Category Archives: Theological Reflection
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
This is an excellent article and video worth watching…
A medical scientist sketches human development from conception to birth and describes the intricate structure of the human body in a way that clearly reflects divine creation, “Tsiaras claims that the developing human body is ‘so perfectly organized a structure that it was hard not to attribute divinity to it.’”
Incredibly fascinating–watch the video here!!
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”
(Psalm 139:14-16 ESV)
Thirty Pieces of Silver
30 Pieces or Less: While Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, my wretched heart has often sold Him for less…
How can we trust Him so little and find the world so attractive? Our foolish hearts would drink poison if they could–were it not for the Living Water who does not allow His precious Bride to remain thirsty or drink from broken cisterns.
Praise God that His steadfast love endures forever, and that His love for us is rooted in His faithfulness, not ours. Oh, how sweet to know the patient love of Jesus who purchased His bride back from harlotry. We are an unfaithful people and we shall never fully know the depth of His love on this side of eternity–but when we finally see our Savior face-to-face, we shall see Him as He is and know the full measure of His steadfast love!! What a beautiful day that will be…
Redeeming Love
The book of Hosea portrays the story of a prophet instructed to marry a prostitute–and the story boggles our minds except for the fact that we see Israel, ourselves, and our Savior in it. God was making a point–His people had prostituted themselves with sin, and while He had covenanted Himself with them, they ran back to their former, promiscuous way of life. Yet, in His mercy, God buys us back–a truth demonstrated through the self-denying, heart-breaking, and longsuffering love that Hosea had for His blemished bride:
Hosea 3:1-3 And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”
Anthony Selvaggio: “Do you see what’s going on here? Hosea marries Gomer and she eventually leaves him to continue practicing her adultery. She ends up being sold as a slave. So does God say to Hosea, ‘Let her go, she’s getting what she deserves’? No, to the contrary, God commands Hosea to go and buy her back!
“Now just pause and think about this for a moment. Hosea is being asked to walk into the town square and buy his wife back at an auction. Do you know how a woman slave was sold at an auction? All of her clothes were removed so that the buyers could see the merchandise. Hosea had to bear the indignity of entering into a crowd of men gazing at his undressed wife. If that was not enough, he also had to bid for her! He had to bid for his own wife!
“…Why did God make Hosea endure such personal hardship? It is because God transmitted his message not only through Hosea’s words, but through his life as well… He was trying to teach Israel that they were Gomer, the unfaithful and adulterous wife.”[1]
Jeremiah 4:5-9
“For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.”
Check out this post (“Harlots at Heart”) to read of the redeeming love of Jesus that saves and changes us!!
Lord, we have been an unfaithful people and we have wandered into our former ways of life. Yet, you have loved us with an everlasting love and pursued us with patience. You bore our shame and nakedness, and suffered on our account. You purchased us with the greatest price, so that we might experience your mercy and forgiveness. You welcomed us into Your home with tenderness and love. You have dwelled in us so that we might dwell with you. Forgive us, Lord, for chasing other lovers. May you ruin our hearts for the things of this world, and help us to find satisfaction in You.
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[1] Anthony Selvaggio, The Prophets Speak of Him: Encountering Jesus in the Minor Prophets (Webster: Evangelical Press, 2006), 18.
Understanding Miracles: The Sovereignty of God
God works sovereignly, whether through ordinary or extraordinary means. While reading some material on the topic of hermeneutics, I came across the following paragraphs which I found helpfully clarifying on the topic of God’s miraculous providence.
Sidney Greidanus, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text, 39-40:
“The Bible, however does not set God and nature over against each other as two autonomous entities. On the contrary, nature is God’s handiwork which responds obediently to his bidding: ‘He sends forth his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly,’ and God’s creation responds with snow, ice, or rain–whatever God’s word calls for (Ps. 147:15-18; cf. 148:8). Hence the regular patterns we observe in creation are not immutable laws of autonomous nature but rather creation’s regular responses to the constancy of God’s words or laws (see Gen. 8:22). The sovereign God is not locked into these regular patterns, however; he is free, naturally, to vary his word, and then creation responds in unique ways.
