Believe It!

 

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

—Judges 6:12

How many times in Scripture has God proven that He makes the most out of the weakest people? Think of the virgin teen, Mary of Nazareth. Consider Sarah, Abraham’s wife at 90 years old. Remember Moses at age 80. Think about Ruth, a foreign barren widow. Ponder the life of David, a shepherd boy. In the lives of each one, God has elevated these individuals to places of significance in His Kingdom.

As yet another example, I would like to zoom in on the Bible character, Gideon. In those long ago days when Gideon lived, the Israelites had once again cried out to God because of the oppression of the Midianites.

One day, Gideon, the son of a farmer, was threshing wheat in a winepress for his father. He did this in order to hide the wheat from the enemy. As he worked, Gideon was visited by the angel of the Lord, who addressed Gideon as a mighty warrior! Gideon’s response definitely spoke of his lack of faith because, as recorded in Judges 6:13-15, Gideon replied:

“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” … The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel.” Gideon responded, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Has anyone ever called you a “trooper,” or a “prayer warrior,” or some other name you know couldn’t possibly define you? Your first thought might be:

“Prove it! Show me in what way you can say that about me!”

Gideon just would not believe that God could do through him what God had asked. Gideon asked for signs, which God graciously gave him. But, as we read in Judges 6:27, even when Gideon obeyed God:

Because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

The story takes even more twists and turns. But, once Gideon had called all his men together, God whittled the army down even more. God did this so that His power might be seen in the outcome of this attack.

We read in Judges 7:12, that even against the Midianites with the Amalekites, who came:

… thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore …

Using Gideon’s small army of 300, God proved His power and defeated the enemy.

In dramatic terms, this narrative from Scripture teaches us that God loves to use the weak to do His greatest work. If we come to God with fear, with very little to offer, in weakness and need, but with a willing spirit, He can use us for mighty things.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, the Apostle Paul expounds on the lesson:

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

If we desire for God to use us, let us please take heart. When we feel weak, God can use His strength in us. When we feel inadequate, God will make us adequate to do anything to which He calls us. Believe it! We can’t, but He can.

 

 

Overwhelmed

 

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

—Matthew 26:38

Looking in several dictionaries, I discovered that, traditionally, writers have used the words “whelmed” and “overwhelmed” interchangeably. It doesn’t surprise me that these words began as nautical terms. They describe a boat caught in the precarious position of filling with water, even capsizing. In the Bible, references to seafaring-related activities are nearly as popular as references to agricultural illustrations.

Many of you will recall the words found in the hymn, “The Solid Rock,” written by Edward Mote. ¹

His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

Refrain: On Christ the solid rock, I stand;
             all other ground is sinking sand;
             all other ground is sinking sand.

The idea for those words in that hymn come from this verse found in Psalm 61:2:

When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

As I read Psalm 65:3, I was struck by the use of the same word—overwhelmed—when David described the sense of overpowering sadness he felt whenever he considered sin:

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.

In both cases, the one involving extreme emotional need and the one involving deep sin, we need that Rock that is higher than the extremity of our sinking position. Only the Rock—Jesus—can restore our equilibrium.

In his expositional commentary on the Psalms, the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice shares the following story from the life of the great preacher from the 10th century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon: ²

Ships often ran upon the rocks off the coast of England, and mariners were cast in the water and drowned. At times, the mariners would find themselves struggling at the base of high cliffs, knowing they would be safe if they could only get up the steep slippery face of the rocks. But they could not. At one place, according to Spurgeon, a man who lived at the top of one of these cliffs carved stone steps into the rock face so wrecked mariners could climb up. And when the steps became badly worn and impassable over time, someone else added stanchions and a chain railing to help the struggling survivors.

In like manner, God has provided us with the way to overcome our own weaknesses through the Rock of Christ. In our times of need, the Holy Spirit will lead us to Christ, so we can call out to Him for help.

Again, as I read the verse in Mark 9:15, I came upon this word “overwhelmed.” Here the word is used to describe the throngs of people who met Jesus when He and His disciples came down the mountain from the Transfiguration:

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

What an amazing way to be overwhelmed! Perhaps we need to exchange our sense of overwhelming need with the sense of His overwhelming wonder. When we meditate on God’s “wonder-full” provision for us in Christ, we realize that, in the drowning circumstances of our lives, Jesus can truly supply everything we need.

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1 Mote, Edward. “The Solid Rock.” A hymn in the Public Domain. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of someone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

2 Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms: An Expositional Commentary – Volume 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998. p. 504. Please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

The Exchange

 

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to … provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

—Isaiah 61:1, 3

We all remember the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” ¹ which began with Jack going to market for his mother to sell their old cow that no longer gave milk. On the way, Jack met a man who sweet-talked him into trading the cow for five “magic beans.” And, you likely remember how that opened Jack up to a whole lot of trouble, including being chased by a giant.

