Tag: "BE STILL!" KNOW GOD IS GOD!"

What Does it Really Look Like to ‘Honor Your Father and Mother’? Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16

    Honoring your father and your mother is the only commandment out of the Ten Commandments that is followed by a promise, Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 5:16)

    Exodus 20:12Amplified Bible

    12 “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.

    The Word of God for the Children of God.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

    Most Christians are very familiar with the verse “honor your father and mother”, but few actually know of it’s origin in the Bible.

    The command to honor your father and mother actually comes from the Old Testament book of Exodus 20 in the story of the 10 Commandments.

    However, it is also a command that is repeated several times in both the Old and New Testament. 

    Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus serves as a powerful reminder of the intimate relationship God has with humankind.

    This passage specifically reveals the intense care and concern that God shows toward His Children.

    Today this chapter remains popular because of a very special occurrence – the Ten Commandments.

    At eighty plus years old, after venturing up to Mount Sinai, Moses, a father, brought down the Ten Commandments, rules given Him directly from God.

    The Ten Commandments described ten precepts for how God expected His people to behave.

    This monumental moment follows after the Israelites fled Egypt. 

    Chapter 19 in the Book of Exodus details how the Israelites camped in the wilderness, now living a life outside of slavery for a few months.

    God informs Moses that He desires to bless the nation of Israel.

    However, He also wants them to keep a covenant with Him (Exodus 19:5-6).

    The Ten Commandments serve as part of that covenant.

    One of these commandments spoke to the relationship between a child and parent and is a guideline we as Christians still ought to be following today.

    Exodus 20:12The Message

    12 Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

    The reason this commandment in addition to the other nine is still relevant today is because Jesus indicated such to later believers (Matthew 5:17-20).

    Jesus did not abolish the law, but rather came to fulfill it.

    The Apostle Paul wrote to the followers at the church at Ephesus;

    Ephesians 5:1-2 Amplified Bible

    Be Imitators of God

    5 Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; 2 and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

    We are to do our part yet today in abiding in Jesus, by these commandments.

    Today, I do not believe there is little to no controversy about whether or not the Ten Commandments are still relevant.

    What has been up for rather contentious debate in the meaning of “honor” in the context of parents and children.

    There are many instances of children being the victims of incest, abandonment, neglect, or other severe and seriously exploitive forms of ultra damaging abuse.

    In these situations, how does a child honor a parent, when the parent lacks any concept or context of abiding in God, His Son Jesus and have honor for the child.

    To understand this commandment, we have to examine the original context.

    What Is the Original Meaning of Honor Your Father and Mother in Exodus 20?

    The commandment to honor our father and mother is the fifth of the ten mentioned.

    The commandment to precedes this one is honoring the Sabbath, followed by the commandment to not murder.

    Scripture explains the reason why the commandment should be followed.

    Exodus 20:12Amplified Bible

    12 “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.

    The benefit of abiding by this commandment is longer life, specifically for the Israelites venturing on toward the Promised Land.

    Dennis Prager [https://dennisprager.com/] emphasizes that though this could be viewed as a reward, this is also a reason.

    And many of the other commandments are not given explicit reasons to be followed.

    Prager suggests in a society where parents are honored by children, the society is bound to survive longer, than a society with a weaker family structure.

    This commandment in Exodus is mentioned a number of other times in the Bible, each time as an admonishment to God’s people to better establish them. 

    Deuteronomy 5:16 tells us, “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

    Ephesians 6:2 states: “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise”

    God blesses the people when their parents are honored, but the people are punished when they do not.

    To honor is to hold someone in high regard or reverence.

    The word honor does not mean agree with or even obey, but does suggest in this context a child should hold the highest utmost respect for both of their parents.

    Now that we better understand the original context and interpretation of the commandment to honor thy mother and father, we can try to discern how this precept applies to modern-day life.

    How Can Christians ‘Honor Your Father and Mother’ Today?

    With an understanding of the word honor, there need not be a change in how parents are respected by children today.

    However, with modern cultural shifts, this commandment for some has taken on a different interpretation.

    We can perhaps better, more prayerfully understand the proper ways of honoring parents by first understanding how honoring should not appear.

    As Dennis Prager discusses in his video analysis of the commandment, some parents yearn to be loved, rather than honored.

    The visual example given in his video is that of a parent showering their child with gifts in order to receive affection.

    This same parent when trying to discipline their child instead receives severe retaliation from them.

    This is definitively not an example of a child honoring their parent because instead of respecting them as an “authority” figure, they are simply seeking what else, exactly how much more they can manipulate, gain from the parent.

    Much like the Bible commands us to love others, the call to honor our parents is an outward action – something we do for others.

    Honoring our parents is therefore not contingent upon what they give in return.

    Within the Ten Commandments, verse 12 of Exodus 20 gives no clarification as to what parents are to be honored or even how.

    We can conclude then that all parents are deserving of honor, and we can use the context of love within the Bible to discern appropriate ways to show honor.

    We can even in some instances see how people have honored God as Father as an example.

    Ways we can appropriately honor our parents include:

    Expressing Gratitude
    Parents invest time and effort into raising children.

    Those reasons alone are enough to show them gratitude for the sacrifices they make.

    Parents provide shelter, food, clothing.

    For every action they do in their support of their child is in itself a far more than sufficient reason for expressing their appreciation and gratitude.

    Spending Time Together
    When physically possible, children can and should get together with their parents.

    This acknowledges their existence and places a level of importance upon the relationship.

    If being together physically is not an option, calling a parent on the phone for a check-in is also beneficial.

    Dennis Prager shares with fellow believers he called his parents once a week.

    Serve
    Another way for children to honor their parents is to find creative ways to serve their desires, wants and needs, much like parents perform on behalf of children.

    To Honor or Not to Honor

    It goes without saying and preaching to the choir that modern parenting is not equivalent to the parenting in ancient biblical Jewish culture.

    Children today learn differently and have certain responsibilities such as owning a cell phone [I never did], which was not true for past generations.

    No matter the time, parents should always be honored.

    One concern followers, nonbelievers have with the commandment is the issue of bad parents, individuals who have abused their children by various means.

    The Bible does not qualify which parents deserve honoring.

    Additionally, Jesus mentions we are to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) and to bless those who persecute us (Romans 12:14).

    We, therefore, know that even when seemingly impossible, we should all do our best to express love for our parents, our children as we express love for our God.

    This fifth commandment, however, does not advocate for putting ourselves in danger with bad parents.

    Applying this commandment for children who have been abused will look different in terms of how they show their honoring.

    Spending time together may be an impossibility but talking on the phone or writing a letter could prayerfully be an option depending on the circumstance.

    Sometimes we have to set boundaries in relationships, and whenever that is the case we have to pray unto our ABBA God for wisdom, so that we may honor His commandment and honor our parents while keeping ourselves safe (James 1:5).

