Tag: God's Promises

Advent Week Two: We Have Given our Joy a Name. Believe It or Not, We Can also Give our Peace a Real Name!

Names and descriptions tell us something, don’t they?

Isaiah 9:6-7 Authorized (King James) Version

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.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

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

Names are important, aren’t they?

Most parents will spend a significant amount of time trying to decide what to name their children – first born children especially. Why is that? Because we know a name is more than just what someone goes by. It sets a tone for us. Some of us are very strategic and specific when it comes to choosing names.  

In Old Testament times, a name stood for a person’s “reputation, their fame and their glory.” The word translated “name” literally means “a mark or a brand.” Parents often gave children names to describe their hopes and future expectations regarding that child. Many are told by God what to name them.

A careful study of Bible names reveals much about the personality of the person bearing that name. For instance, David means “Beloved.” Abraham is “Father of a multitude.” Jacob is “Deceiver.” Isaac implies “laughter.” Moses means “drawn out.” And Jesus is “Jehovah saves.” All of these people proved true to their names!

Today we’re going to zero in on a four-fold name given to Jesus, 700 years before He was even born! We’re going to see that Jesus is indescribably unique.

From Gloom to Gladness

Isaiah’s primary purpose was to remind his readers of the special relationship they had with God as His covenant community. The nation had experienced prosperity but now Assyria was poised to pounce on them. In the midst of this impending threat, Isaiah gives a number of glorious promises.

Grab your Bibles and turn to the opening verses of Isaiah 9. We focused on this when we learned Jesus lights the way for those living in darkness. This original birth announcement was made in the midst of grief and gloom.

Look at verse 1: “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

Zebulun and Naphtali are tribes from the north of Israel, making up the land of Galilee. For many years the people knew only grief because of the onslaught of enemies unleashed by the Almighty as a result of their sins. Isaiah tells of a time in the far distant future where gloom will be replaced with gladness in Galilee.

Verse 2 describes how the birth of Christ will bring brightness to a world of despair and darkness: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

In reflecting on this truth, when people are in the dark, they can’t see what is directly in front of them and end up stumbling through life with no sense of direction. In order to help those dwelling in the dark, those of us who are Christians must make sure we’re giving off a pleasing aroma. Someone might not be able to see but they can smell the fragrance of Christ coming from those who follow Him as 2 Corinthians 2:15 says: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

In Isaiah 9:4, we read the enemies of Israel had burdened the people with “the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder.” When the light of life comes, the heavy yoke will be shattered. Instead of wiping us out, Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” In the place of burdens, God wants to give blessings of joy, peace, hope and love.

With that as context, let’s get to our text. Read and then reread Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (My emphasis)

A Child and a Son

We see here the indescribable uniqueness of Jesus and the core truth of Christianity. In the incarnation we notice both His humanity and His deity.

• “For to us a child is born.” This describes his birth as a baby (his humanity as a man)

• “To us a son is given.” Jesus is God’s son given as a gift (his humility as deity)

The child was birthed in Bethlehem and the gift of the eternal Son is given to us. I appreciate the insight of one commentator, “The Son wasn’t born, the Son eternally existed; the child was born, the Son was given.”

On top of that, the “government shall be upon his shoulder.” The Baby bundled ever so snugly in the straw just happens to hold the universe together. The One nestled on Mary’s shoulders, bears the weight of everything on His shoulders. He is redeemer and ruler of all. (John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15-23, Hebrews 1:1-14)

Part of the reason we have been inoculated by the incarnation and even bored with the baby is because we tend to focus only on the infant Jesus.

The phrase, “and his name shall be called” means “He will justly bear this name…” Technically, all four of these descriptions make up His name. Do you see that it’s in the singular? It doesn’t say “names,” but rather “name.” This is similar to the “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the “fruits” of the Spirit. We cannot just pick and choose like a buffet because it’s the whole meal deal.

Let’s look at His four-fold name now.

I should warn you ahead of time that you may break out into worship.

Do you remember what a preposition is?

Prepositions tells us where or when something is in relation to something else, indicating direction, time, location and spatial relationship.

I see a number of prepositions in our passage today

– Jesus speaks to us, He stands for us, He sits near us, and He satisfies within us. Jesus is indescribably unique.

1. He speaks to us as “Wonderful Counselor.” This title literally means “a wonder of a counselor.” The word “wonderful” means, “full of wonder, glorious, exceptional, astonishing, extraordinary.” In Judges 13:18, the Angel of the Lord says, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” Isaiah 29:14: “…Behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder.” Psalm 77:14: “You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.”

The adjective “wonderful” is coupled with the word “Counselor,” which refers to an “advisor” or “consultant.”

Life is filled with decisions, details, and disasters. That’s why we need a wonderful counselor. David wrote these words in Psalm 16:7: “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel.” Another example is found in Isaiah 11:1, which describes a shoot that will come out of the stump of Jesse. In the very next verse, the Messiah is referred to as having the “Spirit of counsel and might.”

What are some elements that make someone a good counselor? When we’re in need, we want a counselor that is available, gives undivided attention, able to provide comfort while remaining confidential, and can tell us the truth about ourselves while giving us what we need to make changes. In short, we want someone who has empathy, expertise and experience.

However, keep in mind that as our Wonderful Counselor, Christ is not just someone who makes suggestions. I appreciate what Reverend Dr. Tim Keller wrote in his book called, “Hidden Christmas.”

“When you come to Christ, you must drop your conditions. You have to give up the right to say, ‘I will obey you if…I will do this if…’ As soon as you say, ‘I will obey you if,’ that is not obedience at all. You are saying: ‘You are my adviser, not my Lord. I will be happy to take your recommendations. And I might even do some of them.’ No. If you want Jesus with you, you have to give up the right to self-determination. Self-denial is an act of rebellion against our late-modern culture of self-assertion. But that is what we are called to. Nothing less.”

I have a serious question for you to ponder and pray over: Is Jesus your Wonderful Counselor? Are you willing to follow Christ without conditions?

2. He stands for us as “Mighty God.” The word “mighty” means “strong one” or the “powerful, valiant warrior.” In Isaiah 9, the adjective “mighty” literally means, the “God-hero.” Jesus is the hero of the Scripture story!

David asks the question in Psalm 24:8: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.” He is profound in His counsel and He has the power to accomplish what He wills.

This facet of His name tells us Jesus is not only the Son of God; He is also God the Son. The Baby born in the feeding trough is also the King of glory. Or to say it another way: “The humble Carpenter of Nazareth is also the Mighty Architect of the Universe.”

Jesus can manage anything because He is mighty. He healed the lame, the blind and the sick. He calmed the storm. He brought Lazarus back from the grave.

Therefore, as much as He already did for them during His lifetime, He can do the impossible in our lives right now. He will give us the victory over whatever we’re struggling with today. Let Him fight our battles as we honor Him as your Holy Hero. Worship Him as your warrior, praise Him for His power. (Psalm 100)

Another question to seriously ponder and pray over: Are you and I trusting in our own finite strengths or are we now ready to make Him our Mighty God?

Jesus is indescribably unique.

3. He sits near us as “Everlasting Father.” When I was growing up, God always seemed so distant.

I had no trouble seeing Him as powerful; I didn’t know He was also personal. I had a sense of awe of Him, but never knew I could know Him personally. I saw Him as big and mighty and mad at me. In Jesus, He has come near. In this third facet of His name, we observe Jesus is “everlasting,” meaning He is before, above and beyond time. This literally means that He lives in the forever.

Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” He lives forever and He loves like a Father.

Christ is holy and human, dwelling on high while lying in the hay. And He sits near us.

Jesus is a child and a Son, and He is also eternally like a father to us. Some are fortunate to have a very good father, but some of us struggle because we did not or do not have a positive father image.

As you see the Savior lying there in the stable, focus on the fact that He is your forever Father, who cares for you with compassion. Psalm 103:13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.”

If you are a mother with young children, listen to how tender the Savior is toward you in Isaiah 40:11: “He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

A third question for us to seriously ponder and pray over: Have you and I put our faith in the Everlasting Father? Will we ever allow Him to sit next to us?

4. He satisfies within as “Prince of Peace.”

Jesus comes into our desperation with the promise of peace within.

This phrase “Prince of Peace” can be translated, “The prince who’s coming brings peace.”

A prince in Bible times was the “General of the Army,” and describes leadership and authority. This title reverberated across the centuries and echoed through the hallways of Heaven, finally culminating in a melodic expression of angelic adoration in Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”

In the Old Testament, the word shalom was a state of wholeness and harmony that was intended to resonate in all relationships. When used as a greeting, shalom was a wish for outward freedom from disturbance as well as an inward sense of well-being.

To a people constantly harassed by enemies, peace was the premiere blessing. In Numbers 6:24-26 God gave Moses these words to use when blessing His people: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

Some of us are on an elusive search for peace. Hold on to Isaiah 26:3: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

The New Testament describes at least three spheres of peace:

• Peace with God – that’s the vertical dimension

• Peace of God – this takes place internally

• Peace with others – happens horizontally

Jesus has come to put us back together as Ephesians 2:14 states: “For He Himself is our peace…”

Even more serious questions for us to ponder and pray over:

Are you and I out of sorts with God? Receive the Prince of Peace into your life and be made right with Him immediately.

Are you and I all shaken up on the inside? Give all your anxiety to the Almighty and His unexplained peace will give you calm in the midst of chaos.

Are yours and mine relationships with others severed? Do the hard work of being a peacemaker. Do you and I TRULY know Him as our Prince of Peace?

There is much here which has been given and written for you and I to devote some serious time to in both prudent study and continuous diligent prayer.

May God bless you with His Peace in this time.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Loving Heavenly Father – no matter how many times I read of the wonder of Your incarnation as the Word made flesh it fills me with wonder and praise – and I worship You in the beauty of holiness – I bow down before Your throne of grace in wonderment – for holy in You name, Alleluia! Alleluia Alleluia! Amen

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Advent: It is Another Season of More Waiting. It is Another Season of More Preparation. It is Another Season out of our Lives. A Season of Nonsense?

The need to conduct a spiritual inventory of this place we are living in our lives.

The need to conduct an inventory of our immeasurable connection to the world.

