Unplanned Thanksgiving

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21

“In His heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

In India, you will be hard pressed to find a Thanksgiving holiday celebration, and even harder pressed to find turkey of any kind. Thanksgiving week is just another ordinary workweek here…after all, the holiday is an American tradition from the early settlers of the U.S.

However, just because Thanksgiving is not an official holiday here, it does not mean that this week failed to be special in my experience.

I had the newfound joy of tutoring some of our elementary school children in mathematics early in the week. For these specific girls, math is their most difficult subject, and being a Chemical Engineer by training, it is one of my favorites.  So I gave it a shot…and loved every minute of it. Seeing their faces focused, learning…then full of delight in a right answer or realizing an epiphany.

The session moved from mathematics to science to God. We discussed the sun, moon, and the earth…specifically their relationship to one another. I presented the example of how as Christ followers, Jesus is like the Sun—he is the source of light—and we are like the moon, in that we reflect His light for all the world to see. When others see us, they should see the light of Christ as our source. Furthermore, if we think for a moment that we ourselves are the source of light and goodness, it is like when the earth gets between the moon and the sun: if the world comes between us and God, we are in utter darkness, separated from the Source. We must choose to remain in the light, reflecting Christ to our world.

Well, our oldest in the younger girls’ home lit up at the end of that teaching. She gave praise with delight at how we combined academics with teaching about God. Finally, she told me, “If you become a teacher, God will bless you and bless you.” What a sweet moment that I absolutely cherish.

On Thanksgiving day, the end of the day did not go according to plan. I was supposed to be picked up from the girls’ home at a specific time to go home for the day. But my ride showed up 2 hours late. This is not a rare occurrence by Indian standards, but as an American, type A, task oriented, scheduler and planner…well, you can imagine that I don’t naturally accept such things with contentment. I chuckle as I recount the story to you because one of the sweeter days in my first month here occurred because of being so far “off-plan.” (God continues to faithfully, and tenaciously chip away at that part of me until I am fully surrendered to Him.)

In that extra time, I was requested to give another math tutoring session, in which more girls, down to 1^st grade, attended. Then I played various games with the girls for about an hour, one of mine and their favorite things to do. Lastly, as they sat down for dinner, they began the normal practice of praise songs and prayer. And since they had a “special guest” with them, I was asked to tell a story.

Being put on the spot, I paused for a second, then realized God had prepared me to talk through Gideon, since my Sunday School class just studied it in detail this summer. It is a special thing to have the full attention of over 30 children ages 3-12, without them making an unsolicited peep for 15 minutes. We had fun with it, guessing how many soldiers God chose to fight an entire army, demonstrating the different ways the soldiers drank water as God chose the few who would be at the battle, dividing into torch holders, pot crushers, and horn blowers. Finally, we flexed our muscles at the end, declaring that God has made us mighty warriors for His Kingdom, even when we are scared.

It is evenings like these that endear these girls to me with even greater magnitude, as the love God places in me for them continues to grow. And it seems to endear me to them, as well…because when I arrived the next morning, I was hit with an uncommonly large mob of girls asking me to play games, give tutoring, and tell stories! Although I was unable to join them on that day, due to other responsibilities, it made my heart glad to see their response.

Dwight Eisenhower wisely said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indespensible.”  Oh how well said.  The truth is that plans are going to change, especially as we are surrendered to God. However, the act of planning, while holding those established plans loosely, prepares the planner to make the best adaptations to the plan. The act of planning carries value outside the value of the conceived plan.

Finally, I ponder these two Proverbs in conjunction with Eisenhower’s assertion:

 

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21

“In His heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

I will continue to plan. It is who I am, who God has created me to be, and how He has gifted me.  He does use my planning nature for His purposes. But my prayer for you, and for me, is that we would learn to submit our plans to a sovereign, good, and loving God.  May we learn to do more listening to God’s voice, taking a part in establishing His plans, and less dictating to Him what our plans may be. May we come to realize the freedom, peace, and awe of a God whose purposes always prevail and who determines our steps.  And may God continue to give us some of the sweetest moments with His children when our plans fall apart. What a wonderful God who loves us!

Obeying His Call: The Fullness of the Life of Christ

Matt 10:16-32 – “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” 

“The power which men enjoy for a brief space on earth is not without the cognizance and the will of God. If we fall into the hands of men, and meet suffering and death from their violence, we are none the less certain that everything comes from God. The same God who sees no sparrow fall to the ground without his knowledge and will, allows nothing to happen, except it be good and profitable for his children and the cause for which they stand. We are in God’s hands. Therefore, “Fear not.”” – Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship,” Ch 25, “The Decision.” (commenting on Matt 10) 


If you are a child of God’s, kept in the Spirit of Christ, you come to no longer fear making wrong steps along your path.  Instead, your only fear becomes the fear of the Lord in denying Christ. Your path is simple: proclaim the life of Christ everywhere you go…that is, the life of Christ Himself, the life of Christ in you, and the life in Christ available for all men who repent and call on Him for salvation. The “everywhere you go,” is less important than proclaiming Him wherever you happen to go. Some go here, some go there, and God will direct. We often get all worked up about which direction to go, taking long periods of time and expending tremendous mental and emotional energy, such that we might walk rightly with God in obedience in the physical places we go and things we do on earth…meanwhile, we give no thought to the fact that wherever we chose or felt led to go, we did not proclaim Christ. The disobedience is in failing to proclaim Christ. What if we spent as much mental energy and dedication to obedience of our Lord simply on proclaiming Him everywhere we went, spending less on where God might want us to go and be? Only then would we have apportioned our seeking of His will and our obedience properly to what matters most. It is as if we are an athlete on the basketball court, trying to decide whether to go right or left…there is likely a best choice, but it is unclear…if we spend our time and energy (there is precious little time and energy on the field of play and in the span of our lives!) determining which way to go, and even choosing well, but we fail to even shoot the ball, have we done well? Certainly not. Too often, we design plays, we seek to be the wisest in our choice of plays and execution of the plays, and then we never even engage in the whole purpose of the play…in basketball, the purpose was to score a bucket, and with the Lord it was to first draw near to Him and second proclaim the life of Christ WHEREVER we go. It is time for us as individual believers to alter our focus in seeking the Lord, looking less for direction for our specific lives (afterall, that is easily selfish in nature), and more to simply be obedient to the call of our Lord WHEREVER we might end up going. Meanwhile, a single sparrow does not fall to the ground without both His knowing and willing, and even the hairs on our head are numbered by our Lord. That’s right, every morning God takes an inventory on even the number of hairs on your head. How much more will He be absolutely present and sovereign in decisions that will alter our lives?! The liberating truth is that we cannot misstep for long if we will obediently proclaim the life of Christ wherever we go, for in proclaiming Christ, what was once a misstep becomes the work of the Kingdom; and living by obedience produced by faith, our hearts will be continually united in Christ. This sounds so simple and easy because it is part of the source of Jesus proclamation that “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:30). Conversely, as simple and easy as the yoke of Christ is, disobedience to the life of Christ is its proportional opposite, being utterly confounding and impossibly difficult. 


I speak somewhat boldly about this because I have been the self-centered, path-focused believer that I described above. And I am convicted that if I spent half as much fervency in prayer and intentional living to simply obey the Lord WHEREVER I go, proclaiming the life of Christ (that is, equally proclaiming verbally and in living as Christ in both the mundane and exceptional things), my struggle of obedience would not only be more victorious, but I would experience the truth that my Savior’s “yoke is easy” and His “burden is light.” 


When we have been confronted with this liberating truth, the crux of the matter becomes simply obedience to the life of Christ. If we know that when we walk in obedience to the life of Christ WHEREVER we go, we are aligned with Him, whichever path we might have taken originally, then we must simply understand and obey the life of Christ. Therefore, we must spend more time exploring what the life of Christ means in you and me. 


