude that doesn’t question God’s motives but which accepts that He is in control, that His plans and purposes are higher than we can conceive and that whether He gives or takes, He is and always shall be blessed.

In pursuit of prayer

I am pursuing prayer.  That may sound strange, but I feel that my prayer life is of a very shabby sort.  I have been reading E. M. Bounds on Prayer.  That fella knew how to talk about prayer if anyone did.  Much of what I have been reading lately is from the standpoint that preachers, above all others, must be passionate and purposeful about prayer.  Preaching is a spiritual matter.  Prayer is a spiritual matter.  And thus for preaching to have any lasting spiritual benefit, it must be bathed in and fueled by prayer.  As I read the words of his book, understanding that they are not scripture, I am convicted and know without a doubt that it does not currently describe me.  And that ought not be so.

I am a preacher.  I preach and teach the Word of God.  That is how the Lord has thus gifted me and I am in the process of doing that and learning how to be more given to the Lord for that service to His body.  But I also know that “preaching” is not just for the preacher.  For we should all be involved in the preaching of the gospel. And so we should all be passionate about prayer that it might fuel all of our preaching.

I believe that prayer changes things.  I believe that prayer is a necessity.  And I would bet that many of us who know the Lord believe – at least consent to it cognitively and practically (and by practical I mean that we engage in it at least as a ritual).  But I don’t know how many of us could honestly say that we pursue prayer as a necessity of the heart.

David prayed in Psa 16 “I have no other good besides thee” to the LORD.  Prayer is more than just an exercise.  It is more than just a thing to be done and checked off.  It is communion with the Lord.  After I prayed this morning, I walked away feeling refreshed and encouraged.  But as I continued my day, I realized that I felt refreshed and encouraged (at least in my mind) because I had prayed, and not for the benefit of prayer.  The benefit of prayer is that it draws us nearer to God.  And that is what I needed.  I need that ever satisfying sweet fellowship with the One besides whom there is “no other good” in heaven or on earth.  That fellowship of prayer moves us closer in thought, closer in heart, closer in purpose and closer in love with the One who is alone worthy of our full attention and adoration.  There are not many other things, save communion with the Lord through His Word and fellowship with His people, that should satisfy as much as prayer.  And yet for all of its blessing and grandeur, how much do we actually pursue prayer as the greatest need of our thirsty souls?

In his writings, E. M. Bounds mentioned the example of our Lord who often went off to a secluded place to pray.   Why?  Why should He, the God-Man, need to go off into a secluded place to pray?  Why should He, but for communion, alone with His Father in heaven.  If our perfect, sinless Great God and Savior should need constant, fervent and passionate communion with His Father in heave – who is now our Father thorugh Him – how much more should we?

Psalm 6 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 6)

God is salvation to His godly ones.  To whom do you turn when you are distressed?  To whom do you turn when you are dismayed?  Where do you go for guidance when you lack direction?

Many in the world today seek rest in pleasure.  They drown their sorrows in alcohol, drugs and sex.  They stimulate themselves to death with these things in hopes that their pleasure will, in the end, outweigh their sorrows.  Or that perhaps by enjoying some momentary excitement, their sorrows will disappear.  How incredibly deceitful is their sin.  And it becomes painfully obvious to them, as soon as the moment passes, that their enjoyment is not sustainable.  So it is necessary for them to continue to indulge themselves in it over and over again in order, they feel, to make that temporary excitement last.  Their lives become as futile and profitable as the dog which chases its tail in circles.

To whom do you go for refuge?  Who is your comfort?  What is your hope?  The Psalmist describes his heavily burdened spirit.  You may think that God does not understand your plight.  You may think that God does not understand your pain, your misery, your suffering.  But He does.  It is spoken of right here in His word.  He has not allowed His godly ones to travel through this life without suffering the plight of all who are under the sun.  He describes his pain “I am pining away…my bones are dismayed…I am weary with my sighing, every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears, My eye has wasted away with grief…”  Do you suppose that you are alone in your rejection?  Do you suppose  that no one else has encountered the same grief and feelings of dispair that you have?  Do you suppose that God does not care for you because you have encountered such dejection and depression?

God knows, for He has seen it in His godly ones.  Even His Son was called “a man of sorrows.”  There is no special hedge of protection around those who know God such that they never encounter heartache, sorrow, or grief.  If someone told you that true religion or Christianity was about living a pain-free, trial-free life; then they have lied to you.  It has been said once, something to the effect that “God will not use a man greatly whom He has not greatly humbled with suffering.”  Why?  Why would God allow His godly ones to suffer?  Why would God allow His godly ones to hurt?

