"For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer" Ezra 8:22-23.
The delicacy here to maintain the Lord's reputation of strength and power is admirable to me. He's meticulous to think through perceptions and believes going to the king of Persia to say they need backup would damage God's credibility.
Part of me does wonder whether this was actually necessary though, to withhold asking for help. In a society plagued with individuality and the inability to reach out, I often see God present opportunities for us to humble ourselves and ask for help. He always equips us for His work but rarely equips us alone- we need other people! Was it really necessary for them to be ashamed to ask the king? Couldn't they have explained that God often uses our good planning to accomplish His plan? After alll, I do believe in a world order set by God designed so that we are responsible to use the things He's given us- and if the king's soldiers are at your disposal, shouldn't that fall in the category of being a good steward of God's resources? They were carrying significant funds and materials for the temple rebuild.
But alas, God responds in a powerful way to them: He answered our prayer. So despite my questions about our responsiblity, our first one quite definitely lies in praying to God about everything, particularly the building of His house and kingdom like they are doing here. I too often rely on the practical like preparing armies and organizing and too rarely choose to pray and let God lead. Prayer is not an excuse for lack of preparedness but it's a guide for action. It's the place we should start, and end, and meditate on continuously. It's a place we can quiet our souls, displace the clutter, and ask God to reveal what He's doing and what He'd have us do.
And if we care about maintaining the knowledge of God's power and authority as much as these men, I believe God will answer us too.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Withholding Blessing
"Is it time for your yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, it blew away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit" Haggai 1:4-10.
This is an incredibly foreign concept in our world- the idea that our hard work won't pay off no matter how hard we try. Try, try again the saying goes. And while that is very, very true, if we try, try again and continue to withhold from the Lord He may again and again withhold from us. In a world built on results from smart business practices, God sure does throw a possibly huge wrench in our plans.
I often think I placate God in my prayer life. I spend time asking for God to bless this and bless that. Bless me; bless my work; bless my family and my friends; bless us as we travel and keep us safe; blah, blah, blah. God watch over us. Blah. Now I in no way mean to trivialize any form of prayer or dishonor any moment we spend with God or talking about God but simply put, a quality prayer life starts with getting out of the habit of praying monotonous, unnecessary prayers. He's already promised to never leave us or forsake us. He's already promised to bless us within His will. CHECK. No need to pray for that anymore. It's not a time saver in your time with God but it is a quality check and results booster.
But, steering back on topic, how often do we consider that God is withholding His blessing because of our lack-luster following or disobedience? In a world stricken with recession, it's an ironic juxtaposition to consider that possibly, in some individual or corporate cases, God just might be withholding our earthly blessings because of our unwillingness to further His kingdom. Your salary might just be frozen where it is until you honor God; your ability to have children or get married just might come second to what needs to be done in the church. Or what's more, our culture that most of us so willingly accept and absorb into just might be holding the lot of us back in one big sweep.
Do we believe God has this power? Do we believe He uses it? What God do we believe in, exactly? I don't know about yours but the more I read passages like this the more I realize my God's not as squeaky clean, good-guy, loving grandfather god. He is completely clean. He is completely good. And He is completely God. But He's not our world's definition of those words. He's different. He's God and if you don't fear Him, you don't know Him. And if you don't believe He would withhold from you, you don't trust Him enough and you just might find out the hard way like too many of us quite possibly are currently experiencing.
This is an incredibly foreign concept in our world- the idea that our hard work won't pay off no matter how hard we try. Try, try again the saying goes. And while that is very, very true, if we try, try again and continue to withhold from the Lord He may again and again withhold from us. In a world built on results from smart business practices, God sure does throw a possibly huge wrench in our plans.
I often think I placate God in my prayer life. I spend time asking for God to bless this and bless that. Bless me; bless my work; bless my family and my friends; bless us as we travel and keep us safe; blah, blah, blah. God watch over us. Blah. Now I in no way mean to trivialize any form of prayer or dishonor any moment we spend with God or talking about God but simply put, a quality prayer life starts with getting out of the habit of praying monotonous, unnecessary prayers. He's already promised to never leave us or forsake us. He's already promised to bless us within His will. CHECK. No need to pray for that anymore. It's not a time saver in your time with God but it is a quality check and results booster.
