The Prodigal Father

Most everybody knows the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, but as a friend pointed out many years ago, the word prodigal means wastefully extravagant or lavish. It was the father who said, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate” (vv. 22-23 ESV). Here comes the son covered in muck and practically crawling home in his shame, and yet the father treats him like royalty. That’s wastefully extravagant spending!

He had absolutely no reason to honor the son with clothes and a party after the way the son had dishonored him and walked out… except for love. The father could have required some penance, or at least made the son wait in fear for a few days while he decided whether to hire him as a servant. But love compelled him to give his best to the son who had treated him so poorly. The thing is, the son could have enjoyed the party and then wandered off again, and yet the father would have treated him just as well the second time he came home.

Our heavenly Father is just as crazy about us! How many times do we wander off into sin and come back repentant only to find the Father waiting with arms open wide? Just before the story of the Prodigal Father, Luke 15:10 says “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” I don’t think that has to mean just the first time a person repents and turns to God. Why shouldn’t the angels rejoice every time we realize our mistakes and turn back to our Father?

The book of Hosea illustrates God’s love for His people through Hosea’s adulterous wife. Never does He say, “That’s enough. I don’t want you back!” How many times did Israel turn away from God sometimes for years at a time? Yet God still calls them His people. And even though God has opened the door to salvation for the Gentiles, He hasn’t still given up on the Jews.

Over and over the Scriptures say “Come back… Return to Me… Return to the Lord…” Isaiah 55:7 says “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” This passage is often used as an evangelism tool, but is it possible for someone to “return” to the Lord if he never previously knew Him? This statement was made as a prophecy to those who knew Him as the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. I find it interesting that this verse is followed immediately by “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” It’s as if God is answering the argument that “This person is too far gone for compassion and pardon,” or “I’ve failed one too many times.” No, God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Romans 9:15).

We aren’t the ones who can judge who deserves forgiveness and compassion, even when it comes to ourselves (as explained in Sunday’s sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5). I’m reminded of Annie Johnson Flint’s song “He giveth more grace… For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.” He keeps on giving like the prodigal He is, and we keep on taking. Sometimes we remember to thank Him, but many times we don’t even notice what we’ve received.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I need frequent reminders that God’s love for me is not dependent on my performance, holiness, service, or lovability. It also doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of me or even what I think of myself. His love is steadfast and unchanging because He is unchanging. That knowledge should keep me running back to Him.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” –Psalm 73:25-26

Serving in Weakness

In Souvenirs of Solitude, Brennan Manning quotes Father Michael Buckley on the qualifications of a priest: “Is this man weak enough to be a priest? …Is this man deficient enough so that he can’t ward off significant suffering from his life, so that he lives with a certain amount of failure, so that he feels what it is to be an average man?” Manning follows up with the comment, “I believe that this applies to every follower of Christ because we are a ‘priesthood of all believers’ (see 1 Peter 2:9). It is in this deficiency, in this interior lack, in this weakness, maintains the book of Hebrews, that the efficacy of the ministry and priesthood of Christ lies.”

Hebrews 4:15 tells us “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (ESV). How amazingly incomprehensible that the same God who created the universe came to earth and lived in weakness, inability, and suffering. Philippians 2:7 says He “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” In His obedience to the Father, He chose not to exercise the powers of deity in many circumstances. In the temptation in the wilderness, Satan suggested that Jesus could short-circuit the process of salvation by using His power rather than submitting to weakness.

You’ve probably heard the question—could God create a rock so large that He couldn’t move it? This is called the omnipotence paradox because it is a logically impossible question. Supposedly, no matter how you answer, it proves that God is not omnipotent. However, I would assert that God already did create a rock so large He couldn’t move it. When Jesus was dead and in the tomb, He was physically incapable of moving the stone away from the entrance. Just as He wouldn’t come down from the cross (Matthew 27:40-42), He wasn’t going to do anything to compromise the salvation He was offering. If the stone had been moved away prior to Sunday morning, the evidence of His resurrection would have remained highly questionable.

