Learning What Not To Do

According to the narrative, on Jesus' instructions, the disciples had taken a boat and were to meet Him on the other side of the lake. Sometime during the night, a storm rose up and the disciples were afraid. It continues, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a spirit;' and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, 'Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.' And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.' And He said, 'Come.' And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, 'Lord, save me'" (Matthew 14:25-30, KJV).

For years I thought Peter had failed and some may share that same thought. However, did he really fail?  As a fisherman, he was probably used to storms on the lake but for sure he had never tried walking on water! Stepping out of that boat into the dark embrace of howling winds and raging waters, simply because he heard the voice of his friend and Lord say "Come," was quite the step of faith. When faced with the reality of what was happening around him, who could blame him for taking his eyes off his destination, the place from where he heard the voice? In some respects, isn't Peter really us?  We hear and have the Word of God and even after stepping out in faith, we are still overwhelmed by our different circumstances. Like Peter, some of us have not only started to sink but we have sunk! Yes, we heard the voice of Jesus say “Come,” but. . . but. . . but. . . .We have our buts.

Interestingly, Jesus did not rebuke Peter for looking everywhere else except upon Him; He rebuked him for his lack of faith (v.31). No matter how the storm was raging, he should have kept his faith instead of being afraid. The presence of fear signals uncertainty; a weakness in faith.  Despite our best intentions, our fear often gets the better of us. In one respect, Peter failed. However, in another aspect, he had learned what not to do. Faith in God allows us to look at our challenges without being afraid. When overwhelmed we turn to the rock that is higher than ourselves (Psalm 61:2).

The application for us?  Whenever you have a "Peter moment," whether in your relationship with the Lord or with others, use failure as a stepping stone for success. How so? At least, now you know what not to do. Learning what not to do is just as important as learning what to do, and sometimes we do so through failing. Ralph Marston writes, "Failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is an important component of success." Just ask Peter.

"Don't Worry"

Isn’t it ironic how as professing Christians we trust God with our eternal security but some of us have difficulty trusting Him with the details of everyday life? On the basis of John 3:16 they fully expect to spend eternity with Him, yet seem unable to take hold of Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything” (CEV). Is it that God who created the universe, and everything in it, cannot handle the details of the here and now?

God cares about us, and the things that impact our lives, far more than we realize. Like a good and loving parent, His heart breaks as He watches His children wrestle with things that provoke doubt, fear, and rob us of peace of mind and heart as He waits for us to bring those concerns to Him. He did not intend for us to worry about how we are going to make it from one day to the next but rather that we should cast those cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Not some of it, but “all”; everything, nothing – not even what seem to be the most trivial – left out. For some of us, that is an extremely difficult thing to do because worry is like a worn out pair of shoes; we need to throw it out but it is most comfortable. Yet there is no ambiguity to Father’s instructions – He says “Don’t do it!” for “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:30, KJV).

If God takes care of the fowls of the air, He will take care of those who are His. This is the same God who so loved the world that He gave His Son Jesus that all who believe in Him would have life and have it more abundantly (John 3:16; 10:10). Surely, having demonstrated the extent of His love for His children, how can we doubt Him when He says “Don’t worry”? Is there anything too hard for Him to handle? (Genesis 18:4).

Whatever it is that weighs heavily on your heart and mind, why not resolve to come boldly to the throne of grace and leave it there? “Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6-8, The Message).

Who Is to Be "Blamed"? - Part II

How much of what goes "wrong" in our lives do we hold God responsible for? The tendency to blame someone else has been with us since Eden.  You might recall that after the Edenic fall, Adam blamed Eve who blamed the serpent (Genesis 3), and if the serpent could have passed on the blame he probably would have. In Israel's stunning and totally unexpected defeat at Ai, one could see the "blame" coming - "And Joshua said, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?'" (Joshua 7:7, NIV).

Of course, God made it clear to Joshua that Israel was defeated because "Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions" (v. 11).  It is instructive that Joshua did not ask God if there was something they had done. There was no introspection, no looking within. They were sure they were in the right and it was God who had brought them across the Jordan to deliver them into the hands of the Amorites to destroy them. We probably would have felt the same way and done the same thing. Sometimes the hardest person to look at and hold accountable is our individual selves!

This tendency is not at all unusual. Proverbs 16:2 reminds us, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits" (KJV). In other words, as Bible scholar Albert Barnes observes, "We are blind to our own faults . . . [but] there is One who tries not the 'ways' only, but the 'spirits.'" Matthew Henry picks up on the first point when he writes, "We are all apt to be partial in judging of ourselves: All the ways of a man, all his designs, all his doings, are clean in his own eyes, and he sees nothing amiss in them, nothing for which to condemn himself, or which should make his projects prove otherwise than well; and therefore he is confident of success, and that the answer of the tongue shall be according to the expectations of the heart; but there is a great deal of pollution cleaving to our ways, which we are not aware of, or do not think so ill of as we ought." Profound, isn't it?

