Getting our help from Egypt

How do you handle detours in life, situations that resist your efforts,  when life goes out of control?  Do you rail at others or God in anger?  Do you assume that you must have done something wrong, asking "What did I fail to anticipate?  Where did I make a wrong decision?  What should I have done?  Lord, how did this situation come 'round to me again?"    Did you notice the misplaced focus in all of those questions?  Such questions come from the assumption that we are a god.  There just one God in the universe and He is not you or me. (OK, call me “Captain Obvious”)

I know those moments of complaint and anger.  In those times my patient Father comes to me and whispers - 'what do you see?'  Where I am trying to be ‘in control’ I see struggle and stress.   The Holy Spirit, who is gentle but persistent, continues to press the question - "What do you see?"    His desire is that I will let faith change my perspective and when it does, I will say,  "Lord, I see an opportunity for You to show me again how faithful You are to those who walk humbly with You." 

That shift in perspective will drain anger and frustration and in their place will grow faith that brings enthusiasm and expectation to my life as I begin to anticipate what He will do.  Will I like His will?   Maybe not, but if I ask Him to show me the way and then let Him lead, I am able to obey His Word that says, 'give thanks in every situation.’  (Note – “in” not “for.”)

Ancient Judah faced a crisis.  The Assyrian empire to the north was swallowing up one nation after another, moving ever closer.  In Jerusalem, the king’s counselors urged him to turn to the Egyptians in the south and make an alliance.  Isaiah, God’s spokesman, counseled a different choice.  “Trust God, not Egypt!”  His words come to us full of wisdom still today.  

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins." … This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:  “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.    

You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’  But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help." (Isaiah 30:1, 15-18, NLT)

Is there something frustrating you today? Does a situation exist in your life that threatens your peace or security?

Present yourself to Him. 
Wait for His help. 
Listen intently, obediently, faithfully. 

And when He asks, ‘what do you see?’ use eyes of faith and then tell Him that you see yet another opportunity for His glory to shine through your weakness.

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I am weak but Thou art strong.

Jesus, keep me from all wrong.

I'll be satisfied just as long

As I walk let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,

“Grant it, Jesus” is my plea.

Daily walking close to Thee,

Oh, dear Lord, Let it be,

let it be.

Can He? Will He?

Jesus came to a chaotic scene. A boy was flailing about in the control of an evil spirit. His father was distressed and asking for help. The teachers of the law were arguing about the right response.  The disciples were confused and embarrassed because they could not help. When Jesus approached him, the man said, “If you can do anything, help us.” Jesus challenges the man to a larger faith.  “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:23, NLT)  After a prayer that set the boy free, the crowd dispersed. Jesus and the disciples left the scene and they asked, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” (Mark 9:28, NLT)  Jesus told them that that kind of evil was only defeated by power that came to those who live with a deep intimacy with God.

Every Christian who has ever prayed for something can learn something from this Gospel story.   We must learn to live with real faith. Jesus said, “Anything is possible if a person believes.” There is real confusion about what Jesus meant. Some have bought into a Disney-esque theology captured in the song from Pinocchio; “when you wish upon a star, makes no difference where you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.”  This kind of immature Christianity is built around prayer formulas and religious performance that is supposed to produce the desired ‘results.’  God and His power become tools in our hands to make us healthy and wealthy… and it’s a lie!

Jesus was not telling us that if we can muster up enough belief, if we can pray with enough conviction, we can make anything we want happen!  He was urging us to trust God completely.  We can limit God’s ability to act if we refuse to trust Him.  Like the father in Mark’s story, we may confuse God’s will and God’s ability!  God is able to do anything, for anyone, anywhere, at any time.  The key is knowing what He wills and believing Him to do it.

That’s why Jesus told the disciples their failure was about ‘prayer.’  It was not about how much they prayed, or the words they used. It was about the kind of prayer that brings us near to the heart of God, the prayer that is a way of life.  The big need of a boy possessed by an evil spirit overwhelmed them to the point that their connection with the Spirit was eclipsed.  They were so focused on trying harder, doing something, making it happen – that they actually limited God’s power to act.  I will not condemn them, for I, too, have often become so tangled up with the needs that confront me that I forget it’s not about me, but about Him.

Then, too, there is understanding our relationship with God.  “Our Father” is how Jesus taught us to address God.  He is a good Father, interested in us, loving us, wanting to provide good things. He is no less loving when He says, “No,” than when He says, “Yes,” to our requests.  Will we receive both replies with equal faith?  

Is there some chaos going on in your life?  How big is your God?  Instead of praying so hard for some desired result, start with prayer for connection, for deeper trust.  When a person is drowning, the first thing the rescuer must do is to convince the desperate one to relax and let him help.  God shows up in our desperation and asks us to rest in Him. Will we?  That kind of quiet confidence in His ability allows us to understand His will and to know supernatural provision for our need.

