Deliverer

Readings for today: Exodus 5-9

“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”(Exodus‬ ‭6:6-8‬)

I remember sitting in a seminary classroom listening to a professor discount the Exodus. He decried it as a mythological story. An event that never took place. At least not in the way it’s told by the Bible. Instead, he suggested all kinds of replacement theories of his own. Each one more strange than the next. He argued it was a propaganda piece designed to give a group of people an identity. He argued the original Hebrews were a migrant, nomadic people who needed to give themselves political justification for settling down. He argued the Exodus never happened as a mass event but a series of migrations over time. All this sounded well and good until one student raised their hand and asked, “How can we describe God as deliverer if He never actually delivered anyone?” Silence. The professor began to stutter and stumble but the damage was done. His lofty arguments brought low by the simple, profound truth that propaganda pieces simply do not have the staying power he suggested. The fact that Israel has been telling and re-telling this story for centuries is strong evidence for it’s historical veracity. Furthermore, the fact that so many marginalized and oppressed people have found inspiration and hope in this story suggests it must have a basis in truth. And perhaps most damningly, how in the world can we honestly believe in God as deliverer if He never actually acted within human history to deliver His people?

Thankfully, the overwhelming testimony of history stands against those who would seek to diminish this story. Just the fact that the Jewish people still exist when so many other tribal people groups disappeared should stand for something. After all, Israel was never a powerful empire like Egypt. Never attained cultural hegemony like Greece. Never exerted a powerful military presence like Rome or Babylon or Persia. At best, even under King Solomon, she remained a regional power, taking advantage of the lulls between the much greater empires that surrounded them. Secondly, arguing from the “silence” of the archaeological record has never been persuasive. Those who decry the lack of evidence in the Sinai peninsula for a mass migration of people have to acknowledge the difficulty of uncovering evidence that is over 3,000 years old. After all, they are finding military equipment in Sinai from the 1973 Yom Kippur War buried in over 52 feet of sand! Thirdly, it is important to read the Bible honestly. The author of the Exodus is clearly writing from the perspective of a Jew. As such, he had no interest in presenting an unbiased account. This doesn’t make the story any less true but it does mean we have to read critically, lest we miss the overarching point. God is God.. Pharaoh is not. God is sovereign even over the greatest empires on the earth. God does what He wills. When He wills. For the primary purpose of promoting His own glory. Some would say this makes God an narcissist. Quite the contrary. It’s part and parcel of what makes Him God.

The truly incredible part of the story to me is not even the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. It’s the fact that God chooses to reveal Himself at all. If there is a God who stands outside time and space. A God who creates and rules over all He has made. An omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Being who exists eternally in perfect relationship within Himself. Then He has no need of me. No need of us. No need of a people to call His own. This God has no need to enter history. No need to reveal Himself. He is not beholden to us. He doesn’t owe us a thing. But what the Exodus makes clear is that this God desires a relationship with us. He makes Himself known to us. Not only that but He makes Himself known to us in a particular way. He is deliverer. He is redeemer. He is savior.

As seminal an event as the Exodus is for the people of Israel, it is but a foreshadowing of the “Exodus” that will take place on the cross. As Jesus hangs between heaven and earth, all of the “plagues” God stored up against the sin of humankind are poured out Him. He cries out in anguish. He thirsts. He suffers. He is in tremendous pain. He feels the lash of the whip. He endures the harsh words of the taskmaster. By becoming sin for us, Christ delivers us. He rescues us. He breaks the power of sin and death and rescues us from spiritual slavery to the devil. In short, He sets us free. This, friends, is how God chooses to make Himself known to the world. As a God who delivers! A God who redeems! A God who saves! May you place your trust in Him today!

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 10-13

Extraordinary Power of Ordinary People

Readings for today: Exodus 1-4

“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus‬ ‭1:8‬) One of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history begins with these ominous words. A new Pharaoh has risen. One who did not know Joseph. One who had forgotten what God had done for Egypt through Joseph. One who saw Joseph’s descendents as a threat to his power. One can understand his trepidation. A foreign people living on the eastern edge of the Nile delta who have multiplied exceedingly over the generations and grown strong. They worship a strange god you do not know. They have strange customs you do not follow. They speak a foreign language you do not understand. It is easy to understand the source of this new Pharaoh’s fear. 

So he takes action. He enslaves them. Subjects them to abuse, harsh treatment, and a lifetime of hard labor. But the more they oppressed the Israelites, the more numerous and powerful they became. Anxious about the potential of an uprising, Pharaoh calls for draconian population control. He orders the midwives to kill every male child that is born. In this way, he hopes to reduce their numbers to a more manageable size. But the midwives courageously defy the king. Denying themselves, they save the male children from death. It’s an incredible act of faith. 

Shiprah and Puah. Their names are important. Two ordinary women engaged in an ordinary profession. There is nothing remarkable about them. Nothing special or unique. They have no biblical training. No seminary degree. They come from no special lineage and carry no family name. We do not know their tribe or their background. We simply know their names. Their occupation. And the one thing that does set them apart...their fear of God. These two women pave the way for Israel’s deliverer, Moses, to be born. They make it possible for God’s salvation to come. Through their act of selfless obedience, they create the conditions for what will become the seminal event in Judaism. The Exodus. Without them, there is no Charleton Heston. :-) No Ten Commandments. No Moses. Without them, there is no parting of the Red Sea or journey to the Promised Land. Without them, the Hebrews eventually die out. Cease to exist. The covenant God made with Abraham would be broken and all of salvation history go defunct. All because two women decided to obey God and perform their professional duties faithfully under threat of death. 

Do you think about your profession in this way? Do you connect what you do with what you believe? Is God on your radar screen as you go about your day to day activities? It’s amazing how often God uses the ordinary and mundane to accomplish His purposes. In my experience, it is not the pastors and church leaders who move the dial of the Kingdom but the faithful man or woman who often goes unnoticed. They spend their days working at their job. Caring for their families. Praying and studying the Bible. And eternity moves at the sound of their voice. The wheel of God’s salvation history turns by their hand. It’s truly amazing. What could God do with an accountant? A truck driver? A fast food worker? A sanitation engineer? What could God do with a doctor? A lawyer? A university professor? What could God do with a teacher? A mother? A father? A friend? The answer is...everything. Anything. God uses those who are available and humble and willing. Does that describe you? 

Fear of the Lord

Readings for today: Job 40:6-42:17, Psalms 29

I am often asked about the “fear of the Lord.” After all, the Bible says it is the key to wisdom. The key to understanding. The key to a life well-lived before God. But what does it look like? Are we supposed to tremble in terror before God? Are we supposed to pass out in fear? Does it relate to reverence? Awe? Humility? What does it look like to fear the Lord? I think Job gives us the perfect picture.

“Then Job answered the Lord and said: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job‬ ‭42:1-6‬)

God is God and we are not. This is the fundamental truth of our existence. Who are we to question God? Who are we to challenge God? Who are we to doubt God? We are the clay. He is the potter. We are the instruments. He is the maestro. We are the tools. He is the craftsman. Thankfully, because God is gracious and merciful, He condescends to speak with us. Meet with us. Reveal Himself to us. He certainly doesn’t have to. He is not bound to. He is under no compulsion except that which He sets for Himself. He is not effected by any force outside His own will. He is perfectly free to do whatever He pleases and the good news is this…it pleases Him to dwell with us! It pleases Him to be in relationship with us! It pleases Him to give His life for us!

