When all seems lost

The story is told of a sole survivor of a shipwreck who washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed earnestly for God to rescue him, but no rescurers came. Every day he scanned horizon for help, to no avail. Tried and discouraged, he finally decided to build a little hut out of what little driftwood he could find. This hut offered him some protection from the elements, and gave him a place to store the few possessions he had managed to collect.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived back at his camp only to find his little hut in flames. Smoke was billowing up into the sky, everything was lost. With this insult added to injury, his anger got the best of him. Stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" He made his bed that night on the ashes of the hut, confused, discouraged and feeling totallyabandoned and alone. What would the next day bring?

Early the next day, he was startled awake by the sound of a ship's horn. The boat was approaching his little, desolate island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you Know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.

Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God. Always remember, in those times when you can't trace His hand, you can always trust His heart

Worship and Life's Meaning

"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (Psalm 145:1-3, NIV).

What gives life meaning? Think about that question for a minute. What gives your life meaning?
I am sure that your answer to the questions above are as varied as my readership. Each individual answered that question as it relates to them.

Ultimately however true meaning in life is found only through worship. We don’t often think of worship in those terms and maybe that is why so many today struggle with lack of meaning and purpose. The Bible says, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NIV). Fear God means to reverence Him; to worship Him.

In our Psalm passage David is worshiping God, not just for one hour on Sunday but "every day." Worship is a daily response. In fact, you cannot truly worship on Sunday if your life has not reflected worship during the week. Worship is not an act that we do on Sunday, true worship is a life well lived, and a well lived life is the one which exalts and magnifies the Lord on a daily basis.
One other quick thought on these verses. Look at that last phrase, "His greatness no one can fathom."

There is in this generation the deplorable tendency to reduce God to our level; to whittle away at His character until we reduce Him to manageable proportions. We think we have Him all figured out, that God is in fact Southern Baptist, or Presbyterian, or Methodist, etc. There are even groups that are so convinced they have a handle on Him that they think they can manipulate Him into doing their bidding simply by their positive confession.

The minute you and I get a handle on God, the minute we think we have Him figured out, He ceases to be God! You and I can never fully understand Him. The questions He threw at Job reveal how little we do understand. And those things we do understand about Him we only understand because He has chosen to reveal Himself to us!

As you worship the God of the Universe, make sure that you remember that (1) He is God and you or I are not and (2) even what we do understand (because of His gracious revelation) is only the beginning – "His greatness no one can fathom."

An Open Letter to our New Leaders

As I write this column, our nation is preparing to inaugurate the 44th President of the United States. The inauguration of Barak Obama is indeed an historic occasion. Many men of stature will be participating in the event offering prayers and blessings, and in the process, a little advice.

While it is doubtful that our new President will ever see this column, I, too, want to remind him of some vital principles as he takes office. Consider this column an open letter to our new President.

I cannot begin my thoughts any better than to remind him, and all our leaders for that matter, both local and national, of the words of Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

The Father of our Country, George Washington, our first President, in his farewell address reminded us, "Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would men claim the tributes of patriotism who would work to destroy these great pillars of human happiness." He went on to say, "Do not let anyone claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics."
Our 44th President’s constant message to us has been a message of hope and change. Mr. President, with all due respect, sir, may I say that without God in the equation hope and change are pipe dreams. " The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick—who can understand it? " (Jeremiah 17:9, HCSB).

The greatest threat to our nation today is not terrorism, or the struggling economy, the greatest threat to our national health is heart disease—not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. Sin, which means simply failure to do what God requires us to do, infects every one of us. Rather than dealing with the problem, we have tried desperately to cover up the problem. The Bible warns, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent." (Isaiah 5:20-23, NIV).