Jesus chose weakness in order to fulfill His ministry. That’s completely foreign to most of us. Our work is determined by our competency in a particular field. Promotions are given to those to surpass their peers. Education and training are seen as being of paramount importance. Even when it comes to positions within the church, we look for who is most qualified, and people are likely to say, “I can’t do that. I don’t have the abilities.” While there are varying spiritual gifts within the Body, some folks are reluctant to try anything new and may have no idea how God has gifted them.

I think we tend to apply the same logic to the spiritual disciplines. “I can’t fast… I can’t pray… I can’t study the Bible… I can’t memorize Scripture…” Have you ever tried? The funny thing is that God delights in our weakness because He can then be proven strong.

• “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). If the Spirit Himself if praying for us, what excuse do we have to not pray?
• "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:6). If the Lord is the One who gives understanding, what excuse do we have to not study the Bible?
• But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). If the Holy Spirit serves as our memory and prompter, what excuse do we have to not memorize Scripture?

If all we say is “I can’t,” we’re limiting what God can do in and through us. However, if we say “I can’t, but You can,” we open the door for God to glorify Himself by revealing His strength in our weakness. The question is not “Do I have the ability to do this?” but “How can God work through me?”

“For He was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but in dealing with you we will live with Him by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

Listen

Lord, forgive me
for shutting You out
and silencing Your voice.
Distraction is far too easy.

I avoid silence

when there are things
I need to understand,
but I don’t take the time.
There are things

You’re trying to tell me,
but I’m too busy to hear.
There are truths
I need to see,
if I’ll just stop what I’m doing.

I want to hear

Your still, small voice,
yet I don’t give You
much chance to speak.

Help me to listen

better and more often
to hear Your words
of love and compassion,
instruction and rebuke.
Let me honestly say
“Speak, Lord,
for Your servant is listening.”

Rejoice Always

As I’ve been reading in the Psalms lately I’ve had this running commentary in my head: “‘Sing to the Lord a new song’ (Psalm 98:1)… Maybe later, God… ‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (100:1)… Not right now, if You don’t mind.” But on top of that I was reminded of Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (ESV), along with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In both of those passages, the command to “rejoice always” comes in the middle of a long line of other commands. Paul certainly makes it sound like it is something that we are capable of doing.

It seems odd that an emotion would be commanded, and whole books have been written on the subject (Faithful Feelings is one I’ve read). I decided to go back to the source and look at the Greek. The word used in both of these Scriptures is χαίρετε, and HELPS Word Studies says: “properly, to delight in God’s grace (‘rejoice’) – literally, to experience God’s grace (favor), be conscious (glad) for His grace” (http://biblehub.com/greek/5463.htm).

That puts a whole new spin on things. Paul isn’t saying “Jump up and down with joy at all times.” Nor is he saying we should go through life making comments like, “I just totaled my car; praise the Lord!” What he is saying is that we should live with a daily consciousness of God’s grace, and as we do, that will color our experience of the varying circumstances of life. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience sorrow and pain. Elsewhere Paul says he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10) using the same Greek root. It’s okay to be sorrowful while living with an awareness of God’s presence, provision, and protection.

So going back to the Psalms, some of the “new songs” that we sing may be songs of God’s faithfulness in the midst of mourning; a “joyful noise” may be prayers of thanksgiving for who God is and all He has done by His grace. The knowledge and experience of God’s grace in the past gives us patience for today and hopeful expectation for the future.

Relevant Magazine recently posted the following:

“‘Blessed are those who mourn.’ This truth seems to be missing in certain Sunday morning positive thinking tutorials. It’s as if we’ve come to believe that a smile is definitive proof of what we believe, but a smile doesn’t mean that your faith is any more real or alive than the faith of someone in tears” (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/sadness-doesnt-mean-we-are-struggling-our-faith#kZyZQhH1EsKcfUEk.99).

