"Didn't I tell you?"

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”  Martha, the sister of the deceased,  replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell,  because he has been buried  four days.” Jesus responded,  “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God? - John 11:39-40

We don't have to walk with the Lord very long before we realize that His timetable varies quite significantly from ours. We think that something clearly needs to be done NOW; he recognizes that in the bigger picture, the greater glory comes from waiting.

Mary and Martha, as well as the disciples, learned this lesson dramatically when Lazarus fell ill. Jesus didn't immediately go heal him. He didn't just say the word that could bring healing without even traveling to him. Instead, he waited until Lazarus had been dead 4 days. It was, from a human perspective, too late. But Jesus had a bigger purpose - a revelation that He is the resurrection and the life. A lesson that can be learned only after a death.

Most of us have heard sermons or read devotionals from this passage. It's one of the most popular passages, with good reason. It's one of those that can be hard to read for new insights, because it's so familiar that we anticipate the verses before we get to them. For this reason I like to read through different translation in my daily Bible reading. A different translation can cause me to slow down and let the words soak in. Currently, I'm reading through the Bible in the New English Translation, and as I read John 11 yesterday, God caused the verses above to jump off the page.

Ever-practical Martha pointed out that Lazarus would stink.  Jesus’ response was “Did I not say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” That caught my attention because so often that’s how I am – “but God, what about ….” And He’s saying “What did I just tell you?”

The reality is that when He chooses to wait, He is able to take care of all the consequences of what we perceive as a "delay". Stinking body? That's nothing to the Maker of heaven and earth. 

Maybe you are in a season of waiting. Perhaps you've been called to a country but the funds aren't there to go yet. Maybe a ministry vision only exists in your head and on scratchpads of paper. Or you're stuck trying to discern the next step. You get frustrated at the work that isn't getting done. But think about it: God is the person most interested in fulfilling the Great Commission and advancing His kingdom purposes. He wouldn't have you waiting if He didn't have a reason for it.


Or perhaps your waiting is more personal. You've longed for a husband, or a child, or release from a job. You can think of dozens of  reasons why there is "no time like the present" for God to step in. In fact, you reason that there are lots of adverse consequences just building up while you're sitting here waiting. It's so easy to forget that God is FOR us, and withholds no good thing from His children. He just doesn't always release them on our timetable. :)

Are you in a place of waiting today? What is the "stinking body" that you have been wondering how to deal with when the waiting ceases? Trust Him to deal with all the consequences of your waiting season. Hasn't He told you He will?

Darkness and light

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9, NASB)

I found myself reaching out my hands to grab hold of something, anything, in the midst of the deepest darkness I've ever experienced.

Only minutes before, I was lying in bed waking up leisurely and chatting with my husband. A severe leg cramp caused me to howl in pain and, without thinking, jump up to try to put pressure on my leg and ease the cramp. The sudden change in position nearly caused me to faint. Although my eyes were open, everything around me went completely black. My husband grabbed my waist from behind, and my arms reached forward to find something on which to steady myself.

I can't recall ever being in utter blackness. Even those times I've visited a cave and the lights were turned off don't qualify because then I was engaged enough to realize that this was a temporary, controlled condition. The blackness I felt myself entering as I was wavering between consciousness and fainting was different. There was no penetration of light, no logical awareness of control.

Later, after I recovered from this very brief episode, God brought to my mind an unforgettable application: those unengaged, unreached people groups - those with absolutely no penetration of light into their utter darkness. No one holding out a candle of hope.

We forget how much our country has been influenced by the light of Christ. Even though there are individuals and even pockets of people here who haven't heard the true Gospel, there is a cultural heritage that reflects Jesus' teachings, even among unbelievers. Concepts of forgiveness, redemption in the form of second chances, helping the less fortunate, and using positions of power to make a difference all have threads traced back to our Christian heritage. Don't get me wrong - there are other threads that contribute to our heritage as well, and some of these concepts are present in other religions. But at a worldview level, we have been influenced by the light of Christ in ways that we take for granted.

It's not that way everywhere. In 2020 Vision, Bill and Amy Stearns present the image of those without Christ as caught in threads of deception - threads that can become a web so thick light cannot penetrate. Darkness that is beyond what I experienced so briefly yet powerfully.
 
Some groups are "reached" - not that everyone accepts the truth of the Gospel, but the opportunity to hear is definitely present. About 6700 groups are "unreached" - there is no significant church, but someone is intentionally seeking to take the light of Christ to the people. Someone wakes up every morning with a heart to peel back the darkness and pray without ceasing until this group is reached.

In a number of these groups however - an uncertain number due to the many smaller groups, but including at least 632 groups with a population of 50,000 or more - there is no intentionality at this point. No individual or group is seeking to learn the group's language and present the Gospel in their heart language. Nobody has "adopted" the group with an intentional purpose to find a way to make a difference among them. These groups are among the darkest of the dark - and they are grasping for anything to make sense.

These numbers can be overwhelming, and I was nearly overcome when I first realized the lesson behind my brief experience of darkness. Yet God is so faithful. He didn't leave me in a place of despair but encouraged me. There are so many amazing groups trying to make a difference, researching the unengaged, rallying prayer for them and moving them into an engaged status. (See for example: Finishing the Task, the International Mission Board, Global Frontier Missions, or Wycliffe's Vision 2025. If you feel called to pray, sign up for Twitter just to get the daily prayer for unengaged from Rom1520.)

But the most encouraging thing to me was the reminder from one of my favorite missions books, Let the Nations Be Glad. I include this extended quote below as a reminder to all of us whose heart beats for the nations: We must never see reaching the nations, even the unengaged, as the highest call on our lives. We are called to worship. God just wants us to invite others to join us in the process as we learn to know Him and make Him known.

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Ps 97:1). “Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (Ps 67:3-4).

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!” who cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the Lord…I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High” (Ps 104:34, 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”
–John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, 2nd Ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993/2003), 17.

