Lift Your Eyes!

Readings for today: Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130

Psalms of Ascent. Many believe these were the songs Israel sang as they ascended to Jerusalem to keep the three annual festivals detailed in Deuteronomy 16. They are songs of worship. Songs of praise. Songs of thanksgiving. They express the deep gratitude the people feel towards God for all He has done for them. They sing them together. They sing them as they gather. One can almost imagine thousands coming to Jerusalem all singing these songs with one voice. It must have been a powerful, moving scene. In addition, many scholars believe these were the songs Israel sang at different high points in their history like the dedication of Solomon’s Temple or the rebuilding of the walls during Nehemiah’s time. Over and over again, Israel returned to these psalms to express their faith and trust in God. 

Christians have built on this tradition of worship. Many churches throughout the world sing these psalms in worship. The Eastern Orthodox Church sings these psalms every Friday during Vespers. The Roman Catholic Church in the west schedules these psalms to be sung during daily prayer. The goal is to remind Christians we are on our own pilgrimage to a Heavenly Jerusalem and these psalms build the spiritual intensity of the worship service as we prepare for the reading of the gospel. It’s a powerful thing to experience especially as we prepare for Easter.

Today we find ourselves reading these psalms on Holy Saturday. We’ve walked in Jesus’ footsteps from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his last supper with his disciples to the crucifixion. Now his body lies in a tomb. The earth is dark and silent. The light of Christ has not yet dawned. But still we Christians sing. For we know things are darkest just before the dawn. We know what glory awaits us tomorrow morning! So we cry out with the Psalmist and all of God’s people, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalms‬ ‭121:1-2‬) “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.” (Psalms‬ ‭123:1-2‬) “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalms‬ ‭125:1-2‬) Brothers and sisters, something happens to us when we gather together to sing God’s praises. Something transformative. Something life-changing. Death has been defeated! Sin’s reign has been broken! Evil will not win for Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!

This is the heart of why we worship. This is why gathering weekly with a community of believers is so vital to the Christian faith. Yes, I know many of us worship Jesus daily on our own. Yes, I know many of us experience Jesus profoundly as we hike or hunt or spend time in nature. But neglecting the worship of God with the people of God places us at risk. It places us out of step with thousands of years of Christian history. It places us out of step with the will of God as revealed in Scripture. It’s frankly arrogant and prideful and foolish to claim we don’t need the church. God loves His bride. God loves His children. God loves having His family together. God loves hearing His people sing. God loves meeting His people in the sacraments. God loves teaching His people through His Word. Jesus said,  “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them." (Matthew‬ ‭18:20‬) The Living Christ making His dwelling yet again among us.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Spiritual Warfare

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 28-31, 1 Chronicles 10

Last week, my wife and I attended a small group at our church who were grappling with the topic of spiritual warfare. We had a great evening discussing the book they had been reading and searching the Scriptures together. During the course of the evening, one person asked about the reality of ghosts and if we should be afraid of them. I immediately thought of the strange story of Saul and the witch of En-dor.

Fear makes us do funny things. Stoke up enough fear and we may even be willing to compromise some of our most deeply held convictions. In an earlier season of his life, Saul had been faithful to the Lord and had expelled all the mediums and necromancers out of the land. These were people who specialized in communing with the dead. They spoke to spirits. They regularly trafficked in the demonic. And Saul rightly drove them out. But now Samuel is dead. The Philistines have gathered against him. When Saul saw the size of their army, he became afraid so he turned to the Lord for help. But the Lord did not answer him. So Saul did what he always did. He went his own way. He sought out a medium to see if he would be victorious in the battle to come. He did not get the answer he wanted. The medium did indeed summon the ghost of Samuel who, in turn, gave Saul the bad news about his own death and the death of his sons. It was so terrifying Saul became paralyzed with fear and couldn’t move. Eventually, the medium convinced him to eat and he was able to return back to his camp.

What do we learn from such a story? I think the main point is clear. Saul’s chief sin was not calling up Samuel’s ghost. It was abandoning the Lord. All of Saul’s sins had now come home to roost and he would pay for his transgressions with his very life. Second, fear is a powerful motivator. It will cause us to do all sorts of things we wouldn’t normally do. Saul would never have consulted a medium unless a mortal fear had taken hold of him. Third, ghosts are real. Spirits are real. But they do not aimlessly wander the earth. They are not cursed to haunt humankind. They have no power or authority that we need fear. Saul doesn’t fear Samuel at all but rather the news Samuel brings.

As a culture, we seem somewhat obsessed with ghost stories. There’s a city in my part of the country where you can go and take a “ghost tour” of the main building and grounds. They tell stories about the strange things that have taken place there over the years. Weird noises. Bumps in the night. Supposed apparitions that have appeared out of nowhere. All of it’s nonsense according to Scripture and certainly nothing for any believer to be afraid of. 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” In other words, because we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, we do not need to be afraid of anything in this world or the world to come. We do not need to fear principalities or powers or rulers or authorities or any spiritual forces of evil that might exist in the heavenly realm. We have Christ and He is more than enough to overcome anything that might come against us. This is the truth King Saul lost sight of in his fear. Be strong. Stand firm. Stay alert and trust God to protect you.

Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130

God is our Helper

Readings for today: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18

One of the more disappointing moments in my seminary career came during a preaching class. We were practicing delivering children’s sermons and during the course of my presentation I made the statement that I believed God protects His children. The professor stopped the class. She asked me if I truly believed what I had just said. I told her I did. She asked how in the world I could believe that in a world where there is so much pain and suffering? How could I reasonably hold such a position in a world where children are abused and bullied, diagnosed with terminal diseases like cancer, or often die tragically. She asked me how I would feel if I told a child, “God would protect them” and then something bad happened. What would happen to that little child’s faith? I have to admit I didn’t have much to say. The whole conversation caught me completely off guard.

I’ve been in ministry for over twenty years now. I’ve walked with families through all kinds of pain and suffering. I’ve seen death up close. I’ve personally witnessed and experienced tragedy. I am not blind to the reality of abuse. I am not blind to the struggles so many face. Nor was David when he penned these words in the Psalms. “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life...For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” (‭Psalms‬ ‭54:4, 7‬) David knew pain intimately. Suffering was a constant companion. Death visited him regularly. This was the world in which he lived and yet he still looked to God for help. He still looked to God for protection and strength. Somehow, someway David was able to see beyond the horizons of this life to the life to come. He knew God could be trusted. He knew God was good. He knew God loved His people. And so he trusted God for His salvation even if it didn’t come in this life. Now, to be clear, David knew nothing of resurrection. Heaven and the afterlife were not categories he would have thought in. But there was an instinct deep within his heart that drew him to God and caused him to trust in His great faithfulness. 

