Scriptural Basis:
“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

“God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
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Application:
Kris Kristopherson’s song has always intrigued me; certainly its memorable tune and Kristopherson’s and Johnny Cash’s renditions among others; but it is the realistic, sorrowful story that especially intrigues me. You will have to refresh your own memory of its verses, but here is the chorus:

“On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned, ‘Cos there’s something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone. And there’s nothing short of dying, half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin’ city sidewalks; Sunday morning coming down.”

The unmistakable theme is the loneliness portrayed and felt as you listen to the song and perhaps are reminded of similar experiences in your own life. I dare say we have all experienced loneliness. From Adam in the garden to the present day, loneliness has haunted mankind. And its effect upon us is so profound that it produces a sense of hopelessness that devastates the soul. It certainly precipitates feelings and even, in time, acts of suicide, because the emotional pain is too great to bear.

But there is more to Kristopherson’s song as the loneliness is precipitated most by Sunday mornings and what they represent. Many would simply associate the emotion here with the hangover of a Saturday night bender; and Kristopherson does not deny that. But there are few if any critiques that see the peculiar meaning of Sunday morning other than that it is simply the day after Saturday night. The 3rd verse, however, speaks of stopping beside a Sunday school and listening to the song they were singing, and then in the distance hearing a lonely [church] bell ringing. This loneliness is not only associated with the internal guilt and emptiness which are vestiges of being stoned (or drunk), and of having no comfort from what one knows down deep is a life moving in the wrong direction; but it is a loneliness rising from the belief that there is really no one “out there” to whom to relate in the depths of the soul. There is no person, no family, no friend who is able to remove the loneliness resulting from a powerlessness to change, to lead you to any lasting fulfillment, to give you genuine satisfaction in your existence, nor to give hope in an unknown future. Death, especially, is a great dread.

I have been reading Peter Hitchens, The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith , May 2010. Peter’s brother is the famous atheist Christopher Hitchens, the author of God is Not Great among other books denying the existence of God. Peter’s book is worth the read if only for comparing the mind and heart of the two brothers. Christopher is very ill with cancer and his days may be short. He has family, friends, and colleagues, who will be relating to him in the time remaining. But none can encourage him about the future; none can give him hope, nor can he himself, for he has no hope of anything beyond his death. His belief is that death for him is the end; it is a state of nothingness. Everything for him stops abruptly; it is over. I can guarantee you that with such a perspective Christopher is lonely. What keeps him from considering the truth of his own brother’s pilgrimage, belief, and hope? Simply his pride! Hard as it is, he would rather cling to his life-long, self-built beliefs than face the inevitable Christ-less eternity. Christopher Hitchens has no scientific proof, which he claims as the foundation of his beliefs, for what comes after his last breath. In this his science and unbelieving scientist friends have no answers other than dissecting and burying the spiritless decaying flesh and bones that remain. Peter differs from his brother in that he is, in all honesty, neither lonely nor hopeless, but prays earnestly for his brother, even as he tries to still converse with him about the truth that is.

As I have watched the unbelieving die, I have sometimes thought of Kristopherson’s song. If you have no hope, if the words of the One who brings hope are scorned, then you might as well be “stoned” to mask the loneliness. But take note of this: there will be no availability of substances in eternity with which to get stoned.
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Encouragement:
“From the depth of nature’s blindness, from the hard’ning power of sin, from all malice and unkindness, from the pride that lurks within, by thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord.”

(2nd verse of James Cummins hymn, “Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory”, 1839)

Scriptural Basis:

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God…Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Revelation 19:11-16

Application:

Jesus once asked his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” and followed it up with “Who do you say that I am?” Still today this is THE question, demanding an answer from every living person. Where do we get our answer? We have heard Him described as quite different than the God of the Old Testament. He is all too frequently in public discourse described only as meek, mild, tolerant, loving toward all; the master of turning the other cheek. Whatever caricature is assumed, the truth is that the Christ of the Scriptures, the picture drawn from the entirety of the Bible, is not the person most often bandied about in public, in the media, in political conversation, whenever the speaker dares to consider it appropriate to bring up His name or some semblance of what they think He taught.  Any true student of the Bible will know it teaches clearly that Jesus was before His birth, He assisted His Father God in creating the world and the universe. He has been with the Father and the Spirit from all eternity. And the Christ of the gospels offers glimpses to the careful reader into the Christ of the Book of Revelation described in Chapters 1 and 19 as well as Old Testament appearances like the Warrior Commander who stood before Joshua with a sword in His hand prior to the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 3).  These descriptions run quite contrary to the popular misconceptions of the Jesus of the Bible.

