Listening in prayer
Ecclesiastes 5: Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.
Some folks think God wants to hear us pray in the language of the King James Bible: “Almighty God, Thou Who art from everlasting to everlasting….” To them, prayer is a rather formal event that ought to be filled with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Sometimes, as Iām reminded here, Iām better off to pray without words at all and let God be in charge of what happens next. It does make sense. God is always the “first mover.” After all, the Bible doesn’t start off with “In the beginning man…”! So, rather than coming to prayer in what might be called “automatic mode,” in which every prayer is pretty much a copy of the one before, or with a sense of formality, I want to come to him humbly and honestly; not saying what I think he wants to hear, but in a genuine desire to hear from him. If I let him lead the way my prayer time will be more satisfying to both the Lord and to me. Prayer is just as much a matter of listening as it is a matter of talking.
Take Away: Being still before the Lord is a legitimate approach to prayer.
Tag: humility
Devotional on Proverbs
Learning humility
Proverbs 15: First you learn humility, then you experience glory.
Humility has to be learned because weāre all born thinking the world revolves around us. Unless I learn humility I spend my life, not necessarily thinking Iām better than others, but thinking that everything that happens should happen the way I want it to. For me to be humble is for me to realize that Iām not the center of the universe and that the world has no obligation to please me. Beyond that, to be humble is for me to come to the realization the most satisfying life is not all about my getting my own way about things, but is, instead, found as I live with others in mind. Jesus said that Iām to “love my neighbor as myself.” The result of such a life, according to the wise man of the Proverbs, is “glory.” That is, others will be irresistibly drawn to me and my life will influence them in positive ways. Not only that, but God will be pleased with me for patterning my life after that of his own Son who humbly lived and died for others. This proverb reminds me that the route to glory isnāt by my taking power and trying to shape the world to suit me. Instead, itās achieved by loving others and placing their needs at a level equal to my own.
Take Away: Contrary to what we may think, humble people are some of the most influential people there are.
Devotional on Isaiah
Speaking the truth in humility
Isaiah 65: There are still plenty of good apples left.
Even as Isaiah reports that the Lordās running out of patience with the stubborn resistance of many, he reminds us that Godās very aware of those who live obedient, faithful lives. The nation of Israel is about to go through a culling. Many will face the wrath of God but others will be preserved by his grace. Frankly, from the devotional side of things I’m not sure what to do with passages like this. Am I to be somewhat frightened and spend a few moments doing a personal spiritual inventory? Am I to take on Isaiah’s role and start warning those “sinners” that the clock on God’s mercy is running out? I guess the answer is somewhere in the middle. I never arrive at the place where Iām above consideration of my own spiritual condition. Just a quick of reading the gospels reminds me that itās spiritual pride thatās the downfall of the religious people of Jesusā day. On the other hand, if Iām going to be effective in both warning and inviting the āoutsidersā to come to the Lord I must do so in a sense of humility. Otherwise, Iāll drive them away from both myself and their Savior.
Take Away: Always deal with lost people with a strong sense of personal humility.
Devotional on Jeremiah
A lesson in humility
Jeremiah 49: I, God, say so, and it will be so.
Chapters 46 through 51 of Jeremiah are a compilation of prophecies Jeremiah gives about the nations of the region. Clearly, the Almighty is interested in more people than just those of Israel. He’s been paying close attention to the downward spiral of the region and is about to shake everything up. Clearly, this isn’t as drastic as the Flood was in Noah’s day, but it is a remaking of this entire region. Jeremiah writes it all out as poetry: awful, frightening words put to verse. It’s in the message to the Ammonites that I find the phrase, “I, God, say so, and it will be so.” To me, that pretty much sums up these painful-to-read chapters. This is an aspect of the Lord that makes me uncomfortable. Frankly, I don’t like these chapters. Then again, I don’t have to. Sovereign God, the Giver of Life, surely has the authority to be the Taker of Life. What he does along these lines is on his side of the equation, not mine. He doesn’t have to explain himself to me and I don’t have to like how it all works out. I find some consolation in the fact that the very words I read today are warnings to these nations, given before the fact. In theory, at least, their turning to God might have resulted in a display of his mercy. Instead, these people live evil lives and are addicted to cruelty. In bringing Judgment on this region the Almighty is acting unilaterally and he doesn’t need my approval and support. Today as I remember who God is and who I am I find myself learning a lesson in humility.