Unfortunately, the horizons of our world have shrunk to the point where they only include the boundaries of this life. Even Christians have lost sight of eternity. We get so focused on what happens to us in this life that we lose sight of the bigger picture and greater glory God is working to reveal in us. We lose perspective. We want more from this world than it can actually give. We expect more from this world than it can actually deliver. And because our expectations go unmet. Because our desires go largely unrequited. Because our hopes and dreams fail. We get disappointed. Disillusioned. And we blame God. O that we would learn from David! Rather than blame God, we should look to Him for strength! Rather than rage at God, we should see Him as our helper! Rather than accuse God of not being fair or just or true to His Word, we should look beyond our circumstances, beyond our feelings, and see the eternity God is preparing for us in His Kingdom. 

Psalm 18 is one of my favorites. I love the imagery of smoke and thunder and hail and God literally “bending the heavens” to come to our rescue. When things are at their worst, God is always at His best. When David teetered on the brink of death and destruction, God was there to pull Him back. And yet, we didn’t read any of this in 1 Samuel, did we? I don’t remember earthquakes and fire and God showing up in His chariot? What I remember is David faithfully placing His trust in God. What I remember is David literally making God His refuge. What I remember is David in prayer. David seeking God’s face. David worshipping God even in the midst of His struggles. And because David did these things, his eyes pierced the veil of this world and God gave him a glimpse of what actually happened when he escaped from Saul. 

In the midst of your struggles, do you seek God? When life is at it’s most difficult, we need to lean ever deeper into Christ. The disciplines of prayer, reading Scripture, and corporate worship become lifelines as we seek God’s face. Daily submission to the will of God as revealed in His Word is essential for the believer who makes God her/his help. Daily discernment between good and evil, truth and error, is essential for the believer who makes God her/his refuge. Daily self-denial and taking up our cross is essential for the believer who seeks to follow Jesus.  

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 28-31, 1 Chronicles 10

Love your Enemies

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 25-27, Psalms 17, 73

This past week I read these challenging words again from the Sermon on the Mount. “Love your enemies!” Jesus says. “Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who persecute you.” (Luke 6:27-28) Frankly, I think it sounds crazy. Mixed up. Naive. Until I read about David. I watch him spare Saul’s life over and over again. I watch him refuse to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed. I watch him restrain his anger. His desire for revenge. David had every right to strike Saul down when he caught him in the cave. He had every right to pin Saul to the ground with his own spear when he infiltrated the camp. But over and over again, David refused. Why is that? 

I believe David understood on some level what Jesus would later teach. God’s great desire is for everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) This includes a man like Saul. Evil. Paranoid. Drunk with power. This includes a man like Nabal. Proud. Arrogant. Hard-hearted. This includes a man like David who will succumb later in life to the temptation to use his power for his own purposes. It includes a man like Doug Resler who wrestles everyday with pride and ego and selfishness. You see, the reality that David saw is the same reality Jesus taught which is that we are all enemies and yet God in His infinite mercy loved us. We are all sinners and yet God in His infinite grace embraced us. While we were yet broken. While we were weak and wounded. While we were dead in our sin. God came to us. God loved us. God did good to us. And we should do the same for others including even those who may be seeking our harm.

Some ask if such an approach runs the risk of further traumatizing victims of abuse. It’s a very important question. My response is that love is not passive. It doesn’t make one a doormat. I do not believe Jesus is teaching women to stay with men who beat them. I do not believe Jesus is teaching us to seek out situations where we would suffer. I do not believe Jesus is teaching us to simply bow our heads before injustice. David didn’t stay in Saul’s palace! David left. He escaped. He found his way to safety. And then he resisted. Fiercely. Faithfully. With the hope that his persecutor would eventually see the light. I love how Martin Luther King Jr. once put it, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” King pursued a path of non-violent resistance always with the hope that white racists would become his brothers. This was his dream. And I believe deep down it was David’s dream for Saul as well. 

How do you respond when attacked? How do you respond when people curse you? Do you respond in kind? Do you lash out in anger? Do you try to get even? What about those who’ve suffered abuse or trauma or been victims of injustice? These are very real experiences that cannot be diminished or dismissed. They impact so many in our culture today especially those in minority groups. Over the last few years, many of these groups have taken to the streets to plead their cause. They have created movements through social media to press their case. While we may agree or disagree with their political aims, is it not heartbreaking to see so many in our culture victimized by fear? Suffering at the hands of the principalities and powers in our society? Rather than condemn, can we not courageously enter into those dark places alongside them and meet them with the love of Christ?

Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18

Resiliency

Readings for today: Psalms 56, 120, 140-142

One of the reasons I love reading the Bible chronologically is that it sets the Psalms in the context of the stories from which they arise. It’s powerful when we connect them to the real lives of the real people who wrote them. Today’s readings place us squarely in one of the darkest times of King David’s life. He is on the run. He is living in the wilderness. He’s gathered around him a pretty motley crew of people. He can never rest. He is never safe. He is never fully secure. Anxiety and fear are constant companions. This is not his fault. It’s not something he brought on himself. He is not facing the consequences of his choices. No, it’s the opposite. He is being unfairly treated. Falsely accused of crimes he did not commit. All David ever did was try and serve his king faithfully and well. He has fought for Saul. Bled for Saul. Won victory after victory for Saul. When Saul was troubled, it was David who played the harp to calm his soul. All for what? Betrayal? Being hunted like an animal?

How does David respond? Does he play the victim? No! He turns to God. “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?...This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalms‬ ‭56:1-4, 9-11‬) This is what I love about David. He honestly acknowledges his fears. He doesn’t try to pretend like life is going well. He’s being trampled. He’s being oppressed. He’s being attacked by his enemies. David could respond in kind. David could give into fear. David could play the victim. He could rail against the betrayal and injustice of it all. But David does none of those things. Instead, he places his trust in God. He praises God. He keeps his eyes fixed on God. What happens as a result? David is filled with incredible confidence. “What can man do to me? Take my life? Take my future? Take my possessions? Big deal. I trust in God. I place my faith in God. I know God is for me so who can stand against me?”