What a glorious truth! This same God who spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. The same God who confronted Job to answer the most profound questions of creation. The same God who allowed Job to suffer so much. This same God suffers even more for us. Jesus willingly lets go of the wealth and riches of heaven. He empties Himself of His divine knowledge and wisdom. He gives up His glory and honor as the only begotten Son of God. He gives the full measure of His devotion on the cross where He suffers and dies the most horrific death imaginable. All to save. All to deliver. All to rescue those He loves so much.

In the face of such love, all we can do is repent. Fall on our knees before Him in awe and wonder. Gaze at the Son as He suffers for our sins. Feel our hearts filled to overflowing with gratitude for this great gift. Sing praises to His great name. Lift up our lives before Him as living sacrifices. Offer all that we are and all that we have to Him as an act of worship. Truly we have uttered words too wonderful for us! Spoken of things which we did not understand! Seen things which we had no right to see and experienced things we did not deserve! All praise be to Jesus! King of kings! Lord of lords! God of gods! Beloved of my soul!

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 1-4

God Speaks

Readings for today: Job 37-40:1-5, Psalms 19

So this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for...God finally showing up! God finally speaking. God finally defending His actions, explaining things, letting us in on what He’s been thinking.  Except that’s not what happens. Instead, we are given these words in Job 40:2, “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." I remember being frustrated the first time I read them. Even a bit angry with God. But over the years I have come to a deeper understanding of who God is and who I am before Him. Literally, I am nothing. I am a sinner. I live in a constant state of rebellion against God and His ways. I am corrupt. Conceived in iniquity as Psalm 51 so eloquently puts it. I am totally depraved. Even my best thoughts and actions on my best day are poisoned by pride and selfishness. That is who I am without Christ. That is my natural state of being. That is how I was born into this world. Furthermore, even now that I am in Christ. Redeemed. Beloved. Given a new heart and new spirit. I am still finite. I am still dust and ashes. I cannot fathom why the sun rises each morning or the flowers bud each spring much less probe the mysteries of God’s purposes. They remain unsearchable for me. Unfathomable. Beyond my limited understanding. 

This is how God answers Job. There is no reason for Job’s suffering. Not that he can understand. Not in this moment. Not while he’s suffering and in pain. Not while he’s demanding in his pride an audience before God. Not while he’s upset and angry. Job must be humbled. He must come to an understanding of who he is and who he’s addressing. "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further." (Job 40:4-5) This is what I love about Job. This is what makes Job righteous and blameless in God’s sight.  This is ultimately why God will affirm His servant Job and judge Job’s friends. Job is repentant. Job is humble. Job is contrite.  When God finally answers him out of the whirlwind, Job responds with reverence, fear, and awe. The only appropriate response when we come before the Lord. He gets on his knees. He bows his head. He closes his mouth. He covers his eyes. He is finished speaking. There are no more words to say. God is present. God is here. 

God is God and we are not. That’s the essence of the message of the Book of Job and it’s a tough one to swallow. The reality is we all like to pretend we are gods. Masters of our own universe. Captains of our own destiny. We like to pretend that we are in control when in fact we are not. God is moving in ways we cannot see or understand. He is doing things above and beyond us. He is working all things for His glory in the world. He has His purposes. We are simply His instruments. Beloved? Yes. Cherished? Yes. Esteemed? Yes. But our relationship with God comes with responsibilities. Our adoption into God’s family as His sons and daughters comes with a certain set of expectations. Though we are heirs to all things in Christ, we are not Christ. Though the Father has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, we are not to assume this makes us into gods ourselves. Humility and repentance are the key to a well-lived life before God and Job shows us the way. 

Readings for tomorrow: Job 40:6-42:17, Psalms 29

Redemptive Suffering

Readings for today: Job 33-36

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter‬ ‭1:6-7‬)

“For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews‬ ‭12:10-11‬)

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:8-9‬)

There is such a thing as redemptive suffering. Suffering with a purpose. We may not always see that purpose and, in fact, it is often only revealed upon reflection after the fact. But that doesn’t mean all suffering is meaningless. Or all suffering is bad. Or all suffering is to be avoided. Clearly, the first century believers suffered. 10 of the 12 Apostles would be tortured and executed in excruciating ways for their faith. (Judas committed suicide and John, though he suffered, died of old age.) Throughout the first three centuries of the church’s existence, Christians were burned as torches in Nero’s garden. Thrown to the lions for sport in the arena. In certain regions of the Empire, they were systematically rounded up and killed. This was not only true back then but remains true in certain places around the world today. According to Christianity Today, it is estimated that over 70 million Christians have been martyred since the time of Jesus. They suffered and died in places all over the earth. Ottomon Turkey. Nazi Germany. Soviet Russia. Communist China and North Korea. Uganda. Sudan. Mexico. Columbia. And the suffering continues. I have seen it firsthand in Ethiopia and have spoken to eye witnesses in South Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia. 

The introduction of Elihu to the narrative represents a turning point in Job. At first glance, Elihu just seems to be piling on. Repeating the same old tired arguments of Job’s friends. But a careful reading of the text reveals a significant shift. Elihu bursts on the scene declaring his anger at both Job and his three friends. (Job 32:1-5) He believes he has something new to offer that has not yet been said. So what is it that Elihu brings to the table? It is the idea that God does allow the righteous to suffer in order to purify and to save. Perhaps the key passage is Job 33:12-30...

“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him, saying, 'He will answer none of man's words'? For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings...Remember, they had no Bible. No written records. So the Word of God would come to them in visions and dreams. Why? To punish? To judge? To wound? To destroy? No...So that God may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. This is deeply significant as it adds a new layer of meaning to the story. God does allow suffering but it’s for our good. He uses suffering to purge the pride from us. The pride Job himself suffers from. Yes, Job is a righteous man. Yes, Job is a blameless man. But Job is also a sinful man. Though he has a heart after God, he is not perfect and God will use his suffering (as we will see at the end of the book) to cleanse the depths of Job’s soul. 

God not only warns us in dreams and visions and through His Word, he also uses our physical pain for our good and for His glory. "Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death.” If we follow the logic of Job’s friends - whom Elihu rebukes strongly - we would conclude that those who suffer deserve it. They should go down to death. But that’s not where Elihu lands. His God is not a harsh judge but a faithful, loving Father who delivers His children ultimately from their pain and suffering. “If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor'; then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.' "Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life.” The key phrase being that last sentence. It is God who does all these things for man in order to bring his soul back from the pit, lighted with the light of life. 

This understanding squares with what Christians have said throughout the centuries. Martyrs facing their death without fear. Those who suffer enduring for the sake of something greater.  They understand God is at work even in the middle of their pain. They understand suffering to be part of this broken, ruined, created order. Ultimately, they embrace suffering as part of following Christ who Himself suffered on behalf of all humanity. Viewed from this angle, suffering is hard but good. God using it to bring about His will and His glory while also continuing to sanctify and purify own hearts in the midst of it all. The reality is Job needs to be humbled and indeed will be humbled before the Lord of Hosts. We need to be humbled as well. This is one of the most important lessons from the Book of Job for all of us.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 37-40:1-5, Psalms 19

Finding True Faith

Readings for today: Job 29-32

Why do I love God? Why do I trust God? Why do I believe in God? Is it because of the blessings He’s given me? Is it because of the benefits I’ve received? Is it because of the ways He has touched my life? Is God worthy of my love regardless of these things? Is He worthy simply because He is God? I remember being challenged by this thought in college. I was in a Bible study on Job and the teacher asked me if I would hold fast to my faith even if there were no rewards. I have to admit I didn’t have a ready answer. I think at that point in time - if I were honest - I would have said no. My faith would fail if there was not some kind of benefit to me personally. But life goes on. I’ve suffered many things. I’ve seen ups and downs. I lived in plenty and in want. I’ve experienced hardship and loss. I’ve gone through the dark night of the soul more than once. And what I’ve discovered at the end of it all is that God is enough. God is sufficient. God is my reward.

