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The First Silent Night

 “Silent night, holy night – all is calm …”

So begins one of the all-time favorite carols of this season. Over the coming weeks, this song will be sung throughout churches as Christmas Day approaches.

Silence, calm – these are not words that describe what many experience during these days. There’s a charge in the atmosphere. I felt it the day after Thanksgiving as I walked through a shopping mall on what’s come to be known as Black Friday, the shopping day marked with fast, furious sales and super, duper, seasonal bargains.

Everywhere I turned there were lights and sounds and signage all pushing me to take advantage of the big deals. I was urged to buy, buy, buy. Add to your wardrobe; upgrade your phone; get the latest time-saving gadget – it will change your life.

I wondered just what I would do with the time I saved. How would I spend those extra minutes and seconds?

“Silent night, holy night” – I discerned the sound of the tune. It came from a speaker somewhere hidden in the bustle. The notes that I heard brought the words to mind.

It is easy to just think about Christmas and the manger with the virgin and her husband among the animals. All of that is so important. That was a splendid and glorious moment when Christ the Savior was born. Angels were heard. Shepherds were amazed. Wise men noticed the Star that rose over Jacob’s land.

But then I thought of something more.

God Chose to Rest

“Silent night, holy night” – these words made me think of the Lord in His stillness. The quiet, confident, secure nature of who God is amazes me.  His “so love” for the world is incomprehensible and eternal. God is at rest in His love (see Zephaniah 3:17).

The first silent night, the first holy night came because God willed it. Genesis 2 tells us that this came on the seventh day. He stopped what He was doing. Sabbath became a big part of the universe.

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Genesis 2:1-3).

God became still. He chose to bring His activity to a place of rest. All was calm, and all was bright. It was glorious.

Did the Lord need a break? Not at all – He has always been the all-powerful, the all-knowing, the all-seeing, the all-present One. The Maker of the heavens and the earth could have gone on making and creating as He saw fit.

“Be still and know that I am God” – so says Psalm 46:10. This is what Sabbath is all about.

Sabbath. Silence. Selah. These words are holy words. They speak of the rest that comes with wholeness and completeness – Shalom in the Hebrew.

God finished His work of Creation. Those days were good, good, good, good, good, and very good. He pronounced blessing and sanctification on the seventh day, however.

How did the angelic realm respond to Sabbath? I wonder about this. Did these bright, beautiful, intelligent, and talented creatures welcome the stillness? Some did, others did not.

From the Scriptures, we understand that at least one of God’s creations refuses to stay still. Inactivity is just not a part of Satan’s makeup. He is ever roaming, to and fro, up and down, seeking someone to deceive and devour. Maybe this was one of the devil’s big issues with his Maker. Perhaps it bothered the devil that the Lord was willing to stop doing things.

God saw no need to crowd the skies so full of stars that there would be no distinction. He named each of them so it makes sense that He left some space between them. Creation reached a conclusion, and so God said, “Let’s rest.”

Jesus and His Finished Work

Jesus finished the work of redemption at the Cross, committed His spirit to the Father, and bowed His head. Still. Lifeless. His body hung there to be collected, wrapped, and laid away in the tomb. And then came a waiting.

Instant triumph wasn’t — and isn’t — a part of the picture.

Between the Cross and the Resurrection, there was Sabbath. I am sure it was a somber and sad day for the followers of Christ, but the Lord followed His design. The stone would be rolled away – but not until the third day.

Now, we wait. The Ascension happened. His coming is still on hold. Haste? Hurry? God is not at all about this. His way, His truth, His life shall unfold according to His sovereign purposes.

When we turn to the book of Revelation, we can see even there that the Lord will not be in a rush to His judgment. “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). A pause shall punctuate the righteous wrath unleashed upon the wicked world.

Sabbath. Silence. Selah. These pause words should move us to listen; they should prompt us to be more ready to hear, as the writer of Ecclesiastes encourages us to do (see Ecclesiastes 5:1-3).

Rest in God goes beyond vacations, entertainment, and amusements. I am starting to prefer the word “holiday” to vacation. Getting away from it all can sometimes be an empty exercise, a frittering away of time.

Sabbaths – holy days – are what we really need.

Take rest, receive it from the One who promised to give it (Matthew 11:28-30). They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (see Isaiah 40:31).

Seek God. Be still and know. Wait and watch in wonder at His wonderful work.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

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Reach, Stand, Wash and See

Jesus spoke sentences of Truth to all who would hear. He came as the Word made flesh to walk among us. Jesus prayed and showed His followers how to pray. These were big parts of the ministry He performed during His days on earth.

Jesus also came to heal, restore, and revive. His ministry of miracles came out of His compassion. His purpose in these things was not to enhance His popularity, but to glorify the Father who sent Him to earth.

A Hand Made Whole

In Luke 6, Jesus stepped into a synagogue on the Sabbath, as was His habit – yes, even the Son of God made it a practice to be in the local assembly. He was there to teach. His words were full of grace and the listeners were astonished.