    There are no easy or set human answers how to be complete, perfect parents.

    As Mom’s and Dad’s together …

    The very best we can do is diligently consult the Word of God for His Children.

    Study it …

    Like Jesus did, intentionally plumb its depths, its ways, its truths and its life.

    Pray without ceasing over every aspect of it, revelation from it …

    Koinonia, Fellowship with our ABBA Father, His Son Jesus, Holy Spirit, other Parents …

    Finally,

    Be Still, Be Quiet, know only God is God, and can, should be, exalted as God.

    Matthew 6:25-33New King James Version

    Do Not Worry

    25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [a]cubit to his [b] stature?

    28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [c]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

    31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray,

    Heavenly Father, thank You for my parents and for giving me life. Thank You for the pleasant and harsh lessons I have learned and the good times and the bad we have shared together. Forgive me for the times when I have not sufficiently honored my father and mother as I ought – for I am now acutely aware that this is dishonoring to You. From this day forward, I pray that I should honour You in all my interactions with my own family and with my friends, and may my life be honoring to You.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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    For Grace to Grow Up: What is God’s Greatest Desire for Us and Our Lives? Psalm 139:13-18

    Psalm 139:13-18 Amplified Bible

    13 
    For You formed my innermost parts;
    You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
    14 
    I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Wonderful are Your works,
    And my soul knows it very well.
    15 
    My frame was not hidden from You,
    When I was being formed in secret,
    And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.
    16 
    Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
    And in Your book were all written
    The days that were appointed for me,
    When as yet there was not one of them     [even taking shape].

    17 
    How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
    18 
    If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand.
    When I awake, I am still with You.

    The Word of God for the Children of God.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

    Finding God’s Purpose for My Life

    I can remember being a young teenager, on summer vacation at my family’s country place. 

    A lot of time was spent in the back of my Dad’s old 1968 International Pick Up truck, staring out into the vast fields and meadows and trees and ponds beyond wondering: WHAT my purpose in life was. 

    I fully knew that God created me for a reason, but I couldn’t understand what he wanted me to do with my life. 

    I was so busy trying to think my own way to live my own life, not finding God’s purpose for my life, that I had basically immobilized myself in that idyllic place.

    It was naïve of me to think at that time that this feeling of uncertainty would disappear as I got older and smarter and wiser and I thought far more mature. 

    “It’s only teenagers who struggle with the big life questions,” I thought to myself – adults [Mom and Dad] have it made in the shade with their careers.

    After – all, Mom and Dad had bought this great 40 acre place in the country.

    I laugh now, thinking about how much I had to learn then. 

    Now, as a 60 plus year old adult, I find myself thinking and praying through so many of life’s biggest questions I never thought to ask myself then. 

    A lot of those questions, I’m no more certain of the answer now than I was as a teenager. 

    But I am more confident in God’s word, and I’m able to rest in that more than I did back then.

    God’s word has been the biggest answer for me on my quest to finding God’s purpose for my life.

    Does God Have a Purpose For Me and My Life?

    If you’re asking yourself this question, I know from experience that it’s likely causing you some stress. 

    I want you to know that God wants you to rest in the knowledge of something beautiful:

    “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you , for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” – Psalm  139:13-14

    Does that sound like a God who wants you to live in stress and toil away about missing your purpose? 

    It certainly doesn’t sound that way to me. 

    The God described in that beautiful psalm (my personal favorite psalm) is an intricately and intimately involved God. 

    That is not the kind of God who doesn’t have a plan for us, or is content to let us waste away our remaining days in the worry of being unsure of your purpose.

    Life Makes Sense: God’s Story of You

    Psalm 139:15-16Amplified Bible

    15 
    My frame was not hidden from You,
    When I was being formed in secret,
    And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.
    16 
    Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
    And in Your book were all written
    The days that were appointed for me,
    When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].

    We love stories, but it’s surprising how easily we can end up missing the stories God has written for our lives.

    Winston Churchill once famously claimed that history was simply “one big years long collection of one thing after another.”

    In other words, he was claiming there was no “just one” story behind our experiences in life, only a years long weaving of numerous series of events.

    Few things are more deadening to your soul than thinking that your life ulti­mately means little more than we live through several one thing after another.

    Yet that’s how we often find ourselves feeling – no matter how old we are in life.

    On many days we view our jobs or careers or families as where we have “ended up” in life.

    In fact, it can seem a bit overly presumptuous to think there’s only one master plan and master planner behind whatever situation you and I are in right now.

    But the Bible tells us that the events of our lives make sense because they are part of a much larger story.

    The struggles of last month or the victories of yesterday that we may claim in the next few weeks are not simply chance occurrences.

    They are part of a intricately weaved story line that is going somewhere.

    The work you do, the people you share life with, the abilities you have, and the weaknesses you struggle with are all part of a collection of ele­ments intended to make for a really good story—the story of you – that’s really God’s story of you. 

    Do you believe this?

    What Does God’s Living Word Say About Purpose?

    I want to share a couple more Bible verses about purpose with you. 

    I’m sharing them in a specific order as it’s going to help round out the edges of this devotional, and I pray will truly help you to be able to say with confidence,  “God has a purpose for my life.”

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

    God has a plan for your life… and what’s better, it’s a good plan.  There’s nothing in that plan that says God intends harm or unhappiness for your life.  God KNOWS the plans he has for you, and that includes plans to prosper you, keep you safe, give you beautiful hope, and the promise of a future.

    Now, I want you to keep that knowledge and promise in mind as we read the next couple verses together.

    “I know you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” – Job 42:2

    That verse is referring to God, not us. 

    God can do all things. 

    His plans cannot be thwarted. 

    So when you’re trying to find your God-given purpose, take comfort in the fact that there is NOTHING that can ruin God’s plans. 

    Not even your own indecision, or fear, or pride… NOTHING. 

    I want you to whisper that to yourself and pray thanks to God for that fact. 

    God has a purpose for my life, and God has a purpose for your life.  

    There’s absolutely, positively nothing we (or our circumstances can do) to ruin, or destroy or ever erase that purpose.

    Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.” –Acts 13:36

    There’s a couple really interesting things in this Bible verse about purpose.

    As I’ve struggled through finding God’s purpose for my life, I’ve forgotten a couple key things that this verse makes very clear:

    1. We are serving God’s purpose... not our own.  Did you notice that in the verse above?  It says David had served God’s purpose in his life.  I think often (whether innocent or not), we end up searching for and serving our own purposes instead of God’s.  This is something we need to avoid.
    2. The other thing I want to pull out of that verse is that David didn’t pass away until he had fulfilled God’s purpose in his life.  So when you think about fulfilling your God given purpose, know with confidence that the purpose is actually God’s, and he’ll keep you on this earth until that purpose is fulfilled.

