When weak is strong

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 11-13; Psalm 4

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

Overshadowed as 2 Corinthians 12:10 is by grand verse 9, I've never before today noticed the list of things Paul takes pleasure in:

Infirmities [Astheneia. In English infirmity means the state or quality of being infirm: debility, weakness, a physical or mental defect or weakness.]

Reproaches [Hubris. "It means hurt, loss, injury arising from violence, damage caused by the elements, hardship, detriment, trouble, danger... In 2 Corinthians 12:10 hubris denotes insolence, impudence, a haughty attitude, insult, injury, outrage, persecution and affront. ... it is adversarial" - Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1540.]

Needs [Anagke - calamity, distress, straits. Several other translations render this hardships.]

Persecutions [Diogmos. The dictionary definition of persecute is to harass with cruel or oppressive treatment. To maltreat or oppress because of race, religion or beliefs, to annoy or harass persistently.]

Distresses [Stenochoria - narrowness of place, a narrow place (metaphorically). The Amplified translates this perplexities and distresses, the ESV calamities.]

Is there a negative condition we could encounter that we don't find here? And Paul says he "takes pleasure" in them because Christ comes through for him and in him via that weakness. The turnaround is not because of him but because of who indwells him: "My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness." That, for Paul, is a reason to welcome infirmities, reproaches, needs, distresses, persecutions and difficulties—so that he needs and depends on the power of Christ to flow through his needy self .

I ask myself, what item on Paul's list do I identify with today? What about you? Are we sick, beleaguered by the reproaches of nature or people, needy, persecuted, perplexed, distressed, in a tight spot?

Instead of viewing this as a negative thing, we can begin with Paul to thank God for our bad, challenging, overwhelming thing. We can invite Him into the circumstance or event for the first time, or again, with a more helpless, dependent attitude. Then we can watch Him turn our weakness into strength as He changes our attitude, gives us the ability and patience to cope while we wait for Him to bring about a change, or provides us a download of  wisdom to know how to improve or change things. 

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that Your grace (undeserved favour and blessing) is enough for any and every bad thing that could come my way. Help me to be like Paul—glad in negative circumstances, welcoming them as opportunities for Your abilities and resources to shine through my inability and disability. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 4

MORE: I Need Thee Every Hour - Fernando Ortega

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are there doubters in the house?

Image - Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 27-28; Psalm 94

TO CHEW ON: “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” Matthew 28:17

I often wish I’d been with Jesus and had seen Him with my own eyes. Then, I imagine, it would be easy to believe no matter what.

Or, maybe not. Here we have disciples who had been with Jesus for the better part of three years. Yet we read “some doubted.”

I wonder what they doubted. That the man who appeared to them as Jesus after the resurrection was actually Jesus? That He had really died and come back to life? That His time on earth had accomplished what He said?

These were not their first moments of doubt. Jesus had often addressed the doubts of those around Him.

• He talked about trusting God to meet needs of daily living - Matthew 6:30.

• Doubt caused Peter to sink under the waves after he started out walking on the water - Matthew 14:31.

• Doubt was at the root of their inability to understand Jesus’ teaching in metaphors and symbols - Matthew 16:8-12.

• Doubt made the disciples powerless to heal - Matthew 17:17.

• Doubt had the disciples panicking in a storm - Mark 4:40.

• Doubt kept the disciples from understanding Jesus’ explanation of how He had fulfilled prophecy - Luke 24:25.

• Doubt caused Martha to demur when Jesus told them to take away the stone from Lazarus’ grave - John 11:39.

• Doubt caused Thomas to ask for proof that Jesus was who He said He was - John 20:25.

Jesus’ reaction to the doubt in our passage was to ignore it. Instead of scolding the doubters or launching into an apologetic explanation of how He had fulfilled Scripture, He carried on by giving them their assignment, promising His presence every step of the way - Matthew 8:18-20.

Maybe that’s the antidote to our doubts too—to get busy, exercise some faith, and we’ll find that He does have authority, He continues to attract disciples. He is with us every day.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus it seems to be in my human DNA to doubt. Please help me step out in faith wherever You lead and so prove Your reality. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 94

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Your sin hurts more than just you

"Deliverance from the flood" - Psalm 69:15
Engraver Melchior Kussell
Artist SL
From the Pitts Theology Library.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles  22-24;  Psalm 69

TO CHEW ON: "Let not those who wait for You,
O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek you be confounded because of me,
O God of Israel." Psalm 69:6

What a desperate cry for help David makes in this psalm! In picturesque language he describes the feeling of drowning in trouble and being sucked into the mire of problems (Psalm 69:1-2; 14-15). His enemies seem numberless and his treatment unfair (Psalm 69:4). The message that comes through is, 'None of this is my fault!'

And then we come to verse 5:

"O God you know my foolishness / And my sins are not hidden from you." Maybe he isn't as blameless as he let on at the beginning.

I really appreciate his thoughts relating to the potential fallout of his actions in verse 6:

"Let not those who wait for You
O Lord of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek you be confounded because of me,
O God of Israel."

The sad truth is that we are often at least a little to blame for our own problems. And when we sin we hurt those who view us as examples and mentors—our children, young Christians, our friends and colleagues, those who look to us for instruction and inspiration etc. Our broken marriages, involvements in pornography, illegal money schemes, theft, child sexual abuse—whatever—especially if we are leaders, impact much more than just our own lives.