The need to conduct an inventory of our immeasurable connection and our relationship with God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Wherever we are in this exact moment, Has it reached the Time and Season to conduct our own inventory of An Age of Nonsense: “The Seasons of Our Life”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 Names of God Bible

Everything in God’s Own Time

3 Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and
    a time to die,
    a time to plant and
    a time to pull out what was planted,
3 a time to kill and
    a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and
    a time to build up,
4 a time to cry and
    a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and
    a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and
    a time to gather them,[a]
    a time to hug and
    a time to stop hugging,
6 a time to start looking and
    a time to stop looking,
    a time to keep and
    a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear apart and
    a time to sew together,
    a time to keep quiet and
    a time to speak out,
8 a time to love and
    a time to hate,
    a time for war and
    a time for peace.

God Gives Mortals a Sense of Eternity

9 What do working people gain from their hard labor? 10 I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that Elohim has placed on them. 11 It is beautiful how Elohim has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what Elohim is doing from the beginning to the end of time.

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

We have explored the futility of wisdom, of wealth, of laboring “under the sun” and now, as we steadily approach the appointed end of life’s journey, what can be said on our behalf? Have we made a difference in someone else’s life? Will we be able to say that over the short or long course of our we left this world better than we first found it? Or, are we being arrogant in assuming we can make one difference? Are we not just another jagged pebble in the shifting sands of time?

I pray! Allow me to share with you some of my own insights from the reading of Ecclesiastes. First of all, I believe that we have a magnanimous God. What do I mean by this? I believe our God, the exact same God who influenced Solomon’s thinking, is charitable. He is generous, He is patient; most of all, He is forgiving. On the other hand, this exact same God is not a doting grandfather-like figure who anxiously awaits our beckon call doling out everything we ask for. He is not the big “sugar-daddy” in the sky that ceaselessly begs for one ounce of praise.

Furthermore, I believe God is sovereign. Qoheleth “the Preacher” makes this point abundantly clear. The Name of God appears forty-one times in this book. Terms such as “the Creator” and “the Shepherd” as well as pronouns referring to God appear an additional five times. Phrases like “God made,” God judges,” “God does,” or God has done,” or God will do,” just jumps out of these pages.

In fact, it’s because God IS sovereign that Solomon come to grips with one of the most perplexing dilemmas about life. God alone holds the answers while feeble man has only questions and nagging doubts. Over the course of his life, Solomon succumbs to the understanding that man is virtually powerless and impotent before a sovereign God who creates, who orders, who directs, who orchestrates, who frustrates man’s vain efforts to be master of his own destiny.

Thank God we are made in HIS image! Thank God we are not robots who have no choice, no option, but to be obedient and compliant! Thank God we can make our own choices and but are not void of will. Thank God we are who we are! We are a creation of God, by God, and for God. We are uniquely and wonderfully made the Psalmist writes. We are not here by accident. We did not evolve from some organic plant life, fish or animal. These are feeble theories without fact or truth conjured up by cowards who are too afraid to recognize their own Creator.

From Ecclesiastes, I gain a sense of hope not hopelessness. I derive a sense of purpose not purposelessness. I don’t view the world as being in a free-falling, state of chaos. Instead, I see a world with profound meaning, profound purpose, direction, timing and orderliness in which I played so insignificant a part in.

What is the overriding theme of this book? It is this. We are here on earth for a reason and for a season. There is depth and significance to our existence. We are not a one-dimensional entity or a mere shallow remnant cruelly formed by a one-time creator who walked away after a failed experiment. Instead, we are each multi-dimensional; multifaceted. We possess a body, mind and spirit.

Solomon explains all this to us so that we will not repeat his own mistakes. He wants us to know that we worship a God whose ultimate desire is for us to be healthy in ALL the dimensions of our life … physically, mentally and spiritually.

It’s regrettable that most of the book of Ecclesiastes remains obscure. But there is this one portion from chapter three that is often quoted at funerals and weddings alike. It was even put to music in the 1960’s by Simon and Garfunkel although most people at the time did not even realize that they were actually hearing scripture. Sadly, these words “fall into deep silence,” are rarely preached from, and taught about and, tragically, few people live in accordance with them.

Success is not centered on looks. Success is not how much you or I have in our bank accounts. All this is sheer madness. This “chasing after the wind” is as old as the ages themselves. We keep searching for that “fountain of youth” a magic potion that will make us happy, successful, content and fulfilled. This quest could have, indeed should have ended three thousand years ago had man only read this book first before venturing out blindly, vainly. I believe Ecclesiastes is the finest work about any person’s insatiable search for their meaning to life. Solomon’s conclusions are some of the most critically profound ever written.

Yes, there are seasons of our lives and there are reasons for these seasons. First, THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING. Secondly, THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR MENTAL WELL-BEING and finally THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING.

If you look carefully, you will detect that the first eight verses of chapter three address these three vital aspects of our humanity: body, soul and spirit. Let’s try to inventory, to examine each of these human dimensions in closer detail.

First of all, THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING.

Read the first three verses and then notice how applicable these words are in conjunction with our physical lives. None of us ever asked to be born. It was something done to us and yet apart from us. Likewise, none of us ask to die; it is an inevitable event that God has ordained. So, this is the way we should view this list of opposites, as a list of what God thinks we ought to have. It begins by pairing birth and death as being the boundaries of life “under the sun.”

The next verse deals with the supply of food for sustenance. “There is a time to plant and a time to harvest.” Everything must come at its own appointed time. If we get things out of sync, we’re in trouble; we cause disruption. For instance, try planting a crop in the middle of winter when the ground is hard and covered in snow. Many of the problems in our own life stem from our constantly trying to schedule and reschedule the timing of those things, which God has put in its own appointed place. Please know, there is an appropriate time for everything.

There is “a time to kill, and a time to heal.” Now, this may sound strange to us, but the process of dying goes right along with the process of living. Doctors tell us that every seven years and incidentally, the number seven is the Hebrew number for completion, all the cells in our bodies die. But our bodies do not die.

What you are now is not what you were seven years ago and yet you remain the same. That’s why I believe in “micro-evolution.” Evolution means “change” and change truly occurs. It is change that alters conditions. It is not the kind of Darwinian theory that we refer to as “macro-evolution.” Pray over, about the enormous complexity of our humanity. The fact that each human cell seems to pass on to the next cell that replaces it, the memory of the past so that, even though our brain cells have changed, the memory goes back beyond the life of the cell itself. Yes, there is a time to kill, a time to heal and God brings it to pass.

There is “a time to break down and a time to build up.” Youth is the time of building up. Muscles grow, abilities increase, coordination improves and senses are heightened. But then, as you begin to live long enough, things start falling apart … it’s “a time to break down.” And this, too, God ordained. Seasons come and seasons go. Growing older, getting older and old is not wrong nor is it evil. It is a natural course of events. As they say, “go with the flow,” because there’s no use fighting these currents. Things aren’t going to change “under the sun.”

The Teacher then delves into the realm of the soul. He determines that THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR MENTAL WELL-BEING.

This aspect of our being has to do with thinking, feeling, choosing. It is the social concerns. It has to do with our interpersonal relationships. Verse 4 tells us that there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” There is no escaping the hurts and sorrows of this life. God determined that these, too, will serve to benefit us. And the proof of that is when God’s own Son came to us. He was not granted any royalty and honor.

He was not afforded a comfortable lifestyle. Instead, Jesus the Christ was scorned and ridiculed; He was reviled and hated. He was persecuted and tortured; He suffered excruciating pain for hours only to be led away to succumb to a most heinous death. He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, by whose stripes we are now all healed” [Isaiah 53:3-6]. Yes, in a fallen world, it is apportioned for us, and even God’s Son, to weep and lament.

But, there are also times when it is healthy to laugh, to be happy and carefree. Grief and loss will surely have its day, but dancing and festive occasions are also appropriate in its time. Psalm 30 says our Lord “has been gracious unto me, for He has turned my mourning into dancing” [verse 11]. In this same Psalm we too learn that “His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” [verse 5].

We would lose an invaluable connection to a wonderful aspect of our Lord’s humanity if we ourselves failed to see the merriment and the laughter that He provided for His disciples like the time at the wedding at Cana in Galilee where He performed His first recorded miracle by turning gallons of water into wine.

Then there is “a time to cast away stones and a time to gather them” [verse 5]. There is “a time to break things down and a time to build them up again.”

The Teacher here addresses our social customs, our deeply held traditions and our relationships with one another. There is a time to embrace others, to show support for them. But there comes a time when we ought to restrain ourselves. For example, if a friend commits an offense and refuses to acknowledge it, then we are correct in withholding an embrace for to do so would be tantamount to complicity with that which doesn’t edify, that is, build up, the faith community.

Verses 6, 7 and 8 address the last six opposites, which relate to our spiritual concerns: THERE IS A SEASON FOR OUR SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING.

These encompass our innermost thoughts. Our spirit being holds our core beliefs, our values and principles. There is “a time to seek [work, marriage, new friends, etc.], and a time to lose.” There comes a time in life when we should curtail certain friendships, seek new work, a new vocation or to move away. Circumstances in life change. Priorities in life sometimes warrant our having to give up which is familiar. It is both proper, appropriate for such times in our lives.

There is “a time to keep and a time to cast away” [verse 6]. There are values and standards, which must never be surrendered or compromised. There are other times when we need to “clean house.” There comes a time for us to remove the clutter; to sweep away the things of the past. This extends beyond discarding old clothes. This is also true of unhealthy habits and attitudes. Resentment and bitterness must forthwith be laid aside in order to allow forgiveness to enter.

There is “a time to tear apart and a time to sew together” [verse 7a]. Personal Relationships can become destructive and harmful. We must sometimes tear ourselves away from the past and move forward. Our Lord Himself said that new wine must be placed in new wineskins. At times, the past will not abide by what God has in store for you in the future. At other times, our Lord will want us to mend fences; to restore broken relationships for this, too, can be beneficial.

There is also “a time to keep silent, and a time to speak” [verse 7b]. There are times when we know something, perhaps a bit of gossip, and we should truly withhold comment. But, there are times when we must speak up, especially when we see wrongs committed. We must never hide the truth though the truth may prove painful. (The Teacher: Proverbs 3:3, 12:17-19, 20:28, 22:21, 23:23)

There is “a time to love, and a time to hate” [verse 8a]. When is it appropriate to hate? When we see abhorrent violence, the purging of whole peoples that we call “ethnic cleansing.” It is the destruction of the innocent, the killing of the unborn. Scripture tells us we are to hate the things that God hates. There are things in this world that are an abomination to our God (Proverbs 6:16-19) and they should cause us to shutter and recoil. They should lead to our inventories.

