Seeking a Prophet – When We Desire a Word from the Lord Today

This week in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), we were studying Hezekiah and the events during his reign as king of Judah, specifically when Assyrian king Sennacherib threatened to overtake Jerusalem and the entire southern kingdom (Isaiah 36-37). Hezekiah’s response to intense pressure and impending exile by a foreign nation was most impressive—He sought the Lord immediately and with utmost sincerity. I know we can all take a lesson from that.

One of the interesting actions that Hezekiah took upon hearing the threats of the invading army outside of the city was his summoning of Isaiah. Isaiah was the prophet appointed by God in the kingdom of Judah throughout the span of several kings, including Hezekiah. Isaiah was the Lord’s man—God spoke directly to Isaiah with words to speak to the rest of His people. I believe that Hezekiah recognized this fact and rightly revered Isaiah as being God’s chosen messenger.

Hezekiah tore his clothes and went straight to the temple upon hearing the news from the Assyrian army commander. He also sent for Isaiah, signifying his total and utmost seeking of God. He needed to hear from God for guidance or encouragement or repentance or just any word from the Sovereign God of Israel. God responded by speaking through Isaiah. The response was to have faith and be reminded of the promises He had made: in this case, the king of Assyria would not enter the city and his entire army would be wiped out. How, they did not know—but this was the word of the Lord.

See Isaiah 10, specifically v. 32-34, for the prophecy of Assyrian demise years earlier. In Isaiah 36-37 we see them come to “the hill of Jerusalem” and “shake their fist,” yet they were wiped out as chapter 10 depicts (and again in another prophecy in Ch. 37). You see, the Assyrians did more than taunt Jerusalem, filled with God’s people, and Hezekiah, who was God’s appointed king—they insulted God Himself, saying, “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (36:18-10) We might reply similarly to Hezekiah and say, “silly man, those gods were fake. In having those “gods,” they had no God!” Nevertheless, this kingdom of Assyria dared to exalt themselves above God and publicly ridiculed Him. In Hezekiah’s sincere prayer, we see a powerful attitude that we should all seek to possess:

“LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
18 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 20 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God.” (37:16-20)

Hezekiah’s plea wasn't simply for his wellbeing or the wellbeing of any loved one or even his entire people—His plea was for the integrity of the Lord to remain sound, so that all would know Him as the only one real and true God of the entire world. Hezekiah’s grief went beyond his fate and that of his people—His grief stretched to the blaspheming of the name of God. And within the sincerity of that prayer, and the truth of the Assyrian pride and defaming of God Almighty, God moved swiftly. He not only sent word to Isaiah to comfort and strengthen Hezekiah and Judah, but He sent His wrath to the Assyrians. We read later how the angel of the Lord actually killed about 185,000 of the Assyrian warriors as they slept. Only a handful, including King Sennacherib, woke up the next morning to the horrifying and inexplicable scene. Later, King Sennacherib was killed by his sons in the temple of a false god, according to the prophesy the Lord gave Isaiah in response to Hezekiah’s request (37:7, 38). Our God is good and His Word has perfect integrity and truth.

This is a riveting story that could be made into a blockbuster historical-style film. However, my inspiration tonight goes back to Hezekiah calling upon Isaiah in his time of distress, in addition to going straight to the temple. You see, a righteous man such as Hezekiah would know full-well that Isaiah was the Lord’s chosen prophet—He was effectively the mouth of God to these people. The Lord’s prophecies through Isaiah were fulfilled both in their day and in generations to come (more prophecies about Jesus come from Isaiah than any other prophet). So we see that in times of distress, good kings sought prophets to bring a true word from God—to bring guidance, to bring conviction when repentance was needed, to bring encouragement when the Lord’s favor was with them…and simply to receive whatever it was that the Lord desired to tell them, for better or for worse. Seeking the Lord’s prophet was seeking God, for they knew that God would speak through him.

I think we can apply this directly to our lives. Are you in a bit of a quandary right now? Would you like to hear from God on what to do, what to choose, or where to go? Are you undergoing trial right now? Do you need to be convicted for repentance or encouraged that the Lord is with you and will deliver you? Do you need hope? Do you simply seek His presence and to hear from Him in a very real way? Do what Hezekiah did—seek the Word of the Lord.