 Personal note: Thanks to those who checked on me over the past couple of months of absence. I just completed the busiest time EVER at my job and frankly haven't wanted to see a computer most evenings! I've also been praying about God's intentions for my writing and truly seeking Him deeply. I'm glad to say that things have settled down to a dull roar and work, and God has released me to continue blogging as He leads (as well as some other writing and teaching projects), so you should see me back on here more or less regularly. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. 

Afghanistan: The "gates of hell" have NOT prevailed!

I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. Matthew 16:18b (The Message)

Like many of you, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the news of 10 aid workers killed in Afghanistan. These weren't newcomers to the area; if anyone knew how to safely reach a remote mountain village to provide medical assistance, it was this team, some with decades of on-the-ground experience there. As I learned of their faith, a faith which motivated them simply to practical acts of servant love, I knew this was no mere political exercise. This was a fiery dart from the enemy of our souls thrown at those on the frontlines - a fiery dart that must be countered with the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). 

This is spiritual warfare, and we must battle it not only within our souls but as the church of Jesus Christ, determining to continue to advance in faith, trusting that God's purpose in allowing these deaths has kingdom significance. When the evidence before us seems to say that the gates of hell are winning, we need to run to the word of God and be reminded that no, the gates of hell will not prevail. 

That's why I chose The Message translation above. It captures the active tense of the Greek -- as the church moves forward, pushing back the darkness and bringing the light of God's kingdom into dark places of the world, the gates of hell won't keep it out. They won't prevail. The church as Jesus describes it here is not on the defensive, but on the offensive. Just like those 10 who died, the church is actively seeking ways to bring light into darkness. The enemy might use the flames of hell to ignite some fiery darts, but the success is limited; we have the power of the resurrection on our side. Our part is to continue to advance in faith.

My pastor told a story today which gripped me for the image it provided of this very truth. A wanted criminal was holed up in a house. All efforts at peaceful resolution came to nothing. The SWAT team discussed options and decided that a battering ram to knock through the door and barricades was their best option. The one caveat: On the other side of the door was a criminal with a machine gun. The SWAT team had their own weapons and one defense: their bullet-proof vests. Picking up a battering ram - a task that took 6 men due to the weight of the device - the team moved forward into certain battle. Sure enough, the criminal got off a few rounds. Some of the SWAT team members were injured by the flying bullets - but no wounds were mortal. The bullet-proof vests had proven trustworthy. 

These 10 believers were taking a battering ram to an area of darkness in an already-dark country. They took some fire - they were injured. From an earthly perspective, absent from the body. From an eternal perspective, present with the Lord. The challenge for those of us left behind is to continue to use the shield of faith to fight those fiery darts. We can't let it shake our faith. 

Fact: No one is more concerned than God with pushing back darkness and advancing light, taking the Gospel of the kingdom of God to places too long controlled by evil. 

Fact: God is FOR us as His children, no matter what happens. 

Fact: God is the One who knows what is best in every situation, and how He intends to use death to bring forth life. Truly, "the blood of the martyrs is the seedbed of the church" (Tertullian). 

Fact: In dying to themselves and now in dying in the flesh, the believers who were killed have allowed God's resurrection power to shine through. We can only imagine what fruit will come. They were struck down, but God's purposes in Afghanistan have not been destroyed.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. 

For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - (2 Corinthians 4:7-18 NASB)

Defending Church

"I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered fifth rate poetry set to sixth rate music. But as I went on I saw the great merit of it. I came up against different people of quite different outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren't fit to clean those boots." 

- C.S. Lewis, on attending church after his conversion to Christianity as "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England".

We live in a generation of religious cynics. That's not altogether a bad thing - there are a lot of "religious traditions" that have been elevated to the level of inspired Scripture, and we rightly question why we should do things just because "that's the way they've always been done." For too long, religious ritual was confused with authentic faith, and a generation hungry for the real thing starting looking for more than "religious tradition".

I belong to that hungry generation. "Generation X" the scholars call us -- kids raised in a post-Watergate world where things were no longer so black and white, where we are surprised not when leaders let us down, but when they don't. We tend to eschew political and denominational labels and instead seek leaders and churches who will "walk the walk". In the "church world" this trend has resulted in an exponential growth in the number of nondenominational churches in the United States: in 1990 194,000 people identified themselves as "non-denominational Christians"; by 2008 that number had increased to over 8 million in this ARIS study. Overall, I find this encouraging. Many of these non-denominational churches (including the one I attend) teach from Scripture, are active in the community, intentionally seek unity with other churches, and in general "walk the walk".

But recently I notice a more disturbing church-related trend. Some GenX leaders and plenty of younger individuals in their teens and 20s (the "Millennial" generation they are called) are ready to toss church "under the bus" if you will. Corporate worship is considered fine, but placed on a par with enjoying God in nature, spending time socializing with other believers, or reading a book by an inspirational writer. Serious study of Scripture with other believers, developing what the Bible calls "sound doctrine" and many Christians call theology, is considered sub-par to private emotional experiences.

Please don't misunderstand. Scripture makes clear that the heavens declare the glory of God, and we miss opportunities to worship Him if we only look inside church walls. He wants us to enjoy each other, and to use our gifts to edify others as well. We should study Scripture alone as well as with others, and if our relationship with God is never emotional, then we are missing an important element.

Likewise, if we reject church and our corporate worship and fellowship and study, we will never experience Christianity the way Jesus intended. As Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 12, we are parts of one body. A random, missing appendage will never function as it was intended. And yes, that body goes beyond individual expressions in local churches. One local church will never achieve the fullness of what it means to be the body of Christ -- for that we need all believers, in all places, and in all eras, and all denominational backgrounds, united by one Spirit to worship one Lord.

