Strengthen weak knees

 

 

Struggling with doubts is not an oddity among Christians. Everyone has seasons when faith gets wobbly - when fatigue, disappointment, sorrow, or sickness … become overwhelming and making it hard to ‘trust God.’  Christians describe such times in different ways but none more descriptive than that used by St. John of the Cross who called it the ‘dark night of the soul.’  He describes his confusion, his loss, his complete sense of helplessness, the paralysis of the will. Then, he reminds us that is that moment the Christian is totally dependent on grace, leaning hard on Jesus. I have lived through those seasons, endured the darkness. How about you?

The Word teaches me not to despise such moments. Instead we view them as part of our growth into maturity.  We are told to remember that  "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees." (Hebrews 12:11-12, NIV)  Simply said, we need to hold onto Jesus, to push through the pain, anticipating the growth that will come.

There are some practical choices we can make when we are engulfed by the darkness of doubt and/or confusion.  Faith, though a gift of God, does not just happen. It grows, when it is fed;  flourishes when given the opportunity  to take root in our heart and mind. Some of those choices are outlined here.

First, we ask for greater faith! 

Faith is a gift of God. The Holy Spirit works in us to draw us to God, to cause us to desire Him and to live in a way that pleases Him. We can pray, indeed we ought to pray, for other's to know this work of grace in their lives. A man who was in desperate need came to Jesus seeking healing for his tormented son. He realized that the most basic need he had was for greater faith and his prayer was direct - "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9.24) We must not pretend to own a greater faith than we do. Such hypocrisy blocks us from asking for the very thing we need most in time of need - the gift of faith.

Second, we inform our minds with godly truth!

The fertile soil of a strong, life changing faith, is the Scripture. In the pages of the Bible, God is revealed to us. When our minds are shaped around God, when we understand the world with a spiritual view, faith grows. The Psalmist said, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11, NLT) What does he mean? That he had taken time to integrate the truth of God's Word into his thought life so that his actions would be consistent with faith. Feed your mind with the promises of God’s reign, with the hope of His faithfulness, with the assurance of “His Kingdom come.”  We become what we think!

Third, we invite the Spirit to school us, to develop faith.

Here's a tough truth for many of us to accept. "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:3-4, NLT) In The Message, that passage reads - "You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:3-4, The Message) When life kicks you around, when people fail you, when the future looks dark, when to all appearances there is no way to turn for relief- let God use those situations to reveal His faithfulness, your True Hope, to you. 

The hardest choice in those kinds of days is to give in, not in apathy, but in release of control to Him.  We pray, not in resignation, but in faith – Lord, not my will, but Yours!  We also can be still, quietly waiting on God.  35 years ago when I lived through month after month of darkness, I chose to go into the church’s sanctuary and sit, hand and heart open, sometimes with tears streaming down my face, as I murmured, “Lord, I wait on You. You are my life!”  My natural inclination was to kick, scream, and blame everybody for my pain.  But, I waited and He showed Himself faithful.

If you choose to exercise faith, God will make a way.
It might not be the way you would choose,
but it will be the way that brings honor to Him.

Don't be alarmed if you find yourself in anguish when your faith is being formed. Even Jesus was pressed to the limit. When He faced the Cross, He prayed for release, but then released Himself to God's plans, not with resignation to fate, but with a faith surrender to His Father's will! There is no easy road in the life of faith. The natural man craves security, affirmation, and vindication of self! The spiritual man is secure in the Spirit, affirmed by God, and is willing to wait for Heaven's revelation.

It's a faith thing!

The word from the Word reminds us of the critical importance of real faith, not the fake noisy words of faith, but the deep trust in God that keeps us steady in the storms. "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. … So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. … All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth." (Hebrews 11:1,6,13, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Battle Belongs

When all I see is the battle
You see my victory
When all I see is a mountain
You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow
Your love surrounds me
There's nothing to fear now
For I am safe with You

So when I fight I'll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
O God the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I'll sing through the night
O God the battle belongs to You

And if You are for me
Who can be against me
For Jesus there's nothing
Impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes
You see the beauty
When all I see is a cross
God You see the empty tomb

(An) Almighty Fortress You go before us
Nothing can stand against
The power of our God
You shine in the shadows
You win every battle
Nothing can stand against
The power of our God

 

O God the battle belongs to You

 

Brian Johnson | Phil Wickham

© Phil Wickham Music (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

CCLI License # 810055

Who do you believe?

 

Our world teeters on the edge of chaos. Threats of war, an economy that is fragile, a divisive political scene, are but a few of the issues filling the news of the day. Even more significant, to me, is the fact of the rapid erosion of Christian faith. A whole generation questions the existence of a personal, knowable God.  In response to indoctrination of a naturalistic worldview our churches are lifeless, where we pray rote prayers, expect nothing of God, try to ‘fix’ our world by our own efforts at social renewal and psychological therapies.

One author writes insightfully – “Miracles are explained away as pre-scientific explanations of what God was “really doing.” The supernatural content is demythologized. Blind eyes weren’t literally opened. It meant they could now see the truth. The lame didn’t really walk. It’s a metaphor. It means that before, they were not living for God, but now they are able to walk with him. In terms of spiritual evil, there is either no such thing as the demonic, or it exists symbolically as socio-political systems.”  (Peter Bellini)  It is not just our institutions that are afflicted with this insipid faith. It infects me and you, wrecking our faith, making us weak, troubled, and often as hopeless as the world around us.