In the days of Hezekiah and Isaiah, the Word of the Lord came through Isaiah (though, God could certainly speak in any way He wanted and sometimes did speak in other ways). You see, they knew right where to go—go to the prophet! Today, we should seek such a prophet—except there is no prophet like Isaiah so prominent and known to the king and every townsperson. Nevertheless, God has ordained that we should not need to seek Him through another man—He has given us two infinitely powerful things: the Bible, which is the Word of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit, which is God filling our very bodies to guide and convict us. We also know that “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14) in the form of Jesus Christ, who is called Immanuel, meaning God with us. God brought Himself to us through Jesus, His Word embodied, to live with us, to die and make propitiation for our sins and redeem us, such that God could remain with us via the Holy Spirit. We can go directly to Him, our High Priest, who was tempted just as we are, yet remaining blameless (Heb 4:15). He therefore understands and has the strength to conquer the sin that so easily entangles us (Heb 12:1). "Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith" (Heb 12:2). Let us go to His Word daily, let us pray and learn to recognize His voice in the Holy Spirit.

Do you see it? Do you see that if you seek answers from God this very night that He has made a way for you to receive them? In Hezekiah’s day, he set apart one man, Isaiah, who was cleansed when the hot coal was applied to His lips after He confessed His sinful nature (Isaiah 6:5-8). And today, through Christ and receiving of the Holy Spirit, we can call on God sincerely, just as Hezekiah went directly to the temple and immediately called upon Isaiah. We can ask Him tonight and confess our sins and need of His perfect holiness (enter the temple), and we can open the Bible to receive His very Word to us. Pray about where you might read, or simply throw it open. In encourage you to pray, though. Keep your ears open as you pray daily, in between prayers, for He will speak through sermons, wholesome songs, brothers and sisters in Christ, and even in your very core (perhaps He might even speak through a blog such as this). Whatever the experience is for you, find a way into the Word. Start anywhere and read. Make a habit of it, and you’ll begin to find that He is speaking to you. Some days you’ll wonder if what you’re reading was written just for you this very day because it is so on-point—the Holy Spirit is alive in you then! Don’t you know that the Word is alive (Heb 4:12)?! It is, and I speak of these things not because I have been told them, but because I have experienced them. Even still, I would do well to heed my own encouragement here, and get into the Word and prayer with all sincerity every spare moment and increasingly every day. We have to make the time.

We can have direction in times of impossible decisions. We can have conviction when we don’t know where we’ve fallen and how to get back to God. We can have comfort and hope in the midst of impossible odds and the most threatening trials. Go to the temple, and seek a word from the Lord: Open to Him in prayer, and open His Word to hear His truth and a personal reply to you. "Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Do you know what that means? He loves you—you! He is listening to your thoughts right now, and if you’ll open to Him, He will fill you. Will you give Him 5 minutes today? Will you give Him 30? How sincerely are you seeking Him? He will not only match your sincerity, He will more than doubly meet your sincerity—He is infinite, He is not the limiting factor. Our experience of Him is equally as powerful and sweeping as our sincerity in seeking Him. Let us seek Him to our utmost and receive from Him His highest. Amen.

Reference verses worth reading:

Heb 4:12-16 - “For the word of God is alive 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. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Heb 12:1-3 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

John 1:12-14 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 Peter 5:6-11 - "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

"To Live is Christ" - Personal Death that Brings Abundant Life

From a young age, as a Christian I have always known about being “born again.” And I have always known that Christ lives through us. And I have always known that the Spirit indwells us (maybe not always known, but for long enough). But I have never quite thought of it as O.C. puts it in the 2nd paragraph of the "My Utmost" at the bottom of this post, that we are analogous to Bethlehem as Jesus is actually born into us. If we will yield and let Him enter into us, just as Mary was obedient and thereby yielded and let Jesus into the world through her, then He is born into our lives permanently from that day forward just as His impact on this world is permanent from the first Christmas onward. The day of our salvation is our very own personal Christmas day. Then I think we spend our lifetimes progressing to the Cross. We are to partake in His sufferings upon His birth within us. We may each have different paces to Calvary, carrying our crosses, but we must each be headed there every single day.

Luke 9:23-26 – “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Rom 8:17-18 – “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

It’s a fresh realization of the life of Christ within me. As O.C. puts it, “Immediately Christ is formed in me, His nature begins to work through me.” I long for more of Christ to come naturally through me. Do you ever struggle with that? I do, as I battle the “old self” of sin that I have been (Rom 6:6, included below). I believe the more identified we are with Christ’s death, lived out by our death to sinful nature, the more purely His life is worked out within us, as Paul wrote in Phil 2:12: “Continue to work out your salvation.” I believe this is what he means: Not that we’re earning it, but that we’re learning to die for Christ more every day—we have to work that out by intentional submission and fixing our eyes upon Jesus (Heb 12:2), forsaking personal selfish and sinful desires of old. Therefore, instead of striving to do more good, especially when we see the bad we’ve done—hasn’t this been our strategy, trying to make ourselves do more good and less sin?—instead, we need to seek to identify with Christ in the cross…we need to seek to die to self each day.

