In Trying Times

I heard a memorable sermon during which the preacher said concerning faith in God, "You better get rid of your Plan B!  Your 'Plan B' is an offence to God."  What He said is true:  if we will not take a step of faith until we have layers of "safety nets" in place, are we really stepping out in faith?  It may take a certain amount of courage to take a leap of faith, but it isn't much of a leap when we are harnessed.  Instead of faith in God we place our confidence in the harness to hold us.

There is a example in scripture of a time when God chose not to answer the prayer of one who sought him.  No man is worthy in himself of an audience with the Almighty, and this even goes for kings.  1 Samuel 28:5-6 reads, "When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets."  I am not God and it does not say explicitly in scripture why God did not answer (other scriptures support other reasons as well), but his backup plan may be a reason.  Met with silence from God, King Saul resorted to the unthinkable in 1 Samuel 28:7, "Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor."

Saul had been tasked by God to drive out the mediums and spiritists in the land.  Since God would not speak to allay his fears, Saul sought the assistance of demons!  It is no wonder God would not speak to Saul, seeing His words were brought down to the wicked level of devils.  Oh that there was in Saul the heart after God found in his successor David who wrote in Psalm 27:14, "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"  May there also be found in us such a heart not to rely on our understanding but in all our ways acknowledge the LORD so He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  King Saul wanted little to do with God when he was prosperous and at ease, and therefore did not rely on God in trials.  If we will have God's counsel in trying times, we ought to seek and rely on Him when all seems well.

Moved By The Word

Is there anything you find emotionally moving?  The beauty of a song or a scene in film can bring tears to our eyes.  Watching a sports match can bring us to our feet with a joyous shout, and a strange sound in the dark can make our hair stand on end.  Injustice fills us with indignation as our pulse and breathing quicken.  Frustration moves us to raise our voice or withdraw to brood in silence.  Emotions are poor rudders to guide our decisions but good indicators of what is happening in our hearts and heads.

Can you recall a time when words from the Bible moved you emotionally?  Today I read of such a moment in the life of king Josiah.  At a young age he began to seek the LORD.  He personally oversaw the destruction of idols and altars throughout the land, and he also repaired the house of the LORD.  During renovations the book of the Law was found in the Temple and was brought to Josiah.  After the Word was read to the king 2 Chronicles 34:19 says, "Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes."  This may seem a strange response to us, but to Josiah and the people in Israel it was a sign of grief and mourning.  King Josiah sent messengers to inquire of God because the book spoke of great wrath being poured out on all who did not keep the words of the Law.

I suspect most people look to scripture for comfort and promises of peace over rebuke and warnings of great wrath.  Consider this:  if we will rejoice over a promise to the faithful, we should also tremble over passages which condemn sinners.  Who among us is without sin?  We own and claim scriptures which bring peace to our souls, yet the wise will acknowledge when we or people around us have brought ourselves under a curse because of our sin.  Righteous Daniel wept in sackcloth over the sins of Israel 70 years into captivity in Babylon (Daniel 9), and Jesus lamented over Jerusalem and the lost sheep of Israel who refused to draw near to Him.

God's response through a prophetess to Josiah's emotional response is revealing in 2 Chronicles 34:26-28:  "But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard-- ²⁷ because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. ²⁸ Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." So they brought back word to the king."  Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart.  God saw the tearing of Josiah's clothes but also that heart was humble and contrite before Him.  The tears Josiah shed were before the LORD and His ears were open to his cries.  Yes, wrath and judgment for sin was coming, but it would not come near Josiah.

No man can have peace with God without humility and repentance.  Brothers and sisters, may we not be guilty of dry eyes when we sin in a world of iniquity!  Praise the LORD He hears the prayers of the penitent who seek Him, but as Josiah let us take His warnings to heart.  We are no better than our fathers, sinners though they be.  If God's Word is not able to touch our emotions, I wonder if it has yet to pierce our hearts or impact our minds.  Let us prepare our hearts as it is written in Hosea 10:12, "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  Having been moved to repentance by the Word of God, let us keep it.

The Personal God

No one enjoys painful trials and difficulties.  If we could do something to avoid them, we most certainly would - and in doing so would cut ourselves off from communion and fellowship with God only obtained in times of suffering.  The reality of God, His guidance, and comfort is personally and profoundly realised when we trust Him in trouble.

The first three verses of Psalm 23 reads, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."  David begins the psalm from a third person perspective.  In a few sentences he paints a peaceful scene with a shepherd and sheep who find all their needs bountifully met.  It is easy to imagine sheep contentedly grazing in green pastures and drinking from clear, still water.

It is usually poor writing form to switch perspectives, but David masterfully switched to second person in His view of God in Psalm 23:4-5:  "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."  Writing in second person creates a more personal feel.  David went from referring to the LORD as "He" and "His" to "You" and "Your," and no wonder:  it is in the valley of the shadow of death and the presence of evil those who trust God draw closer to Him, and He draws closer to us.  In green pastures God was spoken of, but in tribulation God was addressed personally.

Praise the LORD He is a great God who spends time with every sheep of His fold personally!  In this world we will experience tribulation, and when death seems closest our living God (who is our Life) draws closer still.  How awesome is our God, who knows us and reveals Himself to us.

No "Ifs" About It

The lyrics of the Chris Tomlin song "Our God" say, "And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?"  Like Roman 8:31, the phrase begins with an "if" which denotes a conditional statement.  The protection, provision, and power of God is not automatically granted to people who have verbally agreed to follow Jesus on the basis of their new birth alone.  When God's people walked wickedly many times He plainly said to them, "I am against you."  In Ezekiel 34 God said He was against the shepherds because they were selfish and neglected their calling.

If our theology is no deeper than worship songs, this might be a shocking revelation:  when we sin against God and refuse to repent, He will begin move against us.  We can shout scriptures and songs, claiming them for our benefit, but God will see we reap what we sow.  God is for us, as long as we are for Him.  Praise the LORD He is compassionate, merciful, and reveals Himself to us even as He did to Joshua.  We think about others being for or against us and assume God is "on our side," but we need to be sure we are on God's side.  On the eve of battle Joshua saw a man with an unsheathed sword in Joshua 5:13.  He boldly approached the figure and asked, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"  Basically he asked, "Whose side are you on?"

Joshua 5:14 records the answer:  "So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"  Joshua's direct question was answered with a "No" because it was the wrong question to ask of God.  The Commander of the LORD's army did not ask a question but made a statement of fact:  it was Joshua who needed to decide if he would be on the LORD's side.  Notice the capitalisation of "He" in the NKJV and the fact the commander of the LORD's army received worship.  He then commanded Joshua to take his shoes off his feet because Joshua was in the presence of the One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush.

Our God is for us when we are on His side, and there are no "ifs" about it.  The walls of Jericho falling flat when the Hebrews obeyed God are proof of this.  Taking God's side is more than having knowledge of the truth but walking humbly before our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.  The principle rings true spoken by the prophet in 2 Chronicles 15:1-2, "Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ² And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you."  It is good to know God is for us, but we will never experience the fullness of this blessing until we we choose God's side.  We are on His side when our hearts do the equivalent of falling on our faces before the Holy One of Israel and say determined to obey, "What does my LORD say to His servant?"