    How to Know God’s Purpose For Our Lives

    “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” –Colossians 1:16

    This Bible verse about purpose, like the one above about David, is also helpful as I find myself, along with you, on the journey of finding God’s purpose for my life.

    This verse makes it clear again, that the purpose is ultimately God’s, and not our own. 

    This doesn’t mean we are devoid of purpose… in fact, our purpose is FOR him.

    We were created through him and for him. 

    This is where the lights, for me, started to come on while I was finding God’s purpose for my life.  

    Check out this next Bible verse about purpose:

    “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” –1st Peter 2:9

    Isn’t that beautiful? 

    If we know Jesus as our Savior, we are chosen, royal, holy… his special possession.  

    And why do we get this privilege? 

    So that we can declare his praises!  Bingo! 

    Right there we have uncovered and discovered our main purpose for God.

    We do each have different and unique ways of living out our purpose.

    Down at the root of it all, as Christ followers, our main purpose is to glorify God and to declare his praises and to point our neighbors to Christ through our love.

    If you seek to do this in everything you do… you won’t miss out on fulfilling your God given purpose.

    Identifying Your Unique Purpose

    16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; 17 [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. 18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He [c]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:16-21 Amplified

    God’s Desire and Purpose: Our Growing in Wisdom

    Growing in wisdom is about cultivating a character that is Christlike.

    If we want that wisdom, then the words of Ephesians 1 are a great discovery and and an even greater source of divine encouragement.

    What is striking about these verses is how they tell us we don’t have to figure this all out on our own.

    It’s not a project for which God gives us a textbook and tests us with a final exam at the end of life.

    God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is absolutely never a “hands off” teacher.

    In Ephesians 1 Paul explains that he prays for people to have wisdom, and he asks God to be involved in the process—because that is what God promises. Paul goes on to mention “the Spirit of wisdom,” and he isn’t asking only for the Spirit to help us; Paul asks that the Spirit of wisdom be given to us.

    Why? So that we may know God better.

    Suddenly this matter of gaining wisdom is not just about anyone or everyone learning some Christian way of living.

    It is about an interactive God who wants to live in interaction with and within us and be the absolute most vital part of our faith growth by becoming part of us.

    We can simplify all that to this: God wants us to have wisdom.

    So we can make this prayer our own, saying, “I want to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation because I absolutely want to know my God better.”

    God’s Desire For Us: Eyes Open, Mind Illuminated

    Ephesians 1:18-21Amplified Bible

    18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and  unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He [c]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.

    What a blessing it is to read this prayer of the apostle Paul!

    He asks that God will open, or enlighten, the eyes of our hearts.

    Why?

    That we may “know him better,” have “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” and know the hope of all that God promises to us.

    With hearts open to the wonder of all that God has done, we are empowered by his Spirit to live faithfully and purposely and wisely for him, as Jesus did.

    When we are open to God’s working in and through our lives, we are like a blank page on which he writes his poetry, a blank empty canvas on which he works his artistry, softened clay with which he molds, shapes and transforms his vessels.

    Perhaps the right combination is openheartedness and singlemindedness—our heart and mind, hands and feet, equally devoted to the God of infinite wisdom.

    Lent is an excellent time to have the eyes of our hearts opened and our ears and our minds illuminated to absolutely all of that our Lord has done, all that he can do in our lives, and all that we can look absolutely look forward to in sure hope.

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray,

    God of ALL truth, sometimes I not sure if I’m actually hearing your voice, or if it’s just my own thoughts or even another spirit. Sharpen my spiritual hearing, Lord, so I can recognize your words when you are speaking to me. Help me know it’s really you, with no doubt or second-guessing. When I’m asking for your guidance in important decisions, give me your peace that surpasses understanding with your answer. Help me remember that your words to me will never go against your written word in the Bible. Give me a clear mind and push out all my confusion. Savior Jesus, encourage us in the single minded pursuit of being open and opened up to your greater wisdom and your working and your desires and purposes in our lives. In your name we live.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

    Psalm 46 Be Still and Ponder Upon the Importance of How We Each View God.

    Psalm 46 Amplified Bible

    God the Refuge of His People.

    To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song.

    46 God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
    A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
    2 
    Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
    And though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,
    3 
    Though its waters roar and foam,
    Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

    4 
    There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
    5 
    God is in the midst of her [His city], she will not be moved;
    God will help her when the morning dawns.
    6 
    The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved;
    He raised His voice, the earth melted.
    7 
    The Lord of hosts is with us;
    The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

    8 
    Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    Who has brought desolations and wonders on the earth.
    9 
    He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
    He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two;
    He burns the chariots with fire.
    10 
    “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
    11 
    The Lord of hosts is with us;
    The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

    The Word of God for the Children of God.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

    Be Still and Know that I Am God.

    We will tend to believe of being “busy” as something positive—something of a measure of our true success in life, maybe even a compliment—especially when we consider the negative implications of its opposites, being “idle” or “lazy.”

    But we should not always assume, consider “busyness” as a Christian virtue.

    Have you ever thought that busyness might just be a sign of Christian betrayal rather than Christian commitment?

    We should definitely be thankful that many believers are busy for the Lord.

    Giving, sacrificing our time and ourselves in service to God’s kingdom is an absolutely essential part of the believer’s life and the Christian experience.

    But mere busyness does not necessarily equal faithfulness in the Christian life.

    In a time of great social economic political upheaval and national crisis, God emphatically urged his people to simply “be still” and know that he was God.

    Twice in Psalm 46, God’s people heard the assurance that the Lord Almighty was with them.

    He would be their comfort and mighty fortress.

    The key to experiencing that assurance, though, would be to approach God with a stilled heart and quiet trust.

    When we actually withdraw from our busy lives to spend time with God, we find ourselves discovering, enjoying, experiencing the truest reality of his presence.

    While we are not called by God to be either lazy or idle, neither are we called to a life of non-stop activity and service.

    God’s gently emphatic invitation, “be still” unlocks for us the opportunity to experience the maximum allowable joy of actually, genuinely, knowing him.

    What a blessed comfort this verse has been to multitudes of believers in Christ, down through the ages, who have heeded God’s invitation and rested on these words of the Psalmist and had their hearts stilled in the presence of the Lord.

    What refreshment these simple words have bestowed on many little lambs who have listened to the voice of their Good Shepherd – that Great Shepherd of the sheep Who opens His arms wide to embrace all who will truly trust in His name.

    But in context, we see another component to these words of reassurance.

    We see a genuine plan to glorify His Name and to exult His Person among the nations of the world who rage against the God of heaven and His anointed King.

    He is our Defense and our Defender against the enemies of our soul, and all who rest in Him find courage and strength.