Let's keep that in mind before we yield to temptation. Let's let our love for the body of Christ be another reason not to sin in the first place.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to realize how my sin affects Your body (the church) and resist temptation. Help me, at the same time, to refrain from harsh judgment when my brothers and sisters sin. I want to be a restorer of the broken. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 69

MORE: Second most-quoted psalm
The NIV Study Bible's introduction to this psalm names it the second most-quoted psalm in the New Testament:

"The authors of the NT viewed this cry of a godly sufferer as foreshadowing the sufferings of Christ; no psalm except Psalm 22 is quoted more frequently in the NT" - NIV Study Bible, p. 855.

Those quotes:

• Psalm 69:4 - John 15:25

• Psalm 69:9 - John 2:17; Romans 15:3

• Psalm 69:21 - Matthew 27:34

• Psalm 69:25 - Acts 1:20

• Psalm 69:33 - Luke 4:18 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Suffering and lament

"Jeremiah"  by Julius Schnorr Von Karolsfeld

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Lamentations 1-2; Psalm 28

TO CHEW ON: "Judah has gone into captivity
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations;
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits." Lamentations 1:3

Lamentations is a book of laments. Four of its five poems are acrostics, perhaps the writer Jeremiah's poetic way of exploring his feelings of grief from Aleph to Tau (A to Z).

Jeremiah was mourning the fall of Jerusalem and with it the kingdom of Judah. Second Kings and Second Chronicles tell the story of her moral decline. Despite prophet warnings, the nation has continued downward, perhaps feeling too secure in God's promises of ultimate protection. Finally after a starving siege by the Babylonian army, Jerusalem fell, the city was destroyed, the temple burned, and all but her poorest  citizens marched into exile in Babylon. So Jeremiah weeps.

Some of Lamentation's themes help us understand and deal with our own griefs. (Themes are suggested by the "Introduction to Lamentations" in my Bible, by Roy Edmund Hayden, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, pp. 1037-1038):

1. Their suffering was the result of their sin (Lamentations 1:5, 8, 18, 20).
2. Their suffering was seen as coming from God rather than from men (Lamentations 1:13,15).
3. Their suffering could direct them to God.
4. Suffering, tears, and prayers belong together (Lamentations 1:12, 16, 20).

The reasons we suffer may be different from the reasons Jeremiah and the Israelites suffered. We live under a different covenant where even blatant sinners may not experience punishment for sins until after death (2 Peter 2:4-10). But often we are forced to live the consequences of past actions. And suffering is also allowed to discipline us (Hebrews 12:3-17).

In a personal application part of Lamentation's introduction, R. E. Hayden shares some helpful thoughts about suffering with us:

"We need to submit to what God is doing and attempt to learn from the experience. If it is God's discipline, it will last as long as is necessary. There is no quick-fix solution to some of these problems and no easy way out. Discipline will direct us to God, drive us to prayer, and bring us into submission. We need it" - R. E. Hayden, "Introduction to Lamentations," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1039 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, I hate suffering as much as Jeremiah did. When trouble comes, may it drive me to You. Help me then to learn all the lessons I need to learn. When I am not suffering, help me to be sensitive and comforting to those around me who are. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY:  Psalm 28

The Bible Project VIDEO: Lamentations (Read Scripture Series)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is trouble our fault?

Image: Pixabay.com

TODAY’S  SPECIAL: Jeremiah 14-17; Psalm 17

TO CHEW ON: “Thus says the LORD to this people;
‘They have loved to wander;
They have not restrained their feet.
Therefore the LORD does not accept them;
He will remember their iniquity now,
And punish their sins’ “ Jeremiah 14:10.

There is probably nothing that draws our attention toward or away from God like tragedy. Whether it’s the personal tragedy of sickness, death, or accident or mass disasters like flood, earthquake, fire, or war, when such things touch our lives we feel compelled to ask life's hard questions.

In Jeremiah 14 of our reading today Jeremiah describes horrendous drought conditions. There is no water anywhere. Man and beast alike languish (Jeremiah 14:1-6).

He links these physical conditions to the spiritual state of the land’s inhabitants - Jeremiah 14:10 (our focus verse).

As if that isn’t bad enough, God goes on to command Jeremiah not to pray for these people because even if they perform outward signs of repentance (fast, bring offerings) God knows that their repentance isn’t genuine (Jeremiah 14:11,12).

God is especially hard on the religious leaders—false prophets—who claim to speak for God but don’t (Jeremiah 14:13-15).

Back to us, we hesitate—maybe too much—to link difficult circumstances and tragedies to our spiritual condition. Maybe there’s a stronger connection than we acknowledge. For starters, we live in a fallen world where things devolve into chaos rather than evolve into order. Additionally, as citizens of nations that have, in effect, turned their backs on God, Christians are not immune from feeling the effects of God’s punishment on the countries in which we live.

Maybe the consequences resulting from spiritual hardness of sword, famine, and pestilence is one that should not surprise us, both personally and nationally (Leviticus 26:25,26).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to search my own heart and keep clear accounts with You in good times and in bad. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 17

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Love is not for sissies

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Song of Solomon Psalm 11

TO CHEW ON: “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Song of Solomon 2:16


Whether you interpret Song of Solomon as a spiritual allegory or a lyrical poem to heterosexual love, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a beautiful Bible book. Today I’m struck by the wisdom about love between a man and a woman found in our short reading:

• The lovers enjoy each others physical presence. The Shulamite is alert to her beloved. She thrills to the sound of his voice and the sight of him (Song of Solomon 2:8,9,14). In other places, the Beloved extols the physical beauties of his loved one (like Song of Solomon 1:10, 2:2, 4:1-7).

