Hang on to faith . . .

 

1 Kings 6; Psalm 86; Ezekiel 36; Ephesians 3

This week I’ve considered the state of our world, the seemingly lack of power in the church and in my own self — and became quite discouraged. The desire to pray is gone at times and that frightens me. Is this old age? Or another spiritual battle? This morning, the psalmist gave me two prayers:

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name” (Psalm 86:11) and “Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” (Psalm 86:17)

The first one requests focus for a wandering mind; I need that. The second is not so much about me as it is about all God’s people who are hated and longing for the Lord to show us His great power and faithfulness.

In the next two readings, the Lord gave me a brief history lesson, one that reminds me of His character and another that points to His unchanging grace and plan for His people.

Ezekiel starts out describing the disobedience of Israel and how the Lord was angry with their bloodshed and idolatry. He scattered them among the nations and judged for what they had done but the nations noticed and questioned how God’s people could be scattered like this. Then God said:

“I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.”

With this, He promised to heal their land, restore prosperity and cause them to remember and loathe their sin. He would cleanse them from it and turn the waste places back like Eden so that “the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord” and so Israel “will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36:16–38)

Some say this will happen in a future time. Others say it was fulfilled in the church because the Body of Christ became the new people of God and the new “Israel” . . . “the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Whatever it means, it is clear that the God who created all things “has through the church made known His manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Because of His eternal purpose realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, His people “have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

The author of Ephesians then says:

“So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father . . . that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being . . . that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend  . . .  the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:1–21)

APPLY: Don’t give up. The God who can ‘fix all messes’ is able to deal with the mess our world is now in and He can restore those who have fallen into sin, despair, and this feeling of hopelessness. The enemy knows what He is doing in His people and doesn’t want us to be full of hope and boldness. Hang on, trust God who is at work.