An Open Ear

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Pete

Probably not surprising that, once again, I’m sitting here this morning trying to process the story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 and how they crashed and burned . . . literally. Every year when I come upon this passage as part of my reading plan it kind of overshadows my other readings.

And I think it’s partly the unexpectedness of their behavior. Aaron’s boys have just been anointed, have just offered their first set of offerings. The glory of God has just come down and fire from God has just consumed the offerings on the altar. And now’s the time they decide to mess around with strange fire?

And I think it’s partly the severity of God’s judgment. They’re new to the job, just rookies. Was it really that big of deal if they decided to experiment and improvise a bit? Evidently.

But something I read in Psalm 40 this morning, something that would one day be attributed to Another engaged in priestly duties (Heb. 10:5-7), might shed a bit of light as to the driver behind God’s fiery reaction to the sons foolish fiery offering.

Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but You have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

(Psalm 40:6-8 ESV)

It jumped off the page as I read Psalm 40 . . . God has not desired sacrifice and offering, He has not required burnt offering and sin offering. Really? I’m reading Leviticus and the word from God through Moses is pretty clear and pretty specific about the sacrifices and offerings. But the songwriter’s Spirit-led commentary points to the fact that, in a sense, it’s less about the offerings and more about the offerer. Though God’s requirement is laid out in pain-staking detail, the detail means nothing if it isn’t followed, if it isn’t obeyed. And, it seems to me, the “secret sauce” to obedience is faith. Believing that what God says is true and that what God commands is good.

It’s not that Aaron’s sons were simply adventuresome, or impetuous, or even innovative. After everything God had laid out through Moses concerning the manner of worship, they tried something else because they didn’t believe what God had said. After all that God had revealed concerning the manner and means of drawing near to the holy place, they tried something else because of unbelief, because they thought they could go it alone.

Or as the psalmist put it, they didn’t have an “open ear” that allowed God’s word to find residence “within their hearts.”

That’s the issue, I’m thinking. They didn’t have ears to hear and so they waltzed into the presence of God with their strange, or unauthorized, fire.

God’s holiness demands that those who come into His presence do so in righteousness. And no amount of slicing and dicing and shedding of blood and burning of incense is going to manufacture righteousness. Righteousness before a holy God has always been a result of faith. Abraham believed the LORD and it was counted to him–credited to Abraham’s account–as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). It’s not about the sacrifices and offerings, it’s about a desire to do God’s will because you believe in God’s word.

It was less about the strange fire in their hands than it was about the unbelief in their hearts. Having received the word of God, Aaron’s boys rejected the word of God and instead believed that their own creative works should be enough to merit God’s favor. And they were wrong. Dead wrong.

What they needed was an open ear (“and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” – Eph. 2:8 NKJV). But it was rejected because of a hard heart. What they needed was the righteousness of Another that comes by faith, but it was declined as they instead relied upon their own wisdom and works. What they needed to do was obey God’s word, but they didn’t because they didn’t believe God’s word.

While theirs was certainly a fool’s errand that cost them dearly, at the heart of the matter was the heart of the matter–they didn’t believe. And without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17).

Give me an open ear, O LORD, that Your Law might find its dwelling in my heart. Then will obedience come. Then will strange fire be rejected. Then will we know what it is to boldly approach Your throne of grace and abide in Your Holy-of-holies presence.

All by Your grace. All for Your glory.

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Not Alone

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Pete

The dirge continues. Don’t know for sure if there’s a connection between yesterday’s Psalm 38 and this morning’s Psalm 39, but I’m thinking there could be. Whatever the cloud of dire circumstance and inner turmoil brought on by the songwriter’s transgression in yesterday’s reading, it seems to also be hanging over the lyrics of today’s song. Yesterday I was impressed at how David’s song conveyed a dynamic of praying our heads above water. This morning what grabbed me is that on this journey, though difficult sometimes, we’re not alone.

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with You, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!

(Psalm 39:12 ESV)

As in Psalm 38, the pressure of his enemies about him, and the weight of the knowledge of his transgression within him, has the songwriter clearly in a desperate situation. And the psalmist knows they’re connected. His failure to get an upper hand with that which battles against him is directly related to the divine hand of discipline upon him. And so he prays, “Deliver me from all my transgressions” (39:8).

