The Nature of Meditation

by Isaac Ambrose

Isaac writes on the nature of meditation in The First, Middle, and Last Things (215-216):

MEDITATION is a deep and earnest musing upon some point of Christian instruction to strengthen us against the flesh, the world, and the devil, and to lead us forward toward the Kingdom of Heaven; or, meditation is a steadfast bending of the mind to some spiritual matter, discoursing of it with ourselves until we bring the same to some profitable issue.

Now this meditation is either sudden or set; occasional or solemn and deliberate.

1. Sudden, occasional, or external meditation ariseth from such things as God by His providence offers to our eyes, ears, and senses. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psa 8:3-4). This meditation of David’s was occasional.

2. Deliberate, set, or solemn meditation ariseth out of our own hearts, when purposely we separate ourselves from all company and go apart to perform this exercise more thoroughly, making choice of such matter, time, and place as are most requisite1 thereunto. Now, this meditation is double, for it is either conversant about matters of knowledge for finding out some hidden truth, or about matters of affection for kindling our love unto God. The former of these two we leave to the schools and prophets; the latter we shall search after, which is both of large use and such as no Christian can reject as unnecessary or over-difficult.

The Circumstances of Meditation: The circumstances of our meditation are time and place. I shall add to these (though I cannot call it a circumstance) the subject matter, which by way of preparation to the duty, we may take notice of.

1. For the time: No time can be prescribed to all men; for neither is God bound to hours, [nor] doth the contrary disposition of men agree in one choice of opportunities. Some find their hearts most in frame in the morning; others learn wisdom from their [hearts] in the night season; others find Isaac’s time the fitter time, who went out in the evening to meditate (Gen 24:63). No practice of others can prescribe to us in this circumstance; it is enough that we set apart that time wherein we are [most suited] for that service.

2. For place: We judge solitariness and solitary places fittest for meditation, especially for set and solitary meditation. Thus, we found Jesus meditating alone in the mount, John [the] Baptist in the desert, David on his bed, Daniel in his house, Isaac in the field. The Bridegroom of our soul, the Lord Jesus Christ, is bashful, saith Bernard, and never comes to His meditating Bride in the presence of a multitude. Hence was the spouse’s invitation, “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves” (Song 7:11-12). We must in this case abandon worldly society, both outward and inward. Many sequester themselves from the visible company of men, which yet carry a world within them. Both these societies are enemies to this meditation.

3. For the matter of our meditation: It must be divine and spiritual, that is, God’s Word or some part thereof. It is woeful to think how some meditate on sin, contrary to God’s Word, studying to go to hell with the least noise in the world. Others bend their thoughts only with the search of natural things, such as the motion of the heavens, the reason of the ebbing and flowing of the seas, the kinds of [plants or herbs] that grow out of the earth and the creatures upon it, with all their qualities and operations; but in the meanwhile, the God that made them, the vileness of their nature and the danger of their sin, the multitude of their imperfections, the Savior that bought them, the heaven that He bought for them, etc., are as unregarded as if they were not. The matter of our meditation must be something divine: “I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee…I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings” (Psa 63:6; 77:12).

Posted at: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-nature-of-meditation?utm_source=Media+Gratiae+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=2f30141d5e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_17_05_56_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b979eabb8c-2f30141d5e-465175489&mc_cid=2f30141d5e&mc_eid=d45090067c

10 Key Bible Verses on Wisdom and Discernment

by Crossway

Be Not Wise in Your Own Eyes

Wisdom is, first and foremost, from the Lord. When you desire wisdom, go to him and his word in prayer, and be encouraged with these verses and commentary adapted from the ESV Study Bible.

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This is the core maxim of the book: the quest for wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (cf. Ps. 9:10 and Ps. 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”). “Knowledge” and “wisdom” are closely tied together in Proverbs: “knowledge” tends to focus on correct understanding of the world and oneself as creatures of the magnificent and loving God, while “wisdom” is the acquired skill of applying that knowledge rightly, or “skill in the art of godly living”. On the fear of the Lord, see notes on Acts 5:5; 9:31; Rom. 3:18; Phil. 2:12–13; 1 Pet. 1:17; 1 John 4:18. The reason that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom is that the moral life begins with reverence and humility before the Maker and Redeemer. The idea of a quest for knowledge sets biblical wisdom in the broad context of the ancient Near Eastern quest for truth, and this verse also validates such a quest as legitimate and good. Thus it affirms a kind of “creational revelation,” the idea that one can find moral and theological truth through observing the world.

At the same time, it distinguishes the biblical pursuit of knowledge and wisdom from those of the surrounding cultures, for it asserts that submission to the Lord is foundational to the attainment of real understanding (cf. Ps. 111:10; Prov. 9:10). By using the covenant name “the LORD” in preference to the more generic “God,” this verse makes the point that truth is found through Israel’s God. In addition, the verse asserts that fools despise wisdom and instruction, thus setting up the alternative between the two ways of wisdom and folly. This contrast dominates the entire book, as the way of wisdom, righteousness, and the fear of the Lord is set against the way of folly, evil, and scoffing.

Proverbs 3:5–6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.*

Subordinating one’s own understanding to the Lord is in keeping with the major thesis of Proverbs, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Trust in the LORD is necessary for fulfilling any of the wise ways of life taught in Proverbs; trusting the Lord is closely connected to “fearing” him (cf. Prov. 1:7; 2:5; Prov. 9:10; Prov. 15:33; Prov. 19:23; etc.). “With all your heart” indicates that trust goes beyond intellectual assent to a deep reliance on the Lord, a settled confidence in his care and his faithfulness to his word. “Do not lean on your own understanding” further explains trusting in the Lord. One’s “understanding” in Proverbs is his perception of the right course of action. The wise will govern themselves by what the Lord himself declares, and will not set their own finite and often-mistaken understanding against his.

To make straight a person’s paths means to make the course of the person’s life one that continually progresses toward a goal. In Proverbs, the emphasis is on the moral quality of one’s life path (here, its moral “straightness”).

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Believers are to have an undivided faith, asking for wisdom from their ever-wise and all-generous God. James addresses the believer who lacks wisdom in handling trials. Wisdom, as in the Old Testament, is a God-given and God-centered discernment regarding the practical issues in life. Wisdom comes from prayer for God’s help. God gives generously (with “single-minded” liberality) and without reproach (he does not want anyone to hesitate to come to him).

Ephesians 5:6–10

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul is not telling Christians to avoid all contact with nonbelievers but to avoid joining with them in their sin. The Bible gives general principles for life, but followers of Christ must use wisdom to discern how to apply those principles to the concrete issues of their lives. The book of Proverbs is of great help in this regard. Such wisdom may be defined as “the skill of godly living,” which one must thoughtfully discern, apply, and practice in order to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Christian faith is not spiritual gullibility. The unseen spiritual influences that guide people’s speech and actions can be “tested” by observing their doctrine and conduct as well as by the gift of spiritual discernment (cf. 1 Cor. 12:10; 14:29). False prophets are people who claim to speak for God but are actually speaking by demonic influence (1 John 4:3–4). In today’s age of “tolerance,” discriminating discernment can be viewed as being judgmental (cf. “Judge not,” Matt. 7:1). Yet Jesus also taught, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The present evil age still threatens those who belong to Christ, so they must resist its pressure. Their lives are changed as their minds are made new (contrast Rom. 1:28), so that they are able to “discern” God’s will. By testing you may discern translates Greek dokimazō, which often has the sense of finding out the worth of something by putting it to use or testing it in actual practice (cf. Luke 14:19; 1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Cor. 8:22; 1 Tim. 3:10).