I keep encountering people who are tired of the happy-Christian façade. Even on Facebook, where we only see what people want us to see, friends are encouraging others to be more real. We can serve one another, not by being pseudo-joyful, but by pointing one another to true rejoicing in God’s grace and bringing that back to our consciousness even in the midst of sorrow.

My paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

“Be always alert to God’s grace, live in constant communion with God, remember His goodness at all times, for this is the delight of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Who Cares

I’ll admit I’m in a battle against apathy right now. There are sometimes difficult circumstances at work that make me want to throw in the towel. (Yes, I’m from the generation whose mantra is “Whatever!”) When you’re powerless to change what other people or organizations do, it feels like there are two choices: 1) get frustrated and angry, or 2) become complacent and determine that it doesn’t really matter. I spent many years being frustrated, and found that it did nothing but interrupt my peace and my sleep. So I’ve gone the opposite direction and become apathetic. That doesn’t always work, but it seems easier anyway. Caring too much just causes pain.

I suppose a lot of it stems from disillusionment, such as with politics: “It doesn’t matter who you vote for since they’re all liars, so why vote?” The same thing happens on a smaller scale with businesses, churches, and even families. If your opinion doesn’t carry any weight, what’s the point in trying to create change? At one time I was asked to join a church committee because my educational background was “needed.” I quickly found out that the committee had no authority and it didn’t matter what I had to contribute.

Desiring God recently published an interesting post on apathy, How God Cares for Those Who Don’t, by Paul Maxwell. Although he comes at it from a different angle, he brings out some good points. One is that God agrees that some things are trivial and not worth getting worked up about. Arguing over the color of the carpet in the sanctuary is unnecessary and not honoring to God. A second point is that when we find our security in God’s love rather than man’s opinion, we are free to tackle issues that really are important, and we can “stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24 ESV).

So I’ve been thinking of some questions that might help clarify how we should respond to some of the circumstances we face from time to time.

1) Does this issue matter to God? If it’s a question of salvation, sin, safety, or ministry, you can be sure it matters. If it is about personal preferences, there’s a good chance it is not all that important in the grand scheme of things. Most issues probably fall somewhere in the middle. As Robert Pierce said, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

2) Does it directly affect me or my loved ones (which could include church family)? This question has to be considered cautiously. Although a typhoon in Japan may not directly impact me, it is still important and a response might be required. At the same time, we all have limited time and resources and we can’t do everything we might like to do. Joining the PTA at your child’s school may be more effective than campaigning for national education reform. In some of his correspondence, C.S. Lewis made the comment that the rapid availability of international news may do more harm than good as people become more concerned with what’s happening on the other side of the world than in their own neighborhood (and he wrote that before the computer age!).

3) How much influence might I have over the outcome? Not being very “politically minded,” I tend to think that it doesn’t do much good for John Smith to write to his congressman, unless John happens to represent a large body of voters or special interest groups. However, every situation and every person is different, so there could be a myriad of factors that determine one’s level of influence.

Those are some practical questions, but there are some other biblical principles that should not be forgotten:

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Whether it’s stuttering Moses, Gideon’s tiny army, or Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal, God uses who He wants regardless of their qualifications. And when He does, He’s the One who gets the glory for the outcome (1:31).

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Our aim should be to please God no matter how long or hard the journey might be. Paul continued his ministry from prison because the consequences of giving up were just too great (Philippians 1:21-25).

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). Some battles can only be fought with unceasing prayer. The real battle is not against flesh and blood (6:12).