    He is our impenetrable refuge from the storms of life and our shelter in the midst of oppression, and we are called to be still and to know that He is God – for His purposes will never fail, He will be glorified throughout the whole earth.

    It is of the greatest encouragement, both to His people Israel, and to His children of every age, that men who follow their own atheistic ‘will’ and construct their own anti-God plans, will finally be brought to nothing.

    For God, and God alone will be exulted among the heathen and His purposes alone will come to fruition – but we who have trusted Him for salvation are to sit serenely in His presence, in quiet assurance, confidence and in godly trust.

    Like the people of Israel in times past, Church-age believers are invited, called upon to ponder, remember the mighty deeds that God has done and to recall the myriad beyond myriads of miraculous, wondrous works that He has performed.

    We are to rest confidently in the knowledge that He is our faithful God – the supreme Creator of all and Commander of the armies of heaven Who redeems us by faith in the shed blood of Christ, and will never leave us nor forsake us.

    We are to:

    rest peacefully in the truth of His Word and be still in His holy presence.

    We are to know in our heart, by faith with thanksgiving, that He is the Lord our God Who alone pardons all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, Who redeems our life from the pit, and Who crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion.

    He alone is our God Who satisfies our years with good things, renews our youth like the eagle.

    He performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed.

    The LORD is compassionate and gracious… slow to anger and abounding in steadfast and immovable lovingkindness.

    He is our Redeemer our Saviour and Friend.

    He alone is our hope and strength, He will be exalted, for it is He who has made us, not we ourselves, for we are His beloved people, the sheep of His pasture.

    Although the nations rage like the billows of the sea and the people imagine a vain thing against the Lord God Almighty, we are invited, called to be still in the presence of the Lord and to know Him in our heart by faith, with thanksgiving.

    May we ponder what it means to be still in His presence and cease from all our strivings… and truly be at peace in His company – Whom to know is life eternal.

    The Importance of How I View God

    In light of the past few weeks’ of worldwide revival events, I have been taking more time to reflect and ponder.

    My emotions have created a mixed bag, from skepticism to doubt, disbelief, questions, and indescribable awe. 

    On one hand, I decisively, definitely praise God if He is using these services to truly speak and to deeply ignite and inspire and move to transform lives.

    I have not been to any of the services, but I have watched many of the streams and videos and I have been “stilled” and moved to tears of indescribable joy.

    I know that God is powerful and can do anything He chooses, especially when we are not expecting it – but witnessing those students, images of people into the streets of our nation’s cities, into prisons and many international cities?

    Such an inexplicably powerful experience to see the people acting on their belief that God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is “on the move.”

    On the other, however, I think it’s a good and righteous thing to be cautious and careful with what we quickly interpret as come to believe to be the Spirit of God. 

    Even the Bereans in Acts 17 do this when Paul presents the gospel message to them.

    Though eager to hear Paul’s teachings, they move to test them themselves in the Holy Scriptures, Study, Pray, Ponder, and then decide what is from God. 

    “As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men” (Acts 17:10-12, NIV). 

    Paul was known as an excellent teacher and an even better friend.

    He truly cared that every person heard and had access to the Bible after his conversion from Saul to Paul.

    This is why Paul felt called to attend as many missionary journeys as he did!

    But no matter how great the speaker, one’s credibility and ability to represent the gospel should always be prudently studied analyzed in light of the Bible.

    People are not the source of light themselves but are the ones pointing to the Light. 

    For this reason, 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 further notes,

    “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil” (NIV). 

    While I am not one to debate or judge if these revival services are real or not, their appearance has caused me to think about how I view God.

    And more importantly, if I understand Him. 

    How Do You View God?

    I was born into the Evangelical United Church of the Brethren.

    Growing up, I was raised in a traditional EUB Church until 1968 when the churches merged to become the United Methodist Church.

    I remember every service, worship session, and layout for an event looked exactly the same.

    Over time, I didn’t know why I was doing or saying what I did.

    Being so young as I was [7 years old] I didn’t even understand the Apostle’s Creed that I recited by heart every Sunday.

    Quickly, God and my relationship with Him became routine, just rehearsed words that needed to be prayed to maintain my perfection status. 

    By the time I reached high school, my father had remove us from the Methodist Church and we then became members of a local conservative Jewish Synagogue.

    My view of a God as my father became fractured was immensely distorted, and I truly started to wonder and ask, where is God, Jesus in the midst of my separation? 

    Verses that call God our Abba, or Father, have been an enormous challenge for me to understand and accept.

    I have wrestled for years with how God can be “One God,” for everyone, angry and loving, forgiving and punishing, reachable, yet above and beyond us all. 

    But it wasn’t until a recent “live” revival streaming session that I realized I should give my current view of God so much more contemplation – and that led me to todays verse, to ask these questions: “Be Still?” “Do I Understand Him?”

    Do I Understand Him?

    While I might dare to believe we would all like to say we know and understand God fully, from how He works to why things happen the way they do, I do not think nor do I believe that “understanding God” is even remotely possible. 

    It is possible to know and have an intimate, close, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

    This is why Jesus came and died for us, so we could partake in this personal relationship with Him.

    That’s the core essence of the gospel message.

    However, God never expected us to try and figure out all His ways. 

    Isaiah 55:8-9 notes, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV). 

    1 Corinthians 2:15-16 furthers this point when it says:

    “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ” (ESV). 

    While we can obtain a mind like Christ’s, in purity, hope, and love, this does not mean that we will know and understand all that He does.

    He is still God, and we are not.

    He is still all-powerful, and we are not.

    His ways are not our ways, and that is for a reason.

    Should We Know It All?

    When I was younger, and far more naïve than I am right now, I used to believe that if I knew “everything that would happen to me”, my life would be better.

    If I always knew exactly what God wanted me to do, where He wanted me to go, and what He was doing, my life would be easier.

    I look back now over the course of the last 43 years and I can only laugh. 

    As an anxious person, not only would I find all of this information to be rather overwhelming and paralyzing, but I’m confident that if I indeed “knew it all,”

    two things would happen:

    one, I would not rely on God to get through them,

    two, I would try to convince Him, like Moses or Jonah, that I was never ever going to be the right person for whatever task He “dared” called me into. 

    In Jonah 1, beginning in verse 1, Jonah runs from God because of his fears.

    God calls him to a high-caliber task, but Jonah doesn’t feel up for the journey.

    Even later, when he runs back to God, he becomes angry at God for His grace, the same grace that was given to him earlier in the chapter. 

    Countless people in the Bible tried to understand God.

    From Abraham, to Moses to Aaron, Job, and David and all the biblical writers.

    But if I’ve learned anything from their interactions, it’s that God cannot be entirely understood, and while we can have a close fellowship with Him, He will still be above and beyond anything we could fully comprehend here on earth.