Do I sound like an old man complaining about the world as I long for the ‘good, old days?’ 

Have I taken on the spirit of an Old Testament prophet railing at a world that has forsaken the Lord? Perhaps there is some of that, but I can see the spiritual sickness of the age with faith in the Living God and yet have hope - because  “I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.” 2 Timothy 1:12 (NLT)

In Isaiah, there is a chapter that is a kind of interlude, words full of faith and hope, that break into the preacher’s call for repentance. His words turn our hearts and minds to God, reminding us that our salvation (and that of the world) does not come from our wisdom, from our resources, from our relevancy.  In the context of the desert climate of Israel, the preacher speaks of God’s works in terms of the blooms and fertility that come with refreshing rain. These words stir me, making want to sing with joyful anticipation of the best yet to come. It is a lengthier passage than I would normally use in CoffeeBreak. Please listen and invite the Spirit to give you ears to hear, to rain new life on us, on His Church, on our world.

"Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers.
Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel’s pastures and the plain of Sharon.

There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.
Say to those who are afraid, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing!

Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert.

The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-hearted people will never travel on it.
It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course, and there will be no other dangers.
Only the redeemed will follow it.

Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness." (Isaiah 35, NLT)

So, will you believe Him, dear friend?

Will you live in faith and hope, expectant of a living, loving God to bring life, to reverse the Curse through Christ, our Lord?

I do, I will, and until the day He calls me home, He will be my God!

Here is a word from another Old Testament preacher. Make it your prayer today.

"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy … yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to go on the heights." (Habakkuk 3:18-19, NIV)  Amen.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Let Your Glory Fall

Father of creation
Unfold Your sov'reign plan
Raise up a chosen generation
That will march through the land
All of creation is longing
For Your unveiling of pow'r
Would You release Your anointing
Oh God let this be the hour

Let Your glory fall in this room
Let it go forth from here to the nations
Let Your fragrance rest in this place
As we gather to seek Your face

Ruler of the nations
The world has yet to see
The full release of Your promise
The church in victory
Turn to us Lord and touch us
Make us strong in Your might
Overcome our weakness
That we could stand up and fight

Let Your kingdom come
(Let Your kingdom come)
Let Your will be done
(Let Your will be done)
Let us see on earth
(Let us see on earth)
The glory of Your Son

Let Your glory fall in this room

David Ruis

© 1992 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music)

CCLI License # 810055

A ‘Mystery!’

 

I’m a fan of a British detective show, Midsomer Murders.  In each episode the writers give several characters plausible motive for the crime to keep viewers guessing until the last few moments when the culprit is revealed. The murderer is usually a surprise character,  someone who is introduced to the plot early on, seemingly innocent. It’s fun to watch, at least for this old guy.  

I do not know if high school students read O. Henry short stories anymore, but I read them in American Literature class a long time ago. O. Henry loved a surprise ending, often wrapped in emotion. His best story is The Gift of the Magi. In that story a young wife, Della, sells her hair that her husband admires to buy Jim a watch chain for his prized watch.  Meanwhile he sells his watch to buy beautiful combs for Della's hair. At the end, both find their best treasure the love of the other.

In the 15^th chapter of 1 Corinthians, which is a lengthy defense of the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus and an encouragement to Christians to hope for eternal life, Paul drops a surprise into the text near the end of the chapter. He writes-  "Listen, I tell you a mystery: (a secret) We will not all sleep, (die) but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, NIV)  What? We all die, right?  What is he talking about?

He explains in another letter. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, NIV)

At the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, the Believers who are living will find themselves miraculously and instantaneously transformed into eternal beings! That generation will not die, but they will be changed in the moment. Our pastor spoke of Jesus’ return yesterday, encouraging us to live expectantly, even though it may seem that the coming of the Lord is never going to happen. Even the first generation of Christians grew discouraged of waiting, some concluding that it must have happened without their knowledge. They thought Jesus would keep His promise to return to establish His earthly Kingdom within a short time, but as the generation died off, some doubted the promise. Do you? Have you pushed that promise to the periphery of your mind, thinking it possible but highly unlikely?

Peter urges us to keep faith, to hold onto the mystery of His coming.  He reminds us that time on God’s calendar is much different than ours. "But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment." (2 Peter 3:8-10, NLT)  Jesus will return. The kingdom of righteousness will be established. Evil will be judged and done away with forever!  This is our GREAT hope, my friend.

I would love to be a part of that last generation, suddenly changed from a dying man to a creature of immortality, wouldn’t you? That’s God’s mystery, a secret that inspires us to live for Him. As we head into a new week, Easter 2023 behind us, lets commit to living for Christ Jesus, expectant of His coming, ready to be changed, to receive His commendation for faithfulness.

The word from the Word challenges me. Hear it with faith. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)   Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Days Of Elijah

Behold He comes
Riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call
So lift your voice
It's the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion's hill
Salvation comes

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord
And these are the days
Of Your servant Moses
Righteousness being restored
And though these are days
Of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice
In the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

Behold He comes
Riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call
So lift your voice
It's the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion's hill
Salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days
Of Your servant David
Rebuilding a temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in the world
And we are the labourers
In Your vineyard
Declaring the Word of the Lord

There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah (hey)

 

Robin Mark

© 1996 Song Solutions Daybreak (Admin. by Song Solutions www.songsolutions.org)

CCLI License # 810055