But, steering back on topic, how often do we consider that God is withholding His blessing because of our lack-luster following or disobedience? In a world stricken with recession, it's an ironic juxtaposition to consider that possibly, in some individual or corporate cases, God just might be withholding our earthly blessings because of our unwillingness to further His kingdom. Your salary might just be frozen where it is until you honor God; your ability to have children or get married just might come second to what needs to be done in the church. Or what's more, our culture that most of us so willingly accept and absorb into just might be holding the lot of us back in one big sweep.
Do we believe God has this power? Do we believe He uses it? What God do we believe in, exactly? I don't know about yours but the more I read passages like this the more I realize my God's not as squeaky clean, good-guy, loving grandfather god. He is completely clean. He is completely good. And He is completely God. But He's not our world's definition of those words. He's different. He's God and if you don't fear Him, you don't know Him. And if you don't believe He would withhold from you, you don't trust Him enough and you just might find out the hard way like too many of us quite possibly are currently experiencing.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Satan's Calling
I sat just now listening to someone that I don't typically share much spiritual connection or conviction with. Several of us sat at the table discussing business, spiritual matters and various odds and ends of news. This person, who blends with so many before him, made a particular comment that irks me. Nothing harsh or intentional, nothing obscene or recognizable to anyone else at the table. Nothing unbiblical. But nonetheless, personal. And as I absorbed the words, I felt a presence that had no business in this conversation or any conversation.
Satan's calling. I can still feel the weight of that realization. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12.
I'm not fighting any one person. I'm fighting Evil. I'm fighting the dark force in this world that loves disguising itself in ways it knows really get under my skin. But when someone says or does something harsh to us, we too often don't target our emotions at the correct enemy. We hate our fellow man. We throw brash comments, hateful little anecdotes and mean-hearted gestures at other people. We feel threatened and self-conscious and lash out at the wrong enemy. Our first problem is of course the incessant need to reciprocate at all, but a very close second is the direction of our hostility.
What's wrong with us today? Of course there are many answers to this question but I think one of the roots lies in incorrectly indentifying the source of our anger. Don't think for one second the enemy doesn't know you infinitely better than almost any one person, maybe even everyone. He studies your moves, he knows your weaknesses, your hot button topics, your irritations. He knows what will set you off. I think in our culture he particularly thrives on back-handed comments and tone of voice. He gets his thrills when no one else but you notices your blood boiling so no apology or amends will ever be made. But he's created a barrier that unless we forceably break through may remain as a hindrance to true relationship for a long time.
We can become people that are confrontational, and confrontation has its definite place and need in any culture. But what we really need to do is become people that correctly identify the enemy so that our emotions land on the correct source. We've got to change to become less irritable, less able to be thrown, less likely targets, or we continue to be such easy prey. But until we master that discipline, we can practice love and by that forgiveness. We can practice giving people the benefit of the doubt and end our hostility on our fellow man. Practice it will take but I guarantee the world will be a better place for it.
Satan's calling. I can still feel the weight of that realization. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12.
I'm not fighting any one person. I'm fighting Evil. I'm fighting the dark force in this world that loves disguising itself in ways it knows really get under my skin. But when someone says or does something harsh to us, we too often don't target our emotions at the correct enemy. We hate our fellow man. We throw brash comments, hateful little anecdotes and mean-hearted gestures at other people. We feel threatened and self-conscious and lash out at the wrong enemy. Our first problem is of course the incessant need to reciprocate at all, but a very close second is the direction of our hostility.
What's wrong with us today? Of course there are many answers to this question but I think one of the roots lies in incorrectly indentifying the source of our anger. Don't think for one second the enemy doesn't know you infinitely better than almost any one person, maybe even everyone. He studies your moves, he knows your weaknesses, your hot button topics, your irritations. He knows what will set you off. I think in our culture he particularly thrives on back-handed comments and tone of voice. He gets his thrills when no one else but you notices your blood boiling so no apology or amends will ever be made. But he's created a barrier that unless we forceably break through may remain as a hindrance to true relationship for a long time.
We can become people that are confrontational, and confrontation has its definite place and need in any culture. But what we really need to do is become people that correctly identify the enemy so that our emotions land on the correct source. We've got to change to become less irritable, less able to be thrown, less likely targets, or we continue to be such easy prey. But until we master that discipline, we can practice love and by that forgiveness. We can practice giving people the benefit of the doubt and end our hostility on our fellow man. Practice it will take but I guarantee the world will be a better place for it.
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