No Shame in Sorrow

After hearing of the affliction and reproach Nehemiah's brethren were experiencing in Jerusalem, he was deeply grieved.  He wept, mourned and fasted and he prayed to God on behalf of those who lived in a city with the wall broken down and the gates burned with fire.  Four months after Nehemiah heard the shocking news, king Artaxerxes noticed he was sad in his presence--and this had never happened before.  Nehemiah 2:2-3 says, "Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid, ³ and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

I am no expert on proper etiquette of cupbearers in the presence of a Persian king, but Nehemiah understood very well the importance of showing upmost respect and honour to his king.  To appear before the Persian king in any context was a sober duty, for one misstep could mean your job, freedom or even cost your life.  It was important for Nehemiah to remember his station and the total authority of his king, and one did not speak unless being directly addressed.  When the king asked Nehemiah about being sorrowful in his presence, Nehemiah was afraid.  As a cupbearer, the king needed to trust him completely and remain confident of his loyalty.  Would seeing Nehemiah sad arouse suspicion of foul play?  Nehemiah respectfully and wisely explained the cause of his sadness, that Jerusalem lay waste.

It struck me today that as Artaxerxes noticed Nehemiah was sad, there were likely kings who frowned upon their servants being sorrowful in their presence as an unpardonable sin.  Artaxerxes was favourable towards Nehemiah, and gave him leave and all that was needed to commence on rebuilding the walls and gates.  What is awesome about the Most High God, the KING OF KINGS, is it does not anger or annoy Him when we are sorrowful and seek Him.  We can weep in His presence and He does not have us put outside until we pull ourselves together; He does not take offence when we are troubled and upset.  Psalm 56:8-9 (NLT) says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. ⁹ My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!"  God keeps a better reckoning of our pains than we do, for who among us can know the tears we have shed?  God does not cast us off because we are unhappy, for He can use our unhappiness to draw us to Him and seek the help and salvation only He can supply.

We can be ashamed of our sorrow and tears and apologise for them in front of friends, yet there is no shame to shed tears in the presence of our LORD.  He draws near to us when we are sorrowful like Jesus did to Mary Magdalene who wept outside the empty tomb.  Mary had just finished tearfully telling angels she did not know where the Lord Jesus had been taken and John 20:14 says: "Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus."  Isn't that wonderful, how Jesus was right beside Mary?  Jesus asked why she was weeping and whom she was seeking--and this dear woman, sight bleary with tears, found the one she hoped most to see miraculously alive and at hand.  Rather than being put off by our sadness, our LORD draws near to hear and help as Psalm 34:18 says:  "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."

When Progress is to Step Away

One key aspect of God's character and ways is that He does not change.  In this regard (and countless others!) God is entirely unique, unlike everything and everyone on earth.  There is much about us that changes over time:  our minds, bodies, reactions and abilities can improve or degrade in various ways.  Governments, laws, organisations, businesses, products, quality of components, and members of an association are among countless things that change--and not always for the better.

Recently there was a change of the pope of the Catholic church, and this position of leadership has sway of the organisation as a whole.  One concern voiced by ministry leaders was how "progressive" the views of Pope Leo XIV are towards controversial topics such as abortion, a homosexual lifestyle and euthanasia.  As a Christian who believes God and His word do not change, the word "progressive" as a description sends off alarm bells because it is always a departure from God's wise ways which are established and immutable.  People and society continue to change, and there will always be some who want the church to "change with the times."  The church of Jesus Christ cannot do this and remain the church.  What some people call progress would better be called apostacy.

It is an infinitely good thing God does not change, for our salvation depends upon it.  In Malachi 3, God spoke of the coming of the Messiah who would purify and judge His people that they would offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.  Malachi 3:5-6 says, "And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien--because they do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. ⁶ "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."  God's people failed to observe His statutes, yet God did not alter His judgments to accommodate sin that would lead to their destruction.  God will uphold His righteous standards in holiness, and it is because the LORD does not change His people are eternally preserved.

The living God who revealed Himself to Moses is the same LORD who has been revealed to all in Jesus Christ and the Gospel.  Exodus 34:6-7 says, "And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."  If our Creator was not merciful and gracious, there would be no possible way for sinners to be forgiven, redeemed and transformed.  As all the good things we enjoy are from the hand of the LORD--even trials He makes work for our good--it is vital for God's people to fear God and walk in His ways.  Jesus Christ saves and makes fruitful those who abide in Him by faith.  To progress from Christ who alone has eternal life is to step away from Christ, to revert back to our own ways that only bring death.

Our Immune System and Unity

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

Psalm 133:1

God has created the human body to be comprised of many different parts that have unique functions that benefit the whole body.  Unity should not be confused with uniformity, for every person has their own personality and perspective.  Even identical twins that are difficult to tell apart are their own individual person, a unique soul endowed with gifts and abilities by our Creator.