16 There are six things that Yahweh hates,
    even seven that are disgusting to him:
17 arrogant eyes,
    a lying tongue,
        hands that kill innocent people,
18 a mind devising wicked plans,
    feet that are quick to do wrong,
19 a dishonest witness spitting out lies,
    and a person who spreads conflict among relatives.

But, there is also a time to love. We should extend sacrificial love through auspicious actions of kindness, charity and goodwill towards our fellow man.

There is also “a time for war, and a time for peace” [verse 8b]. When tyranny strips away the dignity of man, evil is unleashed upon the world, when man’s inhumanity to man reaches a threshold, then war becomes necessary and this, too, God has ordained. Sometimes, the only way to prevent further bloodshed is to spill one’s own blood. There are times when war has been misappropriated. There are times when only peace should abide in the hearts and souls of men.

I point out that all of these seeming paradoxes are a part of God’s plan. The problem, of course, is that man inherently wants to take the course of least pain and resistance. If we truly had control of our destiny, we would avoid all kinds of unpleasantness. But, to live soft, comfortable lives would virtually ruin us spiritually in the end. God knows that those people who are shielded from the world invariably end up being miserable and utterly worthless. They become selfish, cruel, vicious, callous and unprincipled. Yes, there is a time for every season and there is a reason for every season “under the sun.”

So what gain is there to the worker from that which he toils? This probing question is asked three times in this book and finally, the Teacher discovers God’s purpose in all of this. God has made everything beautiful in its time. Everything is beautiful in accordance with God’s timing and not by man’s manipulation. For us: Genesis 1:1 through the Book of Revelation 22:21)

The circumstances in our life are ordered and directed by God. The difficult times are not to be viewed as curses, but rather as blessings in disguise for they strengthen us and they make us rely upon God for His provisions.

The Searcher also discovered that God has placed eternity in the hearts of man.

What does he mean by this? Mankind is the only animal that worships God. We are continually searching for the truth concerning the meaning of life here on earth and the life that is to come. We know instinctively that life does not end with our passing. There is something much more to life than our physical death.

C. S. Lewis once said, “Our heavenly Father has provided many delightful inns for us along life’s journey, but He takes great care to see that we do not mistake any of them for home.”

There is a longing for a secure place we can call home, a place like no other; a place that we know intuitively. We are not unlike the salmon that swims the world’s oceans only to return to struggle upstream in the same river and to the precise location where life began. They struggle against all barriers, they court, then they mate and then they lay their eggs and then become food for animals. The eggs then eventually hatch. The hatchlings swim out to the oceans. They learn how to survive and thrive until they too feel the irresistible urge to return. The cycle of all life continues in this way – precisely as God hath ordained it all.

The crux of the matter is that our God lives. He is active, He is vibrant, and so are the works of His creation. We are uniquely and wonderfully made. And God has a “no-nonsense” plan for your life, which includes the ebbs and flows that this world has to offer. Accept it, embrace it, rejoice in it and know that there is surely a God ordained “no-nonsense” reason for every season under heaven.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us now pray,

Father God,

I thank you for your limitless wisdom. I thank you for writing my story. Although I may not always understand why things are happening, you do. You go before me and keep me even my darkest hours. I thank you for using my moments of sadness as a starting point for a miracle to take place. Help me to embrace your process for me. Thank you, Lord, that you make all broken things new and beautiful. In Jesus Name. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia Amen.

Advent: Our Season of Anticipation, Season of Waiting, Timely Patience! Redeem our Meaningless Life Time!

“Vanity, Vanity, It is all Vanity!” Life is far from meaningless when one serves in accordance with the will God. All times both good and bad can be redeemed!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 Names of God Bible

God Gives Mortals a Sense of Eternity

9 What do working people gain from their hard labor? 10 I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that Elohim has placed on them. 11 It is beautiful how Elohim has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what Elohim is doing from the beginning to the end of time.

12 I realize that there’s nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives. 13 It is a gift from Elohim to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work.

14 I realize that whatever Elohim does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. Elohim does this so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever has happened in the past is present now. Whatever is going to happen in the future has already happened in the past. Elohim will call the past to account.[a]

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

“Life is just nothing but just one long agonizing expression of my Vanity!”

When we consider where we are and have been, and where we are likely going, being but one mere speck of dust in this vast universe one cannot help but ask ourselves the one unspoken question: how I live my life, does it actually matter?

After reading Scriptures that say that God “made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2:7) and “gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16-17) to “die to sin once and for all” (Romans 6:10); one cannot help but prayerfully conclude that we are valuable in God’s sight!

But what does one do with Solomon’s statement that everything in life is meaningless (1:1)? Are not our life and our host of both good and bad and horrific accomplishments only temporary, here today and gone tomorrow?

After all, who amongst us can add anything to or take away anything from the will of God our Father (Isaiah 14:27) who controls this universe (Colossians 1:17)? Does this mean that trying to determine the best way to live our lives is nothing more than a vain attempt to become significant?

Should we just eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we are all going to die? In this short devotional we are going to find out that what we do on this earth truly matters. After considering the long length of his life, Solomon concluded that his life had not been meaningless for those who serve God according to His will!

The Toils of Work

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

Life can seem like one endless day of work after another! We get up early in the morning, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, prepare our lunch, drive though rush hour traffic, work, drive home, feed ourselves and children, clean the house, wash the clothes, go to bed. That pretty much sums up our typical day.

It is no wonder that Solomon calls work a burden laid upon humanity. God has certainly come good on His promise in Genesis 3:19 that we would work by the sweat of our brow until we return to the dust in which we came from!

O to live in the garden of Eden! Work has not always been a burden. Adam was told to take care of a garden that had no sickness, pain, sorrow, death (Genesis 2:17) or violence (Genesis 1:29-30). Adam’s labour seems extremely easy in comparison to our – seemingly impossible fast paced day in and day out grind!

To have no need for shelter and to have all of the food one could eat at one’s fingertips, would that not be paradise for us in these our contemporary days? Because humanity did not want to submit to God’s authority but instead wanted control over their own destiny, the curse of hard work is come rightly upon us!

Beauty in Time

11a He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Even with the sweat of their brow rolling down their faces, Solomon steadily encouraged his readers to perceive everything as having beauty in its own time.

The events that occur during the span of one’s life are not “random happenings determined by the roll of the celestial dice” but happen in accordance with the will of our Creator (Romans 8:28). For example, in verses 1-8 of this third chapter Solomon outlined fourteen opposite activities to demonstrate that there is an ordered season, a proper time for all human activity on earth and under heaven.

Verse Couplet One Couplet Two

2 To be born – To die To Plant – To Uproot

3 To kill – To heal To Tear Down – To build up

4 To weep – To Laugh To Mourn – To Dance

5 To scatter stones – To gather To embrace – To refrain

6 To search – To give up To keep – To throw away

7 To tear – To mend To be silent – to speak

8 To love – To hate To war – To have peace

Human beings will spend their days living between the “poles of activity represented by these opposites.” Since humanity has no control over time, what makes these opposite activities beautiful is being able to discern the good works that God wants us to do during both the good and difficult times. While this might seem like an overwhelming task, do not forget that God created us in Christ Jesus for the express purpose of doing good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Weeping, scattering, searching, being torn down, uprooted, mourning and yes even death can be beautiful! While trials and tribulations are a heavy yoke for any human to bear, they are a source of great joy for it is through the testing of one’s faith and perseverance that one attains spiritual maturity (James 1:2-4).

It is one thing to go through difficult times and feel joy but in the face of death where does one find beauty? Birth and death are two ends of the spectrum of life of which we have little control over either. While we participate in the process of conception and birth, it is ultimately God that knits us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-18; Jeremiah 1:5).

While our choices can shorten our lifespan, who can add a single hour to one’s life beyond what God has ordained (Matthew 6:27)? Not being able to control death however, does not mean that it can not be beautiful. When God chooses to take someone home to be with Him is that not beautiful, especially when that person has been suffering a long time?

And is it not beautiful to see someone come to know Christ because they have seen a Christian take refuge in God (Psalm 46) in He who is the rock of their salvation (Psalm 18:1-2)? Yes, even in our death there can come great beauty!

Our Limited Knowledge of Time

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

While doing the right thing at the right time yields great beauty that does not mean that we as the creation are able to determine why both good and bad things happen in our lives. As His image-bearers (Genesis 1:27; James 3:9), God has placed an insatiable desire in our hearts to understand how events in our lives work together for the eternal good of both ourselves and that of others.

Even with a sense of time past, time present and time future we are still unable to answer the toughest questions relating to why certain events enter into our lives, those “Why Me, Lord?” inquiries. For example, answering questions such as why did a loved one die at an early age in life or why did I get this debilitating disease; are usually far beyond our ability to make any sense of His handiwork.

Like Job, God’s divine providence is often beyond the grasp of our limited minds. While we want to understand the significance of all events from the beginning to the end in our lives our awareness of things eternal will always be limited to what God decides to reveal to us. For an explanation as to why events have happened in our lives we will simply have to wait until we meet God face to face to have any of our most pressing questions answered (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Redeeming the Time

12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Even though we often do not know the reasons as to why events happen in our lives, by being happy and doing good in God’s sight we can find beauty in any circumstance. One does not need to know the “why” of God’s will to obey His will. Since “without God everything suffers in the futility of temporality,” there is no better way to live one’s life than doing the good works of God’s will that we have been prepared in advance to do (Ephesians 2:1-10).

One should take great joy in knowing that God-given, good works will survive the test of time (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) and will result in treasures being stored up in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Even when thoughts of mortality and difficult times occur we are to eat and drink and find satisfaction in our work for blessed is the name of the Lord who gives and takes away (Job 1:20-22)!

By counting our blessings, one can learn to be content and happy in all of life’s circumstances (Philippians 4:12-13). Redeeming time requires an act of faith in which one humbly walk the path set before oneself knowing that ultimately God does good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Reverence of God

14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

The response God wants us to have to His immutable, inscrutable plan is one of fear, reverence and humble submission. Whatever the times come to pass, either good or bad, “inviolable steadiness” and security can be found knowing the Creator has grace and sovereignty overall things which are seen and unseen (Colossians 1:15-23).

To sum it up: The eternal perfection of God’s work overwhelms all human endeavors and mocks human aspirations to become eternally significant.

Knowing that all times are held in the hands of He who will call the past into account, should provoke fear of God in the human heart. This is not the kind of fear that comes from facing the monstrous or the unknown, but one in which we anticipate, we expect, we revere, respect, stand in awe of God’s awesome power and authority. When we fear God by seeking His will and following His commandments, our fast spinning treadmill of life and death is no longer any reference to vanity, instead an invitation to experience the hand of God at work.