Years ago in Scotland in response to some inadequate descriptions of Christ, I read this passage from Revelation 19 of Him to my professor and a few other post-graduate students in my seminar group. I perceived they were totally surprised as if they did not know these verses existed.  But make no bones about it, the Jesus of Revelation 1 and 19 is the same Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as Psalm 23 or Colossians 1! To get an accurate picture in your heart and mind, you must bring all of Scripture to bear on your thinking and faith, if you are going to truly know the One of whom you speak. Do not rest upon what you may hear in the public square, have been taught by false teachers, or upon your failure to read and study the whole Bible on your own.

Yes, Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, led as a lamb to the slaughter, silent before His accusers. He is also the One in Revelation with a voice like the sound of rushing waters in the midst of a description of which Spurgeon says it is impossible to make a graven image. I once had an artist friend try to draw the description of Revelation 1 and the result was…well, let’s say less than understandable. I believe this is what God intended from this revelation of the person of Christ, His Son. It is intended for our heart and mind to wrestle with the various elements depicted here to grasp as much as we can of the true character of our Savior in all of His glory and all of His work, including what is to come. The Jesus Christ of the whole Bible is able to meet the true needs of anyone who earnestly seeks Him as well as the demands of any crisis. But for those who have questions of what they suffered in this life and many other difficult questions desiring answers, the future holds every expectation of complete clarity once the prophecy of Revelation comes to pass. It was revealed to us through John for our hearts and minds that any disciple of the Lord might not be caught unaware when these things come to pass, and to give hope to the one who precedes this time in death that a day of reckoning and consummation is on its way.

Encouragement:

“Christ, of all my hopes the ground, Christ the spring of all my joy, Still in thee may I be found, Still for thee my powers employ.”

“Let thy love my heart inflame; Keep thy fear before my sight; Be thy praise my highest aim; Be thy smile my chief delight.”

(1^st and 2^nd verse of Ralph Wardlaw’s hymn, “Christ of all my Hopes the Ground”, 1817)

Scriptural Basis:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:31

Application:

Within the past week I have witnessed or become aware of terrible suffering in the lives of Christian men and women that would seem to call into question the truth of this verse from the hand of the “weeping prophet,” Jeremiah. And that is just this week; it does not take into account a life time of accumulating numerous life stories which do not appear to correlate with this promise, if indeed it is universal in its application to all believers. This is the favorite and/or life verse of many who claim the Bible as their authority in faith and in life. But once an encouragement to your faith in the past, when seemingly inexplicable suffering falls on you or on those you love, how do you reconcile this declaration of the Lord with those horribly painful and wrenching realities? In fact, the problem of reconciling promises such as this with the evident pain and suffering in the world is the primary stumbling block of those who doubt and will not believe because of it; or, those who having once professed faith have become angry with God in the midst of suffering and loss from which they or theirs were not protected.

Though this promise was declared to God’s people Israel at a specific time in their history, it is not inconsistent with numerous promises throughout the Bible for the people of God in all generations; like the promise in Hebrews 13: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Or, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Still, how do we reconcile such promises with suffering that is certainly not what we would rationally consider “prospering,” and which can hardly be construed as anything other than grievous “harm” to ourselves or those we love.  Fortunately, the Holy Spirit saw fit to include the story of the suffering of  Job in the Bible to aid our understanding of “what God is about” in these things that provoke the cry from deep within: WHY GOD, WHY? Still, Job saw his answer, a doubled restoration, and the renewal of prosperity in this life! Many others die with no real clarity of God’s purposes in the suffering that accompanied them to the grave.  Of course, it is those of us who remain who wonder why; not those who have passed over into eternity. Their eyes are now clear and they see as they have never seen before.

Our problems, questions, and consternation with God’s providence and plans arise primarily from myopic vision in two areas: (1) We fail to see beyond this world to what lies “over Jordan” and consequently view this world in that light (or rather, darkness); and (2) we fail to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to understand what God is about in our lives now. The London Times once asked various writers for essays on the topic “What’s Wrong with the World?” G.K. Chesterton’s contribution was perhaps the shortest essay in history.

