"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb.4:14-16)
How thankful I am today and everyday that we can daily, hourly, moment by moment, draw near to the throne of all thrones--the throne of all power, all majesty, all sovereignty, all wisdom, all awesomeness. Imagine the privilege, the wonder of that--that we, who are but little dust people, who fail and forget and falter again and again, can enter right into God's very throne room.! A place of such unfathomable holiness, greatness, and power...and yet we dare, indeed, we are exhorted time and again, to come to His throne.
Moreover, we're told to come to God's throne with confidence! The greek word for that is also translated "boldness" and "courage." If this wasn't in God's Word, I'd call that ridiculous presumption and prideful folly. But not according to God's Word--and the very words of the Lord trump any and all of our emotions, ideas, and inadequacies.
And what will we receive there? Well, here's another reason we can approach Him with confidence, not terror and dread. We need not expect stern lectures, dire warnings, expressions of great disappointment, nor harsh sentences of judgment. No, because of our Savior Jesus, He promises we will receive amazing grace, we will receive astounding mercy, and we will receive the supernatural help that only the Lord can give.
So here's the question: why aren't we going? Seriously, why are we not continually beating a path to that beautiful, wondrous, powerful throne of grace? What is preventing us? Busyness? Preoccupation? Doubt? Laziness? Forgetfulness?
Whatever reason we might ostensibly come up with--and I'm preaching to myself here!--there is NO REASON! The glorious throne of almighty God is open to us. It's a throne of unimaginable power and yet also a throne of unlimited grace, mercy, and help. And because we're told to come boldly, confidently, courageously, let's do it! (Again, I'm not just exhorting you, but I'm preaching to amnesiac me, myself, and I here too! Because no one needs this reminder worse than yours truly!)
In light of all that, I wanted to throw out one suggestion that has particular application in times of stress and worry. Hmm, Covid anyone? It's super easy, can be done anywhere, anytime, and has the ability to calm your racing heartbeat and your fretful mind. It's simply the process of breath prayers. Meaning: as you take deep breaths, you repeat a simple verse in your mind.
Here's one way to do it. As you take a deep breath in (for about the count of 3 or so), say in your mind the first half of the verse. Then, as you slowly exhale, you repeat in your mind the second half of the verse. For instance, slowly take a deep breath in as you say in your mind "When I am afraid" and then as you exhale slowly, you repeat "I put my trust in You." (Ps.56:3) Or a little longer one: inhale to "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you" and breath out to "He will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Ps.55:22) Or inhale to "The Lord is my shepherd" and exhale to "I shall not want." (Ps.23:1) Or one of my favorites: Inhale to "God is our refuge and strength" and exhale to "A very present help in trouble." (Ps.46:1)
You get the idea--pick a few verses that you love, write them down, and start praying them in and out, in and out, in and out with your breath. I've typically heard it suggested to do this about ten times in a row to allow your breath to slow your heart rate, and more importantly, to allow God's supernatural Word to transform your mind.
As Matthew Henry said so many years ago, "Days of trouble must be days of prayer." My hope is that this simple exercise will help us to avail ourselves of this priceless privilege and powerful weapon against anxiety and discouragement. Our God is only a breath away. Let's go to His throne with confidence and know He will give us His grace, mercy, and help.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Let us not grow weary!
Anybody feeling a tad weary? Weary of worrying about this blasted, infernal virus. Weary of worrying about our courageous front-line health-care workers and other essential workers who face the relentless danger everyday of contracting COVID. Weary of cooking and cleaning up...cooking and cleaning up...cooking and cleaning up. Weary of not being able to fellowship or simply laugh and be with friends and family. Weary of face masks and social distancing and flat curves and recitation of ever rising daily death tolls. Weary of relentless hand washing. Weary of trying to choose gratitude over grumbling. Weary of that constant weight of anxiety over vulnerable or aged family and friends. Weary of feeling you're not doing enough to help yet not quite knowing what you can do. Weary of wondering and worrying about a very uncertain, unknown future. Weary of missing those plain old, basic routines of daily life that now seem utterly impossible for who knows how long.
