God Lifts Us Up

Yesterday marked the opening day for the National Football League regular season.  After my sons arrived home from school in the afternoon, we watched the San Diego Chargers lose a game in overtime to the division rival Kansas City Chiefs.  It was more than just a tough loss to a division foe on the road, but far worse than that was our best receiver went down in the first half with a torn ACL.  Having endured that injury myself, I know it will be a long and painful road back for Keenan Allen.

Health is a precarious thing, especially for gridiron players.  There have been at least five or six season-ending injuries for Charger's starting players on offense by the end of the first game!  Players work offseason and training camp to be fit to play in the NFL, and to see it all over in an instant was hard to watch.  Number 13 was firing on all cylinders in the game and was unstoppable.  Move after move, catch after catch, he rose from the turf triumphant, celebrating each first down.  After a spectacular grab he placed his hand to his ear, having silenced the crowd.  He was letting the Kansas City players hear all about it too, charged up over a fast 21-3 advantage.  But suddenly, shockingly, there he was curled up on the ground.  No one had tackled him.  He simply was running and untouched fell to the ground as if a sniper took out his right knee.  For Keenan Allen, one of the best in the business, his game and 2016 season came to a end with six receptions.

My heart went out to the man as I watched him sob uncontrollably as he was carted off the field.  He couldn't hide his disappointment, and he was man enough not to attempt to hide his broken heart behind a stoic facade and a "thumbs up" as the game resumed.  I couldn't help notice the difference between the confident strut after catching a pass and the broken man hauled off the field, his jersey soaked with tears.  It was a contrast as stark as night and day.  I have seen the same thing in MMA fighters who all talk a big game before the fight.  Listening to all the trash talking makes it sound like neither combatant could possibly lose.  But within a matter of seconds, minutes, or a round or two, one of them is bloodied, tapping out, or unconscious on the canvas.  Champions fall.  Dreams are dashed.  Plans change abruptly without warning.  A knee ligament which has been strong for decades suddenly fails.  What then?  How will we respond when it happens to us?

All strength and success of men comes to an end, yet God's divine strength and resources are without limit.  We will fail others, and our health may fail us, but in all things we are more than conquerors through faith in Jesus Christ.  Life if more than games, health, and winning.  Those who humbly place their faith in Christ have new life and love nothing can ever separate us from.  God reminded His people in Isaiah 40:28-31:  "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹  He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. ³⁰  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹  but those who wait on 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."  Keeping your chin up is sometimes impossible, but the LORD is the lifter of our heads.  In looking to God we find ourselves miraculously sustained and can rejoice even when these bodies fail.  When our bodies let us down, God lifts us up.

Perspective!

Christianity is far more than a belief system or a tradition which governs behaviour:  it is a complete transformation of the person from within by the indwelling power of God.  A person born again through faith in Jesus is empowered to live life from a new perspective.  Instead of self being our central point of focus, a love for God and others governs our thoughts, attitudes, words, and deeds.  Things we naturally used to do without thinking brings conviction from the Holy Spirit.  We have an new desire to feed on the truth of the Bible and our spiritual appetites change.  The transformation God works within us is both immediate and continual.  We are born again as new creations in Christ yet there is a path to maturity we must intentionally embrace through obedience to God.

Hagar the Egyptian is a wonderful example of God's grace.  Though she was a Gentile, God revealed Himself to her and spoke kindly to her.  After she ran away from Sarai the LORD told her to return to her mistress.  He told her the baby she carried should be named Ishmael which means, "God will hear."  She was so impacted by the divine interaction she called the spring of water where she met with the Angel of the LORD "You are the God who sees" (Genesis 16:13).  All God said came to pass.  The fact her son was named according to the word of the Angel of the LORD suggests she believed His promise to multiply her seed beyond count.  When Ishmael was a teen, they experienced a great trial.  One morning Abraham gave her some bread and water and sent them away for good.  Though God had commanded Abraham to do so, it must have been a frightful proposition for Hagar and Ishmael to be sent away.  Where could they go?  They ended up wandering in the wilderness until their water ran out.

About 17 years earlier, Hagar had been personally met by the God who hears and sees.  Yet in her desperate circumstance it seems she forgot about Him.  She was so consumed in grief for her dying son she did not even think to pray.  She placed her son under a shrub as he cried because of thirst, and she moved a distance away from Ishmael because she couldn't bear the though of watching him die.  She sobbed loudly.  Now this is a terrible situation to think about, much less experience.  Though Hagar forgot about God, He graciously heard and saw her plight.  Genesis 21:17-19 reads, "And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. ¹⁸  Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." ¹⁹  Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink."  Blinded by fear, Hagar forgot the God who would never forget her.  God graciously opened her eyes and she saw a well of water nearby, and both she and her son were saved.

Think about God's initial question.  How might you have responded in Hagar's situation if someone asked, "What ails you?"  In bitterness and anger I might have answered with shock:  "What ails me?  Are you serious?  I've just been sent away from my home for good, I don't know where I am in this wilderness, I don't know where I am going, we are out of water, my son is dying, and all hope is lost!  You have no idea what I'm going through.  Shows what you know asking me, 'What ails you?'"  That sort of answer reveals a need for a change of perspective.  It was not just anyone asking the question, but the God who hears and sees.  In light of God's grace, goodness, and power, Hagar's perceived problems were not a problem.  Wasn't God the One who created life, caused Hagar to conceive Ishmael, and knew their needs?  Hadn't He given her the promise that He would make of Ishmael a great nation?  If Hagar would have remembered the God who sees and hears, recalled to mind the promises He had made concerning her son, and trusted God rather than despair, nothing could have ailed Hagar - even lost in a wilderness without water.