In conclusion, what can we say? What ought we to say about this vanity of ours?

Our sovereign God, not mortal beings, controls the “times” that are ever before us! While many might claim to control the destiny of their respective lives, God alone is absolute sovereign and 100% in control of all things seen and unseen.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Names of God Bible

Lifelong Duty—Fear God and Keep His Commands

9 Besides being wise, the spokesman also taught the people what he knew. He very carefully thought about it, studied it, and arranged it in many proverbs. 10 The spokesman tried to find just the right words. He wrote the words of truth very carefully.

11 Words from wise people are like spurs. Their collected sayings are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They come from one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my children, against anything more than these. People never stop writing books. Too much studying will wear out your body. 13 After having heard it all, this is the conclusion: Fear Elohim, and keep his commands, because this applies to everyone. 14 Elohim will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.

Even the tiniest expenditure of our energies made toward trying to change one’s circumstances or “times” from bad to good is an exercise in futility, for nothing whatsoever can be added to or taken away from God’s sovereign plan.

The key to being “happy” or “significant” can only be found in praising God’s name and doing good in accordance with His will. Since one does not need to know the “why” of God’s will to obey, in reverence and awe we as Christians are to submit to the authority, and sovereignty of God by seeking His will and by obeying His commands. (Psalm 84, Psalm 103, Psalm 107, Psalm 118, Psalm 139)

When one comes to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, one gets to experience the hand of God at work. Over time, through the ministry and works of the Holy Spirit, one knows the sweat of one’s brow is not vanity but the fulfillment of doing the good works God has prepared us in advance to do!

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us take time to Pray,

Heavenly Father, you are the holder of the future. I worry about the future, and I want to know what you have in store for me. I am scared that I’m unprepared, but I trust in you. Please equip me so that your will is done when the future comes. In Jesus’ name, In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Advent: Season of Anticipation. Season of Preparation, Waiting! Attitude Adjustment: About Time!

The scripture we will look at for today’s devotional effort was used in a song written by Pete Seeger and released October 1, 1965 by the Byrds called “Turn, Turn, Turn.” To everything there is a season. The writer is Solomon, considered to be one of the wisest of men to ever live. In fact God came to him in a dream.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV

A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

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

God came to a young Solomon in a dream when he became King of Israel and said to him, Solomon, ask for whatever you want and I will give it to you. If God said that to you what would you ask for? Solomon’s reply was this Lord, I am only a little child and I do not know how to carry out my job. The people will be serving are too numerous to even count so please give me wisdom.

So God said since you asked for wisdom and not long life or wealth and since you didn’t ask me to take care of your enemies I will do it. I will give you wisdom but I will also give you what you have not asked for-riches and in your lifetime there will be no equal. 1 Kings 3:5-14.

Solomon wrote down the book of Proverbs and also wrote down the book of Ecclesiastes. And by reading through both, God did carry out His promise.

I think that most of us would agree that when it comes to TIME and Time management most of us would say that we rarely have too much time on our hands that management becomes an issue. Instead we are pushed on a daily basis to get everything done…. To take care of our “to do” list. To keep all of the plates spinning. If there is any area where we need [GUARDRAILS] it is in the area of TIME. There are 4 things I see here that God has to say about time.

(1) God’s Timing is sovereign. We know that but every one of us, from time to time question his timing. We wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers when we ask him to. How many of us have ever prayed for something-your prayer went unanswered or it wasn’t answered the way you wanted it or when you wanted it. And we start to wonder about God’s timing. They are hard questions.

But I know this. God’s timing is best. In fact, His timing is perfect. It’s sovereign. What does that mean? It means God is in total control. Notice v. 1. There is an (NASB) appointed time for everything. Not most things. Not convenient things. All things. There is an appointed time in God’s timetable for everything.

Now it may be obvious but I want to say a few things about His sovereignty.

(1) God’s timing and our timing are not the same. He does not view things in the same way as we do so until we learn to see things through God’s eyes we will never understand His timing.

(2) We see things one piece at a time. God sees the whole picture. When I was very young we would go out into a blizzard to stand in sub zero degree weather to shovel snow out of our driveways and off of neighbors sidewalks. But I could never really shovel enough. I was always curious about the arriving plow truck. And so I would look as far as I could down the street so I could see what was coming. But I still could never hope see as far into the blizzard as I wanted to.

God looks at things as though He is on top of the highest mountain. You know if you could get up high enough and get an aerial view, you would be able to see what has just passed by and you would see it clearly. You would see what is right in front of you and you would see who and what is coming and you would see it clearly and you would see it all at one time. What just went by me, who, what’s there, what’s coming. We call it a linear view of time, that is what God gives us.

But we’re always saying you know if I could just have known this was coming I could have been better prepared. God says “I know.” One things we can know about God is that He is never surprised. God’s timing is perfect. It’s sovereign.

(2) God’s timing is sufficient. He says in v. 3… there is a season for every activity under heaven. We may be in a place right now where we are wondering if God is ever going to show up. We are raising young children. We are raising teenagers. Our finances might be in trouble. Maybe we are on the brink of losing your job. Maybe we already have. Maybe our health is declining and we don’t know what the outcome will be. Whatever our difficulties may be I cannot promise you that God’s going to answer your prayer the exact way you may want Him to but I can promise that you will make it through at some point if you will hold on to Him.

Solomon says there is a time for every activity under Heaven. Everything! God literally has a time for everything. He is going to take care of you in everything. Not 99% but Everything. Why? God cares about every single detail of your life.

You see, another thing this verse does is it speaks directly to each and every one of us including me. You see I’m not the kind of person who is a list maker—I do not work with a to do list, I’ve got the plates spinning and when I see that one is slowing down or it’s wobbling, I want to fix it and then I read this scripture and God says I have got a season for every activity under Heaven. The paraphrased version of that is that God says, “Tom” you need to go chill out. Take a chill pill. God recommends let me bring every event into your life you need in my timing.

(3) God’s timing is seasonal. Look at the meat of what God says here. Vv. 2-8. Now I don’t know about you but I believe this passage is not really about weeping and mourning and laughing and dancing—it’s bigger than that. It’s about God’s timing. Notice this. Birth and death. Killing and healing. Tearing down and building up. War and peace. Do you happen to see the pattern here?

All of these are written in pairs and they are all opposites and they are also all seasonal. This is not just about picking up stones and throwing them back. This passage is describing all of the different seasons of life. Life comes in seasons.

There are seasons of loss and there are seasons of gain. And in whatever season we find ourselves we must learn to live life to the fullest. In other words I think God says to each of us here that “there’s only a period of time; a season of time in which I am going to do this in your life and then I’m moving on to something else in your life.” That’s why it’s so very important for us to be aware of God’s timing.

It’s that way in your life and it’s that way in mine and in the daily life of local communities, the church. And if we don’t live in His timing we’re not willing to change when God says change then He will move on and find someone who will.

4. God’s timing is surprising. Now one thing we can surely and certainly know about God is that He is never surprised. He didn’t create the universe and then say wow I can’t believe I did that. God never says the words, I can’t believe that happened. But you and I are often surprised daily. His timing 100% surprises us.

One man was taking it easy, lying on the grass and looking up at the clouds. He was identifying shapes when he decided to talk to God. “God” he said “how long is a million years?” God answered, “well to me it’s just about a minute.”

The man next asked “God how much is a million dollars?”

God said, “to me it’s like a penny.”

The man said well then God can I have a penny? God said sure, in a minute.

We are not always ready for what God is about to do. We can usually think of a thousand billion trillion reasons why we’re not ready to do what God wants us to do but when I look at these verses one of the things that jumps off the page at me is that our God is a very thorough God. Our God is a thoroughly creative God.

His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are forever higher than our thoughts and just about the time I think I have God figured out He surprises me and takes me into another season of life. He works in ways I never thought were possible. But then I’m not God. He is. And that would be a great thing for all of us to get hold of: we must stop trying to be God and learn to wait for His timing.

Let me try to give you 5 [GUARDRAILS] we all need to try to put in place.

[1] There is a time for everything but not for everything all at once. All of us need to learn how to focus and prioritize. We attempt too many things and then we do not do many or any of them properly. Paul said this one thing I do. Some of us need to fall in love with don’t do list. We must keep our priorities in place.

[2] There is a reason for the season. Keep in mind seasons are always and forever temporary – do not last forever. Let God do His work. Be patient.

[3] We cannot now what the future holds but we can know the One who holds the future.

[4] We must give up trying to be God. Trying to take care of everything and everybody.

[5] We must try to see the Big Picture. We are not God but we can trace His hand in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, So many verses and passages in scripture come back to the foundational truth God knows best and wants us to trust Him in all things and at all times. He made the world and governs the universe, and is never phased nor astonished at what is going on in the world at large, neither the troubling circumstances that are happening in the individual lives of all of His children.

This passage of text is an obvious, a simple, yet timely reminder, that we are to live by faith in the Word of Truth, and to trust God’s judgement in all things, for He sends blessings raining on the just and unjust alike, and He takes the foolish schemes and rebellious actions of men and turns them to His greater glory, in order to fulfil His ultimate plan and purpose, which is that Christ is all in all.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us take time to Pray,

Thank You, Father, that You know the end from the beginning and that 100% everything under heaven is within Your authority. Thank You, that You are in control of all that is happening in my own individual life and the wider world in general. May I trust You through all the circumstances of life and as I seek Your face in prayer and praise, may I learn more and more to pray, “Thy will be done in my life and throughout the world.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Amen.

Advent, A Season of Anticipation! My Time, Your Time, are in God’s Hands!

Many of us can feel as if somehow we have been demoted and overlooked by life, when in fact, every step we take and every move we make is so carefully planned; God Himself is orchestrating all our circumstances and endeavors.

We are obsessive compulsive servants, sometimes slaves, to our electronic devices; we are slaves to our watches, smart phones, i-pods, alarm clocks, and calendars. And a few of us allow these man-made gadgets to rule our days, pushing us forward hurriedly, pressuring us to do more and do it faster.

Wherever we are we find ourselves watching the clock relentlessly tick away as reminders of how far we have yet to go and how little time we have to get there. No wonder people are so impatient. Our impatience has caused companies and corporations to invent and/or create different products that are designed to “over dramatically” assist us in maintaining and managing our time each day.