In Psalm 133, David exclaimed how good and pleasant it was for brethren to dwell together in unity.  The Hebrews received an inheritance of land by lot, and they were separated into various tribes.  The tribe of Levi was distinct because God was their inheritance, and the ministry of the tabernacle and service to God was their privilege and responsibility.  The chief priests were of the line of Aaron, another distinction.  Yet all God's people were brethren, united by blood of the line of Abraham and spiritual brethren by faith in the God of Israel.

In the New Testament, several times the church of Jesus Christ is likened to a Body made up of many members with Jesus as our head.  Local Christian churches are part of the global church, united in Christ and His love despite different practices, form and heritage.  Jesus who unites us is greater than minor differences in theology that tend to separate us.  It is good and pleasant for brothers and sisters in the church to dwell together in unity for the glory of God and the edification of each member.  Because we are different people at various stages of spiritual rehabilitation and renewal, people who naturally think and express themselves differently and are often ignorant of other's struggles and pains, conflicts will arise.  Mix in misunderstandings, offence, bitterness, unforgiveness and other sinful works of the flesh, division of members seems inevitable.

Our bodies contain an incredible amount of complex systems that work together to support the health of the whole body.  One of these is our immune system that has various types of white blood cells that remembers all the microbes, fungus and bacteria that have been harmful to the body and identify them as they circulate.  Antibodies are able to determine the foreign invaders and mark antigens for attack.  T cells target these harmful cells and destroy them.  Massive problems arise when our immune system does not recognise harmful cells and feeds them, allowing them to multiply which results in colds, flu and even cancer.  God designed all the members of the church who are born again by the Holy Spirit to fulfil a similar function, having provided a blueprint of righteousness in His word so we can recognise sin and repent.

If a healthy body does not directly deal with invading microbes, this will result in sickness and possibly death.  Similarly, members of the body of Christ are to mobilise to directly deal with our sin by confession and repentance--while gently restoring sinners overtaken in a trespass--knowing we also can be tempted.  Our individual connection to the head (Jesus Christ) by abiding in Him means we can be a healthy, fruitful and productive member of the body even when a church is a mess.  We cannot walk in unity if we are proud, and we ought to follow Christ's example to humble ourselves as Philippians 2:1-3 says:  "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."

Running a fever is a symptom our bodies are fighting off an infection, and fevers are not fun.  It is not pleasant or enjoyable to confess our sin, admit we have done wrong or need to ask for forgiveness.  In the end, however, dealing with sin directly provides incredible benefits we and the whole body of Christ can enjoy.  Cells in our immune system remember foreign microbes they have determined to be harmful and quickly mobilise to destroy them should they ever seek to invade again.  When Christ delivers and cleanses us from a sin that once held us in bondage, our senses are heightened to quickly recognise it, make wise choices to avoid it and to do what is pleasing to God instead.  By confession and repentance of sin, these are profitable spiritual exercises that contribute to the health of the church by walking in love and unity with Jesus Christ and one another.

Ascribe Strength to God

"Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds. ³⁵ O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!"

Psalm 68:34-35

Because God is awesome and strong, the outlook of Christians should never be grim.  When we focus on the problems in the world, regrets of our past or feelings of anxiety, it is natural for us to be overwhelmed and to despair.  This was our lot before coming to Jesus Christ as Saviour, but we cannot justify our procrastination of God's praise any longer due to fear or cares of this world.  God allows unhappy situations so we might be drawn to Him who gives fullness of joy and peace that passes understanding.

Psalm 68 is wonderful as it extols the awesome strength and salvation of God, and I also love the descriptions of God's people throughout the chapter.  These are not people hunkered down in foxholes at war against fearsome foes, but people publicly and joyfully praised God without a sword, shield or bow among them.  These are people who celebrated and worshipped the almighty God who had taken captivity captive, who delivered them from death, who had gifts for them and graced them with His presence.  One would think they did not have a care in the world apart from glorifying God, and this is a snapshot of the joyous life God supplies for all who fear Him.

The glad countenance of the people described in this chapter is a far cry from the kind of Christian who is quite taken with their own spiritual authority, who expend their energies in forcefully rebuking Satan when praising God would have greater impact to shine for Christ.  When God arises His enemies scatter, and there is nothing we can do or say to add greater effect to His powerful words and judgments.  There is a Christian who imagines walking in victory depends on their knowledge and verbiage when the experiences of Jehoshaphat and countless other believers by faith stood still and saw the salvation of the LORD who fought their battles.

As Paul said, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, rulers of darkness in the heavenly places where God reigns as sovereign KING OF KINGS!  The purpose of our wrestling is not to take the devil to the mat and pin him, but that we would be strong in the LORD and the power of His might to stand and not remain cast down.  God grants victory, not to those who are strong to tout their divine authority, but who recognise Christ's supremacy and humble themselves before Him by faith and obedience.  Rather than wasting our breath rebuking Satan, how about praising and thanking God who is already victorious?  Isn't blessing God with praise and gratitude in tough times walking in victory Jesus has provided by His grace?