Appointment for Salvation

Continual prayer to God is God's will for the life of a follower of Jesus, that we would boldly venture into His throne room of grace in times of need.  Like the scent and wisp of smoke rises continually from incense, so our prayers are to be lifted to the LORD believing He will hear and answer.  One thing I love about God is He knows all and can do everything, and thus we do not need to know anything about what He should do.  Knowing and trusting Him is the main thing, and when we pray God moves according to His will.

One of the things we must be on guard of is leaving the way and timing of His actions in His plans.  If we trust Him to pray, we ought to also entrust what follows to Him.  He knew about needs which would arise before we became desperately aware of a need to seek God in prayer, and what is an emergency for us is already resolved according to His redemptive design and power.  King Jehoshaphat on the cusp of battle prayed to God, rehearsing all God said in the house of the LORD in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12:  "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? ⁷ Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? ⁸ And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ⁹ 'If disaster comes upon us--sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine--we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.' ¹⁰ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir--whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them--¹¹ here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

Isn't it interesting how Jehoshaphat asked God several questions he already knew the answers to?  The threat of defeat was imminent, so Jehoshaphat fixed his eyes on God with the expectancy of His favourable answer.  He made no demand of the almighty God yet was so sure of God's word through the prophet he sent the worship leaders to lead the march the following day because the battle was the LORD's.  King Hezekiah also provides a good example of how to pray in times of trouble, when it is easy to be overwhelmed by powerful enemies.  Hezekiah brought a threatening letter and spread it before the LORD and 2 Kings 19:15-19 reads, "Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, ¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands--wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."

Hezekiah had not been reproached, but he recognised God had been reproached by the Assyrians who placed the living God of Israel on the same level with dumb idols.  They could not see or hear or act because they were nothing, yet God was aware of the proud boasting against Him.  For God's sake Hezekiah said, "O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."  It is wise to make God our last resort when by His grace we are reminded to seek Him, yet how much better is it when we seek Him first!  When we are overwhelmed, God has all in hand.  He is able to save and protect us when none others have withstood the trial, and praise the LORD this is true for eternity.

We don't even need to pray perfectly for God to do His wonders.  When David heard his chief advisor Ahithophel had defected to side with usurping Absalom he prayed in 2 Samuel 15:31, "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!"  It turned out this was not the way God chose to deliver David from the hand of his murderous son.  Ahithophel continued to give sage counsel Absalom would have been wise to heed, but God caused Absalom and all his men to prefer the advice of Hushai David's friend over that of Ahithophel.  God had already made an appointment to defeat the schemes of the conspirators in 2 Samuel 17:14:  "So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom."  God purposed to defeat sound advice from Ahithophel rather than make it foolish, and God receives the glory for the salvation rendered by His grace.

The takeaway?  Let us pray, whether it been at appointed times or moment by moment as needs arise.  Keep your eyes looking to the LORD, and realise He is LORD alone.  God will accomplish His good and redemptive purposes despite our suggestions, for He is a Saviour and a Redeemer of all who seek Him.

God Changes Us

Have you ever wanted someone else to change?  Whilst our motivation can be anything but pure, there can be very good reasons to desire to shift the perspectives of others, for them to cease destructive behaviours, to recognise and acknowledge their faults or take responsibility for their decisions.  I have learned a truth which prevents me from worry, fears, schemes and manipulation:  I cannot change the heart or mind of anyone else.  Many times we would be content with areas of reformation when God aims at nothing less than supernatural transformation.  My rest, hope and confidence is not in a person changing but in God's goodness and power to accomplish His will in His time.

I imagine there are times our desire to see someone else change directly correlates with our stubbornness to resist changing ourselves.  And here is the rub:  even should we agree to and want to change, we find ourselves incapable of the willpower, discipline or strength to do so.  Anyone can, for a season, modify their behaviour or habits.  A big takeaway from what Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount is the only way I can see clearly to remove the speck from my brother's eye is to remove the log from my own first.  My judgment will always be faulty until I first submit before God in faith and obedience.  I must be the first to change.  A husband who identifies a need in his wife to change needs to realise God plans to change him more than he can fathom, and God might employ the process and time to further His divine work and purposes in him.  I am convinced there is more work God wants to do in the heart of one who knows Him than all the faults and inconsistencies in others you become aware of.

The only One who does not need to change is the God who is immutable and already perfect in all His ways!  Think of all the ways God changed people who trusted in Him:  He changed their names.  Abram became Abraham and Sarai become Sarah.  Through faith in God Abraham and Sarah had a son in their old age named Isaac.  Physical deadness and barrenness made way for new life and the birth of the Hebrew nation.  By faith in God Jacob became Israel, Moses tended his father-in-law's sheep and was chosen to deliver the Hebrews from Egypt, and David was taken from the sheepfold and made king over Israel.  What can be overlooked is the fundamental change God worked in the hearts, minds and character of God's people over decades.  Going from tending sheep to governing God's people was insignificant compared to the work of the Holy Spirit did within David as a sheep of God's pasture.  God turned Saul of Tarsus the Pharisee to Paul the apostle and bondservant of Jesus Christ.  God changed names, caused people to be born again with new hearts, and changed their eternal destination from hell to heaven.

When we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, we are changed on the inside and our lives are in the ongoing process of submission to God.  2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  Our relationship with God results in transformation we humble ourselves to embrace.  And guess what?  When our lives on earth reach their divinely ordained conclusion, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 says we will be changed:  "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."  No matter how much we change on this earth, our bodies will remain corruptible.  A day is coming when this will change permanently and we will see God as He is.