Take Away: When the Lord acts according to his own Sovereignty we can simply accept it ā after all he doesnāt need our understanding, permission, or approval.
Devotional on Nahum
Not thinking too highly of ourselves
Nahum 1: A report on the problem of Nineveh.
Nahum gets the job Jonah wanted. Around 100 years earlier God sent Jonah to preach condemnation to Nineveh, but in hopes that they would repent and be spared. Jonah would have been happy to preach the message of Godās judgment if that was all there was to it. Now, two generations later Nahum is given that message. āThe problem of Ninevehā is that the Assyrian empire is the superpower of the region. The tiny nation of Judah is in fearful awe of that empire and behind every move they make is the question, āWill this be okay with the powers that be in the Assyrian capitol of Nineveh?ā Nahumās call from God is to reorient the priorities of Judah. Heās to tell his people that God is still God and that Nineveh will be held to the same standards as the other nations of the world. The prophet goes to work proclaiming his message. In the first part of his sermon he reminds them that, as mighty as Assyria might be, the Lord is the āAll-mighty.ā Godās a patient God, but, in the end, heās also Judge of the world. To him, Assyria is just another nation and theyāre about to be called to account for their abuse of power. My nation is on the Assyrian side of things. Weāre the superpower and, to borrow an old saying, āwhen America sneezes the whole world gets a bad cold.ā As I read from the little Book of Nahum Iām reminded that in Godās eyes weāre not as big a deal as we think we are.
Take Away: Itās important for us as individuals and as a nation to remember that the Lord is the āAll-Mighty.ā
Devotional on John
Peter, stop arguing!
John 13: Why canāt I follow now?
Itās Thursday night before Jesus is arrested. He and his disciples are in the Upper Room and Jesus is in the role of servant, washing their feet. He comes to Peter, but Peter resists, declaring āYouāre not going to wash my feet ā ever!ā Jesus, though, persists telling Peter that if he wonāt allow this that heāll have no part in what Jesus has come to do. Peter decides to give in, but if thatās how it is, he has a better idea. He wants Jesus to wash his hands and head as well. Once again, our Lord holds steady, explaining that itās foot washing that Peter needs and itās foot washing that heās going to get. Then, the meal ended, Jesus tenderly commands his disciples to love one another. This, he says, will be their primary, distinguishing characteristic. As Jesus is stating these words, Peterās focus is on what Jesus said earlier. He ignores the teaching concerning mutual love and wants to know where Jesus is going. The Lord patiently responds, telling Peter that someday heāll follow but not right now. Peter is having none of that. āWhy later? Why not now?ā he demands. Then he adds, āIāll lay down my life for you.ā At this point, Jesus has had enough of Peterās approach. Even as he declares his allegiance to the Lord his responses are always that he knows better than Jesus. At this point Jesus tells him that big time failure is coming to him, and soon. I donāt know whether to smile at Peterās āLord, I love you but I know better than youā approach or if I should wince and remember the times Iāve blundered ahead of the Lord thinking I knew what to do without asking him. How often do my actions betray the truth that I think I know better than God?
Take Away: A part of following Jesus is admitting that heās smarter than we are.
Devotional on Ephesians
In over my head
Ephesians 3: So here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head.
It was hidden in plain view. Throughout the ages the Lord God has intended to save all people. Some considered to be insiders are no more āinsideā than those assumed to be outside the saving work of God. It was always there, easy enough to see, but missed by most. Now, the secret is out and throughout the Gentile world people are responding to the way made clear by the work of Jesus, the Son of God. The Apostle Paul is amazed to find himself in the middle of things. He, more than most anyone, had been blind to Godās intention, at one point actively fighting against it. In fact, Paul has been twice surprised: first, by the fact that all along God intended to save all who will come and second, by the fact that he, Paul, has a role to play in the revelation of this plan. The Apostle considers himself to be, of all people, an especially unlikely candidate. Still he finds himself uniquely equipped for the work, with words and ministry flowing out of his life. He knows that the Source of all this isnāt in him at all, but, rather, is the result of Godās doing through him what he could never do otherwise. Paulās experience is, of course, extraordinary and a person who wants to lay claim on any similarities had better tread carefully. Still, itās important for preachers and teachers and professors to get their heads around this. On one hand, believing God has chosen us and uses us in surprising ways lends us a sense of spiritual authority and self-assurance in our service of the Lord. On the other hand, knowing that none of it actually comes from us grounds us in real humility. Otherwise, we end up thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, and the possibility of our ministry being used of God is greatly diluted.
