Trust in God's presence and timing

 “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

 

“Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;

enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’;

lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

 

“But I have trusted in Your mercy;

my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt

bountifully with me.”

     Psalm 13 (NKJV)

In this psalm, David is again crying out to God for deliverance from his enemy, perhaps Saul.  We likely don’t have physical enemies like David did, people who pursue us and try to take our lives. But we do have spiritual enemies (e.g., Ephesians 6:10-12). And our flesh, our old nature and our besetting sins are enemies that war against us as well.

 David’s repeated cry of “how long” expresses his feeling that God had forgotten him. That may be our feeling sometimes too. But we are to live by faith not sight and we trust in God’s provision and presence with us even if we don’t feel it.  David also expresses concern that God wasn’t moving quickly enough against his enemy.  But God’s timing is often different from ours and He accomplishes His plans in His time. During those times of seeming delay in answers to our prayers, God asks us to trust Him. Our faith is strengthened and our character is developed when we wait on Him.

God deals bountifully with us when we trust in Him.  Even during days of darkness, our hearts rejoice when we remember His salvation. Even when He seems distant, He will comfort us with His grace and mercy. 

                                                          My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

              “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the                      sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”

          Lyrics by Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Thursday Devotional - Finally Listening

Earlier in Acts 27 Paul warned the men NOT to set sail (vs. 9-10). His warning was ignored and they ended up in a terrible storm. In the midst of the storm, God gave him and the people on board a promise that they wouldn’t die (vs. 24). However, the storm went on for 2 weeks!!!

Acts 27:27, 33-37     ²⁷ On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 

³³ Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. ³⁴ Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” ³⁵ After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. ³⁷ Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

I can’t imagine the fear everyone on the ship was experiencing! Not only were they afraid and hungry, but I would guess they were exhausted, many were sick from all the tossing back and forth, and some were probably injured. At this point, they listened to Paul, ate and were encouraged!

What about you and me? Do we wait to listen to God until we’re in a storm and have no other option? As Kent talked about yesterday, we’re to pay attention to God daily. We need daily time with God to heed His warnings and remember His promises. Then, we can have confidence in Him through whatever storms of life we face!

 Alice

Pay Attention

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NIV) 

I’ve been writing words of the day for me to meditate on.  It gives me some clarity and something to focus on.  Some obvious ones are like love, grace, and faith.  Some not so obvious ones center on gratitude, planning, and honor.  Each one has been helpful.  One that caught me the other day was the word ‘Attention.’  It was not referring to people watching something.  Instead, it was on focusing on what matters and not being distracted.  Like a teacher in a classroom, they notice when the class is not listening to a key lesson.  Then they do something to help reign the class back in.  Maybe it’s a subtle pause or tap of a stick against the board.  “Pay attention,” they say.  That reminds the room that something important is about to be shared.  

This was particularly important to my thinking about God.  I began to check in with myself.  Am I praying enough?  Are my prayers one that truly come from my heart or am I ‘mailing it in?’  Am I seeking the word consistently?  Am I doing what I want or what God wants?  These are important aspects of our relationship with God, and whether it be text messages, a TV show, or even the wrong crowd, we could easily lose sight of Him.  

We must always pay attention to how attune we are to God and His will.  I was reading a devotion where I was led to the book of Deuteronomy.  The sixth chapter talked about Israel’s journey into an unholy land where they could easily be led off the righteous path.  God wanted the leaders to be focused on His instruction such that they and others maintained their devotion to Him.  Imagine the challenge of going somewhere where you knew they did not worship God.  You would carry your bible and read it daily to maintain your focus.  Additionally, you would pray a multitude of times.  These would not only keep your focus on God but also ensure you avoid getting off track.  That type of resilience cannot be strictly mental.  That is why God said, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” It is the heart that drives and motivates us in situations where we may find ourselves lacking mentally.  It is ‘the will’ to power past those things that try to distract and divert us from a righteous path.  

Maintaining attention to God is a process.  There are numerous distractions that take us away from what matters to Him.  It could be a game, a show, a phone, and even a problem beyond your control.  But God did not guarantee we would go through life without troubles.  Even Jesus pointed out as much saying, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b) Knowing this, it should be relatively easy to deal with these things, right?  If so, please tell me the secret because I don’t know at times how to deal with it all!  But I do know God can.  So, let us not lose focus on what matters.  Fix your mind and heart on the one true living God, and reap the benefits of His love, mercy, and grace.  Where is your head at this moment?  How can you build a heart driven to follow Christ?  My prayer is that we not lose sight of God’s purpose for our lives, and when distracted, simply pay attention.  Amen. 

A Sacrifice For Others

You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.  Matthew 5:38-42

From many of my devotions, one would be able to gather that I have a decent sense of the civil rights challenges of the 1960s.  This became a topic this week as the last living speaker at the March on Washington from 1963, John Lewis, died over the weekend.  It was of course a somber moment, but also one to pause and reflect on the great contributions he made.  He was only 23 when he made his speech in Washington, which was a pretty good speech.  In fact, it was a great speech for such a young man, but of course, there was another speaker who would steal the show that day.  However, he would be remembered most of all for being beaten by police in a peaceful march in Selma, AL, but taking a beating was but a small piece of the story.  The beating he took was to him a small sacrifice for what he wanted; freedom for the people of his cause. And once that beating was seen across the world, it would become the catalyst that pushed the Civil Rights Bill to be passed later that year.  Would any of us be willing to take a beating for that?  We serve a God who did more than that as Jesus allowed Himself to be placed on the cross for our sins.  You see we gain far more for giving our lives for others than we would for ourselves.

