Fear and Faith

As a mother of two little blessings, fear for my children is one of my regular struggles. It is a battle I go through and one I am finding I need to continue to surrender to God. Unfortunately, fear rather than faith seems to often be my first reaction when I hear about a child's plight- a child gone missing or a child being given a horrible diagnosis. At these times the verse from 2 Corinthians 10:5-6a springs to mind, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." This convicts me of the sin of fear and causes me to lift my eyes to my precious Sovereign Lord. I am reminded that these children were His first and that I need to surrender them, offering them back to God for Him to do as He wills. In gentleness I am aware of the Holy Spirit reminding me that He is at work in me, conforming me more to the image of Christ.

I am reminded of Moses. When oppression of the Israelites in Egypt caused the slaughtering of hundreds of male babies (Exodus 1:15-16), God's hand was still in control. He placed a godly and righteous fear in the Hebrew midwives, "But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live." (Exodus 1:17) A humble mother Jochebed, put her faith above her fear, and placed her three month old Moses in a basket made of bulrushes and sent him off into the river (Exodus 2:3). God, in His Sovereignty, allows Pharaoh's daughter to see the basket, hear Moses' cries and take pity on him (Exodus 2:5-6). But the thing that really amazes me about this story is the way that God extends such mercy upon Jochebed, that through Moses' sister Miriam, Jochebed is reunited with her son and chosen to raise Moses for Pharaoh's daughter. 

I am reminded of Samuel. In 1 Samuel, we read of Hannah pleading with the Lord to give her a child (1 Samuel 1:10-11). God hears her prayer and in His mercy grants her request. Hannah then surrenders Samuel back to Lord, offering him up to serve in the tabernacle. Samuel goes on to hear God's voice (1 Samuel 3:10-11) and as he grows "the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet for the Lord." (1 Samuel 3:19-20).

Finally, I am reminded of Jesus. In Matthew, we see how after quite an eventful arrival (being born in a stable without a midwife no less), Mary has less than two years of delight with her newborn Jesus, before her faith is called to the fore. Joseph, in a dream, is told that Herod has ordered any male child under two be killed(Matthew 2:16-17). Sound familiar? God then sends Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt of all places, and Jesus' life is preserved. I imagine the motherly fear that would have been there for Mary, hearing her baby was at risk, yet through faith and trust, Joseph leads them to safety in Egypt. 

Of greater urgency, over that of health and protection for my children, should be that they come to know, love and pursue a living and vibrant relationship with God for themselves. In these years that I have them, my concern for their well-being should come second to my concern for their spiritual health, as this has eternal consequences. May my faith leave a greater impression on my children than my fears and may they see a mother who trusts God's Sovereignty in the joys and pains of life. 

As I was dwelling on this topic this morning, a little hymn my grandmother used to recite to us came to mind and this is what I will leave you with.

God Hath Not Promised

God hath not promised skies always blue
Flower strewn pathways, all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptations, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love.

[ by: Annie Johnson Flint -- from Aiken Drum ]

Poem taken from: http://www.skywriting.net/inspirational/poems/god_hath_not_promised.html

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Jesus Christ: The One Person We Should Be Pursuing

When we look at people who have pursued a real, living, vibrant relationship with God, it is important that we be inspired by them but not idolise them. I think it is easy to look at other Christians around us and wish we were more like them- wish we prayed the way they did, wish we could read the Bible in church like they did, wish we had Bible knowledge like they do, wish we were a godly wife/husband/mother/daughter-in-law like they were.... the list goes on. Now I could tell you that their life has its own struggles and they probably aren't as godly 100% of the time but I'll call a spade a spade: it is sin. Instead of idolising our Pastor, Bible Study Leader, Friend, we need to be following and conforming to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). Thankfully, this is 100% the Holy Spirit's job (Philippians 1:6). However, we are responsible for choices we make that allow us to pursue God and we do that through pursuing His Son: Jesus Christ. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read the account of Jesus' life as penned by the Apostle Matthew. Matthew's gospel is written primarily for a Jewish audience and aims to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah whom the Jews had been longing for. Throughout the book of Matthew, he shows again and again how Jesus fulfils any prophecy (or foretelling) of this Messiah throughout the Old Testament.