“It must also be recognized that according to the Bible God performs many of his miracles by ‘natural’ means. For example, the miraculous conception of Samuel to the barren Hannah came about by quite natural means: ‘Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her’ (1 Sam 1:19). Similarly, the miracle of Israel crossing the Sea of Reeds on dry ground was accomplished by natural means: ‘The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land’ (Exod 14:21). Later, the crossing of the Jordan may well have been made possible by a landslide at Adam blocking the water of the Jordan, thus drying up the riverbed opposite Jericho (Josh 3:16). Should we deny that these were miracles because the Bible points to so-called natural causes? But then we may overlook that God works in regular, natural ways as well as unique ways, mediately as well as immediately. It is clear, moreover, that Israel celebrated these events as miracles not because they ‘violated natural law’ but because they were unexpected and therefore surprising; the timing of these events clearly revealed God at work. Hence these miracles were perceived as fulfillment of God’s prior promises or his answer to prayer. As Goldingay notes with respect to the Exodus, ‘The marvel was not essentially something quite inexplicable, but something quite unexpected. It intervened to break the bounds of what could have been envisaged in the situation, and Israel responded with wonder.
“Another problem with defining miracles as ‘violations of natural law’ is that this definition overlooks that fact that we now live in a fallen creation where, for example, enslavement, sickness, and death appear to be natural. Is it indeed the case that liberation, healing, and resurrection from the dead are contrary to the ‘laws of nature’? They may be contrary to what we have come to expect in this world, but from the perspective of God’s good creation and his coming kingdom, enslavement, sickness, and death are unnatural, and liberation, healing, and eternal life are natural (Gen 2-3; Rev 21:4). From that perspective, then, miracles are not to be seen as ‘unnatural’ but as signs of God’s kingdom breaking into our fallen world, provisional indications of the restoration of God’s creation to its original goodness.
“Accordingly, miracles should be thought of not as ‘violations of natural law’ but as outstanding, exceptional acts of God, signs which point to God’s power and faithfulness (cf. Ps 107:20), events which create a sense of wonder. In agreement with biblical teaching, miracles have been defined as occasional evidences of direct divine power in actions striking and unusual, yet by their ‘beneficence pointing to the goodness of God.’ Miracles, in short, are signs of God’s kingdom.”[1]
I think Greidanus makes a convincing case for using more precise language when speaking of God’s activity in our world. Instead of speaking of miracles as being God’s intervention (or reversal of our normal circumstances), it would be better to distinguish between the ordinary (normative, expected) and extraordinary (unusual, unexpected) activity of God. In both cases, He uses His created means to accomplish His purpose–whether we deem it natural or supernatural, it’s ultimately the activity of God. Many of us have spoken, erroneously, of God intervening in human affairs during miracles–as though He were conspicuously absent from any involvement in the world when “miracles” are not taking place. The reality is that He is always actively engaged in the created order, but He generally goes unnoticed (except for those who look at His meticulous providence with the eyes of faith) since His activity works through “natural order” where God resides “behind the scenes.”
However, in the case of “miracles” God works “front and center” rather than “behind the scenes,” and performs unexpected outcomes through various means (weather patterns, human body’s healing capacity, or even the unexplained ‘supernatural’ means, etc) that appear natural but are always supernatural in the sense that God ordains them. It’s just a matter of how much we recognize God in His hidden providence of ordinary activity (natural order) and His visible providence of extraordinary activity (miracles). After all, God created everything, and He holds all things together (Gen 1; Col 1), whether He chooses to work in expected, ordinary means or unexpected extraordinary ones..
May God give us the eyes of faith to see His mighty actions in everything around us from the breath we draw to the snow that falls to the unexpected healing of someone stricken with terminal cancer!! And may we worship Him as completely good and sovereign even when He chooses not to display His power in such wondrous and extraordinary ways.
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[1] Sidney Greidanus, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text: Interpreting and Preaching Biblical Literature (Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans Publishers, 1988), 39-40. Greidanus aslo has some wonderful stuff on the topic of preaching Christ from the Old Testament: Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Preaching Christ from Genesis, Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes.
The King’s Face
Gazing on Christ: Choice Morsels from Sinclair Ferguson:
“There is little profit in visiting Jerusalem unless we see the King’s face.“[1] We must gaze on Christ in all that we do–whether in serving or reading or sipping coffee; whether eating or talking or teaching; whether fellowshiping or singing or preaching the word of God. Everything we do in our journey toward Jerusalem must be for the purpose of seeing the King’s face.
“The evangelical orientation is inward and subjective. We are far better at looking inward than we are looking outward. We need to expend our energies admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ.”[2] The world tells us that our problem lies outward and our solution lies inward–but the word of God tells us that our problem lies inward (sin) and our solution lies outward (Christ). May we treasure Christ and proclaim His worth!!