I know from my own experience that the things I often obsess over are trivial matters that should be forgotten. I’m a recovering perfectionist and I have to remind myself that most people aren’t going to care about some of the details I see. Along with that, I’m certain that the enemy likes to keep us distracted with the nonessentials so that the more important things get neglected. The issues that I most wish to avoid are ones that will require a lot of work and a long time to resolve, and I’m not eager to invest myself without the assurance of a positive outcome. I suspect a lot of us fall prey to the “let it be someone else’s problem” mindset. Even though I won’t be here (on this earth, in this job, or in this church) forever, I do bear some responsibility in providing for the future through good stewardship of time, money, people, property, and the environment.

I’m not sure I’ve resolved any of the issues foremost in my mind as I write this, but I do know which ones require further thinking.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Even the Sparrow

I mentioned in a recent blog that I have taped Matthew 10:31 on my mirror: “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (ESV). Psalm 84:3 presents another interesting picture: “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Sometimes I feel like the little sparrow that has snuck into the palace through an open window—not necessarily invited, but not rejected either. Allowed to stay for the pleasure of the King. In His presence is the best home and all the provisions that are ever needed. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Gather feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

It’s interesting that just a few chapters apart in Matthew, Jesus reminds His followers that they don’t need to fear or be anxious because the Father cares for them more than the birds. The first instance is preached to a large crowd in the Sermon on the Mount. The second comes after Jesus names the twelve disciples and calls them to go out and proclaim His kingdom. If they were anything like us (which they were), they could well have heard the first sermon and thought “Well, sure, God cares for people more than animals. Nothing new there.” But when Jesus repeated His message to just the twelve, maybe it started to sink in a little deeper: “Oh, God really cares for me personally, not just Israel in general.”

God’s care is further expressed in His invitation to cast our cares upon Him. A devotional book I’ve been reading included a prayer thanking God that we can “come before Him,” but the choice of words made me pause. You “come before” a judge and jury, but you can come to the loving Father. You make petitions to the court, but you can lay your burdens before the Lord.  

I had a dream the other night in which someone gave me an orchid, but almost immediately the stalk broke, and I was trying to find a way to prop it up to save the flower. When I woke I was reminded of Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice” (ESV). This prophecy was repeated in Matthew 12 as being fulfilled by Jesus.

There are many other metaphors in Scripture to describe God’s love for His children, which I won’t try to list. Suffice it to say that God doesn’t want us to take His love for granted. Here is an old hymn I came across that has been running through my mind all week.

Here Is Love (words by William Rees, public domain)

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8YOPj5TnUM

He Knows

I’ve been reading through the Old Testament lately, and just came to Exodus 2. Verses 23-25 say:

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew” (ESV, emphasis added).

Just three little words, but they tell so much of the story, and of our story. God knew that the Israelites were in a desperate situation in Egypt; after all, He was the one who arranged for Joseph to be in charge in Egypt during the years of famine. God knew they needed help. But more importantly, God knew that He already had a plan in the works to redeem them through the hand of Moses.

In more recent times, God knew the suffering and decimation of the Jews in Nazi Germany. God knew what was happening on 9-11 as planes were being hijacked. God knew what was happening with every major earthquake, hurricane, and tsunami ever recorded. It’s hard for us to look at massive deaths and destruction and believe that God is both in control and concerned for His people.

And it’s not just the events that make the national news. Friends of mine from college have a daughter who was born with multiple birth defects. She has endured (and thrived) through numerous surgeries, and recently celebrated her 16^th birthday. They will be quick to tell you that she is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). God not only knew what He was doing, but He “knitted her together” the way He chose.

Ravi Zacharias brings it close to home for me in his book The Grand Weaver:

“To be able to accept the wonder and the marvel of one’s own personality, however flawed or ‘accidental,’ and place it in and trust it to the hands of the One who made it, is one of the greatest achievements in life. His ‘registration number’ is on you. Your DNA matters because the essence of who you are matters and whose you are by design matters. Every little feature and ‘accident’ of your personality matter. Consider it God’s sovereign imprint on you” (28).