What’s more, his entire circumstance reminds him of life’s fleeting nature. He’s reminded that God has made his days but “a few handbreadths.” That any wealth a man heaps up here is without any benefit to him once the “mere breath” of his life has passed. He feels the futility and shortness of life as He asks the Creator to impress upon him afresh “the measure of my days” (39:4-6).

Yet the songwriter’s feelings of futility do not result in hopelessness.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.    (Psalm 39:7 ESV)

There’s the lifeline! My hope is in You. Though under God’s hand of discipline, though knowing the reality of divine rebuke for his sin (39:10-11), he also knows that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). God’s chastening in his life is another reminder that God is present in his life. That God has accepted him as a son, a son whom He will shape into the image of His own Son and will one day receive to Himself. Even in the hard times he hears a whisper of love that he is on a journey and that he’s not traveling alone.

For I am a sojourner with You, a guest, like all my fathers.

Life might be but a breath, but it’s not a breath that’s taken alone. The paths of our feet might take turns we never saw coming, but we’re not left to ourselves to navigate them. We might just be passing through, but we’re passing through with our hand in His. We’re not alone.

And while the treasures of this world will fade and eventually be left behind, we can, while on pilgrimage, lay up for ourselves “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” And where our treasure is, “there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:20-21).

Hearts set on things above. Guests in this world below. And even the hard times a reminder that we do not sojourn alone but with the God of our deliverance.

What amazing grace, that the LORD of all creation would journey with us.

To Him be all glory.

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Praying Our Heads Above Water

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Pete

If there was ever a song written in the minor key it would have to be Psalm 38. Not much to cheer the soul here. What’s entitled as a song for “the memorial offering” recants the nearly crushed soul of someone who feels the heavy hand of discipline of their God. Between the internal burden of knowing his sin and the external persecution he is experiencing at the hands of his enemies, it’s no wonder there is a sense that the psalmist feels near to drowning in his circumstance and situation. But what’s grabbed me this morning is the manner in which he prays his head about water.

O LORD, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath! . . . O Lord, all my longing is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You. . . .Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

(Psalm 38:1, 9, 21-22 ESV)

Whatever the situation about him, it was bad. His enemies were ready to pounce (v.12). His foes were aggressive, they hated him, and would not have hesitated to take advantage of his weakened condition (v.19-20). But, in a sense, that is the lesser of the songwriter’s worries because it’s what’s going on inside his body and soul that poses his greatest threat. Whatever the sin committed, whatever the psalmist is thinking of as he confesses and repents of his iniquity, it is that for which he is suffering–both physically and emotionally–the most. He’s getting hammered from all sides, inside and out.

Try and sing his song and you can’t help but come way thinking this guy’s a mess. He is overwhelmed. He is sinking. And what do you do when you’re about to go under for the third time? Grab for a lifeline. Biblical translation? Pray! Cry out to the LORD!

And cry out to the Lord he does. And each time he does the burden seems to be somewhat eased and lifted. Each time he averts his eyes from the darkness within and the pressure without to the God who reigns above, rays of hope seem to break through the darkness of lament. From “not in Your anger, Lord” to “I’m laying it all before you, Lord” to “Hurry and help me, Lord”, David, despite his sorrow for his sin and his suffering of its consequences, turns his face to rescue . . . and refuge . . . and redemption . . . and reconciliation.

He starts by seeking God’s mercy, “not in Your anger.” He concludes by anticipating God’s grace, “Make haste to help me.” He prays his head above water.

Despite his transgression and failure, He never doubted His Father’s love. Even at his loneliest, He ever expected His Father’s abiding presence. Even when the words seemed to hit the ceiling, he believed that heaven heard. He wouldn’t hold back. He would lay it all on the table knowing that nothing was hidden from his God. Despite having brought at least some of his situation upon himself, he would still make his requests known to God and, it seems, that the peace of God which passes all understanding began to guard his heart and mind (Php. 4:6-7).