Job is struggling mightily with this idea today. He wishes with all his heart he could go back to the days of joy. Days of plenty. Days when he was respected and esteemed. “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me…When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose and stood; the princes refrained from talking and laid their hand on their mouth; the voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭29:2-5, 7-10‬) He wishes he could go back to the days when he cared for the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. When he lifted up those who were struggling. Comforted those who were hurting. Came alongside those who were grieving. Job didn’t just live his life for himself. He lived his life righteously. For others. For his community. He did all he could to be faithful and he received great rewards as a result.

But now the tables have turned. Everything he held dear has been taken away. He has lost his wealth. He has lost his health. He has lost his family. He has lost the esteem of his community. “But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.” (Job‬ ‭30:1‬) He even feels abandoned by God Himself. “God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me. You have turned cruel to me; with the might of your hand you persecute me. You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm. For I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living.” (Job‬ ‭30:19-23‬) It’s a cry of utter despair. A cry of utter dereliction. It sounds much like Jesus’ cry from the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet even in his despair, Job reaches out for God. Even in the darkest part of the darkest night of his soul, Job clings to faith. “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help?” (Job‬ ‭30:24‬)

At the end of the day when we have come to the end of our strength. The end of our hope. The end of our faith. We find God there waiting for us. God must be the treasure of our hearts. He must hold the highest place. He must have our deepest loyalties and our greatest allegiance. He alone must become our reward. The only way we discover true faith is through testing. Suffering. Hardship. Pain. It is there in the darkness as we stumble about with no resources to bring to bear and no moves to make that we discover if we really believe. What have the trails of your life revealed about your faith in God? Where have you turned in the time of your greatest suffering? Do you - like Job - reach out your hand in midst of the ruins of your life to God?

Readings for tomorrow: Job 33-36

Wisdom

Readings for today: Job 25-28

Our world is filled with knowledge. We have so much knowledge we literally do not know what to do with it. So much information coming at us from every angle. The average person is inundated with well over a hundred emails every day. Not to mention texts. Phone calls. Social media interactions. A single issue of the New York Times contains more information than a person a hundred or so years ago might have learned in an entire year. The news is relentless. The fake news endless. Technology ubiquitous. We cannot escape. We cannot rest. And what has all this knowledge gained us? Rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Rising rates of fear, violence, and hate. All this in a world that is demonstrably improving with each passing year. Why? What are we missing? What is the source of our persistent discontent?

Wisdom. Wisdom is the key. We simply do not know the path to wisdom or we refuse to take it. Today’s reading from the Book of Job is on point. "Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore…Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. "But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭28:1-2, 9-13‬) Human beings are capable of great things. We literally move mountains. We climb to the highest mountains. We delve in the deeps of the earth. We’ve learned to fly. We’ve explored the depths of the oceans. We know how to do so very much. But for all our strength and power and knowledge and ability, we have yet to find the path to wisdom. We didn’t find it on the mountaintops. We searched for it in vain in the trenches of the seas. Despite our vast wealth we could not find a vender who sold it.

We live in a world awash in desire. A world enslaved to feelings and emotions. A world adrift in an ocean of chaos. How else to explain heartbreaking insanity that passes for truth these days? We reject any kind of sexual boundaries and are shocked when it leads to abuse, objectification, disease, and violence. We reject our bodies and are shocked when it leads to depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. We selfishly exploit the resources of the earth and are shocked when it leads to pollution and sickness and war. We refuse to repent over past oppressions and are shocked when it leads to racial conflict. We refuse to restrain our greed and are shocked when it leads to class warfare on a social and political stage. Our unwillingness and inability to follow the ways of Jesus leads us into all kinds of pain and suffering and heartache which we then turn around and try to pin on God. We are fools.

Only God knows the path to wisdom. Only God knows how to take all of our knowledge and order it in such a way that it leads to blessing and human flourishing. “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.' "God understands the way to it, and he knows its place…and he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job‬ ‭28:20-23, 28‬) Fear the Lord. Submit to His ways. Surrender to His will. Let Him guide and direct your steps. This is the path to wisdom. God’s promise to those who would follow Him is that He will lead us to green pastures and beside still waters. To places of peace where our souls will be restored. Job understands we cannot find these places on our own. We cannot get to these places in our own strength. Our knowledge is simply not enough. We must let God take us by the hand. We must trust God with our lives and our future. We must have faith that He knows best.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 29-32

Refining Fire

Readings for today: Job 22-24

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold…But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭23:8-10, 13-14‬)

How many of us love to quote the verse from Jeremiah 29? About the plans the Lord has for us? Plans for blessing and hope and a future? I love those words. I love those promises. But what we too often fail to consider is the path we have to take to get there. The path to God’s blessing is often filled with pain. Often filled with suffering. Often filled with struggle and heartbreak. It is lonely at times. It is rocky and steep and exhausting. Why? Because God’s blessings cannot come to us until we are empty. Until we have come to the end of ourselves. Until we have finally and fully and completely surrendered our stubborn wills to His will. How does this happen? There is only one way attested by Scripture. We must go through the refiner’s fire.

There are many ways to read Job. Most of the time, we read it from Job’s perspective. We feel his anguish and pain. We take his side. We question God’s judgment and justice alongside him. But do we ever stop to ponder the accusation of the enemy and whether or not it may be true? Does Job fear God for no reason? Is Job’s faith the result of the blessings in his life? Is it dependent on good things happening to him? Will it survive poverty, deprivation, tragedy, trauma, grief, sickness, and despair? There is really only one way to find out. Job must walk what may Christians down through the ages have called the “dark night of the soul.” A period of testing so great that it takes us to end of our own strength. The end of our own desires. The end of our own faith. It takes us into the darkness. Into the unknown. Into the silence. It is a terrifying journey but one we must take if we are to truly test our faith and find out if it is real.

Many know the name Andrew Brunson. Andrew is an EPC pastor and missionary to Turkey for over twenty years. A few years ago, he was picked up off the street and put in prison. He became the pawn in a political showdown. He was kept in solitary confinement. Denied access to those he loved. Held in miserable conditions. Tried in kangaroo courts. It was a terrifying experience for him. This past summer he shared his experiences with us at a national meeting. He talked about feeling the utter absence of God in his suffering. He talked about getting angry with God. Feeling let down by God. Abandoned by God. As he shared, my first thoughts went to Job. This is how he must have felt! When Andrew descended to the point of deepest despair. Contemplating suicide in his cell. He found himself crying out one name over and over again. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. And from that moment, his faith began to be restored.

Each of us has to endure the refiner’s fire. The details will look different. My dark night of the soul looks nothing like Andrew’s and little like Job’s. It involves the loss of a child. The implosion of a ministry. Almost losing my family. Coming face to face with my deepest fears and anxieties. In the darkness and silence of those experiences where I too felt the absence of God, I found myself saying over and over again on some level…Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. And my life has never been the same.

