Month: May 2022

On Dark Times

Isaiah 9:1-2, 4-7 NLT. Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.  2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.  You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.  5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.  The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7 His government and its peace will never end.  He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.  The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Observation

Isaiah prophesied during a time of serious moral and spiritual decline in Judah and Israel.  The hills held altars of pagan worship, the wealthy oppressed the poor, women and men neglected families and responsibilities to seek pleasure, the kings were bad, and even many of the priests and prophets were corrupt men-pleasers.  Assyria was rising to power and set on conquering the known world.  Times were dark, disturbing and dangerous.  Isaiah prophesied the future of these nations that had abandoned their God and willfully broken the covenant between them.  God would keep His covenant promise of the consequences by allowing them to fall under the control of their enemies. 

However, because God is merciful and gracious, He has not permanently abandoned or forsaken them.  Isaiah’s name means “Yahweh is Salvation” and much of his book also pleads in anguish for God’s people to turn away from their wicked ways, repent and return to the worship of the One True God.  Through Isaiah, God speaks faith and hope, fulfilling another covenant promise, to those who were a faithful remnant in the midst of the darkness, those who continued in obeying, loving and serving God despite the surrounding culture and, probably, criticism and persecution for their piety.  God is faithful to the faithful forever.

Isaiah covers it all – judgment, conviction and redemption.  Nonetheless, his book is a positive message for whosoever will come, including the assurances of redemption, rescue and restoration, of the certainty of the coming of Messiah, of salvation for both Jew and Gentile, and the triumph of God’s will, plan and purpose despite current circumstances and suffering.

Impact on Me

Gratefully, He also extends this redemption even to the Gentiles – “…there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…”  Galilee was right along a busy international trade route and many Gentiles lived on its shores.  This promise is to all of us that now receive Jesus. 

Isaiah’s words are a challenge to us today.  We live in a world where times are dark, disturbing and dangerous.  How different is our society than Isaiah’s – “altars of pagan worship, the wealthy oppressed the poor, women and men neglected families and responsibilities to seek pleasure, the kings were bad, and even many of the priests and prophets were corrupt men-pleasers.”  Aren’t we seeing countries trying to overthrow and dominate others?  People are consumed with pleasure and the worship of things, fame, power, and even themselves. We hear every day of another irrational act driven by passionate lust, anger, prejudice or misconceptions.  Scandal is news. The government at so many levels seems to have lost its way.

I so yearn for this promise to come to pass!!  “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.  The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  His government and its peace will never end.  He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.”  But, just as those in Isaiah’s time waited, so do I.  Will I be one of the faithful ones who does not despair, submits to Jesus, and waits in hope with the knowledge that His government is at work now and or will I become adapted or complacent to the culture around me and drift away from the worship of the One True God?   The kingdom I dwell in and the king I serve is my choice.

Prayer

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, I choose Your kingdom, Your government, Your will and way, regardless of the pressures, the circumstances, the temptations surrounding me.  I pray that You will give me wisdom, knowledge, understanding, strength, courage and grace to stand firm as I wait for the ultimate fulfillment of these promises.  Justice and fairness are in Your hands.  May I be an instrument in Your hand to be just and fair in all I do.  I ask in it the name of Jesus.  Amen.

On Cleaning the Slate

Psalm 19:7-14 NLT  7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.  The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  8 The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.  9 Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.  The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.  10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.  They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  11 They are a warning to Your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.   12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  13 Keep Your servant from deliberate sins!  Don’t let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.  14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:7-14 MSG The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.  The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.  The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.  The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.  God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.  The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.  10 God’s Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds.  You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries.

11-14 There’s more:  God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure.  Otherwise, how will we find our way?  Or know when we play the fool?  Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!  Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.  These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray.  Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Observation

God’s nature is revealed through His Word.  Through all David’s disappointments, trials and failings, he learned that everything he needed could be found in submitting to and obeying God’s commands.  David’s worship extols God’s nature as revealed to him by God’s words and actions – “…perfect, reviving the soul…trustworthy, making wise the simple…right, bringing joy to the heart…clear, giving insight for living… pure, lasting forever… true; each one is fair.”  Regardless of his experience or current circumstance, David’s worship reflected and rejoiced in Who God is.