As a sinner, obedience to the life of Christ is first repentance. If we do 100 works of kindness and self-sacrifice daily, ministering to the hungry, needy, and defenseless, but we have not confessed our sin to the Lord, we are not walking in the life of Christ. After confessing our sin, obedience to the life of Christ is in asking Him to replace that sinful nature with Himself. His reply to our pure cry for salvation is that we would “take up our cross daily and follow [Him]” (Luke 9:23). This means that the next step in living the life of Christ is in utterly crucifying my old self, my old life, my entire identity. If any portion of my identity prior to Christ lives on, I have yet to experience the fullness of the life of Christ in me, no matter how noble or moral that old identity may seem. After crucifying our old identities and the sin we were slaves to, obedience to the life of Christ is then surrender to the Spirit of Christ to reign in us. This surrender can only accompany and follow repentance and the crucifying of the old self, or we would still be holding on, if only slightly, to the old self, which is mutually exclusive to surrender. Finally, when we have surrendered and beckoned our Lord’s Spirit to have total dominion over us—our minds, hearts, souls, and lives—obedience to the life of Christ is made manifest in our actions, as we both proclaim verbally the life of Christ wherever we go, and we walk in the Spirit of Christ, abundantly loving in action whomever we come across. We do this as an outpour of the life of Christ within us—it is Christ Himself who is living in action, for “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). In awe of His grace to give us life for certain death, we then live a life bestowing grace to all who will receive it in Christ. In all of this, there was no mention of how to serve, what action to take, on whom to bestow grace, or where we would live the life of Christ. That is because the when and where are not central—the life of Christ is central and everything else is periphery. And yet, our sovereign God who counts every hair on our heads every morning, is faithful to allow and will only what is profitable for His saints and His Kingdom, down to the minute detail. With that understanding, we can trust Him to guide us and not fear bad decisions of where we might minister, work, play, or live…but instead spend our days and nights praising our gracious Lord and living the life of Christ wherever we might walk. 


Challenge: Tomorrow, when you wake up in the morning, take a moment to pray and consider what obedience to the life of Christ in you means. Consider not where you will go, but instead consider that wherever you end up going, you will obediently live out the life of Christ to every single individual you encounter, as well as alone before God. This becomes a worshipful life lived in spirit, action, and truth. A life of humility and diminished self-thought. A life of surrender and without fear of any earthly thing. This becomes a life of supreme joy and purpose, a life of purified love and kindness, where grace abounds, both given and received. Grace received by you from God, given by you to your fellow man. You may be ridiculed and defamed, you may be physically beaten or even killed, all the while you will be able to say “it is well with my soul” for your soul rests in the grace, promise, and eternal certainty of the life of Christ. You may be highly esteemed and praised, you may be successful and world-changing, all the while you will stand in humility saying “I must decrease, He must increase” (John 3:30) for your identity rests in the life of Christ alone. I pray that you and I will walk in the life of Christ so simply, so powerfully, in such liberty this very day. Amen.

Pray It Through: In Jesus' Name

John 16:23-24, 26 – “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete…26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.”

I wonder if any one of us comprehends the power of Jesus’ name.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is Lord: sovereign, perfect God.  He is Jesus: a distinct individual, fully God and fully man.  He is Christ: the Word becoming flesh, poured out for us, the ransom for our sins such that we may have eternal life with God.  This is Jesus’ name.  This is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even still, I wonder if any one of us comprehends the power of Jesus’ name.  We are rightfully taught to pray in Jesus’ name, as He himself taught us that.  And we are obedient to do it, ending every prayer and interjecting into the middle of our prayers His name.  But too often, that is the extent of it: we are merely following a formula, a tradition, and we say His name with no more reverence or power than any other words we utter in a given day.  But if we understood the power and meaning of praying in Jesus’ name, if we comprehended it even minutely more than we did yesterday, our lives and spiritual journeys could be radically and gloriously transformed.

I would like to first build upon our most common understanding and intent when praying in Jesus’ name.  As mentioned above, too often we pray out of rote and tradition, thoughtlessly.  If you are feeling convicted just now, it is the Holy Spirit’s work in you—rejoice that you have felt the presence of God!  And take heart, for I stand equally convicted.  Perhaps the next step in the walk of grace as we pray in Jesus’ name is taking the view of the natural interpretation of John 16:23-26.  I say “walk of grace” because it is by God’s grace that we comprehend His deepest truths, being welcomed into abundant life, both eternal and immediate.  Comprehending Jesus’ name is one of these great truths and experiences of grace in our lives.

Two things immediately jump out at me as I read John 16:23-26.  1. Anything I ask in Jesus’ name will be granted to me, and 2. I am not asking Jesus to ask for me, but instead, I have direct communication with the Father and it is the asking in Jesus’ name that grants me my request.  From here, we often err (and by “we,” I mean “I”).  The human mind immediately begins to surmise that the key to obtaining that which I desire in this very moment, whether noble or shallow, is praying in Jesus’ name.  Jesus’ name then becomes a magic currency or voucher of divine credit by which I can obtain the desires of my heart, flesh, and soul.  Before we immediately reject this train of thought (It is much harder to admit to it when it is called out so plainly, but search yourself and see if you have not considered Jesus’ name in such a way after boiling down your motives and desires until only the bare truth remains.), I would like to explore this analogy of Jesus’ name being a “voucher of divine credit.”

Consider the following situation: Your father is wealthy and you live in his house as his child.  You work together and he takes good care of you.  One day you ask for money to purchase something you desire.  Your father gives you a check for the exact amount and you take it to the store.  When the time comes to make the transaction and purchase the item, the clerk will look for at least three things: form of payment (in this case, a check), an authorizing signature, and a valid proof of identification.  If you are missing any of these, the payment is rejected.  Any combination of two will not suffice…you must have all three.  And I believe that prayer can be viewed in this way, if done very methodically and carefully.  God has essentially given us the “checkbook” of prayer, in that He has granted us access to Him and His infinite power.  Furthermore, He has granted those who have been regenerated in Christ the identity of Christ through the Holy Spirit, for we are His body and indwelled by Him.  And lastly, we have His authority and “signature” in Jesus’ name.  Prayer without the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ is an unauthorized check.  Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit without God the Father is like an ID card and signature on a piece of paper that means nothing (before you call me a heretic, I do not believe we can be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, walking in relationship with Christ, and NOT pray (i.e. commune with God); therefore, this portion of the analogy is strictly for the sake of conveying the point).  The overarching point is that we must be identified and in communion with all three: Father, Son, and Spirit, or our prayers will be hindered.  This is no surprise, for you cannot know God without knowing all three, for all three are indeed divinely One.

Furthermore, to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in faith.  To utter Jesus’ name without faith in Him is like presenting counterfeit currency.  The untrained eye may be fooled, but the producer of the currency will spot its falsehood with ease.  We cannot fool God…He knows our sincere and counterfeit words of faith.  However, the above example is almost petty and certainly inadequate, for the depth of understanding comes from comprehending what it means to be identified in Christ and to ask in Jesus’ name.  If His name is simply an authorizing signature and we do not understand it to any greater degree, then we have gained very little understanding thus far.  (Such analogies to currency and transaction can be very misleading and I use them simply because our minds have been trained to understand things in this context.  The analogy is true in meaning, but severely inadequate at reaching the truth of the power of Jesus’ name, which is far removed from transaction conceived by our earthly desires.)

Since we have been building our comprehension of praying in Jesus’ name, starting with simple obedience and tradition, however thoughtless, then stepping forward in grace to authorization through Jesus name, we can build further by examining the nature of His name and not just what it does for us.  The first of these is covering and intercession.

Heb 9:12-15 – “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

In this scripture we understand a review of Old Testament sacrifices: a covenant extended by God to Israel, which by the shedding of animals’ blood in sacrifice and obedience to God, a portion of atonement was granted to the faithful.  This temporal atonement, as explained throughout Hebrews to a direct audience with very keen knowledge of such commandments and the covenant, was replaced in a new covenant by Jesus, the only perfect sacrifice.  Knowing that “by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)” we can receive Jesus' teaching, “this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matt 26:28), in view of Heb 9 above, and we can therefore have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19).  And so we see that through the blood of Christ we are made able to stand unblemished before the throne of God, a place where only perfect righteousness can remain alive…perfect righteousness only available to a human through Christ.  This is part of the reason why Jesus says in John 16:26, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.”  It is not that Jesus’ death and resurrection allows us to communicate with the Father by messages delivered by Jesus (or any other man or being for that matter), but that we ourselves not only speak to the Father Himself, but enter the “Holiest.”  The “Holiest” or “Holy of Holies” was the presence of God in the tabernacle and is what is being conveyed here: the very presence of God Himself. 