Take Away: When God calls and uses a person that person must never lose sight of the fact that their usefulness is the Lordās doing and not theirs.
Devotional on Titus
Being the leader God calls one to be
Titus 2: Youāre in charge. Donāt let anyone put you down.
Here in Crete Titus is operating in new territory. Heās been part of Paulās team, traveling from place to place. Sometimes heās gone out on special assignment, delivering a message or the like, but still operating under Paulās wing. Now, though, things are different. Yes, heās been appointed by Paul to this task, but, by and large heās on his own. The Apostle reminds him of what heās supposed to do, but this time, itās Titus, by himself, meeting with congregations and organizing their leadership. It may be that Paul knows Titus well enough to know that heās going to struggle a bit with this assignment. Even as he spells out Titusā responsibilities Paul makes it a point to tell him that heās in charge and as he meets with these budding congregations he needs to be ready to stand his ground concerning the kind of leaders they need and the kind of people theyāre supposed to be. Here, again, I find myself considering a leadership principle. Humbleness is critical if one is to be the servant-leader Christian leaders are called to be. At the same time though, if one has been called to and granted authority for leadership by the Lord, that individual needs to have a firm grasp on that leadership. Most everyone recognizes God-called leadership. The thing is that while most recognize and appreciate it, a few are threatened by it and will challenge or manipulate it if they think they can get away with it. A Christian leader must recognize this and be ready to stand firm in his or her calling in a Christ-like manner.
Take Away: Christian leaders are servant-leaders, but they do carry with them a sense of authority.
Devotional on 1 Peter
The disposition of the believer
1Peter 3: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
The original readers of this letter are under pressure, suffering for their faith. Not only that but theyāre in the first generation of Christianity. In this passage Peter describes the general disposition of a believer. Christians are to be agreeable, sympathetic people. Weāre to be known for our compassion on others and our humility concerning ourselves. Weāre not to advance the cause of Christianity by force and people arenāt to have to worry about watching their āPās & Qāsā when theyāre around us. Even non-Christians are to feel comfortable and it should go without saying that weāre to treat one another in kind, agreeable ways. Sad to say, some believers havenāt gotten this memo. They think that theyāre doing God a favor by forcing their moral code down peopleās throats. They think theyāre being good soldiers in his army by creating lots of collateral damage on fellow believers with whom they have a few differences of opinion. The question I need to ask myself is how do I score on this āagreeable, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, humbleā test? Peter, it seems, can almost hear peopleās self-justification at this point, so he adds: āThat goes for all of you, no exceptions.ā He continues, āThatās your job, to bless.ā Of course, my non-Christian friends are to know that I believe thereās a superior way for them to live. At the same time, theyāre to conclude an encounter with me feeling that theyāve been blessed and not cursed.
Take Away: Do people think of time with us as a blessing or a curse?
Devotional on Numbers
All in the family
Numbers 12: God overheard their talk.
On the surface itās a family squabble. Mosesā brother and sister, Miriam and Aaron, donāt like his wife. This isnāt especially earthshaking. There are many in-laws who donāt get along. In this case, though, Mosesā brother and sister go public with their family dispute, apparently undermining his leadership by pointing out that Moses is married to a non-Israelite. Itās here that we find this chilling sentence: āGod overheard their talk.ā Actually, this passage usually brings a smile to my face. The statement that Moses is the most humble man on the face of the earth is quite funny when we think of the tradition that Moses is the author of Numbers. Supposedly we have him describing himself here as the most humble man on earth! In spite of the smile, however, this is quite a serious passage. God doesnāt like it when people undermine the leadership he’s put in place. The issue here isnāt about disagreeing with leaders, questioning some decision they’ve made. Instead, itās about undermining God-given authority. In this case, God doesnāt like what he hears and acts to shore up his chosen leaderās status by diminishing theirs. Surely there are times when church leaders need correction but if they need to be taken down a peg or two, weād better be careful about our place in it.