Proverbs 24:21-22 says, "My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those given to change; ²² for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?"  Receiving Jesus by faith is not one change among many others but is the crucial, necessary relationship for all other good changes God desires to be possible by His grace.  As much as Israel desired to see a "change at the top" with the removal of wicked kings or desired victory over oppressive enemies, they were to remain grounded in the fear of the LORD and in submission to His rule.  No doubt there were people (like Absalom!) who started movements to resist and undermine those God placed in authority, but may that man's ruin be a warning of departing from the fear of God and working towards change by schemes and manipulation.  Be assured of this:  God desires to change me, and He desires to change you.  Acknowledging God desires to change you ought to be of infinitely greater importance than changes you desire to see in others.

The LORD With Us

"And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him."

1 Chronicles 9:20

Isn't this a wonderful testimony of God's grace and faithfulness, that He is with His people who trust Him?  Those who trust and look to Him in faith God rewards with His presence and perfect peace.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we too have this benefit, having been born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  It is awesome to consider we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in Christians because we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus through the Gospel.

Phinehas was a man who was zealous for the glory of God and executed judgment according to God's command.  To him God offered a covenant of peace in Numbers 25:12-13:  "Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'"  God would establish an everlasting priesthood through Jesus Christ, the one who provided atonement by shedding His own blood on Calvary.  Jesus is our peace, and those who regard God's presence will be profoundly impacted by Him in their own character.

God referred to David as a man after God's own heart.  When King Saul was plagued by an unclean spirit, notice what was said of the youthful shepherd in 1 Samuel 16:18:  "Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him."  The LORD was with David, and this was greater than all his other skills combined.  Hands once skillful to play the harp can be stiffened with arthritis, the mightiest of men grow old and lose their courage, the most prudent can become foolish and the greatest beauty fades like a flower.  Because the LORD was with David, he was equipped for every task God called him to perform.  Whether he was tending his father's sheep or ruling God's people, the LORD was with David and upheld him continually.

Jesus assures united believers of His presence in Matthew 18:19-20:  "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  The context of this passage is often ignored when referred to, as it is sandwiched in a section concerning dealing with offence among members in the body of Christ.  If an offender is not able to be reconciled alone, by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  The prayers of those united with Christ will be answered, and the agreement of the brethren is evidence Jesus is in our midst.  How pleasant it is indeed for brethren to dwell together in unity for we are assured of God's presence.

Hebrews 13:5 provides a directive and promise from the LORD to members of the church:  "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  God will never leave or forsake us, but it is evident we can leave and forsake Him.  On the night Jesus was betrayed all His disciples fled in fear when Jesus held His ground.  How important it is we learn to submit and humble ourselves before God, trusting His presence to guide, protect and provide for our every need.  The one God is with is also the one who obeys the LORD, who draws near to Him in faith, and rests in His goodness and promises.  When we abide in Christ who is our peace, we will experience peace with one another even should offences arise.  We are feeble and faint, but the LORD is faithful.

How Do You Read God's Word?

It has been a running joke among Sunday School teachers as long as I can remember, that the correct answer to almost any question asked is "Jesus!"  Knowing the correct answer, however, does not mean we know why it is the correct answer or how to appropriate God's wisdom into our daily decisions.  Believers ought not to be satisfied with the ability to provide a correct answer to a question, as if this means we have nothing more to learn.  Knowing is a start, but walking in light of God's truth is paramount.

A common answer given concerning how believers can foster a closer relationship with God is to read the Bible.  Those who have learned to read likely read many things every day, but the way we read each source of information is different.  As a kid I skipped the front page of the newspaper entirely to find the sports page or comic strips; I scanned textbooks to find the answer to questions for homework.  I have read the ingredients of a packet to ensure it did not contain allergens.  I looked up words in a dictionary to discover the meaning of a word I did not understand.  There is a lot we skip over because it does not seem relevant to us at the time.  When I received a personal note from Laura (who later became my wife) I hungrily consumed every word, reading and re-reading everything again.  It is a good question to consider for ourselves:  how do we read God's word, the Bible?

I am reminded of what Jesus said when He followed on after the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:16-18:  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  In the foregoing parable, Jesus compared the word of God to good seed which bears fruit in a humble heart.  A little seed buried in the soil would be evidenced by a plant that bore fruit, and Jesus explained one purpose God has in providing the scripture.  Just as a lamp is lit and placed in a position to provide light, so God's word is to be lived out in faith.  A good tree will be known by its fruit, and those who are genuinely "in the word" will walk according to it.

Jesus said people must "take heed how you hear."  It follows we must take heed how we read the Bible and why we read it:  do we read to find an answer to our questions, to learn doctrinal facts, to prove a point to someone else, for directives to obey or to better know God?  It is a valuable practice to read the Bible, yet unless what we read is combined with faith to obey the word will not be fruitful as it ought to be.  God brings believers into His secret wisdom and knowledge not only for our personal growth but for the purpose of leading others to God.  We ought not to be surprised by the concept of spiritual atrophy.  Those who know much yet practice little will spiritually waste away, whilst those who have received truth from God and walk therein will be provided and entrusted even more divine revelation.

Verse 18 suggests those who might seem to have all the answers may only "seem to have" the truth they proclaim.  That is why the examination of our hearts is so critical, that we do not exchange doctrinal knowledge for spiritual fruitfulness.  The seed sown indiscriminately on hard ground, shallow soil and areas choked with thorns were fruitless because hearts were not willing to receive and obediently walk in it.  Brothers and sisters, take heed how you hear (and read!) because it is assumed believers will read.  If we do not put in practice by faith personally what we read in the Bible, it will not make the fruitful difference it could.