Yet with these brand new pretty and shiny gadgets designed to help maximize our time God’s children still appear at times to be stumbling through life. Many of us feel as if somehow we have been demoted and overlooked by life, when in fact, every step we take and every move we make is carefully planned; God Himself is orchestrating all our circumstances and endeavors.

When we need to stop for moment to realize God is in control (Psalm 46:10-11). Recall, No matter how bad things may look at any moment—God is in control!

Psalm 31:14-16 ESV

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!

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

Here in the 31st Psalm, David is declaring that his entire life is in God’s hands. He makes it known in no uncertain terms that it is God’s timing and not his; it is God’s call upon his life goes according to God’s calendar and not his.

Notice that David says, “But I trust in you…” his life was being threatened, to have someone threatening your very life would be extremely scary, it would indeed place most of us on edge for sure—but David says I’m really worried about it because no one can harm me unless God allows it.

David seems to refer back to the 23rd Psalm a little bit when he says, “You are my God” just like you are my Shepherd, and because of this I shall fear no evil.

When we consider the all too often politically incorrect fact that our times are in God’s hands, we also need to try to understand that His time is never going to be our time. Because God often moves slower than we do, yet God always has us at the right place at the right time and absolutely nothing slips out of His hand.

With God, there is never a wasted moment—He knows beforehand what we will face and go through; He is there before we get there in order to work it out for us. This is why David was so confident, this is why he said, “But I trust in you…” What if we all could be like David in times of trouble? The answer is…we surely can. David was not the only one who knew that their time was in God’s hands.

Job 14:1-6 English Standard Version

Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All

14 “Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.
2 He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.
3 And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
5 Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 look away from him and leave him alone,[a]
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

Have we ever been where Job walked? When it seems as if time is just wasting away—and we have not made the progress we thought we should have made by now? Job was suffering physically, mentally and spiritually and he had no idea what was happening to him and why it was happening to him or when it ends.

By the time we reach the 14th chapter of Job we see that Job was starting to panic. He panics not only because of what he was going through, he panics because time was passing by and there was no remedy in sight—now I did not say there was no remedy, but I did say that the remedy was not in sight. When we are walking through a dense dark valley and we do not see the Light at the end of the valley. It can and quite often does cause us to long to be in a panic.

Although Job was in his panic mode, although he was indeed suffering he never once blamed God for his suffering and he also knew that God provided his only hope for restoration. He knew whatever it was he was going through he still was in God’s hands. We ourselves simply need to get to a place in our lives where when pain, suffering, and trouble come we do not panic when we do not find all our answers on our “smart phones”. We have to say like, “But I trust in God…”

We must trust the providence of God and we must trust His timing. We all want good things to happen in our lives, but too often we want it right now…not later. When it doesn’t happen that way, we are tempted to ask, “When, God, when?”

Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the “when” question. If you’re missing joy and peace, you’re not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, maybe you’re not trusting God enough. If we feel moved to take things into our own hands, are certainly not trusting God.

What if Job tried to handle his situation on his own? What if he had followed his wife’s and his so-called friends foolish advice? The devil would have been given bragging rights and God would have actually lost the challenge. But God knew Job; it was God who brought Job’s name up in the first place.

Question. Can God trust you and I in the manner he trusted Job do to the right thing? We who feel that the end of time is upon us do have a tendency to push things to force things and flail and fight in an attempt to make things happen.

You remember the often told story of the little boy who was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it.

The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat. One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting strangely. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon. The mother explained to the boy how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly.

The little boy was so very thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. With great anticipation he watched his caterpillar every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out.

At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out! It looked like it couldn’t break free! It looked desperate! It looked like it was making no progress! The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He ran to get scissors, and then walked back (because he had learned not to run with scissors…). He snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged!

As the new butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, they would enlarge and they would expand outward to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly’s wings would expand. Except, it was not so.

But nothing happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never had the chance to be what it was designed to be. It never was able to fly.

As the boy tried to figure out what had gone wrong he learned later from his mother that the butterfly was SUPPOSED to struggle. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the cocoon pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without the struggle for life, the butterfly would never, ever fly. The boy’s good intentions badly hurt the butterfly—our good intentions can do the very same thing to us, when we decide to work on our time instead of God’s time. Job knew that his times was in God’s hands!

His Priestly Prayer, Jesus knew His time on earth was in His Father’s hands.

John 17:1-5 English Standard Version

The High Priestly Prayer

17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus knew His time on earth was in His Father’s hands. Three times Jesus prophesied that he would be betrayed, arrested, crucified and then buried. In the garden, when the soldiers came for him and Peter lopped off Malchus’ ear;

John 18:10-11 English Standard Version

10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant[a] and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

The truth of the whole matter is that Our lifetimes are 100% in God’s hands!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 English Standard Version

The God-Given Task

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.[a]

Saying, “My times are in your hands.” David was expressing his belief that all of life’s circumstances are under God’s control. Knowing that God loves and cares for us enables us to keep steady in our faith regardless of our circumstances. It faithfully, hopefully, ever so prayerfully keeps us from our sinning foolishly by taking God’s matters into our own tiny hands or “resenting God’s timetable.”

We are suppose to serve God because He is God…Not just because He heals our sickness…not because He forgives us of our sins…not because He supplies our daily needs…but just like David, Job, and God’s own Son, Jesus. We are to 100% love Him and serve Him just because He is God. We should never have to worry about being in God’s will—in times of trouble, suffering and distress being in God’s will is the absolute best place to be. And what a blessing it is to know that your times, my times, our days, and our services are all in God’s hands. Amen.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us now Pray,

Heavenly Father, thank You for the encouragement and lessons I can lean from the beautiful pictures of Jesus that are found in the book of Psalms. I trust in You and pray mightily that day by day my soul may rest in Christ. Thank you for being my God and my my Father, My Lord and my Saviour, Alleluia! Amen.

Advent Week 1: Hope for our World, Living Hope into our Darkness, Unto You alone, O God, Do I lift up my Soul.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the theme is “Hope in the Darkness.” We will take some time for ourselves, something we’re often not very good at doing. The reality is God cares deeply for you before you can do anything for him, and he wants that truth to settle deeply into our hearts today. We will be exploring what it means to have vision for ourselves holistically. How do we set ourselves up for success emotionally, physically and spiritually? The truth is you matter, and it’s my prayer you are strengthened and encouraged today.

Psalm 25:1-10 Names of God Bible

By David.

1 To you, O Yahweh, I lift my soul.
2 I trust you, O my Elohim.
    Do not let me be put to shame.
    Do not let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who waits for you will ever be put to shame,
    but all who are unfaithful will be put to shame.
4 Make your ways known to me, O Yahweh,
    and teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me
    because you are Elohim, my savior.
        I wait all day long for you.
6 Remember, O Yahweh, your compassionate and merciful deeds.
    They have existed from eternity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways.
    Remember me, O Yahweh, in keeping with your mercy and your goodness.

8 Yahweh is good and decent.
    That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live.
9 He leads humble people to do what is right,
    and he teaches them his way.
10 Every path of Yahweh is one of mercy and truth
    for those who cling to his promise[b] and written instructions.

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

Psalm 25 is a plea from the depth of a suffering soul to the God in whom the speaker trusts for deliverance and mercy. Yet despite this trust, the text is a cry of utmost desperation. It points directly and decisively to our longing for God not only to deliver us from our troubles, also for God’s light to reveal us fully.

As we enter into this season Advent, we wait for God to see us through the darkness, reveal Himself, to bestow the mercy that we trust God alone to give.

While this reading is limited to verses 1-10, considering the entire Psalm provides a richer understanding of the Psalmist’s prayer.

In many ways, Psalm 25 is a brilliantly woven text. The Psalm as a whole appears to be two prayers woven together: one expressing the experience of a suffering individual who feels the absence of God, and the other expressing a community’s trust in God’s direction and deliverance. The individual and communal voices alternate, with verses 1-7, 11-12, and 16-21 voicing the individual, and verses 8-10, 13-15, and 22 voicing the community. It may be that two prayers were interwoven in this way for use in a worship context.

The result of this interweaving is a compelling prayer that contains all the elements of a lament:

  • Petition: As we see from the first two verses, this Psalm is addressed to God, calling upon God to hear the sufferer’s plea. The speaker pleads for God’s attention to and for deliverance from suffering (verses 1-3 and 16-21), and also for forgiveness of sins of the past, which seem to be haunting the speaker and contributing to that affliction (verse 6-7 and 11-12).

Woven together with this plea is a petition for instruction in following the right path (verses 4-5 and 8-10). While mercy is utterly dependent on God and not on our own deserving, the Psalmist knows that such mercy is most often found by his walking the way that God has provided within the covenant community (verses 10, 13-15).

  • Complaint: While we do not have here a clear description of the precise nature and source of the Psalmist’s suffering, it is clear, however, the situation is dire; the Psalm is rife with the language of shame, guilt, loneliness, and affliction. Whatever the cause of the individual’s suffering, a significant piece of the pain expressed here is the Psalmist’s idea, God’s apparent absence in the midst of it.

This absence of God is a source of shame for the speaker, who is persecuted for maintaining faith in a God who seems either unwilling or apparently unable to respond (verse 2-3 and 20). Indeed, for the Psalmist persecution is a “violent hatred” (verse 19) that further intensifies the very acute pain of the experience.

The Psalm is the Psalmists very heartfelt Appeal to God’s character: Here, the speaker takes this complaint to God precisely because God is the one who can be trusted to provide deliverance. In verses 6-7, 11, and 18, the Psalmist calls on God to make known the steadfast love that characterizes the Divine Reality.

Here we see another example of the brilliant weaving of this Psalm: the appeal unto God’s character is interwoven with a particular plea for forgiveness. “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love . . . Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!” (verses 6-7).

It is as if the speaker is saying, “Remember, God, both who you are and who I am, and forget the sin that seems to stand between us.” The natures of God and of the sin filled, sin darkened human being both seem hidden under deep suffering and deeper shame, and only God’s attention to the afflicted can restore them.

Statements of confidence in God, and promise of sacrifice or praise: These final two elements of Psalms of lament are less explicit and frequent here than in other such Psalms (see Psalm 22).

The speaker asserts his sure and certain trust in God (verse 2), maintains the goodness and uprightness of the Lord (verse 8), and repeats the refrain of waiting for God to respond, implying assurance God’s response will surely and certainly, directly and decisively, timely and succinctly come (verses 3, 5, 21).