While we stand guilty as a nation of such actions (the blood of 50 million innocents victims of our own holocaust cry out against us), we don’t see; we don’t respond. Sin is like an addiction, the deeper it is, the less we suspect there is a problem! The Contemporary English Version of the Bible catches this phenomenon when it translates that verse from Jeremiah 17:9 ""You people are so deceitful that you even fool yourselves, and you can’t change." (Jeremiah 17:9, CEV).
Mr. President, and all citizens not only of our nation but of the world, true change must begin in the human heart, and there is no government on the face of the earth capable of effecting such change. But God can. The message of the Bible from front to back is that God loves us and He, Himself stepped into time so that real change and certain hope could become possible. Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, reminded us, "The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion in the world that deals with the heart."

One more thought for all our elected officials. As you take office, the experience of those who have gone before you may help. Many who have entered the public arena have done so with hopes of change in their hearts. Sadly, instead of them effecting change, they themselves were changed. Proverbs 16:12 in The Message Translation reminds us, "Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation. "

Mr. President, and all our elected officials, let me assure you of my prayers for you. Do what’s right Biblically and your leadership will be secure. The Bible says, "Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice." (Proverbs 16:8, NIV).

God's Spiders

"Part your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful." (Psalm 144:5-8, NIV).

I think most, if not all of us, have been where the Psalmist is. In our suffering we cry out to God to rend the heavens and come mightily and miraculously to our aid. Sometimes He does. Sometimes He intervenes in such a way that there is no doubt that it was Him. More often than not, however, there are those times when the heavens are silent and we feel that He has abandoned us.

What I know is that He has not abandoned us (He promises never to do that–Hebrews 13:5) and in my experience even if He doesn’t rend the heavens and come convincingly to our aid, He still comes and He works in such a quiet and unhurried way that if we are not careful we mistake His deliverance for a normal change of circumstances. Personally I am convinced that I will marvel when God reveals to me the countless number of times He was at work in me and I missed what He was doing entirely.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the story I am about to share. During World War II, a soldier was fleeing enemy troops on a small Island in the Pacific. The soldier hid in a cave, and prayed for God’s protection. For the heavens to part and deliverance to come. He knew that his capture would most likely result in torture and then death. As he tried to rest that night, he could hear the enemy soldiers drawing ever closer.

As dawn came, the soldier looked toward the entrance of the cave and discovered that during the night a spider had woven his delicate web across the entrance of the cave. The soldier scoffed, "What I need is an iron door, not a flimsy web!"

About that time he heard the voices and footfall of the enemy. The soldier crouched in a dark corner of that cave and prepared for the worst. As the enemy troops approached his position, they saw the web over the mouth of the cave. There was a brief pause, and then they simply moved on. They had concluded that the web was evidence that no one could be in that cave!

I wonder how many times God’s spiders have been at work around us and like this soldier, because we were expecting a miraculous deliverance we failed to marvel at the intricate and quiet movement that brought us deliverance just as surely as and probably more effectively than even an iron door could have brought us.

Promises, Promises

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me." (Psalm 144:1-2, NIV).

We looked at this Psalm yesterday, beginning with verse 3. This morning I want to back up and catch the first two verses of this Psalm.

This Psalm actually presents us with a good setting to teach an important Biblical principle. Perhaps you recall hearing as a child the little jingle, "Every promise in the book is mine. Every jot, every tittle, every line." (Jot and tittle referring to the two smallest marks in Hebrew writings)

Nice jingle but not true. Every promise in the book is not for you and this Psalm again provides us with the setting to remind us of this "not every promise is yours" truth. Some promises are people specific. In this case the loving God who "trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle" and "who subdues peoples under me" can only be uttered rightfully by David, God’s designated king.

To illustrate this further, I have heard of people taking the promises made to Joshua for instance in Joshua 1:3 and claiming it as their own–wishful but ridiculous thinking. I have heard these people brag that a certain piece of property was theirs because they claimed the promise and marched either the land or the facility. In one case, a church, coveting the building of another church, actually sent people to the facility, walked through the building making this claim! I re-emphasize not every promise in the Bible is for every person. The sooner we realize this the sooner we will stop making ridiculous and quite unbiblical claims! Claims, that when they don’t happen the way we think they should, causes us to begin to doubt our faith.
I can’t claim the training for war part of this passage rightly. Now, perhaps if I were a soldier that might be legitimate to ask God for His help and guidance in war and I can certainly pray that for our military personnel and even for our public safety officials. But I can’t claim it as a promise for me.