    What Have I Learned About How I View God?

    So what have I learned about how I view God?

    I have learned that while God is a loving Father figure.

    He is also so much more than I will ever be able to grasp. 

    He is unpredictable. 

    He is unlikely. 

    He moves in ways we’d think He would and ways we wouldn’t. 

    He is a quiet, still whisper but also a mighty and powerful storm.

    He’s an oxymoron to those who don’t believe in Him and a mystery to those who do.

    Today, I am learning that I have many more years of learning to go.

    I will not understand Him entirely, but I’m choosing every day to grow closer to Him through prayer, reading the Bible, studying, meditating, and experiencing Him as I live – and something tells me that it’s okay-This is a life-long process.

    How I view God is still growing.

    I anticipate your view of God is growing as well.

    I want to know Him as a Father.

    I want you the reader to know Him as a Father.

    I’ve known Him as a Friend.

    I want you the reader to know Him as a Friend.

    And I want to know and view Him for all that He is.

    And I want you the reader to know and view Him for all that He is.

    Even if it takes the maxed our entirety of a thousand lifetimes to experience:

    “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah. [Psalm 46:10-11 AMP]

    The predicted and the unpredicted. 

    The known and the unknown.

    However He is, that’s how I want to know and view Him.

    Why ever He is, that is how I want to know and view Him.

    Whenever He is, that is how I want to know and view Him.

    Where ever He is, that is how I want to know and view Him.

    Perhaps, you the reader, from wherever you are, will join in the joy?

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray,

    Lord God Almighty, we rejoice that you are with us. Teach us to be still so that increasingly we can experience your presence in our lives through your Holy Spirit within. Father, I praise You that Your Word stands fast for ever and ever and that Your precious promises encourage me to rest in Your love and drink deeply from the Rock of my salvation. Draw near to every member of Christ’s Body and protect Your people Israel against the increasing roar of the nations. I pray for the salvation of the lost and for Your soon return, when Your name be exalted throughout all the earth and the nations will KNOW that You are God. I ask in the name of my Savior Jesus.

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    Blessings From God’s Word: Bless Me and Revive Me, O’ God. Make Your Face to Shine Bright Upon Me, Your Servant. Psalm 119:129-136

    Psalm 119:129-136 Amplified Bible

    Pe.

    129 
    Your testimonies are wonderful;
    Therefore my soul keeps them.
    130 
    The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light;
    Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).
    131 
    I opened my mouth and panted [with anticipation],
    Because I longed for Your commandments.
    132 
    Turn to me and be gracious to me and show me favor,
    As is Your way to those who love Your name.
    133 
    Establish my footsteps in [the way of] Your word;
    Do not let any human weakness have power over me [causing me to be separated from You].
    134 
    Redeem me from the oppression of man;
    That I may keep Your precepts.
    135 
    Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant,
    And teach me Your statutes.
    136 
    My eyes weep streams of water
    Because people do not keep Your law.

    The Word of God for the Children of God.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria, In Excelsis Deo, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

    Blessings From God’s Word …

    Make your face shine with pleasure on your servant and teach me your decrees.

    —  Psalm 119:135

    The words of the Psalmist from verse 135 “Make your face shine on your servant” echoes the great blessing found in the High Aaronic prayer Numbers 6:24-26.

    There God explains how to give his people a blessing, saying:

    “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

    Here God conveys to his people that He has turned His face upon them, sees them and promises to be gracious to them, to love and vigilantly protect them.

    In our reading from the Psalms for today, the psalmist sees the light of God’s Word, and his passion for God grows, leading to a greater thirst for God’s Word.

    As he reads and meditates, ponders and absorbs, the writer’s understanding of God’s love, mercy, and compassion deepens and his longing for God increases.

    The intensity of his passion for God leads him even to pant for God’s Word!

    Another important thing to note here is that the psalmist calls himself God’s servant.

    Connecting God’s blessing with service, the psalmist reminds us that blessings do not stop when they land on our doorstep.

    God blesses us—his servants—so that we can serve and be a blessing to the people around us.

    Go ahead and ask God for his blessing, because God wants to bless you.

    He also wants us to be keenly attentive to his Word, to praise Him, to pray and to worship Him and to learn His statutes, to revive, actively serve in his world.

    Teach Me Your Statutes, O God …

    God’s word is a treasure filled with fine riches that teach us about the God who created us and how to live in a way that pleases Him.

    Often, we can disconnect God’s word from our lives and make reading His word a mere intellectual pursuit or religious practice.

    Psalm 119 is a beautiful prayer that asks God to deeply connect the psalmist’s life with the word of God.

    One of the most oft repeated phrases the psalmist passionately prays is for God to teach him to live by his statutes, which appears Psalm 119 at least ten times:

    “Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:12

    “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18

    “When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:26

    “Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” Psalm 119:33 

    “The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:64

    “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:68

    “Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.” Psalm 119:73

    “Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:124

    “I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!” Psalm 119:25

    “Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:135

    “Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!“ Psalm 119:169

    We could, would, should be all be the wiser to make these verses (and the whole psalm) an essential element of our daily prayer life, our heart cry to our Savior.

    Ah, the Sweetest Mystery of Life …

    Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:6Amplified Bible

    16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the activities [of mankind] that take place upon the earth—how some men seem to sleep neither day nor night— 17 and I saw all the work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though man may labor in seeking, he will not discover; and [more than that], though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, he will not be able to find it out.

    Men Are in the Hand of God

    9 For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

    2 It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath. 3 This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead. 4  [There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they no longer have a reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hatred and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share [in this age] in anything that is done under the sun.

    The Searcher’s claim is quite clear: life is too complicated, too vast, too filled with conflicting elements for any one of us to figure out all the answers.

    Though we stay up all night and day, trying to think through and understand the complicated events that bring to pass the circumstances of our lives, we will never fully understand.

    The Bible attaches no stigma to trying to understand life.

    Rather, the pursuit of knowledge is everywhere encouraged in Scripture.

    We must never adopt the attitude of anti-intellectualism that characterizes some segments of Christianity today.

    We are to reason and think about what God is doing and what life gives us.

    But we must always remember that no matter how much we try to think about life, mysteries will still remain.

    We do not have enough data, nor do we have enough ability to see life in its totality to answer all the questions.

    We must be content with some degree of mystery.

    Though the wisest man of the ancient world wrote these words, he admits that humans cannot know all the answers.

    He even says that diligence in labor will not unravel life’s mysteries: Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. 

    We will still be left collectively knitting our brows, collectively scratching our heads, and asking the eternally unanswerable question: “Why, Me, Lord”?

    Even when people claim to know the answers behind what happens to us, they are really only deceiving themselves.