       Dear Sirs:

             I am.

       Sincerely yours,
       G. K. Chesterton

Our questions and struggles with God’s providential turns and agonizing surprises in our lives and in the lives of those we love, needs to seek solution in examining our own shortsightedness, not questioning God’s faithfulness.  Such is actually our default vision: shortsightedness! We fall back into it at seemingly every bump in the road. We are so conformed to this world we interpret everything in it without the lenses of eternity. And furthermore, our vision is blurry looking at suffering and pain until we focus it the only way possible: fixing our eyes on Jesus. Suffering can neither be grasped nor overcome without intently studying the Savior. Apart from these two corrective measures to our shortsightedness, the promise in Jeremiah makes no sense. Properly understood, we can’t do without it.

Encouragement:

“Whate’er my God ordains is right: Here shall my stand be taken; Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken; My Father’s care is round me there; He holds me that I shall not fall: And so to Him I leave it all”

(4^th verse of Samuel Rodigast’s hymn, “Whate’er My God Ordains is Right”, 1675)

“These people come near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Isaiah 29:13

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Psalm 63:3

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34 

Application:

When we are preparing to give our cat, Coco, a can of wet cat food, she, knowing what is coming, begins meowing like crazy. My wife was saying to her, “Hold your horses! Be patient! It’s coming.” And not being able to interpret every meow, I said maybe she is saying, “Oh, thank you, thank, thank you! You take such good care of me.” One creative cartoonist said that when we talk to our pets, all they hear is “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!” Maybe, maybe not. In any case, since we cannot precisely interpret meows and barks we do not always know what our pets are saying back to us. And though we know a whole lot better the language of humans who speak our language, we do not always accurately interpret what they are really saying, especially if the intent of their heart is not known. We know this because the words that pass our own lips do not always conform to the intent in our heart.

The air of this world which we breathe is filled with a mega-abundance of words, yet the Bible clearly reveals to those willing to listen that God pays particular, in fact, detailed attention to the words that pass our lips, even those words formed in thought but not spoken.  And what is more we are told that our words will be judged. We may consider this a trivial measurement to use as a major source of judgment, but the truth is that our words, no matter how few or many, come from what is in our heart; and they reveal the  good or evil which is stored there. (Luke 6:45) King David was so profoundly moved by this that he earnestly prayed: “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3) Would that such a prayer be ours daily!

The philosophy and theology of language taught throughout the Bible in verses like Luke 6:45, teaches specifically that what we speak is simply an overflow from what fills our heart. Consequently, your words taken accumulatively are a picture of who you really are, and they become an accurate evaluation of your entire life. If this truth penetrated your mind, David’s prayer would certainly be yours unceasingly. And if such a prayer were sincere, you would become intent on the matter that fills your heart, knowing that its overflow is what you speak. For such matter to be concentrated on the greatest subject in the universe, the only subject that can fully satisfy, the only subject that will never disappoint, and the only subject  that will be eternally worthy of judgment, it must be God Himself. And you simply cannot attain this apart from personal, intimate time with Him. The nature of life itself in this fallen world is an all-out war to subvert that very thing. Time alone with God, developing a real conversation and an environment to listen to what He has to say to you necessitates a discipline that defies the world where we live. But this is exactly why David explains, “Because your love is better than life….” Without such an appreciation, it will never happen.

 This is the very discipline, at the pinnacle of His earthly ministry, the Lord purposed to convey to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal: “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41) This is the discipline of filling the heart, from which come your words, and your entire life is evaluated.

Encouragement:

“Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.”

(2^nd verse of William Longstaff’s hymn, “Take Time to Be Holy”, 1887)

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? Psalm  139:7 

Application:

The brother of Christopher Hitchens, the well-known atheist who has made fame and fortune in denigrating the God he claims does not exist, has written his own book titled The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith. At the age of 15 this younger brother, Peter, set fire to his Bible on the grounds of his Cambridge, England boarding school, and began as his brother a life of rebellion against the God who is there with all the concomitant positions accompanying those who attempt to excise God from their life and thought. The son of the anti-prayer-in-schools warrior, Madelyn Murray-O’Hair, defied his mother’s atheistic crusade, and came to faith himself. It is reported in recent years, with some controversy due to his age, that the famous author-scientist Antony Flew, long a champion of atheists, now admits that God exists. In a more spacious setting than this the examples could go on and on.