God will complete what He appoints for me. What a terrifying and comforting promise! Come what may. Come hell or high water. Through sacrifice and suffering. On the heights of great mountains and in the depths of deep valleys. God will carry me through. I will become what He has ordained me to become. I will be conformed to the image of His Son. This is what He does for Job. This is what He’s doing for Andrew. This is what He’s done for me and will do for all those who seek Him.

My Redeemer

Readings for today: Job 18-21

In the midst of his terrible suffering, Job holds fast to three fundamental convictions...

1. God is sovereign. 

2. God is good and just. 

3. Job is faithful.  

These convictions give him the strength to resist his friends when they offer their simplistic, superficial, and ultimately heretical explanations. They also give him the courage to stand before the judgment seat of God, trusting the Lord for vindication. We see this reflected in what are perhaps the most famous verses in the Book of Job, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job‬ ‭19:25-27‬) Job, of course, has no idea who Jesus is. The life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God will not be revealed for many centuries. But Job does have faith. He looks forward, as do all the Old Testament saints, to a future yet to be revealed, trusting in a God who will make all things right and all things new. 

Job’s suffering resists all logic. It resists any and all attempts to make sense out of it. It resists the formulaic notions we have about cause and effect. Blessing and curse. Health and wealth. It forces us to grapple with the hard truth that the righteous do suffer. The unrighteous do prosper. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to evil people. There is no rhyme or reason to these things. Time and chance happen to us all as the writer of Ecclesiastes once wrote. The world we live in is broken. Utterly. Completely. It is a world enslaved to the power of Sin. A world ruled by the tyrannical fear of Death. If things happen to go well for us in this world, it is not because we are good or because we earned it.  It is far more likely that it is random chance. This is why we cannot set our hearts on the things of this earth but on things above.  

A friend of mine recently watched a show where the Book of Job was featured. The conclusion of the character who was wrestling with the text was that ultimately all Job received in the end was new children and a case of PTSD. That’s actually a common interpretation of the text both in our culture today and in many churches. Like Job’s friends, it’s a far too simplistic approach to the text. It betrays our unwillingness to really sit and take the time to “hear” Job. To marvel at his courageous faith. To wonder at his steadfast, some may call it stubborn, refusal to let go of the goodness and justice and sovereignty of God.  Why doesn’t Job ever throw in the towel?  Why doesn’t Job do what his wife suggested at the beginning? Why doesn’t Job curse God and die like so many have throughout the centuries and like so many do today? Because Job believes. Job has faith. He knows his Redeemer lives! He knows he will meet God face to face after he dies! He trusts God to be faithful!  Trusts God to be sure! Trusts God to be true!  Trusts God to be good!  And though it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, Job ultimately trusts God for his vindication. 

Readings for tomorrow: Job 22-24

Resurrection Hope

Readings for today: Job 14-17

The hope of a Christian is resurrection. Our physical bodies rising from the ground. A life after death. Even more, a life after life after death. A day that dawns when our souls indwell our bodies once more and God raises us imperishable and indestructible once and for all. Without this hope, death wins. Without this hope, it is tough to endure the struggles of this world. Without this hope, we despair if we’re completely honest. And this is where Job finds himself this morning.

“But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭14:10-12‬)

“My spirit is broken; my days are extinct; the graveyard is ready for me…My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart….If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,' where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?" (Job‬ ‭17:1, 11, 13-16‬)

The Bible is written as a progressive revelation. God doesn’t reveal everything about Himself and His plan on the first page. As God’s people interact with God over time, they learn. They grow in their understanding of who He is and what He’s about. They also come to an understanding of who they are and what they are about. Resurrection is a later development in Jewish theology. It doesn’t truly come to it’s fullest expression until the “intertestamental“ period or the period between the Old and New Testaments. The apocryphal books of the Maccabees bear witness to a growing belief by the Jews as they face severe persecution under the pagan Antiochus Ephiphanes that if Yahweh chooses not to rescue them in this life, it’s because He is planning to rescue them in a life to come.

Resurrection was a matter of debate even in the 1st century. It was a particular point of tension between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection which is why they are “Sad U See.” :-) The Pharisees, on the other hand, held to a robust belief in the resurrection of God’s people. When Jesus rose from the dead, it sent shock waves through the Jewish community. The empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearances combined to launch a new Jewish sect called Christianity. Unlike the Sadducees, Christians believed in the resurrection from the dead. Unlike the Pharisees, Christians believed Jesus was the “first-fruits” of the resurrection to come and those who followed Him were filled with His resurrection power.

Why does this matter? What difference does it make? Well, if you don’t believe in the resurrection, it makes suffering unbearable. Useless. Pointless. If we are just atoms and dust then there is no meaning or purpose to life. Not really. There is no such thing as good or evil. Not really. Such ideas are merely cultural constructs that carry no eternal weight. The Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection so they became the primary collaborators with Rome. Active participants in the oppression of their own people. The Pharisees did believe in the resurrection so they did everything they could to keep the Law of God and remain ritually pure. They were some of Rome’s fiercest critics and refused to compromise lest they put their eternal fate in jeopardy. Christians knew the resurrection was real and therefore willingly laid down their lives for the sake of the poor and marginalized and sick and dying. They understood this life was but a shadow of the life to come and didn’t hold onto the things of this world. They freely gave away all their wealth. Freely shared all they had. Freely gave of themselves.

The reading from Job today presses the question…where do we find hope? Is it in this life? Or the next? Do our lives reflect a deep and abiding trust in God to redeem? To rescue? To save? How tightly do we hold onto our health and wealth and reputation? Do we see these things for the temporary realities that they are and dare we live for eternal rewards?

Readings for tomorrow: Job 18-21

The Power of Listening

Readings for today: Job 10-13

Job’s friends were doing so well. Word gets out about all Job has suffered and they come running. They grieve with him. They weep with him. They sit with him in the dust and ashes of his tragic life. For seven days, they silently keep vigil. For seven days, their presence is a comfort. For seven days, they faithfully love and care for their dear friend. Then they open their mouths…

What is it about us that makes us so prone to rush to judgment? To refuse to hear someone out? To listen to their story in full? What is it about us that feels the need to jump in? Cut people off? Interrupt? I remember when my wife first met my family. One of the first things that struck her was how often we interrupted each other. Arguing was our love language. Three strong-willed brothers going at it all the time, pontificating on every subject imaginable. Most of it was hot air, of course. We were clueless. Ignorant. Foolish. Even when we were correct, it didn’t matter, because our goal was to be right. To win the argument. To pump our own tires and make ourselves feel good.

I think about my brothers when I read the Book of Job. When I hear the arguments Job’s friends make in response to Job’s heartbreaking cries. They are more interested in correcting his theology than comforting his soul. They are more interested in defending God than demonstrating love. They feel compelled to justify Job’s suffering as if getting to the root cause will ease his pain. I see it all the time. In the midst of great tragedy or crisis, so many people want to know why? Why did this happen? Why now? Why me? Why didn’t God protect me or those I love? When I was young and foolish, I tried to answer these questions. I would sit with grieving families thinking my theological answers would bring them peace. Thankfully, I learned quickly from my mistakes. The better approach was simply to listen. To put my arms around them. To simply sit in the ashes and resist the temptation to offer explanations.