James 3:13–18

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

These verses could be called “the tale of two cities”—the realm of wisdom (framing the passage in James 3:13, 17) contrasted with that of selfish ambition. The one “from above” leads to “peace,” while the “earthly” one leads to “disorder.”

Wisdom for James is not merely intellectual but also behavioral. Meekness (Gk. prautēs, translated “gentleness” in Gal. 5:23) was considered weakness by the Greeks, but Jesus elevated it to a primary Christian virtue (Matt. 5:5; 11:29). Meekness comes not from cowardice or passivity but rather from trusting God and therefore being set free from anxious self-promotion.

Matthew 7:24

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

A parable brings the Sermon on the Mount to a close as Jesus calls for his audience to decide between himself and the religious establishment, drawing a dividing line between himself and any other foundation for life. The evidence of whether one is truly a believer is in whether one does the words of Jesus (cf. James 1:22–23 and James 2:20–22). Disciples who build their lives on the bedrock of Jesus and his message of the kingdom of heaven are truly wise, regardless of the shifting cultural or religious fashions.

Philippians 1:9–10

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

The first petition in Paul’s prayer is that God would cause the cardinal Christian virtue of love to abound more and more, and that it would be accompanied by knowledge and all discernment, so that the Philippians’ love would find expression in wise actions that would truly benefit others and glorify God. As Christians grow in their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, they will increasingly be able to affirm and practice what is excellent. Such joyful obedience to God will give them the confidence of being found pure and blameless when Jesus returns. This does not imply instantaneous spiritual perfection but rather an increasing likeness to Christ. But fruit of righteousness is not produced in the believer’s own power. Because that fruit comes through Jesus Christ, it will result in the glory and praise of God.

Romans 11:33–35

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

As he concludes his setting forth of God’s great plan in the history of salvation (Rom. 1–11), Paul breaks forth into praise. God’s wisdom and ways are far beyond the understanding of human beings, and hence he deserves all the glory.

The words of Isaiah 40:13 teach that no human being knows the mind of the Lord apart from revelation, and no one can serve as God’s adviser. Likewise the majestic words of Job 41:11 are a reminder that no one ultimately gives anything to God. Instead, everything humans have is a gift from God (1 Cor. 4:7).

Since all things are from God, and through God, and for God, it follows that he deserves all the glory forever. God’s saving plan brings him great honor, praise, and glory forever and ever.

All commentary sections adapted from the ESV Study Bible.

Posted at: https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-wisdom-and-discernment/

Counseling Guilt, Shame, and Regret as Different Experiences

How many words can you think of for the color purple? Your list might include  lavender, lilac, mauve, periwinkle, plum, or violet. Knowing this many words for the color purple might be useful if you work in the paint department of a local hardware store. But our purpose is to create a metaphor. What we want to know initially is, “Do the words guilt, shame, and regret share the same relationship as the words lilac, plum, and violet? Are they three ways of saying basically the same thing?”

Initially, we might be prone to say yes. The experience of these three emotions is very similar. Each is unpleasant. There is a natural instinct to want to hide or cover up. Frequently we are embarrassed to admit or want to talk about any of these emotions. There is a sense of being dirty, damaged, or bad in the midst of these experiences. We have a tendency to believe that these emotions define us (at least to some degree).

Further, each emotion is triggered by similar types of events. There was something wrong that happened and we were part of that event(s). Socially, the triggering event is believed to carry a stigma that would make us less acceptable. All three tend to be things we think we shouldn’t talk about with others. Memory of the triggering event is very “sticky” in our memory and hard to let go.

To use another metaphor, we want to know if these emotions are identical twins, mere siblings, cousins, or doppelgängers (people who look like but have no relation). This article will argue that guilt, shame, and regret are best thought of as cousins. They are part of the same family, but not the same immediate household.

Guilt, shame, and regret are products of the Genesis 3 Fall. We experience guilt, shame, and regret because we live in a broken world marred by sin. Each of these emotions respond to types of wrong in our life and the world around us. But each emotion responds to different types of wrong, or better said, each of these emotions emerge when we have a different relationship to the wrong that prompts them.

We will begin with short, concise definitions of guilt, shame, and regret. Warning: short, concise definitions are wonderful because they bring clarity, but also run the risks for over-simplification. For our work here, we will accept the risk of over-simplification.

• Guilt is a sense of legitimate condemnation in response to personal sin and says, “I feel bad because I did something wrong.”

• Shame is a sense of illegitimate condemnation or contamination in response to suffering and says, “I feel bad because I am unacceptable due what happened to me.”

• Regret is a form of grief for a reasonably good circumstance that was never realized and says, “I feel bad because I wish things had gone differently.”

We rightly feel guilt when we lose our temper, misrepresent the truth, fail to fulfill a promise, neglect a responsibility, dishonor an authority figure, make a crude joke, take advantage of someone, or fail to represent Christ accurately in some other way. If we do not feel guilty for these things, our conscience is seared (at least to some degree).

We feel shame when we have been abused (physically, verbally, or sexually), are limited by chronic pain or body disfigurement, have been betrayed by a spouse or trusted friend, are helpless after a catastrophe, or experience other hardships that are not the result of personal sin. If we “own” these emotions in the same way we own guilt, then we feel a false sense of condemnation. Regardless, we feel “less than” or marred by these experiences.

We feel regret when a parent is absent from key events in our life, an illness prevents us from pursuing a dream, an opportunity does not come our way, we cannot give loved ones things that most people can, or some other legitimate desire is unfulfilled. If we interpret these experiences as God’s rejection or a reflection of our value, then we over-personalize these events as if they carried a message about us from God; we treat regret like an insult instead of a hardship.

Pause for a moment to help you assimilate this much of the content and ask yourself the question, “Which of my major, unpleasant life experiences have resulted in guilt… shame… regret?” Being able to sort our emotional-moral laundry is an important part of making good application of the gospel. If we mis-identify these three experiences, we are likely to misinterpret the kind of compassion God offers to our hardship.

Before we move the next section, pause and ask yourself another question, “How does the gospel speak to the experiences of guilt, shame, and regret in unique ways?” If the first reflection question helped you assimilate what we just covered, this reflection question helps till the soil of your mind for what we are about to cover.

A foundational premise of this article is: the gospel speaks to both sin and suffering, but it speaks to them differently. To use another metaphor, the Great Physician can treat a joint injury and a muscle strain (injuries that often feel quite similar) but does so in different ways. Our goal in the next section is to enhance our ability to be good ambassadors of the Wonderful Counselor as we come alongside people experiencing a cocktail of guilt, shame, and regret (rarely do we ever experience just one of these emotions; they are cousins that often travel together).

