How Vital to know that God knows…

 

More and more the Lord directs me to Charnock’s book for devotional thoughts. This man knew God and the implications of his writing build my faith. My first choice for this year does not do that. More often that author’s doubts sound as if a finger is pointing at me for my failures rather than to God for His amazing grace. Even as He convicts me of sin, I must also be reminded of His great mercy.

Today, the topic is again the omniscience of God. He knows all, including the pressures I face. He hears my cries, but before I experience any of it, He knows when they may be usefully inflicted, and when they may be profitably removed. He knows my service and my struggles and I am never out of His mind.

… I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)… (Revelation 2:8–9)
And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them…(Mark 6:48)

Charnock says: “Joseph may forget his brethren, and the disciples not know Christ when he walks upon the midnight waves and turbulent sea, but a lion’s den cannot obscure a Daniel from his sight, nor the depths of the whale’s belly bury Jonah from the Divine understanding He discerns Peter in his chains, and Stephen under the stones of martyrdom; he knows Lazarus under his tattered rags, and Abel wallowing in his blood. His eye and knowledge goes along with his people, when they are transplanted into foreign countries, and sold for slaves into the islands of the Grecian, “for he will raise them out of the place” (Joel 3:6, 7). He would defeat the hopes of the persecutors, and applaud the patience of his people. He knows his people in the tabernacle of life, and in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). He knows all evils, because he commissions and directs them. He knows the instruments, because they are His sword (Psalm 17:13); and He knows his gracious sufferer because He hath his mark. He discerns Job in his anguish, and the devil in his malice. By the direction of this attribute He orders calamities, and rescues from them. (Psalm 10:14).

That is the comfort of every believer, and the ground of committing ourselves to God under all the injustice of men. He remembers we were but dust when He made us, and yet remembers we are but dust while He preserves us. This was David’s practice and comfort as he begs a mercy suitable to the glory of God’s perfection:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

David’s desire is not that God should know him, for it would be senseless to beg of God that he should have mercy, or faithfulness, or power, or knowledge in his nature; but he desires the exercise of this attribute, in the discovery of himself to himself, in order to his sight of any wicked way he would see and confess it and live accordingly.

I can appeal to this perfection to judge me when my actions are censured by others or questioned by myself, to have a clear eye so I do not “mistake brass for gold, or counterfeit graces for true” because my ability to evaluate my own life is pitiful compared to the all-knowing power of God. He can discern what I cannot see, both defects and His working through me.

 Not only that, if God did not fully understand me, how could I have a perfect and full pardon from him? He knows all my sin, even what I don’t know myself. He knows what sins to lay upon my Savior whose pure merits I depend and whose blood has covered. His infinite understanding of what Christ has done directs him to disarm his justice. He understands what I have done and understands what Jesus has done for me. He knows — and He blots out all my guilt and applies His remedy long before I even know I need it.

PRAY: What can be said to this? My heart is filled with worship for the One who knows, who understands, and who sent Jesus Christ to die for all of it, forgiving all of it and setting me free to live for Jesus and not for myself.

No matter what — God can…

 

Yesterday’s worship at our church was filled with blessings, so much so I feel again like God’s spoiled brat. The weather was perfect. The music incredible. The sermon matched my devotions and praised the wonder of God’s salvation. Communion always gives me the sense of a grand family reunion, and the church was filled.

Then, as people went forward to receive the bread and grape juice, one waved to me — a man who lived across the street from us as a boy and spent more time in our house than his own. How thrilling to see him in that place. Other friends, one who sat with us and had lived with us before going on a mission trip to Morocco. A family who came a year ago as refugees fleeing persecution and have become our family. The entire time filled with the sense of the Lord’s presence with us. How wonderful.

Then today I look at my prayer list. Wars and rumors of wars. A controversial election coming south of us. A friend with cancer. Another with serious heart issues. A family whose wife and mom died at age forty. Reports of children being brainwashed. A friend in danger of losing his sight. Many events needing the hand of God to give them meaning and grace. I hear Him whispering, “Back to work, my child” because the day of rest is past. And then He says this:

“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

What a wonder that with less than ten words, the load is already lighter, yet I still must pray — for the events, for the people, for changes and grace, for meaning given to all who wonder if the Lord has forgotten them, and most of all and in it all that God is glorified. 