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[1] Sinclair Ferguson, “Consider Jesus” (Hebrews 2-3), a message from the 2011 Sovereign Grace Pastor’s Conference. You can listen to the entire message here.
[2] Sinclair Ferguson, “An Interview with Sinclair Ferguson” by CJ Mahaney (SGM). You can read it here.
Polishing Stones
Hardship Prepares Us to Shine Forth His Glory in Life and Eternity
“Not one ounce, not one grain-weight more is laid on me than he hath enabled me to bear… Faith hath cause to take courage from our very afflictions; the devil is but a whetstone to sharpen the faith and patience of the saint. I know he but heweth and polisheth stones for the new Jerusalem.” Samuel Rutherford, The Loveliness of Christ (Banner of Truth, 2008), 72.
May the Lord redirect our wandering gaze, so that we might “fix our eyes on Jesus” as He carries us through the purging fire!! The Spirit of Christ will comfort us as He cuts and carves us into conformity with the Suffering Savior!!
Setting the House on Fire
I appreciated this post from Dane Ortlund so much that I’m shamelessly reposting it here:
Fires in Our Basements
Jack Miller writes in the 1990s to a church he had recently spoken at–
Jesus knocks at the front door of our heart (Rev. 3:20). In response we do not immediately open the door via our free will. Instead, we quickly put locks on the door and push furniture against it. The Lord then sends the Holy Spirit to slip in the back door. He goes down into the basement, where He turns up the heat and sets fires until the rising heat forces us to remove the barriers and open the front door and let Christ in. I believe that the Lord keeps right on using this backdoor approach in our growth in grace.
He sets fires in our basements by putting us in limiting and painful circumstances.
–The Heart of a Servant Leader: Letters from Jack Miller (P&R, 2004), 90
HT: Dane Ortlund
Purge Us, O Lord–Give Us Humility
Addison Alexander was a professor at Princeton Seminary in the 1830s and was known for his high expectations, as well as his anger and impatience toward those who failed to meet them due to laziness or apathy. While he was known for his impatience, he was equally known for his genuine repentance. The Lord grew him in grace and longsuffering toward his students. Here’s one of the prayers that he wrote in his journal following a moment of frustration toward his students:
“Mercy and help, O Lord, my sovereign Lord! Thou who lovest little children, make me a little child. Make me humble, simple-hearted, tender, guileless, and confiding. Kill my selfish pride. Shiver my hard heart. Break my stubborn spirit. Make me love my kind by making me to love Thee. O soften me, my Saviour, by showing me thy own tender, bleeding, melting heart. Purge envy from my heart by causing me to live and work for thee. O that this foul fiend were wholly dispossessed! I bless thee for trials: may they do me good. Compel me to remember that I am not my own. Save me from being the object of envy or ill-will. Save me from the wickedness of trying to excite it. Lord, I would give the world for true humility. O, make me–make me humble!”[1]
While I am not a professor and have no students, I understand his deep need for humility. Everyday I am reminded of how prideful and self-promoting my flesh actually is–it’s ugly and pathetic, but serves to point me toward the Cross. Pride keeps me from acknowledging my sin and responding humbly before God, and worst of all, it keeps me from treasuring Christ rightly as the greatest Treasure. In my heart, there is a deep-seated desire to please self and to find satisfaction in the things of this world. This cannot remain this way!! If there is no other way to purge me of pride, then I trust that God will graciously beat it out of me through the providence of suffering. However, I pray for His grace to purge me of my pride in less painful ways, but most of all, I want to be humbled so that I might honor Christ. May our lifelong mission be the same as John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).
[1] David B. Calhoun, Princeton Seminary: Faith & Learning 1812-1868 (Volume 1) (Carlisle: Banner of Truth Trust, 1994), 204.