The gospel answers guilt with forgiveness. Guilt leaves a moral stain on our soul which the blood of Jesus washes clean and then replaces with His own righteousness. Sin does not become our identity because the gospel transforms us from rebels against God to ambassadors for God. Jesus paid the penalty for sin in our place. Sanctification involves transforming the selfish motives which make sin seem appealing to motives that take their joy in loving God and loving others.

The gospel answers shame with acceptance. Shame leaves no stain but leaves us feeling visibly and repulsively scarred. The experience of shame leaves us haunted by the phrase “if they knew.” The implication is that whoever loves, trusts, or appreciates us now would not, “if they knew” the event(s) that cause shame. The gospel offers adoption with full, unequivocal inclusion in God’s family. It is often said, shame is an experience of the eyes. When we feel ashamed, we avoid eye contact. The gospel invites us to pray to God and fellowship with fellow believers without looking away.

The gospel answers regret with the assurance of that we are in the providence of a good God. The gospel reveals a God who transforms the unfortunate events of life. It does not force or rush us to call painful or unfortunate things good, but it does reveal the character of a God who redeems the darkest moments (Jesus on Calvary) for His glory and our good. The gospel gives us the freedom to grieve with hope the events that create regret. These events are sad, but they do not get the final or ultimate word on our life.

As you think about serving in the role of counselor, as individuals grapple with these implications, I would invite you to think in the role of ambassador more than teacher. It is easy to get excited about these truths, listen for when they are relevant, and begin talking with passion. That is the mindset of a teacher; someone who is excited about their subject matter and tries to elicit comparable enthusiasm in their pupils. For counselees whose struggle is perpetuated by confusion or misinformation, the role of counselor-as-teacher can be helpful.

But for many counselees who will benefit most from this material, their struggle is not rooted in confusion or misinformation, but the absence of experiencing the reality of these truths. Their primary need is not greater understanding, but lived experience. For shame, they haven’t known warm eye contact after sharing their pain. For regret, they have not experienced patient companionship in their grief. For guilt, they have not know a relationship where the weight of past sin did not sit heavy upon them. They need an ambassador more than a tutor. As counselors, with the courage brought by the privacy and security of a confidential office, we often get to be that first ambassador which makes God’s response to their struggle tangible. My hope is that this article helps us step into these moments more accurately.

Posted at: http://bradhambrick.com/counseling-guilt-shame-and-regret-as-different-experiences/

Will God Get it Right? The Accusation of the Worrier

An individual characterized by worry is a person who is uncertain if God will get things right. Not only is the worrier unsure as to whether God will get it right, but the worrier will typically take matters into their own hands.

The worrier is, by default, a controller. If there is uncertainty about God’s ability to get things right (according to the worrier’s expectations and preferences), the only logical conclusion is that someone else needs to be in charge. Thus, the worrier ascends the throne and takes control of the situation.

A Crisis of Faith

There are at least two things wrong with the worrier’s understanding of the situation:

• The worrier has a particular outcome in mind, a result the Lord may not want (Genesis 50:20).

• The worrier has an insufficient understanding of the gospel.

The most concerning issue for the worrier is the misunderstanding of the gospel. Imagine this: if the Father predetermined in eternity past that He would execute His Son on a cruel cross to solve humanity’s future and most significant problem, don’t you think there is no length He would go to for your benefit? See Ephesians 1:3-10; Isaiah 53:10.

Our infinite God judged His beloved Son because of an infinite crime that we committed. The nature of the crime required an infinite price to be paid, thus making finite man’s hope of restoration to God impossible without His intervention.

All of our problems in life appear to be significant because we are so small in comparison to those issues. The puzzle the Lord was solving on behalf of humanity was an infinite problem that a million finite men could never fix. It took our great, inexhaustible and infinite God to remove the problem we created utterly.

The worrier, on the other hand, is functionally saying the problem they are going through is more complicated than the problem God solved through the death and the resurrection of Jesus.

Helping the Worrier

How would you counsel the worrier? Are you more apt to try to help the worrier work through the situational difficulties first, or are you more prone to take the worrier back to the gospel to help them practically to see what God did with the most significant problem ever?

The gospel is the starting place when helping the worrier problem solve. The worrier needs a reintroduction to the Problem Solver. And you want to re-teach the gospel as many times as you need to until the worrier experiences stabilization in God’s ability to do infinitely more than he could ask or think.

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 3:20-21).

If God can solve my biggest problem in life (a broken relationship with Himself), most assuredly I can find rest, hope, and help through Him as I navigate the much lesser problems of life.

The beginning of problem-solving is faith: I believe God is for me (Romans 8:31) and He is working things out for my good (Romans 8:28). If you struggle with worry regularly, I want you to take my challenge of doing the following call to action.

The most effective way to benefit from this assignment is to spend several weeks going over it multiple times. And to enlist the help of a friend so you can discuss what you are learning. It’s imperative for you to permit others into your journey with God pertaining your struggles with worry.

Call to Action

1. Read my article on overcoming self-reliance and work through the “call to action” items at the end of the article.

2. Read my article on the three faith-killers and work through the “call to action” items at the end of the article.

3. Read my article on taking your thoughts captive and work through the “call to action” items at the end of the article.

Posted at: https://rickthomas.net/will-god-get-it-right-the-accusation-of-the-worrier-2/

Self Pity is a Window Into Your Soul

By Rick Thomas

Pity is a feeling of sorrow that you express toward someone who has suffered loss. Self-pity is when the person you are pitying is yourself. The self-pitying person looks at himself and feels sorry for himself because he realizes he has lost something that he wants back.

Maybe the self-pitying person has done something that he regrets, or he does not like the kind of person that he has become. It reminds me–in an inverted way–of the story in Luke about the Pharisee looking down on the tax collector in the temple.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” – Luke 18:11

In this case, the Pharisee and the publican are the same persons; the entitled person is looking down on the pitiful person. And he disdains himself.

Let’s say that you’re both the Pharisee and the publican in the temple. You, the Pharisee, are looking down on you, the publican. And you wish you were not that awful person, the publican. You dislike that version of yourself.

If you had a more biblical view of yourself, you’d accept the fact that you not only make mistakes, but you’re capable of doing things far worse than anything you’ve done to this point.

The problem in view here is an over-inflated opinion, and when the person behaves poorly, doesn’t get what he wants, or doesn’t like his circumstances, he feels sorry for himself in a self-absorbed way.

Worse Than You Think

A right understanding of yourself, apart from the grace of God, assumes the role of the publican (Romans 3:10-12). Rather than wallowing in pity, you plead with God to have mercy on your pitiful self. It is that kind of attitude that the Lord lavishes with empowering grace (James 4:6).

We don’t like thinking about the awfulness of ourselves because we resist the biblical declaration that we’re rotten to the core (Isaiah 64:6). Only a person with a high view of himself would get hung up on his fallenness. If you want to change, you must go further down until you accept the role of the publican in the temple.