Matthew shows us there are a number of things Jesus Christ did that we can make a concerted effort to emulate. 

• Jesus Prayed Regularly to the Father and asked that the Father's Will be done -Matthew 14:23 tells us that Jesus withdrew to pray. Prayer is not something that comes extremely easily to me. As I love to write, I was encouraged to keep a prayer journal and this often helps me keep focused. I've heard of some people who have prayer 'prompts' such as traffic lights on the way to work, or a particular street, or whenever they see an ambulance pass they are prompted to pray. How do you foster prayer in your life? 
• Jesus had a sound knowledge of the Scriptures and frequently used them- Throughout the Gospels, we frequently find Jesus referring to the Old Testament passages of Scripture to show how he fulfils them. Vaughan Roberts in his easy to read book God's Big Picture, says, "I mentioned the prodigal son to an Oxford student recently. He looked blankly at me. The average non-Christian is almost completely ignorant of the contents of the Bible. It remains the world's best-selling book; one and a quarter million copies are sold in the UK alone every year. But although many have a copy on their shelves, very few read it. The knowledge of Christians is often not much better. We all have our favourite passages, but much of Scripture remains uncharted territory, especially the Old Testament." (2002, IVP, p.14). A great place to find sermons and other resources to support your study of the Bible is The Gospel Coalition. What are the areas of the Bible that remain uncharted for you? 
• Jesus Withstood Temptation to Sin (Matthew 4:1-11). When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, He repeatedly quoted verses from the Bible to counteract the attempts of Satan.  I was once told that the Bible verses we have memorised is similar to filling up a library with books for the Holy Spirit to bring to our mind. In order for our 'libraries' to be filling up, we need to be making memorisation of Bible verses a key aspect of our lives. I have started doing Bible memorisation with my daughter and realise so often we think it is something we do with children, yet I have found it is just as important for me too! For a good place to start, look at this Desiring God blog post. 
• Jesus knew His Mission and Purpose. In Matthew 4:17, we read "From that time Jesus began to preach saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The phrase "From that time..." shows a clear change in the narrative of Matthew. It is a significant moment that signals Jesus' ministry has started. Jesus spent the next 3 years proclaiming that He was the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for. He taught that repentance and faith in Him is the ONLY solution to man's sin problem and broken relationship with God (Romans 3:23). I think we often fill our lives and minds up with so many different things and pride ourselves on being busy. What if we spent time culling things that may not in themselves be sinful, but that stop us going about the Mission we are called to? That of following Christ in proclaiming the Gospel. Being a Mum of little children, I realise at the moment I am to first proclaim and teach the Gospel to them and then to my community and then to the ends of the earth. My children should not get the last of my attention, rather they are my mission field. 
• Jesus met and taught in the Synagogues. (Matthew 4:23). Jesus regularly met and proclaimed the Gospel in the synagogues. When He was 12, Jesus went missing for 3 days and His parents found Him sitting among the teachers in the synagogue actively learning (Luke 2:41-52). We too should regularly meet and encourage one another all the more as the Day of the Lord draws closer (Hebrews 10:24-25). We should be excited about gathering with God's people and actively learning from others, asking questions and listening as Jesus models. 

This journey of Pursuing God is simply that- a journey. In order to grow in love, depth and knowledge of my God, I first must stop looking to the person running this race beside me and instead have my eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2) and aim to model my life on Him.