But since a significant portion of the New Testament is comprised of epistles written to specific, local bodies of believers, with many other references to specific, local bodies of believers, I believe we can safely say that the New Testament pattern is for "the church" to find local expressions and for Christians to gather with other believers regularly for intentional worship and study of God's Word. Hebrews 10:25 is the classic command to worship with others.

However, my defense of church goes beyond the command to gather with other believers. Like C.S. Lewis in the quote above, I find "the church" a place where people from different educational and work backgrounds, from different social and cultural settings, from different ages and ethnicities and countries, come together not to be identical, but to celebrate that with all these differences, we still worship One Lord, have One Spirit indwelling us, and have One Heart to glorify the One Who saved us. Last Sunday at church, I hugged a sweet 80-something lady, swung a four-year-old in the air, discussed the situation in Eritrea with a brother from Cameroon, and lamented over the pending move of a couple from Hungary. I messed up the recording of a sermon by my pastor who works at UPS, and caught up with a friend who works a farm with her husband. On the surface I had more differences than similarities with all these people, but we had a unity that went beyond any differences. Some of my "heroes" in the faith are those people like Lewis mentioned, those saints in "old elastic side boots" - boots worn from use in kingdom purposes, with holes in the knees of their pants from hours spent in prayer.

A sweet young friend in Niger wrote of her joy at finally getting to attend a church service. She lives out in the village and sees the stars all the time. She loves nature and helps provide food by gardening. Yet her joy reached new heights when she praised God with other believers - 8 languages all together. This is the church! She didn't have to tell me that the church she went to was imperfect. I know it was - it was comprised of humans. Yet God designed it for a purpose, and just reading about it was beautiful.

One of the Scriptures that never fails to surprise me time and again is Ephesians 3:8-10:

"To me the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." 

I always reread that verse to see if it says what I think it says. Yep, it does. God's wisdom is made known through the church to rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Something about the church shows God's wisdom to spiritual beings. I've been in a lot of churches over the years and frankly, church would not appear at the top of my list of "Ways to show wisdom to spiritual beings." It might not even break the top 100!

And yet ... the wisdom of man is foolishness to God. For in this ragtag bunch of humans trying to worship God, with all our differences and failings of the flesh, God's wisdom is revealed. I don't know how. But there is something powerful at work -- something that cannot be conquered by the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18). As "the church" moves to advance the kingdom of God, darkness is pushed back. That promise isn't made about great social organizations like Habitat for Humanity, political parties, or even nations. It's only made about the church - that messy group of people all over the world, manifested in local bodies of believers, who sometimes have little in common besides Jesus.

And that's reason enough for me to defend church.

Psalm 122

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
let us go to the house of the Lord.
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
To praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel.
There the thrones for judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say,
"Peace be with you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 134

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
Who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
May the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
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As we journey through life we meet fellow travellers along the way. Some journey with us for a lifetime; others for a season; still others for only a brief period of time. It doesn't matter how long we journey with another believer; our goal should be to use the gifts God has given us to impart grace to their walk with the Lord. We can encourage each other to love and good deeds and most of all, to a life of worship.

What a beautiful benediction for the journey we've been on together. Just as the travelers would end their journey with this benediction, so we who journey together can receive this as a blessing from the Lord for each other.

Thank you for walking through this Psalms of Ascent journey with me. God has been pouring into me through these Psalms this entire year, and it's not over yet. He's called me to stay in these Psalms in my quiet time for a season. They are now part of my Scripture memory file cabinet, and for the last few weeks God has "sung me to sleep" with these words, as I start at Psalm 120 and recite until I fall asleep (usually somewhere around Psalm 125 ;) ). I've enjoyed processing what I'm learning through these blog posts. But now, we each continue on our own journeys with the Lord. I'll continue blogging here, and I hope our paths cross again. In the meantime I can think of no better benediction than this Psalm and a song that takes some of its lines from the blessings in the Psalms of Ascent.

May the Lord bless you all the days of your lives -- so that you can be a tremendous blessing to many!

Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
Running down on the beard,
Running down on Aaron's beard,
Down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows His blessing, life forevermore.
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Unity. It's far more important to God than we like to think. Those of us from the U.S. - one of the most individualistic countries on earth - seem to especially struggle with community. But the concept of unity isn't just a challenge for rugged individualists. Even group-oriented societies have a hard time with true unity.

I think that's one reason God gave us two very clear, undeniable passages about unity. This Psalm, together with John 17, leave followers of Jesus with no doubt about God's will. He wants us to be in unity with our fellow believers. Those who are in the community of believers should actively seek unity, within individual churches but also across the church as a whole.

Our struggle isn't with understanding what God desires. It's with living out what that means. What is unity?

I think we have to start answering that question first by defining what unity is NOT. Unity is not uniformity. We don't have to look alike, act alike, or parrot each other's opinions. Paul makes very clear in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 that God has equipped the church with various gifts, and as a result we all play different roles. Furthermore, we see in the example of the apostles that God used each one of them with their unique personalities. Rough-around-the-edges Peter could never play the same role as highly-educated Paul ... yet God used them both. He doesn't ask us to mimic others; we are to focus on being Christlike, not cookie cutters of our leaders or famous Christians. We can learn from others, of course, but our walk with God is unique and we undermine His intentions for us when we try to become like someone else. That's not unity.

Along the same lines, unity does not mean we have to be equally excited about ministry tasks. I know I'm not called to children's ministry. I love kids, but not in the same way that the children's church leaders do - they truly get excited to teach kids about Jesus. That doesn't mean I am out of unity with my church's Vacation Bible School focus later this month or with our ongoing children's church efforts. Likewise, the rhythm of my heart leaps at the idea of expanding the Gospel to unreached people groups, raising awareness about missions, being a "good sender" in fulfilling the Great Commission, immigrants in our country, and pretty much anything global. Those in my church whose heart leaps at the thought of 50 kids coming to next week's VBS are not out of unity with me. To fulfill the Great Commission and take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, God has to give different gifts and callings to believers, and we have to work together to make it happen. We can't just each pursue our own ministry interests without regard for others; that is at least part of Paul's meaning behind the words to the church at Philippi: "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Phil. 2:4).