Sober Self-Assessment

It is not wrong to assess yourself. A sober self-assessment is needful if you want to walk in step with the Spirit of God. The danger of self-assessment is the temptation to think wrongly about yourself. You can over-estimate yourself, or you can land in the ditch of self-pity.

The wise man understands his tendencies to misjudge himself, so he surrounds himself with gospel-centered friends who care enough to bring the loving and biblical adjustments that he needs to hear (Proverbs 27:6).

I Have Been Robbed

The self-pitying man feels robbed. His response is self-pity because there is something he wants. There is a feeling of being out of control. He will tell you it is because of his loss that he is not happy, content, or at peace.

The implication is that if he can get what he wants, he will be happy again. It goes like this: “I will be satisfied if I can get (fill in the blank).” If anything other than God goes in his (blank), it is idolatry.

Paul teaches that no matter what your circumstances are, it’s imperative that you learn the secret of contentment. Your conditions cannot determine your deep and abiding peace in God. If they do, you have misplaced affections.

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:11-13

Notice Paul’s spectrum of circumstance:

The Worst of TimesThe Best of TimesI can be brought lowI can aboundI am okay when I’m hungryI am okay in times of plentyI am content when I am in needI am content in times of abundance

I Am Entitled

Whenever the self-pitying man goes into “self-pity mode,” where he does not experience joy and contentment, he is communicating a sense of entitlement. “I deserve something; I am angry and will not be satisfied until I get the thing I crave.”

It is not the trial that is robbing him of his joy. Idolatry has chased his happiness away. He cannot be joy-filled and angry at the same time. Self-pity is a form of anger. The raw truth that his soul is expressing is, “I am mad because I am not getting what I deserve.”

This man does not understand the implication of the gospel, which says, “You deserve to go to hell, and it is only because of God’s mercy that there is a rescue of your soul!” The gospel-centered man’s mantra is,

You are doing better than you deserve. Anything better than hell is a perk, and though you are not getting some of the things you would like to have, like Paul, you have learned the secret to contentment. You find it in the gospel.

In Line With the Gospel

If you want to know if your life is authentically lining up with the gospel, assess yourself during troubled times, when things are not perfect. Your attitude about your troubles provides an accurate window into your soul, primarily as to how the gospel is governing your soul.

The gospel provides you everything you need in Christ. It may not give you everything you want, but it does offer you everything that you need.

Though you may grieve during a season of trouble, the gospel realigns your soul, fills your voids, and gives gratitude for disappointment. It is only the power of the gospel that brings contentment to your life regardless of your circumstances.

Call to Action

1. Do you become angry when you do not get what you want? If so, what does your anger reveal about you/

2. Do you grow sad when you can’t have what you want? If so, what is it about the gospel that is not satisfying to you?

3. When you read Philippians 4:11-13, what goes through your mind as it pertains to you? How do you need to change?

Faith is Forged in Crisis

By Jon Bloom

The Bible is a blood-earnest book. It’s a book about reality. And reality, as we know all too well, is often brutal and bloody. The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat this fact at all, but describes reality with disturbing forthrightness. Much of Scripture was written during brutal, bloody times by embattled, distressed, weary, even depressed authors. And at the pinnacle of the Bible’s story, at the core of the Bible’s message, is the Son of God dying a bloody death on a brutal Roman cross.

So, when we open our Bibles, rarely are we going to find a little light reading.

Even in the book of Psalms, this collection of inspired spiritual poetry that has brought immeasurable comfort to an incalculable number of saints across the centuries, we are frequently faced with distressing themes. In numerous psalms, we read writers’ wrestlings over what it means to trust the God they treasure as they witness some brutal and bloody reality, a reality that challenges their understanding or expectations of God’s promises and purposes.

These psalms fit into a category we call psalms of lament. In certain lament psalms, like Psalm 10, we’re reading an inspired author’s faith crisis captured in verse.

Can We Say That to God?

We see this immediately in the opening verse:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

That’s a remarkable thing to say to God. Could a Christian Hedonist actually pray this way?

Why would I ask that question that way? We at Desiring God believe that the Bible teaches an approach to life we call Christian Hedonism. We see in Scripture that a Christian is not someone who assents merely intellectually to core Christian propositional truth claims. A Christian loves God with all his heart (Matthew 22:37), values God as his greatest treasure (Matthew 13:44–46; Philippians 3:7–8; Hebrews 11:24–26), and seeks God as the source of his greatest and longest-lasting pleasure (Psalm 16:11). The triune God of the Bible is to be a Christian’s “exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4). Summarized in a sentence, Christian Hedonists believe Scripture teaches that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

We can certainly find lots of Christian Hedonistic prayers in the Psalms, like Psalm 73:25–26,

Whom have I in heaven but you?
     And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But what about Psalm 10, where the writer laments his agonizing bewilderment over unjust, greedy, violent acts against innocent, helpless people? He’s not only disturbed by the wicked acts he’s witnessed; he’s disturbed that the wicked are prospering from their wickedness. And God, the righteous Judge, appears to be letting it happen. So, in typical biblical candor, he asks God, “Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” If a person truly loves, trusts, and treasures God above all else, can he pray like that? Can someone who rejoices in God ever lament God’s apparent distance and disregard?

“A faith crisis should not be confused with faith abandonment.”

In short, yes. In fact, Christian Hedonists pray to God this way at certain times because he is our “exceeding joy,” because we treasure him, because we love him. And because sometimes God’s ways and timing are agonizingly difficult to grasp. We see this sorrowful-yet-rejoicing dynamic in the brutal realities of Psalm 10.

Why Did God Feel Far?

First, we need to understand what was troubling this psalmist. He pours out his distress:

• “In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor [because he is] greedy for gain” (Psalm 10:2–3).

• He “curses and renounces the Lord” (even denies God’s existence) (Psalm 10:3–4).

• “His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression” (Psalm 10:7).

• “In hiding places he murders the innocent” (Psalm 10:8).

• “He seizes the poor when he draws him into his net” (Psalm 10:9).

The poor are being exploited and even slaughtered by someone in a position of power (perhaps more than one) for the sake of financial benefit. The victims are in a “helpless” or defenseless position and so “are crushed, sink down, and fall by [the wicked person’s] might” (Psalm 10:10). These would be unspeakable deeds, except that silence would only compound the injustice of it all. Therefore, like Jeremiah, the psalmist “cannot keep silent” (Jeremiah 4:19).

What Faith Sounds Like in Crisis

The psalmist strives to put the wickedness he sees into words. We can sense his righteous anger. Such horrible oppression and injustice should make him (and us) angry.

“Sooner or later, every Christian experiences a faith crisis — some of us numerous ones.”

But though the psalmist is addressing God with urgent earnestness, I don’t believe his anger is directed toward God. It’s directed toward the wicked who are wreaking such destruction. The psalmist is turning to God with his burning indignation toward evil perpetrators, and his tearful compassion toward victims because his hope is in God to bring justice and deliverance to bear. That’s why he prays.