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Peter's Pursuit of God

The Apostle Peter has been on my mind lately. As I have thought through Biblical characters who pursued God, Peter is one who comes frequently to mind. Perhaps I relate to his impulsive nature (see for example John 13:6-9 or John 18:10-11), his misled desire to be acknowledged and esteemed for what he has done (see Matthew 19:27-28) or the fear Peter shows at standing up in a hostile crowd for Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75), even though Jesus predicted this would be Peter's reaction (Matthew 26:30-35).

But I think the thing I love most about the account of Peter's pursuit of God in the New Testament, is that it is a journey of sanctification. Peter doesn't stay as this somewhat unruly fisherman. The Holy Spirit enters Peter at Pentecost and Peter immediately begins to preach with power and conviction, bearing witness to the Truth in Jesus' fulfilment of Scripture (Acts 2:14-41). Peter then goes on to become one of the leaders of the church of Jerusalem. This is supported by historians, "Of the apostles, Peter and John seem to have been foremost, for Acts gives several indications of this, and they are two of the "pillars" to whom Paul refers in Galatians 2:9." (Justo. L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol. 1, 2010, p.28)

In the corporate prayer time we have as a church, prayers yesterday were filled with us fervently pleading for strength, endurance and  deliverance for our brothers and sisters who are currently under sever persecution in Iraq and Syria. There is also the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and cases of it appearing around the world. In these distressing times, we can take comfort in Peter's pursuit of God and see the Holy Spirit's sanctification of him. 

In 1 Peter 1:6-9, we read "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." As I read this, I earnestly desire to love Jesus, though I do not see him and to believe in him and rejoice with an inexpressible joy. 

Peter went on to impact the church greatly. He learnt from his denial of Jesus and followed Jesus to the cross. Historically, it is affirmed that "...Peter was in Rome, that he suffered martyrdom in that city during Nero's persecution. On these points, several writers of the first and second centuries seem to agree. We are also told that he was crucified- according to one version, upside-down- and this seems to be implied by the otherwise obscure words in John 21:18-19" (Justo. L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol. 1, 2010, p.36).

As the time in which we live grows in public persecution for Christians, may we not waver in our faith. With eternity in the forefront of our minds, an inexpressible love for Jesus in our hearts, and a growing knowledge of the Word of God encouraging and equipping us, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."(Hebrews 12:1b-2). 

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Christianity: an ever-growing history

Christianity has a history. Nancy Guthrie, in her book Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament (2010, Tyndale) highlights the fact this history started before the beginning of time. That before Genesis 1:1 happened, God planned for His Son Jesus to show us grace (2 Timothy 1:9). Since then, a lot has happened. We've had Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Daniel, The Prophets, JESUS, Peter, Luke, Paul, Timothy, Augustine, Luther, Spurgeon and we could go on. Yet how much do we really know of this history and should we know more?

If I was honest I could confidently say that after growing up in a Christian home and attending a Christian school for the majority of my school years,  I have known about most of the characters from the Bible for a number of years. I could also say I know the names of Luther, Spurgeon, Wesley and Calvin mainly because they were the names of my school sporting teams. Unfortunately though, while I have a sound level of Biblical literacy, my knowledge of Christian history post-Bible is fairly limited.  Prior to my husband studying a unit on Christian history, I wouldn't be able to say who Spurgeon or Wesley were or what they contributed to the universal Church as we know it today.

As a former teacher, I realise the importance of teaching students history of the world so that students can learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes. Yet I am amazed that so often we approach Christianity with the attitude that we should know the Bible and little else. Absolutely, the Bible is the living, inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and the most vital piece of literature a Christian should know and understand. But I also believe that in order to learn from the entirety of Christian history, we must have an understanding of what has occurred chronologically between the epistles of John and the world we find ourselves in today.