So what IS unity? Thankfully Scripture sheds insight here as well. Paul wrote about this to the churches at Corinth and Ephesus: 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. - (1Cr 12:4-6 NASB)

being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. - (Eph 4:3-6 NASB)

We serve the same Lord. The same Holy Spirit works in us all. This "unity of the Spirit" is a gift that we have been given. I can rally around what He is up to, even if it isn't "my calling". I can help in practical ways, or pray, or give, or tell others who might be called to that ministry. I can trust God to put on the hearts of others what He desires them to do related to those ministries that stir the passions of my heart. I can know that above all things, God is orchestrating the work of missions. No one will ever be more interested in fulfilling the Great Commission than Him!

Bottom line: Unity recognizes how much we need each others. John Stott put it this way: "...stones need mortar in order to stick to one another....Each stone is cemented in with other stones and so is part of the building."

When it comes to working with other churches who may have different beliefs about nonessential matters, I can take a cue from Paul's words later in Ephesians 4. After addressing the unity of the Spirit which we have been granted but have to hold on to, he looks forward to a day when there will be a unity of the faith - when we have a mutual understanding of those things are not clear in Scripture. We don't have that yet, but in the meantime we can learn and grow together and see the value of gifts God has given to other church traditions. For example - Our women's Bible study group had a great discussion about how God has taught several of us to appreciate the holiness and majesty of God through some of the liturgical churches.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. - (Eph 4:11-13 NASB)

We can also appreciate that unity will never destroy the beauty of the diversity of the global body of Christ. African drums and dancing;  slow, vocalized Scripture reading of the Cambodian church; the silent whispered hymns of the underground church in China -- all these are expressions of the church that can be fully embraced within the unity of the Spirit. God is honored by all sorts of different expressions of worship - even those that don't look like ours. When we get to the throne room, we'll enjoy the fullness of unity and diversity, as John's vision shows the ethnic distinctions intact:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." - (Rev 7:9-10 NASB)

He reigns. He wants us to walk in unity, to expand that reign throughout all the earth. That is the blessing of life forevermore - a blessing far beyond what the Psalmist could envision.

Psalm 132

Oh Lord remember David and all the hardships he endured.
He swore an oath to the Lord, and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:


"I will not enter my house or go to my bed;
I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,
Till I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."


We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:


"Let us go to His dwelling place,
Let us worship at His footstool.
Arise, O Lord, and come to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your might.
May Your priests be clothed with righteousness; may Your saints sing for joy."


For the sake of David your servant, do not reject Your anointed one.
The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath that He will not revoke;


"One of your own descendants I will place on your throne -
if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit on your throne forever and ever."


For the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for his dwelling:


"This is my resting place forever and ever,
Here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.


I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.
Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for My anointed one.
I will cloth his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent."

-----------------------------------------------------


God loves it when our hearts are set on worship. This Psalm recounts one of the many episodes that led to David being called "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22).

The background can be found in 1 Samuel 4-7. The Philistines attacked Jerusalem and took the ark. Much to their dismay, it didn't bring them the victory the God's presence had afforded Israel; instead, their "god" Dagon fell before the ark with only his trunk remaining. Frightened, the Philistines sent the ark away and it remained at Kiriath-jearim for 20 years. Years later, as recorded in 2 Samuel 6, David desired to bring the ark back to Jerusalem. He initially erred by not bringing the ark according to God's commands, and after a three month pause, resumed the effort by following God's commands meticulously. Finally the ark is "home" - and David's worship is joyous: "And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might..." (2 Sam. 6:14). 

But it wasn't enough. David saw the ark home, and the nation could once again celebrate the fullness of the rituals God had established. Still, the heart of a worshipper desired more. David wanted to build a house for the Lord. God saw David's heart, and responded with an amazing answer:

When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. - (2Sa 7:12-13 NIV)

David the worshipper wanted to build God a house - and God says guess what, I'm building you one! Amazing.


This Psalm, written for an uncertain occasion, connects Israel with their beloved king. With a strong sense of the significance of God's covenant with David, the singers of this Psalm ask God not to reject the king, and remind themselves of His covenant promises.  Considering that one possible setting for the singing of these Psalms of Ascent was upon the return from the captivity to Babylon, the reminder of God's faithfulness is highly significant. They would have a new leader, and after 70 years in captivity they wanted to know that God was still for them. Singing about David's faithfulness to God and God's faithfulness to David, they would be reminded that yes, He was still sovereign over Israel.

Don't we need those kind of reminders at times? When we've messed up, or just faced the weakness of our flesh, or when the weight of living in a fallen world seems unbearable, we need to know that God is faithful. We need to connect our present circumstances to something beyond ourselves. We need perspective.

For those of us in Christ, the Holy Spirit is our assurance that the New Covenant promises will be fulfilled, to the letter. When we need it most, He fills our hearts with reassurance that He is working through us for His glory. He reminds us that today is not the end of the story. He lets us know that His unfailing love remains. And we are able to meet another day in His strength.

To me, Paul's words in Romans 8 are as reassuring as Psalm 132 must have been for the children of Israel. May God use them to minister to you today. Remember, you are part of something bigger than today's circumstances. He is FOR you!

Romans 8 (ESV)

Life in the Spirit

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

26 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. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Withness

Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. (John 1:14 NET)

One of the beautiful things I've seen in Scripture over the years is what I like to call the increasing "withness" of God. I've come to see that it defines our message and impacts our ministry.

In the garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve. He came down and interacted with them in the world He'd created for their dwelling place. Sin disrupted that communion, and ever since man has tried to find ways to reach up to God, to experience that "withness".