The high priest, thought to be the most righteous of men, would have a rope tied around him when entering this place of perfect righteousness and the presence of God.  Had the proper blood sacrifices not been prepared according to the covenant and the high priest therefore still harbored sin within him, unremoved by the blood of the sacrifice before God, he would die immediately in the Holy of Holies.  Should anyone enter to retrieve his body, he also would die, as sin in the presence of God spells immediate death.  Therefore, the rope would be utilized in the event of such an occurrence to remove the high priest from the presence of God in the tabernacle.  This is the seriousness of God’s presence and the amazing privilege and power of Jesus’ name granted to us!  We can enter the Holy of Holies, God’s very throne room without a rope, without speaking through any priest, and without fear of dying…if we are covered by the blood of Christ in Jesus’ name.  And as Hebrews points out, this is a sacrifice that is everlasting, such that additional blood need not be shed for our atonement, as we are perpetually covered in Jesus’ name.  Knowing this, would you ever dare to approach God in prayer outside of Jesus’ name?  By His grace, the regenerated in Christ will never encounter that fearsome reality.  Instead, we come “boldy before the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16) in Jesus’ name.

At this point, we have come to a powerful comprehension of the meaning of praying in Jesus’ name.  Even still, there is more.  Who can search out the depth, height, and breadth of Jesus Christ?!  He is wonderful to comprehend in the slightest, and in that joy I seek to share with you through this post.  The final dimension amongst infinite dimensions that I seek to explore tonight is the powerful truth that coming to God in Jesus’ name means coming to Him in perfect submission.

Praying in the name of Jesus Christ can be very tangibly beheld in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Matt 26:39 – “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.””

Do we comprehend that praying in Jesus’ name, as the words leave our lips, is declaring to God that His will be done and not ours?  We do not comprehend it, nor do we experience its rich joy and blessing, because we do not mean it as we say it.  It is a rich joy and blessing because it is the life of Jesus Christ Himself inside of me, the life of perfect fulfillment of God’s glorious will, the life of nearness in the presence of God that cannot be revoked or destroyed by any thing, man, or supernatural being.  It is also protection, for quite often we ask the Lord for things that are not born of His desire…and anything not squarely born of His desire is riddled with evil and meant to harm us and those we love.  We are protected in Jesus’ name, such that our wills are submitted to God’s.  And the knowledge and comprehension of this power avails to us the experience of God’s presence more clearly and meaningfully as we pray and walk with Christ.  It is the source of deep transformation.  By Jesus’ name and the perfect submission that is carried through Him in our prayers, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit in new ways that we could never know without receiving His will to transform ours.  Often we pray mighty sounding prayers in the hope of conforming God’s will to ours, certain of our prayers in Jesus’ name, not understanding that we have prayed against the will of God.  So be it, for God takes our fragile faith and misguided motives, convicts us, and sanctifies us.  However, if we do not move past that attitude in prayer, we miss out on the sweetness of being transformed by God through prayer.  Among the sweetest of promises of coming before our Father in deep intimate prayer in Jesus’ name is our being transformed by Him into His likeness.  There is perhaps no greater answer to prayer than being transformed into His likeness, except for beholding the presence of God as we are transformed.

Finally, after all of this revelation, all of this study of God’s Word, all of this teaching…I myself conclude by praying in Jesus’ name…and I am immediately convicted how small is my comprehension of what my lips utter.  If I could fully comprehend what I have just written above, I would fall to the ground in reverence of His name, and even then only glimpse His glory.  And so I pray that you would come to know Jesus Himself just a little bit more today, comprehending even slightly the power of Jesus’ name, praying the same desire for myself.  It is in Jesus’ name that I come boldly before the throne of grace, into the very presence of God Himself, and offer this prayer on behalf of you and me.  Amen.


For the entire "Pray It Through" series of posts, click here.

Direction – A Motor Boat of Faith

2 Thess 1:11 – “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

Have you ever asked God for direction? Have you ever in all sincerity presented yourself to the Lord, attempting to be fully abandoned to His any desire and command, but without knowing which way to go? It might be due to a specific decision before you or it might be in the midst of directionless wandering, but in either case, you came to a point where you desired direction, you knew God had specific direction for you, but you did not know what it was? So have I.

I find during these times that at the end of it all…the analysis, the prayers, the listening, the crying out, the searching and seeking…at the end of it all, our response is loosely categorized as one of three actions: we choose to go in the way the Lord would not have us go, we choose to go in the way the Lord would have us go, or we make no active choice in “analysis paralysis.” I have two thoughts about this: 1. How do we get ourselves to do more of the second action, choosing to go in the way of the Lord? 2. Believing in The Sovereign God means more than anything in the world, for even when we have not chosen the Lord, in His sovereignty, grace, and power, He continues to work in those circumstances and bring us back to His preferred will from that point forward, whether or not we made a mistake.

Having a personal relationship with a sovereign, grace filled, fully willing and capable Father God and Savior…I mean really personal, as characterized by frequent conversations and a desire for ever greater unity with Him…this is my only hope. Without knowing that His character is to work for our good (1), that His character is to protect us (2), that His character is to be faithful when we are not (3), that His character is perfect and infallible (4), that He cannot deny Himself (3) and therefore sees all, understands all, works through and in all, and has a place in His heart for us…without knowing this God, my God, and standing on the rock of Christ, I have nothing. And so knowing Jesus is everything, and is certainly everything when we desire direction, especially the more uncertain we are.

I will confess my greatest fear and struggle: I often question whether or not I hear the Lord…or if I’ve ever heard the Lord clearly. Am I being deceived? Have I always been deceived and never knew it? Could I be calling desires of the flesh, the wisdom of man, and the cleverness of the Evil One, God’s voice? What an utterly terrible thought! At these times, there is only one standard to compare these questions to and one place for answers: Scripture. If you have ever come to a place where you doubt your ability to hear from the Lord, please here these words of Truth from the Bible:

John 10:27-28 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Rom 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Are you one of Jesus’ sheep or not? Yes or no? No answer in between is acceptable or accurate. I don’t care how good of a person you are, are you one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? I don’t care how much you’ve backslidden and are struggling with sin right in this moment, have you given your life to Christ in sincerity and are therefore one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? No? Then you do not hear The Shepherd’s voice and your every fear is true—you are directionless and floating, and only the divine grace of God in His mercy can move you in a direction such that you come to the point of the path that He would desire for you, most notably to enter His Kingdom by calling on the name of Christ. But right now you are outside of that. I’ll ask again, are you one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? Yes? Then no more doubting—no more! You do indeed hear His voice. You are empowered to do so by the Holy Spirit who was promised and does indeed indwell everyone who has confessed Christ as their God and Savior.

Ok, so I do hear Jesus’ voice. Why do I still not know what to do and feel that I do not have the clarity and direction that I know I need?! Well, many times our lives and our faith in God is much like a motor boat sitting in the water. If you know anything about boats, you know that in order to steer the boat, you must actually have a forward velocity. The forward velocity allows the rudder to push off of moving water, such that the bow of the boat cuts one direction or the other. Furthermore, in many boats, the motor itself turns and the propeller provides the lateral force required to turn the boat to one direction or the other; however, if that motor is not engaged, then turning the motor has virtually no effect. How does this apply? In “analysis paralysis,” we have turned off our motors and have no forward velocity. Now, it is good and wise to take some time to get alone with the Lord and turn off the motors and consider a situation. But sometimes we reach a point where nothing will happen unless we start our motor and begin to move. The amazing thing is that as we begin to move forward, perhaps in the right direction or in the exact wrong direction—we don’t know in that moment—if we then let God steer our vessels, we can find ourselves being redirected in the direction that we should go. Now, if we start the motors and refuse to let the boat be redirected, then we are no better off. We must be willing to step out in faith, keeping a sensitive ear to the Lord the entire time.