In serving God, we gain far more serving Him than ourselves.  In reading today’s verses, it talked about not taking vengeance out on those who would do us harm.  But as I looked at it today, it occurred to me that this is not necessarily just about our taking vengeance into our own hands. It’s about realizing God’s plan for our lives.  It’s about the gift of grace that only He can give.  These verses don’t explicitly say it, but it is clear what the intent is.  We cannot find fulfillment in vengeance at all. However if we surrender our will to God and are willing to give rather take in those circumstances, we gain God’s favor, and our hearts become filled with His Spirit.  That explains why we feel so much better when we give rather than receive.  Our willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others takes on a closer walk with God.  It takes our focus away from others (man) and puts it squarely on Him.  That is something we all aspire to do.

Being able to give our lives to God in all things is the true sense of life living for Him.  Jesus also said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)  There is a reason the old hymnal goes, “Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus.”  He laid it all down for us.  All we offer in return pales in comparison, and while He certainly did not do it with an expectation of something in return, we owe it to Him to not waste the opportunity given by His willful sacrifice.  That is why I am grateful for the sacrifice of a John Lewis.  It is why we should willing give of ourselves to Christ to help those who so desperately need a savior like ours.  Let us show others the love as Jesus has shown us.  Who can you commit to give more of yourself for Him?  What areas of your life could you give more to help others?  My prayer is that we take from the example of others who came before us and give for others. Amen.

Summing Up Hope

I'm one of those weird people who can watch movies over and over. Each time I catch details I missed before, but the experience can grate on my wife, who is not as excited about a movie she has seen once. Ironically, there are movies she will tolerate seeing again and again. These are typically fun movies where we share laughs, and the lines become "inside jokes" for she and me. Those are probably my favorites, still, I definitely like repeating movies more than she does. So, when I repeat a theme in these blog posts, like "hope" for instance, it's because I actually like this sort of repetition. I realize this isn't everyone's "cup of tea", but I prefer coffee anyway. All that to say, today's devotional is on hope...again. Sorry...sort of.

I used to live in a small town in Nevada where the emotional and spiritual gloom was almost palpable. People visiting would comment on it, even if passing through. It was weird too, because there was no apparent "physical" reason for it. The town was a pleasant place, the people nice, most houses well maintained, and even some "high-end" houses could be found. Yet, you could just feel some sort of oppressing presence. What was not immediately apparent was the underlying drug use, the presence of people practicing witchcraft, and unwillingness of churches to cooperate with each other. There were numerous, but tiny, congregations, none of whom could get traction in the small community.

There was (and may still be) clear demonic oppression going on, but the primary tactic or effect on the town was the absence of hope. The town considered themselves "poor" even though the demographics didn't support such a claim. The town considered themselves "backward" even though they had many amenities and services only found in larger communities. They had their share of hard times, and painful events, yet, each time, the community pulled together, and families supported each other. And still they considered themselves poor and backward. The deception ran deep.

The people of Judah, after the fall of their northern brothers, felt the sting of dropping into obscurity as empires rose around them. They struggled to assert themselves among the powers around them, but they could not compete with the resources of those massive human movements. In the days of David and Solomon, there were no competing empires as such. Egypt was rebuilding after centuries of devastation and the Mesopotamian valley had settled into a peaceable "city-state" confederacy, happy to remain as they were. The rise of Assyria ended that, and started the descent of the peoples in Canaan. Assyria swept away the northern tribes of Israel, and threatened Judah, but they fell just short of Jerusalem. They declined, and the second Babylonian Empire rose up against them. This struggle gave Judah some space to breathe for a few years, but they chaffed at their precarious placement between a rising power of Egypt, and the rising power of Babylon. 

This is the historical context of the prophets of Judah and Jerusalem, Jeremiah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk.  From these prophets, especially Jeremiah, we learn about the people of Judah, not just their leaders. It was the people who "hedged their bets" by worshiping other gods, not just Yahweh. It was actually shocking for me to find the following passage in Jeremiah:

Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying, “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” “And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?” (Jeremiah 44:15-19 NASB)

The situation was after the deportations from Judah to Babylon, and the people had still rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, then "escaped" to Egypt. Jeremiah had constantly told them how Yahweh wanted them to respond in these situations, and they had consistently disobeyed Yahweh. Now they were in Egypt, and continuing in their disobedience. But look at how they viewed their circumstances. They were so deceived, they thought their blessings had come from their sinful worship of other gods. Not only had they lost hope in Yahweh, they felt deceived and betrayed by Him. 

It may be difficult to imagine a group of people, chosen by their Creator, so twisted in their thinking and faith. And yet, each of us can probably name a person we know, whether friend or acquaintance, who has left faith in Jesus for some other spiritual or worldly pursuit. The experience of such people can erode our own faith, eat away at our hope, and leave us wondering how such things can happen. How can people get so lost? And how do you respond to them when their thinking is so far gone?

Jeremiah doesn't have great news for the people of Judah living in Egypt. In the verses following the passage above, buried in the declaration of their destruction, is verse 28:

Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. Jeremiah 44:28 (NASB, emphasis mine)

This may not sound hopeful, but their Creator and Judge, also becomes their Savior, as He provides for a remnant, even among those in rebellion against Him. As Jesus put it, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB) Our walk with our Savior is not a popularity contest played out here, but often the opposite. Our hope is in what we find through the gate, and our pain is the multitude ignoring the small gate for the widely popular gate to destruction. Hope and pain are not mutually exclusive, but sadly, often go hand in hand. Still, the faithfulness of our Savior will lead us to the fulfillment of our hope, the sight of His face, and place of eternal worship in His presence. We may not always be happy about our circumstances, but we have joy, we have peace, and we have hope.