Reality of God's Presence

A Prayer Already Answered

         Can you imagine what it would be like if God turned His back on you and left you to your own devices and instead of helping you, rejected you? Rejection from someone you love or admire is one of the hardest things to “take” in life. How much more if God Himself should reject you, God who is “rich in mercy” and Love personified!

        And His “forsaking” you means you no longer have God's help which you so desperately need. The Psalmist cries out in alarm, ^“Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.” Psalm 38:21

         “Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” Psalm 27:9

         Tired and weary and old, he prays to God, “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalm 71:9

        But blessed be God, “the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.” Psalm 94:14 ”He who has begun a good work in you will perform it” (carry it on to completion). Phil. 1:6 We are where we have always been—in God's hands and He is working out His purposes for us. God does not start something and then not finish it. “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8 NIV

         I remember many years ago when our youngest daughter was only about 2 years old or even younger, we were shopping in a neighborhood store where we lived in southern California and her mother was putting items in the shopping cart and stepped just barely out-of-sight for a few seconds to retrieve something and Lolly didn't see her. She cried out in alarm, “Mommy, don't lost me!” I scooped her up in my arms and reassured her that we would never “lost” her.

And scripture takes that a step further and looks at an historical “unnatural” aberration:
^“When [meaning 'if” or 'even if”] my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” Psalm 27:10

         “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25     My experience parallels the Psalmist's. I live alone now. But I'm never alone! The Lord is with me always. And I'm always aware of His presence—and so thankful to Him for it. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16 ESV

          We walk by faith and not by feelings so when God says, “ I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” Heb. 13:5 we know it's true because God who cannot lie and doesn't want to, said it. The God of Truth said it. That settles it. May you also have an awareness—even if it's not emotional—and somehow sense the truth with your spirit and understanding, ^“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. . . “ Ephesians 1:18-19

We are not detached observers. . . .

         We are not detached observers in life. I've lived in the academic world all my adult life and taught professionally for 42 years including many Bible classes and preaching. I have 3 degrees and have written extensively and have been well-trained in the aura of “professionalism” as a “detached observer.” But there is no such person, though many are self-deluded (or “victims of their own propaganda.”) You can't “observe” life without being a participant. You're here on planet earth in this universe in this time and place and history. You're part of the problem and you're not totally objective no matter what you think. Besides that, you're finite, a created being, and you have what we call “the Old Sin Nature.” In other words, you're a “fallen creature in a fallen world.” “A creature”, a “created being”--not God or “a god” whatever that might mean.

         On the other hand, “subjectivity” certainly is not the “solution” to the problem! And that does tend to be the trend today! I'm shocked at how often I see people implying that they are the “authority” and the final word in whatever issue they are discussing. Just because they believe it or say it, they seem to assume that you are supposed to accept it. And so I ask them, “By what Authority do you say these things or believe these things?” You are not your own “authority” and you are not “autonomous.” You didn't create yourself and you don't keep yourself alive. You are dependent on God for the very breath you breathe and for the ability to breathe it. But it's provided by God, not by you. The same is true of your water and food and all else in life. “ In Him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28 “and have our being”? Yes, our very existence! You are not “self-created” and neither is anyone else.

           The Bible never assumes a “detached observer” status. It's designed to glorify God and lead us to Him and in the process show us “how to live” and what to believe. God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. In wisdom He made them all. His great power provides food and the ability to produce it and use it with thankfulness to 5 billion people and untold numbers of animals of the field and forest, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. What He gives, they gather. Psalm 104:28 So also are we dependent upon God's provision and are thankful for it.

         God not only created all the stars and planets, but He calls them all by name and holds them in orbit. He positioned the earth in just the right relationship to the sun to sustain human life and maintains that stability throughout history. So then where is history going? Scripture reveals that, too. ^“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV

        Back then to that elusive question, “How then should we live?” The heart of the answer is, among other places, in 2 Corinthians chapter 4: “. . . by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. . . . , but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. . . . For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 4:1-6

January 13, 2013

The Wonder and Mystery of our God-directed Lives

        Today is the 3^rd Anniversary of Minnie's Homegoing to be with the Lord. She is with Him now and “in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11; 17:15

         Minnie never lost her sense of wonder at the goodness of God and the intriguing fascination of God's works in Creation. She herself was one of God's glorious works. She lived life with a sense of expectancy and joy. And at the end [though it was not the End, but the Beginning] she told Jeannine and me, “I feel that God has given me so much happiness in life! One of her favorite verses that she shared with me often was Ephesians 3:20 “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. . . .”