There might be an inclination to avoid approaching His throne of grace when we know the calamity is of our own making. We might just keep it to ourselves when we know we’ve transgressed. We could be prone to just trying to gut it out when we know we’re reaping what we’ve sowed. But if this minor key psalm hints at anything, it’s that we need to confess our sin and go to our Father. That we need to trust in the Son’s finished work on the cross. That we need to believe in the interceding help of the Spirit who lives within. And we need to pray our heads above water.

All because of unfailing grace. All for His unfading glory.

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A Good Problem To Have

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Pete

I’m going to say that, 9.5 times out of 10, when someone hears “Exodus” and “the people going to Moses” together, they’re thinking, “whining again!” That’s kind of the modus operandi we expect from this group of wilderness wanderers. Sure they’ve been delivered from Egypt, but they aren’t home yet. And the journey is proving a little harder than they like. And so, most often, when we read of a group of people from one of the twelve tribes going to Moses, it’s usually to lodge some sort of complaint. But not in this morning’s reading. In fact, what Moses had to deal with was a good problem to have.

And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing.

(Exodus 36:3-6 ESV)

“Enough already,” the craftsmen said. “No more,” they complained. “Moses, make them stop,” they begged, “the people are giving too much for the work of the LORD.”

Okay . . . who wouldn’t want to have that sort of problem to deal with?

God had given Moses instruction concerning the construction and assembly of the tabernacle. The LORD had also raised up specially gifted craftsmen and filled them with an extra measure of the Holy Spirit so that they could build the soon to be dwelling place for God’s glory. All that was needed were the building materials. Gold, silver, bronze . . . lots of it. In addition, blue, purple, and scarlet yarns. Fine twined linens. Goats hair, tanned rams skins, and goatskins. Acacia wood. Also needed, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and fragrant incense, and precious stones for the high priest’s ephod and breastpiece.

So the ask went out, “Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution” (Ex. 35:5). And the people responded, big time!!!

And I’m reading this and thinking, wouldn’t it be wonderful if more gatherings of God’s people had this kind of problem?  Where more treasure is being given to the LORD’s work than needed?  Where more talents are made available than can be deployed in service to others–whether inside or outside of the church? Where more time is being set aside for the kingdom than a local body of believers knows what to do with? Wouldn’t that would be a good problem to have?  Pretty sure!

But it’s not just about demanding more or expecting more.  Not about raising the bar and putting more pressure on the ask.

Rather, what struck me is that they gave so much because they gave as their hearts stirred them to give (35:21, 26, 29, 36:2). And, though it doesn’t say it explicitly, I’m thinking the One doing the stirring is the LORD. That even the desire to give is given. The freewill towards generosity is but a response to the free moving of the Spirit among them. The propensity to generosity, but an evidence of God’s abundant grace. Even the treasure they had to give, itself, was but divine provision from the exodus.

David, another who, centuries later, longed also for the glory of God to dwell among His people, would put it this way:

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You. . . . O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand and is all Your own.

(1Chronicles 29:14, 16 ESV)

Would that God’s people had the problem of giving so freely because the Spirit among them was working so fully.

All because of amazing grace. All for His eternal glory.

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God’s Glory Trailer

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Pete

I’m not really much of a movie buff. You won’t find me going to a theater very often. But one thing I think I have noticed is that movie trailers seem to have become bigger and bigger deals of late. That, for some at least, the debut of an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film comes with almost as much expectation as the movie itself. I think it’s because people are interested to see what can be gleaned about the movie from a two minute preview. So I’m guessing that a lot of thought goes into what’s put into a movie trailer. It’s intended to reveal enough that you can’t resist the rest.

Kind of made that connection with something I read in Exodus this morning. Let me call it God’s glory trailer.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” 

(Exodus 33:18-19 ESV)

One of the most inspiring conversations in Scripture is found in Exodus 33:12-23.

Moses: God, show me Your ways so that I can know You and find favor in Your sight.

God: My presence will go with you.

Moses: If Your presence will not go with me, let’s not even start the journey.

God: I’m going with you, you have found favor in My sight.

Moses: Okay then, now show me Your glory!

Taste and see the LORD is good and you just want more. Sip on His promises, you want to drink at the well of His presence. Drink at the well of His presence and you want to hook up to the fire hose of His glory. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6).