“Wedding Dress” by Derek Webb
This has been one of the most convicting songs that I have ever heard… It deepens my love for Christ whenever I consider how sacrificially and faithfully He has loved His unfaithful, syphilitic bride!! May it help us to treasure our Beloved…
Wedding Dress by Derek Webb
If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I’ll ever need
Or is there more I’m looking for
And should I read between the lines
To look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich and wise
Is that really what you want
‘Cuz I am a whore, I do confess
Put you on just like a wedding dress
And I run down the aisle
Run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
I put you on just like a ring of gold
And I run down the aisle
Run down the aisle to you
So could you love this bastard child
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
And with the other in your side
‘Cuz I am so easily satisfied
By the call of lovers less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood
‘Cuz I am a whore, I do confess
Put you on just like a wedding dress
And I run down the aisle
Run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
I put you on just like a ring of gold
And I run down the aisle
Run down the aisle to you
Because money cannot buy
A husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife
So I am that whore, I do confess
Put you on just like that wedding dress
And I run down the aisle
I run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
I put you on just like that ring of gold
And I run down the aisle
Run down the aisle to you, to you
Guarding the Heart…
Charles Bridges, from his commentary on Proverbs, on the topic of “Guarding the Heart”:
“Let it be closely garrisoned. Let the sentinel never be sleeping at its post… If the citadel be taken, the whole town must surrender. If the heart be seized, the whole man–the affections, desires, motives, pursuits–will all be yielded up. The heart is the vital part of the body. A wound here is instant death. Thus–spiritually as well as naturally–out of the heart are the issues of life. It is the great vital spring of the soul, the fountain of actions, the center and seat of principle, both of sin and holiness (Matthew 12:34-35). The natural heart is a fountain of poison (Matthew 15:19). The purified heart is a well of living water (John 4:14). As is the fountain, so must be the streams. As in the heart, so must be the mouth, the eyes, the feet. Therefore, above all things keep thine heart. Guard the fountain, lest the waters be poisoned… Many have been the bitter moments from the neglect of this guard. All keeping is vain, if the heart be not kept.”[1]
Sobering words… “All keeping is vain, if the heart be not kept”!!!
[1] Charles Bridges, Proverbs (Carlisle: Banner of Truth Trust, 1968), 53.
Thirty Years to Nothing
Upon his thirtieth birthday (December 1827), Charles Hodge wrote the following:
This night thirty years ago I was born. Thirty years of love and mercy. Thirty years of sin. Thirty years and nothing done. Oh my God, from my soul I pray thee, grant me thy Holy Spirit that if permitted yet longer to live, it may be to more purpose,–that my time may be better improved in working out my own salvation and the salvation of my fellow-men.[1]
God was gracious to Mr. Hodge in giving him many more years of life and Christian ministry. He completed many more years of teaching at Princeton Seminary, composed three volumes of Systematic Theology and commentaries on Ephesians and 1,2 Corinthians. Even more, he invested in the lives of many through his regular teaching, preaching, and mentoring ministry. He did much for the gospel because he was a recipient of God’s grace, and he regularly recalled the depth of his own depravity and the magnitude of the Savior’s mercy and love. Yet, it’s striking that much of Hodge’s focus was on his own sinfulness in light of God’s indescribable love and mercy. All things come to nothing apart from God’s sovereign kindness toward helpless, undeserving sinners. I am 27 years old, and I understand much of what the eminent Mr. Hodge has written, for my heart resembles that of his, upon his 30th birthday. At times, it feels as though I’ve spent 27 years squandering God’s grace toward me… that reality brings me great sadness and stirs up a resolve to invest wisely in the next 27, should the Lord provide such continued mercy.
May we never forget that which we’ve been given–for it is only in this vein that we shall be keen enough to ask for more grace that we might know more of Christ’s person and bear more fruit through the ongoing work of His Spirit!
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[1] David Calhoun, Princeton Seminary: Faith and Learning (1812-1868) (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1996), 121.
Spiritual Pride
“Spiritual pride is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christianity. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. It is the main source of all the mischief the devil introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God.
Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt. But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity. Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are and to be quick to note their deficiencies. But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He is apt to esteem others better than himself.”
Jonathan Edwards, Works (Edinburgh, 1979), I:398-400. Style updated.
HT: Ray Ortlund, Jr.
Old Habits Die Hard
1 Peter 4:1-6:
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.”
In the midst of suffering, we are often tempted to revert to our former way(s) of life. Yet, the saving work of God tenaciously refuses to leave us in such futility. He transforms every soul that He saves–even when the purification is best accomplished by the providential furnace of His persevering love (1 Peter 1:3-9). There has never been a more beautiful, though seemingly brutish, sort of love. The mysterious beauty of divine love is that suffering typically precedes the sweetness that it procures. This was the reality of Christ’s death for us in the pursuit of His Father’s glory; and much will be the same for us when we endeavor to follow in His footsteps. As we share in the sufferings of Christ, we incarnate His love as “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1). May we suffer and die well as we remember that He alone is our Life.
