Stand in the night

Jesus said to His disciples (and to me), “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” (John 12:35) 

Walking with God is easy when I know what He wants, when prayers are being answered, when life makes sense. But what about the opposite? What about the foggy times when I’m uncertain of His will, when it seems His ears are deaf, and when nothing makes sense? 

David experienced those dark times. He’d served Saul faithfully and Saul was trying to kill him. His own sons were after his throne and he was not certain who he could trust. 

Others have had experiences that could make them think that God had abandoned them. Job certainly felt that way after losing his family, his health, and all that he had. Yet this man knew that God was still there. He said, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face” (Job 13:15) and “He knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10). Despite all that happened, Job had that inner assurance that kept popping up from his spirit and out of his mouth.

Worshiping God in the tough times is like that. My focus might be more on my troubles than it should be, but even then, the assurance of God’s presence and purpose for my life whispers and comforts me. Again, it is easy to worship and serve God in the light, but serving Him in the night is not impossible.

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! (Psalm 134:1–3)

The psalmist honored those who stand in the night. He bids them (and me) to lift up my hands and worship Him, even in a dark place. He also reminds me that He is the Creator of the universe who always blesses His people. Circumstances change. Light comes and sometimes goes, but He remains the same.

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Lord, every so often I need a reminder that You are my anchor, my firm place. This week, I’ve seen many answers to prayer, but faced perplexing situations and not known how to pray. Sometimes the shadows seem to overwhelm the sunlight. Yet in all this, You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are faithful even when I am not, or when I feel as if You are not here or hearing me. You teach me to walk by faith, not by sight and to stand by night and lift up my hands and bless You. 

(Photo credit)

The Kingdom of God is Now

One of my relatives belongs to a cult, those that go from door to door with a message that sounds biblical but falls short. Last week he said that we have troubles and sickness because we live in “Satan’s system” and that one day, all of that will be over. He expressed hope in a future utopia where everything would be perfect. 

As I thought about his ideology, I agree there is a sense where Satan does have reign over this world, or at least part of it. He does cause much sorrow in this world. However, the Bible calls him the prince of darkness and darkness is the realm where he rules. 

There is another kingdom; the kingdom of God. Luke quotes part of the Old Testament that foretells how the Messiah will do something to that realm because He will come . . .

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:79)

When Jesus came, John spoke of Him as light, and Jesus called Himself the Light of the world. No darkness can remain darkness against even a tiny candle so it is easy to see what happens when Jesus comes into the darkness of Satan’s kingdom.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

Later on, the New Testament says much about the change because Jesus Christ is the light of this world. This change does not happen to the realm of darkness but to the people He delivers from it.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13)

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)

In other words, Jesus delivers those who believe in Him from the rule and dominion of Satan. Instead of living in darkness and under his rule or his system, we live in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Our lives are not dominated by the devil or his doings. We are released from the power of sin and the power of this liar and destroyer who once held us in his clutches. 

Of course Christians look forward to the future where there will be no sin, but we also have the power and presence of God now. He is our King and we are members of His kingdom and his family from the moment we believe and are saved. Satan may be at work in the world around us, but we are not of this world. The Bible says that our citizenship is in heaven and that we are here as God’s ambassadors, representing Him until He returns.

Instead of a fearful desire to do all the right things so we can have a future with God, those who believe in Jesus Christ can enjoy Him right now. From the moment Christ came into my life, He began giving me light instead of darkness and placed me in a kingdom that cannot be conquered by Satan or anyone else. It is a kingdom where the King is not only in charge, but takes care of His subjects, supplying our every need.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:13–16)

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My Lord and my King, I bow before You today, thankful that You delivered me from Satan’s system and transferred me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. What is so amazing is that I didn’t need to do anything to earn or deserve this — nor could I. Salvation is by grace through faith, and even faith is a gift from You so that no one can boast. Thank You for being my King, for being faithful and kind, for upholding me when I fall and lifting me up when I am down. Thank You also that as I rely on You, You take care of everything — my needs, my wants, even the desires of my heart. Knowing and serving You is a privilege and a blessing. Thank You.

“Oh no, she’s awake!”

