God of the Comeback

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Pete

I’d like to think there was a sense of anticipation. I want to imagine that there was a keen interest throughout the camp as the pieces were being crafted. It sounds like many had committed themselves to “the project” for the right reason . . . and I’m thinking they may have been anxious to see what their offerings would become . . . that there was an undercurrent of excitement to see how it turned out. And as I think about that, I also think from where they’ve come. From dancing around a golden calf . . . from having sinned a great sin against their God . . . from having experienced the wrath of God and the death of many in their midst. And now, they can’t wait to invite the glory of God into their midst. That’s how grace operates . . . that’s how our God does it . . . He is the God of the comeback.

I’m wrapping up Exodus as part of this morning’s readings. Just as the pattern for the tabernacle delivered to Moses was recorded in painstaking detail, so is its construction. The heartbeat of the “Make the Tabernacle” project is a guy named Bezalel, son of Uri. His name literally means “in the shadow of God.” You think? In more ways than one. First, who knows his name today? Sure we know God the architect . . . we know Moses who drafted up the plan . . . we know of the project, the tabernacle . . . but who knows the name of the guy who built it? Bezalel was in the shadow of God. And second, he literally was in the shadow of God . . . not only has he been filled with the Spirit of God for the task (Ex. 35:30), but the glory of God is also hovering above him awaiting “move in” day.

But what grabs me even more than “shadow man” are the people of Israel and what God, in His grace, had stirred up within them.

After Moses receives the plans for the tabernacle, he assembles the congregation and kicks off the “Gather Materials for the Tabernacle” campaign. No high pressure tactics . . . no pledge cards . . . no easy access to give via a website or with VISA . . . just this simple appeal . . .

Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution . . .   (Exodus 35:5 ESV)

Absolutely voluntary. Whoever had a generous heart . . . a willing heart . . . a heart inclined towards. And there’s another nuance to the word . . . a heart incited to. My sense is this is not the natural heart . . . not the heart of slaves who had just escaped from Egypt with their lives and with more possessions now then they had ever known . . . not the heart that would, in my mind, most naturally hoard gold, silver, bronze, and the fine materials needed for the project. But the hard hearts of these who had once worshiped a chunk of gold as their god were now incited to give. Yeah . . . my God is the God of the comeback.

And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. . . . All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.   (Exodus 35:21, 29 ESV)

Their hearts were stirred . . . their spirits were moved . . . and of their free will they gave. And they gave in abundance . . . so much so that Bezalel had to tell Moses to shutdown the campaign and ask the people to stop contributing (36:2-7).

And so, having given so freely, I wonder if, as they waited on Bez &Co. to complete construction, there wasn’t a sense of anticipation. A gladness of heart as they waited to see what their offerings would become. And while I know things are going to go south again . . . that desert time is inevitable . . . at this particular time, I can’t help but sense a joy in the camp.

A joy from giving . . . a joy from having their hearts stirred by the God they recently sinned against . . . a joy from anticipating His presence . . . a joy realized in seeing His glory descend.

Did they deserve such joy? Were they worthy to give to such a high and holy project? Not thinkin’ so. But isn’t that how grace works? . . . isn’t that what the comeback is about? . . . isn’t that so like our God?

Oh, the grace of God . . . to Him be all glory!

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Messing Up Awesome

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Pete

It’s a word that, in my opinion is over used, and should be reserved for only the most extraordinary. In fact, if God is awesome . . . and He is . . . then awesome can’t possibly describe anything else . . . for nothing is equal to Him. But I was struck this morning to observe that God Himself uses the word “awesome.” Don’t know for sure, but I think it might be the only time He does so. God is awesome . . . and the wonders that God intended to do amidst His people would also be awesome.