He later says:

“Faith is a thing of the mind. If you do not believe that God is in control and has formed you for a purpose, then you will flounder on the high seas of purposelessness, drowning in the currents and drifting further into nothingness” (43).

I’m sure we all go through times when we wonder whether God is paying attention and if or when He might intervene. Nations go to war, churches split, couples divorce, children are left orphaned, and yet through it all God knows. Individuals go through physical or mental illness, all kinds of abuse, and even death, and God knows.

If you read on through the book of Exodus, you see all the details that God worked out to free His people from slavery in Egypt. He is at work today in working out His master plan and weaving His grand tapestry. We may never get to see the bigger picture in this lifetime, but in the life to come we will be awestruck by the beauty He has created out of what seemed so messy and painful at the time.

On my bathroom mirror I have taped Matthew 10:31, which with the context from verses 29-30 says: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

He knows, and He cares.

What Did You Expect?

Typically September has been a month of increasing depression for me. Thankfully, this September has started out better than average. It seems odd that the lack of major depression creates as many or more questions for me than the experience of depression. I guess I don’t want to hope for something that is unlikely to happen (complete freedom from depression). I want all my hopes to be based in scriptural faith, and my expectations to follow, and “In this world you will have trouble.” I want God’s perfect will with or without depression, but I fully expect it to be with depression. After all, it’s been 40 years so far and I don’t see much reason it should change now. Whether it’s September, or monthly, or all the time, I’m pretty much used to it in varying degrees.

Tim Keller made a few points in Walking with God through Pain and Suffering (pp. 190-192):

“First, suffering transforms our attitude toward ourselves. It humbles us and removes unrealistic self-regard and pride… Suffering also leads us to examine ourselves and see weaknesses…

“Second, suffering will profoundly change our relationship to the good things in our lives. We will see that some things have become too important to us…

“Third, and most of all, suffering can strengthen our relationship to God as nothing else can... Suffering drives us toward God to pray as we never would otherwise…

“Finally, suffering is almost a prerequisite if we are going to be of much use to other people, especially when they go through their own trials.”

Keller also quotes research that says:

“The prevailing view is… that the depressive person tends to distort reality in a negative way… [But recent research has] turned this received wisdom on its head, providing evidence that it is not the depressive who distorts reality but the so-called healthy population… Even if depression does distort reality in a negative way… the fact remains that it removes the positive self-biases that are seen in the non-depressed… With recover [from depression], and with the lifting of the mood, a new kind of truth could emerge” (189).

A couple Scriptures come to mind:

Philippians 3:8, 10-11 (ESV)- “For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Psalm 139:23-24- “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

With those thoughts in mind, my prayer has been that God would reveal where my thoughts and expectations are in need of change, where they might be based on human experience and interpretation rather than on truth, reality, and Scripture. So I took the time to read through Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John, and a few things stood out as I read.

1)      It’s all about God’s glory—revealing the Father; worshiping in spirit and truth; doing the Father’s will. “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood” (7:18).

2)      Fulfillment is found in Jesus—the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, the Resurrection and the Life.

3)      Suffering reveals the glory of God, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (9:3).

4)      Jesus cares for the needy, the wounded, the stragglers, even the leftovers: “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost” (6:12). “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (10:27-28).

5)      Jesus faced the sorrow of the lost and hurting and wept over them. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me…” (12:25-26). “A servant is not greater than his master…” (13:16), and since He was a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53), we can expect the same, along with the hatred of the world (15:18-20).

6)      “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit His prunes that it may bear more fruit” (15:2). Abiding in the Vine can be painful, because no one prunes a branch that is not part of the Vine.

7)      This world is full of sorrow for those who follow Christ, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (16:22). I’ve always assumed (or perhaps been taught) that this referred to Jesus’ resurrection and appearance to the disciples. But it seems more likely that He’s referring to the Second Coming, when all the sorrow will be permanently erased and there will be nothing left to interfere with God’s perfect will.

