Known To God

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

When a great host of Assyrians encamped outside Jerusalem, the people and king Hezekiah were filled with fear.  The Assyrian war machine had torn through nations and people with ease and finally arrived at the gates of Jerusalem intent on destroying the will of the people to fight, swallow up the nation and absorb them in captivity.  After Hezekiah heard the report of what the Rabshakeh has said, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went to the house of the LORD.  He also sent messengers to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 37:4 who said to him, "It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left."

Hezekiah was a godly king who feared the LORD and hearkened to His prophets.  Though he went up to the house of the LORD in mourning at the disturbing report brought to him, it seems Hezekiah's hope was God would hear the words of the Rabshakeh to rebuke them, and urged Isaiah to pray for the remnant because he would be heard by God.  In going up to the house of the LORD I would expect Hezekiah to meet with the chief priest, though it is not recorded for us.  Later he would spread out a scroll of threats before the LORD and prayed believing the LORD would hear and respond.  Hezekiah's reliance on God, seeking Him in prayer and urging others to pray is a good example to us all.

In the age of grace in which we live, Hezekiah could only see the faint outline of the LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ who has been revealed, has risen from the dead and ascended to the Father.  He has been revealed to be the KING OF KINGS and the great High Priest and Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."  Instead of accommodating worry or anxiety, Christians are called by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to "let your requests be made known to God."  It is fine for us to ask others to pray to God on our behalf, but they never ought to pray to God for or instead of us.  Hezekiah did not retire to his palace and direct Isaiah what to pray, but because he trusted and feared the LORD he sought God himself first.  When Hannah was barren she sought the LORD herself in prayer without consulting with the high priest who imagined she was drunk!  God heard the prayers of Hannah and Hezekiah, and He will hear our prayers of faith in Him as well.

Often what is called "prayer requests" are made of other people to pray and outline a need or circumstances where we desire God would intervene.  Telling people about our problem or having people pray on our behalf does not meet the conditions of the peace of God promised in Philippians 4:7.  Having sought the LORD in prayer, with supplication and thanksgiving, having made our requests known to God, then the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  If we are anxious without contentment, rest or confidence in the LORD, it may be we have neglected to actually pray about it.  Thinking about a situation is not praying, though praying involves thinking.  Prayer is an expression of our faith God hears and will answer according to His goodness and grace.  In bringing our requests to God we consider Who He is, what He has said and the glorious things He does.

Friends, I encourage you to let your requests be made known to God by your prayers.  One does not need to be a king, a high priest, prophet or pastor to pray and be heard by God.  Hebrews 4:16 is true concerning all those born again by the Gospel of Jesus Christ:  "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Before we ask God knows what we need, and praise Him timely mercy and grace is on offer for us all.  We can boldly make our requests known because we know Jesus, Who intercedes on our behalf, knows and loves us.

Glory in the LORD

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Man has a thing for self-promotion and seeking his own glory.  Whether it is an obvious boast, a humblebrag, belittling others or showing off for attention, it seems we cannot help ourselves.  We can be proud about how much we have or proud of how difficult things have been.  Our pride can manifest itself in rejoicing in accomplishment through perseverance or quitting and still being successful.  Man's tendency to glory is often by comparison to other people, and the command of God through the prophet is to make God the One in Whom we glory.

Everything we have has been received by the goodness and grace of God, and this includes knowledge of Him.  God instructed the wise man not to glory in his wisdom, the mighty man in his strength or the rich man in his riches.  We could extend this list as much as we wanted:  let not the Instagram influencer glory in their followers, the youtube content creator glory in likes or shares, the educated to glory in degrees, the celebrity in their popularity, the Super Bowl champion in his rings, the musician in her mastery of an instrument, or the pastor in the number of people attending a Sunday gathering or prayer meeting.  Instead we are to glory in that we understand and know God, that He is the LORD over all.

This privilege of knowing God is made available to all people by God's grace, mercy and goodness.  The LORD God today is exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth because He delights in them.  God's love is unchanging, revealed in His covenant through the shed blood of Jesus to atone for lost sinners.  He chose to freely offer Himself as the payment for sin so forgiveness could be justly provided.  Through the Gospel the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers so we can know and understand God.  As we interpret scripture with scripture we plainly see Jesus Christ is the LORD of glory we ought to make our boast in.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."  It is all by God's grace and goodness Peter could conclude his epistle with the exhortation to believers in 2 Peter 3:18:  "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

David's song is a good conclusion to this post and also an invitation to start making our boast in the LORD continually from now on in Psalm 34:1-3:  "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."  When it is revealed we are boasting in ourselves, our accomplishment or our possessions, let us repent of our sins and exercise lovingkindness, wise judgment and righteousness to glory in the LORD.  Such are those who will grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ.

The Stage of Duty

How easily people can be fooled!  I saw a clip recently of a celebrity chef who asked a couple of young and unknown chefs to make a few dishes.  The famous chef brought out the dishes as if he cooked them himself, and the restaurant owners were full of praise for the beautifully presented and prepared food.  After they heaped lavish praise on the celebrity chef, who obviously was the real deal because they had sampled his fares themselves, he revealed he was not responsible for the delectable food they enjoyed:  it was their own staff they imagined to be the weak link in their establishment.  The employers hid their embarrassment very well, having been made to eat humble pie in public.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.  God is intimately acquainted with what we cannot see or know, for the motives of others are hidden from our eyes.  On several occasions circumstances have laid this bare for me, for I too have been mislead.  I am still learning the difficult lesson of rejoicing in the LORD rather than in a person's apparent maturity or growth in grace, for people are not always whom they seem to be.  Samuel was ready to anoint Eliab as king over Israel for his regal bearing yet God had refused him, and to seek the LORD and heed His guidance is wise.