The speaker praises God for the sureness of God’s instruction (verses 8-10). But the overlying theme of this lament remains that of the perception of suffering, God’s divine absence; the Psalmist’s faith remains interwoven with fear and doubt, the Psalm ends with a plea for the redemption of all Israel (verse 22).

Advent often seems to come to us as a pinhole of light surrounded by darkness.

The world, with its suffering, its violence, its ruthlessness, at times seems so dark, and the light at tunnels end seems so puny. We want it to be enough, but we’re not really convinced it will be. We fear the light that God has promised won’t really shine in the darkest corners of our world, or of ourselves. And it is only dimly, through that pinhole of light, that we see ourselves, reduced to our shortcomings, and we long for God to look past those faults and really see us.

With the Psalmist, as a community and as individuals, we pray, “See me, God, and show me that mercy and steadfast love for which I long, and which I can receive only from you.” As the season of Advent begins, our hope begins as we cry the lament of Psalm 25, and we wait for the salvation that we know is ours.

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

Let us raise up our souls unto the Lord our God, and enter into a time of prayer.

“O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.”  

Thank You, Father, that I can place my complete trust in You to keep my soul pure and holy. As we move forth into this season of Advent, Continue to guide me so that I will never be ashamed of my behavior, words or thoughts. I praise You that if I will wait for You and seek after Your heart, I will never be ashamed.

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

         

My Promise: I WILL Speak about your Written Instructions in the Presence of Kings and I will NOT feel Ashamed!

1. Take the name of Jesus with you,
child of sorrow and of woe;
it will joy and comfort give you;
take it then, where’er you go.
Refrain:
Precious name, O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
Precious name, O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.

2. Take the name of Jesus ever,
as a shield from every snare;
if temptations round you gather,
breathe that holy name in prayer.
(Refrain)

3. O the precious name of Jesus!
How it thrills our souls with joy,
when his loving arms receive us,
and his songs our tongues employ!
(Refrain)

4. At the name of Jesus bowing,
falling prostrate at his feet,
King of kings in heaven we’ll crown him,
when our journey is complete.
(Refrain) Lydia Baxter, 1870

When our Lord and Savior Jesus returns, He promises to evaluate the lives of His followers to see if they have been “ashamed of Him.” In practical terms, what does it mean to be “ashamed” of Jesus? How can we be “ashamed”?

Like Peter when Jesus was on trial, this can mean our denying we are one of His followers and not being willing to acknowledge Him (Mark 14:66-72). It can mean running away when, like the disciples, we are confronted with opposition (Mark 14:50).

Since we are surrounded by an “adulterous and sinful generation,” we can be tempted to make it our first priority to please other people. Rather than being committed to serving Jesus, we can be infinitely more concerned with political correctness, media popularity and sociocultural approval. It can mean rejecting the purity of His Word. It can mean watering Him down, explaining Him away.

As we think about our lives, we need to be aware that these kinds of reactions are possible. The Bible reminds us that we need to make a firm commitment to Jesus and His Word and steadfastly refuse to compromise. Like Paul, we want to be able to teach and preach, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16).

Ask the Spirit to search your heart. Are you guilty of any compromises? Make sure you have the right priorities and are seeking first His Kingdom. Declare your firm commitment to the Gospel, regardless of what others might say or do.

Psalm 119:41-48 Names of God Bible

41 Let your blessings reach me, O Yahweh.
    Save me as you promised.
42 Then I will have an answer for the one who insults me
    since I trust your word.
43 Do not take so much as a single word of truth from my mouth.
    My hope is based on your regulations.
44 I will follow your teachings forever and ever.
45 I will walk around freely
    because I sought out your guiding principles.
46 I will speak about your written instructions in the presence of kings
    and not feel ashamed.
47 Your commandments, which I love, make me happy.
48 I lift my hands in prayer because of your commandments,
    which I love.
    I will reflect on your laws.

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

You just bought a new car and you are proud of it. Then you later see your friend with their new car and you are happy for them too. You want to talk about that new car of your friends so you go home and do the research on it. You realize that your friends purchase was just a wee bit smarter than yours. You were so very set on buying yours that you completely overlooked any and all others.

So, you might start hanging your head feeling embarrassed. You know that phenomenon when you learn about a new car for the first time, and then begin to see it everywhere? Shame is a lot like that. Once we begin to recognize its presence in our lives, we start to see how much emotional space it takes up.

The difficulty with shame, however, is that it encompasses such a wide range of very powerful emotions it can be difficult to define. Perhaps the simplest way to understand shame is to think back on a moment when you just experienced it.

You may have felt embarrassment, discomfort or self-consciousness. Shame can also express itself in much weightier emotions, like when we subtly or suddenly feel, “below standards,” humiliated, inadequate, injured or abused.

So many individuals live under the weight of shame without realizing it because we’ve been conditioned by culture and life experience to accept that feeling as just a normal part of living life. Shame is simply always there; it’s that familiar yet profound feeling that in completely arbitrary way, we do not measure up.

Add to all of that, the pressure we often feel as individuals to be successful, sophisticated and in great shape, we can feel ashamed when we make even the tiniest of mistakes. At its core, an identity of shame is the belief that, in whole or in part, I am not enough. That “not-enoughness” is what drives our shame.

Think about it.

Maybe you regularly view life through the lens of other people’s expectations (whether real or imagined), and we’re beginning to buckle under the pressure. Perhaps you and I feel self-conscious about not having a boyfriend or a happy marriage when all of your friends seem “hyper” content in their relationships.

Perhaps a friend harshly betrayed you, one of your parents was emotionally or physically absent, or your loved one has a secret addiction, and you think it’s all somehow your fault. Maybe you are stressed about your children and how you handle things at home. Perhaps that hyper imposed stress is now at your work.

Yes, it happens. We get scared that we will be rejected by our family, friends and or co-workers. We get scared that people will even tease us. We get scared that we won’t know exactly what to say. We get scared the conversation will be way too awkward. It’s much more comfortable to talk about TV or sport or school.

The voice in your head says, I’m not a very good mother or father, wife or husband. Maybe you feel like the ultimate failure because life got “too” hard, and now your dreams seem out of reach, or you just don’t know who you are anymore.

Maybe you go through life with ever-present feelings of inadequacy; you worry what other people would think if they knew the real you. Shame lurks in all of these things. (I could go on, but at the risk of depressing us all, I’ll stop there.)

In spite of the overwhelming nature of shame, there is good news. The promise of Scripture is that when we turn away from shame, look to God, He transforms our shame into something beautiful — a sparkling, splendorous, vocalized joy.

Psalm 34:1-5 ESV

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

It may well take a serious amount of time, and there will surely and certainly, always be moments in life when we experience various degrees and measures of shame, but when our identity is centered in Christ — not only knowing who we are in Christ, but knowing who He is in us — we can summarily discard the dark irrational covering of shame and, look inside Christ’s empty tomb and rise in His radiance. In other words, we have shame, but in Him, in His resurrection, shame, like that thoroughly defeated grave, no longer has any grip over us.

Whether you and I are simply having a “not enough” moment, or you and I have been hiding in shame for years, by His resurrection we have hope. You and I can overcome shame, because our Savior Jesus, our Overcomer already has.

There is nothing so healthy and beneficial to the child of God than spending time praising God our Father. Whether you and/or I are living in the valley this day, or you and I have been experiencing the mountaintops, nothing is so great an exercise for our hearts and soul as raising our arms, praising the Lord God!

You can praise Him when you feel good, you can praise Him when you’re sick. You can praise Him when you’re rich, you can praise Him when you’re broke. You can rejoice in Him when you’re happy, you can rejoice when you’re sad.

The Apostle Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4-7) The psalmist sang his song; ” Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” (Psalm 97:12)

Psalm 96:10-13 AKJV

10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth:
the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:
he shall judge the people righteously.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:
then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13 before the Lord:
for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the people with his truth.

Oh that our hearts our souls, our knees were in such an exalted place as this;

Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Let the Holy Spirit bring this into our remembrance: Jesus has done the most incredible thing. He has saved us from certain death. He loves us more than anyone ever could. So, unless we have somehow obtained God’s own written permission, do not be ashamed or embarrassed to tell other people about him!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Dear heavenly Father, I praise You because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. You created us in Your image and not in our own. Through Your great mercy and Your forgiveness You not only remove my shame, You faithfully transformed it into something beautiful and new. And while I don’t fully understand it, I know You have the power to help me overcome shame because You’ve already done so on the cross. Open my heart to experience Your love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Alleluia! Amen.

“Let Your Steadfast Love Come to Me, O LORD! Not By Bread Alone – Simply According to Your Biblical Promises”

Our heavenly Father, as believers it is a prime concern how we may live this life. We want so much to know. We want to know from Your Word. We want to know not out of curiosity but out of pure desperation. We want to know not in some academic and detached way but we want to know personally, out of need. There are things that come into our experience every day, some so troubling as to make us question almost everything. And in those moments, Lord, we want to know. We want to know from Your Word, ‘what about Your steadfast love coming unto me?’ ‘How does a Christian live?’ So, I pray, teach us this day from Your Word. We ask all in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have your Bibles, I’d invite you to turn with me to Psalm 119. We’re going to be looking at the section which runs from verses 41 to 48 as we continue our way through this great psalm on perhaps a new theme, “Not by Bread Alone.”

And yet again we meet a passage from God’s Holy Scriptures here that teaches us how to live. How ought you live the Christian life? Exactly how do you do it?

 Psalm 119:41-48 Names of God Bible

41 Let your blessings reach me, O Yahweh.
    Save me as you promised.
42 Then I will have an answer for the one who insults me
    since I trust your word.
43 Do not take so much as a single word of truth from my mouth.
    My hope is based on your regulations.
44 I will follow your teachings forever and ever.
45 I will walk around freely
    because I sought out your guiding principles.
46 I will speak about your written instructions in the presence of kings
    and not feel ashamed.
47 Your commandments, which I love, make me happy.
48 I lift my hands in prayer because of your commandments,
    which I love.
    I will reflect on your laws.

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

How do you live the Christian life? The length and breadth of this Psalm 119 answers not only unambiguously, it answers helpfully. You live the Christian life by faith. You live the Christian life by faith in God, you live the Christian life by faith in His promises, and you live the Christian life by faith in His Word.

I want to look at two things in this very rich passage (verses 41-48). I won’t be able to touch on all the things that the psalmist says in this short devotional, but there are three things that I very much want each of us to concentrate on as we think about how the writings of this psalmist helps us live the Christian life.