We live in a world where it is common to play the victim. We seem to be unable to handle disappointment. We avoid responsibility. We blame-shift. We feel wounded. Hurt. Betrayed. This is not to suggest abuse isn’t real. It absolutely is and cannot be tolerated. But, as a society, we are in danger of trivializing trauma, abuse, PTSD, etc. because we use these words to describe all kinds of conditions. Many of them self-inflicted. And we seemingly believe any kind of hurt gives us license to end relationships. Avoid hard conversations. Escape the Biblical call for forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. Someone lets us down? We cut them out of our lives. We get confronted at work? We find another job. Someone holds us accountable? We stop talking to them. A friend hurts our feelings? We move on. Such behaviors are rampant both in our society and in the church. Study after study has been done on the lack of “resiliency” in our culture. We seem to be unable to handle suffering. Pain. Heartbreak. Disappointment. We seem to be ill-equipped to have hard, honest conversations. We seem to be too scared to face our own internal demons so we project them onto those around us. Especially those we are closest to. So marriages fail. Families break apart. Friendships end. All we are doing is perpetuating a cycle of brokenness.

Would that we would follow David’s example! In the face of all the hardship and suffering and injustice and pain and disappointment and betrayal...David looked to God. He took refuge in God. He cried out to God. He asked God to search his own heart so that he may not sin. Most of all, he praised God for he recognized that it is often in the “wilderness” when we are “on the run” from our enemies that God does His best work in us. Shaping. Forming. Forging our character. Making us into the people He created and called us to be. 

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 25-27, Psalms 17, 73

Authentic Prayer

Readings for today: Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible. 150 prayers written by God’s people. Written in times of celebration to commemorate great victories and triumphs. Written in times of grief to chronicle despair and exile and defeat. Written for use in worship like the Psalms of Ascent. Written for very specific occasions like when David sinned with Bathsheba. They are authentic and raw and real because they reflect real people bringing their deepest longings and questions and heartaches before God.

In today’s selection, David is on the run. He is being pursued by his own people. Betrayed by his own king. Unjustly accused. He has lost his position. His home. His family. One would think such circumstances would lead to bitterness and despair. Anger and frustration. Fear and uncertainty. These are honest feelings and David doesn’t shy away from acknowledging them. “”O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it into pieces, with none to deliver. (Ps. 7:1-2) “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.” (Psalms‬ ‭31:9-130) One can hear in his words the anguish and heartbreak. He is afraid. He doesn’t know what the future holds. There are no guarantees he will escape. So he brings these feelings authentically before the Lord. He humbles himself before his God. He knows the Lord sees his afflictions. 

At the same time, David prays in faith for his very real needs. He prays for God’s protection. “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!” (Psalms‬ ‭31:1-2‬)

He prays for God’s guidance and wisdom. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” (Psalms‬ ‭27:4-5‬)

He prays for God’s comfort and provision. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalms‬ ‭34:17-19‬)

Most of all, David lifts his eyes above his current circumstances to praise God for who He is! God is worthy of praise even when we find ourselves in the middle of the most difficult times of our lives. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalms‬ ‭34:1-3‬)

One of the greatest lies the enemy tries to tell us is that our needs don’t matter to God. They are too small. Too insignificant to demand His attention. The enemy tries to convince us that we are a burden to our Heavenly Father and praying authentically somehow makes us unholy or unworthy. The Psalms teach us otherwise. They are raw. They are real. They are emotional. They are bold. The Psalmist - in this case King David - enjoys such intimate fellowship with God that he can literally tell God anything. And that is what God desires from everyone of His children.  

So what is your prayer life like? Is it real? Is it authentic? Or are there things you are afraid to share with your Heavenly Father? Areas of your life you try to hide? Do you fear coming into His presence? Afraid of what He might do? What He might say? What He might think? Do you trust God’s gracious character? His unconditional love? Do you believe His mercies are new every morning? Do you believe God is generous towards you? Having an inexhaustible supply of time and attention? Do you know nothing is insignificant to God? Not one need. Not one desire. Do you bring your requests humbly before Him, trusting He knows best what you need? I’d encourage you to use the Psalms as a model, a guide, for your prayers. Let the Psalmist lead you to a deeper understanding of your relationship with God.  

Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 56, 120, 140-142

Godly Confidence

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 21-24, Psalm 91

Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a retreat for the leadership team of another church in a different community than my own. They are a great bunch of folks! They love God with all their hearts and are courageously seeking Him for the next season of their life together. They know the way forward won’t be easy. They know they will have to navigate a lot of conflict. There are a lot of major decisions to be made and a lot could go wrong but they have taken the first steps of faith. It is inspiring! Over the course of the time we had together, I shared many of my own stories. Stories of the challenges I’ve faced. The conflict I’ve had to manage. The major decisions we’ve made in the church I lead and the risks we’ve taken for the Kingdom of God. One of the things that struck them most was my confidence. Confidence God would show up. Confidence God would provide. Confidence God would lead and guide every step of the way.

Godly confidence is not something we are born with. It is something we earn over a lifetime. Primarily through hardship and struggle. It is forged in the fires of adversity. It is tempered in times of trial. It is refined through seasons of suffering. I’ve had my share. I shared openly and honestly about those moments with my new friends and what I learned about God’s faithfulness. When my life was at it’s lowest possible point and I was in danger of losing everything and everyone I loved, God met me in a powerful way. He lifted me up out of the pit and set my feet on solid ground. I learned the truth of David’s words from Psalm 91, “Because He holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

Once you hit rock bottom and find God waiting for you there, there isn’t much that will shake you. My confidence does not come from the success we’ve had at PEPC or the fruitful initiatives I’ve been involved with in my denomination or the incredible work we’ve done through the Petros Network. It comes from watching God do His work through His people. It comes by having a front row seat to the movement of the Holy Spirit as He transforms so many lives. It comes through experiencing the sufficiency of the gospel over and over again despite my own foolishness and weaknesses. It comes as we take steps of faith, risking everything over and over again for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Trusting God

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 17-20, Psalm 59

What does it mean to trust God? As Christians, we talk about it all the time. But what does that actually look like in real life? David was a strong young man. A man entrusted with protecting the wealth of his family. A man who spent his days and nights out in the fields. Through all kinds of weather. Suffering all kinds of hardship. Fighting off lions and bears and other wild animals. David is no novice to conflict. No fearful young boy. His confidence has been forged in the fires of hardship and struggle. 

Now he stands next to his brother as Goliath taunts the armies of Israel. David has as much right to be there as anyone. He may be a little younger but he’s just as qualified. There were no standing professional armies in those days so most of the warriors who had gathered to fight for Saul were much like him. Farmers. Sheep herders. Men of the fields. Men of the forge. Men who spent most of their lives in other professions. Goliath was an exception. He truly was a professional warrior. Someone who had trained for battle since his youth. A man of imposing size who the Philistines used to strike fear in their enemies. He challenges Israel. More importantly, he challenges God Himself.  

