Covenant Marriage

 I received a phone call from a friend we first met in east Texas 25 years ago. Her and her husband have been dear to us ever since. We had four sons and they had three daughters. We fellowshipped together often, and our children played together. We don't talk frequently but the bond is still there. It has been 18 years since we moved from east Texas. 

Her call was shocking. The news she shared was even more shocking. She reported that some mutual friends' marriage was ending in divorce. The wife said she had had enough, walked out, and filed for divorce. This after 26 years. The wife gave no reasons other than she had enough. The husband is devastated, broken, repentant, and willing to do anything to save the marriage. The wife is resolved, hardened, and resistant to biblical counsel. 

This is a story Brenda and I have heard way to many times. Our hearts have broken over multiple couples ending lengthy marriages. Usually there is another woman, or another man involved. In the age of social media, it is easier for the boundary lines to be crossed and for people to form emotional attachments to people other their spouses. There are predators out there ready and willing to pounce on disillusioned and disgruntled married people looking for love in all the wrong places. 

Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, I do not recognize homosexual marriages, and God. God instituted the institution of marriage. It was His idea. He created them male and female. He said they would be joined together and the two should become one. All of it was founded by God. 

Marriage has been defiled. Preachers no longer talk about covenant marriage. Destination weddings without biblical counsel and explanation end in no fault divorces. People go to court to get divorces. A judge may decide to have the marriage ended. What about the covenant? Jesus gave adultery as justification for divorce. Not for irreconcilable differences. In the eyes of God covenants are not so easily broken as in the courts. 

I have offended many people over the years. I will not perform a wedding ceremony without counseling with the people up front. This included my own sister. Her and her husband would not counsel with me, and I refused to perform their wedding, much to the chagrin of many in my family. Turns out the guy was physically abusive to my sister, a drunk, and unfaithful to her. The marriage did not last long. 

Covenant means something to God. It is a contract, a promise, a commitment. Couples stand before the preacher or justice of the peace and recite vows such as, "until death do us part." That means something. It is more than just words. It is more than staring at a pretty face and being caught up in lust. It is covenant. I keep going back to that. 

Covenant means staying in the marriage when the youthful romantic flames have dimmed. Covenant means staying committed when youthful beauty fades into old age health problems. Covenant means exclusivity in the bedroom. Covenant means one man with one man to death parts. Covenant means one sinful spouse learning to forgive the other sinful spouse over decades of heated disagreements, irritability, sharp short cutting remarks, and taking one another for granted. Covenant means working at love. It means staying committed when body shapes change, hair falls out and greys, and youthful vigor and passion fade like the setting sun. Covenant means something. It is playing for keeps. It means staying joined together. Even in the case of adultery, there is the testimony of spouses forgiving one another and being restored. 

I recently talked to a man who had been married for 66 years. His wife recently died. She had Alzheimer's. He dutifully stayed by her side. Even when she had to be put in a care facility. He went up every day to feed her, wash her clothes, and sit with her. His only break came on Sunday mornings when he went to worship. I sat across the room from him the day after she died. 66 years. He could not hold back the tears. This man understands the meaning of covenant. 

So many marriages do not make it. The first question I ask young couples in premarital counseling is why they want to get married. Before they answer I say, "You cannot say because we love each other. All couples say that in the beginning and yet half still end in divorce." Many will say things like they are my best friend, my soul mate, they make me happy, and they make me better. I have actually had people not be able to respond to that question. They had no answer. It was awkward silence. I explain the whole idea of covenant. There have been times when I talked people out of getting married.

I will make an honest confession about my own marriage. When I stood down front at the First Baptist Church of Hurst, TX and Brenda walked through the back doors of the sanctuary in her white wedding dress, I was stunned by her beauty. Then another thought hit me. A very sobering thought as she strolled down the aisle toward me. I knew in that moment the seriousness of the occasion. We were not just dating anymore. There would be no easy breakups. This was for keeps. The weight of all that hit me like a ton of bricks. We were making a covenant with one another before God, our family and friends until death parted us. That was 32 years ago. I am more madly in love with that woman today than I was back then. With God's help I pray I always will be until death parts us. May the marriage covenant not be broken. 

Modern Methods

 Church has come a long way. A long way from the country church with the swamp coolers and hand-held fans swishing back and forth during the gospel singing and preaching. Back in those days many sanctuaries had hard pews to sit on. The heart and mind could only consume what the backside could endure. Sometimes sweat beads would form on both the preachers and parishioners during those hot Texas summers. Amens echoed across the room helping the preacher to preach with gusto. 