Amazingly, God's plan of redemption didn't stop at restoring the lost fellowship of garden-walking-and-talking. His plan involved deepening the fellowship beyond anything Adam and Eve could have dreamed.

We saw glimpses in the pillar of fire and the cloud that led the Israelites, and then the tabernacle. God's presence would come down visibly -- the "Shekinah" glory -- and it was so great that the Israelites asked Moses to go up on their behalf. Moses would so shine with the glory of the presence of God that he would have to wear a veil over his face for a period of time afterward. God's Shekinah glory also visited the temple designed by David and built by Solomon. Intermingled in the stories of the Israelites are times when God's Spirit would visit not merely the temple, but rest upon individuals as well, equipping them for a task.

But it wasn't enough. God was merely setting the stage for an unveiling of a withness no one could imagine. When the time was right, He Himself would come down to earth in human form, and live among the people He created. Just imagine for a minute: You build an ant colony (like many of you probably did in elementary school). Curious what life is like for the ants in your glass enclosure, you find a way to enter their world - not as a human, but as an ant. That's a weak analogy of the Incarnation. God - the Word - became flesh and dwelt (literally, "Tabernacled") among us as Jesus Christ. Philippians 2 says He "emptied Himself".

Now in our human understanding that seems sufficient. He's walking with us again, just as in the garden. But God in His wisdom had an even bigger plan ... a Promise of intimacy deeper than a walk in the garden. Jesus Himself described it the night before His death:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. - (John 14:16-20 ESV)

Jesus would die, be resurrected, and ascend to the Father so that we could experience a deeper level of intimacy with God than walks in the garden. He sent the promised Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers. Paul later would teach that the Holy Spirit is the sign of a true believer (Romans 8:9-15) and the seal of our salvation (Ephesians 4:30). So believers in Jesus now have the constant presence of God, a withness beyond imagination. And after a lifetime of walking by faith that His unseen presence is with us, we have the promise that immediately upon death we will behold Him - we will be with Him, in His presence. Heaven will be, first and foremost, the deepest level of withness imaginable.


So - if we have experienced such deep "withness" from God, what difference should that make in our ministry and work to advance the kingdom of God? Obviously, we are motivated to want others to experience what we know to be true. But I think there is another key lesson for being on mission with God.

God is God. He could have redeemed any way He wanted. Yet He chose a path of "withness" - of presence, of incarnation. And once He started that path, He chose others to minister with Him. Certainly the day-to-day work of ministry would have been easier for Him if He hadn't had to constantly teach and correct the disciples. He knew all the right answers. He had a firm grasp on which demons required prayer and fasting. He knew ahead of time what people were thinking and who would believe and who would reject Him. And yet, He still chose to have others on His team -- 72 that were sent out in pairs to minister in the region, 12 to be apostles, 3 that would be with Him at the most personal moments of His ministry.

The example of Christ shows us that we don't advance God's kingdom in a vacuum. First, we have to be incarnational ourselves -- going and adapting to those we long to reach. That might be another people group across the world, an international population in our country, an inner city youth group, or just the women in our Bible study. People need to know we identify with them, and when that happens we will be able to minister at a deeper level. Cancer survivors are great at ministering to cancer patients because they truly know what they are facing. Missions studies over the past few generations have shown that simply adapting to the food and dress of a culture makes a big difference in how the message is received. There are many ways to become incarnational - the main point is that we see ourselves not merely going to a people but in some way emptying ourselves in the process.

But incarnational ministry goes beyond how we approach those we serve. Jesus - who held full authority, was completely perfect, and had all the answers - ministered with others. Too many times we think of ministering to a group of people, especially those in need: ministering "to the poor"; "to the abused""; "to the drug addict"; is all part of the evangelical lingo. But with few exceptions, our ministry can always find a way to be with, not to. Ministering to can easily become patronizing or enabling. Ministering with grants the other a level of dignity, an honor that says we see them in the image God as having something significant to contribute.

One of the most significant books I've read this year is When Helping Hurts. It talks about alleviating poverty and points out that with few exceptions (such as the immediate hours and days after a natural disaster), people can participate in the rebuilding and development process. When we go in thinking we have all the answers, some unfortunate things happen: tractors are donated to people who lack the ability to purchase gasoline; a harvest is increased on land that is worked by tenant farmers who only get a limited return on their labor; and so on.

When we practice "withness" the results are very different. One missionary received a hearing for the Gospel after introducing earthworms to meet a basic need of improving soil. The development is sustainable and the farmers are receptive to the truth. A ministry I know of establishes communities of believers within cities in Asia, living as close as possible to the people and helping meet basic needs in ways that honor the people's traditions, such as neighborhood dinners. In another part of the world, a young woman is learning to garden and plans to establish a community garden where everyone contributes to the effort and shares the rewards. Along the way, conversations about God flow naturally.

Withness doesn't have to happen overseas. It can happen when the homeless population helps serve and clean up the meal provided, such as the Salvation Army and Southchurch do in our city. The main point is to see ministry as with not to. And intentionally seek ways to bring those we serve into a relationship that involves ministering to their own.

Truly God changes everything. Even the way we look at serving. May we humbly serve with others, leading them to know the One who came so we could experience His withness forever.

An open letter from Afghan Christians

Today's email brought a heart-wrenching letter. A source that I trust completely and who has personal knowledge of the organizations involved passed this along and asked for prayer. Since this letter has been issued as an "open letter", I felt that it is safe to publish it in this format. You'll see below two sections: The "introduction to the letter" written by Christian ministries that work with Afghan believers, and then then letter itself, written by Afghan Christians currently displaced to India due to persecution.