Though the couple here may sound like they’re at the beginning of their relationship, I’ve found this can be true even after 36 years of marriage. I can pick my husband’s voice out of the crowd, recognize his form from a distance, and find reassurance even in his snoring beside me at night.

• The couple enjoys spending time together—alone (Song of Solomon 2:10).

This is important, After the hectic years of child-rearing, when you may be hard pressed to find alone time together, come the empty nest years. God willing you’ll have lots of time for such togetherness. Hopefully it’s good.

• However, it doesn’t take much to disturb paradise. Just some “little foxes” - Song of Solomon 2:15 (like impatience, sharp answers, sarcasm, unkindness, unforgiveness, nagging, ingratitude…etc. etc.).

• They are secure in each other’s love - Song of Solomon 2:16.

I like how one of our church pastors and his wife flesh this out. Sometimes, even when they’re in the middle of a heated discussion (we won’t call it an argument or fight), his wife will say, “I’m committed to you,” reinforcing her commitment to her husband and the relationship even though they don’t always agree about everything.

• Sometimes love is tested. Such tests help the lovers see their relationship with fresh eyes and cling to each other with new appreciation - Song of Solomon 3:1,2.

If you or your spouse has been ill, had a near-death experience, been incommunicado on a long trip or some such, you’ll know how such an experience helps you see your loved one through new eyes and gain a new appreciation for what you have.  

• This love school is not for the immature. Don’t register for class until you’re ready for it - Song of Solomon 3:5.

Admittedly, this is my interpretation, but I think it’s advice that follows logically after the stresses and strains the lovers have just been through. Our Beloved and his Shulamite might tell a young man or woman, you could avoid all this by not falling in love in the first place. So hold off as long as you can, because once love has been awakened, it's a roller coaster ride. Love is not for sissies!

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for love and marriage. Help me to work at mine. I am reminded of the many times the Bible speaks of the church as Jesus’ bride. Help us, in our Christian marriages, to pursue the unity and beauty of this spiritual relationship. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 11

The Bible Project VIDEO: Song of Solomonhttps://youtu.be/4KC7xE4fgOw (Read Scripture series)




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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is God just when ...?

"Job and His Friends" - Ilya Repin (1844-1930)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 32-34; Psalm 143

TO CHEW ON: " 'Surely God will never do wickedly
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.' " Job 34:13

I must admit that after three chapters of Elihu I'm finding him a little hard to take. The writer of my Bible's study notes describes him: "He is not a friend seeking to comfort but he is a young, developing sage attempting to offer new insight while the others are waiting to hear from God" - Charles E. Blair, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 673.

Like apologists are sometimes wont to do, he leads from his head rather than his heart, throwing punches of pride (" 'Hear my word you wise men; / Give ear to me, you who have knowledge…' " - Job 34:2) and sarcasm (" ' What man is like Job, / Who drinks scorn like water, / Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity …. / For he has said, "It profits a man nothing / That he should delight in God" ' " - Job 34:7-9).

However, if we can get past our emotional resistance to this upstart and set ourselves to focus on his words rather than the spirit in which they're spoken, we realize that Elihu is speaking an important truth about God: He is just: " ' Surely God will never do wickedly
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice' " - Job 34:13.

The theme of God's justice runs through the Bible:

• Abraham appeals to it when bartering with the angel of the Lord to spare Sodom and Gomorah - Genesis 18:25.

• Moses defends it after 40+ years of working under His direction as the Israelites' leader - Deuteronomy 32:4.

• Numerous psalms praise God's justice - Psalm 17:2; 37:28; 101:1.

• Proverbs implies that God's own justice should characterize the business dealings of those who identify with Him - Proverbs 16:11.

• God speaks about His justice in the first person through the mouths of prophets like Isaiah (Isaiah 61:8), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:5), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14:23).

• Jesus, who existed from eternity with God, is unequivocal about it: "…'My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me' " - John 5:30.

All of the above notwithstanding, the decision to believe that God is just when He deals with us in ways we don't understand is still ours to make. Like Job was faced with it here, so we will be at some point. When the diagnosis is dire, the baby doesn't live, the accident leaves us in a wheelchair etc., will we still choose to believe that God is righteous in his justice?

PRAYER: Dear God, Paul was so right when he said "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV).  Help me to trust You in any and every life circumstance, even when I don't understand You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 143

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Prayer from the cave

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Job 29-31; Psalm 142

TO CHEW ON: “Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For you shall deal bountifully with me.” Psalm 142:7


It’s interesting to know the circumstances that sparked a piece of writing. Under Psalm 142’s title is a note that gives us a clue about this psalm: “A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.”

My Bible’s notes cite two instances this might have been: the Cave of Adullum (2 Samuel 22) or En Gedi (1 Samuel 24). In both cases he was on the run from King Saul, his father-in-law, former boss, and man to whom he had shown nothing but loyalty and respect. His physical life was in danger, the rift between them was deeply personal and hurtful, and he was forced to live in settings (like this cave) that were inconvenient, physically demanding, and challenging. Considering all that, we would not be surprised if he were angry, resentful, vengeful, full of self-pity, even shaking his fist at God.