We too witness, and sometimes are victims of, such wicked injustices. In our day, innocent, defenseless unborn babies are legally murdered, and children as well as vulnerable or entrapped adults are trafficked for sex, all financially profiting those perpetrating the injustices. In the face of such things, we cannot keep silent. First and foremost, before God. Out of compassion for afflicted ones and righteous anger toward perpetrators, we pour out our lamenting hearts to the God in whom we hope (Psalm 43:5) and from whom we receive hope (Psalm 62:5).

Learning to Cry Out in Crisis

But still, those opening lines of the psalm sound like God is the recipient of at least some of the psalmist’s anger:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

If that’s not anger or disillusionment or disappointment, what is it? It’s putting into words the painful perplexity of a crisis of faith.

Now, a faith crisis should not be confused with faith abandonment. Nearly every saint experiences faith crises of different kinds, and typically we must endure faith crises in order for faith to grow and strengthen — more on that in a moment. But the clearest evidence that this psalmist is not forsaking God is the presence of this psalm — the psalmist is praying! And in his prayer, he’s doing with God what all of us do with those we love and cherish deeply who act (or seem not to act) in ways we don’t understand: he’s honestly expressing his confusion and pain.

The psalmist’s soul is troubled that his biblically informed knowledge of God’s character does not seem to match the reality he’s observing. He believes “God is a righteous judge” (Psalm 7:11) who “executes justice” for the helpless and vulnerable (Deuteronomy 10:18). But he’s not seeing justice executed for the helpless and vulnerable. He’s seeing the wicked oppressor of the helpless “prosper at all times” (Psalm 10:5). Why God isn’t immediately stopping this injustice is beyond him. It’s a moment of crisis for him, and he’s telling God so.

I think it wrong, however, to assume that, because the psalmist asks God why he seems distant or hidden, he’s blaming God or scolding God for neglecting his responsibilities. What he’s doing is describing his experience of reality — the way the situation appears to him through his finite senses. And the reason he’s praying this way is precisely because he cares so deeply for God, because he loves and trusts God.

This is a faithful Christian response to a faith crisis. When we are painfully perplexed by the apparent discontinuity between what we know of God from the Scripture and what we observe in the world, when the mystery of God’s providential purposes meets the finiteness of our understanding, and it doesn’t make sense to us, God wants us to cry out to him. He wants us to cry out to him precisely because we love and trust him, even when our experience challenges what we believe.

Forging Christian Hedonists

The fact that the Bible speaks so honestly about reality is part of its self-authenticating quality; unvarnished honesty is one sign of sincerity and truth. And the fact that the Bible features a psalmist’s faith crisis over the problem of evil is part of why the Psalms have comforted so many for so long; we experience such crises too.

Sooner or later, every Christian experiences a faith crisis — some of us numerous ones. But a crisis of faith does not mean a loss of faith. In fact, it is often through faith crises that we learn what faith really is.

“The forging of a Christian Hedonist often occurs in the fires of a faith crisis.”

Scripture is full of accounts of saints enduring many kinds of faith crises, where the God who governs reality, in all its bloody brutality, does not meet the saints’ understanding and expectations, leading those saints to wrestle deeply. The Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” is lined with such saints, who through crises learned what it really means to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

I mentioned earlier that Christian Hedonists love to pray Psalm 73:25–26:

Whom have I in heaven but you?
     And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

What I didn’t mention is that Psalm 73 is another account of a faith crisis, and this prayer is part of the fruit of that crisis. So, when your own crises come, don’t assume your faith, love, and joy are gone, but that God wants to grow them in the furnace of affliction. Because the forging of a Christian Hedonist often occurs in the fires of a faith crisis.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/faith-is-forged-in-crisis

The Most Epic Bible Study of All Time

BY GARRETT KELL

It had been three days since Jesus was crucified and buried. Two former followers packed their bags and began the seven-mile trek to their hometown of Emmaus. There was no need to be in Jerusalem any longer. Jesus was dead—and his kingdom wasn’t coming. Shortly after they set out, an unfamiliar person joined them. “Their eyes were kept from recognizing” that it was the resurrected Jesus (Luke 24:16).

The disciples were baffled that this mysterious man hadn’t heard of all that had happened in Jerusalem. As readers, we’re baffled they can’t see whom they’re speaking with! In mercy, Jesus opened the Scriptures and began what must have been the most epic Bible study of all time, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Let’s imagine what he may have said.

He may have begun with Genesis by showing himself as the second Adam who resisted temptation and obeyed God’s commands (Gen. 2–3; 1 Cor. 15:45–48). He is the promised seed of woman who crushed the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15; 1 John 3:8) and the greater Ark in whom we hide by faith to escape the waters of judgment (Gen. 6–9; Col. 3:3; 1 Pet. 3:20–21). He could have shown how Abraham rejoiced by faith to see his day (John 8:56; Rom. 4), or how he is the promised lion of the tribe of Judah from whom the scepter shall never depart (Gen. 49:10; Rev. 5:5). Or maybe that he is the greater Joseph, beloved of the Father, betrayed by his brothers, exalted among the Gentiles, and the One who gives bread to a famished world.

Then in Exodus he could have shown that he is the greater Moses who leads his people to escape judgment by hiding under the blood of the Passover Lamb on their way to the Promised Land (Ex. 12; John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 3–4; 1 Pet. 1:19). Or how he is the true manna from heaven (John 6:31–35), and the water from the rock that will never leave them thirsty again (John 4:14; 1 Cor. 10:4).

Then he might have turned to Leviticus to show that he is the fulfillment of the entire sacrificial system (John 1:29; Heb. 4–10). He is the unblemished offering that was a pleasing aroma to the Father (1 Pet. 1:19; Heb. 9:14–27). He is the greater scapegoat on whom the sins of the nation were laid (Lev. 16; Heb. 9–10). He is the greater high priest who not only presented an offering but who offered himself for us (Heb. 7–8).

Then he may have taken them to Numbers where he could’ve shown that he was like the bronze snake Moses lifted up in the wilderness, who would bring healing from the serpent’s fatal bite if looked to in faith (Num. 21:4–9; John 3:14–15). Or that he is the star promised to arise from Jacob to crush the head of God’s enemies (Num. 24:17; Rev. 22:16).

Then he could have gone to Deuteronomy to show how he is the prophet like Moses of whom the Father says “this is my beloved Son . . . listen to him” (Deut. 18:15–20; Matt. 18:5; Acts 3:23). Or how he is the true city of refuge to whom sinners flee in their guilt (Num. 35; Heb. 6:18).

Or how he is the greater Joshua who came to lead God’s people through the mighty Jordan into Canaan and receive their long-promised rest (Heb. 4:1–10).

In Judges, we see glimmers of him as the One whom God would raise up to deliver Israel from the oppression of their enemies and to rule over them in righteousness (Isa. 32:1; Luke 1:71).

Then in Ruth, we see how he is the greater kinsman-redeemer who took a Gentile bride to himself so she could share in the wealth of Israel (Matt. 1:5).