And He said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.”   (Exodus 34:10 ESV)

Moses had prevailed in pleading God’s favor upon him and a people who had gone sideways, worshiping an image of gold as their deliverer. God has relented and will continue to go before with Moses and the people. And, says the LORD God, in the midst of the people He would do marvelous works through Moses such as had never been seen. What God would do through Moses, among His people, would be awesome.

Such is the favor and grace of God. Restitution having been made for their transgression . . . the people having repented and humbled themselves before God . . . God does not hold back as one might do if he were holding on to a grudge. Instead, He is all in . . . He will do great works that all would see the work of the LORD . . . and it would be awesome.

But, warns the LORD, the people could mess up awesome.

“Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.”    (Exodus 34:11-12 ESV)

Take care, says the LORD, be on guard . . . beware . . . take heed . . . watch out! Lest, when I do awesome and you enter the land of promise, you become ensnared by the ways of the land around you. Tear down their altars, He says, break their pillars and cut down their altars of fake worship. Remove all that might draw you into their world . . . all that might draw your hearts away from the true God and to gods which are no gods at all. Don’t mess with awesome.

Not to take the application too far, but one might say that God’s people today have also witnessed awesome in their midst. That we have known His abundant grace . . . that we have been favored with His abiding presence . . . that we have witnessed His exceeding great power. And, like the children of Israel, we too find ourselves in a foreign land. One with many fake gods . . . a world at enmity with the One True God . . . a system more and more attuned to worshiping the creation rather than the Creator . . . a mindset that says if there is a God, He is here for man, with no thought that, in fact, men and women might exist for their God.

And so the warning is for me. Beware, lest you become ensnared. Be on guard as you seek to be in the world but not of it. Pursue the Kingdom that the world might not encroach. As much as lies within you . . . and by the grace of God . . . don’t mess up awesome.

For His glory . . .

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The Grace Card

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Pete

It is my favorite conversation in all of Scripture. It is an exchange between Moses and the LORD God. This Moses who the LORD used to speak to “face to face, as a man speaks to a friend” (Ex. 33:11). The barefoot Moses who was welcomed onto holy ground and invited into the very presence of God. Moses would enter the tent of meeting, the glory of God would descend as a pillar of cloud, and the two would meet (33:9). And in Exodus 33 we get to, in a sense, eavesdrop. The timing of the meeting is after the people’s “great sin” (32:30-31) . . . their building and worshiping of gods of gold, ascribing to these lifeless idols their deliverance from Egypt. The subject of the meeting concerns how to move forward onto the promised land. The LORD has said that, though He would send an angel to accompany the people, He would not go Himself, “lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” (33:3). Now, inside the tent, Moses seeks to persuade God otherwise . . . and he plays the grace card.

Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight. Consider too that this nation is Your people.”   (Exodus 33:12-13 ESV)

Five times during this conversation in the tent, “favor” is referenced. The word is translated “grace” in the NKJV. The word has the idea of . . . well . . . of grace or favor. And God has told this shepherd of Midian, this deliverer from Egypt, that He knows him by name and that he has found favor in the sight of the LORD. And, from what I’ve been reading in Exodus, I’m thinking, “True statement!”

And so, in the discussion of how to move forward, Moses appeals to the implications of being known by name by God . . . the implications of being favored of God. And so, Moses plays the grace card.

If I have found favor in Your sight, then show me Your ways, that I might know by experience that favor . . . that I might more learn of it’s ways . . . that I might recognize it’s outworking . . . that I might grow in skill in discerning and recognizing such abundant favor. Show me Your ways.

And God “concedes” that those who have found favor can reasonably expect His presence to go with them and that they would know the rest that comes from abiding in a God who knows them by name. And, as Moses presses the point, arguing that the distinguishing characteristic of those who have been shown favor is God’s accompanying presence, God agrees. In a sense, God is “constrained” by grace to go with this stiff-necked people because He has, in His sovereign purposes, determined to know them by name and to show them His favor (33:14-17).

And then, Moses presses the point a bit farther . . . “Please show me Your glory!” (33:18) Yes!!!