    Many people are unwilling to accept the truth of the precepts of Scripture until they can “come to fully, completely, utterly,” understand everything in it.

    But if you and I are waiting for that, you will never make it -“failure to thrive” .

    Although this book Ecclesiastes was written almost 2,500 years ago, it is still true, even in our age of advanced knowledge, no one can find all the answers.

    We must diligently search out the statutes of God – through prayer and study.

    When you and I think about our own life, about how many of the things that have happened to us have been determined by events over which we had zero control—events that had to fall together in a certain pattern before they could ever come to pass [by God’s Plan]—you, I, can see how true these words are.

    No one can find out all the answers.

    The sweetest mystery to life is that the destiny of our lives may all hung upon a simple decision to go or not to go to a church on a particular Sunday because we had some sort of “issue, grievance, grudge etcetera,” against the church itself.

    Learning something about God’s precepts for our “Christian living” may just be revealed on that day during the course of praise, worship, reading of scripture.

    We have to continuously place ourselves directly in the path of the Word of God.

    We have to continuously stay passionate about letting God work in us and also through us by means of the unmatched power of His transformative Word.

    How can we understand that strange merging of simplicity and complexity?

    The Searcher of Ecclesiastes continuously and constantly argues that life is too complicated without the Word of God, for us ever to answer all the questions.

    We will inevitably run out of brain power when, all by ourselves, we keep trying to be “a Sermon in Shoes Christian” finding our answers to the mystery of life.

    Is understanding everything in Scripture necessary before accepting it as truth?

    A Puzzle and a Song …

    Romans 11:30-12:3Amplified Bible

    30 Just as you once were disobedient and failed to listen to God, but have now obtained mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient so that they too may one day receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all [Jew and Gentile alike].

    33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him? 36 For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.

    Dedicated Service

    12 [a]Therefore I urge you, [b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

    3 For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

    I love puzzles but it bothers me and it frustrates me to no end the challenge of sitting still long enough and putting together any 1,000-piece jig­saw puzzle.

    Like my wife, some people will go online, just to do the most complex Sudoku.

    She has developed a system whereby she just systematically “breezes through.”

    That is not me, either …

    I like Sudoku … but I cannot just “breeze through” them like she does.

    I watch her, admire her ability to “order and sort out” all of the numbers.

    I just need take my time and pray I finish without too many mistakes.

    Too many mistakes … I just shut the game down as quickly as possible.

    Revealing that sometimes our puzzles can end up puzzling us.

    That’s how it was for the apostle Paul.

    Paul wrestled with a very personal problem.

    By God’s grace he had come to know Jesus as his Savior.

    As he went about doing his missionary work, many Gentiles came to faith in Jesus as Lord.

    But many of his own Jewish people rejected Jesus.

    It was mind boggling to him.

    Were they not God’s special people chosen to share God’s love with the world?

    Nevertheless, Paul was so confident of God’s great mercy he broke into song.

    Paul confesses that we can never fully grasp God’s eternal plan.

    Our efforts to understand God, define him, or reduce him to our level will ultimately fail.

    God owes us no explanation; nor is he accountable to us—for he is God.

    There is something we can do—in fact, two things.

    First, Paul implies that we should keep praising God because all glory belongs to him forever.

    Then Paul goes on to say that the only reasonable response to all this is to offer ourselves in complete service to God and to be completely available for his use.

    Are we doing that?

    By Praise and Worship, by Prayer and Meditation and Study of God’s Word,

    Are we looking to God for answers to even the most uncomplicated of puzzles?

    “Reviving” the “Lost Art” of “Knowing God better than we Know Ourselves?”

    Do you desire to continually learn and be taught God’s word and statues?

    Does your heart yearn to be taught the path of God and to fix the gaze of your heart and your soul upon Him?

    How say Ye to this …?

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray, ….

    Lord, often we are as puzzled as the Psalmist, the Teacher and the Apostle Paul about the host of ways you deal with us. Even so, may we stand in awe of your amazing grace and respond to you with songs of praise and acts of service. Lord, cause us to continually grow in our understanding and learning of your statutes, making us wise and obedient to you. Cause us to fear your name and pursue an obedient and joyful life as Bible-saturated people who look to you for wisdom, grace, and life. Teach us your statutes and may our lives be characterized by joyful obedience to your word and by demonstrating constant dependence on you. And may you fill us ever more increasingly with your Holy Spirit, who alone, can truly teach us all your statutes.

    Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

    Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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    “Stones of Remembrance!” God’s Call to Remember Revival. Joshua 4:4-7, 19-24

    Joshua 4:4-7 Amplified Bible

    4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them, “Cross over again to the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.”

    Joshua 4:19-24 Amplified Bible

    19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth [day] of the first month and encamped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the hand of the Lord is mighty and extraordinarily powerful, so that you will fear the Lord your God [and obey and worship Him with profound awe and reverence] forever.”

    The Word of God for the Children of God. 

    Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

    Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

    The Christian life is, in a sense, one big call to remember.

    Our Lord Jesus, speaking of the new-covenant meal of Communion, told us, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, emphasis added).

    Every Lord’s Supper, then, offers us the opportunity to remember together all that is pictured in the bread and wine.

    Deuteronomy similarly envisions a scenario in which a son asks his father;

    “What is the meaning of the testimonies and statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?” (Deuteronomy 6:20).

    The father responds by telling Israel’s story of redemption, highlighting that what God instructs is “for our good always” (v 24).

    The book of Joshua, too, commends the same kind of commemoration when the Lord instructs the people to set up 12 memorial stones at the Jordan River, so the stones would become revival “to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

    God wanted His people then—and wants His people today—to ever remember His faithfulness and to tell, testify, confess, to teach others what He has done.

    Such remembrances and memorials have always been a significant time to worship and praise for the miraculous works only Himself demonstrates.

    But in a day [like now] with endless competing claims on our attention and affections, we need more reminders of God’s faithfulness than ever before.

    It’s notable that the examples above are concrete and interpersonal.

    We participate in the Lord’s Supper together, and it offers us a multisensory experience to help us remember.

    The twelve stones at the Jordan River constituted a physical memorial.

    The instruction of Deuteronomy encourages us to have conversations about God’s faithfulness and goodness in our homes.

    Please note that the word “conversations” is PLURALIZED.

    Meaning more than one –

    But not just conversations … but full blown WORSHIP and PRAISE and PRAYER.

    But not just one person conversing with the Lord, but a whole bunch of people, putting themselves in front of their “memorial stones” to remember the Lord.

    For today’s Christians, every Sunday presents us with the opportunity to gather and remember with God’s people.

    But we are going to need more than a weekly touchpoint to sustain ourselves.

    Ask yourself: 

    What habits can I cultivate to remember God’s goodness?

    How can I catalog His faithfulness to me and share that with others?