Nobody projected words on a screen. People held hymnals and sang time honored traditional anthems of the faith. Many did not even need a song book having those treasured songs memorized from years of faithful worship attendance. Preachers preached passionate hell fire brimstone messages straight from the Bible. There were no praise teams. There were choirs. Made up of common folk who loved to sing. There were no bands. There was typically a piano and an organ. Some mighty fine worship happened with those two instruments. 

Things have changed a lot. Now we have worship bands. In some churches these bands are made up of professional musicians who play the bars on Friday and Saturday nights and then play at worship on Sunday morning for a paycheck. We no longer have sanctuaries. We have worship centers where light shows and atmospheres are set with darkened rooms, repeated lyrics psychologically working the crowd to a desired hypnotic mood, followed by tickle the ear topical messages very lite on the Bible. Worship services have become carefully crafted productions. The music like a concert. The whole thing resembling a spectacle than a worship service. 

Now services are live streamed so people can watch from home. Some are forced to watch from home because of health issues. Other opt to watch from home out of convenience and laziness. Such can view worship services like you would a sitcom with snacks in hand. They sit and watch stone hearted and unresponsive. They do not engage in worship personally. They watch and listen. 

How much reverence for the LORD exists today. People forget this is the same God who struck down people in the past for irreverence. Remember Annanias and Sapphira. Still people casually stroll to their seats with vile, filthy, sin stained, defiled hearts unashamed and unrepentant. The whole scene has become a religious sham. No matter the size of the crowd how often does our worship gatherings leave God more offended than honored. 

I am not against change. I am not even against some new modern methods. I am adamantly against thinking we can substitute technology for the presence and power of God. I am opposed to thinking the size of the crowd pleases God more than the holiness of those in attendance. I am not trying to adopt the methods of the world to do the work of God. Sometimes modern methods can obstruct the blessing of God. 

King David made that mistake. You can read about it in [II Samuel 6:1-6] He forgot the God ordained way to transport the ark. Carrying the ark on the shoulders of the priests with a long rod inserted on each side through rings seemed inefficient. Outdated. Antiquated. He led Israel to transport the ark the same way the pagan Philistines did. With a cart and some oxen. David made sure they got a new cart to transport the ark. Two guys drove the oxen. When the o stumbled, and the ark toppled Uzzah reached out to steady it thinking he was doing a good deed. It turned out to be a deadly deed. God struck him down on the spot for not treating the ark, which represented the presence of God, as holy. Uzzah reacted instead of revered. He forgot who He was dealing with. It cost him his life. 

Modern methods do not always produce moves of God. I am not against technology. I like some of the changes in the church. I like the guitar, keyboard and drums in addition to the piano in worship. I like the way we can seamlessly transition from one song to the next instead of having to stop so people can turn in their hymnals and find the next selection. I like the fact that pews are padded and so are the chairs. I like the fact that with technology I can potentially preach to more people live streaming all over the world than I do in person each Sunday morning. I embrace the fact that God's word is more accessible to more people than ever. 

That does not mean I embrace putting on a Hollywood production each Sunday to attract a crowd. The power and move of God are sufficient to attract crowds. God encounters should be the goal of any worship gathering. Sinners meeting the Savior. The people of God repentant where they have failed. Authentic worship from the heart more than merely from the lips. Hungry hearts for the word of God. Leadership sensitive to the Spirit of God. 

Maybe that sounds pretty old fashioned. Out of step with this modern age. Maybe you think all our modern methods are necessary to reach this culture. Not without the fresh anointing of God. Modern technological advances can never substitute for the presence and power of God. Good old-fashioned prayer can generate more revival than all our modern methods. Beware lest we find ourselves in the same irreverent spot Uzzah was in. 

Inquire

 Inquire means to ask information from someone. For our purposes today we inquire of God or ask Him for information. David did this repeatedly. Especially as it related to military strategy. He asked God for direction. He refused to take action until he had heard the counsel of God. 

Is that our habit? Do we inquire? Do we wait on God to answer? It strikes me that should be the heart of believers. From choosing professions, spouses, where we live, where we worship, and what ministries we are called to join. People often choose their profession on what they like to do or where they can make a lot of money. People choose spouses on looks more than character. The thought for many seems to be act does God have to do with it? How much inquiry really takes place when it comes to what city we live in and what house to dwell in? Do people inquire of God where to worship? If so, God is leading most people to mega churches while smaller churches struggle to survive from year to year. I will not even address the issue of asking God about where to serve in ministry. So few do serve it seems a muted point. 

The part of David's habit of inquiring of God that speaks to me is not so much David asking God for information. IT IS THAT GOD CHOSE TO ANSWER. WITH SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS. I find myself longing for that kind of walk with God. Where I seek His face and counsel and He directs my steps. He still answers inquiry. 