To bring this home a little more clearly: I often find myself saying to the Lord, in effect, “If you would show me the way and give me specific direction, then I will start this motor and run full blast in your direction. I just need to know in which direction to point the boat.” And many times, that absolutely clear direction, with physical, concrete proof that the Lord is telling me to do this or that, just doesn’t come. What I find instead is that a healthy approach is the following: “Here is what I think you’re telling me. This is the direction I think you want me to go. I don’t know. I’m willing to be redirected, so please continue to direct me, Lord. Here I go.” At this point we must trust that as His sheep, we hear His voice, we must begin to step out in faith, and we must keep our ears open to His guidance all the more. I find that with a step of faith, it is often the slight forward motion that then brings the clarity of direction that is needed. If there is no step of faith, then nothing happens. And even steps of faith that may not be perfectly calibrated to go in the direction of the Lord’s perfect choosing, as we go, we get guided, so long as we are receptive to the guidance.

2 Thess 1:11 – “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

And so, I encourage you: Stop what you’re doing, consider your heart’s desires and compare them with what you know to be the Lord’s desires. Bring before Him your every anxiety and need for direction. Take time to set yourself aside for prayer, the Word, and even fasting. The direction may be clear. But if not, when you feel that you have no way to find clearer direction and you do not know what to do, search to see if there is a way that you sincerely feel might at all possibly be what God desires. Tell Him, test your heart. Then move. Take a first step of faith, allowing the Lord to completely redirect you. He might, He might not. But either way, the boat is moving and able to be steered. And since we have a perfectly sovereign, grace filled, loving, powerful, willing and capable, Father God who sees all, knows all, and works all things together for our good…since this is our God!...we can move forward in confidence, without fear of misstep.

Step out on faith. Start the boat. Choose a direction. Allow the Lord to redirect you AS YOU GO. May the Lord’s wisdom, discernment, love, and grace fill your heart and mind this very day. Amen.

1 – Rom 28:8 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
2 – 2 Thess 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
3 – 2 Tim 2:13 – “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
4 – Isaiah 6:3 – “"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
Matt 5:48 – “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Pain and Glory of Waiting on the Lord

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.” – John 11:32-35

If you read through the Bible, especially the Psalms, you will find the following phrase (or similar) written a multitude of times: “Wait on the Lord.” It is interesting that this message had to be conveyed so clearly so many times. When you think about raising and disciplining children, you know that there are some commands that need only be given once and others that need repeating over and over. The most difficult commands to obey are the ones that need repeating over and over, and I believe this is true with us as God’s children and His repeated commands to “Wait on the Lord.” Let’s consider that with sincerity today and set our hearts and minds to obey at last.

This very morning I received an email newsletter from Global Media Outreach (www.GodLife.com). It was uncanny how its message was tailor made for me this morning, and perhaps for you, too. The message was about having dreams in life and having to wait for them, entitled “The Key to Living Your Dream Life.” Even the best, God-ordained dreams. Yet having to wait, and what effective waiting looks like. An excerpt from the newsletter:

“Abraham waited decades to have a baby; Moses had to endure Pharoah’s intimidation and 10 plagues until God’s people were released; and David had to run for years in the wilderness until he was made king. These are just a few examples! But the greatest wait in the Bible was for Jesus, the Messiah. God promised Him thousands of years in advance, and only a few were still waiting for Him when He finally came…

…Waiting isn’t glamorous. In fact, it’s really hard. But it’s the key to obtaining your promise from God. Maybe He has promised you healing, maybe a great marriage, or maybe your kids serving the Lord. Whatever it is, it’s going to take patience. That’s just the way God is. He uses the waiting period to make us better, to make us ready for the promise. “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character” (Psalm 105:19).”

The verse from Psalm 105 about Joseph’s character being tested and perfected while he was waiting helps me to understand part of the purpose for waiting. Furthermore, the story of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend and the brother of Mary and Martha, illustrates a supreme example of waiting (read John 11 for the full story). Jesus received word of Lazarus’ illness in time to come heal him and save him from death. Yet, inexplicably to those around Him, Jesus waited two days before coming to see Lazarus. Why would he wait? Did he want to wait or was He fighting His flesh in order to obey the Lord? I believe that the fact that Jesus wept upon hearing of Lazarus’ death and seeing such deep grief in Mary and Martha, whom He loved deeply, is proof enough that it was not easy for Jesus to wait and let Lazarus die. What restraint our Savior showed! And, what love! If you know the rest of the story, you can see that this was a supreme act of obedience to the Father in His perfect sovereignty, and an obedience centered in love, for the best possible outcome of this scenario was for Lazarus to die. This is because Jesus then brought Lazarus back to life.

There were many implications from this. First, those who immediately surrounded Jesus at this time, including the disciples and Lazarus’ family, saw firsthand a greater power through Jesus than others had comprehended previously. No one had been dead four days and risen again. Secondly, the news spread throughout the region, such that the faith of others was increased in Jesus as the Son of God. Thirdly, it was the turning point to drive the evil religious leaders to the point of executing Jesus, the purpose of His ministry. Fourthly, it showed that Jesus could not only raise Himself from the dead (He is God afterall), but that He had power and authority to raise any and all people from the dead, according to the Father’s will.

Each of these things came forth from Jesus obeying His Father’s command to “wait on the Lord.” Where are you hearing the still, small voice of God telling you, “Wait on the Lord?” Pay attention to the timing of circumstances in your life and coming across those words while reading the Bible. I assure you that they were meant just for you, as they are meant just for me, as well. Lazarus’ death and resurrection by Jesus marked a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, turning His path to the cross, gloriously fulfilling His purpose on this earth. Turning points in your life and mine will often come the same way—through waiting. Let’s be vigilant to obey the Lord and wait for Him at all times.

So what can we expect while we are waiting and what is the expected outcome? Firstly, pain. If we look at the example of Jesus and Lazarus, it is clear that Jesus experienced the pain of loss and hurting loved ones as a direct result of His waiting. Waiting will be the hard choice, it will hurt you personally, and it often times will hurt those you love most. Furthermore, there may be times when you are waiting on the Lord and no one else understands. This was Jesus’ experience. Do you think that you are experiencing something that Jesus cannot identify with? Certainly not. Jesus understands what it is to wait, the pain in the consequences of waiting, and He understands when no one else does. I emplore you to cry out to Him in your distress, and the God of all comfort will be with you.

But there is more to expect while waiting on the Lord. First, your character will be sharpened, and likely the character of those in relationship with Jesus who are impacted by your obedience will be sharpened, as well (Psalm 105:19). Second, the glory of the Lord will be revealed in time. For Jesus, waiting produced a more glorious display of the character of God, revealed more clearly the simultaneous humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, and brought many more believers in addition to building the faith of those who already believed in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. These very things will be true in our lives if we will “wait on the Lord.” I pray that you realize the certainty of this promise, that you read God’s Word and hear His still, small voice concerning waiting on Him, that you open your heart to receive the comfort and understanding from Jesus Christ Himself, and that you receive the full glorious blessing that comes from such sweet, abandoned obedience. May God work such miracles in your life this very day. Amen.

Decision vs. Discernment

Decision (n) – 1. The act of making up one’s mind

2. Judgment, determination

Discern (v) - 1. To perceive by sight or the mind

2. to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different

When facing choices, whether easy or difficult, do you set your mind to decide or discern what is best?

I found myself praying and mulling over some upcoming choices with the Lord this week. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit works in a way that separates my ears and mouth. What I mean by this is that I’ll hear something I say in prayer and have an immediate reaction upon hearing the words, as if I am not the one who spoke them. And so this week I prayed, “Lord, please help me to decide and discern what is best. I’m not sure I have enough info and I need your help to make the right decision.” Immediately, I was convicted of the difference between seeking to decide and seeking to discern.