When my heart was set on stuff, on having bigger, better, more, it had an unquenchable appetite. Then I began to learn that the excitement of acquiring a new anything, or the thrill of achievement lasts, at the most, eighteen months — before it is replaced by the desire for more. 

This week my hubby picked up a newspaper with a glossy promotional magazine inside for an area in the Rocky Mountains that has two beautiful golf courses and many luxury homes. Of the several listed in the magazine, one was given 5-6 pages of colored photos and much hype. Very nice. 

These days while on meds that make me sleepy, my physical self would like at least a maid (or a houseboy, as I tease my hubby). Thoughts of having someone scrub the bathrooms and cook meals run more easily through my head than they did when I could do it all myself. Oh to be pampered.

Yesterday I picked up an art quilt magazine. It didn’t take long before I was comparing my efforts with those of the quilts that graced its pages. What would it be like to be recognized, to become a famous quilter, or a famous anything? Could I see myself in the limelight?

Today is one of those big birthdays, the kind with a zero in it, and at this stage of life, I know that I will not be moving to the Rockies, hiring household help, or becoming anything more than I already am. However, the reason I can dismiss even tempting thoughts is not the fact of my age, financial circumstances, or any “too late” or “too little” excuses. Those ambitions are nothing because God gives a far better reason for being content with what I have.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

In these verses, the “world” is not the physical earth or it inhabitants. Instead, it refers to a system of thinking that resides in sinful human nature. It is the desire to satisfy the desires of the flesh, to possess or have power over all that can be seen, and to build one’s ego, whatever it takes. This is worldliness, an attitude of the heart.

Of course this “world” is passing away. At my age, I know how fleeting any satisfaction is and how quickly the flesh wants more. But that is not the biggest reason for abandoning worldly thinking. Instead, I’m motivated by wanting the love of God in me and having Him rule my life. Doing His will is far more important than worldly gain.

Maybe after “too many birthdays” as my father used to say, it is easier to choose eternal values, but that is not the main motivation. Nor am I motivated by the fact that worldly pleasures do not last. Instead, not loving the world is the way that Jesus thinks, and Jesus lives in my heart. Thinking His thoughts is important to living my faith. Interestingly, Jesus did love the world, but not the same world that the above verses describe.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The “world” that God loved is the planet’s population. He did not sacrifice His Son so we could satisfy our fleshy desires and our pride. He gave us His only Son that we could have eternal life — a life far beyond anything this life could offer, including million dollar homes, servants, and lofty achievements. 

In this, there is a challenge for me. I’m to not love the world, but like Jesus, I need to love the world. Today’s devotional reading describes the difference. It says that I must love it with the love of God who gave His Son to die for it, with the love of Jesus who shed His blood for it. I’m to love it like the angels who rejoice when one sinner is saved and love it so I do it good and not harm. I’m to give my tears to its sufferings, my pity to its sorrows, my wealth to its needs, my prayers to its miseries. When God burdens me with its darkness and struggles, I’m to give my powers (which are really His powers) and my hours of labor. 

This reading goes on to say that I cannot live without affecting the world —or being affected by it. I will either make the world a better place, or it will make me a worse person. If I live like this, then I will be like a recent email that ended something like this, “Live your life in such a way that when you get up in the morning, the devil says, ‘Oh no, she’s awake!’”

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Lord, this world is passing away, just as my time here seems to be flying by. May Your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit enable me to live above worldly thinking, looking beyond it to the world to come, but also loving it so when I leave it, it will be a better place than had I not been here.

The church is not a building or a business

The true church is first an organism, not an organization or a building. It is made up of those who believe in Jesus Christ and are reborn, translated from the kingdom of darkness and sin to become members of the Body of Christ. It is a mysterious organism where diversity can be unified, not under a creed but by the person of Christ Jesus. He gives each member the Holy Spirit and citizenship in what is called His Body, His household, His holy dwelling place.

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18–22)

Yet the church gets a bad rap. Not the organism, but the organization. As soon as the Body of Christ operates like a business or anything else other than what it is, that organic, life-filled distinction begins to blur and it does not function as God intended. 