8)      “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (16:33). That overcoming will not be fully realized in this age.  “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one” (17:15).

It is clear scripturally that those who are seeking happiness in this life are more likely to be disappointed than those who expect suffering. Whether it is cynicism or realism, I don’t really expect my feelings to radically improve. At the same time, I feel closer to God in sorrow than in attempted joy. I feel more usable in hearing from God and communicating His love and comfort to others. I’m more aware that sanctification is made evident through humility and weakness as I have to rely more on God.

All that to say (at least for the moment), I’m okay with emotional friability if it means that God can use me for His purposes. I am thankful for the brief respites I have received, which have served to renew my endurance. The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 is often on my mind, and I look ahead that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). 

Hope in God's Sovereignty

I recently came across this definition of despair from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

“Despair, ethically regarded, is the voluntary and complete abandonment of all hope of saving one’s soul and of having the means required for that end. It is not a passive state of mind: on the contrary it involves a positive act of the will by which a person deliberately gives over any expectation of ever reaching eternal life” (http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=3797).

While that may be true in a few cases, I don’t believe it applies to most people who would characterize their current life as “despairing.” Even David and Paul spoke of despair in ways that had nothing to do with the loss of the soul (Psalm 69:20; 2 Corinthians 1:8 and 4:8).

I’ve also seen despair described as the determined doubt or denial of God’s character and ability. I think that definition misses the boat for most folks as well. I can only speak from my own experience, but my times of despair are mostly doubts that anything will improve and doubts of my own ability to endure. I have no doubt that God is in control and that He cares how I feel and what I experience. I don’t know how much free will God actually attributes to us, but it’s the choices that I control that scare me, not the part that God controls.

That actually leads me to a greater appreciation of God’s sovereignty. If He is ultimately in control, then I can trust that He will preserve and sustain me through whatever trials He allows in my life. If He knows my thoughts and has numbered my days as Psalm 139 says, then He knows the limits of my endurance and He can either remove the trials in time or He can further strengthen me by His grace.

“Love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 31:23-24 ESV).

“As for You, O Lord, You will not restrain Your mercy from me; Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness will ever preserve me!” (Psalm 40:11).

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

Minister, author, and hymn writer John Newton wrote the following in his published letters:

“Your sister is much upon my mind. Her illness grieves me: were it in my power I would quickly remove it: the Lord can, and I hope will, when it has answered the end for which he sent it… I wish you may be enabled to leave her, and yourself, and all your concerns, in his hands. He has a sovereign right to do with us as he pleases; and if we consider what we are, surely we shall confess we have no reason to complain: and to those who seek him, his sovereignty is exercised in a way of grace. All shall work together for good; everything is needful that he sends; nothing can be needful that he withholds” (166).  

It seems to me that it is possible to have hope in the midst of despair, or perhaps it’s a matter of semantics. Desperation in this life leads to greater hope in the life to come, as well as greater faith in the One who holds all things together.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” –Jude 24-25

Narrow Is the Way

In recent weeks a couple pastors of mega-churches have made the news with their unwise comments. But even before that happened, I was thinking about the whole mega-church concept and wondering how many of those people attending are actually Christians from God’s point of view.

Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV). That certainly implies that the actual number of believers is significantly smaller than we may think. According to Wikipedia, Christianity currently has around 2.2 billion adherents, including Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox branches. Some estimates put the historical total of all Christians around 7-8 billion.

Somehow that number just doesn’t jive with Jesus’ words, “those who find it are few.” Later in the same chapter Jesus said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness” (vv. 22-23). Yes, Revelation 7:9 does mention a “multitude that no one could number,” but I think it’s safe to say that not all who call themselves Christians will be saved.

I don’t pretend to know who’s in and who’s out, and I’m not saying that mega-churches are necessarily any worse than small churches in terms of the percentage of actual believers. There are red flags that go up when large numbers of people follow someone who is clearly denying significant parts of Scripture, but false teachers can be found in small churches as well.

