Divine Forbearance

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Pete

That David even had opportunity to write the song is, in itself, amazing. Think about it, this is a man who has been shown divine favor but responded with detestable failure. A man of extreme privilege who foolishly exercised such privilege to take that which was not his. A man of great power who wielded his scepter as a sword against an innocent man and took a life to cover up his own lust.

He had known the call of God upon his life, having received heaven sent promises. He had known the hand of God upon his life, having experienced heaven sent protection. And he had known the abundant blessing of God upon his life, having received a heaven sent place of prominence. But despite the promises, forgetting the protection, and taking advantage of his prominence, he fell. He transgressed. He sinned . . . big time!

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight”

(Psalm 51:3-4a ESV)

A night with Bathsheba. A suicide mission for her husband, Uriah. If you think about it, with everything that God had revealed to David, with everything God had given David, with all that God desired of David, wouldn’t God have been justified in responding with an immediate judgment of David? Take way the throne. Pour wrath out on the man. With how much David had been given, shouldn’t much have been expected? Would it not have been reasonable to expect that David should be done with?

Evidently not.

So what compels a holy, righteous, and just God to withhold immediate recompense for such treachery and transgression? What drives the Divine to even allow a sinner to have breath enough after his sin to write a song? I came across it in my other reading in Romans this morning.

. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show Gods righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.

(Romans 3:23-25 ESV)

Divine forbearance. God determined patience. Grace enabled longsuffering. That’s why God did not come forth in judgment the morning David got out of bed after a night with a woman who was another man’s wife. That’s why God did not pour out wrath the moment after Uriah was struck down by the sword which, for all intents and purposes, David had thrust in him. That’s why God allowed the king to be confronted with his sin and be broken in spirit and pen a song of confession and repentance. That’s why David could appeal to God’s steadfast love and His abundant mercy and ask to be washed from his iniquity and cleansed from his sin (Ps. 51:1-2).

Divine forbearance.

Possible because of the redemption that would be found through divine sacrifice. God’s own Son having been offered for the atonement of David’s sin. The wrath of God merited for the violation of Bathsheba and the violence against Uriah poured out on the Son of God so that sinners might write their songs. So that sinners might confess their transgression and by faith receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin.

How I thank God for divine forbearance. In my past, in my present, and though I would not presume on it, I know in my future.

All because of the finished work of the cross of Christ. All through His overflowing grace. All for His eternal glory.

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Heart Matters

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Pete

God is judge. He is the Mighty One, God the LORD, the final arbiter. He carries pure and just scales and will measure according to perfect holiness. And in Psalm 50, He comes calling (50:1-6).

The songwriter envisions God speaking and summoning the earth (v.1). The perfection of His beauty shines forth from Zion as He comes in a mighty tempest, calling to the heavens above and the earth below to “gather to Me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Gather them, says the Almighty, that I might judge My people.

And twice in this song of Asaph God reveals the measure with which He is glorified by His faithful ones. And, it would seem, heart matters.

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. . . . The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

(Psalm 50:14-15, 23 ESV)

While God acknowledges their consistency in offering bulls and goats as burnt offerings, He says, in a sense, “What are they, in and of themselves, to Me? Every beast of the forest is already Mine. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Me before you ever culled one out to bring as a sacrifice. The birds along with everything that moves in the field are mine. In fact, the entire world and its fullness are mine. So, it’s not just about offering an animal and giving to Me what I already own. It’s what’s behind it. Heart matters.”

And so sings the songwriter on behalf of the Almighty, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving!”

Going through the motions is meaningless apart from the motivation. Let the offering be accompanied with confession concerning the greatness of God. Let the smoke that rises from the sacrifice be infused with songs of praise declaring His mighty works on behalf of His people. Let the blood that is shed be fully acknowledged for the atonement it brings and let the worshiper respond by offering Himself as a living sacrifice, desiring to follow and obey–to perform their vows and order their way rightly–not as an act to gain favor, but as a loving response to the favor already received.

What’s behind the sacrifice is important to our God. What drives the worshiper is what makes the worship pleasing before the Almighty. Heart matters.

For with such hearts, turned by grace and tuned with thanksgiving, God is glorified. The blood makes way for the Holy One to dwell among His people, and for His people to draw near in assurance of faith, but it is the heart of thanksgiving and praise that honors Him in their midst. He is lifted up when His people gather and bring their offerings from souls that joyfully delight in His presence. He is exalted when faithful ones give freely and willingly to Him because they recognize how graciously and abundantly He has provided for them. A sacrifice of thanksgiving. Offerings born out of praise. Lives lived for Him compelled by hearts of overflowing gratitude. That’s what glorifies our God.