So what is the remedy? Because all our ways are clean in our eyes, our evaluation of ourselves and what we are responsible for often lacks objectivity; it is skewed. Our actions must always be measured against the truth of God's Word, "for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, KJV). Before we start blaming God or someone else when something goes wrong, let us first look at ourselves (our actions, thoughts, and attitudes) in the mirror of the Word.  It is the only place in which we can see ourselves as we really are; to see that we are probably not as "innocent" as we would like to think. Are you waiting on God for answered prayers or is it God who is waiting for you to "move" from where you are to where you ought to be?

Who Is to Be Blamed? - Part I

It was a battle they should have won. Coming off the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6), taking Ai should have been like the proverbial walk in the park. The men who had spied out the region had returned confidently and told Joshua, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there” (Joshua 7:3, NIV). However, something went terribly wrong because once the battle started, Joshua’s men “were routed by the men of Ai who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water” (vv. 4-5).

Following the stunning defeat, Joshua and the elders tore their clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. “And Joshua said, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?'” (v. 7). His entire prayer is covered in verses 7-9, but it is interesting to see how he started. He basically apportioned responsibility for the loss to God. There was no reflection on whether or not the defeat was a result of something they had done. After all, if God had promised them victory and they had tasted defeat, surely the problem could not have been on God’s side for He is faithful to His Word.

After allowing Joshua to say his piece, God said His. From verses 10-15, we see a string of rebukes and instructions which started with an indictment: “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.” In other words, the reason Israel lost the battle was not because of negligence on God’s part, but rather because of sin on Israel’s part. It was they who had violated the covenant. Yes, God could have overlooked the violation, but that would have gone against His nature. Every disobedience had to carry its own consequence.

This brings the lesson around to you and me. How much of what goes “wrong” in our lives do we hold God responsible for? Blessings we are promised but which never materialize. Promises we stand on that seem to no avail. Could we be responsible for the delay in our blessings? These are questions worth pondering over. After we have finished “complaining” to God about the lack of answers to prayers, instead of getting up feeling all spiritual and professing to be waiting on Him, it might be worth listening carefully to what He has to say. While we profess to be waiting on God, could it be that God is waiting on us ?

"I Have Prayed for Thee"

In a 1789 letter to French scientist Jean-Baptist Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, writes, "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Generally speaking, few would argue with Franklin on the certainty of death and taxes in this world. However, for the Christian, two other things are even more certain - the faithfulness of our God (Lamentations 3:22-24) and the ongoing mission of our adversary who roams about like a roaring lion seeking not only whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), but also to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). 

As we begin another year, these two spiritual truths are important to keep in mind. As we go about our daily lives, Peter admonishes us to "be sober, be vigilant" and characterizes our enemy as like a roaring lion - hungry, fierce, strong, and cruel. Of our enemy's business, Bible Scholar Matthew Henry writes, "His whole design is to devour and destroy souls. To this end he is unwearied and restless in his malicious endeavours; for he always, night and day, goes about studying and contriving whom he may ensnare to their eternal ruin." On our duty to be sober and vigilant, Henry continues, "1. To be sober, and to govern both the outward and the inward man by the rules of temperance [self-control], modesty, and mortification [self-denial; the killing of the flesh]. 2. To be vigilant; not secure or careless, but rather suspicious of constant danger from this spiritual enemy, and, under that apprehension, to be watchful and diligent to prevent his designs and save our souls." 

As the devil relentlessly pursues the children of God, where does the faithfulness of God comes in?  In the book of Luke, we see a conversation between Jesus and Simon Peter shortly after He and the disciples had finished supper. According to the narrative, "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat'" (Luke 22:31, KJV). In other words, just as Satan desired Job to assault and break him in order to prove him a hypocrite, so Satan desired to assault and break the disciple. As Peter listened, Jesus continued, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (v. 32). 

What comfort! Satan seeks to destroy but in the midst of his assault, we have the prayer of the Saviour that our faith does not fail. Henry observes, "It is owing to the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ that the faith of His disciples, though sometimes sadly shaken, yet is not sunk. If they were left to themselves, they would fail; but they are kept by the power of God and the prayer of Christ. The intercession of Christ is not only general, for all that believe, but for particular believers (I have prayed for thee), which is an encouragement for us to pray for ourselves, and an engagement upon us to pray for others too."

What better way to start the new year than with the reminder that while we do our part here, in the spiritual realm Christ has our backs! That really encourages me and gives me the confidence to keep pressing through the adversary's obstacles. How about you?

Just Missed It!

I saw him as he hustled up the stairs to catch the train.  An elderly gentleman, he was moving as fast as he could.  However, as he got up the last of the stairs and only a few steps away from the door of the train, it closed.  Cursing under his breath, he could not believe he had missed it.  We made eye contact at which point I told him the next train would arrive in ten minutes.  After a bit of small talk, I asked him how far he was going.  When he told me, I chuckled and said words to the effect: “In which case you should be thankful you missed that train as it was an express train and would not have stopped at your stop. You need to take the one coming next!”  “Is that right?” he asked with a priceless look of bewilderment on his face. “Yes, sir” I replied. “Your missing the train was a blessing in disguise!” We both laughed.

