A Reminder

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and courageous.

Wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

A Cry for Mercy

Psalm 130:1-8 paints a disturbing, yet beautiful picture. It is disturbing because it captures the anguish of a man who feels cut off from God, possibly because of his sin. It beautiful because it reminds us that God's grace is greater than our sin. The psalmist reminds us to trust the Lord for forgiveness and redemption.

In Psalm 130:1-4, The Psalmist opens with a cry for help. The tone is set by his depiction of his plight. He is crying out of the depths. He is overwhelmed, and earnest in his pleas. He feels God isn't paying attention to him. He needs mercy. He feels the weight of his sin and how it threatens to separate him from God. Yet he knows God is merciful, and worthy of reverence.

After calling out to God, the Psalmist commits himself to trust the Lord. He is willing to wait upon the Lord. But this is no passive waiting. His waiting is rooted in a continued trust in God's Word. I imagine him pouring over the Word daily, claiming promises, and awaiting God's deliverance. He is vigilant like a watchman waiting for God to break over the horizon like the sun at dawn.

He is not content to wait alone. No, he calls others to follow him. Although God has not arrived, he still wants others to follow him. One may wonder: Why trust God? The Psalmist offers two reasons. The first is unfailing love. God's lover never fails. God loved humanity so much that he sent Christ to ransom them. The second reason is full redemption. God saves to the uttermost. Those who trust him will be saved from all their sins.

Where are you in your walk? Do you feel cut off from God? Why not commit to trust him? The Psalmist is calling you to follow him in committing to the Lord. Why not accept the forgiveness promised through Christ?

I'm Waiting

In Habakkuk 1:1-4, he laments the wickedness of his generation. Habakkuk 1:5-11 records the Lord's response to Habakkuk. The Lord tells him that sin will be punished. Habakkuk doesn't receive the message well. He appears to feel confused, perhaps even betrayed. Habakkuk 1:12-2:2 reveals the prophet's response to the message of the Lord. He's left answering the question, "How good is God?" This passage encourages us wait upon the Lord, trusting in his goodness, even when we don't understand why he is doing what he is doing.

We have to start with the God we know (Hab. 1:12-13a). He is everlasting. This reference includes his faithfulness and his unchanging nature. He is holy, that is, far above his creation and morally perfect. He is sovereign over all things. He is a rock upon which we must build our lives. His eyes are pure so that he cannot approve of wickedness. This is the good God we know, but hardship often leaves us with questions.

Troubling circumstances often leave us with questions (Hab. 1:13b-17). In Habakkuk's day, the Babylonian invasion was the terrible circumstance. They were a cruel and greed people. The nations stretched out in front of Babylon like an ocean, and the peoples were fish swept away in their nets. At times, it appears that evil is permitted to steamroll over everything in its path.

Although he had questions, Habakkuk stood is ground (in the faith), even with his uncertainty. Abruptly, Habakkuk stops asking questions and braces himself for a response from heaven. He is confident that the Lord with speak. He is confident that God's mercy will at last win the day. He anchored himself in truth of God's character, and he refused to be moved.

Here are some principles drawn from this passage:

• To whom much is given, much is required.

• We struggle with the problem of pain (evil) because 

• We don't fully understand sin, and 

• We don't really grasp God's holiness.

• What we know now, that Habakkuk couldn't have known, is that God is bring about a restoration of all things through Jesus Christ.

• Why did God use the godless Babylonians to punish Israel?

• Israel's sin was even greater than Habakkuk had perceived, because Israel had greater knowledge of God, through his revelation, than did the Babylonians.

• He the Babylonians to arouse his compassion. There are several instances in Scripture, where God allowed his people to be oppress, and then rescued them when they cried out for help.

• He used the Babylonians to prevent the utter destruction of his people. By allowing the Babylonians to punish Israel, God instilled the fear of the Lord in the hearts of the remnant.

• Finally, the use of the godless Babylonians was meant to soften (humble) those God desired to be softened, and to harden those God desired to be hardened. Hardship will make you dependent upon God or defiant against him.

Where to Begin

Some days it is difficult to know where to begin.  You might want to discuss the many ways in which God has blessed you, or you might want to air the grievances of your heart.  Maybe you want to sit out under the stars and watch the infinite vastness swirl around you.  Maybe you want to to rise early and watch the sun burst forth arrayed in splendor.