For instance, North American business says “bigger is better,” but if the main concern of a local body of believers becomes its size, then godly joint citizenship and the reality of being a holy temple become secondary to the addition of more people. I’ve been in churches where adding members became more important than the biblical criteria for membership. It didn’t matter if a person truly believed. It didn’t matter that they had no saving relationship with God. Instead, all that mattered was that they showed up on Sunday. This desire for growth can also result in some odd marketing, like the church that offered free ice cream to everyone attending Sunday School. While a healthy local church should experience growth, its spiritual life is marred by putting growth over godliness.

Another organizational concern can be money. In some churches, the budget rules church policy. That is, every step taken, every program started, every leader hired (or fired) depends entirely on the amount put in the offering plate. Instead of planning ministry based on faith in God and the leading of the Holy Spirit (organic life), all that is done or not done depends on the budget. 

While this approach sounds like a solid business plan, it leaves out a key component of what God intends for the church — living by faith. It forgets that if God wants something done, He also supplies the resources to do it, even when we cannot see them at first. When God told Abraham, a man of faith, to take his son to a place of sacrifice, the lad asked, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Abraham trusted God, even when it looked like obedience meant disaster. Where is the faith of a church that insists on having all the resources first before stepping out in obedience?

In the above verses, the last line stands out. It says that in Christ, the members of His Body are “built into a dwelling place for God by His Spirit.” When the people in a church remember who we are, that we are both individually and corporately the dwelling place of God, then it becomes impossible to treat our union as a mere organization — with a business plan, budget, officials and volunteers. Instead, there is mutual love and respect with a believing focus on the plans and power of God — that He will build His dwelling into a most holy place.

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Father, the church as a universal Body of believers is a blessing. Wherever we go, we meet those with like mind and a love for Jesus Christ. Yet the local church can be a challenge. We are bombarded by the ideas of the world and the tricks of Satan. If a member is fooled by either, that one person can stir up trouble for others. Instead of loving one another, we can get caught in power struggles and conflict over ministry methods. You promised to build Your church. This day, I bring that promise back to You and ask You to continue in patience as You build in us a dwelling place for Yourself.

Pray without ceasing

Even breathing seems an effort these days due to meds that make me “extremely drowsy.” I don’t want to talk or do much else that involves effort. Yesterday even praying was hard work. I talked to God feeling that I should, not because I wanted to. But isn’t that greater reason to pray? This verse from today’s devotional is God’s encouragement to keep at it.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

Prayer can be for my own needs, yet from the calls and emails received yesterday, many are praying for me. Instead, my prayer list is filled with the names of those who need my prayers for them.

A huge priority is prayer for my cousin. Her daughter died yesterday, her granddaughters are left without a mother. I cannot imagine the sorrow and grief in this family. My heart is aching for them, yet I know that God can comfort and sustain them in this dark and dreadful time.

Two of my own children have had surgery in the past couple of weeks. There are many who have physical, mental, and spiritual needs including family, friends, our church, missionary friends, and so many in the world around me. It is no wonder that God says to pray without ceasing. However, our needs are not the only reason to talk to God. Prayer honors and recognizes His grace and power. It expresses confidence that He is able to help us. To not pray is almost the same as saying, “I can do this myself.”

Instead of pridefully going it alone, prayer relies on God to guide and direct our thinking, calm our emotions, put right desires in our hearts. He can make us bold in obedience, confident in trials, resilient in temptation. He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). In Christ, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Prayer acknowledges His power; it also admits my weakness.

The physical weakness of these days ought to remind me of my spiritual weakness. Just as my body is lethargic and without zest, so also is my spirit apart from the life of Jesus Christ in me. While His life is far from dormant, God is ‘polite’ in that He waits for me to ask Him to take charge of things, to fill me and give me what is needed to do His will. This even includes the desire, the willingness, the strength just to talk to Him in prayer.

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Lord, I confess my slowness to pray, even the lack of wanting to pray. Help me with this. I don’t want to let my weakness be an excuse when it should be a reason. How silly that sounds, particularly because You promise renewed strength to those who wait on You. Besides my own needs, there are needy people all around. I have many reasons to pray, many people to pray for. Yet prayer is more than bringing You my list. It honors You as the One who can change lives, meet needs, hear concerns. You care about us and have shown your care over and over. Prayer is my connection to You, my Creator and Sustainer, Savior and Friend. It also admits that without You, I am totally helpless.