Anybody feeling just plain weary?
Well, my hand is raised and waving wildly--me, me, me. I'm not despairing or desperate. I'm not facing catastrophic loss or overwhelming difficulty. I'm not battling this hideous virus on the front lines. So, guess what? I have absolutely no right or reason to complain...but I will admit to just a bit of weariness with this who-knows-how-long siege of COVID-19.
Therefore I figured it was high time to do a little preaching to myself. Do a little less listening to myself and a little more talking to myself. Because as I've shared over and over again--I'm mighty forgetful. I'm awfully prone to myopic thinking, selfishness, and fruitless worry. I sometimes suffer from spiritual amnesia. Sigh. Forgive me Lord.
But praise His great name that His mercies are new every morning. As the passage I read out loud about every morning (thank you, sweet Nancy McDougal!) from Lam.3 reminds us--"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
We need to call it to mind--preach it to ourselves. We need to remember who the Lord is and His steadfast, never-ending, never-diminishing love. We need to proclaim the Truth to our souls that we may vacillate and grow weary, but He never ever does. His faithfulness is perfect, unchanging, and eternal. And we need to tell our weary-of-waiting and anxious hearts that it is good to wait on the Lord, that we are waiting on the Lord, not on the virus, and that we can wait with hope and peace, because God's timing and ways are always good, right, and pleasing.
And while we are waiting, He is working and moving. While we are waiting, He is shaping and moulding. While we are waiting, Almighty God is doing and accomplishing what only He can do--even if we can't yet see it or understand it.
So today, let's choose waiting on our God over our weariness. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal.6:9) His promises never fail, and His Holy Spirit will enable us to do all that He commands. So let's walk by the Spirit, and today choose to reject weariness and instead to continue doing the good that our faithful Father puts before us.
Lord, help us. Help us, by the power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit, to not give in to our weariness but instead to continue doing whatever good You sovereignly place before us this day. Help us to cook the meals with a joyful attitude...to love those around us...to express our gratitude for the countless little blessings all around us...to encourage others who might be weary or discouraged...to thank grocery workers, truck drivers, policemen, nurses, doctors and all those serving our communities...to stay in Your Word and preach it to ourselves...to pray without ceasing...to put on our face masks and wash our hands and do our little bit to help contain this virus in order that the most vulnerable among us might be safer. And to do it all trusting You to use it for our greater good and Your greater glory. In Jesus' mighty and triumphant name. Amen.
To God be the glory.
Anybody feeling just plain weary?
Well, my hand is raised and waving wildly--me, me, me. I'm not despairing or desperate. I'm not facing catastrophic loss or overwhelming difficulty. I'm not battling this hideous virus on the front lines. So, guess what? I have absolutely no right or reason to complain...but I will admit to just a bit of weariness with this who-knows-how-long siege of COVID-19.
Therefore I figured it was high time to do a little preaching to myself. Do a little less listening to myself and a little more talking to myself. Because as I've shared over and over again--I'm mighty forgetful. I'm awfully prone to myopic thinking, selfishness, and fruitless worry. I sometimes suffer from spiritual amnesia. Sigh. Forgive me Lord.
But praise His great name that His mercies are new every morning. As the passage I read out loud about every morning (thank you, sweet Nancy McDougal!) from Lam.3 reminds us--"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
We need to call it to mind--preach it to ourselves. We need to remember who the Lord is and His steadfast, never-ending, never-diminishing love. We need to proclaim the Truth to our souls that we may vacillate and grow weary, but He never ever does. His faithfulness is perfect, unchanging, and eternal. And we need to tell our weary-of-waiting and anxious hearts that it is good to wait on the Lord, that we are waiting on the Lord, not on the virus, and that we can wait with hope and peace, because God's timing and ways are always good, right, and pleasing.