         One of the books she delighted in was Ravi Zacharias, Recapture the Wonder—which Minnie never lost! She was always so delighted in babies and little children and their enthusiasm, which she shared. She loved to do things for them and with them. And she laughed a lot as she took pleasure in life. She told one of our granddaughters that even with cancer she tried to take pleasure in the good of that day and enjoy the company of whoever was with her that day.

          Ravi points out that to maintain our sense of wonder we need a thankful spirit guided by truth. And that truth is personal; it is personified in Jesus Himself who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. One of the marvelous names given to Jesus 700 years before He was born was “Wonder” ! It comes from that marvelous Christmas passage in Isaiah 9:6

^“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

        All those names mean so much. This child who was to be born for us, sent from God Himself, is Wonder.” In Hebrew the word is a noun instead of an adjective, adding even additional strength to the meaning. Isaiah uses the same Hebrew word used to describe the marvelous wonders that God did in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Implied is not only marvel but mystery. It is a personal relationship with the God of Wonder Himself that gives meaning, excitement, and joy to our lives. He is the “Emmanuel,” God Himself with us in the person of Jesus, the Sent One, the Messiah from God the Father.

       “Great God of wonders! All thy ways are worthy of thyself—divine.

And the bright glories of thy grace Among thine other wonders shine.

Who is a pard'ning God like thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?”

         It is in communion with God that we find that sense of wonder, rejoicing in the works of God and always aware of the mystery of knowing Him, “whom to know aright is life eternal.” “Enchantment in life can never be realized in some thing; it must ultimately culminate in a person.” “Just as gratitude requires someone to whom we can be grateful, truth requires someone because of whom truth is possible. In both instances personhood is indispensable to wonder.” p. 104 Ravi Zacharias

       An essential part of wonder is to understand and experience love. And that happens in our relationship with Jesus. Love is “the quiet confidence of belonging to someone other than oneself; a commitment to a cause greater than oneself; a relationship that makes choices apart from the self; it is the root of unending sacrifice. When that love is found, wonder is sustained even in moments of great fear. But the how and why of such a love is a challenge.”

         ^“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the [atoning sacrifice] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

                                                                         --Bill Burnside

The Lord Reigns

         “The Lord reigns, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he has girded himself: the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.” Psalm 93:1

           It is reassuring to know that as the world orbits in space, it will stay on course and not collide with some other great planet!  Or get too far from the sun that we freeze to death or too close and burn with heat.    “Upholding all things by the word of His power,” Heb. 1:3

through Christ all things “hold together.” Col. 1:17 He created all things in the first place and now He governs and sustains them by His sovereign will. God not only will reign in the future when “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” but He reigns everywhere right now.

          “The conviction that God reigns is the ultimate antidote to doubt and despair.” ESV Study Bible, p. 1056 Despite confusion, despair, and dismay in the general culture all around us, we have the assurance, ^“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:27

          We understand that there is a spiritual struggle going on in this world and we're part of it. But the Lord reigns and is bringing all things to the conclusion of history just as He has always done. “In the fullness of time” God sent His Son on that First Christmas morning and also “in the fullness of time” He will return just as He promised. Remember what the angels told the assembled apostles when Jesus ascended back to His throne in heaven, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11

         In the meantime, “be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.” Rev. 2:10 “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”

Psalm 103:19

Strength for the New Year

       The years pass quickly so I'm writing this especially for my old friends and for my young friends who realize that living the Christian life brings an awareness of our absolute dependence upon the Lord for life, breath, strength, and all good graces from Him. Even our trials teach us that: “. . . But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Cor. 1:8-9 NIV