For those who trust in God, remembering who God is and all He has done brings refreshment to our souls like water to a those parched in a dry land.  As blood-bought children of the Most High God, we do not need to be afraid.  We have assurance of great promises through God's Word.  We have access through the Holy Spirit to the Living God who loves us and does everything.  Psalm 46:1-5 provides this God-centred perspective:  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²  Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³  Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah ⁴  There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. ⁵  God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn."  It may seem God delays to help us, but in His wisdom He refines our faith.  Your world might be torn apart, but God will hold you together.  Tears may flow during the night, but joy comes in the morning.  Just at the break of dawn God will send help according to His promise for He has said, "I will never leave or forsake you."

The Fallen Tree

It's been a bit windy in Sydney of late, and the picture above of the fallen tree at the baseball field in rouse Hill is evidence!  The fall of this sizable tree revealed the reason why:  very few large roots.  For the many years I have walked past it on the way to train or play baseball games, the tree appeared healthy and strong.  But all it took was a bit of wind to topple the tree and prove the roots were not sufficient to support the weight.  Without adequate roots the tree had no chance.

Jesus told a parable about a sower who sowed seed.  This tree reminded me of the seed (the word of God) which was scattered on thin or rocky soil.  Mark 4:5-6 reads, "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away."  Jesus explained the meaning of this part of the parable in Mark 4:16-17:  "These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble."  Similar to this tree which wind revealed shallowness of root depth, so trials and persecution reveal hearts which the Word of God has no depth.  People who rejoiced to receive the Good News of Jesus can fall away over time and it shows there was no genuine conversion.

This tree illustrates that what is under the surface matters most.  Large growth does not mean fruitfulness or strength in trials.  Many people have been laid low with sin because their roots were shallow and God's Word was not well established in their hearts.  I am not an arborist or dendrologist, but the tree appears to be a total loss.  But praise be to God, He is gracious to fallen sinners!  He does not write us off as firewood, but those who repent He establishes again.  What is impossible with men is possible with God.  The big takeaway I had from seeing the fallen tree was to consider the condition of my heart:  is the Word of God bearing fruit in my life?  Has my heart become dry and hard?  This tree could be me.  In fact, it could be anyone.  God is the One who gives us strength to stand by His grace.  It is faith in God which enables us to hold fast!

Importance of Confession

When it comes to confession, there is no shortage of opinions.  Because of individual experiences, backgrounds, and church practices, there is a wide range about the importance and practice of confession.  Some think it is only necessary between the sinner and God, and others have times in their meetings set aside for "open confession."  In Edwin Orr's book "All Your Need," the evangelist spoke of the importance of public confession to make way for revival.  He was careful to point out that he moderated the gathering with specific instructions:  he strongly objected to detailed confessions and warned he would silence any offender; he always exhorted born-again Christians - not the unsaved - to confess the hindrance to revival; and after explaining the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sins, he spoke of "confession as a means to forgiveness and blessing." (Orr, J. Edwin, "All Your Need 10,000 Miles of Miracle through Austraila and New Zealand." Marshall, Morgan & Scott, London, page 119)

In the Bible we read of private confession before God and public confession before men.  Jesus commanded those who had sinned against someone to go to them alone in humility for reconciliation.  Orr contends in many cases sins which are not openly confessed leads to inevitable defeat.  I agree with this assessment based upon the examples and commands of scripture.  How this should be implemented requires the leading of the Holy Spirit, a thorough examination of motives, and an attitude of prayer.  1 John 1:9 says concerning private confession before God, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Confession before God is adequate for us to be forgiven before a holy God.  But experience has shown all of us it does not mean we will forsake the very same sin or experience the victory God has given through Jesus.

Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."  Because a man cannot hide or cover his sin from the eyes of God, I believe this passage is speaking about hiding our sins from others.  Since this is the context, humbly confessing our sins to one another is a key step to actually forsaking them and receiving the mercy of God.  That sin you may be battling, the shameful struggle you have not dared to admit to another person, may require you to confess biblically to be free of it.  It is written in James 5:16, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  In obedience to the word of God we can have absolute confidence our confession of sin and fervent prayer with others will avail much.

There are examples of this in the New Testament.  After the woman with the flow of blood touched the hem of Christ's garment He stopped and asked, "Who touched me?"  He proceeded to turn around a look at her who had done this.  Before Him and all the people she fell at His feet and confessed all.  After hearing her words Jesus said, "Your faith has made you whole."  Confession was part of the process to wholeness (Mark 5:33-34).  Another great example of the benefit of public confession which resulted in freedom from bondage to sin is in Acts 19:18-20:  "And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."  Christians who had been in sin confessed their deeds, and many who had practiced magic in the past brought their books to be burned.  And what was the result?  The word of the LORD grew mightily and prevailed.  The implication is these people had the word of God before, but it was not until they took the step to burn their other books the scriptures could prevail in their personal lives and their city.  What might we be keeping in our closet or library which ought to go because it is restraining the effectiveness of God's Word?

There is a deception of the enemy all we need to do is confess our sin to God and we have done what is necessary for wholeness.  In one sense it is true God has done everything for us and is enough, but He has also sovereignly placed us with others to comprise the Body of Christ, His church.  Why does He tell us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another if "talking only to God about it" would suffice?  Having "accountability" is talked about these days, but how can we be accountable to anyone if we do not first confess?  Perhaps the reluctance to public confession comes as a reaction against Roman Catholic confession or because of damage by grossly detailed confessions which have torn families and churches apart.  Regardless of the reasons we would rather not "go there," I am convinced confession according to scripture is needful.  May the LORD guide and direct each one of us in how to be obedient and honour God in this area.  When confession is done correctly as led by the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ will be strengthened and edified.