Now, not all of the exchanges we make in our lives end up quite the way that one did. But, as Christians, we have actually entered into an agreement with God that will forever result in an unequal exchange. Ephesians 2:4 explains:

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.

So, the very first unequal exchange God has made with us involves Him giving us life for death. If we look truthfully at ourselves, we must say that God has given us everything in exchange for our nothingness. Scripture tells us that we have nothing to offer Him in payment for our sins and in exchange for our new life, except the gift of ourselves.

As we grow in God’s grace, we realize that God wants to give us:

• His strength in exchange for our weakness
  
  
• His infinite knowledge in exchange for our confusion
  
  
• His clear vision in exchange for our blindness
  
  
• His health in exchange for our hurts
  
  
• His answers in exchange for our questions
  
  
• His power in exchange for our powerlessness
  
  

In the verse quoted at the beginning of this blog post, we see that God wants to give us joy for our mourning and a garment of praise for a heaviness we can’t take off ourselves. Christ has taken our rags of sinfulness from us, in exchange for His robe of righteousness. He has exchanged our life of futility for a new life of usefulness and for an eternal future with Him. What a terribly lopsided exchange!

When we pray, we should allow ourselves to picture two columns: the first with all our needs, and the second with everything that God can provide us in exchange. May this exercise cause us to thank Him for all He has to give us and exclaim, with the Psalmist, the words in Psalm 103:2:

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

 

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1 The story—“Jack and the Beanstalk,” originating from the 19th century—with versions by Benjamin Tabart in 1807 and by Joseph Jacobs in 1890—is in the Public Domain. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of someone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Frail

 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

—2 Corinthians 4:7

She knocked at my classroom door and stood waiting with her mom and older sister. I was overjoyed to see Joanna. Her loving nature had once made her one of my favorite students in the two years that I had known her. But then, her family had suddenly decided to go back to Puerto Rico, and I thought I’d never see her again.

Now she had traveled back for a visit, and wanted to thank me for teaching her. She gave me a tiny pitcher, hand made out of clay, and decorated with a pretty floral design and the words “Puerto Rico.”

How thoughtful of her to remember me and bring me this tiny reminder of her. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of more than Joanna. It reminds me that when I seem as frail as that little pitcher, Christ can show His power within me. Many times I have felt hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down. This little clay pitcher reminds me that even in my frailty, I have the treasure of the glory of God in my life.

Let me remind and encourage each one of us. Whenever our backs and legs ache, our nerves fray, we’ve had sleepless nights, and we have more to do than we can possible handle, let us remember the testimony that the Apostle Paul gives us in this Scripture verse from 2 Corinthians 12:10:

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Yes! Through our times of weakness, God wants to pour out a great blessing on us, and in so doing, reveal His all-surpassing power.

 

 

Sufficent

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

—2 Corinthians 12:9a

Have you ever felt so weak in the face of trouble—physically, emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually—that you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you couldn’t handle the situation in front of you? I have. And, I think God brings us through such times, maybe frequently. Yes, all of us, whom He intends to sanctify for His purposes, He brings through such times.

Young and inexperienced believers often think of themselves as capable of doing, in their own power, anything the Lord asks of them. Confident in their own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual strength and capabilities, they sometimes look trouble in the eye with confident presumption, and think they are exercising faith.

“I presume my parents will get me out of any financial jam I can’t deal with.” Or: “I presume the medicine will take care of the problem.” Or: “I presume my talents and gifts will get me through tight spots at work.”

It usually only takes a few times, when these presumptions are proven wrong, that we begin to realize how insufficient we are to handle the things that assail our lives. And, what does God hope to accomplish by allowing us to “swim without a life preserver,” or to get sick with a deadly disease? The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9b, after He made the statement in the Scripture that appears at the beginning of this blog post:

Therefore, [because God’s grace is sufficient] I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

He’s saying with a chuckle:

“Bring it on! I can’t handle this, but God, You can!”

Here’s what beloved preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said about this verse: ¹

Our weakness should be prized as making room for divine strength. We might never have known the power of grace if we had not felt the weakness of nature … God’s grace is enough for me! I should think it is. Is not the sky enough for the bird, and the ocean enough for the fish? The All-Sufficient is sufficient for my largest want.

Similarly, Joni Eareckson Tada points out that God becomes what we need: 

In Isaiah 54 he becomes the Husband to the divorced woman. In Psalm 10 he becomes the Father of the orphaned. In Zechariah 2 he becomes the Wall of Fire to those who need protection. In Isaiah 62 he becomes the Bridegroom to the woman who grieves that she’ll never marry. In Exodus 15 he becomes the Healer to the sick. In Isaiah 9 he is the Wonderful Counselor to the confused and depressed. In John 4 he becomes the Living Water to the thirsty. In John 6 he’s the Bread of Life to those who are hungry for more than this world can give.