David trusts God. David attributes his past success to the Lord. "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel‬ ‭17:37‬) David has faced incredible odds before. Fighting off lions and bears is no joke! It required courage to track those animals down and save his sheep. And it will require courage to go out and face this Philistine. David doesn’t blink. He grabs his sling and a few stones and off he goes. 

It’s one thing to say you trust God. It’s another to actually place yourself in a situation where that trust is put to the test. “Trusting God” for David meant defending his flocks against lions and bears. “Trusting God” for David meant going out to face the Philistine giant. “Trusting God” for David meant not retaliating when Saul became jealous and sought to kill him. “Trusting God” for David meant continuing to serve Saul even though he was being treated unjustly. Over and over again, David trusts God with his life. His reputation. His relationships. His future. Remember, he’s already been anointed the next king! One would think he might try to grasp after what is rightfully his. Manipulate things in his favor. Use Saul’s mental instability to his own advantage. Imagine him standing on the field of battle, having just cut off Goliath’s head. Is there a better time to claim your throne? David does none of these things because he trusts God to work things out according to His will and His way and in His time.  

So...do you trust God? Where are you trusting God in your life right now? Where is it hard to trust God? What hardships and struggles are you facing? What does trust look like for you in those specific situations? “Trusting God” is not an abstract concept but a way of life that finds concrete expression in the everyday. 

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 21-24, Psalm 91

First Love

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 13-16

What does it mean to love God with a “whole” heart? To be fully devoted to Him? To make Him our first love? Does it mean outward perfection? King Saul literally stood head and shoulders above his countrymen. (1 Sam. 10:23) Eliab, David’s older brother, clearly was an impressive physical specimen. (1 Sam. 16:6) Does it mean achievement or success? I am sure God could easily have lined up a hundred other men who had accomplished a heck of a lot more than David. Is it based on wealth or privilege? Or perhaps great moral character? What kind of heart does God treasure in a man or woman? The key is found in 1 Sam. 15:22-23..."Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.” Humility. Submission. Obedience. These are the qualities on which God places supreme value. Are we willing to listen? Willing to surrender our plans in favor of God’s plan for our lives? Are we willing to trust God even when our circumstances seem bleak? Are we willing to obey even when it’s hard? 

King Saul was a half-hearted man. Though he was chosen by God and instructed by Samuel in the “rights and duties” of godly kingship, his heart was divided. At times, Saul was faithful and found great success. At other times, he was unfaithful and found only heartbreak. In times of conflict, Saul seemed to trust in God and therefore win victory after victory. In times of preparation or peace, Saul seemed to forget God and trust in his own understanding. The unlawful sacrifice at Gilgal. A rash vow during the heat of battle. A refusal to devote the Amalekites to destruction. These events illustrate the half-hearted devotion Saul paid to Yahweh and it eventually cost him everything. The kingdom was literally ripped from his hands. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. And he ended up paranoid and tormented. 

King David was a whole-hearted man. As we will see, David was a man after God’s own heart. This doesn’t make him perfect. His failures are massive and significant and costly. But through it all, David keeps seeking after God. David keeps humbling himself before God. David keeps returning to God in repentance. And God loves David. Honors David. Promises to give the throne to his descendents for generations.  

So time to take stock. Time to step back and honestly examine your own heart. Are you half-hearted or whole-hearted in your devotion to God? Half-hearted or whole-hearted in your love for Jesus? How do you know? We’ve already seen that it doesn’t necessarily depend on our outward appearance or achievement or actions. We can’t count on the image we project to the world to save us. We have to be strong and courageous enough to take the inward journey into the heart. What do we find there? A love for God? A desire to serve Him? Please Him? Be with Him? Do we find in our hearts a hunger and thirst for righteousness? A deep awareness of the poverty of our own spiritual condition? Do we grieve over our sin? These are important questions that serve as a “diagnostic” to help us discern the spiritual condition of our hearts. 

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 17-20, Psalm 59

Visions and Dreams

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 9-12

Several years ago, I was in Ethiopia helping lead a training conference for church planters. About midway through the conference, a striking young man walked up to a group I was talking to. He was dressed head to toe like a traditional Muslim warrior. Flowing robes. Head covering. Curved sword on his hip. We found someone who spoke his dialect and asked him what he needed. He share the most amazing story with us. He grew up in a Muslim village and had never met a Christian. He didn’t even know the name of Jesus. But the Lord revealed Himself to him in a dream one night and he surrendered his life to Him. He woke up the next morning and began preaching about this man who had come to him in his dream. The entire village converted. Now he was left with a dilemma? What to do next? He had no Bible. There was no church in the area. So he prayed to the Lord and the Lord told him to show up in a particular village on a particular day at a particular time and he would be given the resources he needed. The village was Gojo. The day and time coincided with our training conference. It was an absolute miracle.

It’s always hard to read stories like the one we encounter today. Depending on our faith background, we aren’t necessarily used to the idea that God would speak to us in dreams and visions. Today, Saul appears before Samuel. This came as no surprise to Samuel because God had already told him the day before what was going to take place. A man from the tribe of Benjamin would appear out of nowhere. Samuel was to anoint this man king over all Israel. Saul’s task was to reign over God’s people and deliver them from the hands of their enemies. It’s a miraculous story. Especially when one considers all the details that had to take place in order to make it happen. Lost donkeys. A servant’s suggestion to see the “seer.” The fact that Samuel just happened to be in town on that particular day. Three men going up to Bethel with goats, bread, and wine. The confirmation of Saul’s kingship through prophesy. It’s amazing.

Why don’t these things happen more often today? Why do we not see the miracles of God like they did in the Bible or like they do in other parts of the world? If we’re honest, it’s because we don’t need God. Not really. Not in the same way. Most of us live lives of plenty. We have plenty of money. Plenty of time. Plenty of resources at our disposal. This is why Jesus said it’s harder for a rich person to get into heaven than a camel through the eye of a needle. We tend to rely on ourselves. On our own strength and ability and wisdom and for the most part…it works! Or so we think. Contrast that with the people of Israel in Samuel’s day. They were oppressed. Constantly under threat. They were a subsistence agricultural society. The same is true in places like Ethiopia where the local population fights everyday to survive. This is why their faith is so strong. They depend on the miracles of God and He delivers. Friends, the challenge for us is to learn how to depend on God in the same way. To open our hands and hearts to Him and surrender all control. To spend time in silence and solitude before Him. To worship Him in spirit and in truth. As we do these things, God promises to meet with us. He promises to speak to us. He promises to provide for us. He promises to deliver us.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 13-16

Talisman

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 4-8

I remember the first time I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. Such a great movie. Action. Adventure. Suspense. Mystery. It remains a favorite to this day. The heart of the movie is the search for a lost talisman. A sacred treasure. The Nazis want to capture the ark and use it to conquer the world. Indiana Jones wants to capture the ark and put it on display in a museum. Both sides miss the point. The ark of the covenant has no power of its own. Looking into the ark isn’t going to cause your face to melt off. There are no ghosts lurking inside. No insidious force waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting. It simply is a box built to carry the most treasured memories of God’s chosen people. The budded rod of Aaron. A jar of manna from heaven. The stone tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments.