On the ride home, it occurred to me that what that man thought was a disappointment was in fact to his benefit even though it did not seem that way at the time.  Then the light bulb went off in my mind.  Some of us as Christians are just like him!  How many times have we strived for something only to have the door of opportunity close in our faces?   Unaware of God’s hand in our affairs, guiding our steps as we probably asked Him to, we feel extremely hurt and even feel like God has disappointed us when we “miss our train.”  Yet like a good father, God is constantly watching over His children.  For those who put their trust in Him, He is constantly at work in our day-to-day lives orchestrating events, opening and closing doors, to accomplish His plans and purposes for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11). 

 

Because we do not always know what is best for us, we have to trust the Lord that He will sometimes step in and disrupt our plans; often times to protect us from ourselves. From our perspective, everything may seem right and in place. Like the man hustling up the stairs, we are convinced in our minds that our courses of actions are right.  However, just as how some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers, we can include closed doors as well.  What we see as a disappointment -- that job or promotion we did not get, that failed relationship, being stuck in traffic, being late for an important appointment, the friend who was not there when we needed them, to name a few – could very well have been a part of God’s providence. If God gave us everything we wanted, some of those things would probably destroy us.  Maybe, over time, one or more of them would pull us away from an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Often times it is only in looking back that we see His hand at work and we realize He knew what He was doing all along.

Of course, not every disappointment is a result of God’s providence; sometimes they are the result of our own behaviours, disobedience, and attitudes.  However, as long as we sincerely trust our lives into the Lord’s care, like the sheep under the watch of a faithful shepherd, we can rest comfortably in the fact that He is guiding our steps while working things out on our behalf. The Psalmist reminds us, “The LORD guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please Him” (Psalm 37:23, GNB). And yes, that includes closing a few doors just as we are about to go through them.

The Woman You Gave Me

According to the Genesis narrative, when questioned by God regarding his awareness of his nakedness and whether he had eaten from the forbidden tree, Adam seemed to have had no reservations about blaming Eve. In response to God's questions, Adam replied: "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12, KJV). In other words, "I ate of the tree but it is not my fault. My wife and companion, the woman you gave me, she gave me of the tree."  With these words, Adam demonstrated an instinctive response that has been characteristic of every human being since. When confronted with a deviant behaviour or a wrong for which we are responsible, blame someone else.  The sequence of events in the garden that day affirmed this tendency.  When God confronted Eve, she blamed the serpent (v.13).  And so it continues.

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on the words of the Psalmist, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6a). David wrote those words after his transgression with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). He did not try to hide his wrong nor did he blame Bathsheba, a beautiful woman he saw naked while she was out on the roof having a bath, for their adulterous affair. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, he threw himself on God's mercy: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest" (Psalm 51:1-4).  Change is only possible when we first take steps to acknowledge our wrong and take personal responsibility for our behaviours. For the believer, this is an important first step.  David reminds us of God's delight: "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (vv. 16-17). 

Blaming others is easy. In doing so we irrationally believe that we do not have to take responsibility for our behaviours or our part in any disagreements. Instead of asking ourselves "What did I do to contribute to this problem?" "Is there something I could and should have done differently?", like Adam we hide by blaming. Without even realizing it, we immediately start losing respect for those we deem blameworthy; we treat them with disrespect, and we come out of a stinky situation smelling like roses.  However, we fail to recognize that while it may make us feel good about ourselves, irrationally blaming others retards our personal and spiritual growth. There is no going forward until we come clean with ourselves, with others, and with God. 

We all make mistakes and engage in regrettable actions, but by failing to take personal responsibility the road to constructive change is blocked. Better to blame others than to admit culpability. From our perspective, making mistakes means being flawed and being flawed means being unworthy of respect so we preserve self at all cost. But God does not see it that way. Walking with Him requires "a clean heart" and a "right spirit"; that includes taking responsibility for the wrongs we do. No matter the transgression, as long as we bare ourselves before Him, He is still in the business of forgiving. Just ask David.

Talking About Praise

One of my favorite part of Scripture is Psalm 34, especially verses 1-3; "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."

My fascination with this Psalm lies in David's determination to bless (praise, salute) the Lord no matter what. So many times we allow our emotions to influence our praise, but here we see the Psalmist making the conscious decision that he would bless the Lord at all times; the two important phrases being "I will" and "at all times". We cannot always trust our emotions, and there are times when it feels like we are passing through endless valleys, and that may be the case for some, but even then, we can resolve to bless the Lord. To praise or not to praise is a decision that we make. When and how often we praise are also decisions that we make. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nothing external to you have any power over you," and once we realize this, we will also realize that there is nothing, nor no one, that can stop our praise but ourselves.

We cannot afford to be "situational praisers." True worshippers see praise as an offering to God for who He is; a celebration of His attributes. Inspired by the Holy spirit, David wrote, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 150).

I am with David. "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3), so come and "magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together". Praise ye the Lord!