In 1 and 2 Samuel we find that Jesus is the greater David who was after the Father’s heart and who courageously slew the greater Goliath of Satan to deliver God’s people from the shame and slavery of their sin (Luke 1:32; John 6:38; 14:31).

Then he may have gone to Kings and Chronicles to show that he is the faithful King who never compromised God’s law, but boldly leads God’s people to honor and obey the Lord in all things (John 18:26–27; Rev. 19:16).

Then he may have spent time showing how he is the greater Ezra, who served as a priest and wept over Jerusalem because of her disobedience and rejection of God (Matt. 23:37; Heb. 5:7).

Or how he is like Nehemiah, who cleansed the temple of God and rebuilt the walls to protect the worship of God, all while refusing to retreat from the work he came to do (Neh. 6:2–3; Matt. 27:42).

He is the greater Esther, who courageously surrendered her life to save God’s people from the deceitful scheme of Satan, the greater Haman. He is also the greater Mordecai who was despised and headed for the gallows, yet was delivered and exalted to the throne, accomplishing salvation for the people of God.

Then he could have shown himself to be the greater Job who suffered, not because of his sin, but because of his righteousness. And though he was misunderstood, God raised him off the ash heap of shame to intercede for those who’d formerly opposed him (Job 42:1–17; Heb. 7:25).

He may have then given a tour of the Psalms, reminding them how in Psalm 2 he was spoken of as the begotten Son before whom all must bow (Phil. 2:4–11; Rev. 5:13–14), and how his resurrection was foreshadowed in Psalm 16 (Acts 2:24–28). Or maybe how Psalm 22 provides a prophetic picture of the innocent One whose hands and feet were pierced by evildoers (Luke 23:33; John 20:25), yet in Psalm 110 he is exalted at the right hand of Father to forever serve as Priest and King (Heb. 5:1–10:39). Or surely from Psalm 118 how he is the stone the builders rejected that would become the cornerstone on whom God would build his church (Matt. 21:42; 1 Pet. 2:4–7).

He could have kept going to Proverbs and shown himself to be the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:18–26), or to Ecclesiastes as the one who gives us abundant life instead of vanity (John 10:10), or to Song of Solomon as the greater bridegroom who showers his bride with steadfast love (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25; Rev. 21:2, 22:17).

Then he could have turned to the prophets and shown in Isaiah that Immanuel was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23), was indwelt by the Spirit (Isa. 11:2–4; Matt. 3:16), was the anointed root of Jesse (Isa. 11:10; Rom. 15:8–13; Rev. 22:16), and healed the blind, deaf, and lame (Isa. 35:5–6; Matt. 11:2–5). He is the Prince of Peace who rules the everlasting kingdom of righteousness (Isa. 9:6–7; Rev. 11:15), and the Suffering Servant who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa. 53:3–9; Matt. 27:27–60; 1 Pet. 2:23).

In Jeremiah and Lamentations, he is the weeping prophet who entered into our sorrow and lamented over sins that exiled us from God, as a way to prove the Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness (Jer. 13:17; Lam. 3:23; Luke 19:41).

In Ezekiel he is the true Shepherd-King who cares for and feeds the flock who had been neglected and afflicted by abusive shepherds (Ezek. 34:1–24; John 10:1–18).

In Daniel he is the stone who smashes the kingdoms of the world (Dan. 2:34–35; Matt. 21:44), the authoritative Son of Man who will judge all people according to what they’ve done (Dan. 9:7–14; Matt. 26:64), and the Anointed One who was cut off by his own people (Dan. 9:26; Mark 9:9–12).

In Hosea he is the faithful husband who was betrayed by an adulterous bride, yet still loved and pursued her to have her as his own (John 4:1–45; Rom. 9:25–26).

In Joel we see that the promised Day of the Lord’s judgment fell on Jesus on the cross, and that at his ascension he would send the promised Spirit to all who would repent (Joel 2:28–32; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:16–21).

He may have shown how he embodies the message of Amos as he came to rescue the poor and oppressed and bring the justice Israel’s leadership had neglected to render (Luke 4:16–20).

Or how he was foreshadowed in Obadiah as the One who would bring low God’s proud enemies and then lead God’s people up Mount Zion to inherit God’s eternal kingdom (Heb. 12:18–24).

In Jonah we see him as the faithful prophet who won’t run from unworthy sinners but instead was swallowed by the whale of God’s wrath until he came forth alive three days later to call people to repentance. And rather than pouting outside the city in rebellion, his blood was poured outside the city to redeem them (Matt. 12:41; Luke 19:10; Heb. 13:12).

In Micah he was the ruler promised to be born in Bethlehem (“house of bread”) and was himself the bread of life given from heaven to feed a famished world (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:1).

His work was foretold in Nahum as the One who took on himself the just judgment God’s enemies deserved in order to make them his friends (Rom. 5:8).

In Habakkuk he was the One whom the prophet pointed to when he said the righteous shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38), and the One whom God used evil for good in a way so marvelous that no one would believe even if they were told (Hab. 1:5; Acts 13:41).

In Zephaniah he is the sovereign Lord who establishes the kingdom by taking the judgment the people deserve and restoring to them all that sin has stolen away (Acts 15:12–17; Heb. 12:13).

In Haggai he is alluded to when the prophet promised the glory of God would come to the temple. He is that glory who entered the temple as the greater Zerubbabel (Matt. 21:12–17).

In Zechariah he is the victorious King who comes humbly riding on a donkey. He is the mighty branch who would spread out its limbs and build the Lord’s temple. And he is the One they should look on and see that they had pierced, and it should lead them to mourn and grieve bitterly over him (Zech. 9:9, 11:12–13; Luke 19:35–37; Matt. 26:15).

And then he would have concluded in Malachi, showing that he is the faithful priest who stood up in Lord’s temple and rebuked the people for their lame and empty offerings—and then offered himself as the perfect sacrifice (Matt. 21:12–13; Heb. 9:14–27). His forerunner, John the Baptist, came in the promised spirit of Elijah to point Israel to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness who rose with healing in his wings (Luke 1:17, 78; Matt. 11:14; John 1:4; 8:12; Rev. 22–24).

As Jesus walked with those disciples on the Emmaus road, he interpreted for them the golden thread of grace that holds every bit of the Old Testament together. He opened their eyes to see that every prophecy, picture, and promise of God finds its “yes” and “amen” in himself (2 Cor. 1:20).

Reading the Old Testament to find Jesus isn’t meant to be like playing “Where’s Waldo?”—looking behind every tree for a cross or every chair for a throne. We do, however, find both explicit teachings and also implicit themes that push us to know that something, or someone, greater must come to fulfill them. Jesus proved this true that day following his resurrection.

Let us be people who read the Old Testament with eyes opened, anticipating the Christ to whom its pages point.