Human beings have this tendency to turn ordinary things into magic totems. We are desperate for something concrete that we can touch and hold and see and feel. We are deeply uncomfortable with the unknown and the unfamiliar. So we make idols like golden calves or bronze snakes. We build beautiful spaces like the Tabernacle and adorn it with golden furniture like the ark but promptly forget the point of it all which is to connect to God.

In our passage today, Israel treats the ark like a magic charm. A good luck token. They mistakenly assumed the ark itself contained power when in fact it was useless. It was just a golden box. The Philistines made a similar mistake. They assumed the ark represented a god and they trembled in fear. Both sides missed the point. In the ensuing battle, the Philistines easily overwhelm Israel. They slaughter thirty thousand on the battlefield. They capture the ark. They kill the priests. They return to their cities having won a great victory not only over Israel but seemingly over Israel’s god. So they take the ark and put it in one of their temples as tribute to their own god, Dagon. When they get up the next morning - probably hung over from the celebration the night before - they can’t believe their eyes. Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark. So they set his statue back up again but the following day they find him fallen yet again to the ground this time with his head and hands cut off. A plague sweeps the city. People start getting sick and dying. They take the ark to another city but the same thing happens. They send it to a third city but the people of that city won’t let it in. So they send the ark back to Israel with an offering. Golden tumor and golden mice to represent the plague they had suffered. It’s important to note the lesson they learned. What they did with the ark was of little importance compared with what they did to honor the God of Israel.

What about us? How often do we turn ordinary things in our own lives into sacred talismans. We place our trust in a particular place or particular style of worship or a particular personality in the pulpit, We treat prayer like some magic formula. The Word of God like some magic book. Friends, none of these things contain any power or authority of their own. Sacred space is important not because of the space itself but because of what happens there. The worship of the Living God. Worship style is important not because of the words or melodies or instrumentation but because of how it points us to God. Prayer is important not because we are good at it or know just the right words to say but because it is the primary way we talk to God. The Bible is important not because of the words on the page but because of how the Holy Spirit uses those words to transform us into the image of God. God is gracious to us. He reveals Himself to us through ordinary means of grace. Make sure you don’t ascribe to those “ordinary means” any more credit than they deserve. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 9-12

A Mother’s Devotion

Readings for today: 1 Samuel 1-3

Monica was born in 331 AD to a moderately wealthy family. Though raised as a Christian, she was given in marriage to a non-Christian man named Patricius. Together they had three children who survived infancy. One of them was named Augustine. Monica did not have an easy life. Her husband had a violent temper. Her mother-in-law was a challenge to live with. Her son, though incredibly brilliant, was a happy pagan. All of this could have made Monica bitter and angry but instead she chose to direct her energies to prayer. One by one, her family gave their lives to Christ. Her mother-in-law was won over by her grace and charity. Her husband gave his life to Christ a year before he died. She continued to pray for her son, following him to the city of Milan where he came under the influence of a bishop named Ambrose. As Monica poured her heart out for Augustine to Bishop Ambrose, he is said to have remarked, “I cannot believe a child of such tears shall ever perish.” Augustine soon came to faith and was baptized on Easter in 387AD, becoming one of the most influential Christians in history. After his baptism, his mother told him, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” She died soon after.

I thought of Monica as I read about the devotion of Hannah this morning. Hannah did not have an easy life. Her barrenness would have been perceived as God’s curse. Her treatment at the hands of her rival, Peninnah, would have been difficult to endure. Most of her community would look on her with pity. It would be easy for Hannah to give into grief and despair. But Hannah turns her energies into prayer. She seeks the Lord with all her heart. She promises to devote her firstborn son to His service if He will simply hear and answer her prayers. God remembers Hannah. He hears her prayers and grants her heart’s desire. Hannah proves faithful. She weans the child and then brings him to Eli so he can be brought up at the Tabernacle which was then located in a city called Shiloh. She never ceases to pray for him. Never ceases to care for him. She even brings him a little robe when she and her husband came up for the annual sacrifice. The impact of her faithful devotion is incredible. Samuel comes to faith at a young age and becomes one of Israel’s greatest judges and prophets.

I imagine all of us can relate even if we don’t have children of our own. All of us know what it’s like to watch a loved one struggle. Perhaps life deals them a bad hand. Perhaps they are struck down with a terrible disease. Perhaps they struggle with their faith. Whatever it may be, it is always tempting to let ourselves become bitter and frustrated and angry with God if He delays in answering our prayers. It’s easy to become impatient or throw in the towel or give up. But faithful people like Hannah and Monica remind us of the power of persistent, devoted prayer.

I have experienced this in my own life. I have prayed over family members for years. I have shed so many tears for them. I have sought God on their behalf. I’ve spent many a sleepless night pacing the floor crying out to God. Sometimes I get frustrated with God. Sometimes I get angry with Him. Sometimes I throw my hands up in despair. But saints like Hannah and Monica and Don and Berk and Daisy and Sam and James and Sarah and Lisa and a host of others have inspired me to keep coming back to the Lord. They have encouraged me to hold fast to God’s promises. To believe God when He says He will never stop pursuing those He loves and He will bring to completion the good work He’s begun.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 4-8

Great Redeemer

Readings for today: Ruth 1-4

Thank God we made it to Ruth! I love the book of Ruth. It upends so many of our expectations and helps us come to a deeper understanding of the heart of God. Ruth is a Moabite. A foreigner. A sojourner. She married an Israelite named Chilion and became part of his extended family. This was forbidden by the Law of God but it took place during the time of the judges when everyone was doing right in their own eyes. Then tragedy strikes. Her father-in-law, Elimelech, dies. Ten years later both her husband and his brother die as well. This puts the whole family at risk. There are no men to work. No men to protect the widowed women. So Naomi makes the decision to return home. She encourages her Moabite daughters-in-law to do the same. Start over. See if they have better luck with a new family because hers has brought them only grief. Ruth refuses. She makes this extraordinary declaration, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth‬ ‭1:16‬) So powerful is her statement that we often hear it read at weddings thousands of years later! 