What I do know as universal in these two verses is the fact that God is "my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge."

You may be wondering why I feel I can claim that part of the verse but not the other. How do we know that this portion is also not person specific? Glad you asked.

The second rule of good (and proper) Bible study is to remember that Scripture interprets Scripture. Over and over again we see the concept of God as a fortress and place of safety applied to all his people.

With all that said, let me encourage you this morning. I don’t know what personal battles you may be fighting today. It may be against some physical foe, or it may be the enemy of disease or depression; whatever it is, take heart in the knowledge that God is your strong deliverer and He can and will equip you with the tools you need to win your battle if you will let Him.

Why Does God Care?

"O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." (Psalm 144:3-4, NIV).

I fear that in our fallen condition we often think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Many, it seems, have the mistaken idea that God somehow needs us; that He craves our attention. The vast majority of us fallen creatures live with the quite childish notion that God was lonely (and somehow incomplete) without us.

Such thinking is foolishness. Here’s a news-flash for some of you: God doesn’t nor did He ever need us. One of the attributes of God is that He is "self-sufficient." That means that He is the only being that needs nothing outside of Himself. Get rid of the silly idea that God somehow needed or needs us. Such thinking is prideful and at the heart of sin. (By the way, did you ever notice that at the very center of pride and sin resides the big "I").

David’s observation in this Psalm is astute theology! The king of Israel got it: God doesn’t need us, why should He care? I like the way Eugene Peterson translates our text, "I wonder why you care, God— why do you bother with us at all? All we are is a puff of air; we’re like shadows in a campfire. " (Psalm 144:3-4, The Message).

Good question. Think about it for a minute. The God, who by His word alone created all there is (both visible and invisible) and did so in six literal days (He could have done it in six seconds but He was setting a pattern for us), this God who created it all and controls it all is interested in you! Amazing.

As I write this particular thought we are getting ready to inaugurate our 44th President of the United States. There is much hoopla being made over this historic event–more than any I can remember in my short life-time.

Let’s suppose for a minute that somehow you managed to secure one of those coveted tickets to this inauguration. Even more, suppose that somehow you got invited to the inaugural ball. While at the ball you got introduced to Mr. Obama (soon to be President Obama). I am sure he would shake your hand warmly. He would treat you very graciously (that’s what politicians do) but I would venture to guess that as soon as his back was turned upon you he would forget who you were. No slight intended toward you or Mr. Obama, that’s the simple reality of it. The President of the United States has far more important things on his agenda than remembering your name or your particular concerns.

Now, let’s expand that picture infinitely. On a clear night, look up at the starry sky. Consider the vastness of what you are seeing. Consider that what you are seeing with the naked eye is minuscule in comparison to the created order.

Now, consider the One who runs it all. The Bible reminds us that what we know of the Universe does not simply run by accident or natural law, but that He Himself holds it all together (see Colossians 1:15-17). Now, consider for a moment how insignificant that seems to make us when we compare it to a man who merely runs one small Country and to whom, if we met him would be considered merely as some insignificant constituent.
But it is here where the comparison breaks down. While the President may not have the time of day for us, the God of the Universe is infinitely and intimately interested in us! David sees this and marvels! (I do too).

Not only this–that He is interested and takes note of us–but that He is so interested that He even takes time to keep count of the hairs on your head! He knows you better than you know yourself! And He who knows you so completely, still loves you and desires (by His choice not by His need) to have a personal relationship with you! Amazing!

The words of the song "Adonai" catches beautifully the wonder of all this:
One single drop of rainYour salty tear became blue ocean
One tiny grain of sand turning in your hand A world in motion
You're out beyond the furthest Morning Star
Close enough to hold me in Your arms

This God desires (by want not need) to have a relationship with you!