The recipient of grace doesn’t play the grace card just to get their own way. They don’t prevail upon the implications of grace so that they might be successful or exalted. But those who have found favor, seek, by that same grace, the presence of God that they might know the glory of God.

O’ how amazing is God’s grace. We boldly approach the throne of grace and there we are ushered into the very presence of God . . . beholding, as it were, the glory of Him who is enthroned in the Holy of Holies.

The grace card . . . may His people “play it” well . . . may they play it often . . . for His glory!

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Fierce Wolves and Faithful Shepherds

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Pete

It really wasn’t about “if” . . . it was about “when.” Paul warns the elders of the church of Ephesus that it’s going to happen. Men will arise from among their own congregation and put their own spin on the gospel. Their motivation will be less about good news and more about getting disciples. It wasn’t if they would surface with their twisted truth, but when. Paul said they were “fierce wolves” . . . and Paul exhorted the elders to be faithful shepherds.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert . . .    (Acts 20:28-31a ESV)

Paul had testified to all “of repentance toward God and of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (20:21). He had preached abroad “the gospel of the grace of God” (20:24). He did not shrink from declaring “the whole counsel of God” among them (20:27). But, though Paul didn’t know the details, the Spirit had revealed to him that he was about to enter into a “new season” of life . . . can anyone say Roman prison? And so Paul desires to meet with the elders of Ephesus (20:17). He knows this will be his last meeting with these under-shepherds of Ephesus (20:25). And of primary concern to this beloved apostle are God’s beloved people. And so he exhorts the elders concerning their care for the flock.

The flock over which the Spirit had called them to be overseers. The body of believers, bought with the blood of Christ, which had been entrusted to these men called from among the flock . . . men, just like them, sinners saved by grace. And God, through the active agency of His Spirit, had set within their hearts the desire to care for His people (1Tim. 3:1). So, they were to shepherd the flock . . . to feed them . . . to lead them . . . to serve them . . . and, as Paul now encourages, to protect them.

The church needs leaders with a protective mindset. Men who can rightly handle the word of God . . . men who have interacted with the gospel of grace . . . men who are so familiar with the truth that they recognize the counterfeit when it arises. Not if it arises . . . but when. Men who are not snoozing at the wheel but diligently keeping watch over the souls for which they will give account (Heb. 13:17). Men who will be bold enough to address the “slight twists” of error when it surfaces in their midst. Not lording it over the flock (1Peter 5:3) . . . yet dealing decisively with the wolves.

And those who are the “from among you” has grown in these latter days. With the Internet there are many voices contending for the ears of the sheep. Many “celebrities” who have gained quite a following. I was reading a blog from a well known Christian author this week that caused me to ask the Lord, “Wolf?” He’s never attended our gathering . . . never been to our home . . . yet his is a well known voice among many of the sheep. The truth he was selling was concerning. Be alert you who shepherd the flock.

Not that we should see wolves behind every corner . . . nor should we approach every difference of interpretation as heresy. But the shepherds of the flock must “contend for the faith that was once delivered to all saints” (Jude 1:3). The gospel and the essentials of our faith must be defended. It is part of caring for the church of God.

O’ that God would protect His people from fierce wolves . . . that within His church He would raise up faithful shepherds.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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An All-Nighter

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Pete

Sleeping in church isn’t anything unusual. I’ve observed some of the best. My all-time favorite was a brother who would cross his legs . . . open up his bible upon his knee . . . place his chin in between the thumb and forefinger of one hand . . . steady that same arm with the other arm which crossed his belly and held the elbow . . . tilted his head down as to be reading the scriptures . . . and gone-zo! No embarrassing head dip . . . wasn’t distracting to the preacher . . . in fact, it may have encouraged the brother speaking to look out and see one who seemed so intensely bound to the text. Epic!