And while we are waiting, He is working and moving. While we are waiting, He is shaping and moulding. While we are waiting, Almighty God is doing and accomplishing what only He can do--even if we can't yet see it or understand it.
So today, let's choose waiting on our God over our weariness. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal.6:9) His promises never fail, and His Holy Spirit will enable us to do all that He commands. So let's walk by the Spirit, and today choose to reject weariness and instead to continue doing the good that our faithful Father puts before us.
Lord, help us. Help us, by the power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit, to not give in to our weariness but instead to continue doing whatever good You sovereignly place before us this day. Help us to cook the meals with a joyful attitude...to love those around us...to express our gratitude for the countless little blessings all around us...to encourage others who might be weary or discouraged...to thank grocery workers, truck drivers, policemen, nurses, doctors and all those serving our communities...to stay in Your Word and preach it to ourselves...to pray without ceasing...to put on our face masks and wash our hands and do our little bit to help contain this virus in order that the most vulnerable among us might be safer. And to do it all trusting You to use it for our greater good and Your greater glory. In Jesus' mighty and triumphant name. Amen.
To God be the glory.
Monday, May 4, 2020
Join the chorus of praise!
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." (Ps.28:7-8)
"The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." (Ps.118:14)
"The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isa.55:12)
Just a little reminder that we have a singing, joyful God. And what should be our response? Well, if life is going really well and all our needs are being met and all our family is doing great and we have plenty of toilet paper, all-purpose flour, and chocolate, then yes, we're to join in the chorus and praise Him, right?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
"I WILL give thanks to Him in song"..."The Lord IS my strength and song"....or how about "MAKE a joyful noise to the Lord, ALL the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! COME into His presence with singing!" (Ps.100"1-2). I didn't see any qualifications in any of those. Did you?
How about any exceptions for pandemics or shortages or unwanted isolation? Nope. Maybe a teeny tiny loophole when we're simply at the end of our rope or life feels cramped and hard or the people around us are getting on our last little nerve? Ah, no once again.
Praising God, singing (or just making a joyful noise--and we can all do that!) is not a suggestion nor is it qualified in any way. It's a command. But here's the thing--like all of God's commands, this is a life-giving, strength-infusing, perspective-correcting, joy-reviving command. We don't do it based on our feelings but based on our love for God. We don't do it because our lives are wonderful in every way, but because our great God is worthy and He promised to make all things beautiful in His time.
And goodness gracious, I surely don't want the mountains and hills to out-sing me! All of creation sings of His glory, and we have both the choice, the privilege, and the joy of joining in the chorus and magnifying God's praise and glory.
I love how Charles Spurgeon puts it: "The material world has latent music in it, and a renewed heart knows how to bring it out and make it vocal. Mountains and hills are the bass of the chorus, while the trees of the wood and all things that have life take up the air of the melodious song."
Maybe you're feeling constricted or discouraged or downright desperate at this moment. Well, then now is the perfect time to stop and make the choice to praise God. Put on some music and belt out your praises. Or walk outside and notice the astounding beauty of spring exploding all around you--and give God thanks! He made it all, and He's given you the ability to see and savor it--so thank Him! Or simply listen to the constant and magnificent chorus of the birds outside your window--and give their Creator glory! Or breathe deeply of the sweet scent of honeysuckle or refreshing smell of fresh mown grass--and praise their Maker!
Consider the courageous front-line health care workers or the folks doing all the essential labor of getting food on the grocery store shelves--and thank the Lord for all they are doing to protect and help us. And let's not forget the restaurants providing take out (praise Jesus for Casa Carbone spinach calzone!) or friends like Julie making delicious casseroles to feed our families (making us look like rock stars!) or Hayes Barton Cafe cake (YES, Lord!)--don't you want to thank someone? A thousand times yes! Thank them, of course, but also praise and thank your loving Heavenly Father who is the Author and Creator of all good food and who is the Giver of great fellowship that seasons and sweetens every one of those meals!
