The Need for Preparation

Whether gardening, baking a cake, launching a satellite into orbit or doing surgery, an amount of preparation is required.  Before Jesus came to earth God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Him.  Jesus also sent disciples before Him into towns to prepare for Him, and the upper room was prepared by the disciples before Jesus observed the Passover with His disciples.  Preparation is a necessary part of our physical and spiritual lives.

A great example of this is seen in Gideon being called to deliver God's people from the oppressive rule of the Midianites.  Most familiar with the biblical account know Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress when an angel revealed God's call upon his life.  What is not often mentioned is prior to Gideon's personal call a prophet spoke to Israel in Judges 6:7-10:  "And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites,⁸ that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage;⁹ and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.¹⁰ Also I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." But you have not obeyed My voice.'"  The message from God spoken by the unnamed prophet was given before the Angel of the LORD came to Gideon and should not be ignored.

After Gideon was urged to go in his might and deliver Israel, he presented an offering received by God.  That night God told Gideon to destroy his father's altar to Baal, cut down the grove and sacrifice a bull owned by his father as an offering to the LORD.  Gideon did so, much to the dismay of the local idolators who demanded his execution.  Judges 6:33-35 says, "Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.³⁵ And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them."  This all occurred before Gideon laid out a fleece in faith to ensure he was not being presumptuous to lead God's people to victory over Midian.

The progression is insightful:  God spoke generally to the nation, God called Gideon, in faith Gideon obeyed God, then Gideon was filled with the Holy Spirit.  This word of God prepared Gideon to receive a call, faith in God quickened Him to obey, and then the Holy Spirit came upon Him in power for service.  We can reverse this order and start "laying fleeces" before God to discern His will before we have listened to His word or obeyed Him!  The Holy Spirit can come upon people in an instant because God is sovereign and does gloriously as He pleases.  Yet even as repentance precedes forgiveness and being born again precedes being baptised with water or receiving communion worthily, so submission to God in faith and obedience precedes the baptism with the Holy Spirit.  Being filled to overflowing with the presence of God is a free gift according to God's promise, and the life of Gideon shows how preparation is at times required.

There is no formula to receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the book of Acts clearly demonstrates, but one thing is certain:  God prepared every soul to receive the Holy Spirit and operate in the gifts of the Spirit according to His will, and the promise of the Father is for us and as many as our LORD will call (Acts 2:38-39).  The life of Gideon shows us even in the midst of oppression God is moving and speaking; when we are filled with questions God is pleased to call and direct people in His service.  When nothing good seems to be happening, be sure God is preparing.  Those who prepare their hearts to seek the LORD and obey Him are the ones He will fill with the Holy Spirit.

We might think victory is simply given at our asking, but these scriptures reveal we are led into it by the Holy Spirit.  In one sense failure prepares us to enter into victory.  This is affirmed in 2 Corinthians 2:14:  "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."  The victory over the Midianites was most unorthodox and showed it was God who graciously gave His people the victory of their enemies, and this is true with us as well.  Do not lose heart in the midst of oppression, believer, for the LORD hears our cries and will always lead us in triumph in Christ--whether it is like Stephen who was stoned to death or David who stood on the neck of the deceased giant.  Praise the LORD for preparing us and accomplishing His will through us!

The Plain Meaning

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to know what we believe and why.  It is also important that we walk according to what we know through God's word.  Because we are finite and flawed it is reasonable that the scripture will expose areas of sin, unbelief and misunderstandings we have.  An ongoing challenge of the Christian experience is to humble ourselves and submit to God as He reveals Himself to us and opens our understanding.  As we mature in faith and our understanding grows, we learn to view and interpret scriptures in the light of other scriptures.  Verses which were problematic and confusing are more illuminated by the power of the Holy Spirit and harmonise with others.

It will never do for a child of God to ascribe blindly to a statement of faith or belief system of a sect without carefully considering the theology in light of scripture.  We should not defer to a party line when we have not examined the biblical evidence ourselves.  And when there are scriptures read in context that seem to contradict our views, it is wise to consider other scriptures and a wide array of perspectives with interpretations old and new before we jump to conclusions--or worse yet, in our ignorance assume we understand it perfectly ourselves and there can be no other possible interpretation.

In a study of Hebrews I recently began I came across something I had not noticed before.  Apparently the warnings in Hebrews are a bit of a "thing" among those who hold strongly to reformed theology.  Many books have been penned to explain how these warnings fit with their established beliefs.  One wrote, "How do we reconcile our theology with what appears to many to be the plain meaning of these passages, that believers can lose their faith?"  It is a dangerous position to adopt, that we must seek to avoid the plain meaning of a passage to justify our beliefs.  Of course the scope of this issue goes far beyond the warnings in Hebrews and the Pandora's box of implications that may undermine core beliefs of some.  If the Bible contradicts our beliefs, isn't it sensible our beliefs need to be revised accordingly?

The core beliefs of the revelation of the triune God, the infallibility of His word, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation through the Gospel are all foundational truths of followers of Jesus Christ.  On what are sometimes called secondary issues there is room for different beliefs and practices in the Body of Christ, and they ought not to be cause for contention or division.  There is no room, however, for us to explain away the plain meaning of scriptures to maintain our beliefs.  At times I have found the plain meaning of scripture reveals I have been plain wrong.  It is one thing to be concerned about erroneous beliefs of others, but more important for us to ensure our theology is sound and we walk uprightly according to it.

