Inky Blackness

 

“You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.”

—Jonah 2:3

Have you ever been in complete darkness? The closest most of us come to that is a tour of an underground cavern or walking in an unlighted tunnel at night. We might grasp for the wall to keep our equilibrium, but we do not know where we’ve been or where we’re going.

Jonah had a most unique experience with darkness. After disobeying God and being tossed into the sea by a boatload of reluctant sailors, a great fish swallowed him alive and he stayed in the belly of this fish for three days and three nights. What’s the difference in night and day in a place like that anyway?

God had Jonah where he could not escape. God must have known that was the only place where Jonah would wake up to the requests his God was making of him and recognize his responsibility to Him. In Jonah’s astounding prayer from the fish’s belly, as recorded in Jonah 2:9, he finally cried:

But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.

Does God also have you in a place where He waits for you to “cry Uncle”? We know from this story that God takes advantage of the places and circumstances that will turn us to Him. I don’t believe God willingly creates circumstances like this, for Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:33:

He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.

You know the famous line parents often give when punishing a child: “This will hurt me more than it hurts you.” God sees your plight if you have found yourself in a dark place with no way out and not a clue what to do. He understands and has compassion on you. Be reminded of Jonah. Though he went through utter distress, God knew all along the circumstances He would use to get Jonah back on track with His plan.

God wants us to trust Him in the dark. He alone has the means to rescue us. He wants us to believe in His power and in His will to do just that!

 

 

I Like Sog

 

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

—Isaiah 42:16

My parents used to remind me of the statement I made as a toddler, when I sat next to my dad as we drove through the foggy landscape: “Daddy, I like sog.” I don’t quite know what made me say that. Although, I guess a picture of the world in the mist can appeal to us at times.

However, as an adult, I know now that driving in thick fog no longer holds the fascination it did for me at age three. Fog makes us slow down and sometimes hinders us from our travel. When we drive where we cannot see, danger can lurk. Sometimes having a car ahead of us with good strong rear lights helps—as long as that driver stays on the road!

Life can sometimes seem like we’re walking through a thick fog. We become easily confused and lost. We wonder where we are going. If we look around, we cannot clearly see from where we came. Looking off to the left, or off to the right, doesn’t help us in any way. We are surrounded by confusion. Each step seems treacherous to us.

When surrounded by the “fog” of life’s confusion, we should be heartened by the knowledge that our God guides us in the paths of life and leads us to places we can trust. But what of the days when we feel that we can neither see nor hear Him? What do we do then?

Do we keep walking in the fog anyway? Do we slow our pace? Do we look carefully before we take each step? Do we peer out into the darkness? Do we whisper a prayer for help?

Perhaps, if we can just catch a glimmer of God’s will for us, we will be able to move very cautiously ahead. But, if that glimmer eludes us, if some days we cannot see even our spiritual hand in front of our face, then we must just stop and wait until God lifts the soupy haze that obstructs our view.

Have you ever had to pull to the side of the road until the fog lifted? When a spiritual fog descends into our lives, perhaps we should just pull over and wait for God to lift that spiritual fog? Making this frustrating choice actually develops our trust in Him. We must believe that He wills us to rest in His loving omniscience. We must believe that the spiritual fog will eventually lift and we will see clearly again to follow our God and move along the pathway He is providing.

One of my favorite allegories, Hinds’ Feet On High Places,^¹ written by the author Hannah Hurnard, tells the story of little “Much-Afraid” on the journey she set out upon after meeting the “Shepherd.” While He assigned to her some companions to go along, she encountered many other characters that did all they could to hinder her on the way.

At one point in the story, little “Much-Afraid” found herself in a thick mist:

Now there was nothing but tameness, just a trudge, trudge forward, day after day, able to see nothing except for white, clinging mist which hung about the mountains without a gleam of sunshine breaking through. At last she burst out impatiently, “Will this dull, dreary mist never lift, I wonder?”