Ruth not only returns with Naomi to Bethlehem, she cares faithfully for her mother-in-law. She puts her life at risk by going out to the fields to glean what was left after the reapers had made their way through. It was backbreaking, painstaking work. Women who did this were often molested, harassed, and abused. They were the poorest of the poor in the land. Completely without hope. In the providence of God, the field she chose belonged to a man named Boaz. A righteous man. A man who left the gleanings for the poor as the Law of God demands. (Lev. 19:9-10) A man who protected her from the men who worked for him. A man who included her among his own young women so she woudn’t be alone. Even invited her to sit and eat at his table. Boaz is a man who clearly honors the Lord. I love what he says to Ruth when she asks him why she has found favor in his eyes. “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (Ruth‬ ‭2:12‬) 

Naomi cannot believe their good fortune! Ruth has been led by God to the very fields of the man who can redeem them! (Lev. 25) A man who is a close enough relative to bring them into his home and continue the family line! Thus unfolds a beautiful courtship in chapter three where Ruth goes and lies at Boaz’s feet to ask him to take them in. Boaz is humbled by the request and makes the necessary arrangements to become their kinsman-redeemer. They get married. Conceive a son. The family line continues which is important since her great-grandson is King David! Furthermore, many generations hence, her descendent Joseph will marry a young pregnant woman named Mary and they will have a son named Jesus. The Great Redeemer who will save His people from their sins! 

After all the bloodshed and violence and suffering and pain, it is nice to read that not all was lost in Israel. Even in the time of the judges, there were still faithful men and women who followed the Lord. It is a great reminder to us in our own time that the night is always darkest right before the dawn. Next Saturday is Holy Saturday. A day where Christians reflect on the death of their Lord. His body lying on a cold slab. Wrapped in a burial shroud. Death seemingly having the victory. Sin and Evil seemingly having their way. The Son of God seemingly defeated. We wait on that day in silence. With baited breath for we know what the next day brings! Victory! Jesus rising from the grave! Jesus throwing open the door of the tomb! Death could not hold him! Hell could not defeat Him! Sin and Evil had no power over Him! Jesus is our Great Redeemer! Jesus is our Great Savior!  

Readings for tomorrow: None

The Horror

Readings for today: Judges 19-21

Today we encounter some of the most difficult material in all of Scripture. We see Israel at her lowest point. She has forgotten Yahweh. She has become like the pagan tribes around her. She is more focused on her own gratification than she is on serving and honoring the Lord. Her world is full of idols and sexual perversion and violence. Yes, she still goes through the motions. She still makes her sacrifices. She still prays. Fasts. Appears before the Lord at the appointed times. But it’s all empty at this point. Everyone is doing what seems right to them. They are all following their own ways. They are plumbing the depths of sin. They are pushing the boundaries of evil. Unspeakable atrocities are taking place in Israel such as the gang rape of a woman whose body is then dismembered resulting in a genocidal war that basically annihilates an entire tribe. It’s madness.  

One of my favorite books is the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. With penetrating insight, he describes the nature of man. Given the right conditions. Given the right set of circumstances. We will all succumb to temptation. In the book, Kurtz sets himself up as a god to be worshipped. He exploits those around him. He uses them for his own personal gratification and enjoyment. He is evil and selfish and insane. Towards the end of the story, he finds himself dying as he “returns” to civilization. His life flashes before his eyes. He reflects back on all he has done. And his final words are, “The horror! The horror!” 

Horror. It’s a good word to describe what we read today from the book of Judges. There simply is nothing redemptive in the story. Nothing good. Nothing godly. Man’s inhumanity to man is on full display. It’s dark. It’s evil. It’s terrifying.

Horror. It’s a good word to describe what’s going on in our world today. One only has to scroll through a Twitter newsfeed or watch cable news to see the hate that leads to violence that leads to death and then return the next day to watch the cycle repeat itself.

Horror. If we’re totally honest, it’s a good word to describe what goes on in all of our hearts. All of us are perpetrators. All of us are victims. We are the Levite. We are the concubine. We’ve sacrificed others and we’ve been sacrificed for the sake of self-protection and self-gratification. In the Bible’s judgment, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans‬ ‭3:10-18‬)

Perhaps it’s providential that we read this section of Judges as we head towards Holy Week. A season we dedicate to reflection on the horror of the Cross and the death of God. We reflect on the price Jesus paid. The blood He shed. The penalty He bore. We reflect on the suffering He endured. The pain He experienced. The heartbreak of betrayal. We reflect on the depth of our sin. The depravity of our nature. The darkness of our hearts. We reflect on the cost of our salvation. On what it took to redeem us from sin and death. To deliver us from evil. 

Of course, we also reflect on our salvation! God plunging Himself into the horror of our condition! Plunging into the depths of our darkness! Immersing Himself in the breadth of our madness! Embracing us as His own! In Christ, there is hope for the Levite and his concubine! In Christ, there is hope for the Kurtz’s of our world! In Christ, there is hope even for us! And that hope is found in Jesus!

Readings for tomorrow: Ruth 1-4

Flawed Heroes

Readings for today: Judges 14-18

I grew up in church. Sunday school every weekend. Learning the Bible stories via flannel board. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Noah on his ark. Moses parting the Red Sea. Joshua and the battle of Jericho. One of my favorites was Samson. For a young boy, what’s not to like? Strength. Power. One man winning victory after victory culminating in a final heroic act of self-sacrifice where Samson literally brings the roof down on his enemies!  

As I got older, I began to learn about all the stuff my Sunday school teachers left out. Rightfully, by the way, as I was too young to understand. Adam and Eve’s rebellion and descent into sin. Noah and his family being saved but at incredible cost. Moses parting the Red Sea but often ending up in these violent clashes that would end in entire families being wiped out. Joshua devoting entire cities to destruction. And Samson. A moral train wreck of a man. Selfish. Immature. A man who seems to use his God-given gifts for his own gain and self-gratification. What are we to make of such heroes? The Bible seems full of them. Broken, frail, sinful men and women who are subsequently enshrined in the great “Hall of Fame” of faith in Hebrews 11? 

First and foremost, we are to see them as they are...not as we wish they would be. They are human beings. As such, they are sinners just like us. People whom God chooses to use despite their shortcomings and failings. By the way, this is one of the best arguments for the trustworthiness of Scripture. It paints an honest picture of God’s chosen people. Putting their weaknesses on display right alongside their strengths. Compare that to the sacred writings of other major world religions where heroes are whitewashed to perfection.  