To seek the fruit before the plant is mature is backwards and irrational. When we seek good works and pureness of heart without first abandoning all for the sake of Christ, experiencing a full death of the “old self,” we have the same irrational expectation. The seed must be planted, it must be watered, it must soak in the sunlight, and its roots must run deep. In the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23), the sun and the rainstorms killed the plants in shallow soil, but they serve to grow those with fertile soil. So we see that to grow we must embrace the rainstorm of trial and difficult circumstances, driving our roots deep into the Word and prayer and truly personal relationship with Christ. We must endure the sun that seems harsh as we are “in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7), exposing our every sinful desire. We must see God as sovereign and holy, as well as loving, to endure the sunlight. And if we do, we will then grow. And if we grow, we will see much fruit. This growth comes by death first, then trial (or really, an intention of death followed by actually death, one piece of me at a time)—both are identification with Christ. So if our goal is to be like Christ, not just superficially, but inside our very hearts every private or public moment of the day, we must realize that the only way is sharing in His sufferings. We will not experience Him without that, but we will experience the infinite amazement of His presence within us if we do. When once we get a taste of His presence, just a little fuller than we did the day before, we will realize there is no circumstance in this world worth trading for, and our present sufferings grieve us less, giving us more joy, as we “consider it pure joy… when you encounter trials of various kinds” (James 1:2) because we know that we are being grown even closer to the purest and abundantly fruitful love of Christ. Moreover, when we are concentrating on the following: "I must do good, I must not do evil," our focus is on self. When we acknowledge, embrace, and enjoy the Lord growing within us, our focus is rightly on Him.

Gal 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Rom 6:3-11 – “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
(See also Rom 8:9-11, Gal 5:24, Gal 6:14)

Finally, have you ever wondered exactly what Paul meant by “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21)? Dying is easily seen as gain with Heaven in mind, but what about “to live is Christ?” I used to think that this meant to live as Christ by Him living through me, doing good things and acting in a proper manner. However, I have a new perspective: to live is Christ because to live as one born again is to be crucified with Him daily. The essence of life becomes sacrifice, just as Jesus sacrificed all. The essence of life becomes submission to the Father, just as Jesus submitted, as seen in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying in effect three times, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt 26:39, 42, 44). The essence of life becomes service, just as Jesus served our sentence of death in our place. The essence of life becomes love, just as Jesus loved us literally to death. The essence of life then and only then becomes pure joy, as Jesus' joy was made complete by His resurrection and the redemption of our willing souls who accept Him. Therefore to die is gain, but to live as a true believer is certainly Christ. Amen.

"My Utmost For His Highest," Dec 25:

HIS BIRTH AND OUR NEW BIRTH

"Behold, a virgin shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."Isaiah 7:14 (R.V.)

His Birth in History. "Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35.) Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not evolve out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being, He is a Being Who cannot be accounted for by the human race at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate, God coming into human flesh, coming into it from outside. His life is the Highest and the Holiest entering in at the Lowliest door. Our Lord's birth was an advent.

His Birth in Me. "Of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." (Gal. 4:19.) Just as Our Lord came into human history from outside, so He must come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a "Bethlehem" for the Son of God? I cannot enter into the realm of the Kingdom of God unless I am born from above by a birth totally unlike natural birth. "Ye must be born again." This is not a command, it is a foundation fact. The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me. Immediately Christ is formed in me, His nature begins to work through me.

God manifest in the flesh - that is what is made profoundly possible for you and me by the Redemption.

Pictures Removed

I'm sorry to report that due to security precautions, I have had to remove any pictures of the girls or the buildings. Some pictures remain that weren't excluded for this reason. This is unfortunate, but the security of these girls is obviously most important.

-Will

India Team - Day 2 - Arrival in India!

Meet the mission team! When we got off the plane, our hosts greeted us all with elaborate real flower leis!

India Team - Day 1 - "Terminal E is for Exciiiited!"

The picture to the right features several thousand Indian Rupees (equivalent to about $150 US) and my passport: as of this evening, the international adventure has begun!
One of my teammates for the mission trip to India said “Terminal E is for…Exciiiited!”as we approached the airport. Soon, more of us were repeating it, for this is a very exciting day!
“The Heavens declare” God’s glory—this morning I saw a 360 degree sunrise as I drove to work, I beautiful and rare beginning to a great day. At the airport, it took a very long time to check bags as a group, and I started to feel uncomfortable about the nearness of our flight departure and the fact that we still weren’t through security. Well, not only were we treated favorably at the bag check, paying even less than we expected for the bags, but we got through security smoothly and walked up to the gate just as they started boarding—perfect! 24 Hours to India…