Tuesday, August 22, 2006
My Heart is Steadfast
I praise you, O Lord, for circumstances that you bring into my life, which cause me to reexamine the reasons for why I put my trust in you. You, O Lord, are changeless. Your love, goodness, and faithfulness will never change and will exist infinitely. You are faithful, and will be, for all eternity. In my finite wisdom and perception I can only see what is directly before me; however, you, O Lord, see everything and are sovereign over all things. You orchestrate everything according to your sovereign wisdom and loving kindness, for your praise, honor, and glory. Circumstances cannot, and will never, undermine your faithfulness and promises. Your word is always true and your promises never fail me. My faith in you will ceaselessly grow stronger, for you always prove yourself to be faithful and true, according to your promises. My heart is confident, resolute, and steadfast as I wait for your deliverance. Great is your faithfulness!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Wait for the Lord
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." - Psalm 27:14
When we pray and make requests to God we almost always desire an immediate answer. "Lord, will you please give me this job?" "Will you please take away this disease?" Or, essentially, "Please bring into my life or remove from my life this situation, person, or object so that I will feel more comfortable." And as soon as we have prayed, we earnestly seek for an immediate fulfillment of the prayer. Yet time after time again, we become frustrated and angry with God for "not answering our prayers." And due to the silence, we allow lies, doubts, and unbelief to creep into our hearts. Therefore, slowly, as time goes on, we pray, but we really do not expect any answer, and so we faithlessly throw our prayers to the wind.
Let's face it. Selfish prayers aside, even with our sincerest prayers we do not like to wait. Why do we not like to wait? Most assuredly, we have difficulty waiting because we are sinners, and therefore it is difficult for us to live virtuously, according to the perfect character we possessed before our fall to sin. In addition to our indvidual inherent sinfulness, we are also powerfully influenced by the inherent sinfulness and impatience of American society.
The United States of America is arguably the strongest contender for a society that does not like to wait - for anything. We have fast food restaurants on every street corner. We have microwave dinners. We have remote controls. We have credit cards. While these things are not inherently bad, when our country is viewed wholistically with the number of products and restaurants designed to bring immediate gratification, one must become suspicious of a more deeply rooted problem.
The area of health and medicine is a perfect example of this, for we have millions of people who cannot wait, but who want things now now now! Is it of any coincidence the America is the leading consumer of pain medications? We do not like pain. We want it gone immediately. If we have a head ache or back pain, rather than letting it pass or engaging in an activity that will naturally relieve or lessen the pain, we immediately pop a pain pill; and, sadly, for those who are further along in their dependency, stronger, heavier narcotics. There exists an entire subculture of individuals who are dependent on drugs to solve their problems of physical pain, depression, and anxiety. They no longer wish to take responsibility for their own problems, which would take time and energy, but think they can solve it with the pop of a pill. The sad reality of their life is that they push healing farther and farther away.
In the midst of a culture that screams "give it to me now," the holy, inerrant word of God wisely and uncompromisingly says "wait." Why is waiting in faith so critically foundational to the life of an individual? When one waits, he acknowledges the fact that he is not the God of the universe and that someone much greater is in control of it all. Why do we wait? We wait because the Lord is omnipotent, and we are not. We wait because the Lord is omniscient, and we are not. We wait because he is in perfect sovereign control over all things, and we are not. We wait because he is infinitely wise, and we are not. The Lord says in Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." And lastly, we wait with unshakable confidence because due to the inexhaustible depth of God's love, we have been bought with the priceless blood of his own son Jesus Christ, and we have been given a promise that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." We have nothing to fear when we are child of God. Our hearts can take courage in the Lord. The Lord knows what is best and when it is best. We must have faith in his character and his promises. Let us therefore take to heart the psalmist's exhortation, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!"
When we pray and make requests to God we almost always desire an immediate answer. "Lord, will you please give me this job?" "Will you please take away this disease?" Or, essentially, "Please bring into my life or remove from my life this situation, person, or object so that I will feel more comfortable." And as soon as we have prayed, we earnestly seek for an immediate fulfillment of the prayer. Yet time after time again, we become frustrated and angry with God for "not answering our prayers." And due to the silence, we allow lies, doubts, and unbelief to creep into our hearts. Therefore, slowly, as time goes on, we pray, but we really do not expect any answer, and so we faithlessly throw our prayers to the wind.
Let's face it. Selfish prayers aside, even with our sincerest prayers we do not like to wait. Why do we not like to wait? Most assuredly, we have difficulty waiting because we are sinners, and therefore it is difficult for us to live virtuously, according to the perfect character we possessed before our fall to sin. In addition to our indvidual inherent sinfulness, we are also powerfully influenced by the inherent sinfulness and impatience of American society.