The inescapable subject of Francis Thompson’s (1859-1907) haunting lyric, The Hound of Heaven , is tireless in accomplishing His purposes in the lives of men and women upon whom He has set His heart. What has been called “the greatest ode in the English language” has captured the feelings and reality of David’s cry above; or the cry of the Eternal Father Himself in Hosea, “O Ephraim, how can I give you up!” Thompson encapsulates Paul’s experience in being transformed from enemy to ambassador in a relentless pursuit that reached fruition on a dusty road to Damascus. Perhaps there is something of the telling of the Hound of Heaven in your own conversion, and if not as much there, certainly in your continuing pilgrimage with the One who desires all of you. At times we are insensible to the relentless pursuit, until that something, whatever it is, gets our attention opening our eyes to what was there all along. For some it is the valley of the “big C” or some similar physical malady. Christopher Hitchens has just been diagnosed with esophageal C! Whether or not it will get his attention is yet to be seen. We can pray so. But whatever it is in your own life, if you have been unconscious of the pursuit and purpose of His love towards you, perhaps, just perhaps, it is well past time for you to acquaint yourself or reacquaint yourself, as the case may be, with the truths of The Hound of Heaven.

“I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
                Up vistaed hopes, I sped;  And shot , precipitated,
                Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears, 
                From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
                But with unhurrying chase, And unperturbed pace,
                Deliberate speed, majestic instancy;
                They beat—and a Voice beat
                More instant than the Feet—
                “All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”

This first verse only introduces what is true in us; why Paul writes “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13). For others the terrifying thought of Genesis 6, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever,” ought to chill the conscience of many a rebellious soul if they were not so dead-like insensible. Yet for those who, as Francis Thompson, recognize the pursuing footsteps in the ears of their spirit.
                Halts by me that footfall: Is my gloom, after all,
                Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
                “Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
                I am He Whom thou seekest!”

Encouragement:

“I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Savior true, No, I was found of Thee.”

(1^st verse of anonymous hymn, “I Sought the Lord”, 1904)

“I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”” (Psalm 116:11) 

“Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though everyone were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3-4) 

Application:

Forty-one years ago this month I left the comfortable shores of America to fight in the deadly jungles of Viet Nam as an Infantry Platoon Leader. Though given the startling facts about that war and man’s propensity to lie, I have to wonder if everyone will believe that I was actually there.  A good friend just sent me a compendium of facts on the war that never see the light of publication, acknowledgment in the media, or instruction in the school/college classroom.  Consider the fact that 2.7 million Americans actually served in the Viet Nam Theatre of war, though not nearly that many in actual combat operations; while in the latest census nearly 14 million Americans claimed they served in Viet Nam. 4 out of 5 are actually lying, including the Attorney General of Connecticut who is running for the U.S. Senate this year.

For those who claim they hold truth dear, how many have a general picture in their mind that is actually sheer propaganda foisted on the unwitting public up to the present day  by media, professors, Hollywood, and those who have an ax to grind while purposely disregarding the truth? Consider: 97% of Viet Nam veterans were honorably discharged. 91% say they are glad they served. 74% said they would serve again even knowing the outcome. Viet Nam vets have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age group. Their personal income exceeds the non-vet age group by 18%. There is absolutely no difference in drug usage between Viet Nam vets and non-Viet Nam veterans of the same age group. Viet Nam vets are less likely to be in prison—only one half of one percent of these vets has been jailed for crimes. 85% made successful transition to civilian life. Isolated atrocities by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage by anti-war critics and the media, while Communist atrocities which were common practice received no media coverage at all. The few American soldiers involved went to prison, while the Communists who did so received commendations for assassinating 38,725 men, women, and children and abducting 58,499 more civilians.