And Moses’ hunger for the glory of God would be satisfied. Though he could not look upon God’s face and live (33:2), God devised a plan involving a rock that would allow Moses to know the glory of God. God would make His goodness pass before Moses. God’s glory would be found in God’s name–His nature, His essence. That’s going to happen in Exodus 34.

But God gives Moses a preview of what’s to come in Exodus 33. A hint of that which intrinsically reveals God’s glory. A pre-reveal insight as to what defines God’s magnificence. “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” The LORD’s mercy and His grace . . . that’s God’s glory trailer.

Mercy: not receiving that which I did deserve. The wages of my sin paid by Another. The wrath I deserved for my rebellion poured out upon a spotless Lamb. The death that should have been mine suffered by a once-for-all Substitute.

Grace: receiving that which I did not deserve. Once a sinner, now declared a saint. Once an enemy of God, now adopted and given full rights of inheritance as a child of God. Once stained by iniquity, now having the righteousness of God Himself credited to my account through His Son. Once deserving of death, now gifted with life and life to the full.

That’s the glory trailer, God’s mercy and grace . . . God’s grace and mercy.

Want to see God’s glory? Spend a bit of time noodling on what we have been saved from and what we have been saved for. Snuggle into the cleft of the Rock and watch as His glory is revealed.

How’s that for a much anticipated trailer!

Knowing His grace.  Beholding His glory.  Declaring His praise!

Amen?

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Tasting Salt Water

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Pete

Let’s face it, often when we think about Peter, at least pre-pentecost, we’re likely to consider his failures. We’ll sometimes refer to him as impetuous Peter. Speak first, think later Peter. Ready, fire, aim Peter. Tells Jesus there’s no way he will let Jesus go to the cross and is rebuked as Satan. Cuts off an ear when, instead, he should have submitted to God’s will being done. Denies the Lord three times when he should have stood fast for Him. And, as I read this morning, Peter sinks into the sea when he should have been walking on the water.

But here’s the thing, Peter’s failures were as epic as they were only because he was willing to be all in. The cross was so unpalatable because he had just declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. The ear fell to the ground because Peter was willing to fight to the death to protect his Master. The denial was so bitter because, though the flesh was weak, his spirit was willing and determined to stand fast as, with boldness, he declared his allegiance. And the sinking? Well you can’t sink unless you first get out of the boat.

Finishing up Matthew 14 this morning. The disciples are in a boat bailing while Jesus is on a mount praying. And somewhere between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Jesus comes to the beleaguered band of boaters “walking on the sea” (14:24). And when they see Him they are terrified. In the pre-dawn, storm-tossed, mist-filled light Jesus looks like an apparition. But Jesus speaks. And though the wind still raged, the disciples were calmed. Cue Peter.

And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

(Matthew 14:28-29 ESV)

Stop there! Sure, Peter’s going to avert His eyes from the Savior and refocus on the wind. Yeah, his ankles and then his knees are going to start getting really wet. I know, he’s gonna sink. He’s going to doubt and be rebuked for having little faith. But it only happens because what little faith he had he exercised. You can’t go down if you’ve never tried to step up. Bottom line? Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

Or, to frame it in terms of another reading of mine this morning . . . a reading in the psalms . . . a reading of one of my life verses . . . Peter tasted some salt water only because he was willing to open his mouth.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!     (Psalm 34:8a ESV)

The sea water might have been bitter as he gulped it in, but how sweet was it when Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter? While Peter might have learned something about his own doubt and lack of faith, by stepping out of the boat what did Peter also learn about the power of Jesus to rescue? The others looked at a ghost-like figure from afar, Peter grasped the hand of the Son of God and was embraced by Him. And I’m thinking, even if we come up short sometimes, we need to be willing and should be wanting, to taste and see that the Lord is good.

I’m not talking about being reckless or about carelessly putting God to the test. But I am thinking about being a little bolder, of sowing that mustard seed of faith a little quicker, and of drinking of what God offers a little deeper.

Don’t much like the taste of salt water, but sometimes if you’re willing to taste, you’ll see that the LORD is good.

All by grace . . . all for His glory.