Listen to the voice of the Psalmist.  He does not answer why, so neither will I attempt to here.  He responds with what he knows.  God is for His godly ones.  He pleads God’s salvation on the basis of God’s disposition towards His people.  “Return O Lord, rescue my soul, save me because of Your lovingkindness.”  What else is there that we need to know?  God loves His people.

It must be said that there is a clear distinction made in the Psalms between those who are truly His people and those who are not.  It is the difference between those who are referred to as “righteous, godly, His people” as opposed to those who are “enemies, foes, wicked men, unrighteous.”  Those who are His godly ones may always expect His disposition toward them to be love and salvation.  But those who love wickedness and who are against His godly ones may only expect retribution and judgment from God.

Hear again his confidence “depart from me all you who do iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping, the Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord receives my prayer.  All of my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed, they shall turn back and will be suddenly ashamed.”  He knows that God’s disposition towards him is love.  Though he hurts, though he is greatly saddened and dismayed.  Though his tears drench the pillows of his bed by night; he knows and is confident that the Lord is his salvation and does hear his prayer.

What is your confidence?  What is your hope?  To who or what do you turn when you are down hearted?  Hope in the Lord.  Call upon the Lord, He is faithful to His godly ones.  They shall never be ashamed.  He will not abandon His godly ones to death.

Psalm 5 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation – (Day 5)

God hates sinners.  That is not a popular nor politically correct thing to say.  In fact, some people will disagree with me and question my interpretation…Its a good thing the word of God is not  up for discussion.  You may hate or disagree with what I say, but scripture is clear.  He says “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, no evil dwells with you…you hate all who do iniquity…the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”

Part of the reason why we react so strongly to the idea that God hates sinners is because of our understanding of what it means to hate and also because of our low view of sin.  We find it necessary to say rather that God hates the “sin” but loves the sinner.  That may be true in some sense…depending on how you view God’s electing purposes.  Not to go too far down that path, though I do believe it is related, but if God has chosen some to save; certainly it can be said that He loves those whom He has chosen.  And that His love is clearly seen in His choice of them and His provision of salvation for them.  However clearly God has not chosen all.  For all are not saved, nor will all be saved.  Furthermore, it would not make sense that God loves those whom He has not chosen…at least not in the same way those whom He has chosen…for why wouldn’t He simply choose them too, so that they would be saved.  Of course I am assuming that those whom God chooses, He also saves (Rom 8).  If that is the case then it would stand to reason that God chooses those whom He loves (or loves those whom He chooses, either way); but hates those who are not chosen (Rom 9).  I will not discuss here whether He chooses them for condemnation or simply does not choose them to be saved.  I think that is an irrelevant point here.  Then we understand God’s hatred of the sinner in terms of His choice not to choose to be gracious towards them.  After all, we are all sinners.  There is nothing to separate us in Gods eyes as more worthy or less worthy of His choosing.  Therefore its simply a matter of His either choosing to be gracious towards us or not.  Those whom He chooses, naturally He loves.  Those whom He chooses not, He hates.

But its more than that.  Our understanding of sin is often quite lower than Gods.  With God, “no evil dwells.”  Evil does not and cannot dwell with Him.  He is Holy, Pure, Righteous and alltogether perfect and without blemish.  We are wrought with weakness and conceived in iniquity.  We are “prone to wander” as the hymn writer said.  Our view of righteousness and holiness is tainted by sin and will be until we are released from our frail and wretched fallen flesh enraptured existence.  When we “hate” it is often for selfish reasons.  We hate and we love based on our emotions, or based on what is done for us or against us.  When God hates, He hates based on an affront made against His perfect, holy character.  All He does is upright.  All He does is perfect.  Therefore, any sin against Him is rightly hated in His sight.  Whereas any sin done against us is done by one who is conceived in iniquity and prone to wander from God’s righteousness just as we are.  He has a perfectly upright and just hatred of sin and the sinner.  Ours is tainted by the same disease that caused them to sin against us.  Therefore when we initially look at the phrase “you hate all who do iniquity,” we think surely it must mean that He merely hates the sin.  But no.  He perfectly and rightly hates all who do iniquity.

God hates sin and sinner alike.  He is perfectly holy and righteous and good.  And He will not abandon the sinner to sin forever.  He will judge the sinner.  I suppose that’s another reason that we understand that God is not merely against “sin.”  If He were merely against the sin; then there would be no good reason for Him to punish sinners.  But He does punish sinners.  He punishes them for an eternity because they have sinned against an eternal God.  And here we are reminded of the nature of sin and consequence.