Little “Much-Afraid” then heard the voices of “Resentment,” “Self-Pity,” and “Bitterness,” who said to her:

“Trudge, trudge, day after day, nothing to show for it, and you ought to be getting up onto the High Places.”

One afternoon, she walked along all muddy, wet, and bedraggled. She decided to sing a little song. As she sang, the “Shepherd” appeared and sang along. As they talked together, she told Him all about the wanderings in the mist and how the voices suggested she had wandered from the path and lost her way. It was then that He said to her:

“Did you really think that I would let you stray from the right path to the High Places without doing anything to warn you or to prevent it? … You had better become a singer,” He said smiling. “Then you won’t hear what they say to you.”

Finally, He said to her, “Do you love me enough to be able to trust me completely, Much-Afraid?” … She faltered, “You know that I love you and that I long to trust you as much as I love you, that I long both to love and trust you still more.”

We can learn from this little episode in Hannah Hurnard’s book. Our Lord commonly takes care of all those who love Him and long to climb nearer to Him, as they travel through the fog and mist of the sinfulness of our dark world. He sees us wherever we are.

God finds us when we feel we are lost. He directs us, even while we struggle. He longs to hear us sing to Him, despite our doubts and fears. Through our puzzling paths ahead, may we learn to trust the God who loves us with His unfailing love and not be afraid.

______________________

1 Hurnard, Hannah. Hinds’ Feet On High Places. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1977. Pp.156-169.

 

 

Teacher's Pet

 

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.

—John 20:21

Ricky always thought he was chosen as the teacher’s pet. After the first or second day of school, the teacher pulled his desk up close to hers. He loved it there. He often had her attention with his interruptions and hijinks. “Why,” he thought, “if I had been a ‘problem student,’ she would have long ago sent me to the Principal’s Office. Right?” Not necessarily so.

Talker and all-around class clown, the other students liked Ricky. And, wherever he sat, he made friends. His teacher, Mrs. Allen, saw potential in him and sat him in the front next to her desk for reasons far beyond a mutual admiration.

In the Gospel of John, this close friend and devoted follower of Jesus referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” It seems quite possible that John might have considered himself the “teacher’s pet,” too. Yes, he did share the spotlight with James and Peter. But, Jesus often chose John for special, close-up teaching.

After all, the title “disciple” has within it the same root as the word “discipline.” Ricky didn’t perceive that the teacher actually found his behavior abhorrent. She brought him close to her, so that she could more easily control and guide him to learn self-discipline, to prevent him from interfering with the learning of the other students, and to help him through individualized teaching. Indeed, individualized teaching was the key, just as Jesus used individualized teaching with Peter, James, and John.

As a result, when the first leaders of the New Testament Church were assigned, we find that Peter, James, and John came out above all the others. They had stayed close to Jesus. His nearness gave them an unforgettable glimpse into His character and His person. Part of His discipline of them involved bringing them so close to Himself that they had to see and learn from Him.

When his classmates played outside on the playground, sometimes Ricky even got the chance to sit next to the teacher during recess! I doubt that Ricky was happy with that arrangement. Yet, in the end, we know he benefitted from this special kind of love and care given by someone more wise than he.

Proverbs 3:11-12 tells us:

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Just as we would probably find Ricky’s name at the top of Mrs. Allen’s “worry list”—forcing her to stretch her human resources of creativity and care—God has each of us at the top of His special list, too. We are, all of us, this divine Teacher’s Pet. And, He know just how to draw us close and keep us in the place where He can teach us to live as His disciples.

 

 

Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous

 

When the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

—1  Kings 10:4-5

If Robin Leach had the opportunity to host an episode of his television show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” about Solomon, King of Israel, this famous reporter would probably have had enough material for a year of programs! We learn about this King in 1 Kings 1-11 and again in the Book of Ecclesiastes, which he wrote.

Not only was Solomon the richest man who ever lived, he also gained fame as a philosopher, composer of music, zoologist, botanist, teacher, writer, builder, and of course, King. Some 487 years after the Israelites came out of Egypt, Solomon had the honor of building the great Temple in Jerusalem. Under Solomon’s leadership, the Israelites spared no expense in creating this magnificent structure.

