Refuge

The Lord is my refuge, a very present help in time of trouble. (Ps. 46.1)

On the morning of 9/11, 2001, TV stations all over the world broadcast images of the unimaginable: New York’s two tallest symbols of commerce and trade came crashing down before our eyes. While we struggled to make sense of the insensible, my boss came to me at work and asked if I would speak a few words of encouragement to the staff. I had no idea what to say. Who was I to make commentary on the incomprehensible? Lord? Help! Immediately, “Psalm 46” popped into my mind. I didn’t know at the time that this is the perfect commentary, both then and now: God is our refuge, God is our strength, God is our safe space, and He, The Lord of Angel Armies, is on the side of His own: He would defeat our enemies. We need only be still. The Lord will fight for us.

While I understand the contemporary use of the phrase “Be still and know that I am God” whenever we are distressed for some reason, the context of this Psalm is war. God alone will be exalted, He will triumph and reign. He is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Mighty Warrior; He will defeat ours and His enemies.

Daily it seems we hear of the controversies over sanctuary cities, college safe spaces, political asylum, shelter-seeking for a multitude of reasons. But God’s shelter is not a political or social issue. It is an issue of being in right relationship with Him. A day of reckoning is coming. We see the signs all around us, conflict and corruption on every front: political, social, economical, geological, meteorological, technological and the list goes on. God will not tolerate indefinitely the depraved state of the world. One day soon He is going to accelerate the judgment signs that are already evident. And when that day comes, where will we seek refuge? Survival bunkers? Sanctuary cities? Government programs? The only guaranteed safe place is in God Himself. This does not necessarily mean physical safety. But regardless of how God chooses to deliver us or protect us, even if we die and go to Him, our only safety is in Him. God promises to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Yes. The end of the Age. The end of the earth’s Age is coming, and at long last God is going to make all things right (hallelujah). Where will you be? Will you be tucked under His wings, or floundering in your own strength? We can’t control outside events, but we can control our responses to them, being settled in our minds that God is with us, He is on our side.

Yes. God is on our side. But there is a condition: we must be on His. That is, we must believe that He is and that He calls us to faith in Him. When we place our hope, salvation, reliance, trust, allegiance and obedience in Him alone, then we come under the umbrella of all His promises. God has provided one way for us to do that: Jesus.

Jesus is God’s provision for forgiveness of all that is wrong in us, the Bible calls it sin, imperfections no matter how small or how large, no matter a white lie, a snide remark, an unkind thought, a boastful look, or the most egregious crime. There is not a person who has ever lived who has not done, or thought, something wrong in some way–even Mother Theresa. That’s why God had to send His Son, Jesus, to take the penalty in our place. Because, only a perfectly righteous human could pay for the wrongs of hopelessly flawed mankind. It was a horrible price to pay, and the only road to redemption is by forgiveness through faith in Christ. The offer is extended to all. God’s borders are open, BUT, there is only one way to get across. Asking Jesus for forgiveness and accepting that His sacrifice and His alone will gain us entrance to God’s Kingdom, making us eligible for the promises God has made in the Bible. All you have to do is talk to Him, ask Him to forgive you and help you live for Him. Tell Jesus you want life in Him, and He will send His Holy Spirit to live in you. That is true Life, whether we are alive physically or not. Time is short, we never know what is around the corner. Jesus is waiting. He’s calling your name.

It’s Impossible To Sever The Tether

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39, emphasis added)

Many years ago I had this mental picture of a tether ball and pole–representing our lives. The pole represents Jesus, our stalwart strong core, the ball the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” as Hamlet would say. In the day in-day out of living, we can be knocked around, but at stasis, we come back to the pole. In Jesus, we cannot be un-tethered from it, no matter what. Because, He Himself is our lynchpin, and no one can take us away from Him.