But that was not his stance in this contemplation.

Instead he:
1] Consoled himself in God’s knowledge and awareness of him--God's omniscience:
“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path” - Psalm 142:3.

2] Begged God for His help:
“I cried out to You Lord;
Attend to my cry…
Deliver me from my persecutors…
Bring my soul out of prison…" - Psalm 142:5,6.

3]  Affirmed his faith in God’s goodness:
“For You shall deal bountifully with me” - Psalm 142:7.

Perhaps we could use Psalm 142 as a model next time we’re in a “cave”:
- Remind ourselves that God knows and sees us and everything about and around us (Psalm 139).
- Pour out our requests to God. Make a list, write a journal entry, enumerate these things on our prayer list…
- End with faith and affirmations of God’s goodness. Use David’s (“For you shall deal bountifully with me” - Psalm 142:7) or compile a list of your own.


PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You supervise my bad times as well as my good. Help me to develop a theology of suffering that is faith- and hope-filled. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 142

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

God is committed to our perfection

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Job 12-15; Psalm 138

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me.” Psalm 138:8

David drives a big stake of faith to anchor the tent of his life here when he declares: “God will perfect that which concerns me.”

The word perfect here is the Hebrew word gamar which has two meanings: 1] to come to an end, be no more, cease; and 2] to bring to an end, finish, accomplish, perfect, perform, fulfill. Twice (in the Old Testament) it takes that second meaning, referring to the completing, finishing and perfecting of God’s work in one’s life (Psalm 57:2 and Psalm 138:8)

The author of the word studies in my Bible explains:

“The idea is that God begins to work out His purposes in the life of His servant and continues His work until it is absolutely and completely done” - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 792.

At least two New Testament writers echo that promise.
Paul writes:

“Being confident of this very thing; that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” - Philippians 1:6.

Peter writes:

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” - 1 Peter 5:10.

I don’t like the idea of suffering, of having myself hammered into shape (Romans 8:29), of going through tests and exercises meant to strengthen and perfect me any more than the next person. But knowing that God is in these things, that He knows just the amount of stress, tension, stretching, discomfort, pain, inconvenience needed to “perfect that which concerns me” is a huge comfort to me—and I hope to you too.
 
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Your commitment to me. Help me to cooperate with you, learning and growing and becoming more like Jesus at every stage of this perfecting process. Amen.
 
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 138

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Calamities and spiritual warfare

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 4-7; Psalm 136

TO CHEW ON: "'Oh that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
That it would please God to crush me,
that He would loose His hand and cut me off!'" Job 6:8,9

Does Job sound depressed or what?

You will recall the beginning of the story, how in one day Job's life falls apart when calamity strikes from all directions. And then he gets sick (Job 1-2:10). His friends come to comfort him. Here he responds to the speech of his friend Eliphaz.

Job sounds like he feels betrayed, double-crossed, and attacked by the God he has been trying to please: "'For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me'" - Job 6:4.

He feels physically unable to bear the agony: "'Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze?'" - Job 6:12.

He begs to die: "'Oh that I would have my request … That it would please God to crush me, That He would loose HIs hand and cut me off.'" - Job 6:8,9.

Is there a reply to what Job has said that isn't shallow and trite? Job's friends certainly don't have it for they keep insisting Job is responsible for the horrible scenario. We, however, have information that Job and his friends didn't have about what was happening behind the scenes. Charles E. Blair, my Bible's commenter on Job says:

"Job's criticisms of God that appear in chapters 6 and 7 as well as in his other responses to his friends can best be understood as a man's feeble attempts to make sense of a scenario for which he is missing an essential piece of information, namely that there is something happening between God and Satan—that there are spiritual purposes overriding earthly circumstances. Because he is unaware of this dimension of the spiritual realm, his understanding is severely impaired" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 652.

Could unseen spiritual battles also be a part of the troubles, illnesses, calamities, and disasters that come to us? I believe they could. When we feel puzzled, let down, even betrayed by God, let's remember this aspect of Job's story. Let's pray over and into the activities in the spiritual realm, of which we're unaware, and let's keep despair and bitterness toward God from creeping into our hearts.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see troubles that come to me and those around me with insight into spiritual warfare. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 136

The Bible Project - VIDEO: Job (Wisdom Series)




 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Accuser

"Inter filios die affuit etiam Satan 
Job 2 6 1967 " by Salvidor Dali

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job1-3; Psalm 135

TO CHEW ON: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.'" Job 1:6-7

Here we get a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of cosmic persons—God and Satan—in conversation. God draws attention to Job and what a unique, upright man he is.

We recognize the sly, cynical tone in Satan's response. It's the same voice we heard in the Garden:
* Satan to Eve in Eden: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" - Genesis 3:1
* Satan to God about Job: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" - Job 1:9.

Who is this Satan? A Word Wealth article in my Bible explains him in terms of the meaning of his name:

[Satan - satan - means an Opponent or the Accuser; the hater, adversary, enemy; one who resists, obstructs and hinders whatever is good. Satan comes from the verb which means to 'be an opponent,' or 'to withstand.' - Dick Mills, "Word Wealth - Satan" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 648.]

Where did Satan come from? Wayne Grudem says of the origins of Satan and demons:

"When God created the world, he 'saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). This means that even the angelic world that God had created did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time. But by the time of Genesis 3, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin (Genesis 3:1-5). Therefore sometime between the events of Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world with many angels turning against God and becoming evil" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 412.