Regardless of what people say, the question they really are asking is where is God? Is He with me in the midst of my pain? Is He here with me at the bedside of the one I love? Is He in the room? Does He hear my cries? Does He weep with me? The central truth of Christianity is this…God is with us. Jesus is Emmanuel. We are never alone. God traveled the vast reaches of our universe to be with us. He left heaven and came to earth to become one of us. He entered human history. Became flesh and blood and moved into our neighborhood. All so that we would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are loved.

Friends, you are blessed. You have access to a truth Job could only long for. You have Jesus. He is with you in your pain. He is with you in your heartache. He is with you in your grief. He is with you in suffering. He’s not here to blame. He’s not here to condemn. He’s not here to put the burden on you or remind you of the consequences of your actions. He is here to hold you. He is here to comfort you. He is here to offer you grace.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 14-17

Reading the Bible Relationally

Readings for today: Job 6-9

“Christianity isn’t about rules, it’s about a relationship.” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve said those words. And I believe them with all my heart. However, it wasn’t until I started reading the Bible “relationally” that I really began to grasp the depth of what I was trying to say. One of the real issues we have - and I struggled with it for years myself - when we read the Bible is we tend to approach it from a moralistic perspective. We describe it as a “manual for life” or “God’s playbook” or a roadmap to get your “best life now.” We make the false assumption - down deep - that if we just follow what it says, God will love us. God will be proud of us. God will bless us. The result is we flatten the text. We make it two-dimensional. We become the worst kind of literalists. Instead of reading the Bible for all its worth. Plunging into its emotional depths. Climbing the heights of its majestic poetry and prose. Exploring all the nooks and crannies of every genre. We take and dissect it in a lab. We atomize it and reduce it to its component parts. We rob it of its mystery and glory. This is true for conservatives and progressives alike. They weaponize the text against one another. Proof-texting one another to death. Performing all sorts of exegetical gymnastics to make the text say what they want it to say. God must be shaking His head.

Job - more than any other book - shows us the best way to read the Bible. Job spends his whole life worshipping God. He is blameless before the Lord. He is scrupulous in his behavior. He is as upright a man as they come. He even makes sacrifices on behalf of his children just in case they stumble and fall. Through it all, Job is building a deep and abiding relationship with God that will hold up under the harshest of tests. Job’s life is upended in ways many of us cannot even fathom. The loss of all his children and grandchildren. The loss of all his wealth and power and privilege. The loss of his health and well-being. (By the way, this book puts a stake in the heart of prosperity preaching!) Job loses everything. His own wife encourages him to curse God and die.

But Job understands something his wife and all his friends do not. He has a relationship with God. A real relationship. An authentic relationship. The kind of relationship where one can say anything. The kind of relationship where one can question and doubt and struggle and wish to die. Job trusts God with the rawest of emotions. Job trusts God with his anger and fear. Job trusts God enough to question his justice and demand an account. Like Abraham before him and Moses after him, Job understands what God wants is not a rule-follower so much as a friend. Someone to speak with face to face. Someone to walk with in the Garden in the cool of the day just as He once did with Adam.

Friends, God’s love forms the foundation of our relationship with Him. God’s faithfulness makes our relationship secure. God holds us in the palm of His hands and He promises nothing can separate us from His love. God sealed this promise with Abraham when He walked through the halves of the animals to establish the covenant. God stayed true to this promise when He sent His own Son to die on a cross. He will never, ever let us go!

Because God’s love is so fierce and loyal and true, we can be ourselves with Him. Our truest and most authentic selves. We can share anything with Him. We can get mad at Him. We can weep with Him. We can crawl into His lap when we are afraid. We can run to Him after we fall. We can come to Him when we sin. We can be demanding and spoiled and proud and foolish and God will never stop loving us. Never stop embracing us. Never cut off His relationship with us.

We will not always understand why things happen the way they do. We will not always know the reasons why God allows bad things to happen to good people and good things to happen to bad people. We do not need to try to justify God or defend God or speak for God like Job’s friends. He is perfectly capable of doing those things on His own! Our responsibility is to follow Job’s example. Be real. Be honest. Be authentic before the Lord and then ultimately trust and surrender and submit to His sovereign will.

The only reason Job was able to endure the test is because he spent his whole life building his relationship with God. He spent his whole life in worship. He cultivated an awareness of God in his everyday. He intentionally walked with God on a daily basis. How does this look in your life? In what ways are you intentionally walking with God? Are you spending time with Him everyday? Do you gather with His people every week? Do you have a small group you can be real and honest with about your sin? Do you find ways to serve? A relationship with God is built the same way all relationships are built. Time and intentionality. If you haven’t already, begin making time for God today!

Readings for tomorrow: Job 10-13

The Problem of Pain

Readings for today: Job 1-5

Where is God in the midst of suffering? Why does He allow it? Is He complicit in it? Is there a point to it all? These questions are universal. Every single human being from every culture in every time and place has asked them. And all of the religions of the earth have attempted answers. The pagan witch doctors I’ve met in Ethiopia believe suffering happens because we displease the gods. We fail to make the right sacrifices. Fail to say the right magical incantations. Fail to humble ourselves before the right gods at the right times in the right ways. So they grow angry and they punish. The gods of the fields withhold their crops. The gods of the weather withhold the rain. The gods of the earth shake the very ground. On the flip side are my Buddhist friends for whom suffering is more of an illusion. A sign we are too tied to the cravings of this world. The way we deal with suffering is meditation which leads to a nirvana-like state that places us beyond suffering altogether. So how do Christians handle suffering? 

The Book of Job is one, long extended answer to this important question and it forces us to confront some uncomfortable truths. First, God is sovereign. The Book of Job ultimately is not about Job. All agree Job is righteous. All resonate with Job’s suffering. All feel Job’s pain. He is us. We are him. Everyone who has experienced deep suffering in their lives can identify with this man. But the Book of Job makes it clear that Job’s suffering is not the primary point of the story but rather how his suffering points us to the greater reality of God. It forces us to grapple with God’s nature and character. It implicitly and intentionally raises fundamental questions like is God sovereign? And if He is, can He be trusted? Job’s life is indeed marked by incredible sorrow and pain. He loses everything he has seemingly overnight. All that he has worked his entire life for is gone in an instant. Including his precious children. It’s a brutal scene that plays itself out to this day all over the world. Tragedies strike. Natural disasters hit. Lives are lost and livelihoods go up in smoke. So what are we to make of these things? We certainly struggle to make any sense of them in this world so what Job does is give us a glimpse beyond the dimensions of this life into the dimensions of heaven where a scene is playing out that brings us face to face with the sovereignty of God. 

Satan appears before God’s throne. He has come from walking to and fro on the earth. Destruction and devastation in his wake. We catch a glimpse here into this fallen angel’s pride and arrogance. The very fact that God doesn’t obliterate him where he stands is itself stunning. But God has a greater end in mind. A greater purpose. He is going to use humankind (as He always does) to demonstrate His glory and power and victory over Satan and sin and death.  So He baits Satan by asking him about Job. Satan takes the bait hook, line and sinker. God, in His majestic sovereignty, allows Satan to go after Job but always within limits. “Behold all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” “Behold, he is in your hand. Only do not take his life.” And Satan plays his part with gusto. Relentlessly taking away all that Job has. Relentlessly attacking Job’s health and well-being. Job’s suffering is so great, his own wife tells him to “curse God and die.” His three closest friends don’t even recognize him. And yet in all these things, Job did not sin.  