Notice it is the love of God in Christ Jesus that keeps us. I used to mentally debate with this somewhat, in the personal application of it, thinking well, after all Jesus loves everyone, so does that necessarily apply to me? Yes, it does. Do I always feel it? No. As a matter of fact I don’t. I write this for any others who may struggle with the same thing. I am not one of those who, frankly at any point, has felt the warm, fuzzy, personal, me as distinctive, love of God. Well, that isn’t entirely true, because the salvation moment and afterglow is definitely euphoric, but that remains more of a one time experience in the distant background of my Christian walk. Maybe this has more to do with having always felt that way in life: just another starfish on the beach.

Do I believe that God loves us individually? Yes, because I believe the Word, I believe all the wonderful provision, protection, experiences, friendships, beauty of creation He has placed before me. I do not doubt at all God’s goodness. But my faith, love, loyalty, desire to be obedient is based more on head knowledge than heart knowledge. I don’t know why that is. I deeply love God, and I know that for that to be true, He must first have loved me, called me to Himself. And, maybe, that in and of itself is the evidence. I could not love God at all, Scripture tells us and I believe, if He did not first love me. After all, Paul tells us in Ephesians, He knew my name and appointed me for His Kingdom before He created the world!  I am not one who by nature bounces from extreme highs to lows. Maybe that is the crux of it. Are you one feeling at all this way? Do you still love God, deeply? Well then, there is your proof. You may be a starfish, but your imprint is unique, and the God of infinite variety, from the platypus to the swan, from the praying mantis to the butterfly, from the manatee to the hummingbird, has crafted and enjoys you. Yes. You.

So how do we know, what is our guarantee?  Jesus, His love, His care, His attention, His Position at the right hand of the Father, King, and Lord. And once having connected ourselves to Him through salvation, we cannot become un-connected. No-thing can separate us from Him.

L’chaim

L’chaim: to life

I have a good friend whose grandson is being born today. How appropriate to be born on the day upon which thousands of Christians March for Life in Washington DC. Since the passage of Roe v Wade, our nation has systematically sacrificed over 60 million babies on the altar of personal “choice.” That these little ones are truly babies cannot be denied, no matter how viciously, and desperately, the pro abortion people try to do so. When God said let Us make man in Our image, He forever imprinted Himself upon the seed of mankind. Just because a fruit tree starts out as a seed instead of fully grown, doesn’t negate its identity as a fruit tree. Only Adam and Eve arrived fully developed. All other life forms grow to completion. There are numerous places in Scripture to validate God’s view of the yet-to-be-born as having identity in His eyes. As my friend and I prayed yesterday for the scheduled birth this morning, she prayed for something I had never really thought about: this little boy’s experience going through the birth process.

Imagine that! We don’t remember it, of course, but surely these little ones are feeling the contractions. My guess is without fear as they have not yet been exposed to the outside world where injury can touch them. They have been sheltered, nurtured, cushioned, protected in their mothers’ wombs. But all that is about to change. Pre-natal videos have shown us that babies in utero can experience pain, so we know that they will feel birthing contractions. Imagine the confusion! No wonder God doesn’t allow us to remember that. We enter this world, from darkness to light, with no understanding, but with wonder? Wonder indeed! What a wonder is this work of God! This little human bearing His image, destined with a plan from God, to play a part in His Kingdom. The number of those destinies that we have snuffed out through abortion is its own holocaust. May our nation experience a moral revolution, unparalleled in our history, to restore our foundation to the right things of God! Only then will we see this horror stopped and honor returned.

Swords

The power of life and death is in the tongue. (Prov. 18:21)

A few years ago I posted some thoughts on how to control the use of our words.

Words, swords indeed. There’s not a person alive who hasn’t suffered the injury of a cutting remark–accusation, condescension, criticism, disparagement, dismissal. In the age of Twitter and Facebook, it has become an art-form–with nothing artful about it. While words have always been used to slice, dice, and serve up vitriol and contempt, even to incite violence, the ability to do so in such a cowardly manner has never been more widespread and available than with modern technology, no more evident than in the news and social media. The age of civility is dead and buried, bullying destroying lives.

Is it any wonder that Scripture is full of admonitions to guard our speech! If God created the universe and all that is in it with a verbal command, should that not tell us the importance of speech? Not that we create in the way He does, but we certainly can  create havoc, destruction, healing, inspiration. Life or death? What will it be?