God had also given the nation of Israel peace with the neighboring nations. As payments of a tribute to assure peace with King Solomon, many of these neighboring nations gave significant gifts of gold and silver.

At the beginning of his reign, Solomon bowed humbly before God and prayed with a committed heart. Not only did God satisfy Solomon’s request for wisdom in leading and building this great nation, God also gave to Solomon more than any man could ever ask in material possessions. Along with all these blessings, God warned Solomon many times to keep his heart tuned to following and obeying the God of Israel.

These numerous warnings were nothing new. God had warned the entire nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai about the kinds of behaviors that they were to studiously avoid. In Deuteronomy 7:3 we read these words from God:

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations … make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you … for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Unbelievably and inspite of God reiterating this warning by speaking it directly to Solomon, we find that the wisest man to ever live disregarded the warning. The results of Solomon’s failure to obey proved disastrous.

From other nations, Solomon took 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. According to 1 Kings 11:4:

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God.

Solomon must have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what things would make him happy. In Ecclesiastes 2, we find Solomon telling about all the pleasures he pursued, the projects he undertook, the things he owned, and even that harem he had built for himself. What was his conclusion? Ecclesiastes 1:2 sums it up:

Vanity of vanities, says the Treacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

King Solomon came to the conclusion that, as he recorded in Ecclesiastes 2:24, after all of the pleasures and fame his life produced:

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.

What lesson do we find here for us? If we are totally honest with ourselves, we will admit that most of us look for satisfaction in all the wrong places. Instead, the genuine reality is that to know and enjoy God, and to appreciate all that He wills and does, must give us the maximum amount of joy in this life.

Jesus Himself said in John 10:10:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Let’s devote ourselves to pursuing the pleasure of pleasing God!

 

 

Good Luck Charms

 

“Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

—1 Samuel 4:3

You probably know people who keep an object they hope will bring them good luck: a rabbit’s foot, or a four-leaf clover, or lucky horseshoe, or some memento that they expect to have power in their lives. Some people of particular religious faiths will mount the statue of a saint on the dashboard of their car, or place a religious statue in their flower garden. I even know a couple who admitted that they named their baby “Christian” as a special “nod to God.”

We might feel tempted to look down on such practices with a kind of superior glance, feeling quite smug about our own opinions on such matters. But, hold on! Let’s consider one of the stories of the Old Testament Prophet, Priest, and Judge, Samuel.

Samuel had carefully taught the people of Israel God’s written Word. Later, on the occasion when they gathered to fight against the pagan Philistine army, they were soundly defeated.

In their zeal as the Lord’s people, the Israeli army had reasoned that in their second battle against the Philistines, they needed some “magical” help. So, they sent for the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh and had it brought to the battlefield.

Upon the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant, according to 1 Samuel 4, there was such shouting that the ground shook! Giving such a powerful response to the presence of this holy object, the army of Israel felt sure that God would go out with them against the Philistines.

Yet, in the end, not only did the Philistines win the battle, but they also stole the “lucky” Ark from Israel. Following this tragic loss, Israel experienced many days of disaster.

We need to consider the error of the people of Israel. We need to ask ourselves: “Do we put our faith in religious things rather than in the living God?” Consider these behaviors:

• Some people join a church with a magnificent building, so that their babies can be baptized there, their daughters married there, and they can be buried there in great pomp.
  
  
• Other individuals, misunderstanding the role of the Sacrament of Baptism, rest in making certain their sons and daughters are baptized as babies as a sort of safe-keeping assurance of their entrance into heaven in the afterlife.
  
  
• In the same way they enroll their children in scouting programs, or athletic teams, still others bring their children to church because they want the cultural and moral training that helps fit those children to grow up and become well-prepared, upstanding citizens.
  
  

The Bible teaches us about the Living God and His standards of righteousness. Consider these excerpts from Acts 17:24-31:

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else … God did this so that they would seek HIM and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being …

Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine begin is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice.