There, on that day, was a man with a withered right hand. He could hold nothing with those fingers. We read nothing of how this condition came upon him. Perhaps some speculated that  this crippled one was under a curse. It was a common belief that bad things happened to people who did bad things. Read the story of Job and pay attention to how his “friends” kept pushing him to get right and confess his faults. Job refused to forsake his integrity by admitting to something he did not do.

Jesus called this man to stand. He was about to do a Sabbath work. “Stretch out your hand,” said the Savior. The man heard the Word and did as Jesus said. At once, the hand was as good as new.

You would think that such a demonstration of God’s power would have had everyone in the place lifting their hands in praise. But that’s not what happened.

Instead, the leaders of the synagogue shook their fists in rage and disgust. Healing on the Sabbath was against their rules. Their hard hearts could not celebrate with this man made whole. Sadly, some are so bound by ceremony and ritual that the real work of the Lord has no impact on them.

How did this man leave the synagogue that day? He believed Jesus and was made free by God’s power. What great rest entered his life that day. No longer would he have to struggle and labor to figure out how to do his work and conduct his affairs with one operational hand.

Think of the full embraces he gave his wife and children after this moment. I am sure that his heart was full of joy at what Jesus had done.

A Body Made Straight

Another story of healing comes in Luke 13. This one involves the crooked body of a faithful woman. Jesus would refer to her as “daughter of Abraham bound by Satan.” The infirmity had left her hunched and bowed for 18 years. This was a woman who could not look up.

She came to the synagogue on that day. I am thinking she was a regular at these meetings. Imagine how much effort it took for her just get to her seat, on the Sabbath day.

Jesus saw it all and called her to Himself. He spoke, “Woman, you are free from this infirmity.” He touched her, and she was made straight. She glorified God before all who were gathered there.

Few rejoiced with her, however. Again, the synagogue rulers were outraged that healing happened on the day of rest. How dare Jesus work a work of God in the house of God on the day of no work?

Jesus responded to the indignant protests with this: “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox and his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

With these words, Jesus pointed to the real power behind the restrictive religious attitude in the room. The devil suffered a defeat there, and Christ made sure everyone knew this.

At last, the people cut loose with songs and praise, for the adversaries of God’s goodness had been put to shame.

Like the man with the withered hand, the woman with a crooked back really just showed up for church. Both of these people had learned to live their lives. But everything changed when Jesus was on the scene.

Eyes Opened

The last story of healing I want to address involves the blind man in John 9. Jesus came to this man’s dark world and was made an example by the disciples. Their question was this one: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Even the closest of Jesus’ followers still had twisted notions about infirmities and the reasons behind them. The Savior’s response must have astounded them: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

These words may stir questions. Is Jesus saying that the things that are wrong with us are there to make way for the works of God? I think that’s exactly what He said.

All that’s wrong with us is because of us. The Fall of Adam and Eve opened the human race to death and made the soil susceptible to the weeds, the thorns, the thistles, etc. We’re naked, and we know it. Our bodies become weak and frail, and our minds and hearts are battered with thoughts that distort our views of ourselves and of others.

To the blindness that clouded the eyes of this man, Jesus had an answer. It was this:  Here’s mud in your eyes. Jesus spat on the ground and mixed up a batch of clay to smear on the man’s face. The Savior then told the man to go and wash.

The man did as Jesus said, and he saw the light of the sun for the first time ever. And because he saw, the whole neighborhood was thrown into an uproar. Again, the healing work of the Savior was unwelcome because it happened at the wrong time – on the Sabbath.

The once-blind man was interrogated and called a liar by the religious authorities. In the midst of this investigation, his parents were brought in and they identified him as their son, but wanted nothing to do with him and his story. This man was made an outcast from the Temple and from his family.

The man eyes  had been opened,  but now it seemed he was all alone.

Jesus found him. He fully introduced Himself as more than his Healer. The Lord invited the man to believe in the Son of Man, and believe he did. Once, he was blind, now he could see the world with his eyes and see the truth with his heart.

What miracle could God do in us today? Jesus has come to save. His Spirit lives in us.

Let’s stretch our hands to Him in praise. Let’s stand up for the Gospel. Let’s wash away what clouds our vision.

Let’s see Him for who He is – our Healer, our Redeemer, our Friend, our Lord.

 

 

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The Wait, the Wind, the Word

The Apostles kept looking up, their eyes on the sky. They stared steadily at the spot where Jesus had escaped their view. The Savior rose through the clouds before this group and was gone.

It was now 40 days since Resurrection Sunday. Jesus came and went among them. He appeared and disappeared to Peter, to James His half-brother, to a group in a locked room, to 500 at once. He spoke with His followers and ate with them. He invited them touch Him. There were to understand that He was present in flesh and bone. He revealed to them that our future reality would have substance, an existence not at all ethereal or ghost-like.

But Jesus had gone up through the heavens. What now? Surely, uncertainties filled the minds and hearts there. For a time, they were frozen in place.

Angels then arrived with a question and a promise. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (see Acts 1:11).

Power was coming, Jesus told them so. Power had been on their minds. They asked Jesus if Israel’s Kingdom season had arrived. “That’s not for you to know,” the Lord answered them. “Times and seasons belong to the authority of the Father,” He said.