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Praise Befits the Upright

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Pete

A friend of mine’s dad is from the old country. Not the most learned man. A simple, hard-working, kind-hearted, Jesus-loving man. English always kind of his second language. And my friend used to tell the story of how, one day when as a family they sat around the table during family devotions while his dad read from Our Daily Bread (or some other similar type of devotional), that his dad concluded his reading with saying, “That anonymous fellow sure writes good stuff!” I’m reading some of his “good stuff” this morning.

We don’t know who wrote the thirty-third psalm. But it fuels my fire.

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.

(Psalm 33:1 ESV)

It’s addressed to the righteous. And that would be me. Not because of anything I have done, but all because of what’s been done FOR me and what’s being done IN me. My righteousness is that of Another. It is a righteousness credited to my account on the basis of faith alone, faith which I also can take no credit for; “it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). It is a righteousness given me as a robe (Isa. 61:10), a covering that comes as part of the garments of salvation secured for me through the finished work of a perfect, spotless Lamb on a cruel cross. A righteousness that is becoming more and more a part of me as God’s Spirit works God’s purpose in me, transforming me by the renewal of my mind (Rom. 12:2) and conforming me to the likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:29). And so, says the songwriter, “Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!”

Of all the translations I think the ESV captures the exhortation best. Some say “rejoice”, others say “sing”, but my handy-dandy online lexicon says the word has the idea of giving “a ringing cry.” Not just singing, but exuberant singing. To cry out. To so express joy that it vibrates off the walls and it echoes down the halls. Do it, you righteous, pens the songwriter, and do it big!

And here’s the phrase that grabs me every time I hover over this song. Praise befits the upright.

There are some things that just go together. Pen and paper (or, for the e-enabled, finger and tablet). Thunder and lightning. Nuts and bolts. Salt and pepper. Mac ‘n cheese. You get the idea. Probably wouldn’t take a lot of thought to add to the list yourself. There are some things that, when you see the one, you expect it won’t be long before you see the other. Some things that were made to be linked together. Praise and the upright are among those things.

I know people are naturally wired differently when it comes to “the music in them.” That not everyone is equally predisposed to singing. That some are more reserved than others. But, so says the inspired word of God, praise befits the upright. It’s comely. It’s seemly. It’s what you’d expect from those who have been rescued, redeemed, reconciled, and refitted with a righteousness not their own.

Honestly, I don’t get songless saints. And I’m not talking about those who don’t sing because they don’t like the sound of their own voice. I have seen many shout for joy in the presence of the LORD without opening their mouths. Their faces turned heavenward, their eyes closed, their hands over their hearts or raised in exaltation. But what I don’t get are the disinterested, the distracted, and the disengaged.

When God’s people come together, shouldn’t that be prime time for heeding the psalmist’s encouragement? A bit of shouting on Sunday mornings would seem appropriate. A bit of joy and praise would seem befitting. Who has more to sing of than the righteous? Who has more reason to praise the God of salvation than those who bear the garments of His blessed Son? I’m thinking no one. That singing and shouting, that joy and praise, are just what you should find when God’s people get together.

That anonymous fellow sure writes good stuff!

Shout because of grace . . . shout for God’s glory!

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At the Center

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Pete

It isn’t about us. How often do we remind ourselves of that? And true enough. We are not the main event. We are not the kings of our kingdoms. We are not the sun around which everything else revolves. But as I read the thirty-second psalm this morning, I am reminded that, while it may not be about me, at least in one respect, I am at the center.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.   

(Psalm 32:10 ESV)

Surrounded by the steadfast love of the LORD. Encompassed by His lovingkindness. Enveloped with unfailing mercy and faithfulness.

Activate your divine GPS and that’s where you’ll find the one who trusts in the LORD . . . at the center of God’s steadfast love.

There’s a sense in this word of to march, or go about something. The steadfast love of God assembled around the believer, marching like Joshua’s army around a helpless city. But unlike Joshua, surrounding it not to destroy it, but to protect it, to fortify it, to make known to it the abiding light of His never-ending presence. That’s the promise for the one who trusts in the LORD. To be at the center.