OUR SALVATION IS ACCORDING TO PROMISE AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LIVED BY OUR FAITH, IT IS LIVED BY OUR HOPE AND IT IS LIVED BY LOVE.

And the first one is this, and you’ll see it especially in verse 41. Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promise. It’s important for us as believers to get both of those things in our head. Our salvation is from the Lord ALONE and our salvation is according to promise. And what that means is this.

It means two things. It means that our trust must be deliberately, self consciously, specifically focused on the Lord and His Word. And secondly, it means that we must live by faith. Now think about that for just a moment.

Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to His promise.

That means that our trust must be in Him and in His Word and that we must live by faith. Look at verse 41. “Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise.”

Please notice here where the focus of the psalmist’s trust is decisively directed toward: “Let your steadfast love, let your lovingkindness, come to me, O LORD.”

The psalmist is squarely focused on the Lord here. We’ve seen him do this even with the language that he uses about God’s Law. He won’t even speak about the Law without speaking about God. It’s God’s Law, it’s God’s Word, it’s God’s rules, it’s God’s commands, it’s God’s statues. Over and over he’s reminding himself, “This isn’t just a word. It’s not just a word about God. It’s a word from God. It’s God’s Word. It belongs to Him.” He’s focusing himself on the Word as a Word from God. And here, he focuses the hope of his salvation upon the Lord.

And then he adds, “your salvation according to your promise.” Now what he’s teaching us here is that the only focus of our trust in the Christian life must be 100% deliberately on the Lord and His Word, especially His Word of promise.

And of course, the Psalmist emphasizes such a deliberate, decisive, and directed focus as being a very important aspect of the life of the generations of Israelites which he is writing to in his day and age. Such a magnitude of focused thought plants seeds of God’s inerrant truth in the immediate generation, then forward.

By extension, the Psalmist is reaching into our generations, our Christian life because the focus of our trust in the Christian life is to be deliberately on the Lord and His Word, especially His promises. This is yet another passage that authorizes you and to come to the Lord and plead for His salvation because He’s promised it to us! He’s promised, “Come to Me, ask for My lovingkindness; I’ll give you My salvation!” So we live by pleading those promises. (Matthew 11:28-30) 

The first instinct of the believer in living the Christian life is to resort to the Lord, to trust in the Lord, to seek our salvation from Him and according to His Word by His promise. So that’s the first thing that I want you and me to see. That our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promise teaches us that the Christian life must be lived by trust in Him and in His Word.

But the second thing that I want you and I to see in connection with that first point that we’re looking at in verse 41 is simply this. That means, obviously, that the way we live the Christian life is by faith. The Christian life is lived by faith. We’re not just justified by faith; we live the Christian life by faith, we live it by hope and we live it by and with our love, and the longer you and I go on the Christian life the more we realize we have to live the Christian life by faith.

There are so many things that you and I cannot make sense of in this life by sight. By sight they simply do not get around to making sense. And so you have to live by faith. And that is a constant refrain from the Word of God itself.

The passage that Paul quotes from Habakkuk when he’s explaining the doctrine of justification by faith says, Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.” And it is just as true that we are saved by the instrument of faith, receiving the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ as He is given to us in the Gospel, it is as true that we are justified by that instrument of faith or according to that instrument of faith but it is also true that we live the Christian life by faith.

The just, those who are declared just by God ALONE, live how? By faith!

Paul says the same thing in Romans chapter 1:17 — “The righteous shall live by faith.” Or think of what he says in Galatians 2:20. “The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Or in Hebrews 10:38 — “My righteous one shall live by faith.” Or in Hebrews 11, the whole point of the whole chapter of which is, “How do you live this life as a believer?” you live by faith! That’s why we are called by God to be believers!

But it’s incredibly hard sometimes, 100% hard sometimes. (Romans 7:14-25)

There are many, many people who call themselves Christians and who are in fact Christians who struggle with that and they struggle with that for a variety of reasons. They will struggle with meeting worldly morals and cultural ethics. They will, as Holy Scriptures requires of them, to align them all up with God. It is the pressure which is asserted from a socio cultural necessity or traditional, “acceptable best practices”, which meets head-on, impacting with God’s Truth. Then it becomes a grave question unto the believer: Which one do I prioritize?

And so I presented my case to Father, Son and Holy Spirit through Prayer, for the truthfulness and the authority and the inerrancy of the Word of God, which ultimately rests upon the fact that my Savior believes God’s whole Word is true.

Matthew 5:17-19 ESV

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

And if my Savior believes the whole Bible is true, it is an act of devotion on my part to believe that the Bible is true. If I’m going to put the whole of my hopes on Jesus and Jesus believes the Bible is true that pretty much does it for me.

But, as Paul wrote in Romans 7:14-25, there are thousands of questions, many absolutely legitimate, which can bother the hearts and minds of believers. You and I run across passages that run against your grain. You and I come to places in the Word of God where God asks you and me to do hard things, come across passages that seem to pose contradictions. What do we do? We walk by faith!

Our salvation is of the Lord. Our salvation is by the Word. Our salvation is according to promise. Therefore the Christian life is lived by faith in the Lord, in His Word, especially in His promise, and do not miss that the Christian life is lived by faith. That’s the first big message that I want you to see in this psalm.

WE MUST BE PREPARED TO BEAR REPROACH FOR THE SAKE OF THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD

The second one is this. And really there’s a sense in which this second point is one of the main themes of this whole section.

Look at verses 42 and 46. The psalmist says that he’s going to trust in the Lord in His lovingkindness, in His salvation, in His Word, and in His promise. Why?

Verse 42 — “then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me.”

Ah-ha! Now we see the context in which he’s making this declaration. He’s standing up for the Lord, he’s standing for the Word, and he’s expecting to be taunted, mocked, ridiculed, made fun of! And then we see it again.

Look at verse 46. “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame.” By the way, over and over as I’ve read that verse over the last several days, I’ve wondered to myself, “I wonder if Paul meditated on Psalm 119 verse 46 after he made his determination to go before Caesar’s Supreme Court in Rome and testify to the Gospel. I wonder if that verse was one of the verses that he meditated on. “Lord, I will testify to You before kings.”

Clearly the context is a testimony that the Psalmist fears could bring shame and reproach upon him in the eyes of his enemies. And so what do we learn from this psalm? We learn that we must be prepared to bear reproach for the sake of God, the Gospel, and the truth of God’s Word. That is hugely important. It is hugely important for all of us who are alive in this ‘cancel culture’ day and age.

It is especially important for you my younger friends and readers. You are already living in a culture where to believe things that two thousand years of believers have believed will bring reproach on you, you might be ‘cancelled!”

But, fear not, for the ancient authors of our scriptural passages have addressed this very real concern. Read, Study, Pray and Meditate through: 1 Peter 3:8-22 and James 1:1-17, John 16:25-33, and John 17 – Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer). And please do not limit yourself to these few passages listed here. There are many such promises throughout the length and breadth of Holy Scriptures.

Romans 15:4-6 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Let your love, God, shape my life
    with salvation, exactly as you promised;
Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery
    because I trusted your Word.
Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever—
    your commandments are what I depend on.
Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me,
    guard it now, guard it ever;
And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces
    as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
Then I’ll tell the world what I find,
    speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—
    relishing every fragment of your counsel.

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

Is There Such an Event as Any Prayer Which is too Hard for God to Answer? Let Us Pray Through Psalm 119:33-40

Psalm 119:33-40 Names of God Bible

33 Teach me, O Yahweh, how to live by your laws,
    and I will obey them to the end.
34 Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings.
    I will guard them with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the path of your commandments,
    because I am happy with them.
36 Direct my heart toward your written instructions
    rather than getting rich in underhanded ways.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
    Give me a new life in your ways.
38 Keep your promise to me
    so that I can fear you.
39 Take away insults, which I dread,
    because your regulations are good.
40 I long for your guiding principles.
    Give me a new life in your righteousness.

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

We look to continue to plumb the depths of God’s Word, raising our spiritual awareness and understanding of verses 33-40, we see the continued love for and dependence on God’s Word. The Psalmist is teaching us through song, that God’s Word is completely sufficient for our what we believe and for our lives .

By this I mean that God’s Word always provide the right answer to every question, every problem, every crisis, and every issue we as believers face today. We must understand and believe this, for this is the very teaching of faith, our love of and our sure and certain hope in Jesus Christ unto our eternal salvation.

Today, we focus on eight prayers. That is, these are eight positions to take when dealing with God’s Word.

So often we focus on our own personal study and devotional time. That is, we tend to view God’s Word from a very individualistic perspective. I certainly do not mean to demean that, or to say that these prayers do not address personal Bible consumption. Reading and studying our Bibles is definitely of great value.

However, I definitely believe it is important that we broaden our views of these eight prayers to include corporate worship as well. That is, how can You and I apply these verses to my personal and family life, my church’s life, into my brother’s and sister’s life, in a way that reflects the Psalmist’s desire to bring every single aspect of his life under the direct authority of God’s living Word.

I. Prayer for Practical Understanding- vs. 33

The first prayer the Psalmist offers unto God is his prayer longing for practical understanding. He asks God to “teach me.” He asked God to teach Him, to order God’s Word in a way that he would understand and be able to keep it to the end.

One of our prayers as we approach the private and corporate consumption of Scripture is for practical understanding. Sometimes we have a hard time connecting God’s Word to daily life, do we not? I know that I have to work at it.

I can remember growing up and trying to read through the Bible and thinking to myself, “What does any of this have to do with my life right now?” However, the Psalmist here prays for practical understanding. He does not simply want to know the background, the wording, etc., he longs to know how it applies to any part or portion of his life so he can live it out all the way to the end. He wants to “keep” it, guarding it like walls and towers protect the city. He wanted God’s Word to protect his life and his doctrine all the way to the end, to the reward.

We must pray to the Holy Spirit for practical understanding. Due to our own intellectual limitations, our own struggles and blindness from sin, and the disconnect between life in the Ancient Near East and life today, we desperately need God’s help for understanding the practical applications of God’s Word.

This is the child asking the parent, “Why?” For those of you with children, you know they are incredible at asking questions. “What is that daddy?” “Well, that is a guardrail.” “What does it do?” “Well, it keeps cars from running off the road.” “Why?” The questions will go on and on, but children think in concrete terms, they want to know why things work. They want the practical application. And we should try to follow their example, pray for a practical understanding.