William Gurnall wrote concerning his observations of others in their dealings with personal sin:

"Is Satan divided?  Will the devil within fight against the devil without?  Satan in the heart shut out Satan at the door?  Sometimes indeed there appears a scuffle between Satan and a carnal heart, but is a mere cheat, like the fighting of two fencers on a stage.  You would think at first they were in earnest, but observing how wary they are, [and] where they hit one another, you may soon know they do not mean to kill; and that which puts all out of doubt, when the prize is done you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their spectators, which was all they fought for.  When a carnal heart makes the greatest bustle against sin by complaining of it, or praying against it, follow him but off the stage of duty, where he hath gained the reputation of a saint--the prize he fights for--and you shall see them sit as friendly together in a corner as ever." (Gurnall, William. The Christian in Complete Armour. Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. pages 49-50)

I have witnessed this sort of thing in sport when games feature rival teams with a long, bitter history.  It happens even after international tests:  the athletes playing for their country leave everything out on the field and after the game shake hands, embrace and head off to the pub for pints.  They probably are invited to each other's weddings and birthday parties.  No one enjoys losing a game, yet the players do enjoy the camaraderie between their fellow athletes.  They know there will be another game and at the next opportunity seek to win on the international stage.  If this is our approach towards temptation and sin, we ought not be surprised when we are soundly beaten by it.  Since Jesus died to free us from the curse and power and sin, we ought to see it as a life and death struggle--not a friendly match but the real thing that counts.  We can be the one deceived about the intentions of someone else who only fights to gain the reputation as a believer, and we can be that carnal person too.

It may be the humble pie those restaurant owners ate was the first step in improving their business and relations with their crew, and it all could have been played up for the cameras as a cheat.  Regardless, it is good for us to examine our own hearts as we look to the LORD, knowing He looks upon the heart.  In a world where reality TV has directors, producers and demographics they aim for and cater to, let us humble our hearts before God in faith off the stage of duty, choosing to put sin revealed in our lives to death because Jesus died so we could live, receive His love, forgiveness and salvation.

Now God Will be Exalted

During our lives there is much that can throw us for a loop.  In addition to our own feelings and circumstances we can receive news that grieves our hearts.  This is my personal experience as I hear and see reports of the United States are as divided as ever.  It looks like the greatest threat to the prosperity and peace of the U.S. are the citizens of the States themselves.  Some people say election results are not trustworthy, and other say decisions of the Supreme Court are illegitimate.  People rejoice over increased gun control to reduce violence while others feel their rights are being infringed.  Lately people have celebrated abortion is no longer a federal mandate to save the lives of unborn whilst the other side believes their constitutional rights are being stripped away.  The strife, discord, threats and hatred of one another is palpable, and any outlook for peaceable, humble unity is grim.

For a believer it is not healthy or beneficial to be preoccupied or distressed by these developments, nor is it wise to place our faith in political sway or legislation.  I find it impossible to rejoice when these recent reports reveal a hardness of heart towards God and one another, devoid of the fear of God, of love for God and fellow man.  The argument was increased gun control doesn't keep criminals from breaking laws by stealing, buying or 3D-printing firearms; another argument was the restriction of abortion will not keep people from risking their health with "back alley" abortions.  Both of these arguments agree legislation cannot change the hearts and minds of people.  When we dig in our heels and refuse to budge for anyone--even God--the best and most equitable laws will not improve society at all.  Man will find a way to rebel and reject God to follow his own heart to destruction.  Recent conflicts reveal the schisms that already existed under the surface, and it seems there is no healing balm for them.

When David was overwhelmed he looked to the LORD with faith who rules and reigns on high, and this is an excellent example all ought to follow.  This morning I read Isaiah 33:5-6:  "The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. ⁶ Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure."  God is exalted, and blessed are those who exalt Him, who trust in His wisdom, knowledge and strength.  God's goodness and power will be the "stability of your times," and this is timeless truth we can rely upon.  No matter what happens in the world, who wins or loses an elections, regardless of the changing of legislation or a government, the one who fears the LORD is treasured by Him.  We protect what we treasure, and the LORD protects and provides for those who fear and love Him by His grace.

How the grieving and troubled hearts of God's people are lifted by the word of the LORD in Isaiah 33:10:  "Now I will rise," says the LORD; "now I will be exalted, now I will lift Myself up."  No one appointed or elected God who is alive and rises when He pleases to do His perfect will.  The drunkard and fearful person stumbles in the dark, but God rises and stands with power to save and deliver.  It does not matter if the enemy is from without or within, for He is our advocate and Saviour who gives eternal life, perfect peace and fullness of joy that is ours by faith in Jesus.  Those who hear the words of Jesus and do them He likens to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock that will endure the storm and flood.  He has made us upright by the power of the Holy Spirit, and so let us walk in the fear of the LORD and His timeless wisdom.  We cannot fix the broken world we live in, nor are we called to:  we are called to unite our hearts to fear His name, as much as depends on us to walk peaceably with one another, and to walk humbly with our God who is risen and is exalted on high.