Recently, I have been praying over a certain issue seeking God's heart and mind. I read scripture. I sat still and listened. I cried out persistently. The answer did not come. Not for months of incessant inquiry. Not until last week. God's answer came in two unusual ways. First, I found a copied page from a book left on my desk anonymously last Sunday afternoon. Several lines were underlined and hi lighted. The message was heard loud and clear. The second way God responded, came in the form of a text message after a pastoral visit. I visited a man who's wife died after a long illness. They were married 66 years. He is not a member of our church but a man I have grown to love. He sent me a text. In the text he wrote some words of wisdom that had to flow from the heart of God through his keypad. Without my telling him what I was seeking God about, he wrote a message addressing that very issue. He still does not know how impactful His words are to me. I have not erased them from my phone. 

I believe God still speaks. In many ways including through His word, the Holy Spirit, other people, and sometimes unique circumstances. Maybe even words from a book or in a text message. The question before us today is are we inquiring and listening? God has much to say to His children. May we turn our gaze and ears toward Heaven and listen for His still small voice. What He has to say to us will always be more important than what we have to say to Him. I am thankful He chooses to answer our inquiries in His time. 

Getting Even

 Has anyone ever made your life miserable? I mean they harass you, bother you, provoke you, and make it their ambition to distress you. This may happen emotionally. It might happen physically. They spread rumors about you. They build a camp of misrepresentation of the facts making you out to be the bad person. This is even harder when the tormentor is in an influential position over you. A parent, boss, supervisor, or in religious leadership. 

I recently read the true story of such circumstances. The harassment caused the one being tormented to have to leave his family, friends, home, and even his job to get away. Even that did not stop the tormentor. He continued to harass and on more than one occasion even followed his victim to other states. 

Then one day, one fateful God ordained day the victim finally had the chance to get even. To put an end to the perpetual harassment forever. Things could not have worked out more perfectly. The afflicted was in a position to do the afflicting. To pay back. To retaliate. To take vengeance for all the years of misery. To set the record straight. To give an eye for an eye. 

Incredibly the victim did not get even. He spared tormenting pain on the one who had spent years tormenting him. It did not make sense. Many people did not understand why the victim did not take advantage of this opportunity to get even. The victim replied with a few simple words. Before I tell you what he said I guess I should identify the two main characters in this true story. 

Many of you have already deduced I am writing about David and King Saul. God had already revealed to Saul that he would be removed as King and the monarchy would be given to another. David gained great fame and popularity when he killed Goliath. Saul was jealous. So jealous he wanted to kill David. He tried on more than one occasion. Things got so bad David had to leave his wife, best friend Jonathan, and his job as a military leader in the Israelite army. He fled to a whole other country. 

Saul got wind where David was hiding in some caves and rallied the troops to go pursue him and kill him. He convinced the troops that David wanted to usurp him as king. Total lies. 

On the journey Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. Just so happened it was the cave where David and a band of misfit disgruntled men had gathered around him. All the men urged David to get even by killing Saul. David refused and spoke these famous words, "I WILL NOT TOUCH GOD'S ANOINTED." Instead, he cut off a corner of Saul's robe and later showed it to Saul as proof that he did not retaliate misery for all the pain Saul had inflicted on David. 

The question before us today is why didn't David get even when he had the chance? Many of us might have done the opposite of what David did not do. First, David submitted to God. He knew that God chose Saul to be king. Only God had the right to remove Saul. That required a tremendous amount of faith and patience. The Spirit of God had departed from Saul and come on David. It is not easy watching evil people prevail in places of leadership where they harm many people. David trusted God to work things out in His timing. David restrained himself from killing the king. It must have been tempting. Every good idea is not a God idea. Vengeance is God's. NOBODY GETS AWAY WITH WICKEDNESS. 

David had to trust God's timing. Samuel had already told David he would be the next king. It would have been easy for David to try to force the issue. He waited on God's timing. During this painful season in David's life God was building character in David to match the assignment of being the next king. I am betting there were days when David grew impatient and prayed for God to hurry things along. God moves at His own sovereign pace. He is not slow and not in a hurry. He is always right on time. 

Fast forward. God did take care of Saul. He was killed in battle. God did set David on the throne where he reigned for four decades. I wonder how things would have turned out if David had decided to get even. David took the high road. He let God be his refuge and defender. Some of the greatest and most comforting verses in the Bible come from Psalms and David working through distressing situations. I don't think David could have written those impactful verses like Psalm 23, Ps 27:13-14, Ps 40:1-3, Ps 42:5, Ps 46:1 along with so many others if he had gotten even. God used the pain in David's life to work a greater good that we are benefitting from today. 

So, the next time you have the opportunity to get even I hope you will think about David. Think about his statement, " I will not touch God's anointed." Think about his faith and patience. Think about the sovereign plan of God working out without David taking matters into his own hands. God is trustworthy. Even in your pain God is working things you cannot fathom. Vengeance is God's. Release your anger, bitterness, and resolve to get even. Trust God to work it all out.  Let Him get even. He settles all scores in the end. 