Just as we are enveloped by the air, just as we are encompassed by sunlight, so we are fully encased by God’s unfailing love. Not that we don’t have similar trials as “the wicked.” Not that we don’t experience sorrow as do those who refuse divine compassion and care. But our sorrows are fewer, for His presence brings a peace beyond understanding. Our burdens are lighter, for His unfailing mercy helps us carry the load. Our grieving is tempered by the foretaste of an eternal love and life that is ours even now. Our trials being but “momentary afflictions” giving way eventually to “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2Cor. 4:17). And that eternal weight of glory is experienced in part now as we find ourselves at the center of His love.

It’s so easy when trials come to feel on the outskirts of God’s presence and love. The enemy seeks to cull the hurting sheep from the flock, planting thoughts of being separated from the Great Shepherd’s care. Trying to have us believe that we are on the periphery of God’s line-of-sight and that we need to go it alone amidst our struggles. Untrue, declares the songwriter. Far from being cast to the fringes of divine favor, the song reminds us that, as one writer put it, for those whose confidence is in the LORD, that “man hath God for his circumference.”

Look up, look down. Look left, look right. Steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.

It’s not about us, but we are at the center of His unfailing love. We are not the main event, but we are the objects of divine grace and compassion. We are but servants in His kingdom and His is the throne, but we are also so loved of the King that He has redeemed us at great price and has determined that none will be snatched from His hand. We’re not the sun, but we know who the Son is, being found in Him and having been invited to abide in Him as a branch draws strength from the Vine. While He is preeminent, we are at the center, surrounded by unfaltering lovingkindness.

Because of God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Behind the Scenes

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Pete

Re-working and re-running some thoughts from 2010 . . .

Some are fascinated by powerful displays of the Holy Spirit, I’m probably more intrigued by imperceptible directions. Some look for the signs and wonders, I’m trying to get better at hearing His voice. Some would say that it’s outward manifestations that really indicate your spirituality, I’m thinking it’s more the inward dynamics. That’s probably why a phrase in Acts 19 caught my attention this morning or, . . . maybe it’s the subtle moving of the Spirit.

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

(Acts 19:21 ESV)

Paul certainly was familiar with the “Richter scale” side of the Holy Spirit. You know, that side of the Spirit that can really shake things up. He had seen visions, done miracles, witnessed countless new believers speaking in tongues and prophesying, indicating that they too had received the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ. But Paul also knew the less obvious side of the Spirit. That one-on-one, inside the head and heart dynamic. Paul knew how to interact with the Holy Spirit or, perhaps more accurately, knew how to let the Holy Spirit interact with Him.

Paul was sent out on his missionary journey by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4) and, while the Holy Spirit manifested Himself in many physical and mighty ways throughout Paul’s spreading of the gospel, you also know that the Spirit of God was working just as effectively behind the scenes, directing Paul along the way. And it’s the “behind the scenes” stuff that fascinates me. It’s wanting to know that interaction in secret that has compelled me to want to know practically how to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), be “led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18), and “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).

And so, Paul’s in Ephesus and he has to make a decision as to where he should go next. And he determines he’s to head over to the regions of Macedonia and Achaia, then on to Jerusalem, and then make his way to Rome. But, it’s not just him deciding, is it? It says that “Paul resolved in the Spirit.”  The NKJV says “He purposed in the Spirit”, making it pretty clear, I think, that there’s some sort of inner communion / voice / leading type of dynamic going on here. (Unfortunately, the NIV and MSG omit the Spirit’s influence here altogether, and thus I think omit a significant insight into how Paul ticked . . . or how the Holy Spirit was actively ticking in him.)

So, I’m sitting asking myself, “What does ‘resolving in the Spirit’ look like?” What does it mean to purpose to do something in the Spirit? What’s going on behind the scenes?

While I certainly don’t think I have this fully figured out, I guess there are some pieces to this that I’m pretty sure are involved. First, there’s giving the Spirit something to work with and I think that starts with filling up on the Word of God. I’m thinking that the Spirit interacts best with spiritually minded people. That He communicates the mind of God most effectively to those who have sought the mind of God through God’s own revelation. Sure, there may be times when we “hear voices”, but I’m guessing that most often He will assist our decision making as He prompts us by bringing Scripture or a biblical principle to mind.