Take Away: A God called leader remains human and prone to error but he or she also deserves respect as one set apart by the Lord.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
Luggage compartment
1 Samuel 10: He’s right over there — hidden in that pile of baggage.
Things are moving too fast for young Saul. Not long ago the old man of God, Samuel, floored him with the announcement that he has been picked by God to be the first king of Israel. Then thereās the surprising episode with the prophets; he still hasn’t figured that one out. Now, he finds himself at the big gathering to announce the new king. He already knows the outcome; Samuel let him in on God’s plan and the prospect of being king both terrifies and thrills him. This big man dislikes being noticed — something that can hardly be avoided. After all, just his standing up gets him plenty of attention. Almost by instinct he slips out of the main gathering to find a comfortable, out of sight place among the baggage. Here he sits, wondering what he will do when his name is announced. The answer to the question is known soon enough: he does nothing. Frozen in fear and indecision he sits there until someone finds him. Like it or not, he is the man picked by God to be king and the Lord won’t take “no” for an answer. I feel kind of sorry for Saul in this incident. In fact, I identify with both his hesitation and thrill at what the Lordās doing in his life. Often I find myself feeling unworthy and incapable of doing what the Lord places before me. The greatest source of hope in such times is the knowledge that when God calls to some task he also provides the strength necessary to accomplish that task. Still, it would sometimes be easier to hide among the baggage.
Take Away: If the Lord calls you to it, heāll enable you to do it.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
I was w-w-w-wrong
2 Chronicles 25: But what about all this money ā these tons of silver I have already paid out to hire these men?
The āchroniclerā starts off telling us that Amaziah ālives wellā and ādoes the right thingā and then begins an accounting of all the foolish blunders he makes. Itās likely that Amaziah handled things just fine until things begin to unravel near the end of his reign. At one point heās preparing for war. After numbering his army he concludes that he needs more soldiers so he turns to Israel for help, paying a great deal of money to mercenary soldiers to fight on his side. However, the Lord sends word to him that this is a huge mistake. These soldiers wonāt be helped by the Lord because they donāt trust in him. Amaziahās response is reasonable. He wants to know about all the money heās already spent on these fighters. The man of God reminds him that itās better to have Godās help than it is to have a bigger army. The king yields, writing off the wages already spent as a bad investment. This account doesnāt earn Amaziah stellar marks, but it does earn him a passing grade. Failure, in this case, would have been throwing good money after bad. The lesson here is one well learned. Those of us who are of a strong will tend to lock our jaws and press on even when itās more and more apparent that we shouldnāt have started down a certain path in the first place. Our argument is the same one the king used: āIāve come too far and invested too much to turn back now.ā No one believes in perseverance more than I do, but sometimes perseverance is just a flimsy cover up for pride. At some point a heaping helping of humble pie is in order. āI thought I was right and that this would work, but I was wrong.ā Write it off and get on with life.
Take Away: Better to write off a loss than to compound the situation by doubling down on a bad decision.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Pride goes before a fall
2 Chronicles 26: Arrogant and proud, he fell.
Uzziah is just a teen when he becomes king of Judah. By and large, he does a good job as king and his long reign is a good one for his nation. From the beginning he seeks God. The Lord is pleased with him and blesses his life with successful building projects and a strong army. Then, when it seems Uzziah will be one of the rare kings who have nothing but positive things on their record something ugly happens. His successes go to Uzziahās head. We donāt know the full story but Uzziah decides, like Saul did many generations earlier, to take over the worship activities. He takes the one role in the nation that’s denied him ā going into the Temple and acting as priest of God. The legitimate priests, descendants of Aaron, try to stop Uzziah, but he ignores them. With the holy censor in hand, he refuses to hear the objections of the priests. Then, God objects, and when he objects, he canāt be ignored. The dreaded disease of leprosy breaks out on Uzziahās hand as he holds the censor. This is Godās judgment. Itās too bad isnāt it. Uzziah comes so far and does so many things right. His downfall comes, not as a result of some big temptation or some great threat. Instead, itās brought about by his success. When things are going right and itās clear that God is blessing us we need to remember Uzziah. Here we see a lesson in how success can lead to failure.