Invisible

 The word invisible is defined by something that is not able to be seen. We cannot see the wind. We can feel it and see the force of it, but wind is invisible. We cannot see God. At least I never have. Nor have I seen Jesus with my physical eyes. I sense His presence. I see the evidence of His moving. What about people?

Some people are invisible. I do not mean they are not able to be seen. I mean something far more tragic. They just are not noticed. They blend in. They get lost among the crowds. They are overlooked. They are ignored. Not considered worthy of anyone's attention. They are always on the outside of the group looking in. They are outcasts, isolated, rejected, marginalized, and forgotten. 

Recently I heard a woman bemoaning this fact on her job. She said, "I am one of the invisible people nobody sees or notices." I talked to her supervisor, and she related that is how her whole department feels. Invisible. Treated like they are not even there. Not even a human being. They are taken for granted. Rarely given any appreciation. 

Jesus sees the invisible of this world. He did when his sandaled feet kicked up dust on this planet. He saw the lepers, the demon possessed, the immoral, the crippled, and deformed. He not only saw them. He gave them His attention. He talked to them. He healed many of them. He did not look right through them as if they were not even there. 

Invisible people have worth to God. He loved them enough to send Jesus to die for their redemption. They have worth. Our society tends to look right past the custodian, the food industry worker, the lawn care employees, the waiters and waitresses.

Jesus lived with His eyes wide open to see people. Far too many Christians live their lives with eyes closed to what they think are insignificant and therefore invisible people. The world is filled with pretty, popular, powerful, and prestigious people. Those are not the people I see Jesus drawn to in the gospel books. He went to those others rejected and avoided. 

I tend to notice the workers others take for granted. I see the ones outcast from the rest. I am aware of those who feel invisible and insignificant. Why? I have felt that way many times in my life and I did not like it. 

Jesus embraces invisible people. Jesus befriends those with no friends. Jesus loves the unlovely. Jesus is our example. May He open our eyes to invisible people all around us. May He move us to reach out to them and let them feel loved and appreciated. That is the way of Christ followers. 

Perhaps The Lord Will Be Us

 You have surely heard the old saying, "Nothing ventured nothing gained." What does that mean? It means you cannot always achieve something if you are not willing to take some risks. Risk is not a word many people are comfortable with. Risk means being exposed to danger, harm, or loss. Sometimes great risk brings great rewards. Sometimes great risks brings great suffering and sacrifice. 

In your opinion, would you say that you as a follower of Jesus are branching out into risky ventures? Are you playing it safe? Chasing comfort and aversion to risk. What about the congregation you worship with? Is your band of believers faith filled risk loving adventure seeking followers of Jesus? Or are they holy huddles of safe and secure pew dwellers? 

In the 14th chapter of I Samuel there is a story filled with risk, faith, courage, and the miraculous intervention. It involves two men. One named and the other his subordinate. A guy named Jonathan, and his armor bearer. Jonathan was no ordinary man. He was a prince. The son of King Saul. Instead of resting in his privileged and protected status he longed for more. He wanted adventure. Nothing ventured nothing gained mentality permeated his cranium. 

His brilliant strategy? To climb a mountain toward the Philistine enemy forces and attack. Just two men. Here is what he told his companion, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of the uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or few." [ I Sam 14:6]

When they got to the top, Jonathan said if they enemy soldiers told them to stay where they were they would conclude God was not going to help them. Conversely, if the enemy soldiers beckoned to come toward them, they would be assured God would give them victory. 

Hold on. Would you put confidence in that? To be invited closer to the enemy? Like two lambs being led into slaughter. To be welcomed closer to danger, to embrace risk, to throw caution to the wind, to take a blind leap of faith. Jonathan's reasoning was not faulty. God is truly able to save through a few just as easily as with many. In his case with only two men. 

Everything about this screams risk. Jonathan says up front, "Perhaps the LORD will work for us." Perhaps He will. Perhaps He will not. There are no guarantees. There is just faith that God is able if He willing to work a miracle. I love that kind of thinking. Most of us are conditioned to think just the opposite. Perhaps God will not work a miracle. Better not risk it. Better play it safe. 

Read carefully. MIRACLES ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF FAITH STEPS! God honored the faith of Jonathan and his armor bearer and worked a miraculous victory. We live in a day of miracle famine. I believe much of that is because so few are willing to risk reputation, finances, failure, relocation, danger, or harm to follow Jesus. I ask myself, "What am I risking right now?" It appears to me I am playing it safe. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The end result? No miraculous activity around my life. Not in the church I serve as pastor nor at the school where I coach. MIRACLES ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF FAITH STEPS!