This past weekend, my pastor gave the following points of application when faced with the peer pressure of returning to former passions:
1. Remember WHOSE you are.
We belong to Jesus ,the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross….
2. Remember your motivation.
We live to honor Christ rather than self.
3. Ask God for help… Employ the means that He’s given.
The Word of God is our sword and the prayer of Faith is our shield of defense!
The Body of Christ are our fellow soldiers who provide support, accountability, and love.
4. For those who have fallen back into their former ways…
A. Remember what Christ has already done and that He has secured God’s love and forgiveness for you. You’re accepted in Christ, not in and of yourself.
B. Confess your sin to God and fellow believers as you repent of it.
C. Get into God’s word and get God’s word into you.
D. Pursue open, honest transparency with others in spiritual community.
5. When others are struggling, come alongside them and offer: Humility, Hope, and Help.
Humility: You’re capable of sinning in the same way, if not worse, given the right opportunity.
Hope: God’s saving love has the power to change and restore even the worst of sinners.
Help: God’s people need one another to stir up and minister His sanctifying grace to one another in time of need.
A Glimpse of Grace
John Calvin:
“When God beholds his image in us He does that not by looking at that which He has put into us by nature, but at that which He has put into us by grace.” (Sermon on Job 10:7-8)
Justification vs. Sanctification
John Piper provides these brief, yet clarifying definitions that I found helpful:
“Justification is the biblical teaching that, by grace alone through faith alone, God counts believers in Jesus Christ to be perfectly righteous and totally acceptable in his presence forever. That is, God imputes the perfection of Christ to those who are united to Christ by faith (Rom. 3:28; 4:4-6; 5:1, 18-19; 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:8.”
“Sanctification is the biblical teaching that we are progressively conformed to the image of Christ in our attitudes and words and actions by the power of the Holy Spirit moving through faith to make us become in daily practice what we have already become in Christ (Rom. 6:22; 1 Cor. 5:7; Phil. 2:12-13; 3:12; Eph. 4:24).”
*John Piper, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 69.
In Need of Grace
There’s a great old hymn entitled “I Need Thee Every Hour” that captures our need of God’s grace to sustain us. In fact, as the following hymn suggests, God’s provision of grace comes chiefly through the presence of our Savior:
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; no tender voice like Thine can peace afford. I need Thee, O’ I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O’ bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour; stay Thou nearby; temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh. I need Thee, O’ I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O’ bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; come quickly and abide, or life is vain. I need Thee, O’ I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O’ bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will; and Thy rich promises in me fulfill. I need Thee, O’ I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O’ bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One; O’ make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son. I need Thee, O’ I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O’ bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.
There are times in my life when I am more mindful of my need of grace than others. Tonight happens to be one of them. Sometimes my awareness is clothed in gratitude for my salvation and a desire for sanctification. And, sometimes it stems from feeling helpless as a result of my sin or the challenges of living in a fallen world with fallen people. That’s when desperation and despair drive me to desire grace. Whether I acknowledge it or not, I am always utterly dependent on God’s grace throughout each moment of every day. There is absolutely no hope apart from God’s grace, and there will be no spiritual growth without it. The more consistently I acknowledge this fact, the better off I will be and the more gloriously will God be reflected through me.
The late Puritan pastor, John Owen, had a keen understanding of this human condition. He acknowledged that the Holy Spirit uses means to deliver God’s grace to us when He initiates regeneration; He then excites that grace within us throughout our sanctification. It’s a beautiful mess as God takes graceless sinners and establishes His grace within them. Nothing could be more marvelous and mind-blowing than that…
“God inclines our hearts to duties and obedience principally by strengthening, increasing, and exciting the grace we have received, and which is inherent in [believers]; but we neither have nor ever shall have, in this world, such a stock of spiritual strength as to do anything as we ought without renewed co-operations of grace.” (John Owen, The Holy Spirit, 491).
Charles Spurgeon made a similar observation when he wrote, “One thing is past all question; we shall bring our Lord most glory if we get from Him much grace.” (An All-Around Ministry).
Oh, how desperately I feel my need of God’s grace. I pray for both His provision of it and a growing sense of my own deep need of it.
Plans and Priorities
Our plans and priorities ought to be written in pencil and bathed in prayer…
“A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31).
An Undivided Heart
We have but one life to live, and but one heart from which to give… May they both be undivided in their faithful devotion to God…
Psalm 86:11-12 “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.”