Nonetheless, David recognized that he himself was less than perfect or trustworthy.  He ends this psalm with words of repentance and humility.  “Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!  Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work.”  Isn’t this the cry of every humble human heart who strives to please God, to walk worthy of the love and grace so freely given, to be that good and faithful servant?

Impact on Me

I hear in this psalm the wonder, the awe, the gratitude, the humility, the meekness that fired David’s worship. It is one I revisit often. It is full of awe and wonder over the love, wisdom, beauty, majesty, perfection of God Who, for some unimaginable reason, hears me, out of all the voices, and responds with love, grace and mercy to “scrub me clean of the grime of sin” again.  The more amazing thing is that He finds joy in the scrubbing!  It is better for me to listen to Him and avoid falling into the grimy pit, committing “stupid sins, from thinking I can take over Your work.” However, when I do muck myself up again and sincerely repent, putting my stupid pride on the “morning altar,” and committing to listen and obey more faithfully, He “cleans the slate…so we can start the day afresh”.  Surely these things should fire my daily worship with the same wonder, awe, gratitude, humility, and meekness that fired David’s worship!  

The question is, “Does it?”  Do I take time to marvel at the wonder of God’s love and care for me?  Do I put more value on worshipping Him than on seeking praise for what I have done?  Am I ever grateful for God’s readiness to clean the slate when I come again to repent for rushing off to take over?   Am I humble enough to expose my hidden faults, my stupid sins to repent and free Him to forgive?   Do I want to make the David-like choices, sometimes hard, difficult, humiliating, or terrifying, to become one after God’s own heart?  Again, I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill me with the courage and strength to do so.

Prayer

God of mercy and grace, You are endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, You do not ignore sin (Ex 34 MSG).  Lord God, I pray that You will give me the insight, wisdom and strength to be totally transparent before You, allowing Your Holy Spirit to expose my hidden faults/stupid sins and that I might be humble enough to repent for them.  Rekindle the fire in me that will restore that awe and wonder in my worship, whether in a group or all alone.  May others come to know Christ because they meet Him in me.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

On Being An Eyewitness

1 John 1:3-7 MSG   We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!  5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.  6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

Observation

Shouldn’t we be full of joy when we are full of God, basking in the love and grace of God, adopted by Him as His own?  So often we forget to celebrate our exalted place in Him and are distracted and deceived by the “benefits” offered by the world around us, which then become idols we worship in place of God. 

The Old Testament prophets predicted God executing judgment on nations that were arrogant, comfortable, faithless – “You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes?  But it won’t help you now.” (Jeremiah 48)   That is one of the hazards of resting in or getting comfortable believing blessing will continue indefinitely – taking for granted what God provides – thinking that God is soft and has forgotten how to administer tough love for the sake of salvation or redemption. 

When we forget the source of our blessing and think that we have somehow earned our status in the throne room, God will love us enough to allow us to fall or wander into trouble, trial or persecution so we recognize where we will end up on our own without His protection, grace, provision, power.  Doing what we know to be right in order to be blessed is not the best but will do.  The best is to return God’s love freely and abundantly by trusting Him absolutely, being like Him by loving the unlovely and lovely alike, by letting Him be in charge of our lives – whether pleasure or pain, whether comfortable or uncomfortable, whether easy or hard – and letting Him weigh the cost to us according to His plan, purpose and will. 

Impact on Me

To me, the love God wants returned to Him is one of obedience rooted in faith – saying yes before He asks, without requiring explanation, knowing that He is faithful, trustworthy, and loving.  So, in this I celebrate that I am chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed – His treasure.  I rejoice that my life is hid with Christ in God – what a thought!  How safe is that?  Should I hide this treasure, this joy, this amazing free gift or put it all on display?  If God is light, should I hide Him under a bushel as though I were ashamed or let Him shine so that others may also come out of the same darkness I did?  Shouldn’t I share this hope so that others can embrace this treasure, too?  How do I value this light and life if I don’t share it?  

Prayer

Lord, I do not want to stand before You on That Day and hear, “You got too comfortable and took Me for granted,” or “You did not value the treasure of Me enough to ache for others to know Me, too,” or “You were ashamed of Me.”  I want to hear You say that I gave You joy in Your heart through my words and actions, that many came to know You because they met You in me, and that I was a good, faithful servant who followed through gladly on Your requests of me.  I want to hear that You are pleased with the way I loved and cared for both the Body of Christ and those who did not know You.  I want the fragrance of my life and worship to fill the house so that everyone will be drawn to the aroma and find Christ.  Lord, I want to come to You with nothing left – because I withheld nothing from You, because I was constantly refilled by Your Spirit, because I allowed Your strength to flow through my weakness.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Make it so.