What is my perhaps the LORD will work for us moment? My time is split working as a pastor and at a Christian School. I am surrounded by comforts. My life seems pretty predictable not adventurous. I cannot recall the last faith step God called me to take. I wonder if God is waking my faith and sense of adventure today. Is He firing my imagination preparing me to run toward risk and to leap in faith with a perhaps the LORD will work for us mentality. He has my yes no matter what He might call me to do. To sacrifice finances. To defy the odds. To make bold courageous leadership decisions that might rock the boat. To take the gospel where others are unwilling to take it. To risk failure. Perhaps the LORD will work for me whatever His call might be. I wait on His revelation ready to respond in faith. May I live with everything ventured and everything gained mindset to my last breath. 

Call Me Mara

 Ruth 1:19-22 (NASB)

¹⁹  So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"
²⁰  She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
²¹  "I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
²²  So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Naomi and her husband along with their two sons moved to Moab during a famine. They were there for ten years. Calamity struck Naomi. First, her husband died. Later both her sons died leaving her with two daughters in laws. One opted to return to her people. Ruth chose to stay with Naomi. Naomi decided to return to Israel. Her arrival caused quite a stir in town. That is where our story picks up. 

The women wondered if it truly was Naomi who had returned. The name Naomi means pleasant. She must have been a pleasant personality for so many to get excited about her return. Only she was not the same Naomi they remembered. She was harder. More bitter. Grieving. Disillusioned. Broken. 

She told the women not to call her Naomi but to call her Mara. Mara means bitter. She goes a step further and accuses God of dealing bitterly with her. We can understand why. She left happily married. She returned as a grieving widow. She left with two sons. She returned with one grieving daughter in law and no sons. 

She told everyone that the Almighty dealt bitterly with her. That means she accused God of chaffing her and discontenting her. Pretty strong accusations. Again, we can see where she is coming from trying to cope with overwhelming sorrows. She goes on to say she left full but came back empty. She said the LORD afflicted her. She was saying the Lord brought her low, oppressed and troubled her. None of that sounds like a woman with a pleasant personality. 

I wonder how many who are reading this today can identify with Naomi. You too have had your bitter afflictions. You know the gut-wrenching sorrow of losing a husband, wife, child or grandchild. You know the emptiness left in your heart. You have your why questions. You may have also accused God of afflicting you. The pain does not go away. 

A grieving widow recently sent me an article about the grief process. It was hard to read because it was so honest. The article reported grieving people always feel like a third wheel in social settings. Living in the grip of depression. Finding it hard to will yourself to do anything. Questioning God. Trying to put on a brave face for others who just do not understand that you are not really okay. That some days the tears fall like rain. 

There are others who could say call me Mara. They have worked hard for decades but cannot seem to get ahead. There are always more bills than there are finances no matter how much overtime they work. Cars break. Appliances have to be replaced. Unforeseen injuries occur requiring unexpected medical expenses. Success is elusive in the workplace. The grind of all those things combined can lead a person to identify with Mara. Bitter and disillusioned with a God they do not understand. 

The ways of God are mysterious. The path of discipleship often leads through some bitter experiences. Saints suffer. Some of the saints God uses most suffer the most. 

From Naomi's perspective all she could see was bitterness. She could not see the bigger picture. That her mara circumstances would be used and captured in the Bible to help billions of people going through their own mara. Their own bitter afflictions. How many have been ready to give up on God until they stumbled across the book of Ruth and recounted the story of Naomi? She could have never predicted the surprise ending of the book. 

Ruth got married. She and Boaz had a child. Naomi got to help raise the child. Turns out that child would be the grandfather of King David. In that lineage eventually Jesus would be born. Out of the mara God did not abandon Naomi or Ruth. All Naomi could see was mara. She did not realize that more pleasant days awaited her. Her pleasant personality would return. 

I do not make lite of your mara trials. I know they are real. I also know the God you love; worship and trust appears to have failed you. You have your own accusations against the Almighty. He may even be silent during this time of sorrow. Do not interpret His silence as His absence. Do not interpret the faithfulness of God against the backdrop of your mara. I assure you that you are not the only one to go through mara. Just look at Naomi. Look at Ruth. Look at Amy Carmichael. Look at Fanny Crosby. Look at Billy Graham, Ann Graham Lotz, Sara Edwards, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, Charles Simeon, Lottie Moon, Bertha Smith, and Corrie Tin Boon. Each suffered their own mara trials. Each persevered in faith and found God faithful. You can do the same. God is able to turn mara to more pleasant times if we just hang onto faith and stay in His word. 