You may be surprised to notice that the believers ask for prayer and advocacy toward ending the persecution. It's a myth that persecuted believers never want us to pray for their deliverance, or that persecution is always a good thing. Paul's words to the Thessalonians give us full Biblical permission to pray for deliverance from persecution:

And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. (2 Thess. 3:2)

Furthermore, Scripture doesn't give a clear answer on what someone in persecution should do. As John Bunyan - the author of Pilgrim's Progress and himself a persecuted believer - noted clearly, Biblical heroes seemed to be led by the Spirit rather than a single approach to such situations:

May we try to escape? Thou mayest do in this as it is in thy heart. If it is in thy heart to fly, fly: if it be in thy heart to stand, stand. Any thing but a denial of the truth. He that flies, has warrant to do so; he that stands, has warrant to do so. Yea, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be. Moses fled, Exodus 2:15; Moses stood, Hebrews 11:27. David fled, 1 Samuel 19:12; David stood, 1 Samuel 24:8. Jeremiah fled, Jeremiah 37:11-12; Jeremiah stood, Jeremiah 38:17. Christ withdrew himself, Luke 9:10; Christ stood, John 18:1-8. Paul fled, 2 Corinthians 11:33; Paul stood, Act 20:22-23. . . . There are few rules in this case. The man himself is best able to judge concerning his present strength, and what weight this or that argument has upon his heart to stand or fly. . . . Do not fly out of a slavish fear, but rather because flying is an ordinance of God, opening a door for the escape of some, which door is opened by God's providence, and the escape countenanced by God's Word.... (John Bunyan, Seasonable Counsels, or Advice to Sufferers, in The Works of John Bunyan, Vol. 2, ed. George Offor (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1991, orig., 1854), 726.)

When placed in the position that we are in as free believers, we cannot accurately judge the decision by these believers to flee and others to stay. We have to simply pray for God to give them wisdom, and trust that He is guiding them with the same Holy Spirit that guides us. So I encourage you to pray as they request you to do so, knowing that God's kingdom work is of utmost importance. Advocate however God leads you. I'm convinced that God wants the Afghan church to not merely survive, hanging on by a thread and dispersed throughout the world, but to thrive, living out their faith in the land of their hearts and transforming it for the glory of God.
 -------------------------------------------------------

An Open Letter from the Afghan Christian Community to the Body of Christ Worldwide:

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER (from those working with Afghan believers in the country)

We need your help to stop the Afghan government from arresting Afghan Christians and condemning them to death by public execution!

The enclosed letter addresses recent events inside Afghanistan that have unfolded since May 27th, 2010 after an incendiary documentary showing photos and videos of secret "Afghan Christian Converts" aired on Noorin TV, an independent tv station based in Kabul. The documentary was the first of its kind to ever air publicly on national TV in Afghanistan, a country that considers itself to be 100% Muslim. The controversial content, revealing names and faces of supposed Afghan Christian converts, sparked riots and demonstrations throughout Afghanistan in the days that followed.

During the ensuing protests, demonstrators called on President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan government to take strong and decisive actions against these exposed Afghan Christian converts by enforcing the Afghan constitution, based on Islamic Sharia law, which clearly call for the arrest and public execution of anyone who leaves Islam for another religion.

According to an online report by the Associated Free Press dated June 1, 2010, Abdul Sattar Khawasi, deputy secretary of the Afghan lower house in parliament, called for the execution of Christian converts from Islam saying, "those Afghans that appeared in this video film should be executed in public, the house should order the Attorney General and the NDS (intelligence agency) to arrest these Afghans and execute them".

In another reported statement, Qazi Nazir Ahmad, a lawmaker from Herat, declared that killing a Muslim who converts to Christianity is "not a crime". Waheed Omar, the spokesman for the President, told reporters that President Hamid Karzai himself was "personally" taking an interest in this case, and had ordered his interior minister and the head of the country´s spy agency to do a full investigation and "to take immediate and serious action to prevent this phenomenon".

Reports from inside Afghanistan already tell of many arrests in recent days, frequent and ongoing searches of homes and businesses, as well as claims of torture by those under arrest in an effort to forcibly extract the names of other Afghan Christian converts and the locations of secret Afghan Christian "churches" and underground fellowships throughout the country.

In light of all these events, and the perplexing media silence on these atrocities occurring in plain view of the international community, we are pleading with the Body of Christ around the world to support our Afghan Christian brothers and sisters during this critical time by taking a firm and vocal stand against the severe and devastating wrongs being committed against them by their own government!

We ask that you please forward and share the enclosed "open letter to the church" with your friends, churches, prayer groups, human rights advocates, the media, your local representatives, senators and other government bodies and authorities... We need everyone's help to make our voices heard!

We must make people aware that right now our Afghan Christian brothers and sisters are being subjected to forcible arrest, intimidation, fear, torture and certain public execution merely for choosing to be Christian! We must raise up a standard against these egregious injustices and blatant human rights violations by taking a strong and public stand against these unconscionable actions being perpetrated and condoned by the Afghan government from the parliament floor against its own people!

The enclosed letter was written on June 8, 2010 by Afghan Christians who are currently living in exile from their beloved homeland because they were forced to flee their country in order to save their lives and the lives of their families, due to orders of execution issued against them by the Afghan government for choosing to convert to Christianity:

Letter to the Body of Christ around the world,

written by members of the Afghan Christian community on June 9, 2010:

To the Body of Christ:

This letter is written by the Afghan Christian Community in New Delhi, India which is a small community of 150 Afghan Christian refugees and asylum seekers.

We left our country because we were sentenced to death on the account of our Christian faith (conversion), as Afghanistan is a Muslim Country, the Afghan Government is an Islamic government, and Islam is the only formal religion of the country, and according to the Constitutional law of the Afghan Islamic Republic, conversion is considered as a big crime, Christian are called pagans and infidels and are sentenced to death by the Afghan Government. Christians are considered criminals. Death penalty is waiting for all those who want to leave the darkness and come to the true light, repent from their sins, and put their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Savior of all human being.