Take Away: The distance from impressive success to dismal failure is shorter than we might think.
Devotional on Nehemiah
The Dung Gate
Nehemiah 3: The Dung Gate itself was rebuilt by Malkijah son of Recab.
As the work begins on the big wall rebuilding project, Nehemiah, as general contractor, takes us on a tour of the job site. This is a huge undertaking so heās organized the leading families of Jerusalem to take on different sections of the wall, including some who are rebuilding the gates to the city. We meet Hanun and his team who are rebuilding the Valley Gate and then we come to Malkijah and his crew. Malkijah is an important person among the returned exiles; in fact, heās the mayor of the nearby district of Beth Hakkerem.
Just a second, it looks as though Malkijah is taking a short break, maybe we can have a word with him, “Excuse me, your honor, do you have a second?”
“Sure, but not long mind you; there’s work to be done.”
“Being such an important person in Jerusalem, I imagine you have an important gate to rebuild. So tell me about this gateā¦is it one of the historic royal gates, used only for the king?”
He smiles and shakes his head.
“Maybe itās used for religious purposes, like the Sheep Gateā¦or for commerce?”
Malkijah grins at us, “This, my friends, is none other than the Dung Gate.”
We’re somewhat taken back by this. “Do you mean this gate is primarily used for human waste disposal?” Weāre surprised that this important man is rebuilding such a lowly gate.
Then Malkijah son of Recab, mayor of Beth Hakkerem says, “But it is an important gate ā itās important because itās being rebuilt in the Name of the Lord. Anything you do in his Name is a worthy effort.”
As we rejoin the tour we find ourselves thinking about our attitude toward some of the more lowly things we do in the Name of the Lord.
Take Away: If the Lord gives us a task, for us, that task is the most important one in the world.
Devotional on Job
God is God
Job 42: I babbled on about things far beyond me.
Job responds to the Almightyās questions as a humbled man. Here he is, still sitting in the ashes. His children are still dead. His wealth is still gone. Heās still in the agony of his affliction. Job isnāt now humbly spiritual because God has fixed everything or even explained everything to him. So far as I know, Job never learns what this is all about; that itās all a test designed to answer the question, “Does he serve God for nothing?” Job has proved the Lord’s point though. Through it all, even when heās struggling with the issues at hand, Job maintains his righteousness and trust in God. Now, God has spoken, revealing himself to Job, challenging him to respond to his own questions. Job responds, “I babbled on about things far beyond me.” This meeting with God makes all of Job’s questions moot. God is God and, even when life is unfair and perplexing, well, God is still God. In his trial, Job tries to state his case; to explain himself to his friends. More, he tries to explain God. This suffering man now realizes that heās been trying to deal with the details of life but has lost sight of this huge, overpowering truth: God is God. In my life, even as I struggle with circumstances that don’t fit my theology, I must, after all my babbling on about how I think things are, remember this: God is God.
Take Away: Even when I donāt understand…even when I donāt like how things are goingā¦even then, God is God.
Devotional on the Psalms
Perspective
Psalm 8: Why do you bother with us?
In all of life thereās a need for balance and in Psalm 8 weāre given a nice example of this. On one hand, I’m a mere speck in the Universe, practically invisible in comparison to God’s wondrous Creation. Honestly, sometimes I get this and sometimes I don’t. Rick Warren starts his famous Purpose Driven Life book with the words, “It’s not about you” and I can read that and respond, “Yes, I know!” Other times I get caught seeing things only from my tiny perspective: “Why are they singing that song again? I don’t like it nearly as much as I like the others. Let’s sing some southern gospel, that’s my kind of music!” At times like that it doesn’t hurt for me to remember that the worship service isn’t really designed for me in the first place. Still, I know I can go too far with this humility stuff. Back in the Stone Age of my childhood church kids were taught to say, “God didn’t make any junk.” Iām valued by the Lord. Still, once in a while it’s a good idea for me to look around and realize that everything isn’t in orbit around me after all and to join David in humbly asking the Almighty, “Why do you bother with ” me at all?
Take Away: It really isnāt all about me ā or you!