Deserving of Pity

Offering the sacrifice of praise is pretty much ingrained into my lifestyle. I haven't got to the point when I would do the morning and evening sacrifices yet, but one or two sessions a day (outside of church) is still consistent.

Just yesterday I had this fiery dart hit me in the mind: if God can pretty much count on me to offer praise to him in the good times and bad, what motivation does he have to let me have more good days than bad?

Psalm 103:11-14 (NIV 84) - For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

The shield of faith went up - the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. The Lord has compassion on me. He has no obligation to bless me, to shield me from unnecessary evil, but he has compassion on me.

Moreover, this compassion is likened to that of a father with his children. That got to me. I certainly have compassion on my two sons. How many times have I seen they were really tired out and just let them sleep, while I settle things for them so everything would be OK by the time they wake up? How many times have I delayed waking up my younger boy from his nap, even though he really ought to be up and studying for his school exams? 

The NKJV version of this verse uses the word "pity" instead of "compassion". I didn't like it, but now I realize that pity implies that the object of pity is in a sad state. No matter how blessed we are in our human lives, we are still in a pitiful state. Really. You can have power and influence, a close-knit and loving family, a few gazillion dollars in the bank and servants to do your bidding, you can have perfect physical health for yourself and your immediate family, but in God's eyes you still need pity, because we are still nowhere near the highly exalted state we would be when Christ is fully formed in us and is fully displayed in us. 

Thoughts like this totally mess up my mind, but in a good way. :)

So God has no motivation to bless my life, except for his compassion. How confident am I in facing life? That would depend on how confident I am of God's compassion, right?

Scripture Snapshot - Thinking About Politics

Thinking in the long term, I care about politics because I care about the country and environment my children grow up in.

Psalm 103:17-19 (NIV) - But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 

But it is God's government that is truly important, no?

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV) - For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

And God's government will only be fully established in Jesus. No point looking to men to establish it or make it work. In other words, put your hope in God, not men!

Psalm 94:20-23 (NKJV) - Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,

Have fellowship with You?
They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.
He has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness;
The Lord our God shall cut them off.

Over where I come from, Christians care more about what is legal than what is right. The above passage tells us that God cares about what is right. Condemning the innocent is an abomination to God...

Psalm 75:6-10 (NKJV) - For exaltation comes neither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.

But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

“All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

... and eventually there will be a reckoning. We may see evil men in power now, but God will bring them down and raise up other people. So anticipate that process with much prayer!

Psalm 107:39-42 (NKJV) - When they are diminished and brought low

Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth.

How does God judge princes? By how well the common citizens fare. That is God's heart for the people. Again, we see God's purpose and intent. But it is up to us to pray for it into reality.

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV) - “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

May this be the acceptable year of the Lord. May your Kingdom come and your will be done, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven!

Strong and Courageous?

Joshua 1:9 (ESV) - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

I now know for sure I am NOT courageous.

Over the past 8 years or so I have faced all kinds of trials. Some have been distressing, like the time loan sharks threatened my family in order to get neighbours to pay up the money they owe. And though the trials have bothered me (I am not Superman, for crying out loud!) none have been able to make me feel THAT scared.

Until now.

Ironic, isn’t it? Actual physical danger to my sons and I didn’t disturb my sleep, but the thought of traveling to Japan for my own personal upgrading gave me sleepless nights. And on the actual day of departure, the fear was so acute that it even upset my stomach.

Embarrassing!

Why does this trip trouble me so much? It’s like an onion, I’m sure I can find many layers of reasons should I be honest enough to look. But at a basic level, I have the full responsibility of making all the arrangements (flight and hotel), travelling to a country where I know very few people, and where I do not speak the native language. My usual support group isn’t there and I am totally unfamiliar to the place. Good enough reasons to feel uptight?

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (ESV) - For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

 

Paul tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, which tells me God does not want me to get uptight or anxious over the situations or matters that arise. But on our part we have to fan into flame, to awaken, to stir up, the spirit of power, love and self-control that God has already given us.

 

In other words, don’t sit back and expect it to work out without any deliberate effort on your part!

 

What are some of the ways we can stir up that spirit within us?

 

1)      Speak Directly

 

Open up your mouth and speak to your spirit. You can say, “Spirit of power, love and self-control, arise within me!” And do that a few more times, until it feels good!

 

There will be people who will criticise that as being merely mindless chanting, positive affirmations and all that. But the fact is, we already have clear Scriptural precedent of speaking to ourselves:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul” (Psalm 103:1, 103:22, 104:1)

And calling upon the LORD to arise:

2 Chronicles 6:41 (ESV) - "And now arise, O LORD God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.  

And

Numbers 10:35 (ESV) - "Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you."

2)      Speak the Scriptures

 

John 6:63 (ESV) - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

If the words of Jesus are spirit and life, won’t they resonate with the spirit of power, love and self-control within us? 

John 16:33 (ESV) – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

To be totally frank, I don’t see any reason Jesus’ words in John 16, especially that last verse, would help me overcome fear. Jesus didn’t promise anything concrete and tangible here, so I don’t have a logical reason to find his words comforting. They are too vague for me.

 

But when I made the effort to speak the whole of John 16 to myself, reading it aloud 3-4 times in a row, I did receive courage and comfort in the midst of my trials and fears. And it was be a comfort that does not make logical sense to the un-spiritual. I don’t care. I’ll take anything God wants to give me!

 

3)      Pray it out

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) - do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God has given this promise, that if we will commit our problems to him, via prayer, supplication AND thanksgiving, we will have a peace that surpasses all understanding. In other words, a peace that makes no logical sense. To our hearts and minds this peace is like a strong and gentle father consoling a frightened child. “Rest assured, child, Daddy is here and Daddy will take care of everything!”

 

Just take this Scripture at face value, and pray about everything!

 

Bonus Tip – ignore pride

 

In my most recent struggles with fear, it wasn’t the fear that caused me so much emotional pain. It was my pride. I was supposed to be the one who had it all figured out. I was the one who had fought with and overcome fear so many times. I was the one who had successfully taught others how to deal with fear. How could I be so scared now? My pride did not want to accept that I had to deal with fear again.

 

The reason why the Bible has so much to say about dealing with fear is because it is a universal problem. You can be a church leader, extremely wealthy businessman, battle-hardened soldier or internationally acclaimed musician. Whatever your earthly reasons for confidence, no matter how many times you have overcome fear before, you will still have to face fear again, and deal with it using the same spiritual tools as the rest of us.

 

Since we all have to deal with fear some time or other, do share this with other  believers if what I wrote is helpful to you. In the meantime, be blessed!