We believe that you (the Body of Christ) have already heard that some pictures and movies of the Afghan believers (from Delhi and Kabul) were shown by an Afghan Private TV (Noorin TV), this TV channel showed these picture in a especial program (Sarzameen Man), and the Government and people were encouraged and provoked to think about the issue of conversion, to make a stand against it and to take serious and practical measures and actions to destroy Afghan Converted Christians (Sons of God) and those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Lost.

The Afghan Parliament, Senate, Religious Council and Islamic Parties and leaders made statements that the Afghan Government has to search, find, arrest, deliver to courts and executes all Afghan Christians, and the Christian NGOs and Organization have to be stopped too. University students protested against Afghan Christians in Kabul and Herat Provinces, and the Afghan Government also made a statement that all Afghan Christians will be arrested and executed, and the Christian NGOs and Organizations which involved with the issues of conversion will be closed.

Mr. Mujajdi the Chairman Of Afghan Senate said that if the Afghan Government does not take serious action, he and other Islamic leaders will call and request the Afghan people to take practical measures to kill all Afghan Christians. President Karzai himself showed his personal interest in this regard and said that all Afghan Christians will be arrested and executed and Christian organizations which are involved with this issue will be stopped. He ordered the Afghan security organs to take serious measures in this regard. The Afghan Home Minister and the Chairman of the Afghan Intelligence told the Afghan Parliament that 4 Afghan Christian individuals and one family have been arrested and they are under investigation, 13 NGOs have been named and suspended, the names of Afghan Christians have been listed, and the Afghan Intelligence agency is trying to arrest them. Two Church organizations by the names of WCA and NCA have been closed. As we are in contact with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, many believers are arrested, our houses are checked by police and intelligence people in Afghanistan, our families and parents (though they are Muslim) are under investigation and even arrested, and all Afghan believers are misplaced.

1. So, We (Afghan Christian Community) along with our other Afghan Christian brothers and sisters who are in Afghanistan request you to:

2. Please pray for us and for this critical situation, pray for those who are arrested, and those who are under investigation. Please come together and help your Afghan brothers and sisters in Christ, as we are sentenced to death, we are arrested, we are under investigation, the Afghan Government kills us because we believe on Jesus Christ, we know that we should consider it pure joy when we suffer (James 1: 1 -4), and we are enjoying all suffering all joy. But we also know that faith without deeds is useless (James 2: 14 - 17), and this is the time to raise your voice for your brothers and sisters, for our children, for our old parents, for the execution of thousand Afghan believers. This is the day that all of us should come together and pray, think, help and raise our voices to the International Community, to put pressure on the Afghan Government to stop killing, persecuting and executing Afghan Christians, to give us freedom of religion, to respect and accept us as Afghan Christians.

3. We do not know how the whole world and especially the Global Church is silent and closing their eyes, while thousand of their brothers and sisters (Body of Christ) are in pain, facing life danger and death penalty, and are tortured, persecuted and called criminals because they believe in the Truth.

We need to wake up, get up and speak up today, and to prove it that we are really in concern, and care for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we should help the persecuted part of the body of Christ, for His Glory. If we really believe that Lord Jesus Christ is God, then, He commands us to love Him and to love our neighbor, if our own brothers and sisters, are in pain and suffering, and we are silent and we ignore them and their suffering, then the question is that do we really obey Lord Jesus's commandment to love Him and our neighbor?

So, dear brothers and sister (the Body of Christ), we (Afghan Christian Community in New Delhi) on behalf of all Afghan Christians request you to support us by your prayers and practical measures, let us tell the Afghan Government that we are not pagans and infidels, we are not criminals because of our Christian faith, and let us tell them not to sentence us to death.

May God bless you!

Afghan Christian Community

(Obaid S. Christ)

Psalm 131

My heart is not proud, O Lord,
My eyes are not haughty.
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul.
Like a weaned child with its mother,
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
Both now and forevermore.
---------------------------------------------

I've struggled with this Scripture ever since I first read it. Frankly, it's one of those that pours forth as a prayer more easily than a statement.

I have always concerned myself with big questions. As a child, when I asked "Why is the sky blue?" I was unsatisfied with "Just because". I couldn't understand why it wasn't orange, or brown. There was always one more "Why?" behind my questions (and I was very excited to learn later about refraction!).

I don't know why God made me this way, but He did. As an adult I've had to learn to bring that under the control of the Holy Spirit, to approach my questions from a foundation of faith. That didn't happen right away -- first, I laid aside everything I'd grown up with and then began to pick it up, one "truth" at a time, and examine its validity. God wisely started me out with resources that helped me gain a strong conviction in the inspiration of Scripture. From that starting point, by God's grace I established my faith as my own in a way that fit who God made me to be. My faith is deep and real, but it is intellectually honest. Simply put, I think that the truth of Christianity is the most logical, reasonable things you'll ever come across. Lived out in a worldview that applies its teachings, it will "turn the world upside down".

But all this questioning hasn't stopped. I still wonder about the big questions. I'm opinionated by nature and if I don't have an opinion, my tendency is to research and learn so I can develop an informed perspective. So when I started memorizing this Psalm, my first comment to God was that I wasn't sure that was true in my life. I didn't think I was proud or haughty, but I was pretty sure I concern myself with lots of great matters and things too wonderful for me. Almost immediately God brought one of my favorite Scriptures to mind:

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. (Deut. 29:29)

The things revealed. God has given us His Word. He wants us to understand it. When I ask questions about Scripture, when I seek to truly understand what something means or how to live out a truth or whether something is culturally bound or applicable today, I'm not dealing with "great matters". I'm dealing with "things revealed." Based on God's reaction to people who asked about current events and the facts before them, I think even those questions that stem from observing the world around me fall into the "things revealed" category. (See for example Daniel, Habakkuk, Mary and the disciples.)