And the song finishes with a wonderful promise.

“I will show the salvation of God!”

The fullness of salvation stretches beyond the forgiveness of sins because of substitutionary atonement–though, if it didn’t, that would more than enough to fuel our praise for eternity. But the Mighty One of Zion sent His Son that we might have life and “have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). And it is to the one who offers with thanksgiving, to the one who order his way with praise, to the one whose heart is tuned toward glorifying His God, to such a one will abundant life be made known. For such a one will all that is encompassed in our wondrous salvation be revealed and experienced.

Come thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy praise!

We hear Your call O God. We delight in the grace which beckons us to Yourself as Your faithful ones. Be glorified in our offerings sourced in deep and sincere appreciation.

Heart matters.

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A Slippery Slope

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Pete

Continuing in Romans 1 this morning. Yesterday I was reminded of the good news–the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The good news which reveals the righteousness which is of God, a righteousness that comes by faith, a righteousness that bears the fruit of obedience. This morning I’m reminded of why we need such good news . . . ’cause there’s such bad news:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

(Romans 1:18 ESV)

The wrath of God is revealed. Not “is going to be revealed.” Not future tense. But “is revealed”, as in present tense. And you read the latter part of Romans 1 and you see that God’s wrath is revealed as He “gives them up.” Those who refuse to acknowledge and honor Him, those who determinedly choose the creation over the Creator, God gives them up to their own wisdom, to their own lusts, to their own impure hearts. He hands them over to their own “dishonorable passions.” His wrath is revealed as He allows men and women to do whatever men and women want to do as they choose a path apart from God.

And at the core of their waywardness, while it may not be the unforgivable sin, is something which, if left too long, could very well become the irreversible sin, suppressing the truth.

It would seem that suppressing the truth . . . putting a shroud over it (MSG) . . . holding it down . . . refusing it’s knock at the door of your heart and conscience . . . that suppressing the truth has the very real potential of putting someone on a slippery slope which, apart from divine intervention, can’t easily be gotten off of. If what is known by creation of the Creator is denied . . . if what is revealed through the Scriptures about salvation is refused . . . if what is evident of the kingdom through the church is mocked . . . if the truth is suppressed then all that’s left is people being left to their own wisdom to find their own way. And that way is the way to destruction.

And though I am benefactor of the gospel this morning, . . .though I have known the power of God for salvation, . . . though I rest in a righteousness not my own but of Another who loved me and gave Himself for me . . . there’s a warning here for me about suppressing the truth and venturing onto that slippery slope.

If, after having been brought into light, I refuse to seek the light, . . . if after having been purchased by the blood of Living Word, I’m careless about spending time in His written word, then am I not in danger of at least passively suppressing the truth? Or, having read God’s word, if I cover up what it reveals of His desire for my life but exchange it for my own plan for my life, is their not a risk that while being a child of God I end up looking more like a product of this world? If I persistently and consistently hold down God’s revealed will, what happens to my heart?

And it’s not a warning that causes me to fear for the security of my redemption, but rather a warning about the state of my resemblance. If I am seeking the truth, receiving the truth, and by grace obeying the truth, then I will be conformed by that truth into the image of God’s blessed Son. But if I suppress the truth, what do I look like then? And how does that reflect on the God who saved me for His glory.

At the Son’s request, the Father has given us the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17). We have, in a sense, an inside track to truth. Might God’s people be marked as seekers of truth, receivers of truth, and responders to truth.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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The Fruit of Faith

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Pete

Obedience. I’m thinking that, in general, it doesn’t rank in the list of the world’s top ten words to embrace. That, for many, the word comes with at least some baggage. Perhaps some having experienced, grudgingly, a forced obedience to a parent or some other ruling authority. Obedience having been associated with oppression, unreasonable demands, and/or unenjoyable consequences. For some, obedience having been established as the basis for worth, adherence as the price needed to be tendered for acceptance and love. I might be wrong, but I think that for at least some, and perhaps for many, saying the word “obedience” is like running your fingernails down a chalkboard.

True in the world and, I’m thinking, true in the church. That, for some at least, obedience has been taught to be the measure of one’s righteousness–don’t perform and you don’t measure up. That, in some church cultures, obedience is the price you pay if you want to be on good terms with the Creator. Want favor? Obey. Want divine acceptance? Obey. Want to be assured of a good outcome after your final breath? Obey! Kind of a lot of pressure. Often the basis for a lot of bad experiences. Obedience . . . hear the fingernails on the chalkboard again?

But what if, rather than being some onerous (and often thought, unattainable) prerequisite for salvation, obedience is, in fact, a glorious outcome of salvation? What if rather than obedience defining my faith, it is, in reality, the fruit of my faith?