     How wonderful it is to rely on Him and see His faithfulness of old. He's always there and He's always there with strength. The very word com -passion means “with strength.” We go from strength to strength in the Lord. And we're blessed as God supplies His strength to us: ^“Blessed are those whose strength is in you. . . . They go from strength to strength.” Psalm 84:5-7

       And supply it He does—with a promise: ^“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

       Of course the Psalm for the New Year is Psalm 90, “A prayer of Moses, the man of God,” written 3500 years ago and blessing the lives of countless millions. “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14 He did bring me to Himself “early”—at the age of 6 in 1940—and I have rejoiced and am glad in Him all my days. There has been a LOT of sorrow, but we are “sorrowful and yet always rejoicing.” 2 Cor. 6:10

       That Psalm speaks of strength, too: ^“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” 90:10 Reminds me of Moses' blessing of Israel, “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25 because “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. . . .” Deut. 33:27

        We desperately need physical strength, especially as we enter our 80^th year and God does supply it—day by day, but we need spiritual strength even more. “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16 It is God who is at work in us and it is God who energizes and motivates us and gives us strength so that we can “rejoice and be glad all our days.” I watched Minnie's strength slip away from her, little by little as the pancreatic cancer destroyed her body. She was almost totally helpless at the end, but her spirit was not diminished! What an example she gave for me and Jeannine and all of us who were with her from time to time. Her testimony every day was the same, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

“Day by day and with each passing moment,

strength I find to meet my trials here.

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto

each day what He deems best—lovingly,

its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.”

     So our prayer for the New Year is Psalm 19:14 ^“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.“

A festal gathering

        How sweet it is for joyful people to gather with their family and friends around a festive table! The preparations are exciting as the feast takes shape and family and friends gather together to a warm welcome among those who love them. We've all experienced those wonderful days at Thanksgiving and Christmas, celebrating God's goodness and bounty and grace and His Presence among us: God with You—Emmanuel. And if our dearest treasures have already gone Home ahead of us, we still have the memories and thankfulness to our Lord.

          We're ending the holiday season now that began with Thanksgiving and ushers in a new and as-yet unlived year ahead of us. Those festive days and weeks remind us of so much of God's pattern in scripture. Six feasts and one fast (Yom Kippur—Day of Atonement) were part of the Mosaic law to celebrate God's continual goodness to His people. At the feasts there was music and dancing and joyful, happy conversation and abundant food carefully prepared.

          When the exiles returned from Babylon to their home in the Promised Land, Ezra the Priest brought out the Book of the Law of God and read it aloud before the great assembly from early morning to midday. When the people realized how they had fallen short of obeying the Lord with all their hearts, they wept and repented and sought the Lord. But after awhile
“Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, . . . said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.   “Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.” Nehemiah 8:8-12 ESV

         The greatest feast of all still awaits us and surely anticipating the glory that is yet to come will fill our hearts with joy and keep us from being discouraged even in the midst of difficulties and pain. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:6-9 ESV

         Not only so, but even before those days if the Lord takes us Home before He returns, we will immediately see Him in His glory and we will see our loved ones who have gone before us, and we will be participating in a joyful festive assembly. ^“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, [in joyful assembly NIV]. We will know joy and delight in a way we've never experienced before when we see Jesus in His glory.

Distressing news

           Have you had any “distressing news” lately?? Hardly a week ever goes by that we don’t get distressing news from one direction or another—personal, family, friends, church, national, international. Jesus warned of this, “In the world you shall have tribulation. . . .” I keep lingering around Psalm 18 and thinking about 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. . . .”

           Scripture knows a lot about distress. Here are a few examples:

Jacob told his family, “Let us arise and go up to Bethel, [“house of God”] so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3 ESV

           Four times in Psalm 107 They “cried unto the Lord in their troubles” and God delivered them “out of their distresses.”

          The apostles spoke of a whole list of “distresses”! “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger. . . .” 2 Cor. 6

How then should we live and what should be our attitude??

             ^“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” 2 Cor. 4:7-11

         Our attitudes and actions speak for themselves: “by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left . . .as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”

         “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . .” Romans 8:31-39 ESV

Whoops! we didn’t finish that verse we started with: “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Psalm 18:6

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:13
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:28