PRAY: Jesus, I won’t write all here, only to thank You for the freedom and ability to acknowledge when life feels like it’s too much. I’m glad the gospel calls me to hope not despair, to faith not doubt and worry, and to intercede with trust not in desperation or worse, in presumption.

I’m reminded how Mary was shocked at the thought of giving birth to you. She was overwhelmed yet she said, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Her attitude in that prayer is what mine needs to be: trusting, yet not my will but thine be done, an attitude You expressed before going to the cross. Kneeling before You with a long list of needs is nothing compared to what You faced in that garden long ago.

Jesus, I need the resources you’ve promised and you alone can give. I want to lift up friends, but also millions of people who I may never know, but who desperately need You to bless their lives. I’m not certain of their exact needs in this life, but no matter what that might be, I know that all need You.

You are the God of the possible. The prodigals in my family and in other families are not too far away for You to bring home. The deadly illnesses are not too difficult for You to cure, or to use as a blessing and the way home. I need wisdom to pray in Your will for these and all that You put on my heart. Most of all, I desire that You bring glory to Yourself in every situation and get the credit for what You do. And a small PS: A few big surprises today would be just so wonderful. Amen.

A Prayer Using God’s Words

 

It was a long but short night. Sleep eluded me, but daily saving time turned the clock back one hour. The devotional for today is one of those that charges me to exercise my will to choose to believe God so I can receive His comfort. I’ve already learned, known, and expressed that my will is only concerned about what I want, never what God wants. If I’m filled with His Spirit and living accordingly, then my thoughts will be like those of Jesus when He said, “Not my will but thine be done.”

Enough of that. What about biblical thoughts for today? I opened a book called “Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith” by Scotty Smith. The description begins with: “How would life be different if we could think, see, and do all things in light of the person and work of Jesus?”

This appeals to me. It is about praying the Scriptures and applying them to everyday life. Maybe I’m too tired of moving boxes and sorting stuff to give away, but reading his entry for today takes my mind off my will (a long nap?) and puts it on what God has done for me. With a few changes and personalizing the ESV version of today’s reference, I’m happy to think about this:

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved me, not because of works done by me in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on me richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace I might become an heir according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4–7)

PRAY: Heavenly Father, Scotty suggested having this inked as a tattoo, but I think of it as a poster on my wall. I need to have this amazing summary of the gospel ever before my eyes. I too easily forget. Even better than a poster is knowing You’ve already written this truth on my heart with indelible ink. You’re such an outrageously generous God. Your kindness and love appeared to me out of nowhere, like a bright light in a very dark place. I was not conscious of seeking You, but You were seeking me, not to harm me but to rescue me from both crippling guilt and stubborn pride. I praise you for your multiplied mercies.

And what a “bath” in the gospel you gave me — washing me once and for all through the new birth. You continue to renew, revive, and refresh me through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, poured forth and gently healing all the painful messes in my life and erasing all the scars. All Your blessings come so freely because you’ve given Jesus so fully.

Because You have justified me by your grace, the rest of my life is defined by heirship and hope. Though I sometimes feel and act like a fatherless, futureless orphan, nothing could be further from the truth. You will bring to completion the good work you’ve begun in me, in others, even the entire universe. I am totally grateful. Amen.

His knowledge = my comfort & joy!

Last night while watching a detective show, I noticed how those investigating a crime were able to discern when the people they interviewed were lying. Actors did a realistic imitation of the gestures and so on of those who are hiding something but proclaiming the opposite. Some people do have that ability in real life.

Imagine the discernment of God — how refreshing to know that God never mistakes outward appearance for reality, nor is led by the judgment of humans, particularly those who speak falsely. He laughs at our foolishness and ignorant judgements. Imagine God with no sounder discernment than we do and woe to sincere people who others think are hypocrites.

It is a joyful reality to know that God has infinite understanding. One day He will wipe off the dirt of worldly reproaches because He knows the least bit of grace and righteousness in the hearts of his people. He sees even the least saving faith, cherishes it, and will finish the work He has begun, not ever abandoning it.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. (Matthew 12:20)

When it comes to prayer, He hears more than our words. One of my praying friends began our sessions covering her mouth for fear her words were inadequate, but Stephen Charnock rightly says that words are but the garment of prayer while meditation is the body, and affection is the soul and life of prayer. He points to verses like, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation” (Psalm 5:1) to point out that prayer is a rational act of the mind. not the act of a parrot. It comes from the heart even though the speaking part is the work of the tongue. God gives ear to the words, but He considers the meditation of our hearts.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. (Malachi 3:16)