If you’d like to learn more about how to read the Old Testament through the lens of Christ’s fulfillment I commend the following works:

• How Does the Old Testament Point to Jesus? by Bryan Chapell (video)

• How Jesus Fulfills the Law by Don Carson (audio)

• Developing the Skill of Seeing Christ in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie (audio)

• Jesus on Every Page by David Murray (book)

• The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney (book)

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/epic-bible-study-time/

When You Want More than Manna, Remember This

By Leah Ryg

“Can we please just get something to eat?” the young woman begged her boyfriend again. He was trying to get her to take a romantic walk with him down the orchard lane. He hadn’t expected her to be so irritable right before he popped the big question! Thankfully, though she was “hangry”, my mom’s grumbling didn’t stop her from saying “Yes!” to my dad’s marriage proposal.

“Hangry” is a slang term used when one is angry because of their hunger. Clearly, an empty stomach affects one’s mood! Just one hangry person can be a lot to handle, but imagine leading a whole nation that is complaining. This was the reality for Moses as he led the Israelites through the wilderness. However, the Lord didn’t let them starve. God always gives his people what they need, when they need it.

Strength for Today

And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (Ex. 16:4).

The Lord heard his people’s grumbling and promised to provide what they lacked. The reason for this was so that they would know he is the Lord and learn to depend on him alone. Exodus 16:21 tells us what happened after the people received the bread:

Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

God gave enough strength for only one day.

Some people gathered little and some much, but God had determined what was the right amount for each individual’s need (Ex. 16:18). Yet some weren’t satisfied with this daily provision and became greedy. When they tried to stash away the manna for tomorrow’s use, it became like that splotchy, green bread molding in the back of your refrigerator (Ex. 16:21).

God wanted the Israelites to rely on him alone for daily strength. He didn’t want them to forget about his provision and assume they could survive without him. The Lord knows us personally and understands our individual struggles and temptations.

I, too, have sometimes been tempted to wonder if God’s provision is really enough. Choosing my major seems impossible without knowing the big picture of my life after college. God hasn’t shown me my future career or how I’ll use what I’m learning in my classes. But, he has given me “manna”—just enough strength and guidance to make the decisions of today. I don’t actually need to know the whole story of my future because I trust the One who is writing it. When I confess my pride, God forgives and frees me to trust him. Like the writer of the classic hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, I have “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” [1]

Don’t Worry. Pray!

When we think of the future, it’s easy to worry about what we’ll eat and wear, but our heavenly Father knows our needs (Matt. 6:31-32). In light of this, Jesus instructs us:

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Matt. 6:34).

How can we avoid worrying about tomorrow? We can pray. Jesus taught his disciples to pray using these words: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). When we ask God for “daily bread”, it can mean more than yeast and flour. It can also apply to the needs we have in our relationships with other people. “Daily bread” could be God-given strength to not retaliate at a coworker. It might mean strength to forgive the friend who constantly disappoints you or to love those who have wronged you most. God’s faithful provision of today’s “manna” builds our trust that he will also provide the strength we’ll need tomorrow.

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus tells us the true source of this strength:

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Corrie ten Boom is an example of one who courageously relied on God’s word for daily strength. During World War II, Corrie and her family hid many Jews in a secret room in their home, which led to their imprisonment at a Nazi concentration camp. Corrie and her sister valued scripture so much that they risked their lives by sneaking a Bible into the camp. In God’s word, they found strength to endure each brutal day. They chose to rely on God’s promises rather than to worry about the unknowns of their future, even when their lives were on the line. Corrie wisely said,

Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. [2]

More than Manna

Worry reveals the weakness of our sinful, human nature and the painful weight of this broken world. We want more than “manna.” We long to be forever satisfied.

Jesus told his followers:

The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world… I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes me in me shall never thirst (Jn. 6:33).

When God provided manna for the people of Israel, he was feeding their temporary, physical needs as a picture of what he can do to meet our eternal, spiritual needs. The hunger of our hearts can’t be filled with bread. This is why we need a Savior. Jesus came down from heaven to save us from our sin so that he might be our hope for eternal life.

Jesus is the “bread of life”, and lasting fullness comes only through him. So, let’s stop trusting ourselves. Instead, let’s keep praying for “daily bread”—for our strength to come from God alone. He is enough manna for today. Praise God for giving us a Savior who rescues us from all our grumbling! No matter how hungry we may be, in Christ our souls can be forever full.

_____

1. Thomas O. Chisholm, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, 1923, public domain.

2. Corrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook (Thomas Nelson, Inc, 1982), 31.

posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2021/01/when-you-want-more-than-manna/

Walk in His Providence : How God Opens Doors for You

Article by Scott Hubbard

When the master in Jesus’s parable gave talents to his servants and went away, two got busy multiplying their master’s money, and one hid his talent in the dirt. Something similar can happen when people like us hear about the providence of God.

On the one hand, few doctrines have inflamed more holy ambition in the hearts of God’s people. When some hear that God rules over galaxies and governments, over winds and waves, and over every detail in our little lives (Ephesians 1:11), they get busy doing good. Christians gripped by providence have built hospitals, ended slave trades, founded orphanages, launched reformations, and pierced the darkness of unreached peoples.

On the other hand, few doctrines have been used more often to excuse passivity, sloth, and the sovereignty of the status quo. When some hear that God reigns over all, they reach for the remote, kick up their feet, take sin a little less seriously, bury their talents six feet under. They may do good when the opportunity arises, when the schedule allows, but they will rarely search for good to do.

How could the all-pervasive providence of God energize some and paralyze others? How could it cause some to blaze boldly into the unknown, and others to putter on the same tired paths, rarely dreaming, never risking?

Waiting for an Open Door

When William Carey, the pioneering missionary to India, first proposed the idea of sending Christians to unreached places, an older pastor reportedly protested, “Sit down, young man, sit down and be still. When God wants to convert the heathen, he will do it without consulting either you or me.”

Such an application of God’s providence is simplistic, unbiblical, irresponsible — and yet also understandable. Though many of us would never make such a statement, we have our own ways of allowing providence to lull us into passivity. Consider the common language of waiting or praying for “an open door.”

The phrase “open door” comes from the apostle Paul (Colossians 4:3–4), yet many of us use the phrase in ways the apostle didn’t. Paul prayed for open doors, yes, but then he vigorously turned handles (compare 1 Corinthians 16:8–9 with Acts 19:1–10). Many of us, on the other hand, sit in the hallway of life, waiting until a divine hand should swing a door open and push us through it.

Too often, by saying, “There was no open door,” we mean that there was no obvious, divine orchestration of events that made our path unmistakable. “I didn’t share the gospel because no one seemed interested.” “I didn’t have that hard conversation because we just never ran into each other.” “I didn’t confess that sin because there didn’t seem to be a good time.” Providence, if distorted, can excuse us from all manner of uncomfortable duties.

When William Carey gazed toward India, he did not see what we might call an open door: fifty million Muslims and Hindus living half a world and two oceans away. Hence the pastor’s response. Yet Carey went anyway, believing that God, in his providence, could make a way where there seemed to be no way. And India is still bearing fruit from his faith.

For Such a Time as This

Carey found his inspiration, of course, from dozens of men and women in Scripture who ventured forth into discomfort and danger by the power of God’s providence.