Something I read in Romans this morning has me noodling on this idea of obedience as the fruit of faith.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations

(Romans 1:1-5 ESV)

The gospel, or good news, of God. Promised beforehand. About His Son. Him who has come in flesh after the kingly line of David, but shown to be the Son of God through His resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ our Lord, the One who commissioned His messengers through grace “to bring about the obedience of faith.”

The obedience of faith. That’s what’s tumbling around in my head this morning. Not an obedience which permits faith. Not an adherence to a creed or a code of conduct that merits acceptance. But an obedience which flows from faith. An obedience made possible because of what we believe. An obedience which is the fruit of having placed our trust in the good news that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh to pay the price for our sin.

As such, infused by faith with desire to live in a way consistent with being a child of God. What’s more, empowered, through faith, to walk in manner worthy of our calling. The gospel being the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (1:16) . . . the good news revealing the righteousness that comes from faith for faith (1:17) . . . a righteousness which bears fruit, the fruit of obedience.

Paul was sent to preach the gospel to bring about the obedience of faith. Before teaching on what to do, he preached on what to believe. And through believing, new creations in Christ are able to live in Spirit-empowered obedience to Christ. Not because they have to in order to be loved, but because they get to as a response to the great love already shown them through the cross.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1 NKJV), then obedience is the substance of things believed in.

O glorious assurance of faith . . . wondrous evidence of faith . . . blessed fruit of faith, obedience.

All by His grace . . . all for His glory.

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Belong, Bow Down, & Believe

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Pete

“Told you so!” That’s not quite what Paul said, but kinda. “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss” (Acts 27:21).

But they wanted to get to Italy. And so they sailed when they shouldn’t have. And the gentle breeze from the south soon becomes a “tempestuous wind” from who knows what direction. A typhoon swirling about them, seemingly coming at them from all sides. And the ship is suddenly in a storm through which it cannot navigate. In fact, it can barely hold itself together (27:13-19). As the hurricane force winds rage about them, and the sea bucks uncontrollably below them, “all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (27:20).

Maybe not the best time to say, “I told you so.”

Unless, of course, it wasn’t to rub more salt in already saltwater infested wounds, but to establish credibility for something else Paul was about to say.

“Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

(Acts 27:22-25 ESV)

Take heart, Paul said, we’re gonna get through this. And it’s because my God has said so. The One to whom I belong. The One to whom I bow down. The One in whom I believe.

The Lord had revealed to Paul that Paul would testify of the gospel in Rome (Acts 23:11). God’s purpose had been established. And no bonehead decision, even the decision to take a chance and sail when safe sailing season had passed, would derail the purposes of God. And, in the storm, Paul was visited on the ship by an angel of the Lord and reminded of his calling. And Paul would confidently stand before men fearing for their lives and encourage them to take heart. Because Paul belonged, bowed down, and believed.

And this morning I find in Paul’s confidence my confidence.

I belong to the God who is equally sovereign over calm seas as well as hurricane force winds. I am His. Purchased with the blood of His Son. Sealed as a child of God, a joint heir with Christ, by His Spirit. And nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

I bow down to the God who is worthy of honor and glory in all circumstance. Worshiped not only in the good times, but also in the not so good times as He his promises are sure, founded on His holy and unchanging nature. Worshiped for who He is, Jehovah. Worshiped for what He has done, having given His Son that I might be delivered from bondage. Having given His Son that I might be dressed in the Son’s righteousness. Having given His Son that a place might be prepared for me in His presence. He told Paul, “You’re going to Rome.” He’s told me, “One day, you’re coming home!”

And I believe in the God who has given the promise. What He has said, He will do (1Thess. 5:24). The work that He has begun, He will finish (Php. 1:6).

“For I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

Sometimes it takes a storm to hear again His voice. Sometimes it takes an out of control world–one that seemingly is bent on overwhelming us, one in which we find ourselves bailing for all we’re worth–to know afresh that we are forever His. Sometimes, its what’s going on around us that drives us to our knees in humble worship. It’s then that we often cry, “I believe, help my unbelief!”

And we hear His voice, “I told you so. Fear not!”

By His grace . . . for His glory.

Note:  I likely won’t be posting over the next couple of days as we’ll be on a bit of road trip.

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Throw Me the Lifeline!