It is no coincidence that the only offensive weapon in the Armor of God, is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Have you ever tried praying Scripture? I don’t know about you, but so often I don’t know how, or what, to pray in any given situation. Primarily because I don’t always know the will of God enough in this instance to be specific. But we can always know the general, published will of God through His Word. And how can that ever fail? Don’t know where to start? Try the Psalms, or Paul’s epistles. They are filled with examples of words to pray back to God. Paul even constructs prayers for us. We can join him. And knowing that Jesus now lives at the right hand of the Father ever making intercession for us–how better than to say, “Father, whatever Your Son is saying right now to You about this situation, I say Yea and Amen!”

Jehovah-Sabaoth

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies–He is the King of glory. (Ps. 24:10)

Yes, the Baby is a Warrior. Jesus is not only the mild-mannered, gentle-spirited, peace-preaching God-man, He is also Commander-in-Chief of angel armies.  And He is coming back, spear-point of heaven’s armies in the battle of all battles, to put an end to the rebellion in human history as we know it. Fierce, unrelenting, sword raised, seated upon His white destrier, furious at the work of Evil in corrupting His creation, leading the charge. No namby-pamby Jesus here.

So what is the relevance for us now, in the throes of persecution, injustice, deprivation, moral-political-cultural corruption all around us? It gives us the assurance and anticipation to know that Jesus is coming to make all things right. That even now He intervenes in the affairs of men and nations, that indeed, as Christ followers we too are soldiers under His command, called and appointed, assigned to tasks in His earthly army. Our weapons are spiritual, and mighty, we need only remember, and like the lightning bolts that say “here we are,” report for duty.

The Apostle Paul tells us Jesus’ triumph on the Cross disarmed the spiritual powers and made a public spectacle of them. The work was finished then, but the final execution of it is yet to be. What we can be assured of is that Jesus is on our side, He is still in command, His next appearance will be as a mighty Warrior, clothed in glory, riding in victory, to make all things right again. Hallelujah!

 

 

 

Jehovah-Shalom

Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace

Shalom: peace, wholeness, well-being, safety

This name for God, like Jehovah-Jireh, is used only once in the Bible: during the story of Gideon and his call to defeat the Midianites (see Judges chapter 6). The Jewish people were living in hiding, being disciplined by God for their disobedience. God had allowed the Midianites to invade the land, steal their crops, deprive them of bare necessities. The Israelites were living in fear. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites when an angel of the Lord appeared and called him to lead and army to regain their land. Here’s Gideon, the youngest son of the weakest clan in the half tribe of Manasseh being addressed as “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” As we might imagine, Gideon said, “Pardon me?” Yeah, I get that: say what? How can this be? The Lord answered, “Ah, but I will be with you! . . . ”

“I will be with you!” Gideon struggled with belief and acceptance of God’s assurance so he proposed a test (no, not the fleece, not yet), a meal sacrifice to see if it would be accepted. When it was, Gideon feared for his life having now known that he had seen God’s angel face to face. But God told him, “Peace to you, you are safe, you are not going to die!” So Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace,” Jehovah-Shalom.

And God is still saying, “Peace to you, you are safe . . . I am with you, I am your Peace.” Fear, and its milder form worry, is evidence of a lack of peace. We fear many things, not just wars and physical harm, but loss, deprivation, failure, harm to our children, the future. Indeed, “Fear not” is one of if not the most frequent admonitions in the Bible. God created us knowing we would break fellowship with him: sow enmity. The world and the humans in it would no longer be at peace. Our well-being, safety, wholeness would be threatened and broken–on individual as well as national levels. But. But He made provision for restoration. In Him we have peace: peace with God, well-being, safety. When we believe in Jesus, The Prince of Peace, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us, God with us indeed. Jesus Himself says He will never leave nor forsake us. His peace He leaves with us. Think about that! The God who created us, who saves us, who will never forsake us tells us not to be afraid, that He is with us and for us. How can we then doubt? But, of course, being the weak humans that we are, we do. God knows this about us. It’s why He constantly tells us not to fear. Reassurance. Peace. Well-being. Safety. Shalom. In You, Jehovah-Shalom, we find our peace, with You, with others, with our circumstances.

