When you’re brought low…

When you are upright, you tend to look around; you look before you, you look behind and also at your sides. However when you are low to the ground, you tend to look up. Everything is higher than you so you are really forced to look up. And being on your back really puts you in the position of needing to literally look up to the heavens.

Sounds like a strange introduction but it has context. I’ve been thinking about the nature of difficulty and distress in our lives. What is the point, what does it do for us? Clearly God has His purposes in sanctifying us. We all know that. But how does it sanctify us? Why is it necessary that we be brought low? Perhaps we know the reason. Perhaps we assent to the fact that God is working out something in our lives through our trials. Then why is it so difficult to rejoice in the midst of them? Sometimes, perhaps God is gracious and He gives us a particular grace that allows us to rejoice in seeing Him work through our trials. But that doesn’t always happen. And when it doesn’t happen, when we don’t feel the joy of our salvation as we ought, why? Shouldn’t our lives as Christians be characterized by joy? We should rejoice always! Joy is a fruit of the spirit.  Is there something wrong with us when we don’t feel joyful and happy as Christians?

Well, I don’t pretend to have all the answers to such questions but I do know this. Being brought low is not merely a matter of circumstance. Sometimes we have need to be humbled in our heart. Sometimes we grow accustomed to merriment and frivolousness. Sometimes our hearts grow accustomed to the feeling of happiness such that we crave it merely for the sensation of it.  Seeking joy as a Christian is not wrong.  Seeking the feeling of joy or happiness for its own sake is.  God, Christ and His Kingdom is who we are to seek, and all other things will be added to us.  But if we are seeking the feeling for its own sake, then we have lost sight of what is true.  And we have need of a reminder.

Thus if we are ever to be shaken out of our happiness induced high, we must be brought low. We must be brought to a place of weeping. We must be brought to a place of sorrow and destitution. When all is well we have no reason to look up. For we anticipate that what is around the corner will only serve to increase our happiness because we know God to be good. Except when we say that God is good, often it is in response to some good (that we perceive to be good) that we have received from Him. But the goodness of God is not limited to what we understand to be good. If it were then there would be no need for the word or concept of suffering. For God would only give that which is good in our minds to us. But there is suffering. And there is discipline that the Lord allows, brings about, causes (however you want to phrase it) in His Sovereignty in order to bring us low. Sometimes He deems it necessary and good to put us on our backs. For when we are brought to such a low estate we are forced to look up to Him. When you’re in the darkness, you look for light. When you’re in the intense heat of the Sun, you look for shade under which to take refuge. When you’re in the midst of a storm, you look for a stronghold, an anchor upon which to keep yourself from being shaken apart.

Fear not. Despair not at those times when God brings you low. Do not seek to stay in that place of weeping.  David said “weeping endures for a night…”  However, accept your low estate as a part of God’s wisdom in order to remind you to look, not to your troubles, not to relief, not even to the feeling of joy or happiness, but to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

1 Peter 5:5-7

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

Psalm 10 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 10)

God is a God of Justice.  He is infinitely Holy and therefore must judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely mighty and therefore can judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely faithful to Himself and to those who maintain their faithfulness to Him and therefore shall judge sin and the wicked.

The folly of the wicked is their shortsightedness.  They say to themselves “there is no God…God has forgotten, He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” There are those who completely reject the notion of God and there are those who reject the notion of the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The former say that He does not exist.  They reject the very notion of His being.  This is of itself an abomination for how can anything come into being without an initial cause.  His pride becomes his downfall, supposing that he knows enough about the best of man’s “theories” to adequately explain away God.  And to what end?  To what end does the atheist or agnostic explain away the existence of God?  To claim some false sense of pride in not being able to know? The agnostic claims that you can’t really know for sure that God exists.  Furthermore, some would say that you can’t really know anything.  Well, how do you know that?  The agnostic, of all people, should know that you cannot claim absolutely that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence.  And if it follows that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence, then you can’t not know the truth of God’s existence.  The very premise of their claim refutes itself.  And of course they claim this so that they don’t have to believe in anything that they do not want to.  Certainly they believe in some things.  (Bear with me as I speak to their folly).  If you can’t really know anything then how can they know for example, that the feelings which they have are hunger, thirst, or exhaustion?  And if they can’t really know these things, then why would you follow through to eat, drink or rest?  It would make no sense.  Surely then they must admit that there are things that we can know.  But what they will not admit is that the things which they instinctively choose to act upon (such as eating – which is an admission that they are hungry – a fact that can be known) are those things which only suit them.  In other words, the agnostic only seeks to acknowledge the things that do not lead to him being accountable to anyone but his own desires.  And his own desires will be his downfall.