After all that these people had seen and heard with Jesus, they still had so much to learn. Kingdom authority was coming in a new and living way. Power was about to be sent from above. Holy Spirit fire would fall on them. A new baptism was about to be introduced to the world.

“Wait,” Jesus said.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Christ had spoken of the Spirit and what would come with Him to these faithful ones. They would require the strength, the wings, the stamina, and the leading that would be sent to them.

The disciples did as they were told. Soon these followers of the Resurrected One gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.

It was a feast time in this city. The Jews gathered for Pentecost, a harvest celebration, a time of thanksgiving to God for the first fruits of the wheat crop. From throughout the Roman Empire, thousands came to be with their kindred at the Temple.

These pilgrims were about to experience a pivotal moment in history. They went on with their religious duties, doing their best to honor God with sacrifices and offerings.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Jesus labored in prayer. A small room full of waiting ones became possessed with divine expectation. The communion of these believers was true and real. They were in one accord when sound of the Wind came.

It was mighty and rushing. It filled the room. To each one, this Wind swept a “tongue” – a small flame that rested just above every head. God filled His people with Himself. The offering of Christ on the Cross opened the way for our bodies to become temples for the Spirit.

The love of Christ called them to Him. Their love for each other in Christ had drawn them together. Now the love of God in and among them shined out to others. They were now ready to address the world full of fields ripe and ready to harvest.

At last came the Word.

Those in that room began to speak with the languages known by those filling the streets of Jerusalem. The Wait and the Wind made the followers of Jesus ready to speak with power and authority. News of this miracle moment spread through the city. The sound captivated hundreds.

Some mocked – they laughed the group was full of wine. Others heard, however. And as they listened, they were cut to the heart.

The Spirit’s breeze blew upon them as well. The dust of their cold religion was carried away, and a new thing put before them.  Thousands seized upon the message and responded in the faith of the Son of God.

Peter addressed them with the Gospel of the Kingdom. The essence of this message was this: “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

Could it be time for a new Pentecost? Are we willing to wait and watch? Are we listening for that mighty, rushing Wind?

A world full of trouble awaits a message of hope. We have this message. The Gospel of Christ must be spoken in every tongue to every tribe of people.

Do we believe it? Will we do it? May His Wind blow fresh upon us.

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Jesus: The Eternal, Effective Living Word

For John the Apostle, Jesus had to be viewed from eternity to eternity. His gospel, his letters, his Revelation, all serve to describe Christ in the wholeness of His holiness. There is none like Him.

The man Jesus, John heard with his own ears and saw with his own eyes and touched with his own hands. This aged Apostle was clear about this. He, like none other, put himself in the physical presence of the King.

John witnessed the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter and the glory of the Son of God on the Mount of Transfiguration when He shined brightly along with Elijah and Moses. This Apostle leaned upon Him at the last supper in the Upper Room. He stood at Golgotha beside Mary, His mother. There, Jesus committed Mary to John’s care. He dashed to the tomb, beating Peter with his determined sprint, as soon as he learned that the Savior’s body was gone.

The life of Jesus, the very real, human life of Christ, was something manifested to John. He took his commission seriously to testify to it. His documentation is thorough and detailed.

Signs and Conversations

John’s gospel features Jesus’ encounters not related by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This should not surprise or mystify us. John’s writings are dated decades after the appearance of the first three accounts of the life of Jesus.  He likely survived into his 90’s and his recollections complement the synoptic stories. His gospel invites us to behold the Lamb, born to take away the sin of the world.

How are we led to behold Him? John guides us in this by telling us of the Lord’s signs and His conversations.

Jesus’ first sign of extraordinary power comes at a rather ordinary event. A wedding feast is in crisis — the wine has run out and Mary seeks out her Son to fix the problem. Jesus, at first, appears unwilling to help. Undeterred, His mother simply told the wedding servants to do what Jesus tells them to do. They listen to Him and fill large jugs with water. Soon, the wine is flowing again, and this drink is commended as the best that any had tasted that day. Thus, John portrayed Christ as a party saver before he portrayed Him as a life saver.

Don’t miss the key element here.  The servants did as Jesus said. The Word of the Lord has power, and those who hear and obey experience this. Through the rest of the gospel, John tells of others who listened when Jesus spoke and were transformed.

Nicodemus, the Pharisee, was told he must be born again of the Spirit to understand Kingdom things. By the end of John, this religious leader, once so secretive about his belief in the Savior, felt compelled to go and wrap the Savior’s body for burial.

The woman at the well is won by His words about living water that come to those who worship in Spirit and Truth. She believed and convinced her whole town to come and hear Him.

The invalid at the pool of Siloam heard, “take up your bed and walk” and obeyed, even though it violated Sabbath rules. This man had suffered 38 years and was now on his feet because he believed what Jesus said.

The adulteress, thrust before Him alone, without her partner in sin, is rendered uncondemned and sent away with the admonition to “go and sin no more.” Consider this: even the woman’s accusers heard Jesus and fell under the sway of His words:  “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” Slowly, the agitated, self-righteous mob thinned to nothing as the oldest to the youngest dropped their rocks under the weight of conviction.