Jehovah Jireh

Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Provides is a symbolic name given to Mount Moriah by Abraham to memorialize the intercession of God in the sacrifice of Isaac by providing a substitute for the imminent sacrifice of his son.

Oftentimes, we Christians call upon Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider, when we have some earthly need, usually material or financial. But in the context of this one and only use of the name, the provision God made was far greater, far higher, far more significant and life altering: it was a substitute. Abraham memorialized Mt. Moriah, later to become the Temple Mount, by calling it Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provided a ram for the sacrifice in place of his son Isaac. The ultimate reenactment of this would occur on Calvary, just outside the Temple Mt: God’s sacrificing His Own Son on the cross so that all who will believe in Him may not perish but have eternal life, not just life in the here and now. As another has noted, what kind of an all good, all powerful, all just God would not compensate for the injustices, inequities, of this life without an afterlife in which to make up for it? Our access to that afterlife is Jesus. God Himself has provided the Way.

There is no question that God is the source of all our provision, daily food, shelter, health, clothing, protection. As Paul says, ” (if God). . . who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).  But in Abraham’s declaration that is not primarily what is in view. Here we see God at work, knowing we could never be worthy in and of ourselves, planning to provide the remedy for sin, for the restoration of fellowship with Him that was lost for all mankind in the Garden. As God is perfectly holy and perfectly just, He could not live in the presence of fallen mankind; He could not let sin go unaddressed; He could not let sin go un-atoned for and still be true to the very essence of who He is. So His perfectly compassionate, perfectly grace-filled heart planned a way out for us: the willing sacrifice of His only, perfectly sin-free Son in our place–before He ever created us!

Lord, there are not words enough, songs enough, symphonies enough, poems enough, there is not art enough or service enough to express our gratitude to You for being our Provider. Thank You that we will have all Eternity to do so.

El Qanna

Qanna: jealous, zealous

Worship of false gods, alternative belief systems, other religions is considered idolatry by the God of Israel. He also considers it spiritual adultery. What? Why? Because for reasons inexplicable to us God considers His relationship, both with Israel in the Old Testament and Jesus’ with us in the New, akin to a marriage. To worship any other god or religion is a betrayal of the One who has rescued us and died for us that we may have relationship with Him. God’s desire for our friendship can be no more passionately  illustrated than with the analogy of a marriage, of the highest and purest kind. A relationship of mutual trust, honor, dedication, deep fellowship and communication, oneness in thought and values, commitment to protection and fidelity. In its highest and most ideal form, there is no other relationship on earth that is more fulfilling and satisfying than a good marriage. For us to chase after other sources of blessing, provision, protection, objects to worship, is as enraging, and heartbreaking, to God as a spouse cheating on us.

As puzzling as this all is, and I must confess it puzzles me, is it not amazing that God would love me enough to be jealous over me? To care enough about my allegiance, loyalty, love and adoration, that He would be jealous of my turning away from Him to another? But God is quite emphatic about this in the Old Testament ( Ex 20:5; Ex 34:14; Deu 4:24; Deu 5:9; Deu 6:15). It is so important to Him that even the future of our children is impacted by it. For He knows and has planned it that all good, all blessing, all success, all protection and mutual love, all future heavenly dwelling are in and with Him alone.

Jehovah Mekoddishkem

Jehovah:  “The Existing One” or “Lord.” It also suggests “to become” or specifically “to become known” — this denotes a God who reveals Himself unceasingly.

Mekoddishkem derives from the Hebrew word qâdash meaning “sanctify,” “holy,” or “dedicate.” Sanctification is the separation of an object or person to the dedication of the Holy. When the two words are combined — Jehovah Mekoddishkem — it can be translated as “The Lord who sets you apart.”

(Blue Letter Bible. The Names of God in the Old Testament. Blue Letter Bible.)