Before I dive into the superlative nature of discernment over decision, let me first give merit to proper decision. A hymn that I love says, “I have decided to follow Jesus,” and it is both beautiful and accurate. As Christians, we have decided many things. First, we have decided to follow Jesus. We have since decided to put on the armor of God and fight sin. We have further decided to take up our cross daily and welcome sanctification. And we may have even made many life decisions, such as where to live, work, go to church, have relationships, and general lifestyle choices. However, in these latter things, the discernment mindset is superior to the decision mindset.

Heb 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Another quick disclaimer for those of similar temperaments to me and in order to be thorough: finding the dividing line between decision and discernment is very difficult and the lines will often seem blurred instead of clear. Thanks to God that we have His Word, which is sharper than any double edged sword, dividing truth and error, joints and marrow, outward actions or the most subtle inward thoughts. It is a broad sword and a surgeon’s scalpel all in one, lopping off the head of the evil one and also discerning the most subtle truths of God and man. Therefore, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to divide to the uttermost precision differences in attitudes and behaviors such as the decision and discernment mindsets.

Note that decision and discernment, though different, are often overlapped in space and time. For instance, you must first decide to pursue discernment. And once you have discerned, you have the decision to obey God or not obey. Decision in the absence of discernment is the source of catastrophe, both personal and sociological. It is the folly of man to make decisions without the wisdom of God. However, decision with discernment at the helm is the source of living and leading in God’s will. I encourage you to set out to discern God’s very mind, His good and pleasing will, then simply decide to follow what He reveals as His will.

The key truth here is that the decision mindset carries within it the sense of one’s self and will. If “I” make a decision, then “I” have chosen what “I” think is best, regardless of the complexity and how selfless my criteria might be. The key is that I am placing the emphasis on my analysis, logic, and wisdom by regarding anything as “my decision.” Compare this to submission or subordination, where I follow the wishes of another who has made the decision. In this case of submission, I am merely following and not deciding anything myself, except to obey the orders, no matter what measure of analytical skill or logical thinking abilities I may have. Any abilities or judgments of my own are irrelevant in that situation because the decision is not mine to be made, except to obey.

I often set myself into deep thought and analysis to thoroughly consider a situation, decipher facts from misleading fictions, trying to consider all affected parties, and determine the greatest utility between option A or B for the entire framework of affected parties. I know that whichever option can be most pleasing and useful for our Lord is the best, and so I seek to make the best decisions for His will. This is a seemingly noble approach, especially since God has equipped us to learn the Word and live in the Spirit to make good decisions; but when we have listened to the Word or the Spirit, I submit that we have done less deciding and instead, more discerning. Think about it: God already foresaw this decision, and in fact, he has placed it directly in front of you to make this very choice, such that in doing so you grow closer to Him and glorify His name. He knows your affinities, your tendencies, your weaknesses and strengths. He knows to what degree you listen to Him and to what degree you do not. And He already knows the very best “decision.” Now, if your God is with you wherever you go (Matt 28:20) and seeks to speak truth to you and guide you unto all truth (John 16:13), and has all powerful wisdom in all things, and tells us that if we ask we will receive (Matt 7:7-9, Luke 11:9-10), then why in the world would we try to make any component of any “decision” without hearing from Him and choosing His choice in obedience, regardless of how we’ve analyzed it ourselves?

In view of these truths, it is clear that the answer is in seeking His face and discerning His will, not in making a decision. The decision has already been made in Heaven! God’s wants option X! Do you perceive it? How can you be sure that your decision matches His will? The only answer is discernment. And in addition, the seeking to discern God’s will is as much his very will as the specific choice that He desires. Anything less than fully seeking Him in discernment, combined with making the correct choice (obeying His will), is less than His perfect will. Discernment without choosing what God chooses is disobedience. And choosing what God chooses without purposefully setting out to discern His will is His divine providential mercy and accomplishes His physical purposes, but has left us void of the glory of pursuing Him as He wills (We are apt to credit our own logical and analytical abilities in that situation, a dangerous place to be. Even the evil kings of the old testament and every evil man since has been used to fulfill God's purposes.). Furthermore, every good decision ever made by any man was either discernment coupled with obedience or God’s sovereign guiding hand. The former is God’s preferred will and the latter is His allowed will. The former is growth in relationship with God, yet the latter can lead us away from Him personally, as we become more self-reliant...even though in the good decision the physical happenings remain squarely within His sovereign will, our attitude of not seeking Him first leads to greater distance from Him. Therefore, we must both be seeking discernment and and following it with obedience to walk in God’s will.

You see, even though the approach of wanting to make our best decision seems noble, it is like a child who has been sent to the grocery store to pick up a key ingredient for the dinner that their parent is preparing. If the child initially seeks their parent’s guidance and upon hearing that there is a missing ingredient, immediately sets out to retrieve the item without hearing the specific instruction about which item is missing, the child is likely to miss the mark. Now, what an amazing instaneous response of service! What a heart to please their parent! Much like Peter, immediate action shows a good heart, but not necessarily wisdom in the action or decision. Sometimes, we don’t listen closely enough to our Father to hear the rest of the instruction, to discern His specific will. Suddenly, we find ourselves needing to make a decision, and though we may be skilled decision makers, how can that replace discerning the exact will of God?

I do not mean to split hairs here, so to speak, but I do intend to divide joints and marrow, truth and error, and I have found within me a source of error when I have considered big choices a matter of decision making instead of a matter of discernment seeking. The difference is somewhat self reliance versus complete dependence on God. If even a grain of sand’s worth of self-reliance is left in me, it must die, and the same is true for you. Not there yet? Take heart, it is a life-long journey that concludes in the perfection of Heaven for believers in Christ. But until then, let’s be on our way, let’s search out the great boulders or grains of sand of self-reliance and lack of faith in ourselves, confess to the Lord, and be refined for His purpose and glory, which is also our joy. I encourage you to take a challenge with me: the next time we find ourselves saying, either out loud or in our heads, “I need to make a decision” or “I’m not sure what to do,” instead replace those words with “I need to discern God’s will” or “I have not yet discerned God’s preference” in all sincerity. I believe that as we seek to commit our minds to discernment, we will not only find that God responds with true discernment and wisdom, but that we also have a peace in every choice, large and small, that we did not have before. May the God of all wisdom, all peace, all knowledge, all love, and all grace pour out His Spirit upon you this day with discernment for every decision and in all things. Amen.

What Is Your Response to “Bad News?”

Recently I’ve been reading through the book of Acts. It’s almost peculiar how I’ve had a desire to study the book recently, yet I have missed the opportunity to study it in a group setting twice recently. I arrived in a new Sunday school class shortly after they concluded a long study of Acts; and another Bible study group that I was a part of last year, but cannot be part this year, is about to do a 9-month study of Acts. So apparently, God desires that I study it on my own for the time being.

Reading through Acts, there is no shortage of amazing stories…stories of faith, stories of persecution, and stories of God moving supernaturally and decisively in order to establish and grow the church body. Additionally, Acts is a study on communication between God and His servants. There is so much there—ways that God spoke to different people or the same people in different ways at different times. Ways that different people responded to God or the same people responded differently in different situations (Peter is a good example). There are a lot of circumstances to consider…insurmountable circumstances from which God saved Paul and others countless times…and other times when circumstances were fully avoidable, yet God willed Paul and others to go through them and the saints obeyed at their own physical expense (even to death). The lattermost example is the one that caught my eye today. It is the story of Paul willingly and knowingly walking towards His death, first by shear faith in a sovereign God and secondly to achieve a purpose that would be later revealed to Him. This is an uncommon faith that I’m afraid I don’t yet possess and is therefore worth examining in great detail.

Starting in chapter 19, we see Paul’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to know that he would go to Rome to preach the Gospel at some point:

Acts 19:21 – “Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem." And after that," he said, "I must go on to Rome!”