Some days you might want to stay under the covers, and hope the world doesn't find you.  Other days, you march right outside and grab the bull by the horns.  Your time might be well organized and utilized to the fullest possible potential.  Then again, maybe your time slips through your fingers like grands of sand, and some days dozens of opportunities are lost.

Knowing where to begin is as much an art as it is a skill.  Like an art, there is a certain "feel" to it.  Like a skill, it can be built upon.  When it comes to life, knowing where to begin is essential.

A life that pursues God, begins with the fear of the Lord.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Fearing the Lord has more to do with reverence than terror, but there is still an element of terror present.  It is a good thing if our anxiety over our sins drives us to repentance.  However, if a dread falls upon us that makes it impossible for us to approach God in search of forgiveness, it is bad.

Fear of the Lord is birthed in us by the grace of God.  Grace teaches our heart to fear, then it stills that fear within us.  Once grace has stirred the slumbering giant of the fallen conscience, it then moves to enable the heart to believe.  The Spirit of God is the agent that works this grace within our hearts.  Therefore, his presence is a reminder of God's gracious intentions toward  us.  God's intentions never fall short of their goal.

Having this reality in mind, we must approach those situations where we are uncertain about our course of action with confidence in the love of the Lord.  He loves us even when we don't know it.  He has a plan for us even when we aren't sure of it.  So, the next time you're tempted to throw the covers over your head (unless your sick), ask the Lord to help you.  Ask him to show you what needs to be done, and for the strength to do it.

How good are you at waiting on the Lord?  Do you always know where to begin?  How do you face difficult days?

Too Little, Too Late

"Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not died'" (John 11:21).

The implication of Martha's words is that Jesus' arrival was too little, too late. The tiny word "if" presents a big challenge. If only Jesus would have arrived sooner. If only he cared enough to come right away. If only he would have commanded the sickness to leave. How could he not rescue Lazarus? Where was he? Why didn't he come sooner? Martha must have wrestled with these questions when the Lord tarried and Lazarus died. I have heard it said that people in the first century believed the soul lingered around for three days after death. John states that Lazarus had been dead four. It would seem that all hope of rescue was gone. Case closed.

However, John informs us that Jesus tarried in order to display the glory of God in the situation. When Jesus is confronted by Martha, she seems torn between confusion and hope. Her statement, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not died," is followed by the statement, "But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give to you" (John 11:22). She is confused by Jesus' lateness, but knows that he is able to do something (although the rest of this passage makes it unlikely that she thought Jesus could bring her brother back to life at this time, see John 11:23-24).

Jesus tells her that her brother will "rise again" (John 11:23). Martha doesn't see this as an immediate event. She responds, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day" (John 11:24). Again, in light of her initial statement, she doesn't appear to be comforted by this. The resurrection seems so far away in light of her pain and grief. She wants relief now (and of course at the resurrection). It seems that even the resurrection is "too late" to be of any use.

Listen to Jesus' response. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). His verbs are all present tense. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life," not "I will be the resurrection and the life." He says, "whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live," not "whoever believed in me, though he has died, he will live." The use of the present tense expresses the present reality of the resurrection. Those who walk with Christ in faith, shall always walk with him. They have been buried with Christ in death and raised to walk in newness of life.

Jesus also stresses faith. He asks, "Do you believe this?" In other words, he wants to know if Martha is trusting him to raise the dead to life at the end of time. Does she believe he can get the job done then? He seeks to draw her toward trust. The implication of Jesus' statement and question is that if he can do something about Lazarus' problem in the long run (through the resurrection), then he can be trusted to do something about Martha's grief in the short run. If she can trust him to raise the dead on the last day, why is she giving into despair at this moment?

Martha responds in faith, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world" (John 11:27). In this confession, Martha is expressing her trust in Jesus to do something now (you are the Christ), since he will do something at the resurrection (who is coming into the world). Although she can't imagine what Jesus is going to do, she believes he can do it.

Many of us will be in situations where it feels like God's presence comes too late. It may even feel like what he is doing is too little. Most of us have been trained well enough not to voice these opinions, but God hears our hearts. This passage teaches us that God's response to our situations is never too little, nor too late. His timing is not ours, nor are his ways, our ways. If we can't trust him to work in our situations now to bring about in eternal purposes, how can we say we trust him to raise us out of the dust on the last day? The key is trusting, even when we can't see what he has in store around the corner. He has shown us how it will all turn out for those trust him. He has demonstrated his faithfulness throughout history. Caught between the past faithfulness of God and his future faithfulness, we must trust him to remain faithful in the present. We must remember what he has told us, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).