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.'”

Yesterday we talked about Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord Our Righteousness, and how we can become righteous: belief in and acceptance of salvation through Jesus. When we are united to Christ, the Lord God sets us apart from the world and declares us holy, holy not in and of ourselves in any way, but holy because we now belong to Jesus. The Christian life is not what I do or don’t do in order to make myself holy. It is because God declares and sets me apart as holy, that I do or don’t do certain things. First comes redemption, then with redemption comes sanctification.

As prideful, performance oriented human beings, we want to do things ourselves. We want to prove we are successful, independent, able. Why? So we can puff ourselves up and settle back in self-satisfaction. This is especially true, often, in our faith walk. Yes, we should seek to be holy as God is holy. But that cannot be achieved by keeping a set of rules, observing a set of rituals, keeping score on ourselves and others. When we are in Christ, God Himself sets us apart as His and declares us holy. It is not something we earn, it is something we believe, someone we have faith in: Jesus. As Christians we strive to live a holy life not to earn acceptance but because we love and honor the One who already accepts us as His and declares us holy. We want to “live up to the name.” There is such freedom in knowing we can never be good enough to be set apart as holy. What a relief! I don’t have to; Jesus has done it for me! Too good to be true? Seems that way. Too simple? Yeah, that too. True? Yes. Because the God who created the Universe knows there is no way we could ever achieve holiness on our own, so He made it easy for us, though excruciating for Himself. We only need to humble ourselves and receive the free gift of salvation. Humble ourselves by realizing that no self effort, no ability, talent, skill, intelligence, worldly position or accomplishment on our part can ever make us good enough for the Kingdom of God. God’s acceptance of us is a free gift of grace, no one can boast we did it ourselves. Jesus did the hard part. Ours? Believe and receive–faith.

 

Jehovah Tsidkenu

The Lord Our Righteousness

There is a post this morning on MaryLu Tyndall’s site that remembers how our American culture used to be http://www.marylutyndall.com/. I would add a couple more to MaryLu’s list: we hadn’t yet killed 60 million babies through legalized abortion, let alone sold their little body parts for personal gain, vampires and the occult were not glamorized on TV and in movies, robot technology was not yet replacing and merging with humans in unspeakable ways. I was born in 1943 and I remember it well. I can remember that even in my public elementary school the Principal would come in once a week and speak to us about what integrity and good citizenship looked like: honesty, helpfulness, considering others ahead of ourselves. No more. Our culture has become unrecognizable in only 60+ years. There are those who would call it progress, others of us near total degeneration.

Scripture tells us that there is no one righteous, no not one, no created being that is. But there is One who is perfectly righteous: Jehovah-Tsidkenu. Notice the name means God Our Righteousness. We can be made righteous through union with the Father through the Son, Jesus. Scripture also tells us in Ecclesiastes that God has set eternity in our hearts. And if that is true, then there is a longing in every human heart for goodness, righteousness, for Eternity is the dwelling place of the Righteous God. It’s difficult for me to believe that deep in the depraved heart of every human being, there is not some desire to be “good.” But the definition of “good” has become so perverted and distorted by the deceptions of Satan, that without God we are left floundering in our own self-righteousness. The standard today is for each person to decide for himself/herself what is good and right, but like it or not, believe it or not, in the same way the laws of physics are true whether we believe them or not, the Creator of the Universe is a holy and righteous God. His standards are absolute, He defines righteousness, His decrees are Truth. We can only achieve goodness in Him. May men and women become so utterly disgusted with the state of our culture, politics, education, entertainment, the arts, media, our own moral states that we seek remedy in the only place it is to be found: God, Our Righteousness. The hour is late, night is nigh, God will not strive with man forever. His will and His righteousness will reign. There is only one way to be acceptable in His kingdom: Jesus. The righteousness of Jesus covers us when we are joined to Him through faith. If you are not so covered, all you need do is confess your need to Jesus, humble yourself and ask His forgiveness, ask Him to save you, follow in His steps, enter into His Kingdom.