But what about Zechariah, who questioned the angel and was struck mute for 9 months. Zechariah is a favorite example of those who fear that asking God questions amounts to questioning God. I have come to see this as the issue reflected in verse 2 of Psalm 131: our soul must be "like a weaned child". That speaks of trust. Why does the Psalmist refer to a weaned child -- one no longer nursing? A nursing child cries and wails until it is fed. A weaned child, though, knows that Mom will take care of dinner. There is a trust that simply saying, "I'm hungry" will be sufficient.

God doesn't want me to quit asking questions. He just wants all the questions to come from a place of trust. A place of "hope in the Lord". He wants me to rest in His character and know His heart, even when things don't make sense. Notice I said that our faith is reasonable. That doesn't mean it is always logical from an earthly perspective. Indeed, it's a counter-cultural, upside down life where the way to success is servanthood, the want to overcome doubts is to step out in faith, and needs are met by sacrificing for others. To live that life I have to have a firm conviction in something unshakeable -- the character of God. There will always be a lot of questions. The one thing I'll never have to question, though, is Him.

So now I rest in the knowledge that I don't concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. Those are the secret things -- and I know the One who holds them in His hand. I learned about Him through the things He has revealed.

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness,
Therefore you are feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His Word I place my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
More than watchmen wait for the morning.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
For with the Lord is unfailing love,
And with Him is full redemption.
He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
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WOW. This is one of those Psalms that throws me into "Wide Open Worship". As I memorized it this week, I walked with arms outstretched to heaven, praising God for all that "full redemption" means. By the time I had it memorized, I was nearly having a "hallelujah fit".

This Psalm excites me because I've been in the depths. I've cried out to God and thrown myself on His mercy. Some Christians have the luxury of reading passages such as Leviticus 16-18's moral laws and identifying mainly through James' teaching that to violate one point of law makes us guilt of all of it. They read Paul's list of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and think it's great that God pulled such people together in a church there in Corinth, but they struggle to personally relate. I'm so grateful God has allowed so many of His children to avoid the depths of depravity by being raised in the church or at least in moral homes, coming to know Him and living for Him from childhood or young adulthood. As much as I wish that were my story, it's not.

My reality is that I relate very, very literally to the Law's requirements of death. My blood ran cold the first time I realized that under the Law, I would have died. As I began to realize that I was in the depths, I knew of only one thing to do: cry out for mercy. I honestly didn't know if God would hear. But I knew there was no other option. There was no Plan B. I knew I couldn't stand before Him with the record of my sins.

How thrilled I was to know that with Him there is forgiveness. I completely understand why the Psalmist says "therefore You are feared." At first it seems counterintuitive because we think it should say "You are loved". But truly, when we desperately hope for forgiveness we stand before God our Judge as one guilty of a crime - someone who wants the Judge to grant mercy. We "fear" in the sense of reverence or respect. When I served on a jury, the convicted man begged for mercy at sentencing. He wasn't casual or light in his approach. He was thoroughly respectful. God's forgiveness should yield the same tone of respect in our approach to Him. 

So, I did all that I could do. I waited on God, and put my hope in His Word--in passages like Psalm 103:12. I threw everything I had into believing that truly, He Himself would redeem me -- through the sacrifice He made on the cross. An anonymous statement became a guide as I sought God's Word and learned that truly, Jesus' sacrifice was all I needed.

Upon a life I did not live,
Upon a death I did not die,
Another's life, another's death,
I stake my whole eternity. 

Truly, I learned that He offered unfailing love and full redemption. I learned He would redeem ALL my sins. I soon recognized myself in Scripture as the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50). All I could do was worship.

As I memorized this Psalm, I was taken back to those early days of awakening to the knowledge of my sins and of His full redemption. I had struggled to put those feelings into words and then a Gospel song was released that beautifully described my experience. As you listen to Cece Winans sing Alabaster Box, think back to your own cries from the depths. Praise Him for His forgiveness and unfailing love. And never forget that He has given you full redemption. There are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. Though no one else understands the "price of your praise", He receives it gladly. And He will use you to tell others that His full redemption is still available for all who will by faith receive it.

Psalm 129

They have greatly oppressd me from my youth - let Israel say -

They have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.

Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.

But the Lord is righteous;

He has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

My all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;

With it the reaper cannot fill his hands,

Nor the one who gathers fill his arms.

May those who pass by not say,

"The blessing of the Lord be upon you;

We bless you in the name of the Lord."

I am so grateful for Psalms like this which give me full Biblical permission to know that God is on my side in any struggle with the enemy.

I can identify with being "greatly oppressed from my youth" by the enemies of Satan, the world, and worst of all, my own flesh. I have scars from "long furrows on my back". The worst of it is that most of those furrows started with seeds that I chose to plant. It's always easier to believe God is on your side when the attack is completely one that is not of your choosing. The enemy beat me up for 7 years before I came to realize that God wanted to free me from the oppression I had entered willingly. He was righteous, and cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

Maybe that's why I don't have the struggles with the latter part of the Psalm that some people do. "Zion" is used in Scripture to refer to God's habitation, or to Jerusalem as the spiritual seat of Israel. "Hating Zion" is essentially hating what God stands for, what is close to His heart. Of course those who would be coming against God's purposes should be turned back. Of course He is greatly interested that what they plant withers and dies. And of course, we should not bless what is opposed to God. Israel tried that in her history, and ended up in exile as a result.

This passage should encourage believers to be bold and continue advancing for the sake of the kingdom of God. We of all people should never be discouraged when the world acts like the world. We have the answer: a countercultural community that engages with loving acts of service and holds forth an example of radical love for each other. It's called the church. And God has guaranteed its success: Matt. 16:18 says "...upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The verbage reflects a church on the offensive. The gates of hell will not stop what God is doing in the church. His eternal purpose depends upon it! No one is more dedicated to seeing His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven than He is.

So step out in the freedom God has granted you. Move away from the oppression of your youth and into the victory of your maturity. Trust me, based on Psalm 129: God is on your side!