A wrong done is given a consequence proportional to the honor due the one who is wronged.  For example, a homeless man on the street who is mugged by another in a dark alley in which no one else sees will likely not be met with immediate or dire consequence.  Because there is not much honor given to a homeless man.  There is not much glory due to him and therefore there will not be much consequence to the mugger for sinning against him.  However that same mugger who happens to run into the President of the United States in a dark alley, and attempts to rob him; will likely be met with deadly force, or at least an extended prison sentence.  And that is because the honor due the President of a nation is so much greater than the honor due a homeless man.  And therefore the consequence for offending the President is much greater.  Consider now the wrong done to an all powerful, all knowing, infinitely great being.  One who is perfect and holy and righteous.  One who is infinitely holy and so is offended by even the most “insignificant” offense; one who is infinitely wise and so is able to conceive of the best possible way to judge an offense; and also one who is infinitely powerful so as to measure out the best possible judgment for any offense.  If the consequence is dire for a wrong done to someone who is like us in our essential nature; what manner of consequence is due for offending such a one who is infinitely greater than us?

Have you offended a Holy God?  Any sin committed is ultimately a sin against Him.  Perhaps you have not done a “great” sin, but even our thoughts and words are subject to sin and corruption.  The Psalmist describes the sinner who has offended God as one whose sin from within is shown in his words “There is nothing reliable in what they say, their inward part is destruction itself, their throat is an open grave, they flatter with their tongue.”  Have you sinned against Him?  If so, tremble.  Fear.  Bemoan your current state, turn from your wickedness and turn to the Lord.  He is able to cleanse you from within with His righteousness.  He is able to give you a new heart and a new mind, even a new tongue.

You who trust in the Lord, “be glad!”  This Psalm is really about you.  You always have reason to rejoice.  The Psalmist says “let them ever sing for joy…for [He] blesses the righteous man…[He] surrounds them with favor as with a shield.”  The favor of God us upon us.  First in teaching us of our sinfulness and our impending judgment.  Then in being gracious to us and giving us His righteousness.  Rejoice!  Sing for joy and shout for all to hear!  The Lord is your righteousness.  He has granted you favor which surrounds you, even as a shield.  Take refuge in Him, man of God.  Continually put your confidence in God, who is our King, our Rock; the one who hears and answers our prayers.  Again, I say, rejoice!

Psalm 4 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 4)

God is faithful to those who are His for it says “know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself…”  God is not concerned with the inclinations of foolish and sinful men.  He is not bothered or taken off guard by the mockery of men destined to reap the wages of their wickedness.  We may sometimes wonder why we are persecuted and afflicted by godless men, thus the Psalmists cry “o sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?”  But God is not moved by it.

He is gracious to those who are His regardless of the foolisness of others.  God’s graciousness to those who are His has motivated the Psalmist to plead with the ungodly that they cease their foolish ponderings and turn to the Lord, for he says “meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and trust in the Lord.”  Turn to the Lord.  Do not continue to trust in your own wisdom and your own right-ness.

Many are saying today “who will show us any good” in this dark and dismal world.  Many are looking to the wisdom of this age and the men of this age to do thus.  Many look to politicians, military leaders, self help gurus and other seemingly wise men to guide them to prosperity and peace.  They look to these men but are inevitably disappointed.  Because it is only in the countenance of the Lord that we truly find “light.”

You who have not trusted in the Lord, repent.  Turn from whatever or whomever you are trusting in to guide you  and turn to the Lord.  Let the Light of the Creator of Heaven and Earth be your guide.  It is only in Him that we will truly find “peace” that will enable us to “lie down and sleep…[and] to dwell in safety.”  You will find peace in no other way.  God is not inclined to grant it to you in any other way.  In fact, all you should expect from God is unrest.

You who already know the Lord.  Do not be deceived.  Do not be cheated of your reward.  Do not be robbed of the blessing of truly resting in the Lord.  They may mock.  They may chide.  They may even offer you other alternatives that seem right.  But remain faithful in your dependence upon the Lord.  Call unto Him who has “set apart the godly for Himself.”  Rest in the “gladness” that only He provides which is a “peace which passes all understanding” and which is greater than any rest or joy (“more than when their grain and new wine abound”) that they can conjure.

Psalm 3 – 150 days of purposeful Medidation (Day 3)

God is a shield to His people, for it says “You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head…Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people.”  Enemies of the people of God are many.  They range from lowly earthlings who themselves are slaves to sins deception and selfish inclinations to lofty principalities and powers who are bent on the destruction of those called by the name of God.

None of them know the end from the beginning.  None of them can say for certain what the future will hold.  None of them are greater in power than the Almighty.  None of them are wise enough to outsmart Him.  So what have we to fear?  We who are called by His name.   We who are His people.  Who do we have to fear?

God is a “shield…a glory…the One who lifts up [our] head.”  How then shall we respond to adversity?  Those things/people which pit themselves against us?  How shall we respond?  With evil?  With dismay?