Charles Spurgeon comments on these verses: “Our minds are apt to be divided [among] a variety of objects, like trickling streamlets which waste their force in a hundred runnels; our greatest desire should be to have all our life-floods poured into one channel and to have that channel directed toward the Lord alone.”
We are naturally disposed toward having divided, distracted, ever-wandering hearts. We gravitate toward those things that seem to satisfy our momentary longings, and yet realize that even those objects of affection are fleeting at best. As believers, we are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s pretty much the greatest commandment, according to Jesus (Matt. 22:34-40; Cf. Deut. 6:5). However, anyone who is the least bit self-aware will realize the profound difficulty of such a charge.
To love God with an undivided heart, a satisfied soul, an undistracted mind, and every ounce of one’s strength is entirely impossible. Yet, King David serves as our example in asking God to give him an undivided heart that he might “fear” His name. David was seeking something that could not be accomplished apart from the gracious provision of God. He was seeking to be awestruck by the person of God, to be amazed by the majesty of His power, and to be intoxicated by the beauty of His glory. In essence, David wanted to be so captivated by God’s love that he could not help expressing unending love and undivided devotion back to Him. Such praise–such obedience–would simply be the overflow of a grateful heart to the God who had been immeasurably gracious to it. David wanted to worship God with every part of his being. He wanted to offer his entire person, his whole heart to fearing the Lord and obeying His word. David was a man of intense passion and yet, without the help of God, those passions would always be divided among lesser things.
Without the grace of God, one cannot have an undivided heart, a single-minded focus, a satisfied soul, or the necessary strength to stand-fast in the face of hardship. It’s simply impossible. However, with God all things are possible as we embrace Jesus Christ and yield to the power of His Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must ask the God, the Giver of all good things (Matt 7), to give us an undivided heart so that we may fear His name. Only in fearing God will we be able to humbly and obediently walk in His ways (Ecclesiastes 13:12). The gospel that saves sinners like us, is the same gospel that God uses to change us. He does this so that we may come to love Him with an undivided love…
The Footsteps of A Fool…
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” [1]
Some decisions change our lives forever. Some decisions will cost of us everything in order to gain just one thing. The world calls us fools, but the Father calls us faithful. Loving God requires radical faith–one willing to give up much-desired temporal comforts in order to gain costly, eternal rewards. It is a constant “death to self” that is usually painful. However, we survive by fixing our hope on the glory that is to come rather than in the painful price that is paid… the paradox is nothing short of a divine conspiracy rooted in God’s grace and love toward us. He is so good and ready to give everything to those who are willing to lose all for His sake… Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added to you.
The Call of Elisha:
In the 19th chapter of 1 Kings, we are introduced to a man named Elisha. At first acquaintance, Elisha is in his field plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. Only the most wealthy of farmers would have had so many oxen at their disposal. As Elijah, the great prophet of God, passed by the young farmer, he anointed him as a prophet of God. God had told Elijah (19:16) to transfer his power to this young prophet-in-the-making and he does so by casting his cloak upon him.
Elisha’s response is so fascinating. He runs after Elijah, and Elijah tells him to go back home. Elisha responds by returning back home so that he can burn the plowing equipment and sacrifice the oxen. There was no turning back, and his radical behavior signifies a clear distinction between his former life and this new one. He’s been called as a prophet of God, and he burns every bridge necessary so that he’s not tempted to go back. In fact, there are numerous times when Elijah–seemingly testing the young prophet’s resolve or trying to spare him the lonely life of a prophet–tells him to go away. Elisha is persistent in his refusal to depart from his divine calling, because he counted the cost before he ever took the first step. As a result, God used Elisha as a powerful instrument to proclaim His glory and deliver His grace…
It’s interesting that Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Serving the King requires a single-minded pursuit. It casts off anything that hinders, retaining only that which aids in that one solitary, glorious mission. It will be lonely, it will be difficult, but it is the only way to relentlessly pursue the calling of God upon the life of His servant. I wonder what sorts of plowing equipment we need to burn and which oxen we need to sacrifice in order to follow the calling that God has placed upon our lives–are we willing to give it up in order to pursue the selfless demands of the kingdom?