I’m also thinking that communion is pretty important to practically knowing what it is to “resolve in the Spirit.” Jesus called it “abiding” in John 15. The persistent pursuit of being attached to the Vine. That steady determination to remain “in Him” and keep our lives clear of junk so that He remains “in us.” It’s wanting to know Him. It’s wanting to be known by Him. It’s being heavenly minded. Our focus set on things above and not things of this earth. And, it’s about priorities. Desiring to put Him first in all things . . . and to do all things as unto Him . . . and to desire that all aspects of our lives would, in some way, bring Him glory.

And then, I think it’s about expecting to interact with the Spirit. I’m becoming more convinced that the reason we may not know His leading . . . the reason we haven’t experienced making a decision knowing that the Spirit has participated and guided, is because we simply don’t expect it. We don’t hear His voice because we’re not listening for it. And sometimes, when we do hear it–that inner prompting, that “gut feeling”–we don’t give Him the credit, but think we were the ones who came up with the idea. Oh, that I might expect to interact “real time” with the Holy Spirit.  That I might recognize His voice more.  That I might hear it more clearly.

O to live in the reality of what happens behind the scenes. To know the Son’s leading for the Father’s pleasure through the “in the secret” prompting of the Holy Spirit.

All by grace. All for His glory.

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What Is It?

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Pete

It’s somewhat fascinating how quickly the glow of God’s manifest glory can fade. And it’s not an issue with the nature of God’s glory, but a reflection of the feebleness of His people’s memories.

I’m reading in Exodus 16 this morning. The nation has just come off a time of great celebration. Walking through a wall of water has a way of turning on the party lights. They have been singing to Lord. They have been dancing to the Lord. They have been rejoicing in the Lord. How come? Because they are on the other side of the Red Sea and their enemies are not. But no sooner do the lights go out then, on the morning after the night before, the singing turns to grumbling.

Because, on the other side of the Red Sea, there’s a wilderness. A legitimate wilderness. Not much water. Not much food. And when you compare it to Egypt (if you can ignore the slavery, bondage, and oppression) it comes up kind of short. And despite having witnessed the power of God through ten mind-blowing plagues. Despite having seen the grace of God as the blood of the lamb on their door posts spared the lives of their firstborn. With seemingly no thought to the fact that they are hauling around the treasures of the land of their captivity. Having seemingly forgotten that they have just walked through a great sea. As the people start to interact with the desert, they murmur. As they walk in the wilderness, they complain. And they wonder about going back to Egypt.

Their wilderness experience is real. Their thirst is real. Their hunger is real. But what they fail to remember is that their God is real. And so, to remind them that He is real, He says He will feed them.

I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.

(Exodus 16:12 ESV)

And they wake up one morning and on the ground is God’s gracious provision, “a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground” (16:14). Not quite like anything they had seen before. Not quite like anything they had tasted before. Certainly something that had never seen served up in this manner before.

When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, What is it?

(Exodus 16:15a ESV)

God met their needs outside of their expectations. God provided with a solution beyond their imagination. What they felt was their greatest need on earth was met with divine provision from heaven. And they said, “What is it?” Original word? . . . Manna.

“It is the bread God has given you to eat,” Moses tells them. Gather it. Pick it up. Digest it. As much as you can eat. It will be sufficient for the day. None will have too much. No one will have too little (16:15b-18). And the people said to one another, “Manna.” What is it?

And I’m thinking that sometimes, when I’m wandering in the wilderness, I too think I know what I need. I know what God should do and how He should do it and when it should be done. And, when it doesn’t pan out or fit into my timing, though I’ve known His past provision, I can find myself murmuring and complaining. Instead, I should be waiting and anticipating His provision. Even if that provision is “What is it?”

God has not directed where He will not lead. He has not sent on pilgrimage without thought of how He will provide. He doesn’t lead us through great victory into a wilderness experience so that we might figure out how to go it alone. No, in fact the wilderness, often, is so that He might feed us that we might know afresh that He is the LORD our God. So let’s not be surprised if God meets our needs in surprising ways. If, in the morning, we find that how He’s provided is in a way we never expected.

And we’ll praise Him, even as we ask, “What is it?” We’ll marvel in Him, even as we partake in bread from heaven. And we’ll worship Him, even as we eat the manna.

What is it . . . a reminder of God’s grace. Manna . . . a reason to give God glory!

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