Lord, God, Savior, Lamb

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard. …” These phrases open the letter known as 1 John. Jesus was and is the Son of Man and Son of God. What Jesus said and did in His time on earth manifested the reality of His being and character.

Jesus’ words were then and are now, eternal and effective. Read of Him. Learn of Him. Imagine yourself as a listener as He speaks. This isn’t so difficult to do. After all, more than 60 percent of John’s gospel is comprised of words from Him, words from the mighty God who is all and is in all. We can hear Him now as those gospel characters heard Him then.

John wrote at a time when some were attempting to redefine Jesus. Distortions and deceptions were circulated about the Person of Christ. Some described Him as a being less than God; others taught that He was some kind of being, other than human. John stood opposed to all such foolishness.

This last living Apostle sounded out the truth about Jesus as Lord and God and Savior. As believers, we must cultivate a true and faithful apprehension of the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Are we able to comprehend everything about who He is? Not likely. Human minds are too small and human logic too limited to explain eternal matters. It seems there will always be moments when we will have to cry out “I believe, help my unbelief.”

As promised, Jesus sent us the Person of the Holy Spirit to live in us, to help us, and to guide us in all truth. We proclaim the truth of Who He is and enter into the fellowship of Light.

This fellowship is the communion of those cleansed from sin by the Blood of the Lamb of God. It is a fellowship of love, and it is where we find our joy is complete.

It is a fellowship in Jesus, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

 

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All on the Altar

The Lord told Abraham to take Isaac and present him as a burnt offering. This son, the son of promise, the son of Abraham’s old age born when wife Sarah was in her 90s, was to become a sacrifice at Mount Moriah.

What an outrageous request this seems to be. And it is, but it is one that God did ask of His friend. How did Abraham respond? He rose early, saddled his donkey and got moving with two young servants and Isaac. The traveling party reached its destination and, there, Abraham and Isaac walked off with the wood, the fire, and the knife.

“Where’s the Lamb?’ Isaac wondered aloud at one point.

“God will provide for himself the Lamb,” Abraham answered.

Eventually, the wood was stacked, Isaac tied down, and the knife raised in the hand of Abraham. Then, and only then, did the voice of the angel of the Lord speak out — “Do not lay your hand on the boy!”

A Test of Friendship

The Bible describes this as a test for Abraham, and he is commended for his response of faith. “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is one the seashore. … in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (See Genesis 22:17-18.)

That’s how the story ends.

To some, I am sure that this conclusion is unsatisfying. We want explanations and answers, and we want them on our terms.

Why would God test a man in such a way? Sure, Abraham passed the test, it seems, and so the Lord then spoke of the great things to come. But, really, is this what it means to be the “Friend of God?”

Actually, real friends do bring out the biggest things in each other. God’s challenge to Abraham revealed a depth of trust that earned the man this title: “the Father of our Faith.”

What did the Lord say would come from Abraham? A remarkable line of descendants, that’s what. Some offspring would be stars, others would be sand.

On one level, these word pictures point to the multitude of children who would come from him. Yes, Father Abraham had many sons; many sons had Father Abraham, as the old Sunday school song goes. There are, naturally speaking, millions who trace their genetic roots to this man. These ones are the sand, and like sand they’re everywhere, in every corner of this world.

However, the Lord also declared that some of Abraham’s descendants would shine. These stars of heaven are those who have believed God as Abraham believed God. And, just like Abraham, they’ve had righteousness reckoned to them.

What if Abraham’s response had been different? Suppose he scampered away with Isaac in an attempt to hide from the Lord and His test? Jonah ran from the Lord. He was given a mission and a message and, at first, he refused to do as God asked him. This prophet was guided back into the will of God, but it was not a smooth ride.

Abraham reacted in another way. He heard and obeyed; he promptly set out to prepare an altar — upon which he would put his son.

Places of Sacrifice

Abraham’s life was a life defined by altars for he had built three others before this one at Mount Moriah. Altars mean sacrifice. Abraham believed God; he’d offered before and he would offer now — he would offer what God asked him to offer. Isaac, the one for whom he had waited so long, would be placed before the Lord.

When we read forward into the prophets and the New Testament, we discover that God was not asking Abraham to do something He would not do Himself. Jesus is the revelation of this. The Son of God would be offered for us all on the altar of Calvary. Isaiah 53 describes Him as “smitten by God … pierced for our transgressions … crushed for our iniquities … a Lamb that is led to the slaughter. …”  The gospel of Matthew opens with this statement: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Christ came to be the King, a descendant from the line of Abraham through David, the bright Morning Star from Heaven.

God says that there are things that “are not for us to know.” Job wrestled and complained and protested as he went through his trials. The end of the story shows Job with twice as much as he had before the tragedies that befell him. Still, nowhere do we read of God explaining Himself and His ways. Job held fast to his integrity; he clung to the reality of the relationship he knew that he had with the Lord.

Friends know each other well enough that they do not need to know all things. Abraham followed the leading of God through his years. It was not a perfect walk. Twice, he lied about Sarah being his wife when he feared for his life. He also went along with his wife’s suggestion and slept with Hagar, a union that gave the world Ishmael and the wild “sand” of offspring that came from him.