Though no human witnessed Satan's fall, God gave Bible authors insight into it: 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6, and Isaiah 14:12-15.

Satan, as the hater, is the polar opposite of God who is love (1 John 4:7,8). And we align ourselves with one or the other. John says that we prove we are either children of God or children of the devil by the way we live and love - 1 John 3:10-15.

When I read this beginning of Job passage, I often wonder, what would God say about me? Would He recognize me as one of His own, demonstrated by my family trait of love? And how would Satan reply?

Finally, my response to pressure and temptation can change if I realize I am in the fire of a test that God allows because of His confidence that I'll pass that test—as my Bible's commenter on Job explains:

 "God does not allow trials to see if we will fail; He allows trials to strengthen our faith. The trial is, in fact, a statement of God's faith in our faithfulness and integrity" - Charles E. Blair, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 648 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, when I am tested, help me to remember that there are bigger issues at play than my comfort and well-being. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 135

The Bible Project VIDEO: Job (Read Scripture Series)




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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unwelcome wages

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 65-66; Psalm 121

TO CHEW ON: "'Behold it is written before Me: I will not keep silent but repay -- even repay into their bosom -- your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,' says the Lord, 'who have burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed Me on the hills; Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.'" Isaiah 65:6-7
What is it about us humans that we so readily tend toward breaking rules? Wherever there is a posted speed limit, for example, you can guarantee that more people will be driving over than under it (at least where I live). When my husband was on the council of our townhouse strata, we became more aware than ever of owners parking in visitor spots (something our rules forbid)--an awareness that was uncomfortable because, as a council member, he had some responsibility to see that those rules were enforced.

Our penchant to break rules is not lessened when it comes to God's rules. Our reading today is God's response to Isaiah's sermon-prayer of Isaiah 63:7-64:12. God answers Isaiah's impassioned questions about why Israel is in the state she's in (Isaiah 64:10-12) by detailing what He sees.

There is worship in unauthorized places (Isaiah 65:3). The people are spending time in the company of and sating their hunger with things God calls an abomination (Isaiah 65:4). And they are proud of it (Isaiah 65:5). So, God says, they are getting their just wages (Isaiah 65:6-7, our focus verses for today).

There is a word for breaking God's rules. It is sin. The idea that sin has wages goes through scripture. These wages are not desirable:

- Sinning is called a futile thing, which will be rewarded with futility (Job 15:31).
- The wicked person will be condemned; he will be destroyed by evil (Psalm 34:21).
- Those who make a lifestyle of breaking God's rules are called fools and are "afflicted" (made ill)  by their sins (Psalm 107:17).
- Their "revenue" (income) is trouble (Proverbs 15:6).
- The sinner spends his life amassing wealth "that he may give to him who is good before God" (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
- Sinners bring evil upon themselves (Isaiah 3:9).
- Evil deeds are repaid in kind (Isaiah 59:18).
- Sinning leads to bitter consequences (Jeremiah 8:14).
- It also leads to a harvest of uselessness and irritation (Jeremiah 12:13).
- It results in calamity (evil, disaster, doom) (Jeremiah 44:23).
- Every transgression and disobedience receives a just reward (Hebrews 2:2).
- Its wages are death (Romans 6:23).

This uncomfortable list of sin's consequences makes one ask: what exactly is the attractiveness of sin again?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me remember, when tempted to sin, that there are consequences. And thank You for the gospel, which counteracts these wages with Your gift of forgiveness and life. Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 121


MORE: "Sin's Wages and God's Gift"
J. Gresham Machen (1991-1937) was a Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His excellent short essay "Sin's Wages and God's Gift" -- first published in God Transcendent (1949)-- begins:

Some time ago I heard a sermon on this text by a preacher who has now retired. The sermon was not one that I agreed with altogether, but the beginning of it, I thought, was interesting. The preacher said that during the preceding summer he had met in a chance sort of way, on one of the steamers of the Great Lakes, a gentleman who turned out to be a man of large affairs, but a man who had little to do with the church. Incidentally the conversation turned to religious matters, and the man of business gave to the preacher the benefit of a little criticism. The criticism was perhaps not unworthy of attention. "You preachers," the outsider said, "don't preach hell enough."

Read the whole thing and you will not only be impressed with the dreadfulness of sin's wages, but reminded of the wonderful good news of the second part of Romans 6:23: "...the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 

Don't face trouble alone

"For He satisfies the longing soul, / And fills the hungry soul with goodness" Ps. 107:9

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 20-22; Psalm 107

TO CHEW ON: "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses." Psalm 107:19

The first part of Psalm 107 talks about many kinds of trouble, described in the language of bondage.

• There is the bondage of being owned by the enemy (Psalm 107:2,3).

• There is the bondage of homelessness and not enough to eat and drink (Psalm 107:4-7).

• There is the bondage of terminal illness (physical—and spiritual? "… sat in darkness") that is caused by rebellion and insisting on one's own way (Psalm 107:10-14).

• There is the bondage of foolish, self-destructive behaviour (Psalm 107:17,18).

The writer uses a variety of words to describe this subjection: "…wandered … distresses … longing soul … hungry soul … sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons … chains … gates of bronze … bars of iron … gates of death … destructions…"

It's easy to recognize ourselves described here. Perhaps we see ourselves as we were before we came to Jesus, lost and wandering. Or we've experienced the humiliating bondage of an illness or accident (when I was convalescing from my broken hip in 2014, the feeling of being limited and bound by pain and weakness was very real). It doesn't even have to be a big thing or event that binds us. I'm intrigued by the words:

"He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions" - Psalm 107:20 (emphasis added).