So thank You, Lord, thank You. You have given us such an extravagant abundance, but please we ask You, give us one thing more--thanking, praising hearts. In the words of John Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer: "give me today, I beseech Thee, the mind and heart to rejoice in Thy creation. Forbid that I should walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes...Forbid that when all Thy creatures are greeting the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and sullen face...And above all give me the grace to use these beauties of earth without me and this eager stirring of life within me as means whereby my soul may rise from creature to Creator, and from nature to nature's God." Lord, we love You, we praise You, we thank You, we worship You. In Jesus' mighty and beautiful name. Amen.
To God be all the glory forever and ever.
"The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." (Ps.118:14)
"The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isa.55:12)
Just a little reminder that we have a singing, joyful God. And what should be our response? Well, if life is going really well and all our needs are being met and all our family is doing great and we have plenty of toilet paper, all-purpose flour, and chocolate, then yes, we're to join in the chorus and praise Him, right?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
"I WILL give thanks to Him in song"..."The Lord IS my strength and song"....or how about "MAKE a joyful noise to the Lord, ALL the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! COME into His presence with singing!" (Ps.100"1-2). I didn't see any qualifications in any of those. Did you?
How about any exceptions for pandemics or shortages or unwanted isolation? Nope. Maybe a teeny tiny loophole when we're simply at the end of our rope or life feels cramped and hard or the people around us are getting on our last little nerve? Ah, no once again.
Praising God, singing (or just making a joyful noise--and we can all do that!) is not a suggestion nor is it qualified in any way. It's a command. But here's the thing--like all of God's commands, this is a life-giving, strength-infusing, perspective-correcting, joy-reviving command. We don't do it based on our feelings but based on our love for God. We don't do it because our lives are wonderful in every way, but because our great God is worthy and He promised to make all things beautiful in His time.
And goodness gracious, I surely don't want the mountains and hills to out-sing me! All of creation sings of His glory, and we have both the choice, the privilege, and the joy of joining in the chorus and magnifying God's praise and glory.
I love how Charles Spurgeon puts it: "The material world has latent music in it, and a renewed heart knows how to bring it out and make it vocal. Mountains and hills are the bass of the chorus, while the trees of the wood and all things that have life take up the air of the melodious song."
Maybe you're feeling constricted or discouraged or downright desperate at this moment. Well, then now is the perfect time to stop and make the choice to praise God. Put on some music and belt out your praises. Or walk outside and notice the astounding beauty of spring exploding all around you--and give God thanks! He made it all, and He's given you the ability to see and savor it--so thank Him! Or simply listen to the constant and magnificent chorus of the birds outside your window--and give their Creator glory! Or breathe deeply of the sweet scent of honeysuckle or refreshing smell of fresh mown grass--and praise their Maker!
Consider the courageous front-line health care workers or the folks doing all the essential labor of getting food on the grocery store shelves--and thank the Lord for all they are doing to protect and help us. And let's not forget the restaurants providing take out (praise Jesus for Casa Carbone spinach calzone!) or friends like Julie making delicious casseroles to feed our families (making us look like rock stars!) or Hayes Barton Cafe cake (YES, Lord!)--don't you want to thank someone? A thousand times yes! Thank them, of course, but also praise and thank your loving Heavenly Father who is the Author and Creator of all good food and who is the Giver of great fellowship that seasons and sweetens every one of those meals!
So thank You, Lord, thank You. You have given us such an extravagant abundance, but please we ask You, give us one thing more--thanking, praising hearts. In the words of John Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer: "give me today, I beseech Thee, the mind and heart to rejoice in Thy creation. Forbid that I should walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes...Forbid that when all Thy creatures are greeting the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and sullen face...And above all give me the grace to use these beauties of earth without me and this eager stirring of life within me as means whereby my soul may rise from creature to Creator, and from nature to nature's God." Lord, we love You, we praise You, we thank You, we worship You. In Jesus' mighty and beautiful name. Amen.
To God be all the glory forever and ever.
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