But when God said “offer up Isaac,” Abraham’s faith in the Lord was sure. He knew God as the God of the living. Abraham believed God, and he put all on the altar.

What would the Lord have us put before Him? Are there things we’ve determined are off limits to Him? Our great Friend may ask something big of us. He may ask us to stretch, to reach, to move, to stand. The good news is that He will not require us to perform in our own strength.  His Spirit lives in our hearts. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Jesus, what a Friend we have in Him. We never shall know all things, but we do know the One who does. Let us rest in His power and provision. Let’s rise, saddle up, and move forward in Him.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tell Yourself the Truth

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. The Lord upholds us with His hand. These are statements of faith and trust. These come from Psalm 37, which sits among the poetry and hymnody God supplied for us. He gave these words to us through a variety of writers to help says the things that we are feeling. These words also serve to address our feelings.

For example, in Psalm 42 and 43, we read of a conversation that David has with his soul. He asked his soul a couple of important questions:

“Why are you cast down? Why are you disquieted within me?”

These are real things that we all feel. We become downcast. We live in the disquiet. There’s noise all about us. We hear so much. We read so much. Our smart phones, if we let them, can steal Sabbath from us. Rest becomes elusive. Our sleep is uneasy at best, nonexistent at worst.

What did David do? He prayed his despair. He spoke his doubts – out loud at some point for he turned this time of turmoil into song. He gave these lyric lines to the choirmaster. It is labeled as a “Maskil of the sons of Korah.”  From what I understand, these words were turned into contemplative poem by these servants at the Temple. Another form of maskil speaks of how to serve with discretion.

Here, I see the way to handle despair, defeat, and doubt so that it does not swallow us down into full-blown depression. Sometimes you just have sing and sing things that are troublesome and unpleasant. There should be place in our lives for lament.

Pour Out the Pains

Jeremiah the prophet never would have survived if God had not allowed him to pour out his pain. Lamentations is book of funeral songs sung over the fall of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people of Israel. And, yet, what do we discover there at the heart of this wilderness of dirges?

Why, we read these very words:

“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:21-24).

There’s our answer. Speak things into your soul that form a frame of reference built upon the Rock and fortressed with towers from the Truth. Jeremiah did this, and he kept delivering the message of God to the people of God. So very few heeded what he preached, but he carried on. His life here on earth was one of little joy so it seems. Still, his soul held hope.

Please, don’t do damage to yourself by allowing your disappointment and discouragement to become an idol. This happens, and I know an idol is being formed when I hear this: “You could never understand because you have never been through what I have been through.”

True, so, so true. But what of Christ? Who do you say that He is? Do you believe in the records of His life and words? He was tempted in all ways in order to be our representative High Priest. He lived as a man, died as a man, and was resurrected as a man. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer is faithful and true, knows everything that we are about.

The Redeemer Lives

Job knew this and held fast to it. His series of trials befuddled and frustrated him. The strange and accusatory counsels from his “friends” added to the burden of pain he carried. He felt alone and forsaken at times. His integrity was all that he had.

Integrity is drawn from the word “integer” that is used in mathematics. An integer is a whole number. Job rested in the wholeness that he knew God had given to him by grace through his faith. Like Jeremiah in the middle of his laments, Job spoke truth to himself in the midst of his troubles:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

“And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27)

Job’s expectation was that Christ would stand triumphant on earth, and that he would see this Day of the Lord. Still, he remained honest and confessed the weakness and heaviness upon his heart.

Let’s return to Psalms 42 and 43. We read of how David ordered his soul with what he had in his mind and spirit. His words mirror what Job and Jeremiah declared. They are full of hope and expectation.

“Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, my salvation and my God.”

This is what David said to the feelings. And, I am thinking that he said these things in a whisper, at least at the start. I am not sure he was so ready to shout them.

Assurance is a remarkable, wonderful, and elusive thing, even for the most spiritual among us. I imagine that Peter, John, Paul, Mary, Martha, and the others weathered crushing seasons of doubt. Like the man in Mark 9, all of us have had moments where we cast our cares upon Him with these words: ““I believe; help my unbelief!” (see Mark 9:24).

I think David was having this kind of doubtful moment in these psalms. But he knew his Redeemer and sought his comfort.

Darkness can suffocate us. In those hours, may we let His night song form our prayers to the God of our lives.

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Poems, Songs, Hymns, Complaints and Curses

Talking to God and letting Him to talk to us is what our lives are meant to be about. We just get really confused about how to do this. It seems like such a stretch for us to talk to Him.

Our perceptions of the glorious, almighty Creator intimidate us. He is too big, too high, and altogether holy. All of those ideas and concepts are wrong, wrong, wrong.

God made man in His image. That is, He designed man – and the woman who was taken from man – from the dust of the earth to think and to invent, to consider and to imagine, to speak and to listen.

The order of those last two words could be debated. It seems that we should listen first and talk later, especially if the Lord is the One doing the talking. Among the sayings of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, we find this instruction:  “Be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). This direction was addressed to someone going to the house of God.

Human nature being what it is, however, we are almost always more ready to talk. We want to get things out into the open, and we do this quite readily with our mouths.