Not judging those who sleep in church. I know some extremely hard-working people who max out during the week and who’s greatest desire is to be with God’s people when God’s people gather. Sometimes the two collide and you end up with a snoozer (hopefully not a snorer). And, not unprecedented in the early church. Read of a sleeper this morning. But he crashed (in more ways than one) because the preacher was a bit long winded . . . and God’s people didn’t want it to stop. He fell asleep because they did an all-nighter.

If you’re not familiar with the story, check out Acts 20:7-12. Paul’s in Troas for seven days. On the first day of the week the believers gathered together to break bread. Looks like it was their custom to meet on Sunday to remember the Lord . . . sound familiar? I’m thinking it was an evening meeting . . . they gathered for a “love feast,” an evening meal culminating in the Lord’s table . . . and then Paul’s speaking . . . and he goes on and on . . . and nobody’s leaving. It says “he prolonged his speech until midnight.” And as the night goes on . . . and the midnight candles are burning . . . and the room gets stuffy . . . “a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer.”

The young guy didn’t know my friend’s technique . . . not very stable in the window . . . and he falls out of the third story window to his death. But, in God’s grace, and for God’s purposes, the apostle is given power to raise the young man back to life . . . and they return to the meeting . . . and continue to fellowship together . . . and fellowship and converse yet longer. The Holy Spirit has the author of Acts record that they met until daybreak. They pulled an all-nighter!

So what’s the main event in this story? That God showed Himself powerful in the midst of a gathering of believers by raising one from the dead? Probably. But what has me thinking is perhaps a bit more of the mundane. I’m noodling on the example of a gathering of God’s people who so wanted to be together . . . who so desired to remember the Lord around His table . . . who were so hungry to be taught by God’s gifted teacher . . . who were so jazzed by the fellowship they enjoyed . . . that they hung out all night together . . . even if some just couldn’t keep their eyes open.

When the fellowship is sweet, you just don’t want it to end. When the presence of God is evident, no one’s heading for the door early.

I can think back to all-nighters. Not church meetings per se, but time spent with brothers-in-Christ discussing, wrestling with, and savoring the ways of God and the dynamics of our pilgrim walk. As we chewed on the things of God together, our hunger increased . . . and nobody wanted to call it a night.

O’ that there might be something of that dynamic whenever God’s people come together. Not that we necessarily do all-nighters (I don’t usually make it past 9:30 p.m.) . . . but that we’re so into meeting with the saints under the cover of the presence of God that no one’s rushing for the door after meeting. That we’re not checking our watches as the preacher hits the 25 or 30 minute mark, but that we have a sense of being fed by the Spirit Himself and our response is that of “Please Sir, can I have some more?” That the fellowship is sweet . . . and we have a sweet tooth.

Aspirational? A big unrealistic? Perhaps. But better than falling asleep in a third story window. Amen?

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They Beheld God

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Pete

Apart from the grace of God, how dull is the heart of man? Apart from the illuminating work of His blessed Spirit, how darkened is the mind of man? Apart from the Son’s risen life imparted to those of faith, how dead is the soul of man? These are the questions that come to mind as I read in Exodus of 74 men who encountered God as close as one can encounter God. And yet, for 73 of them, I know that the impact of such an encounter will quickly fade . . . that each of them will play loose with the glory they beheld . . . that for each of them there will be an epic fail. And far from judging them, it is a reminder of the plight of unregenerate man . . . a reminder that there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.” . . . Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And He did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.   (Exodus 24:1, 9-11 ESV)

I’m captured by the thought that these 74 men beheld God . . . and ate and drank with Him. What must that have been like? To have gazed upon as much of God’s glory as could be revealed without it incinerating them? To have encountered bodily the essence of the divine? To have tried to process through 5 inadequate senses the Majesty of Him who sits on heaven’s throne? What was it like? And then to think that they would eat and drink in His presence . . . that they would know such communion with Almighty God. What was it like?