The United States of America is arguably the strongest contender for a society that does not like to wait - for anything. We have fast food restaurants on every street corner. We have microwave dinners. We have remote controls. We have credit cards. While these things are not inherently bad, when our country is viewed wholistically with the number of products and restaurants designed to bring immediate gratification, one must become suspicious of a more deeply rooted problem.
The area of health and medicine is a perfect example of this, for we have millions of people who cannot wait, but who want things now now now! Is it of any coincidence the America is the leading consumer of pain medications? We do not like pain. We want it gone immediately. If we have a head ache or back pain, rather than letting it pass or engaging in an activity that will naturally relieve or lessen the pain, we immediately pop a pain pill; and, sadly, for those who are further along in their dependency, stronger, heavier narcotics. There exists an entire subculture of individuals who are dependent on drugs to solve their problems of physical pain, depression, and anxiety. They no longer wish to take responsibility for their own problems, which would take time and energy, but think they can solve it with the pop of a pill. The sad reality of their life is that they push healing farther and farther away.
In the midst of a culture that screams "give it to me now," the holy, inerrant word of God wisely and uncompromisingly says "wait." Why is waiting in faith so critically foundational to the life of an individual? When one waits, he acknowledges the fact that he is not the God of the universe and that someone much greater is in control of it all. Why do we wait? We wait because the Lord is omnipotent, and we are not. We wait because the Lord is omniscient, and we are not. We wait because he is in perfect sovereign control over all things, and we are not. We wait because he is infinitely wise, and we are not. The Lord says in Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." And lastly, we wait with unshakable confidence because due to the inexhaustible depth of God's love, we have been bought with the priceless blood of his own son Jesus Christ, and we have been given a promise that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." We have nothing to fear when we are child of God. Our hearts can take courage in the Lord. The Lord knows what is best and when it is best. We must have faith in his character and his promises. Let us therefore take to heart the psalmist's exhortation, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!"
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Hope in Decay
The world in which we live is ceaselessly changing, and the cliched phrase "the only thing that does not change is change" rings appropriately true. Yet due to the irreversible corruption of sin in this world, what is ceaselessly occurring is a decay in morality, body, and nature.
Blinded by sin and without the enlightenment of truth, millions seek to "make the world a better place," naively believing that man is ultimately good, and that through the collaboration and effort of the good intentions of individuals around the globe, the world will slowly be transformed into "a better place." These individuals ignorantly view the world as a cluttered, dilapidated house in need of repair and cleaning, yet which has the potential to be restored to a beautiful mansion. Truth could not be screaming any more loudly into their deaf ears and blind eyes, for if they were to truly look around, they would see that this earthly "mansion" is decaying from the inside out and sinking into a putrid bog. How blindly unaware are such men of their own utter hopelessness apart from salvation from our Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Our morality is in decay. Likewise, our bodies; and even so with nature, such that creation itself "groans and suffers the pains of childbirth" in anxious longing to be set free from the corruption of sin. Yet we who are of God are enlightened to the glorious truth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, as children of God, we are to "consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." In a world that is ceaselessly decaying in every form and fashion, let us, as the apostle Paul exhorted us in I Thessalonians 5:16-18, ceaselessly rejoice, ceaselessly pray, and ceaselessly give thanks to the one and only true God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and has saved us from the clutches of sin by the priceless blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While we have breath yet in our lungs and life yet in our bodies, let the good news of Christ be proclaimed and our hope and glory shine among all men that they may see and believe in His saving truth!
Blinded by sin and without the enlightenment of truth, millions seek to "make the world a better place," naively believing that man is ultimately good, and that through the collaboration and effort of the good intentions of individuals around the globe, the world will slowly be transformed into "a better place." These individuals ignorantly view the world as a cluttered, dilapidated house in need of repair and cleaning, yet which has the potential to be restored to a beautiful mansion. Truth could not be screaming any more loudly into their deaf ears and blind eyes, for if they were to truly look around, they would see that this earthly "mansion" is decaying from the inside out and sinking into a putrid bog. How blindly unaware are such men of their own utter hopelessness apart from salvation from our Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Our morality is in decay. Likewise, our bodies; and even so with nature, such that creation itself "groans and suffers the pains of childbirth" in anxious longing to be set free from the corruption of sin. Yet we who are of God are enlightened to the glorious truth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, as children of God, we are to "consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." In a world that is ceaselessly decaying in every form and fashion, let us, as the apostle Paul exhorted us in I Thessalonians 5:16-18, ceaselessly rejoice, ceaselessly pray, and ceaselessly give thanks to the one and only true God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and has saved us from the clutches of sin by the priceless blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While we have breath yet in our lungs and life yet in our bodies, let the good news of Christ be proclaimed and our hope and glory shine among all men that they may see and believe in His saving truth!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)