On True Worship

John 4:23-24. MSG. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” 

Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT. 16 I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear.  My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror.  I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us.  17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!  I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!  19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!  He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

Observation

Merriam Webster defines worship as (1) reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; (2) an act of expressing reverence; and (3) to adore, idolize, esteem worthy, give homage.  The worship Jesus and Habakkuk describe in these verses surpasses the mere visible act of showing reverence by raising hands or singing or even serving others.  These verses elevate worship to an attitude of the very heart rooted in faith, trusting in God’s wisdom, His goodness, and His plan, unshaken by circumstances, undaunted by whatever enemies or authorities arise to exert power over or control us. 

  • This worship is one that can “count it all joy” and find God sufficient in all circumstances. 
  • This worship does not hinge on how blessed we feel or appear, or the godliness or godlessness of the authorities which rule over us, or our physical comfort and well-being or whether we like the way the church looks, the style of music during the service or what else the church provides.
  • This worship permeates our lives, flows from within rooted in a deep and abiding gratitude, love, hope and trust, and brings us to a place where we can submit completely to being an instrument in the hand of God to fulfill His will and purpose regardless of the cost to ourselves (Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Yet not My will, but Your will, be done. – Luke 22:42).

If we truly want to be like Jesus, this worship is what we must seek to embrace, allowing it to flow outward from spirit through soul to be evidenced in our lives 24/7/365.

Impact on Me

In 2000, we were in a church that was transitioning from a long-time pastor to a very young new one. We were on the leadership team and many of our members were honestly burnt out, tired, and discouraged.  The new pastor chose to find long distance advice and support which encouraged him to reject the current leadership team and go it on his own.  This caused a great deal of upheaval, confusion and hurt for all of us who were highly invested in that fellowship. As John and I prayed, the Holy Spirit was firm in insisting we stay in that fellowship without complaining UNTIL we were healed of our offense and able to honestly bless and encourage the new ministry. 

During our healing process (we found out that this is really God’s prescribed treatment) we were to pray for the pastor and congregation and ourselves to grow in godliness, continue to bless, edify, and encourage the pastor and others until we came to a place of love, grace, mercy, compassion where we could truly bless the new pastor as we left.  May I say that this was not the answer we wanted to hear or the plan we would have chosen on our own!!!   However, the Holy Spirit taught me so much in those months about true worship. 

I learned that true worship will not be impacted by my circumstances, feelings, surroundings, or outside influences because true worship is between God and me alone; the depth, quality, authenticity, and truth of my worship hinges on my relationship with my Savior, my submission to Him as Lord, and my desire, commitment, and faithfulness to glorify Him in all I do.  This requires that I offer up my pride, my plans or need to have my own way, as a sacrifice, trusting in God’s plan, provision, or prescription instead of my own – REGARDLESS of what the cost is to me.  The book of Habakkuk is his journey from doubt to this kind of worsip, this unshakeable faith and hope.

I can only speak for myself, but I find that my pride always dies kicking and screaming, telling me that the price is too high or that I will have to give up too much.  I hear the voice saying I deserve to be offended at being treated unfairly or being disrespected.  I hear that I have a right to hold a grudge or work revenge against one who has wronged me.  It is my choice whether I embrace God’s plan or my own.  However, when I choose His, as I go through the process and stand over another dead piece of my pride, I find that I feel lighter, cleaner, freer, more peaceful, more hopeful, more grateful, more joyful, more secure in Christ.  After 5 months, we were able to ask the pastor to release us without any rancor in our souls and move on. While I really don’t desire to walk that path again, I treasure the lessons learned, the depths of relationship gained.

Prayer

Lord, may I learn to rejoice in You always regardless of my current circumstances, regardless of what the future seems to hold, regardless of those who rule over me, regardless of how I feel or the results I want. When I am tempted to listen to the voice of my pride and my selfish desires, remind me of Your prayer in the garden as You faced the horror of the Cross for my sake and the sake of all mankind.  Give me the courage, wisdom, strength and grace to worship You 24/7/365 so You may be glorified in all I do. I pray that others may come to know You because they meet You in me.  I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.