Second, we are to look beyond them to the true source of their strength. The true source of their wisdom. The true source of all their miracles and great victories. It is the Spirit of the Lord that rushes on Samson and gives him the ability to tear a lion apart. Kill a bunch of Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Trap and tie torches to hundreds of foxes. Tear off a city gate. Bring an entire building down around him. This is not Samson’s doing. It has very little to do with the length of his hair. That’s superstitious nonsense! Not cutting his hair was simply an outward sign of the Nazirite Vow his parents had taken on his behalf before he was even conceived. (Judges 13:2-5) Keeping the vow was a sign of his devotion and dedication to the Lord, the true source of his strength. When he treated his vow casually by allowing his wife to manipulate him, his strength left him. Again, not because of his hair but because he had despised the Lord.

Finally, the entire book of Judges is meant to lead us to despair. Each judge over Israel seems less and less capable of leading well. They are increasingly morally compromised. Increasingly they lose sight of the One True God. Increasingly they abandon the ways of the Lord and follow their own paths. In fact, the city of Dan - a major city in the Northern Kingdom of Israel - will continue to be a city known for its idolatry. Jeroboam will put one of his golden calves here in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. So what begins with violence and idolatry by the tribe of Dan will continue until the day God sends the Assyrians to wipe out the northern kingdom altogether. 

Why drive us to such despair? To teach us yet again of our need for God. Over and over again, the same narrative is reinforced. Humanity is hopeless. From Adam and Eve to the Great Flood. From Noah to the Tower of Babel. From Abraham to slavery in Egypt. From Moses to the end of Judges. With each generation, man’s inhumanity to man only grows. Only increases. Only becomes more pervasive. And we would be lost except for God. He continues to pursue us. He continues to reach out to us. He continues to be faithful even in the face of our unfaithfulness. The climax of the Biblical story is, of course, something we celebrate on Holy Week. Jesus’ suffering and death and resurrection is God’s ultimate and final victory over humanity’s sin and the curse of death.

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 19-21

Jephthah’s Vow

Readings for today: Judges 10-13

When we travel to Ethiopia, we often head into the rural areas to visit village churches. As we walk along the dirt paths, we pass home after home. Most of them are mud huts surrounded by a little brush fence. In the evenings, we see children driving whatever livestock (donkeys, chickens, goats, etc.) the family owns into the enclosure. This keeps the animals safe and the house warm. It’s a common custom all over the Middle East even to this day. 

Hopefully, this places Jephthah’s tragic vow in context. He fully expected the first thing to greet him when he returned home to be a goat or a sheep or some other animal. He most certainly did NOT expect it to be his daughter! So when she comes dancing out of the home with her tambourine, he tears his clothes. He instantly regrets the vow he made. He feels trapped. And how does his daughter respond? Her reaction is perhaps the most surprising part of this story. She willingly lays down her life for her father! She faces her fate with courage and faith. Taking two full months to say goodbye and grieve with her friends. Two full months to weep over what could have been. 

It’s a story that baffles us on a lot of levels. How could Jephthah sacrifice his own flesh and blood? How could Jephthah’s daughter willingly lay down her life? And where is God in all of this? Is He pleased? The cultural distance between this world and our own is almost insurmountable. However, one key to understanding is Judges 11:23-24, “So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess.” Everyone in the ancient near east believed in gods. Dagon for the Philistines. Chemosh for the Amorites. Molech for the Ammonites. Every tribe had their own deity. Make the right sacrifices and you were awarded with great wealth, military might, and political power. Make the wrong sacrifices and your deity would turn his face from you, resulting in poverty, weakness, and defeat. One some level, the same now held true for Israel. As they adopted the ways of their Canaanite neighbors, Yahweh ceased - on some level - to be the One True God and became just another tribal deity to be appeased. This helps explain Jephthah’s tragic choice to sacrifice his daughter and her tragic choice to accept her fate. Most importantly, God is silent throughout. Nowhere does the Bible say God is pleased with Jephthah’s decision.

What about us? We claim to worship the supreme God of the universe. We claim to know the King of kings and Lord of lords. We claim to be heirs of His eternal Kingdom. But do our lives reflect this truth? How much have we accommodated to the ways of this world? Brought God down to our level? Limited Him to our tribe? Reduced Him to our personal deity? 

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 14-18

The Work of Renewal

Readings for today: Judges 6-9

Renewal never comes easy. Not in my experience. Renewal in a marriage. Renewal in a family. Renewal in a congregation. Renewal in a community. It comes through hardship and suffering and a lot of pain. There is conflict to manage. Egos to assuage. Obstacles to overcome. Perhaps the biggest challenge is not external but internal. Our insecurities. Our lack of confidence. Our aversion to risk.

Gideon is the least likely of heroes. He’s an insignificant son of the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. He’s just an ordinary guy trying to do his best to make his way in a very tough world. When the angel of the Lord first approaches him, he’s threshing grain in a winepress and attempting to hide from the Midianites. When the angel addresses Gideon as a “mighty man of valor”, Gideon responds by telling him he’s got the wrong guy. He’s showed up at the wrong house. He’s in the wrong part of town. When the angel further tells Gideon he will deliver Israel, Gideon needs multiple confirmations involving a fleece before he will agree. Once the decision is made, Gideon assembles an overwhelming force of men to go with him. God strips his force down to 300. This makes Gideon fearful and anxious. Nothing about this process is easy. Nothing about it is guaranteed. God is taking Gideon beyond himself, forcing him into a place of utter dependence so he will learn to trust in God and not himself.

I see this happen all the time in the marriages, families, churches, and communities I work with. Husbands and wives come into my office at the end of their rope. They’ve done all they can to manage the conflict in their relationship but things have only gotten worse not better. They can’t hear each other. They can’t see each other. They can’t understand each other. They want to call it quits. Meeting with me is often their last resort. Parents and children come into my office at each other’s throats. So much anger. So much hurt. Every conversation seems to devolve into an argument. Voices are raised. Painful things are said. They wound each other deeply. They see no way out. Pastors and other church leaders email or call. They are confused. Frustrated. Hurt. Depressed. Exhausted. They’ve tried so hard to love their church. Tried so hard to serve their church. Tried so hard to lead their church. What have they received in return? Their motives are questioned. Their character is impugned. Their reputation is trashed. People do all they can to subvert and sabotage even their best efforts.

The work of renewal is not for the faint of heart. It requires courage to face down the forces that oppose God’s work. To turn away anger with gentleness. To meet sin with grace. To be a peacemaker in the face of conflict. To persevere under the unrelenting pressure. But God can strengthen the weary heart. God can mend the broken heart. God can give courage to the faint of heart. God specializes in bringing hope in the most hopeless of situations.