Where did Jonathan find the courage to attack an army with only his armor-bearer at his side? Providence: “Come, . . . it may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). How did Esther muster the courage to risk the king’s fury? Providence: “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Why did David step toward Goliath with only a sling and five stones? Providence: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

“God has planned for some doors to open only as we push them.”

Some hear, “God reigns over all,” and think, “Then what difference could my effort make?” Others, like Jonathan, Esther, and David, heard, “God reigns over all,” and thought, “Then God can use even my effort, small though it is.” And so, after thinking, weighing, and praying, they went forth — not always sure that God would prosper their plans, but deeply confident that, if he wanted to, no force in heaven or on earth could stop him.

In other words, they knew their God ruled in heaven. They saw a need on the earth. And with “Your kingdom come” burning through the chambers of their hearts (Matthew 6:10), they dreamed up something new for the sake of his name.

Act the Providence of God

Perhaps, for some of us, the difficulty lies here: we expect to react to the providence of God, but not to act the providence of God.

Some of us live as though providence were something only to react to. We wait for a clear, providential open door, and then we react to that providence by walking through the doorway. But as we’ve seen, God has planned for some doors to open only as we push them. He has planned for us to act his providence.

Paul gives us the clearest biblical expression of this dynamic in Philippians 2:12–13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Notice: Our work does not follow God’s work. Rather, our work is the simultaneous effect of God’s work. Or as John Piper writes, “What Paul makes plain here is how fully our own effort is called into action. We do not wait for the miracle; we act the miracle” (Providence, 652).

Sometimes, to be sure, God is pleased to place some good work right in our lap. Perhaps someone really does ask about the hope that is in us, or the hard conversation we need to have opens easily and naturally. In moments like these, we do indeed react to God’s providence. But God can be just as active in us when our effort is fully involved: when we invite a neighbor over to study the Bible together, or when we arrange a time and place for the difficult talk.

We need not wait for something unmistakably divine, something unquestionably providential, before we work out our salvation in all kinds of obedience. Instead, we need only see some good work to do, entrust ourselves to God through earnest prayer, work hard in conscious dependence on him, and then, once finished, turn around and say with Paul, “It was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). And thus we act the providence of God.

Imagine Good

In his providence, God has prepared good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). But many of them will not come as we passively drift beneath God’s providence. They will come to us, instead, as we strain our renewed minds, bend our born-again imaginations, and fashion possibilities in the factory of our new hearts — knowing that every good resolve is a spark of his providence.

“You are who you are, what you are, where you are, because of the all-pervasive providence of God.”

So look around you. Nothing about your life is an accident. You are who you are, what you are, where you are, because of the all-pervasive providence of God. He has given you whatever talents you have, in his wisdom, for such a time as this — so that you would add a stroke to the canvas in front of you, chisel away at the statue you see, speak and act in the drama you’re in, so that this world looks a little more like the work of art God is redeeming it to be.

There are neighbors to befriend, children to disciple, churches to plant, crisis-pregnancy centers to serve, and a thousand tasks at our jobs to do with excellence and love. And how will we know if God, in his providence, has opened a door for any of these opportunities? We will pray and turn the handle.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/walk-in-his-providence?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=3a7962eb-db61-4abd-9583-1fab135f4087&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=new%20teaching&fbclid=IwAR1rAyID2zKu6RoRrwExZG7qDZLi8m3JyFWII1PrpBL1-ZMwXw4drmyM4wk

Trust in the God Who Provides

Trust the God Who Provides (Not the Means He Uses)

By Colin Smith

Elijah is in Cherith, a remote place where God hides him, leads him, and feeds him. Here is this man who trusts and obeys God, and God is providing for him. There is a brook, and Elijah is able to drink from it. And when he does, he must have said, “Thank you Lord! Every day you provide for me through this brook.” Look what happens next:

After a while, the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land… (1 Kings 17:7).

God used the brook to sustain Elijah, and now the means God had used to provide for His servant dried up. Perhaps you are in exactly this position today. God has provided a stream of income for you through a certain form of work. The work you have done, the business you have pursued, has been your brook. But now the brook is drying up. What was working before, isn’t working now. It becomes obvious that you have to move on.

Others are not there yet, but you can see that there is less water in the brook of God’s provision for you than there used to be. You wonder what the future is going to hold for you, and you say, “What happens if this brook dries up altogether?”

Elijah must have expected this. He told the king there would be no rain, and if there’s no rain, the brook will eventually dry up. The dry brook is evidence that God keeps His promise. The same hand that held back the rain would soon pour out His provision through the oil and the flour.

Know When It’s Time to Move On 

The Word of the Lord came to him: “Arise and go to Zarephath which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you” (1 Kings 17:8).

God has more than one way of supplying what you need. When one means of supply dries up, God will provide another. What we learn here is to trust the God who provides, not His means of supply.

If you have had a stable and steady job for 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s easy to get the idea that the job that is what provides for you. No, God provides for you. He may do that through the job and if that stream dries up, He will provide for you in another way.

You may say—God has provided a small group for me, a dear friend for me, a healthy church for me, a wonderful ministry for me. These are the means of God’s supply. The way God supplies will change. The brook will dry up. Change will come in your life.

When that happens, God will call you to leave Cherith and go to Zarephath, where He will provide for you in another way. Don’t get fixated on the means of His supply. Trust the Lord who provides, because He never changes. If you cling to how God has blessed you in the past, you may miss how He will bless you in the future. Clinging to Cherith when God calls you to Zarephath is the surest way to miss God’s blessing.

God says to Elijah, “The brook that was such a blessing to you in the past is not what I have for you now. I’m drying it up.” But there is blessing and ministry for you in a place where you’d least expect it—Zarephath!

Walk in Faith and Obedience 

So [Elijah] arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold a widow was there gathering sticks (1 Kings 17:10).

Obedience was the pattern of Elijah’s life. When he arrived in Zarephath there was a woman in desperate poverty, gathering sticks on the dump outside the city. Elijah asks her for a drink, and as the woman turns to go and get the water, Elijah says, “And bring me some bread” (17:11).

The woman says, “As the Lord your God lives” (17:12). She knows who the Lord is, but she is not yet a believer. At this point in the story, the Lord is Elijah’s God, not hers. “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flowers in a jar and a little oil in a jug” (17:12). There she was at the dump outside the city gathering sticks to make a fire. On this fire she planned to bake some bread, with the full expectation that this would be her last meal.

Then we have these astonishing words:

Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son (1 Kings 17:13).

Elijah was a prophet. That means he spoke the word of God. What the prophet says, God says. So, the word of the Lord comes to this woman through Elijah, calling her to make a great sacrifice.

Notice God also gives her a great promise: “For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth’” (17:14). Someone might say, “Well, this sounds a bit like the health and wealth gospel to me.” Not a bit of it. God never promised wealth to the woman. The promise was not “Make me a cake and I’ll give you a bread factory.” The promise was “Bake me a cake, and the jar of flour will not be empty. The jug of oil will not run dry.”

God will provide what you need when you need it—not an overflowing jar and an overflowing jug. You can trust Him as you walk with Him in faith and obedience.