What would be the end in claiming that God does not exist?  Perhaps some false sense of pride in being the end of one’s own existence?  The atheist claims that there is no God and therefore that he is the ruler of his own life, the captain of his own ship.  No one can direct him, no one can lay claim over him.  No one can thwart him.  He is his own god.  So says the wicked fool in the Psalm, “I will not be moved, throughout all generations, I will not be in adversity.”  Pridefully he goes about his life, laying claim to the lives of others, living in accord with his own wishes and desires, without the fear or threat of reprisal.  But God is not unjust that He would allow the atheist or the agnostic to continue for long.  He will not allow them to continue to “boast in [their] hearts desire” nor to make a mockery of His name and justice, for He “has seen it, for [He has] beheld mischief and vexation to take it into [His] hands”

The latter say that He does not exist as He has said that He is.  He is something else altogether.  He is not just nor is He capable subduing injustice.  The wicked assume that they are able to continue in their reign of terror without end and that the afflicted/oppressed/innocent/unfortunate are without help in this life.  They refuse to believe God’s word that His love, toward the brokenhearted and afflicted, reaches to the heavens and that His faithfulness stretches to the skies.  They refuse to believe that He is “a helper of the orphan [and One who] vindicate(s) the orphan and the oppressed.”  They refuse to believe and understand that He is truly “The Lord [and] King forever and ever.”

Though the afflicted may cry out “how long O Lord” and “why do you stand afar off, O Lord, why do you hide yourself in times of trouble,” ultimately they will not be ashamed.  They will not be moved forever.  God will avenge His justice.  He will uphold and affirm His holiness.  He will bring judgment upon the wicked, though He may tarry, “so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”  And He will bring rest to those who are afflicted.

Jude 1:14-15

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,  15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Matthew 5:3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Do you desire rest?

I am tired.  I think I’m getting sick too.  Shame really.  I just missed the last family cold…I guess I didn’t really miss it, it was just lying in wait for me until it had run its course in the others.  Oh well.  I’ve been thinking about rest a lot lately.  Probably for the above reasons.  Why do we prize rest so much?  We do we prize relaxation and enjoyment?  Why do we work so hard for it?  Why do we think that we deserve it?

I think about Jesus’ life.  He worked tirelessly.  He hardly slept…and hardly slept comfortably I’m sure.  He hardly had a moments peace, with multitudes constantly coming to Him for healing and such.  He was constantly working with ill attitudes and misunderstandings from the crowds, the religious leaders and His own disciples (one of which was a traitor which He knew).

What about others?  Think about the “hall of faith.”  People had their possesions confiscated, were tortured, sawn in two, fed to lions, beheaded, crucified and other such things.  Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, persecuted beyond measure, imprisoned, abandoned and all for the sake of the gospel.  What have you had to endure?  Really?  What have you had to endure for the sake of the gospel?  I’m not talking about everyday, ordinary trials.  I’m not talking about those things common to men (believer and unbeliever alike – sickness, disease, financial hardship, loss of a job, family desertion, etc.).  Those things are not necessarily because you name the name of Christ.  Plenty of unbelievers suffer from these things.  What have you really had to endure for the sake of the gospel?  I think that those guys who had it much harder than we did, for the sake of the gospel, had a lot more of a reason to want to take it easy.  They had a lot more of a reason to want to slow down and take a rest.  But they didn’t.  They were not largely concerned with taking a rest now.

The reason why is because they were looking forward to something better.  They were looking forward to a greater time of rest.  They were looking forward to a greater reward.  A city not made with human hands.

Rest is promised for the people of God.  But not now.  Peace, yes.  Joy, yes.  Contentment, yes.  Rest…no.  Rest comes later.  It may tarry, but it will come.  And I believe that it will be so much sweeter to those who through trial, tribulation and distress have persevered with joy and love for God and the appearance of Christ.  Those of us who are lazy and sluggish, quick to seek recreation and rest in this life will not love the appearing of Christ; nor will they truly look forward to His rest.  Because they have their fill here, or at least what they think will fill.

You, beloved, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” whom we “eagerly await [because He will] “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” and “let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall…for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword and piercing as far tas the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do…[and] let us hold fast our confession…for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin…[and] let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (2 Pet 3; Phil 3; Heb 4)

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.”