" Listen to this prayer of mine, God; pay attention to what I’m asking. Answer me—you’re famous for your answers! Do what’s right for me. But don’t, please don’t, haul me into court; not a person alive would be acquitted there. The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life. He put me in a black hole, buried me like a corpse in that dungeon. I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead. I remembered the old days, went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked, Stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain. Hurry with your answer, God! I’m nearly at the end of my rope. Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me! That would be certain death. If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you. Save me from my enemies, God— you’re my only hope! Teach me how to live to please you, because you’re my God. Lead me by your blessed Spirit into cleared and level pastureland. Keep up your reputation, God—give me life! In your justice, get me out of this trouble! In your great love, vanquish my enemies; make a clean sweep of those who harass me. And why? Because I’m your servant." (Psalm 143, The Message).

We began our look at this Psalm in yesterday’s devotional. David is in trouble. Once again this Psalm finds him being persecuted and pursued. The historical setting seems to be set during the time of his son Absalom’s rebellion. It’s tough when people don’t understand you, it’s tougher still when it is someone in your family who has turned against you. No wonder David describes his experience as "I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead."
I love the way The Message handles verse one, " Listen to this prayer of mine, God; pay attention to what I’m asking. Answer me— you’re famous for your answers!"

We need to remind ourselves from time to time that God does hear and God does answer our prayers. Occasionally I someone will complain to me that God never answers their prayers. Generally that is in explanation as to why they don’t pray or when they do pray they pray without expecting any real answer. The accusation that "God never answers my prayers," whether we realize it or not is more of a self-condemning statement than it is of a God or prayer condemning statement! I for one know first hand that, as the Psalmist declares, God is famous for His answers!

In this Psalm I love the way David deals with his depression. When we find ourselves in difficult times, most of us (myself included) tend to focus on the trouble at hand. We study it, we examine it, we try to look at it from every angle, we stress and worry over things we can’t change, and in the process we sink lower and lower emotionally.

David here gives us an alternative. Remember, he is in a real mess. His son Absalom has risen up against him, doing vile things to embarrass him, claiming the throne of Israel as his own, and now, in a political coup he is pursuing his father with the intent of killing him. Pretty desperate situation. David, who could have crushed him at the on-set of all of this, in tenderness has instead chosen to flee not only to protect himself but also to protect his son (this we see from his orders to his men not to kill Absalom should they encounter him).

What does David do? First of all he recognizes the reality of the situation. We don’t find David denying his pain as some today would have us do. He doesn’t say, "I’m happy in the Lord. Nothing is wrong. Everything is going my way. I don’t claim this pain!" No! Instead we find David confronting in a very real and straight-forward way the issues at hand. But he doesn’t dwell on them; he doesn’t stay in the valley of despair, instead he chooses to climb the hill of gratitude and he does that by focusing on what God has done for him (and others) in the past!
"I remembered the old days, went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked, Stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain."

I don’t know what struggle you may be dealing with today. Let me encourage you to consider David’s approach. Don’t attempt to deny or hide your pain, but don’t let your mind dwell there either. Instead, go to Scripture and study the ways God delivered His people in the past. Remember, while these reports of deliverance are wonderful to remember, they weren’t instantaneous. Sometimes I fear we miss so many of God’s answers because they do sometimes come more as a gradual dawning rather than a sudden burst of light. Don’t think this gradual dawning is any less spectacular or any less wonderful than the instant display. Wait for Him. He knows what is best, and as hard as it may be at times, know this: you can trust His timing to be perfect.

"O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you." (Psalm 143:1-2, NIV).

Psalm 143 is titled in the Septuagint (that is the Greek Translation of the Old Testament), "A psalm of David when his son Absalom was pursing him."

You may recall the story. David’s family was in turmoil as a result of his sin with Bathsheba. Now David was forgiven in God’s Government but in God’s economy there was a price to be paid (See 2 Samuel 12:1-14). I will not go into all the graphic details here, but Nathan’s words were fulfilled and what we apparently have in this Psalm is the plea of a discouraged, despondent, and dismayed David, fleeing from his own son for his life. I don’t think it could really get much worse than that. It is one thing to face critics and have enemies, it is quite another thing when those critics and enemies are members of your immediate household!
Psalm 143 is considered as the last of the Penitential Psalms (the others being 6, 32,38,51, 102, and 130). Perhaps the reason this Psalm is placed into that category is because of verse 2: "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you."