II. Prayer for Discernment in Understanding- vs. 34

The second prayer the Psalmist offers concerns discernment in understanding. The Psalmist here wants to understand the details of God’s Word. This prayer focuses on awareness and perceptiveness, a skill at understanding His Word.

Think about the difference between a mechanic and a do-it-yourself guy. My first car was a Ford Escort. I learned in High School to change my oil, my brake pads, my alternator, and a few other items. I could rotate my tires and I even took apart the stereo system (with the help of the instructor).

However, there is a vast difference between my understanding of cars and my personal mechanics understanding. That guy could listen to the car and tell you in a heartbeat exactly what was wrong with it right down to the nth detail.

The Psalmist here is desiring discernment. He wants his heart and his soul, to, every time it is read and studied, to look deeper at God’s Word and know exactly what is going on, how to apply it. He always connects doctrine (understanding of Scripture) with his life (“Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart”).

One way which we can help further our own discernment in Scripture is simply learning the backgrounds and times of the books, that is the historical context.

Understanding the times in which certain letters were given (or prophecies preached) will greatly enhance your discernment of Scripture. We want greater discernment to know how to apply the Scriptures to our lives as we live them in these contemporary times. Our goal is to observe it with our whole heart. That is, to guard it, a term that is used consistently in connection with God’s Word.

III. Prayer for Desire to Understand- vs. 35

The word translated “make me walk” gives the idea of a pattern of desire. That is, grant me a consistent desire to follow Your Word. This is a prayer for desire.

There are times in which we need increased desire. While we have been changed, we are still being changed. Consider . We are being transformed. That is, there are still vestiges of sin in our lives. We are freed from the power of sin but not the presence of sin. Thus, there are times in which we do not desire to know and follow God’s Word.

Think of the song Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The third verse gives us the Psalmist’s desire, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love, Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.” As we approach God’s Word, we need to continuously, consistently pray God will increase our desire to know and follow His Word. And as God answers that prayer, we will delight in it. That is, we will find great pleasure, delight, and satisfaction in it.

IV. Prayer for Direction toward God’s Truth- vs. 36

The next prayer focuses on direction. He says, “Incline my heart.” That is, change the direction of my heart. Now, this is very similar to the idea found in the last verse. The Psalmist prays for a pattern of desire. Now, he is asking God to turn his path to God’s testimonies.

The second phrase helps us understand the prayer better, because the Psalmist connects a turning to God’s Word as a turning away from covetousness. There is always a remove the old and put on the new idea found in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament it was always forsake the false idols and worship the true God.

In the New Testament, particularly the epistles, we see steady encouragement to remove the ways of the flesh and to put on the ways of the Spirit. This desire involves a change in direction. I don’t know if many of you remember the cheap dollar store toys with the little marble and the goal is to get it from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’. Though the marble was enclosed in a small glass or plastic case, you could still move it by tilting the toy. That is the idea behind this prayer. God, tilt me toward Your testimonies and away from covetousness, away from sin.

V. Prayer for Priority in Values- vs. 37

I say this is a prayer for priority because, the Psalmist calls for God’s help in avoiding looking at worthless things. He wanted his priorities to change, to be kept according to God’s Word.

We all have things we genuinely enjoy, that we focus on. Perhaps it is a sports team, a hobby, a genre of literature. However, there are some pointless things we get involved in that are not directly related to sin but are, as the Scriptures state, worthless. They are vain – Read, Study and Pray through Ecclesiastes.

For what I believe are obvious reasons, I will not attempt to make assertions from this specifically, however, the Psalmist prayers are directed towards the proper assessment and evaluation of his priority in that which he highly values.

He wants to continuously make sure that his life is not focused on worthless, vain things. Christians today desperately need this prayer for priority. I look at my own priorities in life, the use of my time and I wonder at the grace of God!!!

VI. Prayer for a Foundation in God’s Word- vs. 38

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/119/38/t_conc_597038

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h6965/kjv/wlc/0-1/

The word used for ‘establish’ gives us the impression of completeness, of a foundation, something upon which structures or people can stand. It is solid, unwavering. We need to pray for a solid foundation in God’s Word. That is, God’s Word needs to shape how we think, how we speak, and how we live. That is all connected with the phrase “who is devoted to fearing you.” When you fear God you believe the right things, say the right things, and do the right things. It is a solid foundation from which the believer can live a God-glorifying life.

VII. Prayer for Sovereign Protection- vs. 39

The seventh prayer from the Psalmist concerns His concern about how his lifestyle will affect the testimony of God.

I love the way Theologian and Biblical Commentator Matthew Henry puts it when he writes, “David prays against reproach, as before, v. 22. David was conscious to himself that he had done that which might give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, which would blemish his own reputation and turn to the dishonour of his family; now he prays that God, would has all men’s hearts and tongues in his hands, would be pleased to prevent this…” [Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible Volume 3: Job to Song of Solomon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991), 567.]

As we read Scripture and seek to apply it to our lives, we know we will fail. We have already mentioned that. However, one prayer we can say together is that God would sovereign protect us. This is no different than the Lord’s Prayer when Christ prays, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-13)

VIII. Prayer for Revival- vs. 40

This verse is different than the rest. Up to this point, all the prayers are at the beginning of the verse. However, as we come to a close on this section, we find the prayer at the second half of the verse.

The psalmist is basing his prayer for revival on his love for God’s precepts. The word for long is only used twice in the Bible, and it gives the idea for an ever increasing love. I think one of the best ways to picture this is the love between a husband and wife. It grows throughout the years. Or the love between a child and parents. It increases as the child grows into maturity. And as the love increases, it intensifies.

Returning to Matthew Henry, he says “Tastes of the sweetness of God’s precepts will but set us a longing after a more intimate acquaintance with them.” That is, the more we long for an increased awareness, understanding of God’s truth, the sweeter and more desirable it will be (Psalm 34:8-10). Because the Psalmist has an ever-longing, maturing desire, he prays for revival, for life.

These eight prayers are excellent prayers to pray routinely, not only for our own private time with God, but also in our corporate time together.

That is, we can pray for our families, our neighbors and those in our church who, by the knowledge, understanding of the Holy Spirit, need these prayers.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHThtbztT4

The Spirit Knows! Our True Happiness Is in Understanding and Obedience!

I have heard the words over and over again, Happiness comes from Obedience! Yet, I also think and pray to myself Lord, so much of the Bible seems hard and way too confusing, and that has made me put it down and become discouraged.

My mind has a tendency to follow one too many rabbit trails and things that are moving me further and further away from the perfect heart of God.  My fervent desire is to submit my whole mind to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit and then I can hopefully stay closer to the practical application of God’s truth.

Now through my further efforts to stay true to God, I ask God to forgive me for that horribly bad decision. Holy Spirit, Come! Create in me a fresh desire for remaining true to Your Word, and grace for an understanding far beyond what I knew before. Jesus, teach me and guide me as I read and study. I know now that our true happiness is found in Your instructions, and I simply want to dive into a significantly deeper relationship with God from now on. For Jesus’ sake alone!

Psalm 119:33-40 Names of God Bible

33 Teach me, O Yahweh, how to live by your laws,
    and I will obey them to the end.
34 Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings.
    I will guard them with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the path of your commandments,
    because I am happy with them.
36 Direct my heart toward your written instructions
    rather than getting rich in underhanded ways.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
    Give me a new life in your ways.
38 Keep your promise to me
    so that I can fear you.
39 Take away insults, which I dread,
    because your regulations are good.
40 I long for your guiding principles.
    Give me a new life in your righteousness.

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

John Wesley traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years; preached 4,000 sermons; produced 400 books; he knew well ten languages.  At the age of eighty-three he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at eighty-six he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day.  He complained in his diary that there was an increasing desire to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. (Source unknown).

What drives us to such a length of devotion? Such a deep desire to be obedient?

Answer? Understanding born of the Holy Spirit! Knowledge born of the Holy Spirit! God’s leadership through His Word is the pathway to personal revival. God’s Word is not a document to be learned but a path to be followed. He does not promise His route to be the smoothest but the direct route to His blessings, to our true place of indescribable Shalom, our genuinely abundant happiness.

Reading and re-reading, study and more study, praying and fervent praying without ceasing, our thoughts ever more focused on God in Christ Jesus above, making sense of the ever our changing morality and politically defined ethics, to seek more and more of the desires of Lord alone in the way we should go. I have this constant battle within myself to try and comprehend “God’s desires.”

God’s desire is to capturing our minds (vv. 33-34).

God’s teaching ministry is essential for obedience. “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end” (v. 33)

God’s enlightening ministry is essential for our desiring greater obedience. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law…” (v. 34).

God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be channeling our hearts (vv. 35-37).

God directs our will. “Make me go in the path of thy commandments…” (v. 35a).

God, through our obedience, directs our emotions. “…for therein do I delight.” (v. 35b).

God, through our obedience, directs our heart. “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies.” (v. 36)

God, through our obedience, directs our eyes. “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity. (v. 37).

God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be directing our focus (v. 38-40).

God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through our obedience, focuses us to understand His Word. “Stablish thy word unto thy servant…” (v. 38a).

God, through our obedience to His Statutes, outlined through His Word, focuses us to not be fearful of men …“who is devoted to thy fear.” (v. 38b).

God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment and understanding, focuses us to turn from our sinful ways; “Turn away my reproach.” (v. 39).

God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment, and understanding, directs us, focuses and refocuses us to be obedient to His Word. “…I have longed after thy precepts.” (v. 40).

The ability to understand and minister from the Bible is something which God, through the Holy Spirit, gives to us. Awareness, Discernment, Understanding are spiritual gifts from God, not something we conjure from within ourselves.

As Christians we have the ultimate opportunity in life to have God, by the Holy Spirit to give us perfect counsel and direction. He has a perfect knowledge and an understanding of what is best. He has perfect knowledge of what works and what will have poor results. He is so far superior to everyone else combined that no one has anything, even some small discovery, for which they can teach God.

To receive these gifts of awareness, discernment and understanding we need to read, pray, recognize our position as Christ’s servant who needs understanding. In order to properly understand and draw insights from stories in the Bible, we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit working within us for God’s understanding.

We cannot arrive at the same understanding that God has through intellectual reasoning. God gives us understanding when we ask Him for it, but we can not get it on our own or buy it through a college education. Spiritual understanding requires the Holy Spirit not the intellect, in order to have it and to understand it. However, we have to first PRAY, to ask God to give us understanding and then study the Bible diligently to find the understanding that God has for us to know.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now engage the living, ever transformational word of God in a time of prayer, meditation;

God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

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