You’d think it would be absolutely life changing. That with such a close encounter of the divine kind these men would be more attuned with the things of heaven . . . that these men would be super followers of the LORD . . . that these men, who had beheld God, would be so much more in tune with God. Apparently not.

In just 40 days, Aaron, his sons, and the 70 elders will be bowing down to an idol fashioned by their own hands (Exodus 32). Though they had beheld God’s glory, they would trade it in for the “glory” of earthen metal. Though they had communed with the one true God around a table set and hosted by God Himself, they would soon set their hearts on dancing around a fake god, ascribing to it their deliverance. Really? What’s wrong with them?

The same thing that is wrong with all of Adam’s race. When it comes to the ability to grasp the things of the Almighty, we are all stillborn . . . dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3) . . . intuitively knowing only how to walk after the course of this fallen world . . . driven by the passions of the flesh . . . subject to our darkened minds. Even should we behold the glory of God . . . sup with Him, as it were, on the mountain . . . apart from a change in our spiritual DNA, we are incapable of processing the impact and implication of such an encounter.

They beheld the glory of God . . . they communed over a meal in His very presence . . . but even that wouldn’t be sufficient for them to know God . . . or to determine to live for God. To know God . . . to live for God . . . is only possible through the grace of God. Grace that atones for sins . . . grace that rescues from judgment . . . grace that imparts a new nature . . . grace that writes His law upon the hearts of the redeemed . . . grace that sends His Spirit to form within His own the image of His Son.

They beheld God . . . they would soon worship a cow. Not judging . . .

Just in awe of the power of the gospel . . . to save men and women . . . to open eyes and unplug ears . . . to take hearts of stone and reconstitute them as hearts of flesh . . . that we too might behold God . . . and believe God . . . and by His continuing grace, seek to live for God.

To Him be all glory . . . now and forevermore. Amen.

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Favor for a Lifetime

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Pete

Psalm 30 is a song David composed for the dedication of the temple. An offering of praise to Him who had determined to dwell in the midst of His people. A psalm of reflection . . . recalling a time when David was so ill, that he thought he might die . . . remembering a time when he, because of his prosperity, he had become so arrogant and self-sufficient, that He sensed that God had hid His face from him . . . recounting how, in both circumstances, he cried to the LORD and the LORD mercifully responded. There may have been weeping for a night, but joy comes with the morning (v.5) . . . his mourning had been turned into dancing (v.11) . . . his sackcloth removed and replaced with clothes of gladness (v.11) . . .

For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime . . .    (Psalm 30:5a ESV)

What David understood as the LORD’s anger, the child of God knows to be His loving Father’s discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11). Whether an extended time of sickness due to the weakness of our flesh . . . or a protracted time of anguish of the soul due to the weakness of our spirit . . . whether disease or sin . . . God will use these but “momentary afflictions” for the perfecting of the work He has begun in us. For His favor is for a lifetime.

So often it is in our weakness, and through our suffering, that our absolute dependence on Him is rekindled. Our prayer life becomes as vital as it’s ever been . . . our earnestness is taken to the next level . . . our hunger and thirst for the face of God as acute as we’ve ever known it.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me. When you seek Me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD . . .    (Jeremiah 29:12-14a ESV)

And it is in that condition, when all desire is but desire for Him, that He reminds us of His desire for us. It is then that joy starts to supplant weeping . . . that, though our flesh may still be weak, our mourning turns into dancing . . . that though the consequence of our sin might remain, the sackcloth is exchanged for gladness. That we remember that His favor is for a lifetime.

As is often the case, and as David experienced in his sickness, there may be healing and recovery. And, as is always the case when tripped up in transgression, for those who humble themselves and repent of their sin, there is forgiveness through the blood of Jesus and the forever finished work of the cross. For His favor is for a lifetime.

And when the healing comes . . . when fellowship is restored . . . then “sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name” (30:4).