2/3rds of the American soldiers who served in Viet Nam volunteered compared with 2/3rds who served in World War II being drafted. The media have variously projected suicides among Viet Nam vets to be 50,000 to 100,000. Actual mortality studies by the CDC show that 9,000 is a more accurate estimate. A common belief is that a disproportionate number of African-Americans died in the war. The facts are that 86% of those who died in Viet Nam were Caucasian,  while 12% were African-Americans; proportionate to the African-American population in America at the time and slightly lower than the proportion in the Army at the end of the war. The war was not fought primarily by the poor and uneducated. The facts show that there was an elevated risk of dying by those from well-to-do areas.  Viet Nam veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or better. The average infantryman in the South Pacific in WWII saw 40 days of combat in 4 years, while the average infantryman in Viet Nam saw 240 days in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.  The list of researched, validated facts goes on and on. But what is the point of all of this? Just what the Scriptures teach us: man’s propensity to lie and his propensity to believe the lie.

All of us are not only susceptible, we are complicit. In this political season we observe lies being bandied around like ants at a picnic. Some we believe and some we don’t and precious little objective research and facts are sought before judgment. When we personally retell something we have seen or heard in everyday life we are too quick to embellish or detract as the case may be to fit our ego or to excite the attention of our audience. The prophet Ezekiel speaking for God by the Holy Spirit said: “Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.” (Ezekiel 13:22)

The disciple of the Lord Jesus must hold the truth dear and seek truth not only in what he says, but in what he hears and receives as truth. Lying and liars are assured of falling, having their mouths eventually stopped and ultimately receiving their just punishment according to the Word of the Lord. With King David may we recommit ourselves to the God of truth in the midst of an atmosphere of lies with his prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

Encouragement:

“Set up thy standard, Lord, that we who claim a heavenly birth, may march with theeto smite the lies that vex the groaning earth.”

“The, God of truth, for whom we long, thou who wilt hear our prayer, do thine own battle in our hearts, and slay the falsehood there.”

(2^nd and 4^th verse of Thomas Hughes hymn, “O God of Truth, “ 1859)

Scriptural Basis:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7 

Application:

On a cold January morning in 2007 in a Washington DC Metro Station a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. Within the same time approximately 2,000 people passed through the station. After about 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. Slowing his pace he stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried on. 4 minutes later a woman threw a dollar in the hat on the floor before him and continued to walk without stopping. At six minutes a young man leaned against a wall to listen, but looking at his watch started to walk again. At 10 minutes a three year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him hurriedly along. The boy stopped again looking back, but the mother persistently pushed hard as the child had no choice but to walk and look back until out of sight. The same thing happened with a number of children, but every parent without exception forced their child to move quickly on. For 45 minutes the musician played. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money amounting to $32, while continuing their hurried walk. Then the musician stopped playing, packed up his violin, and left as the silence took over. No one applauded or noticed. There was no recognition at all.

Unbeknown to the passers by the musician was one of the greatest musicians in the world: Joshua Bell. He played one of the most intricate and complex pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days earlier Joshua Bell had sold-out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 to sit and listen to him perform the same music. This true story account was arranged by the Washington Post as a social experiment about perception, taste, and people’s priorities. It attempted to answer the question whether people in a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, perceive, recognize, and appreciate beauty. The Post mused in their telling of their experiment; “If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made….How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?”

As I read this my own thoughts went immediately to the children who wanted to stop and to the parent who rushed them on their way to meet something in the parent’s schedule that was more important than beauty, children’s curiosity, or a valuable opportunity to teach a child something he or she may never forget; even when he or she is a parent with their own children. Most likely they will hurry their children along just as their parents did them, because that is exactly how children learn. They learn from parents as they walk with them along the road, as they sit, as they lie down, or get up; that is, parents teach as they live life! And each of us repeats what we learn from the daily walk of our parents; unless grace, repentance, and love for God penetrate the shield around our mind and heart, breaking the persistent generational cycle.

It is true that some true priorities restrict us from stopping for every such occasion to teach, to reflect, to listen, to see, to appreciate God’s creation and truth. The problem is that it is more often true that there is NEVER time. And before we know it the time for teaching and appreciating and reflecting and praising God with and in the presence of our children is passed and gone.  

God knows how children learn. It is unfortunate that parents do not listen to Him when the time is truly ripe.

Encouragement:

“Gracious Savior, gentle Shepherd, our little ones are dear to thee; gathered with thine arms and carried in thy bosom may they be sweetly, gently, safely tended, from all want and danger free.” 

“Let thy holy Word instruct them: fill their minds with heavenly light; let thy love and grace constrain them to approve whate’er is right, take thine easy yoke and wear it, and to prove thy burden light.”