    What “memorials” can I set up so that I can remember how God delivered me?

    Opportunities to continuously see, instantly recall God’s faithfulness abound.

    All we need to do is constantly, continuously look and instantly remember.

    Revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky – 2023

    I do hope and pray that Christians have stable and established faith in Christ. 

    I feel prayerful. Hopeful.

    In fact, I’ve gotten choked up more than once over the last couple days at the thought that a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit could be happening among our Methodist brothers and sisters.

    So I have mainly been praying two things:

    1. Oh, God. Let it be. Let your mercy pour down in genuine revival, and let these reports be true. And let it not end in Wilmore.

    2. Pass me not, O gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

    Maybe you will be moved mightily to pray, praise and worship this way as well.

    It is of the nature of revival that we cannot know the true extent of it until days, months, and even years afterward.

    Acts 5:33-39Amplified Bible

    Gamaliel’s Counsel

    33 Now when they heard this, they were infuriated and they intended to kill the apostles. 34 But a Pharisee named [a]Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law [of Moses], highly esteemed by all the people, stood up in the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) and ordered that the men be taken outside for a little while. 35 Then he said to the Council, “Men of Israel, be careful in regard to what you propose to do to these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody [of importance], and a group of about four hundred men allied themselves with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up, [and led an uprising] during the time of the census, and drew people after him; he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men [merely human in origin], it will fail and be destroyed; 39 but if it is of God [and it appears that it is], you will not be able to stop them; or else you may even be found fighting against God!”

    The distinguishing marks of revival may begin with an outpouring of the Spirit of grace, but that is only the commencement if the work of the Holy Spirit is to prove real and to be authentic and unstoppable, and a major mover of people.

    “How do you tell if it is really a work of God? It’s not how high you jump, it’s how straight and how far you will walk when you finally land.”

    The last great spiritual awakening in America took place during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

    It was a nation divided by war, and things were very dark.

    But when things are really dark, God’s light can shine brightly.

    Cover headlines from Time magazine went from “Is God Dead?” in 1968 to “Jesus Revolution” in 1971.

    What a difference a few years can make, especially when God intervenes.

    America needs a spiritual awakening, and the church needs a revival.

    The World needs a spiritual awakening ….

    An awakening takes place when God sovereignly pours out His Spirit and it impacts a culture.

    That is what happened during the Jesus Revolution, and that is what happened during multiple spiritual awakenings in the long history of these United States, predating its establishment as a nation.

    A revival, on the other hand, is what the church must experience.

    A revival occurs when the church comes back to life, when it becomes what it was always meant to be.

    It’s a returning to passion.

    I think many times we overly mystify the idea of revival.

    We don’t really need to.

    Another word we could use for revival is restoration, and that is what the church needs.

    Speaking at a conference in 1917, R. A. Torrey gave this prescription for revival:

    Let a few of God’s people, they don’t need to be many, get thoroughly right with God themselves—the rest will count for nothing unless you start right there; then let them band themselves together to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. Then let them put themselves at God’s disposal to use them as He sees fit. That will bring a revival to any church, any community.

    We can’t organize a revival, but we can agonize for it in prayer.

    We can call on God to send it.

    We can call on the people to come, to consider and to receive God [Acts 2:37-47]

    Draw near unto the Lord our God and the Lord will draw near to us.

    Psalm 73:28 Amplified Bible

    28 
    But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him,
    That I may tell of all Your works.

    Ecclesiastes 5:1Amplified Bible

    Your Attitude Toward God

    5 Guard your steps and focus on what you are doing as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the [careless or irreverent] sacrifice of fools; for they are too ignorant to know they are doing evil.

    Matthew 11:25-30Amplified Bible

    Come to Me

    25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God’s will and purpose]. 26  Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him.

    28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”

    James 4:8Amplified Bible

    8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].

    Where is our Hope for Revival and Remembrance?

    Psalm 85 Amplified Bible

    Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

    To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

    85 O Lord, You have [at last] shown favor to Your land [of Canaan];
    You have restored [from Babylon] the captives of Jacob (Israel).
    2 
    You have forgiven the wickedness of Your people;
    You have covered all their sin. Selah.
    3 
    You have withdrawn all Your wrath,
    You have turned away from Your burning anger.

    4 
    Restore us, O God of our salvation,
    And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
    5 
    Will You be angry with us forever?
    Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
    6 
    Will You not revive us and bring us to life again,
    That Your people may rejoice in You?
    7 
    Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
    And grant us Your salvation.

    8 
    I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,
    For He will speak peace to His people, to His [a]godly ones—
    But let them not turn again to folly.
    9 
    Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],
    That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.
    10 
    Steadfast love and truth and faithfulness meet together;
    Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
    11 
    Truth springs from the earth,
    And righteousness looks down from heaven.
    12 
    Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
    And our land will yield its produce.
    13 
    Righteousness will go before Him
    And will make His footsteps into a way [in which to walk].

    In a worship song from the early 2000s, singer/songwriter Brian Doerksen sings,

    “Jesus, hope of the nations/ Jesus, comfort for all who mourn/ You are the source of heaven’s hope on earth.”

    As believers in Christ, we recognize and worship Jesus as the true hope of the world, and yet it’s astounding how often we pin our hopes on ­human beings.

    In all of our history books, it is clear that people are far more inclined to find hope in leaders, politicians, and celebrities rather than in the one true God.

    Why do we do this?

    Proverbs 11:4-8 warns that placing hope in humans is futile because any human power will come to nothing.

    As the apostle Paul tells us, “There is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1).

    By saying this, Paul is assuring believers that in all situations, even in the midst of national turmoil’s and global crises, God is the one who holds all ­authority.

    Any human who has “power” has it only because God allows it to be so.

    2 Chronicles 7:1-3Amplified Bible

    The Shekinah Glory

    7 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the [[a]Shekinah] glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house. 2 The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory and brilliance of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw how the fire came down and saw the glory and brilliance of the Lord upon the house, they bowed down on the stone pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.”

    In other words, through our continuous praise and worship, all our hopes and all our desires must lie with the Only One who is on the throne of the universe.

    Our prayers and our worship must be oriented toward Christ, for he is truly the only hope—the only one who can change minds and transform hearts, disperse powers, and bring edification, and redemption and restoration, to bring revival.

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray ….

    Creator God, you made every living thing, and you hold all things together. Lord, we your Children now pray for you bring restoration to this world that desperately needs your leadership and authority. Please use Your church and their lives as catalysts for renewal, restoration and revival. We have heard of Your great works; please do them again, “stones of remembrance” in our day. And all for the glory, honor and praise of Jesus Christ, our only crucified, Resurrected and returning Lord, Savior and King.

    Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

    Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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    Psalm 46:10! What Does “Be Still and Know That I Am God” Really Mean?