I am always amazed that despite all the evidence to the contrary, otherwise intelligent people persist in the mistaken belief that mankind is basically good. We are not. The Bible reminds us that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) and "As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’" (Romans 3:10-12, NIV).

Jill Carattini wrote, "Great thinkers from Augustine to G.K. Chesterton saw clearly that the most verifiable truth of the Christian worldview is the certainty of the depravity of humanity. It can be observed across countries and languages, at any time and within every decade, from barbaric accounts of depravity in far away places to more accepted forms of depravity close at home. We close our eyes to reality where we refuse to see the same story repeating itself again and again. We might euphemize the doctrine of original sin into neurotic myth, outdated opinion, or church propaganda, but it has not been euthanized. Observe for a short time at any playground and you will note quickly amongst even the youngest that something has gone terribly wrong. If we were to truly observe our hearts, motives, and wills, we would hardly find them good and consistent leaders to follow." (Internet Newsletter: A Slice of Infinity 12-31-08).

The truth of the matter is the keys in our pockets are a silent witness that mankind is not basically good! We lock things up precisely because we recognize man’s evil tendencies yet all the while thinking we are "basically good." On a personal note, I have to chuckle when I think of my experience in visiting people in prison. I have yet to meet a convict who said to me, "I’m a bad person." To the contrary: every convict I have talked to has said at one time or another, "I’m basically a good person inside." I have not found one yet who did not respond to me only with a blank stare when I asked, "If you are basically a good person, why are you here?"
Sadly, there are a good many Christians running around who also mistakenly think that they are basically good people. I have (theological) news for you: you are not good. That is why we need Christ in the first place! David recognized this and pleaded with God: "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you." Paul on the other hand gloriously reminds us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Romans 8:1, NIV).

We stand righteous before God not because we are good but because He is gracious. Salvation from start to finish is God’s work in you, not your work for God. There is no room in the Christian’s life for the false pride that puffs so many of us up! It’s not me, it’s Him. All the glory goes to Him. The grace that saves us remember is undeserved favor. That right there tells me that I don’t deserve it and could never merit it. I don’t deserve it, that is why it is grace! If we believers started living with that realization true humility would immediately remove the all too common accusation that most of us are "too judgmental."

Let us realize that we too stood guilty before the throne, and what we could not do on our own, God Himself did for us, offering us forgiveness through Christ.

Devotional Thoughts

" I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before him, and spell out my troubles in detail: ‘As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away, you know how I’m feeling, Know the danger I’m in, the traps hidden in my path. Look right, look left— there’s not a soul who cares what happens! I’m up against it, with no exit— bereft, left alone. I cry out, God, call out: ‘You’re my last chance, my only hope for life!’ Oh listen, please listen; I’ve never been this low. Rescue me from those who are hunting me down; I’m no match for them. Get me out of this dungeon so I can thank you in public. Your people will form a circle around me and you’ll bring me showers of blessing!’" (Psalm 142, The Message).

I don’t know about you, but there are times I have "been there" with David. Certainly not to the extent he was in when he uttered these words (an enemy of the state; hunted by Saul and forced to hide in the cave of Adullam (See 1 Sam. 22 for the background). Never-the-less I believe that it is true that when we find ourselves in despair of any sort, these words express perfectly how we feel.

Perhaps you are in your own cave of desperation today. Like David you see no real way out. You are alone, afraid, and like David see yourself in the lowest low of your life. Let me encourage you: God is there with you! Never forget that. He has not abandoned you. He knows your suffering intimately, and if he has allowed it, you can be sure that there is some great purpose behind it.

Alan Redpath reminds us, "There is nothing -- no circumstance, no trouble, no testing -- that can touch me until, first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with some great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret, for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is."

What about you? Can you rest in the knowledge that "he has your back"?