Sometimes slavery comes from within ourselves—our appetites for food, entertainment, our physical, emotional and social longings.

When we feel bound by a physical condition or mentally, emotionally or spiritually, do we do what the psalmist says to do here—cry to God in our trouble (Psalm 107:6,13,19)?

How He answers in our specific case—by supplying food and drink, or healing from illness, or helping us break chains of habit and addiction—is up to Him and will be tailored to us and our situation. But we do need to take advantage of the recourse we have.

PRAYER: Dear Father, when I am in trouble, help me to remember whose I am, and to call out to You for help, intervention, and deliverance. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 107

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

When the enemy is nipping at your heels

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 14:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” - Exodus 14:14

“The LORD will fight for you and you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV

Even read from the easy chair of hindsight, the incident in today’s passage is riveting. Can you imagine living it? Yet I believe some of us are in the middle of similar things.

When we’re in the thick of our plot of trouble with the ending still uncertain (to us, not to God) it’s easy to panic. So today, let’s look at this story to see how God was at work here with a view to discovering how He might be at work in our story as well.

• God set things up

God directed Moses to lead the Israelites into a location from which there was no natural way to escape a rear pursuit. Then Moses told of Pharaoh’s change of mind and how he came after them. He interpreted it as God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 14:1-4).  It looks like a setup to me.

For us too, God’s ways involve a lot of little and big setups.

• The Israelites weren’t consulted

God told Moses what He was going to do. Whether Moses got this insight before the Egyptians appeared on the horizon, or when they were already within sight we don’t know. At any rate, he had a basis for relief. But the multitude of weary travelers didn’t have a clue what was up. Their emotions careened through fear, desperation, anger, blame, resignation over inevitable death (Exodus 14:9-12).

Even though God is in our circumstances doesn’t mean we won’t live through times of stress. We don't know what's going on and we don't like uncertainty.

• Moses told them to look at God, not circumstances

Moses encouraged the people with affirmations about God and His ability to accomplish things for them. He told them the Egyptians would not enter their lives again after this and that God would fight for them, and they didn’t have to do anything (Exodus 14:13,14).
  
We too need to focus our attention on God, not our troubles. If we truly had confidence in Him and took our hands off the situation, maybe it would be become less complicated as we got out of His way and allowed Him to work.

• There came a time to stop praying and start doing

Though the Israelites didn’t have to get involved in hand-to-hand combat with the Egyptians, there was something they needed to do. God spoke to Moses rather sharply, telling him it was time to stop praying and start moving this crowd across the sea (Exodus 14:15,16).

There is also a time for us to take the next step.

• God’s purposes were bigger than the incident

God told Moses His purpose behind this frightening encounter: “So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD…” - Exodus 14:17,18. 

When God works in our lives, He is also out to accomplish big-picture purposes that we may have no idea about.


Let’s continue walking with Him through our troubles in faithfulness and trust.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust You, especially when I’m in circumstances that threaten, frighten, and challenge me. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Storm—a faith adventure

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 14:22-36

TO CHEW ON: “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary.” Matthew 14:24

Here are some interesting details to note about this story:

• Jesus “made” (NKJV) or “directed” (AMP) His disciples to get into the boat and precede Him to the other side (Matthew 14:22).

• Jesus stayed behind to pray. It was during prayer He must have sensed the disciples were in trouble (Matthew 14:23).

• The disciples were no doubt stressed, anxious, and busy fighting the wind and waves. The boat might even have been out of control, seeing how it was  in the “middle of the sea,” “tossed,” and the “winds were contrary” (Matthew 14:24).

• However, it wasn’t until almost morning (the “fourth watch” is between 3 and 6 a.m.) that Jesus came to them (Matthew 14:25).

• When He came, He encouraged Peter to risk, rather than react with caution (Matthew 14:29).

This incident impresses several things on me.

1. Since Jesus “made” or “directed” the disciples into that boat and then let the trouble go on for a while before coming to them, perhaps we can conclude that facing that storm was His plan for them. And perhaps storms and trouble are also part of God’s plan for us—a preparation for our continuing earthly life or destiny in eternity?

2. Jesus sensed they were in trouble during His prayer time. Has it ever happened to you that as you are praying, a name, face, or memory of an old friend or acquaintance comes to mind? Could that be a supernatural nudge that they have a need and we should intercede for them?

3. When Peter kept His eyes on Jesus, he had faith that helped him do the impossible. Let’s take from that that when Jesus is with us in the storm, we too can step out and risk rather than pull back in caution. My Bible’s study notes express it well:

“He gives His followers the power to follow Him, even in adversity, and encourages adventurous discipleship” - J. Lyle Story, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1317.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that You know about my storms and that they are under Your control. Help me to view them as faith challenges and adventures. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A love-psalm to God

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 116:1-19

TO CHEW ON: “I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications” - Psalm 116:1

The writer of this psalm has just been through a terrifying and life-threatening experience - Psalm 116:3, 6, 8, 9.

He refers to some of the things he did (and that we typically do) during this time:

• Pray (make “supplication” = humble prayer, entreaty, petition); call on God , “implore” for deliverance - Psalm 116:1,2, 4.