Justo L. Gonzalez writes, "Without understanding the past, we are unable to understand ourselves, for in a sense the past still lives in us and influences who we are and how we understand the Christian message." (The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1, 2010, HarperOne, p.3). We do not live in a vacuum and our Christian life and interpretation of the Bible is heavily influenced by those around us- our pastors, parents, spouses, Church denomination and Christian traditions. "When we stand, sit, or kneel in church; when we sing a hymn, recite a creed (or refuse to recite one); when we build a church or preach a sermon, a past of which we may not be aware is one of the factors influencing our actions" (Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1, 2010, HarperOne, p.3). Therefore, one could argue that understanding our entire Christian history, or at least having some understanding of what took place after the completion of the Bible would better equip us to intentionally live out our faith.

In Hebrews 12:1-3, the writer urges us to be inspired by those heroes of the faith (particularly those mentioned in the preceding chapter) who have gone before us and "run with perseverance" (Hebrews 12:1). This would appear to indicate that we can use the knowledge of Christians who have gone before us, with our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), to motivate us in our Christian walk. John Piper believes this "witnessing" is that these Christians are telling us they have finished the race of the Christian life and are showing us it can be done (see Piper's post here).

Just as Luke's book of Acts does not seem to reach a definite conclusion (ending with Paul preaching in Rome, Acts 28:30-31), so too can we come to see that the Christian history will not end "before the end of all history" (Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1, 2010, HarperOne, p.2; italics mine). Let us then be spurred on to learn more about Jesus and His body the Church. Whether it is good or bad, let us get better equipped! In this, may we see the Holy Spirit encourage us, admonish us and grow us as we see how fellow Christians, sinful as they may be, have fought for the God whom we serve and the Word of God that we treasure.

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David's Pursuit of God- Psalm 63

Photo courtesy Ryan Dickey

What are you current pursuing? When you look at the definition for the word 'pursue' it can mean "follow or chase... to go after, run after". Throughout the course of my life so far, there have been numerous things I have pursued- acceptance, love, stability, family, security, high achievement, happiness. When I am dead and buried though, which of these things will last? Which of these things will have really been something to live for?

In Psalm 63, David cries out to God in prayer when he was fleeing those who tried to kill him. It is thought that David was probably fleeing his son Absalom, as he was already king when he wrote this (Psalm 63:11). David so full of emotion says, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1). David confidently declares his pursuit of God in a clear and straightforward way. He shows his possession of and confidence in his relationship with God. David has a great understanding that God is real, living and active. The way David uses thirst and flesh, he declares he is pursuing God with all of his being (Spurgeon).

David continues to show that he longs to "enjoy God" (Henry), "So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will life up my hands" (Psalm 63:2-4). Here, David shows that he has spent time worshipping God in the sanctuary of the tabernacle, and he longs now in the wilderness to commune with his God. David doesn't long for a comfortable bed, he longs and pursues the Almighty God. 

In Psalm 63:5-8, David declares that while he can't go and meet with God in the sanctuary of the tabernacle, he can remember and meditate on God in any circumstance (Psalm 63:6). Not only will David be satisfied with this, his soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food (v. 5) and the result of this is that David bursts into joyful song. David could have chosen to look inward, as he was literally on the run for his life, yet he declares his pursuit of God and choice to spend time with God. He remembers that God has been his help (v.7) and that he is in the shadow of God's wings and so he will sing for joy (v.7). David trusts that while the world around him may be turbulent, God is Sovereign and God's right hand upholds him (Psalm 63:8). 

In my day to day mothering of a 3 year old and 8 month old, I so often longed for peace and quiet to spend time communing with God. Yet I was challenged to not wait for this. Like David, we shouldn't wait until we are at church, or for the perfect situation, instead we can pursue our God confidently, any time of the day or night. We can praise him and be satisfied and rest in the shadow of His wings. As we meditate on God's Word and lift up joyful songs in praise to Him, may we also know the security that as our souls cling to God, His right hand upholds us.  

As Spurgeon urges, "the absence of outward comforts can be borne with serenity when we walk with God; ... Only after God, therefore, let us pant. Let all desires be gathered into one. Seeking first the kingdom of God—all else shall be added unto us."