His grace is sufficient. It is abundant grace. Grace which is able to sustain during illness. Grace which is able to secure during waywardness. Grace which is able to cause the soul to soar when there is contriteness.

The discipline is but for a moment . . . but His favor is for a lifetime . . . and time beyond a lifetime.

To Him be all glory . . .

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Who’s Testing Who?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Pete

I’m reading in Exodus this morning. God has shown Himself full of power to Pharoah. God has shown Himself full of grace, through the Passover, to His people. The children of Israel have been delivered from Egypt . . . and Pharoah’s army has been destroyed by the Red Sea. The celebration party has been had and now it’s about the day-to-day business of pursuing the promised land. And between here and there, it’s about doing life in the desert. And as they head out from the Red Sea, God determines to test His people . . . and His people, unfortunately, default too quickly to testing their God.

God uses the wilderness as the place where He tests those He has redeemed out of bondage. The word translated “test” has the idea of “trying” something. It’s the word for “assay,” for proving the characteristic or nature of something and its associated qualities. For His people, God tests their obedience. He knows Mt. Sinai is coming . . . that He will deliver to those He has called to be His own, the framework and statutes necessary for mortal men to know communion with their eternal God. And so, in anticipation of the full-on commandments and statutes, God starts small . . . using the hardships of the wilderness . . . and the basic need for food . . . as His proving ground.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.”    (Exodus 16:4 ESV)

The rules of engagement are simple. The people need food everyday. God has owned them His people and knows their need. Everyday He will rain down bread from heaven to meet that need. Everyday the people are to gather what they need for that day . . . they are not to hoard it and keep some in storage just in case the bread doesn’t show up on the next day. On the sixth day, they are to gather twice what they need, so that on the Sabbath, God’s declared day of rest, there is no need to rain down bread and no need to be out gathering it. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not for some.

Some failed the test. Some tried to keep the manna over night . . . either because they didn’t trust the Lord to provide the next day, . . . or because they didn’t want to depend on the Lord for their daily bread, . . . or because they were too lazy to go to the Lord every day for their provision. And some, went out to gather on the Sabbath, though God had said He would provide for them to rest. Some failed the test . . . some were proven and found wanting . . . the impurities of disobedience revealed in God’s laboratory of His call to faith.

But as I read on in Exodus, I noticed that the people also presented a test for God of their own.

And [Moses] called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”   (Exodus 17:7 ESV)

Grumbling quickly became a core skill for the God’s delivered people. Complaining about a lack of food and water soon surfaced as a defining attribute of the congregation. Contending, quarreling, and questioning the Lord’s presence and care for them became an all too common theme of their interactions with Moses. And, the Scriptures say, because of it, they tested the Lord. They were trying His character . . . proving His nature . . . assessing His attributes.

And in response to their grumbling, God provides bread from heaven and water from a rock. Grumbling is met with grace. Complaining is met with compassion. On-going quarreling is met with daily quotas. That’s the nature of our God. Not that He can be tried and presumed upon forever. He will also judge rebellion which doesn’t yield to grace. But God is patient with those delivered from Egypt . . . and seeks to make Himself known even in our most basic of needs . . . responding to our murmurings of discontent with His gracious daily provision.

Oh, may I grumble less . . . and glory more in His grace. Amen?

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His Heritage

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Pete

When I was in elementary school I had an aunt who called me “Speed.” I don’t know that I was any faster than other kids . . . I do recall taking home a few blue ribbons from our school’s “Sports Day” . . . but I don’t know that I was really any faster than anybody else. But, because I was called Speed, I thought I was faster. Not gonna lie, I liked being called Speed. I thought it was a special name, and so, I thought I was kind of special.

Throughout the Scriptures God has sprinkled various “special names” for His people. They’re one of the things I’m on the lookout for as I work my way through my reading plan. Found one this morning that’s given me reason to pause and reflect.

Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage!
    Be their shepherd and carry them forever.      (Psalm 28:9 ESV)

By His Spirit, through David in this case, the LORD gives us some insight as to how He regards His people through this “special name.” God’s people are God’s heritage . . . or, as it’s translated in other versions, His inheritance.

Literally, the word is “possession” . . . the idea being of something that will be possessed, as in land that will be occupied . . . thus, something inherited. And the idea of God’s people being God’s possession or heritage isn’t unique to Israel and the Old Testament. Peter, by the Holy Spirit, writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

I sit here and noodle on the idea of being part of God’s heritage . . . a portion of His inheritance . . . and, to be honest, I feel kind of special. O’ the wonder that God would desire to want such as I as part of His possession. That God would even notice, much less desire, that those, like myself, who were once marked by their transgression should now be deemed to be part of His treasure is awe beyond awe. To consider that, though I was once an enemy, I am now part of His heritage, is blessing upon blessing in and of itself.

But the other thought that fills my mind . . . and impacts my heart . . . is that I am His possession. I am not my own . . . I was bought with a price . . . and now, I belong to Another (1Cor. 6:19-20). I am His property . . . purchased by the blood of His precious Son . . . redeemed through the work of the cross . . . re-lifed by the power of His Spirit . . . I am His, and His alone.

Special names can make you feel kind of special . . . but with them come a special responsibility. I don’t think I ever lived up to “Speed” . . . but by God’s grace I desire to live like His heritage . . . desiring to walk in a manner consistent with being Someone Else’s possession . . . offering myself daily as one who has been bought by Another.

His heritage . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory.

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God’s Petition

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Pete

All too often, I confess, it’s mostly a one way dialogue. I make known my requests to God and trust Him to answer in the manner and timing that best aligns to His sovereign purposes. Or, I cry out to the Lord in times of trouble believing that the God of all comfort can bring a peace that passes understanding. Or, I might simply offer praise and worship, imagining it as an offering ascending to heaven as a sweet smelling aroma, and that He receives with it delight. Whatever the nature of my prayer, I think, most often, I’m in the “me-to-Him” mode. This morning, a verse in Psalm 27 caused me to pause. If I’m reading it right, it reverses my most common approach to communion with Him . . . it’s more of a “Him-to-me” dynamic. In a sense, I get to answer God’s petition.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
   be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek My face.”
   My heart says to You,
         “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”      (Psalm 27:7-8 ESV)

David believed . . . and he knew from past experiences . . . that God was His help in time of need. In the day of trouble, the songwriter was confident that the LORD would hide him in His shelter . . . conceal him under the cover of His tent . . . lift him high upon a rock (27:5). So, when the enemies of David arose, so too, the cries of David to His God also arose. I get that pattern of prayer.

But then David recalls a request from God, seek My face. In a sense, the tables are turned. You desire my benefits?, says the Lord, then desire my presence. You want Me to draw near to You? . . . then draw near to Me. You desire that I come alongside you in Your world? . . . then pursue Mine.

Spurgeon put it this way, “If we would have the Lord hear our voice, we must be careful to respond to His voice. The true heart should echo the will of God as the rocks among the Alps repeat in sweetest music the notes of the peasant’s horn.”

Not that the Lord demands a quid pro quo . . . I will, if you will. Not that we need to perform or pursue to a certain level before He will respond. Nor is it that He needs anyone on earth to seek Him in heaven. But that, because of His steadfast love and through His abundant grace, He desires that His creation might know their Creator. That those who were created for fellowship with the Divine might realize the reality of such fellowship. And that, for those in need, they might find all that they need in Him. And so, petitions the LORD, “Seek my face.”

It’s God’s desire . . . it’s His “ask” . . . it’s His petition, in a sense, that men would seek Him . . . more personally, that I would seek His face.

And my privilege and delight is for me to respond to God’s petition . . . to echo back His desire . . . for my heart to say to Him, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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