At this point, Paul was receiving direction. His direction from the Lord was clear: 1. Go to Jerusalem. 2. On the way there, go to Macedonia and Achaia. 3. After Jerusalem, go to Rome. To say much more is speculation, because I do not find much more specific detail in the book of Acts. One could hypothesize that Paul knew where he was to go and in what order only, knowing that his purpose was to continually spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet not knowing many other specifics or purposes, as well as not fully knowing the timing—knowing order only—nor knowing his final fate in each place, especially Rome. On the entire opposite end of the spectrum, one could hypothesize that Paul, through the Spirit, knew all of these things, including his fate in Rome at this time. I tend to lean towards the first hypothesis, but I think the degree to which Paul knew God’s specific, detailed will for him, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other, as noted above, is less important. I say this because if it was of utmost importance, it would certainly be contained in the Bible.

Nevertheless, Paul certainly had received direction from God and was obeying to the fullest, regardless of any other foreknowledge. We can take one of many lessons right here. It is a luxury to know what God might have you do two steps ahead, but obedience only requires direction for the next immediate step—we must discipline ourselves to have the kind of faith and obedience that stops asking for an entire roadmap, but can instead trust our Creator, Counselor, Savior, and God with one direction at a time.

Part of the reason I lean towards the hypothesis that Paul’s foreknowledge of God’s will to go to Asia, Jerusalem, then Rome was limited…though with clear direction…is that it appears that more and more is revealed to Paul as we progress through Acts. This wouldn’t be noteworthy if it had already been revealed to him sooner. And in fact, in chapter 20 Paul confesses that he goes to Jerusalem “not knowing the things that will happen to me there.” The use of the phrase “happen to me there” indicates to me at least a consideration of personal harm, for otherwise he might have said “happen there” instead of “happen to me there.” Furthermore, Paul senses danger in Jerusalem, yet look at his attitude (speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus):

Acts 20:22-25 – “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.”

In response, the elders wept, signifying a sincere belief that they would never see Paul again.

In chapter 21, we see an even clearer proclamation of what awaits Paul. It turns out that the Holy Spirit had been preparing his heart all along, and Paul was so sensitive to the Spirit to discern it so early, as seen in chapter 19. This time in chapter 21, the message was much clearer:

Acts 21:10-15 – “And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.”

Think about the news that Paul had just received. I’m afraid that my response would in all likelihood be as Luke and the other apostles and saints who accompanied Paul—“Don’t go!” I would probably cite the prophecy as a providential warning from God and justify a change in plans, saying, “we’ll go another time when this threat is dissolved.” But this wasn’t Paul’s response at all. Why?

“Why?” is a very loaded question because it speaks to the very character of Paul and the extent of his relationship with God. In that situation, faced with that “bad news,” only two kinds of men would continue towards Jerusalem: those who are complete and utter fools, and those who are completely abandoned to God’s purpose, such that Paul’s words are true: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Those of worldly mindset cannot discern between those two types of men, the fool vs. the servant of God, but the Spirit of God testifies to truth such that we can discern godly submission and abandonment. Additionally, such a man would have to be more than abandoned to God’s purpose—he would have to hear from the Lord and be absolutely in tune with the Spirit to know and follow God’s will. Abandonment without communication is haphazard, directionless wondering. Communication without abandonment is stubbornness and heard-heartedness that “quenches the Spirit,” leading to no fruitful work. We must have both, and I hope that we can draw on Paul’s example and at least set our faces towards God with that goal…regardless of how far we are from it in this moment…knowing that we desire such utter abandonment for God’s glory, purpose, and pleasure with such sensitivity and intimate relationship with our beautiful, perfect, powerful, loving Father that we would know and discern His good and pleasing will in every such situation. What an amazing richness of life for Paul and for us with such faith.

Finally, we see in chapters 21-24 that the prophecy comes true and Paul is bound in chains, arrested, and even beaten. How merciful that God allowed him to have a warning. But God trusted Paul with that warning because he was trustworthy. A man such as myself may not show themselves to be so trustworthy…any man who would respond by avoiding Jerusalem when hearing the “bad news” would not be allowed to know such information. Make no mistake, God’s will gets accomplished every single time in all things. We get to choose 1. Which side we’re on, and 2. How willingly we will cooperate and obey the Lord. Consider Jonah. He was to go to Ninevah. He didn’t want to go and fled from God. God captured him in the stomach of a whale for 3 days! Jonah repented and went to Ninevah afterall. Now, he could have just gone there when God told him to. Either way, he was going (though he didn’t realize that yet). Things are much easier in life if we’ll just obey the Lord. In Paul’s example, I think it was merciful for God to give him such foreknowledge, such that he would not be utterly surprised and could have such sweet goodbyes with the Ephesians. And those blessings were only available through obedience in the face of such "bad news."

Notice the first time we see God actually speaking to Paul and revealing his will for Paul to go to Rome happens only AFTER Paul was already captured and had to obey in faith through the Spirit, not before:

Acts 23:11 (while captive) – “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’”

If you have a “red-letter” edition of the Bible, you will see these words in red, as they are the spoken words of Jesus. This direct communication could have taken place back in chapter 19, but I find it very instructional that God waited until chapter 24 (these chapters are written in chronological order, so keeping track of time by chapter is appropriate). You see, sometimes we seek the Lord with ears that are only tuned into His voice to the extent that an audible voice alone would be discernable. However, it can be clearly seen that Paul was receiving communication from God the entire time prior to Jesus' words to him, through the Holy Spirit. We can take a lesson here. How is God communicating to you this very day? And if you heard Him, how would you respond? Would you respond in self-interest and preservation? Or would you present yourself as a living sacrifice?

Rom 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We marvel at how Paul discerned God’s will so early on, but Rom 12:1-2 ties these concepts together. You see, by presenting himself as a living sacrifice, he was “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind,” such that he was granted the discernment of God’s good and pleasing will through the Holy Spirit. We usually get it backwards: “If I could discern His will, I would know how and where and with what extent to sacrifice. If I knew details, I could obey them.” Ah, but the converse actually is true: only when we present ourselves as living sacrifices, in worship to our God, then we begin to be transformed by the renewing of our minds such that we receive knowledge of His will.

It’s also interesting that such a verse is contained in the book of Romans. Do you know that it is one of the most influential books of the Bible, a roadmap of pure theology, and is the fruit of an obedient servant of the Lord in the face of “bad news?” Paul went to Rome to die, as most scholars agree he died there in captivity. And in preparation for going there—part of the “clear direction” discussed previously—he wrote the book of Romans…glorious fruit of the obedience and faith described in Acts 19-28.

A close friend of mine recently conveyed the following astute observation to me, after considering 1 Peter 4:12ff, which addresses “fiery trials” experienced by Christians, their necessity and normality, and their great purpose: “You know, we don’t tell Christians what the Bible says often. We try to be sympathetic, which is Biblical too, but how often do we follow it with reminding each other to rejoice to the extent that we partake in His suffering? If my ability to rejoice is based upon the extent to which I have shared in His suffering, then I’m not a very joyful person.” Wow, that convicts me. Being robbed of suffering is to be robbed of the joy of God that manifests itself in obedient, abandoned souls with an intimate relationship with God such that His will is in our hearts and we see as He sees…we see and feel as God sees and feels! What joy as a pure fruit of the Spirit when we partake in such trials for the sake of God’s name. Are you so willing to follow God anywhere? If so, what might God do with your smallest of sacrifices? He has brought billions of souls to Heaven through Paul, and He can and desires to do the same with your life. I pray that we would both accept the challenge and responsibility of presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God, and may the full pleasure of living God’s will in a beautiful, intimate faith in our Creator and Savior be ours forever. Amen.

How Does God Lead You?

Close your eyes for a moment and think of God. When you think of God, what do you see?

Now, think of a current circumstance that you aren’t quite sure about, or you’re wrestling with, a decision that you’re not sure how to make, or a desire that you are submitting to the Lord. It has to be current—this is important. Now, thinking about that thing, close your eyes for a moment and think of God. Think of what He is thinking about you and how you are going through that circumstance or decision. When you think of God at those times, what do you see? What is God’s demeanor toward you in that situation? And lastly, how does God lead you?

That exercise is a little abstract and I am not an abstract individual, being an engineer that likes clear guidelines, simple rules, and logic. But I think it is an important exercise because it can be revealing of our mental constructs of God…God as we perceive Him, not necessary God as He is.