We should respond with prayer.  We should respond with hope.  We should respond to them confidently knowing in whom we have trusted.  Knowing that the One in whom we have trusted is the One to whom “salvation” belongs.

Who or what is your salvation?  Is it the God to whom Salvation belongs?  Is it the God who is a Shield to His people?  Is it the God who shatters the teeth of the wicked?  If you are “the people” of the God of salvation, fear not and be not dismayed by your enemies…for He said “vengence is mine, I will repay.”  However if you are not for the God who is Salvation, then you have great reason to fear…yea even to tremble.  For this same God who is Salvation to His people is also a “consuming fire.”

Pray!

I got a chance to pray this morning.  I’d love to say that I do every morning to start my day but I do not.  I realized something today, that hadn’t really caught my mind before so vividly.  Today was markedly different in my overall attitude…that is until I got on with my day and was again distracted by it.  But it started off on an amazingly “good foot.”  Primarily, I think, because I took time to pray in the morning.  It was refreshing.  I was in a totally different mindset.

I don’t know about you, but I get into a rut sometimes because of work.  I get up 5 times a week and spend about 40 hours in the same place doing the same kind of stuff over and over again.  It becomes common place.  It becomes like a ritual of sorts.  My body gets used to it, my mind gets used to it and after a while I start coasting.  Maybe I excel, maybe I don’t.  Either way, I start coasting.  Of course there is something to be said about doing work to the best of your ability, for the glory of God, but thats for another post.  My point here is that I get lulled to sleep spiritually because of the monotony.  Doing this one thing which takes up the large portion of my week, becomes an exercise in spiritual futility if I allow it.  I can waste years of my life doing work.  Especially if that work has not inherrent spiritual value.

However, there was something about praying that made the day different…duh.  Praying, at least for me it seems, puts you in a spiritual mindset.  It forces you to remember that you are a spiritual being, living a spiritual life, before a spiritual God and doing spiritual things.  None of your life in Christ, no matter how rote it may become, is a mere exercise.  It all must be done “for the glory of God” because it is all for the glory of God and because God’s glory is all in it.  Not that He is glorified, per se, in our wicked behavior.  But that in a sense, the sum total of our beings, our actions, our thoughts will all be for His glory, whether it be to glorify His wisdom, grace and love; His hatred for sin and holiness or whatever it may be.

Praying puts you in the spirit.  It is a spiritual exercise that takes a spiritual mind and a spiritual connection with God.  While all of life, apart from Christ, may be as the great preacher said “vanity of vanities.”  May all of our doings in the spirit of God and through prayer be fruitful and full of grace!  And may we never be discouraged or stifled by the deceiver, but may we press on to maturity this race to the glory of God above!

Ephesians 6:18   “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints..”

Perspective

Perspective is all about point of view. Uh, right. Of course it is. Well, as I was contemplating life just a little while I ago, I realized something. Well, the Lord brought a number of things to my remembrance and it just made sense.

I was lying on the floor next to my youngest daughter earlier and my wife walked by and I noticed how incredibly big she looked from that vantage point. And I was thinking that my little girl probably thought that we were huge whenever we walked by her tiny little body.

A little later when we got back from the store I took a short walk. I intended to pray but didn’t really know what to say to the Lord. It was weird because I had taken several walks a couple of weeks ago that yielded some great prayer. But today I had nothing. It was a little discouraging until I was reminded of the verse “be still/cease striving and know that I am God.” So I thought that perhaps I didn’t need to say anything but simply to quiet my heart and mind a little and to contemplate God.

What occurred to me in that moment, as I was tempted to think about all of the little issues of my life instead of God, was that the aforementioned verse is all about perspective. As I go through life, striving about to solve all of lifes woes and difficulties, I am often as a small child looking up at all of the massive objects circling around my tiny defenseless head. It can be overwhelming and often scary. However when I consider the way the world (and me in it) look from God’s perspective, I realize that me and my problems are not so great at all.

“Be still and know that I am God,” He says. Stop looking at the world from your perspective and remember that He is God. Is there any time when God looks up at something that is greater than He?.. The exhortation for us then is not to get down on ourselves when we become worried or overwhelmed. But to stop and remember who this God is who is on our side. He is not some insignificant, powerless, limited being who is caught off guard by the ebb and flow of our lives. He is God Almighty. He is the God who Sees. He is Lord of heaven and earth. For we agree with the very first verse in scripture which reads simply and matter-of-factly “In the beginning God…(and if that were not enough)…created the Heavens and the Earth.”

To which all of us, though finite and frail, join in with the choir of angels who cry out “You are worthy our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Cease striving. He is God. Period.