    Psalm 46:10-11 Authorized (King James) Version

    10 Be still, and know that I am God:
    I will be exalted among the heathen,
    I will be exalted in the earth.
    11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

    The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

    Psalm 46:10 is a popular verse for comforting ourselves and others—many people tend to believe this verse means to rest or relax in who God is. This verse does encourage believers to reflect on who God is, but there is far more to this psalm than one verse—and verse 10 is actually more of a wake-up call to be in awe than a gentle call to rest. Taking quality time out of our day to meditate on Scripture and be silent with listening ears toward God is mentioned in other sections of Scripture (Psalm 119:15, Joshua 1:8, Luke 5:16, and others). But this command— “Be still…”—is written in the context of a time of trouble and war; therefore, we should each likewise consider the verse with that context in mind.

    Common Misunderstandings of Psalm 46:10

    Instead of interpreting “be still” as a gentle suggestion, the meaning in this Psalm lends itself more to: “cease striving” or “stop” and more specifically in this context “stop fighting,” which is also directed toward the enemies of the people of God. The people of God should here interpret the command for themselves to read more like: ‘snap out of it,’ ‘wake up,’ ‘stop fearing’—acknowledge who your God is, and understand you are not—and be in awe!

    However, it is good to note that there’s nothing wrong with the words in the translation “be still;” those words are not incorrect, it is simply helpful in our studies of this Psalm and this verse in particular to note the context of the phrase. Verse 10 has something empowering to say to both the enemies of God and the people of God, but it is unto the people of God the psalm is written to.

    Verse 1 starts, “God is our refuge and strength” (my emphasis added). The Psalms are for God’s people.

    The Message of Psalm 46 (AKJV):

    1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
    2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
    and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
    3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
    though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
    4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
    the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
    5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
    God shall help her, and that right early.
    6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
    he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
    7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
    8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    what desolations he hath made in the earth.
    9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
    he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
    he burneth the chariot in the fire.

    10 Be still, and know that I am God:
    I will be exalted among the heathen,
    I will be exalted in the earth.
    11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

    What Is the Real Meaning of “Be Still and Know”?

    “Be still” is the same thing Jesus says to the wind and the waves in Mark 4:39.

    Mark 4:38-39 New American Standard Bible

    38 And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and [a]it became perfectly calm.

    The very lives of disciples were gravely threatened by the onset of a severe and sudden storm. The disciples, many of them lifelong fisherman familiar and well trained by their fathers and completely familiar with all the waters they fished, were unable to contend with the sudden ravages of the severe storm. Instead of them relying on their own training and expert skills, they went to Jesus, and they shouted their pleas over the roar of the storm, into Jesus’ ear, to wake Him up from a rather deep and sound slumber. They woke him up. He stood up and against the great storm and quite quietly said: “BE STILL!” The wind and the sea then completely died down into silence, in awe and worship of the Creator.

    How was Jesus able to stay asleep against the great cacophony of the thunder and sound of the crashing waves and the severe tossing of the boat? Was it an absolute assurance of his faith in His Father, God that: “ALL WILL BE WELL?”

    Jesus implicitly trusted His Father, God. He implicitly trusted His Father would get him through the absolute worst of conditions – so he could just stay asleep?

    There was a starkly contrasting lack of trust in God on the part of the disciples that God would bring them through the storm – if they would just cease their all too human reliance upon their own skills, alleged expertise and to “BE STILL!” “KNOW [WITH ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE] THAT GOD IS GOD” they would live?

    That is God’s message shared with the world—the more people will come to KNOW HIM and understand his ultimate security and enjoy his presence. God’s goal in being with his people is so they can accomplish his purposes, to spread knowledge of him so more and more people can come to securely KNOW HIM!

    The people of God must stop what they are doing and acknowledge that God alone is the sovereign ruler of the universe and commit their whole selves to following him. He will one day stop all wars and he will be exalted among the nations (the Gentiles and Jewish believers as one family, the Church) and all the earth. There absolutely will be no question of who God is and what he is doing.

    At God’s voice the earth melts, the enemies cease fighting, and the people of God remember who their God is. God commands stillness and silence, but why is this important for the people of God? The people of God were prone to fear; they needed to remember who their God is. We don’t need to fear the end of our life—even in the midst of battle—because we’re going to that city; we’re going to Zion one day. We will dwell with God and there will be no more wars, no pain, and no end (See Rev. 21). We don’t need to fear what the world can do; we need to remember who our God is, and we need to share that knowledge with others.

    So, there’s nothing wrong with the translation “Be still” in Psalm 46:10 vs. “Stop fighting” or “Cease striving,” and there’s certainly nothing wrong with believers taking time to be still and quiet before the Lord in prayer.

    That’s something Christians should do every day, and we have Jesus as our sure and true example for that in Psalms 107:23-32 and Mark 4:35-41. But is the quiet, meditative interpretation of “be still” the best interpretation for Psalm 46:10 based on the context of the psalm as a whole? Maybe not, as it may take away from the intensity of the psalm—the way that God can command the earth and everything in it to be still before him and it is. But here’s what we need to remember about the application of this verse and the different views.

    Regardless of whether we interpret “be still,” “cease striving,” or “stop” phrase of Psalm 46:10 to be God’s words toward the enemies of the people of God, his people, or both groups, there is great comfort in this psalm which extends far past one verse. David’s heart penning this psalm is “1000% awe!”

    We too should find immense comfort in the fact that our God is an impenetrable refuge, HE ALONE will bring glory to his name among the nations and all the earth, and that HE will protect his people and bring them to everlasting peace.

    KNOW God does call us to stop fearing, to be still and commit to him. In order to feel secure, we have to KNOW we have an utterly impenetrable home with God. 

    God alone will make sure his glory is known. His Word reminds us of who he is and calls us to worship in awe.

    BE STILL and remember who God is,

    BE STILL and stop fearing,

    BE STILL, see what God is doing,

    BE STILL and acknowledge his greatness,

    BE STILL and know God is with you…

    Now, from within that mind-set of THOROUGHLY HUMBLED STILLNESS,

    GET YOUR HANDS AND FEET MOVING and EXALTING THE LORD ALONE!

    Spread the knowledge and the GOOD NEWS of who he is!

    In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

    Let us Pray,

    God of truth and wisdom, sometimes I not sure if I’m actually hearing your voice, or if it’s just my own feeble thoughts or even another spirit. Sharpen my spiritual hearing, Lord, so I can recognize your words when you are speaking to me. Help me know it’s really you, with no doubt or second-guessing. When I’m asking for your guidance in important decisions, pray, give me your peace that surpasses understanding with your answer. Help me remember that your words to me will never go against your written word in the Bible. Give me a clear mind and push out all my confusion. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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