What we will learn throughout this book is that what Job treasures most - even amidst his anguish and pain and suffering and anger and questions and doubts and fears - is God Himself. More than his possessions. More than his children. More than his marriage. More than his health. Job treasures God. Job worships God. As John Piper writes, in the suffering of Job, “the superior worth of God becomes evident to all.” What God cares most about is His own glory and our primary role as human beings - creatures made in God’s own image - is to bring Him glory and declare His praises in this world and the next. And lest we think we are simply caught up in some divine ego trip, let’s remember God is not like us. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. He is infinite and we are finite and He sees things from His perspective that we simply cannot know or ever understand. 

So where does that leave us? At the mercy of a cold and uncaring God who will strike at us at a whim? No. God loves us. Deeply. Dearly. Completely. And we bring Him great joy when we remain steadfast in our faith amidst our suffering. We bring Him great glory when we praise Him amidst our pain. Imagine the scene in heaven when Job utters his cry of victory, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Imagine the utter shame of Satan as he stands before Lord and the throngs of heaven join Job in his declaration of praise! Imagine his horror as all his evil plans come to naught in the face of true faith! Satan has been defeated! 

Now fast forward several centuries. Imagine the same scene playing out before God as Satan comes to test His Son. Imagine the Father giving His Son over into Satan’s hands. This time without limits. This time no holds barred. Imagine Satan’s delight in the Garden as the Son begs for another way. Imagine Satan’s joy as he watches the Son suffer on the Cross. And then imagine Satan’s horror as the Son cries out, “It is finished! Into your hands I commit my spirit!” The cry of victorious faith coming at the point of death! Satan is defeated! This time once and for all! As Tim Keller has put it, Jesus is the greater Job who takes on our suffering in order to bring ultimate glory to the Father. And the Father vindicates the Son by raising Him from the dead just He will vindicate Job by restoring all he has and more. 

Where you are you struggling today? What suffering have you had to endure in your life? How are you clinging to faith in the midst of it all? Would your perspective change if you saw your life as a trophy through which God displays His glory and grace? Do you believe God is sovereign over your pain? Do you believe God can be trusted even when you suffer? 

Readings for tomorrow: Job 6-9

A Fresh Start

Readings for today: Genesis 47-50

Life has consequences. We all have to face them. We cannot escape them. Yes, there is forgiveness with the Lord. Yes, God’s grace is greater than all our sin. Yes, we are accepted and loved unconditionally. But none of that means we escape justice. None of that means we escape the consequences for our actions.  

Jacob appears before Pharaoh and when asked to describe his life, he remarks, "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” A lifetime of scheming and manipulating have come back to haunt Jacob in his later years. Yes, he’s been forgiven. Yes, God is with him. Yes, God loves him but life has taken a toll. 

Jacob’s sons appear before him on his deathbed to receive their blessing.  Reuben loses his preeminence as the firstborn because he slept with his father’s concubine. Simeon and Levi lose their opportunity to lead the family because of their unrestrained violence against Shechem. Authority now passes to Judah who has repented of his actions against Joseph so long ago. After Jacob dies and they return from his funeral, the brothers still live in fear of what Joseph might do and once again beg for forgiveness. Again, they are forgiven. Again, God is with them. Again, God loves them but their actions have consequences. On some level, there will always be fear. Always be shame over what they have done. 

The same is true for us. We live our lives before God. Whether we realize it or not, He is always there. And His grace is amazing. His love is unconditional. He mercy knows no end. He loves us for who we are in the midst of all of our imperfections. But sin still has consequences. Our choices impact not only ourselves but those around us. The decisions we make often result in brokenness and pain. The actions we take, the emotions we express, the words we say do have an impact for good or for evil.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending those things haven’t happened. Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. No, biblical forgiveness means choosing to no longer hold a person’s sinful choices against them. It’s an intentional decision to look past the pain, past the heartbreak, past the brokenness into the future. To take a step back and see what God is doing in the midst of it all. This is what Joseph offers his brothers. A fresh start. Not a clean slate. A fresh start. 

Where do you need a fresh start today? Who do you need to forgive? Who in your life is suffering from the consequences of their sinful actions and how can you come alongside them? When you look in the mirror what do you see? Does the pain and shame from your past threaten to overwhelm? Perhaps the person you need to forgive is yourself?   

The Importance of Perspective

Readings for today: Genesis 44-46

Perspective. The right perspective. God’s perspective. A young man is notified he is being fired from a job he doesn’t really like. He is anxious. He’s afraid. His pride is hurt. But two months later, he lands a great job. One he loves far more than the one he lost. A young woman just misses the cut at her dream school. She applies over and over again to no avail. She switches gears. Finds a new speciality. Ends up loving what she does. A husband and wife struggle with infertility. For years they try to get pregnant. They go through all the treatments. Nothing seems to work. They adopt. Four beautiful children later, they cannot imagine their family any other way. A single guy longs to be married. He goes on a lot of dates but never seems to find the right woman. Meanwhile, he travels the world preaching the gospel and bringing hope to thousands in the name of Christ. He realizes singleness is a blessing. All these stories are real. All of them involve pain and heartbreak as well as joy and celebration. For some reason, these folks have a resilience about them that allows them to not only survive but thrive. The key is perspective.

For as many people as I’ve met who seemingly have been able to take lemons and make lemonade, I’ve met just as many if not more who tend to squeeze the lemon juice into their eyes. They struggle. They battle. They wrestle. Their lives are filled with heartache and suffering and pain. Their decisions end up backfiring. Their choices lead them down the wrong path. Their plans go awry. For every step forward, they take two steps back. And when they come into my counseling office and tell me their stories, I almost never hear God’s perspective. That’s usually when I tell them the story of Joseph.

Joseph had literally been through hell. Sold by his brothers. Falsely accused and imprisoned. Forgotten and left for dead. He could have played the victim. He could have given up. He could have lost hope. Chucked his faith in God. I am sure Joseph suffered. Struggled. Doubted. Grew anxious and afraid as the days passed in prison. (Ancient near east prisons were no joke!) But Joseph persevered. He trusted God. And when he was finally rescued and raised to a powerful position in Egypt and given the perfect chance at revenge…he forgives. He relinquishes his bitterness and anger. He lets go of any need for “eye for an eye” justice. How? He looks at life with God’s perspective. “And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis‬ ‭45:5-8‬)

Jesus is clear. In this life we will face trials. In this life we will face hardship. In this life we will suffer and struggle and go through pain. We are fools if we think otherwise. The only way to maintain hope is to keep our eyes fixed on God. To see the world as He sees it. To see life as He sees it. To love as He loves. To serve as He serves. To give our lives as a ransom for many. Just like Jesus. After all, this world is not our home. We are strangers and aliens in this dimension of life, destined for a greater world we can’t begin to fathom. When we understand life from God’s perspective, everything - including the most difficult experiences of our lives - seems to fall into place. And as much as it hurts, it doesn’t have to consume. As much as it confuses, it doesn’t have to confound. No matter what you may be going through, let me encourage you to follow Joseph’s example. Believe in God. Trust in Christ. Know that God is at work and He will bring to completion what He is doing in your life for your ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 47-50

Nothing but a Dreamer

Readings for today: Genesis 41-43

A few years ago, I was in Ethiopia when I met a man whom God had visited several times in a dream. We were in the middle of a training session of several hundred church planters in a village called Gojo up in the highlands of the country. Four and a half hours away from Addis Ababa in a pretty remote area. About halfway through the week, a few of us were walking through the village from where we were staying to our training center when a man approached us.  He was dressed head to toe in traditional Muslim tribal garb. Long flowing robes. Head scarf. And he had a long scimitar belted to his hip. We weren’t sure what to make of him except that he didn’t seem aggressive so we sent for a translator.  He told us the most amazing story. Several months previous, he had been visited by Jesus in a dream. Jesus shared the gospel with him and he woke up and gave his life to Christ.  He then went around his village preaching Christ to anyone who would hear and the whole village - about 80 people - came to faith. Then he had another dream. Jesus told him to come to this town called Gojo where he would meet people who could teach him the ways of the gospel. So he started walking. And walking. And walking.  Turns out he traveled two or three days to get to Gojo where he “happened” to arrive the exact same week we were conducting our training session. It was crazy!

