When prayers are not answered…

The promise of God is that His people are “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3) and that as “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

This is evidence of the Spirit-filled life. In that place where Jesus reigns, sin cannot, but if I have unconfessed sin that I know about and have not taken it to the Cross, God can bestow no other blessings, no matter how much I desire them and fervently pray for them. Today, I’m thinking about the need for purity in my life takes priority over God answering all my prayers. As one writer says, the temple must first be made pure before the King will come in to reign there!

For example, when severe famine hit and God’s people suffered, He sent Joseph into Egypt — sold as a slave, suffering all the way and “the word of God tested his faith” until the ruler who had food “set him free and made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.” (Psalm 105:17–22)

It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning his future that was always on his mind. It must have seemed totally impossible at times but after this man grew through the testing, then he was fit for the the task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with the love and patience of the Lord.

I will not experience what Joseph did, but as I pray for what God promises to do, for myself and for those that I pray for, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard. Yet I see that this is a discipline of faith for me also. It brings me into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.

What does this look like? Oswald Chambers describes it with spiritual disciplines, calling them habits. He warns that as I become more virtuous, patient, even godly, these are only stages and if I stop there, I can easily strut as if I’ve arrived. What God wants is that those disciplines be practiced so they are not conscious habits at all, because they are lost in the life of Christ.

In other words, God wants spiritual discipline to be such a part of me that I do the right things without even thinking about it. Yet I could make a god out of my little Christian habits, and if that happens, the Lord will upset the habit to show me what I’ve done.

Yesterday, before sitting to devotions, an interruption came and it upset me — I wanted to be reading the Bible and praying when God wanted me to be eager to help. Had I made a god of my spiritual disciplines? Likely.

Chambers says love means invisible habits. That is, unconsciously doing whatever God puts before me in grace and being ‘at home’ with it, not upset because an interruption messed with the practice of ‘my’ habit. Jesus is my example. No matter what came along, He was at home with God and not disrupted by anything.

This partly answers why God focuses more on my shortfall than on answering all my prayers. I am not yet ready to live with the answers because I realize how many demands they could make on the current habits of my life. 

PRAY: Jesus, this is huge. I knew that any interruption to my plans needs to be met with grace and godliness, but not only did my frustration miss that, it also missed the point Chambers makes, that I can put even my spiritual disciplines ahead of what You are calling me to do, making them my god rather than You. Thank You for this conviction and I do confess the root of how I reacted. Forgive me for thinking a virtuous habit is more important than hearing You in the midst of even that. Help me be a better listener, doing it because that is who I am.

Putting on my Sunday best…

Today is Easter Sunday. Jesus is risen!

We are getting ready for church and I’m thinking about the ‘old days’ when Easter Sunday meant trotting out in your best and newest clothes. For women, this ‘Easter parade’ was a competitive time of being the best dressed and if not that, at least adorned with all things new.

Times have changed, thankfully. Most churches (at least the ones I’ve attended) stress casual. The emphasis is on being there, not being a fashion model, not even on Easter Sunday. Today’s devotional verses are for those who still might be concerned about that, but are more for those concerned about simply having clothes.

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28–30)

This blog is called “Practical Faith” for a reason. God has shown me that trusting Him is about all of life, all my needs, every detail, including clothes. However, it is also about an eternal perspective. Much of what concerns humanity who live on this tiny planet in a vast universe will not last very long. Our lives are short and the things that can become a preoccupation will eventually wind up in the trash.

This is why we are not to be anxious about a lot of things. In fact, a verse that follows the passage above says,

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

This means if I keep my priorities right, God will take care of the temporary needs. Today, my focus is on worship and on being the wife, mother, and mother-in-law that pleases God and does good for my family. He considers righteousness a vital quest. What I wear to church isn’t nearly so important!

What shall I wear today?

When Adam and Eve sinned, they made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves. While people joke about this, it was no laughing matter. They tried to cover their nakedness before God and while it might have done the job physically, their efforts didn’t remove away their sense of shame because fig leaves could not cover their sin. Instead, “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). In this He revealed the cost of sin and the only thing that will cover it—shed blood and death.

While not every mention of clothing in the Bible is a symbol, clothing definitely became a symbol of God’s grace and what He does for us. Reading verses about it makes me look at what I’m wearing today in more ways than one.

In Exodus 28:40-41, God told Moses, “For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make headpieces for them, for glory and beauty. So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.”

The clothing of the priests symbolized their righteousness and purity before the Lord. Psalm 132:16 adds, “I will also clothe her (Zion’s) priests with salvation.” In contrast, verse 18 says that He will “clothe His enemies with shame.”

Clothing is used symbolically for more than the priests. In Isaiah 61:3, God says he will console those who are sorry for their sin by replacing their mourning with the oil of joy, and “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” That garment appeals to me!

Christians speak often of the white robes of righteousness that God gives His people. The use of clothing is often hinted in Scripture passages that tell us to “put off” our old life and behavior and “put on” the virtues that Christ has given us. When I get dressed each day, I need to remember to be spiritually clothed also.

As I read about this, I thought of another inclusion in my wardrobe—the armor of God. It is spoken of in Ephesians 6:10-20. Because I have an enemy that wants to pull me into sin and defeat me, God tells me to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

This armor consists of the belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, shoes representing the gospel of peace, a shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. As I cover myself with these garments and use the protection and weapon God gives me, I can defeat the enemy’s lies and other tactics and stand firm in my faith. I am also promised that my prayers for others will be powerful.

The robes of righteousness represent all virtue given to me by Jesus Christ. One is mentioned in 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”

I struggle with this battle. Not only do spiritual enemies try to sidetrack me, but my own old self would like to reign. Wearing pride comes more easily than putting on humility. However, I’m helped by knowing my destiny. Revelation 19:7-8 speaks of the church, the Bride of Christ; which includes me. It says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

One day all the struggle to obey God will end. He will take off everything that resisted Him and replace it with a pure and brilliant righteousness. That promise encourages me to do the best I can to keep my garments clean and white.