God Makes Better

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?  That's what happened to me last night as our family played a board game together.  Something struck me funny and the more I thought about it, the funnier it was.  Later I was reminded of this verse and the tendency is to quote the first part without realising there is a second, contrasting part.  This verse explains the way we feel on the inside has an impact on physical health and vitality.  The way we feel impacts our perspective and response.

As a fit of laughter which soon passes shows, humour and merriment are limited in their effects.  Medicine ingested has a temporary effect and must be taken again when needed.  There are maladies, however, no amount of medicine can cure.  Laughter may temporarily lighten the mood, but it is no cure for folly as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:6, "For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity."  Solomon knew laughter in itself was vanity and could not cure a broken spirit, for one of the most humorous people I ever knew ended his life by jumping off a bridge.  The joy of the LORD is distinct from merriment because it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit Who fills believers in Christ by grace.

King Solomon observed a broken spirit dries the bones.  This speaks of one who is afflicted, depressed and beat down.  Feeling down on the inside has the ability to sap gladness, thanksgiving and enjoyment of all the gifts and blessings God has provided all people.  Even feelings of brokenness can have curative properties for our character which endure.  Solomon also wrote of these benefits in Ecclesiastes 7:2-3:  "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better."  Merriment can leave us empty in the end without self-examination, and sorrow moves us to seek a cure for what ails us.  Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, and thus in Him we find genuine hope that endures.  When we are sick we want to "get better" (as in a return to the good health we enjoyed previously) and the LORD can utilise continued sickness or sorrow to make us better people than before--more like Christ.

God has given humans the capacity for merriment and sorrow, the opportunity to consider how we feel and to decide to adopt God's perspective in every season of life.  A broken spirit needs more than medicine but supernatural healing from within by the power of Jesus Christ.  When we realise we are without strength, looking to the LORD in faith lifts ours spirits.  Whether your heart is merry or your spirit cast down, take to heart the words of Habakkuk 3:17-19:  "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.¹⁹ The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."  Though Habakkuk suffered and there were no obvious signs of his situation improving, he was able to better look to God in faith as his depth of character grew.  In the end this was of far greater benefit than hysterical laughter.

Jesus Heals the Brokenhearted

It is amazing how good or bad memories can be triggered by our experiences.  After our boys were grown I held an infant and was surprised how it suddenly took me back in time to when I used to carry them.  Feeling that little life snuggled in my arms, it was like the whole world stopped and I rushed back to a happy place with fond memories.  The smell of bacon being cooked in McDonald's produces a fleeting feeling of anxiety because of the stress I endured day after day at my first job.  Double-cheeseburgers were on the menu that month and during that initial season I cooked up plenty of bacon.  My experiences haven't ruined bacon or double-cheeseburgers for me, and for that I am grateful. :)

The reality is, everyone who is living will have positive and negative experiences.  We will experience grief, loss, sorrow and regret; we will also rejoice in happy news, unexpected blessings, fun and friends.  I have discovered the happiness of the good cannot negate the bad:  having a perspective focused on the goodness of God and His love and grace towards all enables us to patiently endure.  More than words can express I am grateful for the God who heals hearts, redeems lives and saves souls of those who trust in Him.  It is not the hope of a better life or the trappings of success which lift us from depression and fear but the living hope available in Jesus Christ we receive by grace.

In many respects I have led a sheltered life.  I grew up in a family where God's love was present and His grace experienced.  Where a lot of my childhood memories are good, I am aware the memories others have might be predominately painful.  When we have a pain in our leg or foot we limp as we attempt to avoid placing pressure on what hurts, and it is natural to avoid speaking about what has hurt us in the past.  Some hurts never heal on their own.  I heard a story yesterday of a boy who was dearly loved by his dying grandmother.  She promised to give him a special ring as his inheritance to remember her.  After she passed he asked his parents to give him the ring as she intended.  His parents were unmoved:  she was buried with the ring on her finger.  She had died, but her mourning grandson had to live with his parent's decision that deeply wounded him.

Friends, these sorts of wounds do not simply heal over time.  When our hearts have been broken like the shell of an egg it will never be the same--though we use much glue.  Sometimes the damage done in this life can be permanent; physical loss can be catastrophic and total.  Yet there is hope for all people, because there is hope of an abundant life now and a life beyond this world through faith in Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 61:1-3 records words Jesus applied to Himself:   "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

To those bound in sin and guilt, to the brokenhearted and sorrowing Jesus came to comfort and console.  Those who trust in Christ find freedom from crippling anxiety, anger and grief over our childhood, and strength to overcome depression.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, we receive beauty in exchange for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Our whole outlook can change for the better because we have been transformed by the power of God through the Gospel.  Because we have a Saviour and glorious present and future we can recall the past without continuing to be crushed by it.  With eyes of faith we can even begin to see God's hand present in our past to protect, provide and preserve us until now.  Praise God He is a redeemer, healer and Restorer of broken hearts.  In this broken world, in Jesus alone we have a living hope.