Yes, Certificates of Baptism and family religious traditions have a definite place in the lives of followers of Jesus. But, we should never confuse such items and traditions with “good luck charms” that keep us “in good” with God. He does not look on the external trinkets as humans do. He looks at our hearts and wants to see the image of His Son engraved there by His Holy Spirit!

 

 

Multi-Tasking Builders

 

Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked … Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

—Nehemiah 4:17-18, 23

Nehemiah not only had the passion and the call of God to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem, he had ungodly opposition from ungodly, jealous, and powerful neighbors, who plotted several ways to stop the rebuilding. Their taunts and threats so endangered the workers and the process to which they had been called, that they kept their weapons in one hand and worked with their trowels in the other.

God calls us all to the task of the building of His Kingdom. Never should we doubt that the enemy will come with his traitorous, ugly opposition to our work. We need to stay vigilant and stand prepared to fight the enemy’s poison arrows and his manipulations.

Nehemiah modeled the servant-leader. He prayed about the situation, before and during the construction. He prayed for his workers. He worked humbly alongside them. And, he refused the financial benefits that were offered to him from the king. Because of their vigilance and their sacrifice, they succeeded in their task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

How do we then remain faithful in the work to which we are called and, at the same time, fight against our enemy? We must humbly acknowledge that, in ourselves, we have no power against our foe. But, the Holy Spirit will fight for us. When we pray in the Spirit, we are fighting with the most powerful weapon we have: the two-edged sword of the Spirit, which is the written Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) and (Hebrews 4:12).

In order to accomplish the tasks to which He has called us, only our God can help us work and fight at the same time. The witness to the world of our great God will not fail to attract the attention of those who need to see Him.

I love the results of the work Nehemiah and his crew saw. Nehemiah 6:16 tells us:

When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Our Lord will accomplish not only His purpose in building up His church. But, He will cause the world around us to acknowledge His glory and His power. We multi-task with His hand upon us!

 

 

Remembered by God

 

After [Martha] had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you. ”

—John 11:28

I cannot think of a moment more filled with stress for Mary. Her brother, Lazarus, had died and she and her sister, Martha, just couldn’t believe that their close friend, Jesus, had not come when they called Him. What questions they had. What confusion they tossed about in their minds: Why didn’t He come?

Yet, He did come. And, the moment Mary heard that Jesus was asking for her, she hurried to Him. We learn from the rest of John 11 that Jesus’ exposed His higher purpose by raising Lazarus from the dead. What a glorious remembrance of her and answer to her prayer! In fact, it is very likely that, in this moment, Jesus did something that greatly exceeded what Mary had hoped would happen.

I can think of other instances in Scripture when God remembered His people:

• In Genesis 39 through 40, we read the story of Joseph cast into prison in Egypt on false accusations. In this tortuous, inhumane place he remained for two full years.
  
  Then one day, all of a sudden it seemed, Joseph was called from the prison to stand before the King. Here, God used him to interpret a dream for the King and then elevated Joseph over all other men in that country, except for King Pharaoh himself.
  
  God certainly “remembered” Joseph. What jubilation must have risen in his beaten, abused, seemingly forgotten soul!
  
  
• When we look at the woman Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, we again see someone who felt abandoned and hopeless. Because Hannah could not have children, she spent a tortured life living with the heartbreak of barrenness.
  
  The Bible says this went on “year after year.” Hannah thought she would never have what she wanted from God, until we read in 1 Samuel 1:19 that God “remembered” her! She conceived and bore a son and produced more children after.
  
  

How often do we give up on our persistent prayers because we feel as if we have been waiting much longer than we ever expected to wait, even “year after year”? From these lessons, let us take hope and encouragement that God really has not forgotten us. At last, He will remember us—perhaps not in just the way we dream, but in the way of His good and perfect will for us.

Take hope from these words found in God’s written Word. Please read Lamentations 3:22-26 and bask in the truth of these verses of Scripture:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.