The reason for the exercise above is that I’m trying to share with you my recent experience and realization of my flawed perception of God. Specifically, concerning some things that I’ve been praying about recently. This is because my view of Him is too often as the tester and me the test taker. Granted, we do at times receive tests from God and you can see some examples in Scripture; however, I have a very incomplete view of God when I’m calling on His help and direction if I think He is looking at me merely as a tester, simply setting a standard that I cannot reach and can therefore never fully please Him or quite get it right without significant mistakes.

This may sound a little harsh, but I have found that it can be a common view of God. And I’m thankful for the self-realization that I have at times been viewing a perfect, loving, sovereign Father as simply a tester…at least in my mental image of Him in these specific situations. Here’s a fact for you and me: we will come across numerous decisions that are of very high importance and a very high degree of difficulty to discern what is best. There are many reasons for this: limited human knowledge and foresight, yet to be developed faith and relationship with God, temptations and spiritual warfare, and a general difficulty in sorting out the good from the best. God’s plans are always not only good, but the best. Additionally, even in less important decisions that aren’t the highest degree of difficulty, we can easily feel lost without a compass or map.

It can be difficult to separate the affinities of our human flesh from the desires of God. We need a mechanism to hear from Him. A mechanism to be led. Without that mechanism, no matter how wise we have been blessed to be, no matter how logical, no matter what our track record of good decisions, without His guidance we will make many terrible decisions and find ourselves far from His good and pleasing will.

This sounds a little scary and it should. We should be scared to death to walk out from the care and protection of our Father God. We stand in His protection even as we rebel against Him and only on rare occasion does He grace us with the experience of His hand removed from our lives. I say “grace us” with that because it is a supreme reality check that will drive the believer—one who knows a relationship with Jesus—to recognize the error of his ways and come running back to the open arms of our God. Rebellion has been exterminated in that moment. I know because I have experienced it, and I am thankful for God’s perfect way of chastening those whom He loves, including you and me (Heb 12:5-6).

Back to the principal question: How does God lead you? The fact of the matter is that He leads you as a Father. Think of your father or mother or whomever has held authority over you and loves you more than anyone else you know…it could be anyone, so long as they love you and have had an influential role in your life. Imagine wondering, “should I go left or should I go right?” when doing so will have a potentially major impact on your life and you literally have no information about either road. Now think about asking that loving person in your life which way you should go. Now imagine that they have perfect knowledge of each road and a perfect desire for your best well-being. Could you trust them with the direction they give you when you ask? Most certainly.

I have painted this picture of a perfect person in the attempt to display God’s character and relationship with each of us. But I believe this is a very good picture of our God. For me, I think of my Dad. I have full confidence that my Dad will lead me in the way that he thinks is best and that he will do just about anything within his power to enable me down the right road or prevent me from the wrong road. I have no doubt and full confidence in the love of my Dad and his intentions. However, my Dad is a man, just like you and me, with limited knowledge and foresight. So intention is not enough. My point is that I can see God a little more clearly with this example in mind, except with perfect knowledge and foresight. Can I trust Him to lead me? Absolutely! Is He sitting in Heaven with His arms crossed, wondering if I can pass the test? I don’t think so. You see, I think when we approach our Father in Heaven with a sincere plea for His hand and face to guide us unto His preferred will, I think He is bent forward, looking intently at us with joy, and doing His utmost to guide us on His path. This is not the picture of a simple “tester.” This is the picture of a loving Father. A most capable Father.

With this view, we can have every confidence that God will absolutely not lead us whatsoever into any bad paths and decisions. Unfortunately, just as with my earthly father, I do have the option of disobedience and ignoring him. God allows that. But He continues to speak right through it. And if we will turn our ear toward Him, we will hear a Father…a real Father, who is fighting for us with fierceness…who is absolutely doing everything we need to guide us unto the His preferred path. I hope that you can take confidence in that. You don’t have to wonder what God’s response is to your prayer—His response is to absolutely guide and direct you down the correct roads. Never stop listening.

You may rightly ask, “But I just don’t know how to listen. I just don’t hear anything. How would I even know His voice? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it, and if I did, how would I know it was of Him and not of me?” I hypothesize that you have had these thoughts simply because these are my thoughts. Yet, when I look back, I see His hand clearly even when I didn’t perceive it in real time. One thing I’ve noticed: God sometimes speaks very boldly and loudly, but in my experience, He is usually soft spoken and subtle. I have heard it said that the loudest man in the room is the most insecure. I’ll give room for individual personalities and acknowledge that some people are just naturally loud and God uses that. However, the statement paints the picture that the volume of speech is not necessarily an indicator of the authority of the individual. Someone with authority will raise his voice and others are quieted and listen. Someone with even greater authority will simply talk in a low voice and others will be quieted and listen.

God needs only to whisper and matter can be arranged, created, or destroyed. He can literally breathe life into something or withdraw its life. This is a God that needs only to whisper His commands and we should be so intent on His voice that we respond. Nevertheless, this truth does not offer practical help to one asking the questions in the previous paragraph. A reasonable response might be, “I know what I should do and be, but that doesn’t help me do it.” Indeed. There are two principal means by which God will speak to you…personally. Through His Word and in prayer. Remember, we have this promise:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.” - John 10:27-30

How do we become good, attentive sheep who know the voice of Jesus, our Counselor? It takes some time and effort to grow in tune with our Shepherd’s voice. Think about training an untrained dog. The first time you ask your dog to sit, does he or she sit? Of course not. In time, if you are patient and persistent, and your dog continues to pay attention to you, respecting you and desiring to please you, your dog will learn to sit. In fact, you will both soon enjoy the exercise. Now, please don’t be insulted when I say that we are similar to dogs here. However, I think the gap between us as humans and Creator God is greater than the gap between dog and human. We didn’t create that dog. So the analogy holds, I believe. The point is that we turn toward our Father God with respect and a desire to please Him. God is in turn very patient and persistent. And though we struggle at the beginning, in time, if we will not give up, we will find ourselves learning His commands and obeying with mutual joy. This training is accomplished by time in the Word and prayer, which through the assurance of God's Holy Spirit, we can receive His perfect instruction.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." - John 14:26

Resolve to spend time in the Bible with sincere attention, and absolutely commit yourself to consistent time in prayer, and I can assure you that your Shepherd’s voice will become clearer than ever. Until then, while you’re gritting it out in the unknown, take a step forward in confidence, calling on your Father God. He will not let you go far down the wrong path before helping you toward the right direction. In fact, He is guiding you to His best right now.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” -Jer 29:11

Amen.

Pray It Through - Changing God's Mind?

I had a very theologically stimulating conversation with a close friend the other night. We were discussing the purpose of prayer and its results. The concept of “changing God’s mind” was brought forth. Through study of some books by prestigious theologians, he was leaning toward the side that says “prayer can actually change God’s mind and change world events.” At the beginning of the conversation, my reply was that prayer absolutely changes world events—but does that take place because God truly changed His mind or because we took the action that allowed the realization of His greatest will, instead of disobedience? I did not know the answer to these questions, and I still may not, but I feel that my understanding has grown towards the revelation of these answers and I would like to encourage you to engage in your own Spirit-led thoughts as you consider mine below.

“God changed His mind” In the Bible

Consider Moses. We read the following in Exodus 32:19-14, in response to the Israelites' construction of the golden calf, an offense punishable by death:

“'I have seen these people,’ the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (NIV)

The word “relent” in verse 14 is translated in a minority of English texts as “changed His mind.” The Hebrew word here is “nacham,” in the Niphal tense, which blueletterbible.com defines as follows:

נָחַם (nacham)

1) to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

a) (Niphal)

1) to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

2) to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent

3) to comfort oneself, be comforted

4) to comfort oneself, ease oneself

(Note: When you read “changed His mind” in the NLT, NAS, or other version, “nacham” is likely the original language.)