Calling the Disciples:
While walking by the sea of Galilee (Matt. 4:18-22), Jesus sees two brothers–Peter and Andrew–who are fishing. He calls out to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. And shortly thereafter, Jesus came upon two other brothers–James and John–who were also fishing with their father. He called them as well, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him. There is no following the will of God half-heartedly…
This story, like that of Elisha, amazes me. These men were so ready to leave everything they knew and had invested their lives into in order to follow Jesus. The moment that He called them to something greater–serving Him–they dropped it all to follow hard after His footsteps. Ridiculous. We can hardly fathom it at first reading. Yet, as we reflect on what is taking place, we begin to realize that responding to the call of Christ requires a radical departure with our former way of life. It’s a decision that is all-encompassing. There’s no turning back and all temptations to do so must be left behind. Not only is this true of a Christ follower, but it is even more important of one who is called to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. A man of God is not only known by what he pursues, but by those things he’s willing to give up in order to maintain that pursuit. He will give up lesser things to gain greater things, the things of this world to gain the things of the next, that which hinders to gain that which helps.
Therefore let us take up our crosses daily and follow Christ. For whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will save it (Luke 9:23-24). We must fix our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith as we cast aside the sin that so easily entangles (Heb. 12:1-3). We must pursue Christ with a relentless, single-minded passion that requires a radical willingness to give up good things in order to pursue greater things.
Such a willingness does not come naturally, and so we must ask the Spirit of God to strengthen us so that we will set our gaze upon the only One who is worthy of our passionate pursuit–in both the joy and the pain. I am helplessly unable to do this on my own… but God is faithful to accomplish so much more than I ever thought possible. He will neither share His glory with another nor compete for the affection of His children. If He has to repeatedly crush the idols of their hearts and pry their affection loose from created things, then He will do so in order that they might love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is a most brutal love, and yet it the only way for God to remain faithful to His people. It is His mercy that He implants and sustains our undivided love for Him… May God do this among us, for we cannot do it on our own.
[1] Jim Elliot, Journals. This can be found in the October 28, 1949 entry on page 174 (Chapter 4) of the 1978 hardback edition of the Journal and on page 108 (Chapter 11) of the 1958 hardback edition of Shadow of the Almighty. Philip Henry (1631-1696), father of well known preacher and Bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662-1714), was credited with a very similar saying: ”He is no fool who parts with what he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with what he cannot lose.”
Edwards on Prayer
Jonathan Edwards was a man of persistent prayer, and for that reason, he was a man of profound influence. God graciously used him in the Great Awakening, a season of revival throughout the eastern portion of colonial America. He knew, both in theory and in practice, that God is a God who hears and answers prayer (Psalm 65:2). In fact, he preached an excellent sermon on prayer entitled “The Most High: A Prayer-Hearing God,” that elaborates on this topic.
Edwards believed that God not only hears, but answers prayer because it is consistent with His character. Since He is immeasurably gracious, He allows His creatures to come to Him so that He may receive the prayers of His people. Here are some tasty morsels of Edwards’ thoughts on prayer:
“God manifests his acceptance of their prayers, by doing for them agreeably to their needs and supplications. He not only inwardly and spiritually discovers his mercy to their souls by his Spirit, but outwardly by dealing mercifully with them in his providence, in consequence of their prayers, and by causing an agreeableness between his providence and their prayers.”
God demonstrates His mercy toward His children through the inner working of the Spirit and the outward provision of their needs through the gracious gifts of His providence. And both of these point to the richness of His promises.
He allows us free access to His presence so that we “may come with boldness… [He] indulges all kinds of persons, of all nations… the most vile and unworthy: the greatest sinners are allowed to come through Christ.” Beyond that, “He not only allows, but encourages and frequently invites them, yea, manifests himself as delighting in being sought to by prayer.”
It is the grace of God that makes us able to come before Him, and it is His grace that causes Him to delight in our coming. He often gives good gifts that are far more gracious than we ever wanted or imagined.
God is, “as it were, overcome by prayer… In such cases, God is, speaking after the manner of men, overcome by humble and fervent prayer. ’The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,’ James 5;16. It has a great power in it: such a prayer-hearing God is the Most High, that he graciously manifests himself as conquered by it.”
God has promised to be “moved” by our prayers. This does not mean that God is persuaded by us, but rather He speaks in human terms that portray our prayers as the means by which He has chosen to deliver mercy to us. Our prayers do not obligate God to us, but they demonstrate our dependence on Him and our willingness to submit to the kind intention of His heart. Whatever He has determined for us will come to pass, but He has promised to hear and answer our prayers according to our needs. Thus, God is “overcome” by our prayers, in that He plants desires within us that He intends to provide for since He knows what we want and need before we even ask. The struggle is knowing whether our desires are actually best for us (or simply tainted by sin), and in that regard we must submit to the One who knows all things infinitely more perfectly than we do.