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 10-13

The Power of One

Readings for today: Judges 2-5

All it takes is one. That’s the message I send every time I consult with a struggling church. One leader. One person of influence who is willing to seek the Lord. Willing to humble themselves before Him. Willing to walk in the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of all wisdom and strength. So many churches are struggling in America right now. According to some statistics, 80-85% of churches in the evangelical space are plateaued or declining. The numbers are worse in the mainline denominational world. It’s heartbreaking. Church consultants have discerned any number of reasons. Confusion over mission. Disconnection from the local community. Unresolved conflict. Spiritual abuse and neglect. Sin in the camp. Dysfunctional leadership. The list goes on. Where to find hope?

The Book of Judges is one of the most depressing in all of Scripture. Israel suffers tremendously under the weight of sin and disobedience. God simply gives them over to the desires of their hearts and the results are devastating. However, renewal is always just one godly leader away. All it takes is one man or one woman who seeks God with all their heart. One man or one woman who has the courage to take a stand for their faith in the face of incredible odds. One man or one woman who is willing to endure hardship for the sake of a cause greater than themselves. God raises up such men and women. Makes them judges for His people. Spiritual leaders who become “saviors” of a sort. The result is repentance. Freedom. Deliverance for God’s people.

I see the same dynamic in play in our day and age. It’s the hope I offer every church I work with. All it takes is one leader who is willing to seek the Lord with all their heart. One leader who has the courage to stand for their faith and remain healthy and differentiated in the face of incredible odds. One leader who is willing to endure all sorts of hardship and pain for the sake of congregational renewal. Most of the time it is the pastor but it could just as easily be a key elder, key deacon, key lay leader. All congregations are emotional systems. As such, they are intimately and intrinsically connected. When one leader within the system makes the decision to pursue greater levels of emotional and spiritual health, the system is forced to respond. At first there is always pushback as the system reacts by trying to turn the leader back. All systems tend to resist healthy change. But if the leader remains courageous and perseveres, the system will eventually adjust and become more healthy itself. Ideally, of course, it’s not just one leader who makes this decision but a group of leaders. Men and women who can support and encourage each other along the way.

Perhaps you belong to a struggling church. Perhaps it’s your business or family that’s struggling. All of us belong to emotional systems. The good news is God can use anyone to bring about spiritual and emotional renewal. All we have to do is turn to Him. All we have to do is humble ourselves before Him. All we have to do is walk in the fear of the Lord to receive wisdom and strength for the journey.

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 6-9

Choose this Day…

Readings for today: Joshua 23-24, Judges 1

My grandfather was my spiritual hero. A man who loved and served Jesus for over ninety years. He started preaching at 14. He didn’t stop until he was in his late eighties. After retiring from full-time ministry and moving into a retirement community, he worked part-time at a local church and did all the visitation and pastoral care for the graduated care facility. I remember sitting with him in his living room and reading the Bible together after I became a Christian. He had read through the Bible who knows how many times over the years. It was my first time through. In the middle of our time together, he paused and said, “hmmm...never seen that before.” I said, “What do you mean? Haven’t you read through the Bible like a million times, granddad?” “Yes”, he replied, “But there’s always more to discover.” When I graduated from seminary, granddad was dying. He had a few months left to live. He was living in a room with grandma who was catatonic from Alzheimer’s and was suffering from some paralyzation due to a burst cyst in his ear. My mom warned me he probably wouldn’t be able to talk. I walked into the room and for the next TWO HOURS he proceeded to talk my ear off about life and ministry and my future as a pastor. He was so proud. So excited. It was like he had been saving up all his words just for me. He “went the way of all the earth” just two months later. He and grandma died within two weeks of each other. It was the first funeral I performed as a pastor. 

One generation rises. Another falls. But the promises of God remain the same. “Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left...Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God...And you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.” (Josh. ‭23:6, 11, 14‬) Think of all the things Joshua had seen! Slavery in Egypt. The plagues. The parting of the Red Sea. God meeting with His people on Sinai. The Ten Commandments. Manna from heaven. Wilderness wandering. Water from rocks. The parting of the Jordan. The incredible victories against Jericho and Ai. The beginning of the conquest of the Promised Land. What a life! And through it all, what marked Joshua was an unwavering commitment to serve the Lord. To love the Lord with all his heart and soul and mind and strength. Joshua was a worthy successor to Moses and led God’s people well. And now at the end of his life, he challenges the people to carry on! To continue to trust God! To walk in faith and see the fulfilllment of all God had promised! 

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh. ‭24:14-15‬) Choose this day whom you will serve. The question reverberates throughout history. Every generation is called upon to answer. Will we love and fear and serve the Lord? Or will we bow down to the gods of our own making? The gods of our culture? The gods we once served before coming to faith? As for me and my house...we will serve the Lord! 

Readings for tomorrow: None

Witness

Readings for today: Joshua 19-22

“The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, "For," they said, "it is a witness between us that the Lord is God." (Josh. ‭22:34‬) 

What does it mean to be a witness? And what are we “witnessing” to? For the tribes of Israel, the altar by the Jordan was built to remind them they were all part of one large family. Deeply connected not only by their common kinship with Abraham but also their covenant with God Himself. The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were concerned that future generations might forget this connection and start to see the Jordan River as the boundary between God’s people and the rest of the world. They didn’t want to be left out so before they crossed the Jordan to take possession of their inheritance, they built a monument of “imposing size.” Not for burnt offerings. Not for sacrifices. But as a witness to all of Israel that they were one people under Yahweh. Every time an Israelite would pass by the monument, it would “witness” to their shared history and deep connection. 

In the Book of Acts, Jesus calls us “His witnesses.” We are witnesses in our neighborhoods, cities, nations, and to the very ends of the earth. In this way, we are living memorials to all God has done. We are living monuments to a shared history. A common heritage. The deep connection we share as God’s chosen people. We “witness” to the glory and goodness of God. We “witness” to the unity we share as the family of God. Anytime someone “passes us by” or interacts with us on any level, they should leave having “witnessed” the mercy and grace of God and having experienced the deep love we have for one another.

Ultimately, the Bible itself is the pre-eminent witness. I love what Joshua 21:45 says, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” The only reason we know this statement is true is because we have an accurate record of what took place. This is why we read the Old Testament. Within its pages, God “witnesses” to us over and over again of His great faithfulness and love. Even in the face of our sin. Even in the face of our rebellion. Even in the face of our evil. Even in the face of our failures. Even in the face of all our brokenness, God pursues us. God relentlessly chases us. God never lets us go.

I know reading through the Bible in a year is not easy! It indeed is a “monument of imposing size!” But as we sit with God’s Word and prayerfully reflect on all He has to say, we are shaped and formed in ways we cannot begin to imagine. 

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 23-24, Judges 1