• Invoke God’s name (which implies an acknowledgement of His ability, power, and reputation) - Psalm 116:4.

• Cry - Psalm 116:8.

• Believe - Psalm 116:10.

• Make vows (promises) to God of what we’ll do if we get better - Psalm 116:14,18.

Now recovered, he:

• Tells God he loves Him - Psalm 116:1. (I love how my Bible’s study notes elaborate on this: “‘I love he LORD’ is the exact response God’s heart desires as a result of God’s interventions in our lives” - Dick Iverson, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 777.)

• Declares that he will pray to God as long as he lives - Psalm 116:2.

• States that he will keep walking with God - Psalm 116:9.

• Gives thanks for salvation - Psalm 116:13, and recovery - Psalm 116:16.

• Promises to pay his vows, to keep those sickbed promises - Psalm 116:16.

Doesn’t Psalm 116 express well those feelings of relief and gratitude we also feel on getting better?  It would be a wonderful praying-the-Bible passage to express thanks for recovery from sickness or other life-threatening time.

It also has a beautiful reminder for us when God denies our prayers to get better:

“Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints” - Psalm 116:15.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for so often being Healer and Helper to me. Help me to respond with gratitude, praise, kept promises, and love. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The work of intercession

Image: Pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Joel 2:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Let the priests who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, 'Spare your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"'" Joel 2:17

The scene in Judah that Joel paints is hellish. Locusts advance like an army:
"With a noise like chariots
      Over mountaintops they leap,
      Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble,
      Like a strong people set in battle array" Joel 2:5.

The people are terrified:
"Before them the people writhe in pain;
      All faces are drained of color" - Joel 2:6.

The only appropriate response is repentance (Joel 2:12-13) and intercession.

When Joel said to the priests, "weep between the porch and the altar," he was referring to the space between the porch of the temple and the altar of burnt offering. This was right in front of the door of the Holy Place where God's presence lived. The priests were to mediate and intercede with God for the people there.

Intercession is the noun we get from the verb intercede, which means:
1. To plead or petition in behalf of another or others.
2. To come between parties in a dispute; mediate.

We can see that interceding is exactly what the priests were doing when they entered the temple, physically stationing themselves between God and the people, and there pleading for them.

Intercession has several parts to it.
    ▪    It involves identification, as we recognize another's hurt and distress.
    ▪    It often involves agony. I have heard intercessors describe how, during times of deep intercession, they are overcome with pain and the sense that they are actually participating in the situation for which they are praying; weeping is not uncommon.
    ▪    Intercession is also praying with authority, as the intercessor claims God's promises for the person or situation for which they are praying.


Look at these intercessors in action:

• Moses interceded for Israel: Exodus 32:11, Deuteronomy 9:25-29

• Moses prayed for his sister Miriam: Numbers 12:13

• Samuel prayed for Israel: 1 Samuel 7:5-6

• David interceded for the people who were suffering and dying for a sin he had committed - 1 Chronicles 21:16-17.

• Hezekiah prayed for those ill Passover celebrants who had failed to follow the prescribed way to prepare for the feast - 2 Chronicles 30:18-20.

• Jesus prayed for Peter before his denial fiasco (or it might have been much worse): Luke 22:31-32.

• Paul prayed for the Ephesians: Ephesians 1:15-21.

• Jesus is interceding for us right now:

“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword… Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” - Romans 8:34-37. (emphasis added).

E. M. Bounds, who wrote much about prayer says: “How enthroned, magnificent, and royal the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ at his Father’s right hand in heaven! The benefits of his intercession flow to us through our intercessions. Our intercession ought to catch by contagion, and by necessity the inspiration and largeness of Christ’s great work at his Father’s right hand. His business and his life are to pray. Our business and our lives ought to be to pray, and to pray without ceasing” - E. M. Bounds, The Complete Work of E. M. Bounds, Kindle Location 2529 (emphasis added).

For whom are you and I burdened to intercede? Who will we love and work for with intercession in our families, our churches, our cities, our countries, indeed in the world, today?

PRAYER: Dear God, impress on me again how urgent intercession is. Help me to be one of those "priests...who weep between the porch and the altar" for my world. Amen.

MORE: Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, traditionally a day of fasting and the first day of Lent in Western Christianity.

Here is the collect prayer that begins the day's liturgy:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cry to the Lord!

Locust  (Image from Pixabay)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joel 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
Into the house of the LORD your God,
And cry out to the LORD.” Joel 1:14


In the next days we’ll be reading the entire book of Joel. So a little background is in order.

Joel was a prophet to Judah. The introduction to the book in my study Bible dates his ministry during the reign of Joash when, under the high priest Jehoiada, the worship of God had been restored (2 Kings 11:1-21; 2 Chronicles 23:16).

The catalyst event to writing the prophecy was a locust plague so bad there was nothing left. Fig trees were ruined, offering grains cut off, wine (grapes) dried up, oil (olives) failed, vine, pomegranate, apple all withered - Joel 1:7-12.

Joel interpreted this as the judgment of God. He did not pick that idea out of the blue, for Moses had warned in one of his Deuteronomy sermons of just such a curse as a consequence of disobedience - Deuteronomy 28:15, 42.

And so Joel summoned the priests, elders, and people to radical repentance: “… lament, Wail… Come, lie all night in sackcloth, consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders…. And cry out to the LORD” - Joel 1:13,14.