God often speaks to us in our dreams. If we have the ears to hear and the heart to listen. Sometimes those dreams are prophetic in that they tell the future. Sometimes those dreams are prophetic in that they convict us of sin. Sometimes dreams bring to light anxiety and fear that we need to bring to our Heavenly Father. Sometimes our dreams affirm us or reveal the deepest desires of our heart. Joseph was a dreamer. Sheaves of wheat. Stars in the sky. Sun and moon. Clusters of grapes. Baskets of bread. Fat cows and thin cows. And somehow Joseph is able to make sense of it all. Why? Because God was with him! 

Over and over again throughout the Joseph “cycle” in Genesis, we see this refrain.  “The Lord was with Joseph.” “The Lord caused all he did to have success.” “The Lord showed steadfast love and gave him favor.” Despite all that happens to Joseph, God never leaves his side. And Joseph is faithful in return. “Do not all interpretations belong to God?” “It is not in me, God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” “God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.” Joseph never claims his gift as his own.  He always acknowledges God. He always gives all the glory and honor to the Lord. And this blows Pharaoh away. “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” You see, the dreams are really beside the point.  They are simply the signposts that point to the greater reality of God! 

The same is true of Joseph’s life. Yes, he faces hardship. Yes, he experiences tragedy. Yes, he is the victim of injustice. Yes, he languishes in prison. Yes, he also experiences success and wealth and great honor. But again, all these things are really beside the point. Joseph’s life - and this is what he really grasps on a deep, deep level - is itself a signpost that points to the greater reality that is God! Joseph’s life is itself simply a tool God is using to reveal His steadfast love and faithfulness! All that happens to Joseph is not just for Joseph’s sake but for the sake of the greater glory of God, the greater good of God’s people, and even the greater welfare of the pagan Egyptians!  

So what dreams is God giving you these days? Not just when you are asleep? What dreams and desires has He placed on your heart? Where is He calling you to step out for His greater glory? Your greater good? And the welfare of those around you? As you look back over the course of your life, ask the Spirit to give you the eyes to see where He has been faithful. Where He has been with you. Where He has taken the good, the bad, and the ugly and used it for His purposes.  

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 44-46

God’s Sovereignty

Readings for today: Genesis 38-40

God is sovereign. God stands outside time and space. He is not bound by the constraints of this world. Not human history as it unfolds. Not the laws of physics He set in motion. Not the choices of His people, sinful or otherwise. God is sovereign. God is sitting on His throne in heaven even now. His hand at the controls. He moves according to His will and purpose. He acts in accordance with His character and nature. He is faithfully guiding all of history according to the plan He made from eternity.

We see this on display in the story of Judah and Tamar. Judah makes all the wrong choices in this passage. He marries a Canaanite woman. Two of his three sons are put to death for their sin. Judah reneges on his promise to Tamar. Withholding his third son out of fear of what might take place. He sleeps with someone he believes is a temple prostitute. He hypocritically accuses his daughter-in-law of sexual immorality once it’s discovered she’s pregnant. Finally, he repents when he realizes his own sinful choices have led him to this point. Still God uses it for His glory. Still God bends even Judah’s sinful choices to His sovereign will. The twins Tamar bears will become important markers in the line of Jesus. Tamar herself will gain a mention in the Savior’s genealogy.

We see God’s sovereignty on display in Joseph’s life as well. Arrogant and prideful, he is despised by his brothers. Sold into slavery for a profit, he ends up in Potiphar’s household where he finds great success as an estate manager. Falsely accused of attempted rape, Joseph is sent to prison where he continues to find ways to bless those around him. When Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker become his cellmates, he interprets their dreams. God is slowly but surely orchestrating all things for Joseph’s good. Including the evil he’s endured. Including his suffering and pain and hardship. Joseph will eventually rise to become almost as powerful as Pharaoh himself. He will use his position and influence to save his family. What his brothers intended for evil, God uses for good.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still sovereignly at work, orchestrating all things according to His divine purpose and will. Yes, our choices are real. Sinful. Godly. Otherwise. Yes, our suffering is real. So is our success. Yes, our pain is real. So is our joy. Yes, our heartbreak is real. So is the love we experience. God promises to use all these things for our good if we but love and trust Him. He doesn’t promise us an easy life. Doesn’t promise us a pain-free life. In fact, following Christ in this world will often result in the opposite.

This world is not our home. This world is not what God intended it to be. Humanity is broken. Deeply flawed at a fundamental level. But God still loves humanity. God still intends to work through humanity to bring about salvation to the earth. God will not give up on humanity. He will not give up on you. He will not give up on me. He is at work even now to bring to completion the good work He began in us in Christ. No matter what you are going through. No matter how many switchbacks you take in this life. Know that God is with you. God is leading you. God is guiding you. He wastes no part of your life. He will use it all to bring about your good and His glory.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 41-43

God is our Refuge

Readings for today: Genesis 34-37

One of the things that makes the Bible so hard to read and understand at times are the actions of God’s people. They are chosen. They are set apart. They are sacred. They are supposed to be God’s light in the world. They are supposed to set godly examples. As such, we expect more from them. We expect them to be good people. Holy people. If not perfect, we certainly expect them to be a cut above the rest. But then we read a story about the sons of Jacob taking out their anger and rage on an entire city of people. We read about them killing scores of people in cold blood. Murdering them in their beds. Yes, the rape of their sister is horrific but their violent response is disproportionate. In our minds, they should have just killed Shechem. Not his entire family, clan, and tribe. Furthermore, we get even more confused with God’s response. Rather than judge them or leave them to face the consequences of their actions, God provides a refuge for them. God protects them. God gives them sanctuary. “God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." (Genesis‬ ‭35:1‬)

What is God doing? How can He overlook the sins of His people? Treat them differently than the pagan nations that surround them? It doesn’t seem fair or just or righteous. A just response would be God leaving His people at the mercy of the Canaanites and Perizzites who surround them. Here is where we have to remember the character and nature and covenant promise of God. God is just. God is righteous. God is holy. As such, He has every right to consign every single human being who has ever lived to hell. He has every right to destroy this planet and everything with it. He has ever right to scour the earth and start all over. This is what we have rightfully earned through our sin and rebellion. There is no such thing as an innocent human being. No matter how young or old. All are guilty. All deserve death. This is the fundamental premise undergirding all of Scripture. God is also merciful. And out of His great mercy, He chooses a people through which He will make Himself known. He chooses these people not because they are more holy. Not because they are wonderfully moral and righteous people. Not because they are somehow a cut above the rest. He chooses them purely out of grace. His choice is sealed by a covenant. The covenant He made with Abraham. The scene from Genesis 15 where God walked through the halves of the animals. On that day, God bound Himself to His people. Made them a promise He will never revoke. He would be their God. They would be His people. Come hell or high water, God is committed.