(1^st and 3^rd verse of Jane Lesson’s hymn, “Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd”, 1842)

Scriptural Basis:

“If the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11 

Application:

Some of you are sweltering under the summer sun and heat. It has been a scorcher for many. The heat, longed for when the temperatures are bitterly cold, can at other times become oppressive; and just as blooms of flowers wilt and bend over under her burning rays, our bodies yearn for refreshment. I have watched such shriveling blooms straighten and open up before my eyes, standing tall to the sun as I applied water to their roots. No less than the fact that our mortal bodies wilt under very high temperatures, especially when mixed with sauna like humidity, our spirit flags under the heat of sin and estrangement from the only relief available to the human soul.

The picture of Romans 3:10-18 is a picture of parched earth in the human soul, not unknown to any of us. It is the picture of death and dying, like a scorched plant to which water never comes. Even the believer, who has experienced the regenerating, life-producing energy of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, knows something of the scorching droughts that afflict the believer in the course of his pilgrimage. In a totally different analogy such droughts have also been called “the dark night of the soul.” The history of the church rings out with the personal testimonies of saints who have borne the burden of a Valley (or valleys) of Baca (Psalm 84) in their life, or dark, agonizing nights of the soul(Psalm 6). In fact, I dare say, that I cannot think of one who has not.

Any reader and lover of God’s Word cannot escape the fact that the heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ will share in his sufferings in order to share in His glory! (Romans 8:17) Romans chapter 8 is like a cool drink of water in a scorching desert. It is even more than that; it is a life giving stream with no end to its source. No less than 18 times the Spirit of God is spoken of in Romans 8, and seldom before in the book of Romans. That is why the chapter is often titled “Life Through the Spirit.” The Spirit is the key when you do not know what to pray, when you do not even want to pray, when it is the last thing you want to do; yet still you are miserable and life is seemingly ebbing out of you as the sun continues to unmercifully beat down on your parched soul. This is the context of the soul’s “inward groaning.” (Romans 8:23)

If the days of too hot sun and heat can become a physical reminder of the spiritual desert of your soul, then as you pursue a cool drink of water, or a plunge in the pool, or the inside air-conditioning, you should be reminded that these physical “inconveniences” and “refreshments” are comparatively trivial; but the life-giving and reviving Spirit is paramount in your life now! “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Encouragement:

“Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Break me! Melt me! Mold me! Fill me! Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” (Daniel Iverson, 1926)

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7 

Application:

Modern heroes are those who sell magazines with their faces on covers, make millions in sports, sing or act their way into the hearts of swooning fans, become more popular after their infidelities, live the decadent life before a jealous world, and tell with panache bold lies received as truth. Traveling in Europe some years ago we found that the American President who repeatedly cheated on his wife was far more popular than the President who was faithful, and whose word meant something. Anti-heroes in the modern age are those who seek not popularity with the masses, but faithfulness to the One who made them and who is worthy of his creatures’ obedience.

The patriarch Joseph comes to mind as a penetrating example of a modern anti-hero because we come to know him as a teenager who was remarkable for his NOT following the crowd as teenagers are prone to do. Modern commentators, even evangelicals, call him a spoiled brat, as they misread the account of his early life in Genesis 37. Seemingly they would prefer that he dishonor his father and defend his scandalous brothers with their evil behavior (remember, snitches get stitches). It is apparent in the Biblical account that Jacob loved Joseph more than the rest of his sons because he displayed a maturity of character, a godliness, while still young in years (17) in contrast to his older brothers (in their 20s and 30s). It was not so much that Jacob loved Joseph more because he was born to him in his old age. If that were the case he would have loved Benjamin even more than Joseph, for Benjamin was truly the youngest son. But Jacob loved Joseph simply because he was mature beyond his years and he could trust him; a better reading of the text. Considering the outcome of Joseph’s life in Egypt, God prospered him because of his godly character, which was continually tested from the time he was a teenager.

Joseph brought his father a bad report of his brothers because it was an honest report. He would not lie or slight the truth to his father, even if such behavior would make him popular with his brothers.  Jacob, who was not the best of fathers, seen already in the character of these sons who preceded Joseph, put Joseph in a position where he had to choose to lie for popularity’s sake or honor his father, which he knew to be God’s command. Nor was it merely popularity with his father which Joseph sought, which is something quite different than honoring his father. We see this in Joseph’s report of his dreams, which he clearly believed to be a word from God. The dreams which Joseph faithfully declared, though he knew their substance would not be pleasing to even his parents, much less his brothers, were told not for popularity, nor in arrogance, but because they were the Word of God. As it is they came to pass just as God had revealed them to Joseph for the ultimate blessing of his family and the glory of God.