I do not write that from an ivory tower of a life insulated from mara. I have faced my own maras and found a God who loves me and helps me in the pain. It was the pain of past and present maras that helps me to write things like this to hopefully help someone. I have been tried and tested. I stand on this side of mara declaring God is faithful, trustworthy, good, and more than able to turn mara into more pleasant times. 

Asking For a Sign

 Judges 6:17-21 (NASB)

¹⁷  So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
¹⁸  "Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." And He said, "I will remain until you return."
¹⁹  Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.
²⁰  The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.
²¹  Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

I find it interesting that Gideon asked for a sign. In essence, he wanted proof that God was speaking to him. Don't we do the same thing? We ask God for signs to prove He exists, that He speaks, and to reveal His will. God answered Gideon in very dramatic fashion. Fire consumed the offering and the angel of the LORD vanished. 

Just a few verses later Gideon asked God for another sign. We call it a fleece prayer. He asked God to give another sign of the fleece being wet with dew but the ground remaining dry. God did what Gideon asked. That was not good enough. Then Gideon reversed the prayer and asked that the fleece remain dry while the ground be wet. God answered both prayers. He certainly did not have to do so. 

While meditating on these incidents I was reminded of something Jesus said. 

Matthew 12:38-40 (NASB)
³⁸  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
³⁹  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
⁴⁰  for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus said that those seeking signs were an evil and adulterous generation. 

There are people who constantly want reassurance from God. They crave signs and wonders. They go from experience to experience. From dramatic feeling to dramatic feeling. They constantly want proof. We are supposed to approach God by faith, follow by faith, and trust by faith even when there are no signs. 

Gideon asked for signs and God gave them to him. I believe it was because his faith was weak. Yet Gideon is mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Jesus rebuked people asking for signs. Where does that leave us?

Do you frequently ask God for signs? To show where to go or what to do? I certainly have in the past. On major decisions like marrying Brenda. Like where to serve Him. For guidance. Sometimes for reassurance. Many of those times God did not answer the prayer with a sign. In fact, on few occasions can I say God answered with signs. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

The most prominent way God has communicated with me over the years has been in the pages of scripture. When God wanted to reveal something to me He did it in His word. Many times with the same verses showing up again and again. Instead of spending all my time asking for signs and God to prove Himself repeatedly, I go to His word. He speaks there. 

Desperate people ask for signs. I recall an incident when I was child wondering if God was real. I prayed a sign prayer before I went to bed. I prayed, "God if you are real let the hat hanging on my mirror fall. I don't care how you do it, prove that you exist." I meant no disrespect. I was a curious seeker with sincere desire to know for sure God existed. I went to bed and slept soundly all night. When I awoke, I remembered my prayer. I turned the light on and discovered... my hat still hanging on the mirror. I went on with my day and did not think much more about God until I was a junior in high school and was confronted with the gospel messenger. God showed me He was real that night. It was my Damascus Road experience. 

When I think back on that foolish prayer as a child, I am ashamed. I think God was amused. Like He had to prove Himself with something so silly as a hat falling to the ground. God has already proven Himself. Just look at creation. That did not just happen. God has revealed Himself in His word, yet few take the time to read and see for themselves. Sometimes God reveals Himself in dreams. This is happening right now to many Muslims. The report seeing a man in their dreams who turns out to be Jesus. 

God is not obligated to prove Himself. He does not have to answer sign prayers. Sometimes He chooses to do so. We do not want to be labeled evil and adulterous because of continually seeking signs. Let us be content to follow Jesus by faith. If God wills to show signs like He did repeatedly through Jesus in the book of John so, be it. He does not want us to spend our time seeking signs when we should be seeking Him through His word. 

If, Why, and Where

 Nestled in the sixth chapter of Judges is a passage where an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. His words were, "The LORD is with you." That should have offered reassurance. It did not. Gideon rebutted the declaration from the angel with three questions. Judges 6:12-13 (NASB)

¹²  The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."
¹³  Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

If the Lord is with us. How many have been tempted to believe the Lord's absence and abandonment in times of crisis? Just because you cannot see the evidence of God's work nor hear His voice does not mean that God is not there. It is not if the Lord is with us. It is since the Lord is with us. Sometimes we have to press in harder during the difficult times to hear His still small voice. He is with us. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. [Heb 13:5]

The second question Gideon asked is why the oppressive circumstances were happening. You can read the answer for yourself in [Judges 6:1-1-6] Israel did not obey God. God punished them as a result. Does that ever happen to us? We disobey and the consequences that follow make us question God. Why? I have my list of why questions. Why is a beautiful kind little girl getting bullied at school? Why hasn't God healed when prayers of faith have been offered numerous times? Why are children abused and trafficked? Why do some prodigals not return? Why do so many who started out strong in the faith fall away? Why doesn't the church grow? Why doesn't God send spiritual awakening to turn this nation back to Him? I am sure you have your why questions. 