God’s people are like anyone else. They sin. They rebel. They lie. Deceive. Steal. They murder out of anger and rage. They act in all sorts of unrighteous and unjust ways. This was true for Israel. This is true for us. We are not better than our non-Christian neighbors. We are not more righteous. We are not more holy. We don’t always make better choices. We don’t always hold to a stronger moral center. We are broken. We are messy. Our only hope is that God remains our refuge and strength. A very present help in times of trouble. God is as committed to us as He was to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is as faithful to us as He was to His people. God is gracious to us. Merciful to us. God disciplines us and punishes us. God will not rest until we fulfill the calling He has placed on our lives to be His covenant people. Until that day comes, He will work with us, in us, and through us. He will use despite our sin and brokenness. And in this way, He remains faithful to Himself. Thanks be to God!

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40

Wrestling with God

Readings for today: Genesis 30-33

Jacob is one of my favorites. He and I are so alike. I can remember when I was young making all these pacts with God. If God would take care of me. If God would provide for me. If God would come through for me. Then I would be faithful. Then I would serve Him. Ultimately, of course, I was asking God to bless my plans. I was treating God like a genie in a lamp. I wanted Him to meet my needs. I wanted Him to give me what I desired. And I never thought to ask Him what His desires were for my life. Nor was “submission” in my vocabulary. So I went about my life trying to make it all happen on my own. In my own strength. According to my own wisdom. There was a lot of manipulation and scheming and lying in those days. I hurt a lot of people I loved. Eventually, it all caught up to me and I found myself in a very dark place. That’s when I first wrestled with God. 

Jacob begins this journey to Laban’s household by making a similar pact with God. Genesis 28:20-21, “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God...” And for the next two decades, he worked hard at life. He got married. He had children. He amassed a fortune. He thought he was doing it all on his own. And he’s not the only one. Everyone involved in the story seems to think they are in charge. Leah and Rachel battle over who gets to sleep with Jacob, each trying to win Jacob’s affections by having as many children as possible. Leah even “buys” a night with Jacob from Rachel with mandrakes (an ancient aphrodisiac)! Laban and Jacob try to outscheme one another as they compete for the flocks of goats. Laban removing a certain number. Jacob countering this (or so he thinks) by superstitiously having his goats breed in front of certain trees that have been peeled, etc. It’s all very humorous in a way and I actually think we are meant to laugh along with the story as it unfolds.  

Of course, the impact of all this scheming and manipulation is brokenness. Jacob’s relationship with Laban deteriorates to the point where he realizes he needs to flee. For seven days, Laban chases him until God comes to him in a dream warning him not to touch Jacob. But that’s not the worst of it. Jacob has gone from the frying pan into the fire as he knows he will have to face his brother Esau again. Esau, the man who wanted to kill him. Esau, who is bringing four hundred men to meet him. Jacob’s scared. Anxious. Afraid. He’s trapped between Laban and Esau. Two men who hate him for what he’s done. He cannot escape. But he does the only thing he knows how to do. He puts together a plan. He divides his camp with the hope one can escape. He puts together a large gift and sends it on ahead hoping to ease Esau’s anger. And after he has completed all his preparations, he finds himself alone. Alone with his fears. Alone with his anxiety. All alone in the dark.

That’s when God shows up and He begins to go to work on Jacob. Wrestling with him. Struggling with him. Forcing Jacob to come to grips with himself on a lot of levels. Forcing Jacob to face his past, his sin, his fear, his brokenness. But Jacob is a strong and stubborn man. He fights God all night long. He doesn’t want to give in. Doesn’t want to surrender. Finally, God dislocates his hip. And Jacob is defeated. But even in his defeat, Jacob won’t let go. Not until God blesses him. So God gives him a new name. Israel. Meaning “God contended”. For Jacob fought with God and with man and prevailed. Not that he beat God but that he beat himself. He finally came to grips with who he is before God. Something he confirms in 32:30 when he says, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been spared.” Jacob is humbled. He’s finally surrendered. He’s submitted himself to God and one can see his heart change in his reconciliation with Esau. 

What’s your relationship with God like? Is it transactional? Meaning, you scratch God’s back and He scratch’s yours? Do you find yourself asking God to bless your plans or are you seeking His plan for your life? Have you ever wrestled with God like Jacob? Have you ever been humbled by God? Broken by God? I certainly have been at several points in my own life. It’s part of the discipleship process. We must learn to surrender our own will to His and it’s not an easy or always pleasant process.  

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 34-37

A Beautiful Mess

Readings for today: Genesis 27-29

Our readings today highlight some very important truths. God meets us where we are but refuses to let us remain there. God accepts us as we are but doesn’t affirm all we do. God loves us unconditionally and works through His relationship with us to grow us spiritually.

The family of Abraham’s a mess. Rebekah takes advantage of her blind and disabled husband to promote the cause of her favorite son. Esau continues to despise the responsibilities that come from being the firstborn of the household. Selling his birthright. Marrying outside the family. Jacob’s a momma’s boy who uses deceit to get ahead. Not only does he steal the blessing his brother rightfully deserved, he also deceives Laban in order to gain wealth and privilege and status. Granted, Laban returns the favor but it doesn’t make it righteous. Jacob even tries to manipulate God. When God appears to Jacob to renew the covenant promise He made to Abraham and Isaac, Jacob tries to make a deal. "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." (Genesis‬ ‭28:20-22‬) He tries to make the unconditional covenant of God conditional. It’s stunning in it’s boldness and ignorance.

And yet, how many times do we try and do the same? You and I are no different than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are no different than Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. We are all broken people seeking to become whole. We are foolish people seeking to become wise. We are sinful people seeking become righteous. We look for love in all the wrong places. We place our hope in all the wrong things. We ground our identities in temporary realities that fade so quickly. As Jesus put so well, “We’re building on sand.” And when the storms of life blow. When the ground shakes beneath our feet. When the trials and tribulations come - as they always do - everything we’ve built for ourselves comes crashing down around us.

God is faithful. Faithful to His promise. Faithful to His covenant. How can He stand the deceit of Jacob? The favoritism of Isaac and Rebekah? The foolishness of Esau? Why does God work with such sinful people to accomplish His purposes? Surely these men and women are no more or less sinful than the people around them? What makes them so special in God’s sight? Simply this…God chose them. God elected to save them and not the others. God determined to use them for His purposes in the world. And the same remains true for us today. Why does God not step in and save every single human being on the planet? Why does God not step in and eradicate evil once and for all? Why does God not step in and set our world to rights? What is God waiting for? Perhaps even better, why did God choose me? Why did God save me? What purposes does God want to use me for in this world?

Ultimately, I have no idea why God chooses some and not others. Why He puts up with some and judges others. I only know God has made us a promise. He has made a covenant with His people. He will never break it. Never abandon it. Never let it fail. He has staked His very existence on it. The covenant of God is eternal. Unchangeable. Fixed in the timeline of heaven. It rests on His immutable character. It stands on His unfailing love. It is driven by His amazing grace. To be sure, I am a mess but thanks be to God that He is making something beautiful out of my life.

Photo cred: Jackson Pollock