Job and His Conversation

The Bible, being a book of reality, takes this into account. In particular, we read about how we live this way in the story of Job.

Everything was taken from Job – his flocks, his camels, and his children. After those waves of trials, afflictions struck his skin and bones and devastated the wife of his youth, the mother of his departed children. He became covered with boils. Itchy and in pain, he scraped himself with a shard of pottery. Upon seeing her love in this state, his bride, weeping I believe, implored him to curse God and die.  She just wanted him out of his misery. Job chided her for talking as a “foolish” woman, saying, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).

Beginning in Job 3, we read that Job did have a lot to say to the Lord. Through the next 35 chapters, Job and others do a lot of talking before the Lord answers Job and speaks to him.

God showed up, and Job shut up – “I lay my hand on my mouth” (see Job 40:4).

I don’t want you to make too much of that last point, however. It is much better to let the words flow to God rather than to let them over-ferment inside you. At some point, you’ll burst. Better to do it sooner rather than later.

Job made his complaints known – over and over and over. When words finally failed him, he became “more ready to hear.”

A Guide for Communication

The book of Psalms was given to us to guide our communication with God, with people, and even with the devil. At its beginning, there are two poems or songs that stand like doorposts, and direct us into the right realm of discourse with the Divine One and about divine things.

To me, Psalms 1 and 2 are like the two pillars at the entrance of Solomon’s Temple. These two pillars were given names – Boaz and Jachin. Boaz, in Hebrew, means “strength from Him is within”; Jachin’s meaning is “the Lord will establish.”

I view the Psalms as our Temple, our place of praises and meditations. These first psalms serve to prepare us for what is deeper in its pages.

Psalm 1 opens with the word “blessed” and the rest of its verses tell the secret of this blessedness. We are to ignore wicked counsel and to delight in the Law of the Lord, to meditate in it day and night. These practices will make us like a strong tree rooted near water. Such a tree bears fruit and never withers.

The instruction here is this: if you are going to talk, then talk the talk of God. Think on His decrees, commandments, testimonies, and statutes. Speak them to the atmosphere. Think some more, and then declare them again. This is the essence of meditation, and part of meditation includes complaint and cursing.

Yes, the Psalms provide words for us to say when we’re really angry. We are encouraged to speak them – not to human ears, but before the Lord of glory, who is, after all, the only One who can bear such things and the only One who remains merciful and faithful and just toward us at the same time.

Psalm 2 expresses to us the facts of life in this space and at this time. It opens with the question that is in all of our hearts: “Why do the heathen rage and the peoples imagine vain things?” (Psalm 2:1). More statements such as these are sprinkled throughout the Psalter. Psalm 13 starts with a wail about God forgetting and ignoring us in the midst of our enemies. It ends with words of joy regarding His steadfast love, His salvation, and His bountiful goodness.

The God Who Knows

We all wonder and worry sometimes about just how bad things are. Psalm 2 lets us know that God is fully aware, but is also very patient. He shall allow the course of time to proceed, always guarding those who serve Him with fear and always watching over those who kiss the Son in worship.

“Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalms 2:12).

Yes, the heathen do rage. More and more vain things are being imagined, produced, and promoted. But God has given us this book, this collection of songs and hymns and spiritual images to establish us in a holy frame of reference.

In these pages, we will find strength. Let us allow them to form our thoughts and inhabit our praises. Let us be stirred up in faith-filled imaginations and heartfelt joy.

Then, and probably only then, will we be able to listen in the right way in the filling of the Holy Spirit.

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Happy Now Year

We tend to think in terms of past and future, of what we did, and of what we are going to do. Such thinking leaves us ignoring the moment. But our God is the God of Now. He revealed His Name — “I AM THAT I AM” — to Moses at the burning bush. He is the God of life, the God of the present tense, the God of the here.

God is with us, at this very moment, and He never leaves us nor forsakes us. These words are written in Joshua 1 and Hebrews 13. These thoughts make my heart warm. These words are the source of all courage.

Let’s look at Joshua. He was the man who came after Moses. He had spent his life as the sidekick, the second in command. Moses opened the sea. Moses brought water from the rocks. Moses called down manna to feed the nation. Moses guided the people through the wilderness.

But Moses was not the man to take the people into the land of promise. He had dishonored the Lord, according to the account in Numbers 20:11; and the Lord held him accountable. Moses would die before crossing the Jordan River into Canaan with the people.

Joshua was given the job to lead Israel to its destination.  A large assignment before him, Joshua surely felt the pressure of the moment. But the Lord showed up. God encouraged this man with a set of promises.

A promise for his walk:  “Every place the sole of your foot will tread I have given you …” (Joshua 1:3).

A promise for his battles:  “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” (Joshua 1:5).

And, the promise of His presence:  “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Substance from the Word

It wasn’t until after God made these promises that He commanded Joshua:  “Be strong and of good courage.” The Lord always supplies the stuff that we need, the substance that will allow us to stand.

That substance, that stuff, is all wrapped up and presented to us in our Bibles. The Lord said as much to Joshua, telling him to “be careful to do according to all the law.” The Word makes all the difference; this is what God told Joshua and it is what He continues to tell us.