I suspect most of us will have the experience of weakness and insufficiency when facing trials of all sorts. God wants to show in us His strength and His sufficiency. Do we willingly face our troubles with a trust that allows Him to work His power through us?

Though we often learn slowly and painfully, He will patiently bring us to a place where He can trust us with such pain. Let us rejoice in His over-abiding presence, His over-abiding love, and His ability to prove His sufficiency in and through us.

______________________

1 Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Faith’s Checkbook. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. Entry for November 8th.

2 Tada, Joni Eareckson, More Precious Than Silver. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Entry for August 30th.

Please note that, in each case, whenever the citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Spare No Expense

 

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

—Romans 8:31-32

Some men will stop at nothing to buy their bride-to-be the most expensive engagement ring that they can afford, either using cash-on-hand or borrowing a significant amount of money. Likewise, those with plenty of financial means will stop at nothing to provide their children with the best education in the world.

In contrast, not long ago, we watched thousands of children marching across the U.S. southern border. Their parents have given all their meager funds to “buy” a chance for freedom and a better life for these young ones. They have paid unscrupulous gangsters to transport their children, not knowing for certain whether or not their loved ones would actually arrive safe and unharmed.

Perhaps you know parents who have sold everything, in order to allow their child to receive the very best medical treatment possible to cure cancer. You may know parents who have sacrificed for years, in order to send their children to top-rated colleges or universities. Or, perhaps you know ordinary hard-working people who have taken out a second mortgage on their houses. in order to save their businesses during a stressful economic time. Certainly, we can find plenty of examples of desperate people spending all they have to achieve some goal, or to acquire almost impossible things.

In 1 Kings 17:7-24 we read of the widow of Zarephath who had only a handful of flour and a little oil for herself and her son. But, on Elijah’s request, this poor woman baked a small cake for Elijah to eat. In her obedience of faith, she gave everything.

Likewise, in Mark 12:41-44, we read the account where Jesus watched a widow place her meager offering of two small coins into the temple treasury. She gave all the money that she had on which to live, in order to be faithful to the God whom she knew loved her.

Of course, the greatest example of sparing no expense comes from the sacrifice of our God in giving the best He has, His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In giving this Sacrifice to die a cruel death on the Roman cross of torture, the Father gave the only person who could achieve the blameless and sinless standard of righteousness that He requires. God did this amazingly sacrificial act, in order that He might bring “many sons to glory.” He gave all! And, He did this for us—for those whom He loved. And, what does this Greatest Sacrifice require of us? Read here the words of Jesus from Matthew 10:37-39:

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

God expects His children to spare no expense in following Him, in using our means and our money, in giving our time and our obedience. I remember a little ditty from childhood that captures these thoughts: ¹

After all He’s done for me,
after all He’s done for me,
How can I do less than give Him my best,
and live for Him completely,
After all He’s done for me.

______________________

1 Daasvand, Betsy and Loveless, Wendell. “After All He’s Done for Me.” Carol Stream, Illinois: Hope Publishing, 1940. Please note that, in each case, whenever the citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Clenched Fist or Open Hand?

 

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

—the words of Jesus found in Luke 9:23-25

With a cleanched fist, perhaps the toddler held a penny tightly in his palm, or a piece to a puzzle, or a tiny animal from his barnyard play area. Any adult trying to get the toddler to release the dangerous-when-swallowed item knows the war of wills this entails.

We like to hold on to things, opinions, and plans that we have made, too. Although we don’t shout “MINE!” when confronted with the loss of such items, we feel it deep down. We want our own way. And, we clench our fists all the more when we get challenged to surrender what we hold tightly.

Jesus knew the struggle we have when He asks us to surrender control, and comfort, and those things that we think will make us happy. Yet, He wants us to look beyond what we can see—what we experience in the moment—so that we can get a look at the eternal things He has planned for us. God wants to give us so much. He wants to see us come to Him and humbly present our open hand, in order to receive what He wishes to give us. And, He wants us to extend that same open hand of love to others, so we may give them what we possess.

God knows the dangerous things we shouldn’t have in our possession. He knows that these dangerous things will take us down the wrong paths. He know that these dangerous things will try to take over the mastery of our time and energies. He sees what would happen if we were to “swallow” such things and own them. He knows they will bring us to our ruin.

During this Season of Lent, when others urge us to “give up” something, in order to deny ourselves some pleasure, we ought to focus our attention, not so much on the things that would fulfill the obligations we feel, but rather on those things God wants to take from us: the sins that so easily beset us, our unsurrendered wills, and the things that crowd Him out of our hearts.

Jim Elliot, the missionary to the Ecuadorian Huaorani people, who suffered martyrdom in 1956, famously said:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Let us so live that we will not make God pry our fingers open, so we will release the dangerous things we hold onto so tightly. Instead, let’s freely open our hands and allow Him to take from us what He wishes to take, in order that He can give us all that He chooses to give us. If we do so, we will surely find the way to blessing!