So, we borrow two prayers:  “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:4-5, NIV) and this one, "Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NIV)

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When life is good

Pastors constantly deal with people’s problems. Broken hearts, failed dreams, strained marriages, and bad news are stuff of my daily life. Those who come to me need more than a poem and a pat on the back!  They want to find a solid foundation of hope.  My desire is to help them dig down to the bedrock of faith.  There is an obvious difference between those who have built their lives around a daily engagement with the Living Lord and those for whom Jesus is a kind of spiritual ER doctor; there, but hopefully never really needed.  What kind of faith are you building, Christian?  One to live by or one only for emergencies?

Real faith goes far beyond emotion, bypasses sentiment; even reaches deeper than an inspiring story from some great Christian in history.  It rests on the revealed Truth of the Scripture, on the surety that Christ is the Hope- for the present and for eternity.   Those who believe this, despite their trials and uncertainties, are settled securely on the Rock of our salvation.  They can say, just like Paul did in his trial, "I know Whom I have believed and that He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him." (2 Timothy 1.12)

How much real faith does it require to sing, "God is Good, All the Time," when days are full of sunshine, when the horizons appear limitless? When we are healthy, when our job is secure, when our spouse loves us;  too often we pray quickly in the morning, “Thanks God for this good life. See you tonight!” and we rush off to pursue our agenda.  When we live under the delusion of perpetual youthful vitality, when we think nothing could ever shake our sense of security, there is a temptation to let 'worship' deteriorate into a habit full of rote words, empty prayers, and ritual. 'Bible study' devolves into a superficial search for the daily promise, or a short reading from "Daily Bread."  We hand off ministry that demands self-sacrifice to 'somebody with more time.'  

We keep just enough 'faith' in play to keep our conscience quiet; keeping our Heaven policy 'in force.' When the crisis comes – and believe me, a storm will blow over each one of us sooner or later – if we have neglected to maintain the foundations of faith, we risk collapse.  I love a prayer written in the Proverbs.  The words may seem odd until you ponder them at length.  Lord, "give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" (Proverbs 30:8-9, NLT) Jesus asks us to consider the same principle when He says, "what does a man profit if he gains the whole world and in the process loses his soul?" It's not our blessings that are the problem. It is the way we respond with a misplaced confidence in them!

If your life is blessed today, praise God. Don’t forget to 'lay up treasure' in Heaven.  Strengthen the foundations of faith. The steady practice of spiritual disciplines produces a harvest of righteousness that will feed us in the lean times of pain, suffering, and trial.

Worship faithfully.
Learn the Word and process the Truth into the very core of your soul’s values.
Don't let religious jargon replace the Truth that will keep you in times of trials.

Here's the word from the Word. "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ... how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him." (Hebrews 2:1-3, NIV)

So, "concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul."
(2 Timothy 2:15-17, The Message)

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My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand!- public domain

The Lion's Roar

A male lion puts his head up, opens his mouth, and a terrifying sound comes out – the lion’s roar. It’s a sound designed to intimidate, a declaration of territorial control. A lion on the prowl is actually more dangerous, stealthily creeping up on her prey.   

The Bible reminds Christians that we have an adversary who noisily works to intimidate us and who is on the prowl, looking for a way to attack.  "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:8-10, NIV)  

Take special note of what the Spirit says about meeting his approach. First, we need self-control. When the devil’s roar greets us, it is natural to tremble. The urge to run off in any direction will follow. I know the feeling of panic that follows an encounter with evil.  In that moment, the Word tells to take charge of our emotions.  Having taken control, we must bring ourselves to full alert.  We need to become aware of the situation, evaluating what is going on.  So many have fallen prey to the evil one because they allowed themselves to be apathetic, or to feel a false sense of security. “I could never fall for that temptation,” they say proudly, unaware of the places where the boundaries have been breached. 

Next, the Word says, “Resist him.”  The devil is a powerful foe, to be sure.  But, he is also a defeated foe.  Christ Jesus broke his hold over us.  In the graphic prose of the Revelation, we are told that "The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray." (Revelation 12:9, NIV)  Some Christians think that resisting him requires a shouting match with him.  Our resistance has nothing to do with our strength.  He is not intimidated by us, but by the One who stands alongside of us.  “Stand firm in the faith,” we are told.  We take a cue from Jesus when He encountered the Devil. He presented his foe with the Truth of Scripture; and so must we.

Peter does not promise us that the encounter will leave us untouched!  A round with the roaring lion may well bring some suffering. We are engaged in a war. A war brings injuries; but for those who are in Christ these are not fatal. Gordon MacDonald says that those who have been wounded soldiers learn about the importance of being part of an army, knowing the critical need for healing. “For them spiritual warfare is no longer a cliché; it’s a reality. And they need grace-driven stretcher-bearers, healers, and cheerleaders who believe not only in spiritual warfare but restoration and are committed to getting them back up to fight again.” Discipleship Journal: Issue 81. 1999

Ultimately, we have this assurance – Christ’s purpose will stand and we will win.  Here’s the Word. Meet the roaring lion with the Truth.
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:3-5, NIV)

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