So we see that God was moved to compassion by Moses’ intercession and it did absolutely change what would have occurred, had the intercession not taken place. But did God’s mind change, or was His preferred will for Moses to step up as an intercessor fulfilled by Moses’ prayer? Perhaps the jury is still out in this discussion, but I find the explanation offered in the previous sentences to line up much more harmoniously with the rest of the Bible than the belief that God actually did any changing of His mind, at least in the way that we experience the changing of our own minds—which is to be persuaded unto different thought or action. Was God persuaded here or had He already willed this and honored a prayer within His will?

Practical Importance of the Matter

As my conversation with my friend continued, we began to realize a few things: that our minds were not entirely made up and were open to further “proof” that may be brought forth, that in this moment we differed in our opinions, and most importantly that we absolutely agreed upon the following things: Regardless of whether God is actually changing His mind, it doesn’t alter the fact that prayer works—things in this world change because of and in response to our prayers. The overarching point became less about why God honors prayer (changing His mind or otherwise) but that the answer to that question does not dictate whether or not I pray—we pray because of the following:

1. It brings me closer to God in a loving relationship, and that would be sufficient enough reason to pray even if it availed no impact on the world.

2. When we pray, it does change things.

Addressing point #2 above: When we pray, it does change things.

However, let me very quickly point out that I don’t believe a correct attitude in prayer is to convince God of anything, or to persuade Him. This is hard to grasp because in our interaction with humans, when we speak passionately about something, we perceive the opportunity to spread our point of view, whether by enlightenment, argument, conviction, or otherwise. Even those of us who are the least logical-minded, when we converse, we understand the necessity of satisfying another individual with our words such that our point of view or our desires are accepted and even chosen. So when we pray to a sovereign, holy, all-powerful God, we tend to approach Him in the same way. He understands that—He made us. Nevertheless, do you really want to project your imperfect thoughts and plans onto a perfect God such that they come to fruition? Any thoughts that we have are either in error, whether completely or just slightly, or they are born of God and are perfect. Therefore, we cannot convince Him or bring a plan to Him that is any better than the one He already prefers. We can only come in agreement, be strengthened in our concurrence, and be empowered to go and live out the purpose that God prefers. In that moment, we have taken part in an important transaction that God allows through free-will…and life events change.

Human Observation and Understanding of Cause and Effect

To illustrate our human view of prayer and events versus God’s perspective, consider a car on the street of a highly populated city. We have the view of the driver of the car. We see the immediate landscape in front of us and have a general sense of where we might like to go and how it might be best to get there. God, however, is above the city in something such as a blimp, seeing your very car, where He desires you to go, and the best way to get there. We often go long periods trying to navigate on our own intuition, following the same mistakes of men before us and around us from whom we have learned worldly wisdom. One day, we realize we have a GPS, or a phone line to the overhead blimp (prayer). We ask the GPS or blimp (God) to help us with the direction or to get to a specific destination. What we observe is that our asking led to a change: turn here, go there, the light turned green or another red light. Even when we recognize His hand guiding us, we might be tempted to say in our limited point of view that our prayer actually changed those things and even changed the mind of God. But in reality, God already saw all and knew all, and He would not have guided you in a way that was not within His will. Therefore, we were right that our prayers changed things—we received the right direction as a result of contacting Him. But we were probably wrong in thinking that our prayer actually changed the mind of God—instead, it merely allowed us to interact with God such that His desires were fulfilled, in a way that they weren’t fulfilled apart from our prayer. How important that prayer was! Even if in the beginning we were asking to go 180 degrees opposite of His will. Because when we began to realize the general direction He was guiding us and we continued to pray for direction and for change, we began to walk within His will. None of this would have happened without the prayer.

So prayer is absolutely necessary and vital to God’s will, but it does not change it. I encourage and implore you: pray any matter on your heart to God continually until your heart has been changed or the thing comes to fruition, being open to either, having faith in God and His perfect love. In either case, through prayer, God’s will has been realized.

The Product of Free-Will

Another amazing part of this discussion is the fact that we get to take part in such things and are given free-will. Free-will allows us to make choices. If we have the ability to choose God, then we have the ability to reject Him. There is not one possibility without the other. The possibility of rejecting God opens the door to the amazing relationship of choosing Him—and this is love (agape)! God is sovereign and ruler of all. And in that sovereignty, He by all means has the right to make the choice to limit His control and allow free-will. Please do not misinterpret my words and call this a heresy. This makes God no less sovereign—in fact, it puts an exclamation point on His sovereignty, coupled with His patience and love—that He would purposefully step back ever so slightly from controlling all decisions and actions at all times, such that we would have the capacity to make choices…and in that, have the capacity to love. Otherwise, we are just robots. But since God is love (1 John 4:8), then God is a choice-maker. And by making us in His image, He has made us choice-makers capable of love. This is His design and He looks at this creation and calls it good (Gen 1:31).

So when the world hangs in the balance—our individual worlds or the entire earth—consider prayer. Pray the matter through to completion, knowing that your prayer does matter. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). This is because it aligns us with God. This is because it changes our hearts. This is because God willingly gives us this power of Himself to choose and make changes in this world. This is because the angels respond to the word of God and the righteous prayers of His saints. This is because of the power and value God gives an intercessor.

God’s Design: Intercessor

Isaiah 59:15b-16: “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

God has an almost peculiar affinity to intercession. We read in Isaiah that God “wondered that there was no intercessor” to plead the case of the terribly sinful Israelites, such that they might be spared the punishment and wrath of God. If the presence of an intercessor didn’t matter, the role would not have been mentioned. In the example of Moses and his prayers (discussions with God), he was the sole intercessor and God honored that.

To God and to us, an intercessor means everything. This is because the ultimate prophecy of Isaiah 59 is Jesus Christ as the ultimate intercessor to our Father in Heaven, such that we might be spared His wrath and instead receive eternal life (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). The reason that John 3:16 is true—that through the love of God and by belief in Jesus we can be spared eternal death and instead have eternal life—is because when we call on Jesus for who He is, He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. In doing so, we are imparted the Holy Spirit, who cries out “Abba, Father” for us (Gal 4:6-7). If instead in the last day, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you,” we are damned because of our sin and the lack of righteous intercession (Matt 7:21-23).

So we see that a great component of the power of prayer is God’s value of intercession. In intercession, we agree with Christ for simultaneous grace and justice—a favorable outcome for us through Christ alone—and He responds in a very real way. He responds in eternally saving those interceded for, and He even responds by changing physical circumstances in the lives of those for whom intercession has been made. All within His will, of course. If in my human emotion of anger, I was so zealous to call fire from Heaven down upon the man who just cut me off on the highway, I highly doubt that God would honor that request. If God is pursuing that driver to be His child, then I just prayed outside His will and the Holy Spirit is grieved by that disharmony (Eph 4:30-32). But if instead I pray in sincerity that my co-worker who denies Christ would be saved by faith, and I pray in fervent faith, I know that the Lord will honor that prayer. Simply because God responds to holy intercession, none greater than Christ Jesus.

Conclusions

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that “God changes His mind,” it becomes a little less relevant and doesn’t change these facts: Prayer does change specific physical things on this earth that are within God’s will. These physical things are changed because of their spiritual impact. Why this is true can likely be summed up by God’s gift of free-will and our capacity to choose and love Him, as well as each other. We should pray to seek God’s face (intimacy, seeking Him for Him alone) and not just His hands, and in a deep relationship, that would be enough. But beyond that, God desires that we are empowered and approach Him with confidence, knowing that He responds to our prayers and changes the world through us for His glory. I challenge you therefore, to approach prayer with the following motives:

1. Seeking God’s face (intimate relationship of knowing Him for the sake of knowing Him alone)

2. As a natural outflow of your love for Him

3. As an intercessor for your fellow man and God’s glory

4. As a subordinate to a sovereign God who has given you this responsibility and privilege

5. To test your desires and be transformed

6. To alter the world forever, making change for God’s preferred will and glory

What would the world look like if we all stepped up with these attitudes in sincere prayer? I don’t know fully, but I do know that it would look differently, for the better, and for God’s glory. I’m making a recommitment to prayer with full confidence of God’s power through it. I’m making a recommitment to prayer to bask in the full loving relationship with a loving God. Will you join me, be changed for good forever, and change this world for good forever? It is my prayer that you do. Amen.