Meditate on the Book day and night was God’s instruction. Hear. Read. Think. Consider. Ponder. Practice.

Let this be the pattern of your life. Keep the wood on the fire. This is what meditation is all about. Modern concepts have corrupted the reality of meditation and can stir up images of weird chants and abstract adventures.

The biblical model is taking up the Scriptures, a little bit at a time. We read a couple verses and think about them. This sparks something in us. The Holy Spirit does His work in us and fans the flames. We move through the Word with care and concentration.

It is quite simple on the surface. But it is not easy. We do have distractions flying at us from every side. We live in a wicked atmosphere controlled and manipulated by the prince of darkness and lies. The pattern is there for us, however.

Hear. Read. Think. Consider. Ponder. Practice.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God – this is what Romans 10:17 tells us.

What will be the results? Prosperity and good success, according to Joshua 1:8.

Just in case Joshua didn’t catch it the first time, though, the Lord said it all again.

Be strong and of good courage. Fear not, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Now we are back to where I started. God is with us, right here and right now. I remember learning this great principle from one of my first pastors. He called it the principle of God’s “Eternal Is.” The way he put it went like this: The past is gone forever; now just passed by; and tomorrow does not exist today.

God is, He eternally is. He’s always with us.

With Us, Always

Yes, He has given us much to do. He has saved us, but He has also left us – for now – in a broken world full of fragile and crushed people. Let’s not get overwhelmed by all of that. Meditate – think on what the Word says about His presence. It’s the now that matters.

Do you have small thing to do? Do it with all your heart as unto the Lord. Really, He’s right there with you as you do it.

“Lo, I am with you always.” Jesus said this at the close of Matthew’s gospel. He said this to a small group of nervous and hopeful disciples. He sent them with His blessing, and He sent the Spirit to live in them.

He is the God of our now. Let’s believe Him for it always.

Happy New Year? That’s OK to say. How about this one?

Happy Now Year.

 

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Build. Plant. Eat. Marry.

Jeremiah faced a nation pretty much all by himself. He spoke for God; but few listened and heeded the words given to him to tell. He addressed kings and priests, noblemen and soldiers. His words were strong, warning of the consequences to come from the people’s years of idolatry and ignorance of the Lord and His commands. Truth hit closed ears and hardened hearts and so it fell in the street. As a result, large numbers of Judah’s citizens were taken captive, forcibly relocated away from their Promised Land.

From Jerusalem to Babylon, they went. Members of the Lord’s chosen nation, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were placed under heathen authority. They had taken a fancy to pagan idols with their practices and were given over to a pagan government.

They were strangers again, just as they had been in Egypt. They became the object of taunts — Psalm 137 describes how the captors mocked and bid them to sing the “songs of Zion.” The living conditions and bitter memories did prompt a measure of religious response as new fast days were instituted. Perhaps, they assumed, God would see how sorry they were and bring deliverance as He had in the days of Moses.

The Voice of the Prophet

Jeremiah had another message, however. It was this:  “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:5-7 KJV).

Build. Plant. Eat. Let there be weddings and births. Grow as a community of families.

These were Jeremiah’s words. They were exhortations to activity, to work, and to love among themselves and toward their neighbors. The captives were not to hunker down and become invisible. They were not to become agitators and rebels. Instead, they were to trust God to work things together for His good. Be at work and, as you work, be witnesses.

Some prophets had forecast a short stay for the captives in Babylon. These communications produced a false peace and a deceptive sense of security. The truth of the matter was that the people of Judah would be there for more than a generation. No storms of fiery hailstones or miraculous divisions of the seas were to come upon this city. Judgment would indeed fall upon Babylon, but not until God had used her in His providence.

A Tarnished Testimony

Israel and its people had long lost sight of their original mission. Father Abraham was told that in his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

This delivered people took up their place in the land to be a testimony for the Lord to ends of the earth. God spoke to them through Moses — they learned His Name and received the oracles from heaven. They were given commandments and ordinances.

At this point in time, the people of the Lord had become poor testimonies of Him. The beauty of His holiness was obscured. The God of Israel was known among the kingdoms of the region, and He was feared. The stories of His magnificence were taken seriously.

A man like Jeremiah and his message did get attention – in the Babylonian court of King Nebuchadnezzar. Once, Jerusalem was sacked and burned and its Temple destroyed, Nebuchadnezzar sent word to Jeremiah. The prophet was offered a place of safety and, likely, comfort in Babylon. All that Jeremiah proclaimed about the empire had come true. What leader wouldn’t covet such a man to be among his advisers? But the prophet refused the king and chose to stay among the remnant of poor farmers and laborers left among the ruins of Judah. There was work and ministry for him then and there.

And there was work and ministry for the Jews in Babylon.

Seek the Peace

Build. Plant. Eat. Make homes for yourselves. This was the essence of Jeremiah’s message to the people. In doing these basic and necessary things, these people would “seek the peace of the city.”

Jeremiah recalled Israel to the mission. Bless the nations of the world by being who you were made to be. Get to work and love one another. The Babylonians will notice and some will believe. Peace, it comes only from the Lord, and the people of Israel knew the Lord.  Get to work and love one another, they we told in so many words.