The problem with why questions is twofold. First, God is not obligated to answer them. Secondly, we cannot always handle God's answers. His ways are higher, infinitely higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. 

The third question Gideon asked was where all the miracles were. We may be tempted to ask the same thing. Where is the power of God? Though the harvest is plentiful the laborers are few and souls saved do not happen as frequently as we might like. Healings seem rare. Prayers are not always answered as we hoped they would be.

There are various reasons for this. The church is no longer a house of prayer. Prayers are not always offered in faith. Sin clogs the channels of God's answers. Doubts choke faith making prayer ineffective. These are just a few reasons. 

Like Gideon, do we ask God if, why, and where? Be forewarned. You may not like His answers. They prove very convicting. 

Deflated

 Have you ever seen an inflated balloon deflate. All the air goes out of the balloon, and it falls shapelessly to the ground. That is how we feel sometimes when we get unexpected bad news. It is like a pin prick that lets all the air out of our faith and hope. We start falling and continue to deflate until we have nothing left. 

This is how people feel when they learn they or a loved one has cancer. Likewise, when people are served divorce papers. It happens when someone dies unexpectedly. It can happen on the job when you learn you got passed up for a promotion or the company is downsizing, and you no longer have employment. 

These kinds of things happen to all people. Setbacks. Tests. Trials. Challenges. Many of which we have absolutely no control over. So the real issue today is not how to avoid deflating circumstances. We can't. The real issue is how do we get through them. How do we inflate our deflated faith? 

I'd like to offer several strategies to help when you feel deflated by life. None of them are new or all that insightful. They are reminders of things that we probably learned a long time ago. These are just refreshers that we might have forgotten or neglected. 

1.  Take the long view. [Heb 12:1] Life is more like a marathon than a sprint. More like the steeple chase event in track or the hurdles. There are obstacles that must be overcome. In our shortsightedness we are tempted to believe God failed us. We lose hope and faith that God will come through. The long view is that God is faithful. That is His nature. He cannot be anything other than faithful. He has been faithful from the beginning. He is still faithful. He will be faithful to the end. That is who He is. Take a step back, browse the pages of your Bible, consider those faithful followers of Jesus you know. Has God been faithful to them. Consider your past journey. Has God been dependable for you in the past? Does it not stand to reason that He will show Himself trustworthy in your deflated circumstances? Take the long view. Endure. Persevere. Persist in prayer. Press on. Trudge ahead. 

2.  Cling to God's Promises. [Ps 27:13-14] Decades ago Brenda and I were in a tight spot. It seemed everything was going wrong except our marriage and young sons. My mother died at only 54. Our church was dwindling. I had already taken several cuts in pay. Nothing I prayed or planned turned the church around. Financial pressures were squeezing us. We just had our second son, Tanner to add to the pressures. It was in the middle of all those circumstances that God met me in the pages of the Bible at the above-mentioned Psalm. He has met me at that same Psalm repeatedly over the years. I have believed, prayed, and stood on that Psalm in some very deflating times. Find a verse that comforts you and inflates your faith. Cling to it daily and in those long night stretches when sleep evades you. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Most of all believe it. God's promises inflate deflated faith. 

3. Refresh. [Psalm 23:1-3] In stressful deflating time we need to refresh. God made David lie down in green pastures. He led him beside still waters. He restored his soul. In deflating times we do not always slow down to refresh. To take a casual stroll outside. Not a power walk. A stroll with God. To pray, listen, and exhale the pressures of life while inhaling God's restorative presence. There is nothing wrong with taking a little nap. Everything seems worse when we are tired. Sit in grand silence and listen. Listen for the birds chirping. The wind rustling through the leaves on the trees. The crickets chirping. Stand outside and behold the beauty God created for you to enjoy. Let these breathtaking views intoxicate you out of your deflated state with tranquility, a calm mind, and a quiet soul. 

4.  Talk. [Prov 17:17] When we are deflated Satan loves to isolate us. Sometimes we need to talk to someone who will listen. Someone not in our immediate family. I have three people in my life with whom I do that frequently. My former college roommate. My brother and fellow soldier in the fight I used to serve alongside. And a trusted brother and pastor I used to be in an accountability with years ago. Each of these men has listened. They have also offered some wise counsel. Sometimes their counsel was hard and I DID NOT LIKE IT BUT I NEEDED IT. We can't hold the pain inside. It has a way of working itself out in destructive behaviors. Talking to others about deflated faith is hard for prideful people. Believe me I know. When I get deflated, I want to isolate myself, lick my wounds, and hide my pain from people who love me and care about me. God created us to live in community. We need other people. Sometimes we need Jesus with skin on. What I mean is that we need other Christian people to console and counsel us through our pain. 