Might we do something similar when the bottom falls out of life for us, personally, for our family, our city, our country? We probably won’t experience a literal locust plague but some modern events are just as devastating: fires (who can forget the horror of last summer’s  wildfire in Fort McMurray), hurricanes, earthquakes, ice storms, vehicle accidents, cancer diagnoses, the death of a loved one…

Or we may be grieved by the moral locust plague that is destroying our society’s foundations. It's an attack:

• On the family (new definitions of marriage, fluid sexual identity, pornography). 
• On life (abortion, legal euthanasia, homelessness). 
• On law and order (rampant rebellion, disorder, and violence under the guise of “free speech,” drug permissiveness and addiction, a lax judiciary which is often more lenient toward the perpetrator than the victim),
• On thought and speech (as political correctness which claims to understand the motivation behind actions and to silence speech that would challenge society’s changing mores).

I’m not saying that when tragedy strikes we’re necessarily to blame or that we should take that responsibility on ourselves. It may not be our fault.  But let’s let our understandable panic, desperation, confusion, lack of solutions, even despair draw us to God and prayer with the fervor of Joel in his summons to the locust victims of his day.

Charlie Hall’s song “Holy Visitation” (sung here by Rita Springer) is a modern invitation to such a passionate encounter with God over these things.




PRAYER: “O LORD, to You I cry out"...for my country and this generation.”Amen. (Joel 1:19)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"Faithful" affliction?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:75

TO CHEW ON: “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” Psalm 119:75

I was talking recently to a friend whose husband had a stroke seven or eight months ago. She said something like, God has seemed closer and more real through this time than ever before.

A few days before our conversation, her husband—who is now in a wheelchair and can no longer speak—had had an unexpected seizure. My friend said about that: I have unusual peace. I’m not running around agitated and fretting like I did right after the stroke because God has been faithful through this whole time and I know He’ll take us through this as well.

My friend and her situation come to mind this morning as I read the psalmist’s reaction to being “afflicted.”

[Afflicted - anah - means afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, bowed down.] That definition encompasses a lot. It could mean being humbled / oppressed / made to bow in a variety of ways from physical illness, to business failure, to social humiliation, and more.

The psalmist regarded his affliction as a positive thing in the three times he mentioned it:

1. It became a magnet that drew him back to God

“Before I was afflicted I went astray
But now I keep Your word” - Psalm 119:67.

2. It drove him to study God and His communication:

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted
That I may learn Your statutes” - Psalm 119:71.

3. His affliction was / is testing and strengthening his faith in God’s goodness:

“I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” - Psalm 119:75.  

[Faithfulness - emuwnah means firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness]

I understand this as God allowing these afflictions to come the psalmist's way, our way with intention—good intention.

[Fidelity means loyalty, strict observance of promises, adherence to detail.
Steadfast means fixed in direction, firm in purpose, unwavering.]

I know my first reaction to affliction of any kind is to pray: “Help! Get me out of this!” But maybe that’s not always the best prayer. Maybe a better one would be:

PRAYER: Dear Father God, please use this affliction to crowd me to You, to help me learn about You and Your ways, and to prove Your faithfulness to me and others. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Trial template

"David Lifting Up His Soul to God"
by Franco dei Russi - The Getty Trust

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 40:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God." - Psalm 40:17


The editors of my Bible have helpfully summed up this psalm with the title "Faith Persevering In Trial." So we know that trial will be one of its subjects. In it the writer (David) talks about two aspects of trial:

I - He shows us what a trial looks and feels like. According to David a trial feels:

• Like it's going on too long. "I waited patiently … make haste to help me … Do not delay" He says (Psalm 40:1, 13, 17).

• Disorienting, dangerous, life-threatening. David calls it a "horrible pit" and "miry clay" (Psalm 40:2). He's in the dark. I imagine him feeling helpless and terrified as quicksand sucks him downward. He fears for his life (Psalm 40:14).

• Evil. He senses evil all around him and searches his own heart; maybe the evil within him is to blame for this trouble (Psalm 40:12).

II - He shows us how to bring God into our trial.

• He cries out to God until he gets a sense that God is with him. He uses the image of God setting his feet on a rock (out of that miry clay - Psalm 40:2).

• He praises and sings (Psalm 40:3-4).

• He focuses on God's creativity and "wonderful works" (Psalm 40:5).

• He re-commits himself to God (Psalm 40:6-8).

• He testifies in church (the "great assembly" - Psalm 40:9-10).

• After again giving in to feelings of despair, desperation, and panic (Psalm 40:11-15) he refocuses on God. He makes God big: "The Lord be magnified," even though in the last verse plummets us down to earth and trouble's reality again: "But I am poor and needy … Do not delay, O my God" (Psalm 40:16-17).

Though some of what David says in this psalm makes it seem like his trial has already passed, sprinkled throughout are reminders that he's still in the middle of it (Psalm 40:1, 13, 17). I would suggest that the things David does to bring God into the middle of his trial are things we can do too. We don't have to wait for trials to pass to sense God's presence, to praise Him, to testify to others and, if we find our thoughts again slipping into fear, to pull our focus back to God, who will also be our "help" and "deliverer."

May this psalm be our template as we go through trials of our own.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for David's honesty as he describes what he's going through. What a wonderful example hs is of someone changing his focus from trouble to God. Help me to do that with big and little things that come against me. Amen. 

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Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) Used by permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.