It’s really the message Jesus gave His disciples at the Passover before Good Friday. Calvary was coming in hours, and the Savior poured out His heart to His closest followers, to the ones chosen to witness His life, His death, and – soon to come – His resurrection.

Forgive and wash feet, the disciples were told. “Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus told them.

Build – Grow in the precious faith of the Son of God.

Plant – Sow the seeds of the Gospel.

Eat – Break the bread and share the cup in communion, always remembering the Lamb who was slain.

Marry and give in marriage – Help families to flourish and form church communities that make a difference in neighborhoods, cities, states, and nations.

Our days on earth are few. Many of them are filled with struggle and anxiety, and for good reason – we aren’t really at home here and now. Yes, we make homes, but we don’t feel at home. We know that there’s another City — the New Jerusalem — that shall be set in place. We read and treasure the promise related to that time and place to come.

For now, let us listen to the prophet.

Let’s  build, plant, and eat. Let our homes be full of love and laughter and light. May they be places of comfort for the grieving and shelters for the weak, wounded, and weary.  In these ways, we seek the peace of our cities.

 

 

 

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The Woman and Her Bucket

High noon, it was, and such a strange hour to come to the village well. This woman tried to sneak around right there in the bright, hot sun. She plotted to drop her pail, get her water, and be gone before anyone could notice her.

Her ways were well known in Sychar; the tawdry details of her life filled the gossipy chatter that often went on here. The “water cooler” talk of those days revolved around her many failed relationships.

She’d become fairly adept at fast-filling her pot and getting home. This way she avoided her neighbors who brought their buckets during the day’s cooler hours.

This day would be different, however. She would find a Man – tired from travelling and all alone – resting at the well. She moved quickly, wanting to get her water and escape. Maybe this Man would be too weary to take note of her presence.

Men! They always presented problems for her. She knew them pretty well – she had encountered quite a few during her years. Mostly, they had left her disappointed and disillusioned. She sized up this one with a quick glance and discerned that this Man was Jewish. That bit of information caused her to relax – Jews don’t speak to Samaritans like her, she reasoned, and she let down her guard.

A Request

“Excuse me,” spoke this Stranger. “Could you give me a drink?”

The interruption both startled and annoyed her. “Typical man,” she thought to herself. “He wants something – just like all the rest.”

“Seriously?” she answered. “You’re a Jew, I’m Samaritan – aren’t you afraid my water will make you ‘unclean’?”

Jesus responded, “Really, you should be asking Me for a drink. If you knew God and who I am, you would ask for the ever fresh, living water that I can give.”

This woman marveled at the offer. The Man had no bucket and the well was old and deep. How was He going to get this water for her? She thought it was a trick and decided to play along with Jesus. “This well is an ancient one — it was dug by Jacob himself. Are you telling me that you’re a better man than him?”

She played herself right into Jesus’ trap. He spoke to her of a different kind of water, water that refreshes the spirit and leaves one never to be thirsty again. “The water I give,” Jesus said, “is a gushing fountain of endless life.”

Those words struck a chord within her. “Sir, give me this water,” she said. Her words carried a tone of hope. This touched her like no other promise she had ever heard before. Could it be true?

When Jesus asked her to first fetch her husband, her answer was, for once, honest and forthright:  “I have no husband.” Something big began to happen, a saving thing, a redemptive encounter unfolded.

There was no deception in her now. She withered as Jesus recounted her relationship history – five broken marriages and the unlawful living arrangement she had with her present partner.

Worship Redefined

She knew a bit about religion – perhaps she had tried to worship the Lord. The mount near Sychar had been something of a holy place. At that time, among the peoples of the region, Samaritans were ostracized and none dared try to make his way to the Jerusalem Temple to make an offering.

Yet in that moment, we see Jesus begin to define what worship really is. It is a matter of the heart, not a matter of place and time. “The hour is now that true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth,” He declared to her.

The climactic moment in this whole encounter is described in John, chapter 4. The woman speaks of the Promised Person, the Messiah, the Anointed One. It had always been her understanding that the Savior would come and “tell us all things.”

“I AM the One,” Jesus said to her. It was a direct, declarative statement defining the reality of who He is. This weary, worn out, thirsty woman got the message straight from the Messiah’s lips. He came to this woman, told her her own story as only He could tell it, and then revealed Himself to her.

Result:  she became a witness.  Suddenly full of living water, she dropped her bucket and ran back to the village. She gathered her neighbors and led them out to meet Jesus. His words touched many from her town. His message was so profound to them that they begged Him to keep talking.

Jesus and His disciples stayed in a Samaritan village for two more days. “We have heard him ourselves and know that this indeed is the Christ, the Savior of the world” was the testimony of Sychar’s people.

This is how God works His wonders in the fields that are ready to harvest. There are people everywhere who are thirsty for life. They struggle under the weight of their bad choices and poor surroundings.

And, then, Jesus shows up, making Himself known.

He has made us for this work. He has spoken to us about who He really is.

May we respond as this woman did. May we be mighty witnesses for the reality of the Christ, the Savior of the World.