God’s character is seen by the greatness of the things He has done in response to prayer. When Jacob prayed, Esau’s heart was turned from vengeance (Gen. 32). When Moses prayed, God brought terrible plagues on Egypt. When Samson prayed, his strength was returned to him so that he was able to pull down the temple of Dagon on the Philistines. When Joshua prayed, the sun stood still. When Elijah prayed, it did not rain for three and a half years. Then when Elijah prayed again, rain came. When Asa prayed, God confounded the army of Zerah the Ethiopian (2 Chron. 14:9-12). When Hezekiah prayed, God sent an angel to kill 185,000 of Sennacharib’s army (2 Kings 19:14-16, 19, 35). God’s power has been demonstrated in many miraculous works in response to the prayers of His people. God not only hears the cry of His people, but He hears their silent longings, as in the case of Hannah (1 Sam. 1:13) whose prayer was but in her heart.
God’s faithfulness to His covenant people, both corporately and individually, ought to be inspiring to us. It ought to encourage and strengthen our faith, and it should compel us to ask for things that are in the interest of His kingdom. When God blesses His people individually, it is always in line with His plan of advancing His kingdom through the blessing of His people at large. As God gives mercy to us, He intends for us to use it, not only for our own pleasure, but for the purpose of His greater glory. God gives us good gifts so that we might better worship Him, serve His church, and reflect His love to a lost and dying world. He receives glory as we take satisfaction in giving Him that glory.
Prayer has two purposes, one with respect to God and the other with respect to us: “First, with respect to God, prayer is but a sensible acknowledgement of our dependence on him to his glory.” God’s people gain the opportunity to come to him in order to express their faith in His faithfulness. ”Second, with respect to ourselves, God requires prayer of us in order to the bestowment of mercy, because it tends to prepare us for its inception… Fervent prayer many ways tends to prepare the heart. Hereby is excited a sense of our need, and of the value of the mercy which we seek, and at the same time earnest desires for it, whereby the mind is more prepared to prize it, to rejoice in it when bestowed, and to be thankful for it. Prayer, with suitable confession, may excite a sense of our unworthiness of the mercy we seek. And the placing of ourselves in the immediate presence of God, may make us sensible of his majesty, and in a sense fit to receive mercy of him. Our prayer to God may excite in us a suitable sense and consideration of our dependence on God for the mercy we ask, and a suitable exercise of faith in God’s sufficiency, that so we may be prepared to glorify his name when the mercy is received.”
God uses prayer to draw us to Himself, and for that end He sometimes withholds provision for a season. It deepens our trust in Him, and fuels our desire to receive that for which we pray. It prepares our hearts in humility and dependence so that when the mercy is given, unending gratitude will flow from our hearts. When a petition has been agonized over long enough, the provision of that petition leaves an indelible mark of gratitude impressed upon the petitioner’s heart. Such an attitude of thanksgiving in the light of mercy will lead our hearts toward an extravagant procession of praise and worship every time that object of mercy reminds us of God’s lovingkindness toward us. Persistent prayer prepares our hearts for persistent praise.
Let us, therefore, continue to pray as we prepare our hearts to receive the things that God has so faithfully prepared in advance to give us. He is merciful and has promised to bless His children in their time of need. He does so more abundantly than we could ever ask or imagine, but He calls us to prayer as a demonstration of our dependence and faith. We must simply trust Him and be prepared to continue seeking His will above our own, and praise Him even when He provides in a way different than we desired.
Thomas Watson wrote from his own experience, “We aim at God’s glory when we are content that God’s will should take place though it may cross our own.” Prayer brings us into position to bow before the Sovereign Lordship of God so that He may do whatever He pleases in and through us for our greatest good and His ultimate glory.
Lord willing, the next post will consider a few reasons why God doesn’t always answer prayer in the manner that we desire, and how it often serves to bring more glory to His Namesake. Until then, let us be men and women of prayer.
{1} Excerpts from Edwards were taken from Glenn Kreider’s “Jonathan Edwards’s Theology of Prayer” in Bibliotheca Sacra (Oct-Dec 2003). Anything in quote boxes is either from Edwards or Kreider, and all other comments and conclusions are mine.