The character of Joseph is revealed not only in his own family life in Palestine, but immediately upon his entrance into Egypt, after his harrowing escape from death at the hands of his own brothers and being sold as a slave, when he enters the household of a senior administrator in the land of Egypt. He refuses sexual seduction not because he fears his master, or his master’s wife, but because he fears God above all. He will not be ruled by his appetites; but rather by his love for his supreme Master. Such character and fidelity to His Father God marked Joseph’s life in Egypt as it had in Palestine. His behavior flies in the face of modern heroes. If such is the nature of modern heroes as we so obviously witness in this generation, these “heroes” that most of this generation seek so brazenly to emulate, we need a whole lot more anti-heroes in the Joseph mold; because the Joseph mold is the Jesus mold; and the outcome of their way of life is not only far superior, it is the only life that leads to glory.

Encouragement:

“Faith of our fathers!   living still in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword; O how our hearts beat high with joy when-e’er we hear God’s glorious Word: Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to thee till death.”

(1^st verse of Frederick Faber’s hymn, “Faith of our Fathers”, 1849)

Scriptural Basis:

“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.”
Isaiah 1:15 

Application:

Surely at times it seems like God is deaf and cannot or will not hear my prayer; that He is blind and does not see my situation and come quickly to my rescue. There are those who have sought God in “foxhole” circumstances or in less dire need out of mere spiritual curiosity, and have soon abandoned their quest for lack of an “answer.” While yet others have pursued Him, for what seems like forever,  seeking a specific response to their need and have finally determined He just will not hear, or He is not there.  Whatever the Divine purpose for God’s inaccessibility at your moment in time, He has not been silent in telling His children why and when we are responsible for plugging His ears!

In Malachi 2 it is the condition of our marriage relationship that becomes the barrier to the throne of God. Even though we weep and wail, flooding our prayers with tears, God will not hear when we have broken faith with the partner of our marriage covenant. We have not guarded our spirit in the sacred relationship we have with our spouse in the presence of the One before whom we gave our vows. Our prayers are hindered when a husband is not considerate of his wife, respecting how God made her, and seeing her as a joint heir with him of the gracious gift of life(1 Peter 3:7). In Malachi 1 it is our unacceptable worship of God which in reality is so paltry that we give little more than the leftovers of ourselves, even though we call Him Lord. The words of our mouths do not portray the feelings and actions of our hearts.  The Lord hears the one who is humble in spirit, and contrite in heart, and who trembles at His word (Isaiah 66); who does not choose his own way and relish his abominations. He is deaf to those who will not answer the phone when He calls (66:4), and show no desire to listen to Him.

I have twin nine year old grandsons who in somewhat typical fashion for their age can shut out your voice even though you are standing right next to them when you speak. You have to get a hold of their face, turn it toward you, make eye contact, and then speak….”read my lips.” You know what I am talking about. This is just how we are before our Father God. We do not hear Him even though He is shouting in our ear. Our deafness to God plugs His ears to us (Proverbs 1:28). When we hang on to secret sin in our life and are unwilling to repent and let it go, He tells us He will not hear our prayers (Psalm 66:18). When we show no mercy or compassion to the needs of those around us, He tells us He will not hear us (Proverbs 21:13). Stubborn refusal to hear Him, results in His own deaf ear to you (Zechariah 7:13). The Bible is saturated with God’s patient and persistent instruction on how we choose to close or open His ears. But in reality it is not His deafness; it is ours! One day the courts of heaven will be flung open and some will with dread behold the tragedy of their skeptical attitude toward prayer; while others will stand amazed in wonder that the prayers they persistently brought to the mercy seat were never unheard, forgotten, or discarded; but recorded and treasured forever. As Jesus commanded, “Pray, and don’t give up!”

Encouragement:

“O may my hand forget her skill, My tongue be silent, cold, and still, This bounding heart forget to beat, If I forget the mercy seat!”

(6^th verse of Hugh Stowell’s hymn, “From Every Stormy Wind that Blows”, 1828)