This too is related to His vast and complete knowledge. He observes millions of sins committed at the same time, by a vast number of persons, to record them in order to punishment. He also distinctly discerns an infinite number of cries, all at the same moment, to register them in order to answer. A sigh cannot escape Him — even though it is crowded among a mighty multitude of cries from others, even though it might be covered with many unwelcome distractions in myself. It is like the believing touch from the woman that had the bloody issue was not concealed from Christ, nor was her cry undiscerned in the pressure of the multitudes. My groans are as audible and intelligible to Him as my words. He knows the mind of His own Spirit (who is prompting my thoughts) even if it is expressed in no plainer language than sobs and gasps.

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)
O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. (Psalm 38:9)

PRAY: Oh Lord, such a blessing to read and think these realities about You and Your total knowledge, particularly regarding prayer. You hear the desires of my heart. Knowing You hear me makes up for the many times I’ve felt that no one is listening. Knowing You hear me, I can even say with the psalmist: “Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.” (Psalm 6:8–10) And this is the confidence that I have toward You, that if I ask anything according to Your will You hear me. And if I know that You hears me in whatever I ask, I know that I have the requests that I have asked of You. (1 John 5:14–15, personalized) You are utterly amazing!

Two kinds of comfort…

 

Consider this chain of events: The world is in a mess > It makes me feel awful > I want to be comfortable > I shut out what is going on > My world is a happier place. OR this one: The world is a mess > My heart is burdened > I realize I cannot fix it > I call out to God in prayer > He assures me that His will is done > I am at peace even though the mess does not go away.

God often comforts by removing the cause of my distress, or by giving me the ability to trust Him in the distress, but no real comfort comes if I try to get rid of it (which is beyond my power anyway) or ignore it, which can produce ulcers if nothing else.

How does God provide deeper water? It is not mysterious. In the power of the Holy Spirit, He reminds me of truth concerning Himself, a passage of Scripture, a verse from a hymn, a word from a Christian friend, a sermon, even the beauty of creation. In other words, He tells me about Himself and diverts my focus to His incredible goodness. Thinking truth about God comforts me.

Most marvelous is that God is honest, not two-faced. He is not like we humans can be with our mouth saying one thing and our mind thinking the opposite. This can show up even in my prayers so when distressed, I need to pray with integrity, not saying what sounds good but having my words match what I really think, like the psalmist who knew — God knows the heart:

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! (Psalm 17:1)
And not deserving the rebuke God gave to those whose words did not match their deeds:
Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth— will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could.” (Jeremiah 3:4–5)

God is not fooled by pretense. Jacob duped his father into thinking he was Esau. Those tribes apostatized from the true religion went to seek the Lord and sacrifice yet God’s prophet said of them:

With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields. (Hosea 5:6–7)

As if God did not know their hearts. To do such things and continue to outwardly claim faith and obedience is saying my comfort is more important so if I flatter God with my words and outer actions, I’m okay. This is deceit and an unworthy concept of God. How can I satisfy the guilt of inward sins by external service, or by a loud voice with a false heart? God is far more interested in honesty and truth than any sacrifice with pretense or for outward appearance.

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)
(God)  stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, (Proverbs 2:7)

That said, God does not want me to say “I am fine” to impress others (or Him) when I am hurting or setting inside. This is not integrity. Yet if I am hurting but also experiencing that ‘deeper water’ that James 1:2-4 offers, then I can honestly say “I am fine” because God has given me the joy of the Holy Spirit in my trials. It all boils down to who or what I am listening to — truth from God or the ideas of the world, my flesh, or the devil.

PRAY: Jesus, I remember reading how the way a person handles stress will predict their health (When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté) and one of those ways is faking on the outside what is going on in the inside. Your Word speaks of this also. How vital to be honest about my inner life, whether it is rocky and uncomfortable, or rocky with enough deep water from You to glide over the rocks with joy. Your truths are blessing me and today I am still joyful — my body is tired and sore, but that joy makes such a difference!

He knows all yet was willing to die for all…

 

Today, after our holiday and after this move, and even though our home is not yet organized, I get back to the routine of praying with others for a couple hours. This morning I read more of Charnock’s amazing book, a section on the omniscience of God. He knows all things just as the Bible says in verses like these:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1–4)

Charnock points out that prayer is not to administer knowledge to God, but to acknowledge this admirable perfection of His nature. If God did not know, why pray? It would be like asking a statue, or a photograph, or any idol to protect and care for me. Instead, I’m talking with One who knows, and that alone is a comfort.