My biggest concern is that there will be many people who will be turned away from eternal life when the Judgment Day comes because they were deceived into thinking they were followers of Christ when they weren’t. They may have listened to a smooth talker who preached only what he liked. They may have read the popular book of the day. They may have gone forward at some crusade. But they never committed to follow Christ “no matter what” (see Matthew 8:18-22). They never sought to know “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” (see 2 Timothy 2:15). They never questioned whether they were being taught in accordance with Scripture (see 2 Peter 2:1-3).

The author of Hebrews wrote, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (5:12-14). Unfortunately, this seems to characterize a lot of people who call themselves Christians. They never find the narrow way because they can’t be bothered with the “constant practice” needed to know the truth and grow into maturity.

I suppose I’m preaching to the choir with a blog like this, but we could all use reminders of the importance of being thoroughly grounded in Scripture as we go about preaching and teaching and writing. I’ve encountered plenty of authors who can present a great message, but one small error in explaining Scripture detracts from the trustworthiness of the book. (For example, one book I read recently attributed Hebrews to the Apostle Paul with no explanation that the authorship is actually unknown.) From that point on, I’m distracted with wondering whether the writer realized their error and how many readers even notice the misstatement.

None of us are perfect, but I hope we can learn from our mistakes and can accept correction with humility. I don’t think any of us want to be the cause of someone missing the narrow way. So we must be diligent in seeking God, studying His Word, and leading others by His grace.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” –James 3:1

Draw Near

Our theme for the church Labor Day Retreat was Isaiah 55:6-9:

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (ESV).

As we discussed these verses and thought about some specific ways we need to seek the Lord right now, a couple other Scriptures came to mind for my own needs: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18) and “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a). A quick Bible search also revealed six instances in the book of Hebrews that illuminate the benefits of drawing near to God—mercy, grace, hope, intercession, sanctification, assurance, and faith.

Then last night I was reading Psalm 69 and took special note of verse 13: “But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in Your saving faithfulness.” God alone knows the perfect time to answer any prayer, as well as what the best answer should be. In addition, His answers will always be tempered by His love, and His faithfulness assures that He will leave nothing undone that should be done. Those are strong promises to cling to when the way seems dark.

I’ll admit there are two questions that recur in my mind quite often, “Why?” and “How long?” The psalmists asked the same thing, but those are two questions that God never seems to answer, or at least not as fully as I might like. In Cries of the Heart, by Ravi Zacharias, there’s a chapter on “The Cry for a Reason in Suffering” that talks about the life of Job. He draws out several conclusions that are worth considering:

“First and foremost, we must understand that suffering, death, disease, pain, and bereavement are all part of life, whether we be righteous or unrighteous.

“Second, we see that the role of a friend is very pivotal in seeing people through their times of anguish. Let us never underestimate this point. God’s answer for burdened, hurting hearts may well be the shoulders of a friend as we bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

“Third, we know that most answers of this nature require a process. The questions must become more selfless before the answer becomes more personal…

“Fourth, we have learned, as Job did, that the answer to suffering is more relational than it is propositional. Those who know God personally and understand the cross are better able to find help in the dark night of the soul than those who merely tackle their problems philosophically…” (88-89).

That last point is probably more vital than most of us realize. It’s easy to get sucked into theological debates when what is really needed is an assurance that God is in control and that He cares. If God is God then He doesn’t need to explain His actions, and we wouldn’t live long enough to listen to the detailed explanation anyway. Though we may receive some answers to our questions, we can’t make that a prerequisite for believing and obeying God. Faith and trust grow as we experience relationship with God, not when we have every answer explained in a contractual agreement.

The passage from Isaiah is a reminder that God’s thoughts and ways are beyond what we can comprehend. The instruction is to seek Him and call upon Him, not so we can fully understand what He is doing, but so we can draw near and receive the assurance and hope we need for each day.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21