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Pete

David knew about cause and effect. He connected the dots between external circumstance and internal response. Know the ever present reality of oppression and distress without? Be consumed by darkness and mourning within. Experience unrelenting obstacles day after day? Be prone to feelings of divine abandonment night after night. The cause and effect were undeniable. The connection between “quality of life” and “quality of worship” was understandable. But this morning as I’m hovering over the forty-third psalm, beyond the rawness of the songwriter’s feelings of having been rejected by the God in whom he has taken refuge, I notice his plea. I’m struck by what someone whose soul is cast down asks of the God he trusts. Throw me the lifeline!

Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.

(Psalm 43:3-4 ESV)

The songwriter asks God to intervene as judge. To defend his cause. To deliver him from the ungodly and unjust. And he does so, at least in part, because of the effect it is having on him. “I go about mourning” (v.2). His soul is cast down, forced to its knees by waves of despair. Turmoil, an inner turbulent commotion, is his “new norm (v.5). The inner storm draining energy from what his soul truly desires. To abide where God dwells. To bring offerings with great joy. To worship.

And so he prays, “Throw me the lifeline.”

Send out Your light. Let loose Your truth. Let them guide me. Guide me to where You tabernacle.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). He proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). “Father,” we might rewrite the song, “show me afresh the Son! Calm the inner storm that I might see again the cross and know again that if You are with me, who can be against me. That if You did not spare You own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will You not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32)

The Spirit given to those who believe is “the Spirit of truth” (Jn 15:26). And He has been sent to illuminate, to bring light, to “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said you” (Jn. 14:26). “So Father,” we might pen the lyrics, “help me to hear again the whisper of the Spirit’s voice. To be still and believe that I have not been left to my own devices to wage the battle or find the way, but that the Helper has sealed me and has promised to lead me.”

And, beyond the “intangibles” of the Savior in whom I abide and His Spirit who abides in me, there is the Word–the inspired Word of God. And it is light . . . “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). And it is truth . . . “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever” (Ps. 119:160). And so again we might take license with the songwriter’s words, “Let Your Word be the light and truth that leads me again to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!”

Throw me the lifeline? Our faithful Father has. It is found in every remembrance of His Son. It is grasped every time we acknowledge the Spirit’s indwelling presence and promise of help. It draws us into His holy presence every time we open the Word, and chew on the Word, and “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.

Praise God for the lifeline of light and truth. Manifest in His Son. Revealed by His Spirit. Found in His Word.

All through wondrous grace. All for His eternal glory.

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My Place in the Son

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Pete

Reading in Acts 26 this morning ( . . . almost afternoon . . . I so enjoy Mondays!). Paul is speaking before King Agrippa, telling his story in defense of the accusations laid against him by the Jews. And as I read again of his story, I find a reminder of my own story. Paul’s commission having become my experience. And it reminds me of my place in the Son.

“And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, . . . I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'”

(Acts 26:15-18 ESV)

There I am! That’s my place! A place among those who are sanctified by faith in the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. A place in the Son.

Once an enemy of Christ, once in opposition to the claims of the cross, Paul encounters the risen Son of God. He is miraculously saved from zealous blindness and wonderfully redeemed with a life-changing purpose. And the Lord of light graciously appears to Paul and gives him a message. A message of good news. What we call the gospel. The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). And for those who receive and believe the gospel there is a place.

A place revealed as, by God’s grace and the Spirit’s life-giving power, eyes are opened and people once of the night are given sight as to the things of the day. Self-centered understanding being replaced with heavenly focused revelation. Eyes opened such that people are delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of the beloved Son (Col. 1:13).

What’s more, the chains of the power of Satan are broken. Bondage to sin and rebellion left behind as Jesus, by His abiding presence, leads us in exodus toward freedom and obedience through “His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2Pet. 1:4).

In all this He forgives my sin, justly and eternally. The price for my transgression paid in full by Another. The wages of my sin completely and forever tendered by the Son who came as the Lamb (John 1:29).

As such, there is a place for me among those who are sanctified by faith.

Sanctified. Set apart. Made holy.

True of my past, as the Father, in sovereign grace, has set me apart that He might give me to His beloved Son. True of my present, as that same Father has determined to form within me the image and nature of that same Son by the indwelling, ever present, Spirit (Rom. 8:29). And set apart for the future through promise. When one day the sons and daughters of God will be revealed, having been gloried and physically brought into His glorious presence (Rom. 8:18-23).

That’s the message Paul was given for those with ears to hear. That’s my story because God, by His grace, gave me such ears almost 40 years ago.

And since that day, not only have I been given a place in the Son, but He continues to remind me of that place and to lead me to consider afresh the breadth and length and height and depth “of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” so that I might be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). To noodle on all that’s encompassed by having a place among those who are sanctified.

My place by faith. My place in the Son.

Solely because of mind-bobbling grace. Only for His ever-to-be-declared glory.

Amen?

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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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