For lack of knowledge, people misunderstand people. On Sunday, a person asked me if I could drop in anytime to visit my adult children. He asked in several ways and told me that no one seemed to understand his question. Of course I didn’t — I’m not omniscient and needed more information. Were his children annoyed with him for showing up without letting them know? Was he troubled by their busyness and wanting to make plans before coming over? I could only guess, but God never has to guess.

Charnock points to Jonah who tried to hide from God, as if God did not know that he fled to Tarshish. Charnock mentions the brothers of Joseph who didn’t tell their father what happened to his favored son. Did they think God didn’t know? He also says that people tend to more easily confess visible sins than those held in secret, as if the observations of others are more incentive than the knowledge of God.
The reading for today even suggests that some will reverse the meaning of Bible promises or add to them in an expression of their unbelief. For example, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4) becomes “Blessed are they that rejoice, for they, and they only, shall be comforted.”

As a prayer leader, I need to watch out for such things and encourage faith, not only in our small group but in my own prayer life. The author of this reading says this is a problem of unbelief, yet I would add the sin of pride also motivates it. Compare being needy and asking for help with being so needy that ‘even God cannot help’ as one way to avoid honoring Him.

PRAY: Jesus, that true crime story I read yesterday gave me a shocking glimpse into the human heart. Lack of faith in You can result in extreme selfish thinking and actions that nothing else matters. What amazes me that it is for all sin You died. You bore the shame and the punishment for my sin and for unspeakable sins, even knowing that “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14) I’m in awe, not only that You know all things, but that You also came to earth to save sinners — all who sin, including me.

Pride ignores rebukes

One life event can became a negative to the rest of life. In high school, I did so well that if my marks were less than 100% in pop quizzes, the rest of the class made fun of me. This treatment, plus my pride, affected my view of being corrected. Correction didn’t happen very often but when it did, I dismissed it. Instead of seeing it as helpful, it seemed like mockery. Looking back, I can remember a few times that I should have listened and didn’t, resulting in life-long problems.

Today’s reading reflects how I feel now about being corrected for mistakes I’m making. It remains a rare thing, mostly because my pride also keeps me from listening. Not only that, a few times I’ve asked for help and my request backfired. Once I asked a friend about a problem and her advice was “try harder” and not at all what I needed to hear. Self-effort (pride again) instead of trusting the Lord was causing the problem in the first place. Trying harder would increase it.

Finally, I realized that God reproves me for my sins and this is a comfort. What would I be if my Savior did not show me my faults and give me a desire to get rid of them? Of course I would rather see my own faults than have anyone else should see them, but God can use others in His work of rebuking sin to bring comfort to a soul disappointed in itself. I’ve learned:

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:6)
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it…. (Psalm 141:5)

The psalmist also says he does not want to consort with evil people or listen to them or be involved in evil with them. I agree. Sin is easy, but the consequences are never worth it.

Today’s reading also says I need the Holy Spirit’s comforting all the more because I am not worthy. Christ came into the world to save sinners not good people, and my unworthiness is my greatest claim for His salvation. Note this passage (personalized) that shows His attitude toward the unworthy, and what He does about it:

For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for her spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. Because of the iniquity of her unjust gain I was angry, I struck her; I hid my face and was angry, but she went on backsliding in the way of her own heart. I have seen her ways, but I will heal her; I will lead her and restore comfort to her and her mourners, creating the fruit of her lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal her.” (Isaiah 57:16–19)

I’ve often said that I could not worship a God who didn’t care about my sinfulness, who didn’t love me enough to correct me. Yes, correction is often painful, and my history has made some of it hard to accept, but love changes my receptivity. I pray with a group of ladies, and one of them is particularly good at loving correction, easy to listen to because the Holy Spirit is using her to gentle tell me when I get off base. She, and others who love God’s people, bring the consolations of God that result in a far higher and better thing than the things I lose to receive them.

PRAY: Lord, sometimes correction from people still stings because I feel mocked instead of ministered to, but when You are using those stings to change my life and make me more like You, I need to welcome them, pay attention, confess the sins and welcome Your forgiveness and cleansing. Grant me the grace to be better at receiving Your loving rebukes.