5.  Pray Incessantly. [Luke 18:1] Do not lose heart in praying. I know there are times when you cannot muster another word in prayer. You are prayed out. You have offered them all before in faith. When your faith is deflated it is hard to want to pray anyway. It is easy to justify not praying thinking that God is all powerful and He will do whatever He is going to do no matter what you do or do not pray. Sure, we pray to get results. There is also a therapy in prayer. An unloading of heavy burdens. Prayer is so much more than just petitioning God for our requests. There is worship. There is listening. There is interceding for others. Where else but God can we go for help? Substance abuse will not make the problems go away. Immorality will only add to our problems though offering temporary pleasure. To God we must go time and again. We can be honest with God. Raw in our emotions. Expressing our grief, anger, confusion, and even doubts. God can handle all of it. That is what David did in the Psalms. Time and again God brought David back to the faith. He can and will do the same for you. 

Like I said earlier, none of these is all that insightful. They are practical things God has used in my life to inflate me when my faith has deflated. I pray He will do the same thing for you. 

Imitation

 Students today at TCA dressed up like their favorite teacher or coach. It was pretty funny to see how some of those students nailed characteristics of certain coaches. From hats, shirts, shoes, whistles, and even one kid carried snacks in his pocket because Coach Myers always has snacks in his pocket. It has been pretty funny. 

The teachers even dressed like students in school uniforms. Some even wearing the skirts the girls are required to wear. A fun way to pass the day toward the end of school. 

One student came in the coaches' office dressed in shorts and a hoodie. When asked who he was imitating he said no one. He had dressed as himself. I loved that. 

In a world where many are trying to imitate others in wardrobe, speech, hair styles, and lifestyles, it is refreshing to see some people have the confidence and courage to be who God designed them to be. These are people who are comfortable in their own skin. They are not trying to be someone they are not. 

There is one we should imitate. It is Jesus. We should love like He loved. To live as He lived. To demonstrate compassion the way He demonstrated compassion. To rebuke those Jesus would rebuke. To forgive those Jesus forgives. To embrace people like Jesus embraces. To extend grace the way Jesus extends grace. To be perfectly honest, no matter how hard we try, we are not able to match up. Not in the power of our ability. Jesus is perfect. We are imperfect. We can only imitate Jesus as we yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in and through us to manifest the life of Jesus through us. 

I used to see my children dress up to imitate whatever they had been watching recently. They donned football apparel, cowboy hats and boots, capes of Superman, Batman and O yes, don't forget Bibleman. Never heard of Bibleman. Look him up. My sons grew up loving those shows. They were so impressionable. 

Are we impressionable as adults. We sure are. Many times culture shapes much of what we do, buy, wear, and speak. For all the time some of us spend in worship and Bible study you would think we would all imitate Jesus more. I hear self-professing Christians use profanity quite frequently. What is worse is they are not even aware they are doing it. Sometimes they say such things in the house of God without even realizing what they say. More than one person has been shamed and brought shame on the church for imitating worldly morality standards. True followers of Jesus should resemble Jesus. Outsiders of the faith should notice something different about those who claim to be disciples of Jesus. 

I have even been guilty of trying to imitate the lives of great historical figures from the past. Mainly preachers and prayer warriors. I fail every time. I just cannot do the same things they did and get the same results. God did not create me to be Jonathan Edwards, George Mueller, or D.L. Moody. He designed me to be Matt. To be more specific, to be Matt yielded to the Spirit to become increasingly more like Jesus. That is the only one all of us should want to imitate. 

After The Death

 Reading the book of Deuteronomy at the end that stalwart patriarch of the faith Moses died. Moses had already made preparations for that day by commissioning Joshua to lead before all Israel. After Moses died, Joshua transitioned into leadership. 

His task was daunting. Lead Israel to finally take possession of the promised land. It was one step of faith after another. There were setbacks. Challenges. One defeat. Alot of battling. Nation by nation and region by region Joshua led Israel to possess the land. 

There were compromises made and some nations were not completely driven out. Much of the land was still not in Israel's total possession. Then Joshua died. Joshua did not make preparations for the next leader to succeed him. There were some elders who kept the same mission Joshua had. As those elders died off the faith of Israel died with them. You do not get too far into the book of Judges before you discover that Israel fell away from the faith. A generation arose who did not even know God. Tragic.

What's the point? Two things. First, we all die. None of us is immortal. People die. Old, young, rich, poor, black and white does not matter. Everyone dies. Is that something you have taken into consideration? You will not live forever, at least not on this earth. What steps have you made to prepare your soul? Have you trusted Jesus to save you and redeem you? Is your testimony up to date serving the Lord? None of us really know for sure when our time will come. It most assuredly will come unless we get raptured first.  We need to be ready. 

The second thing we must consider, is we need to train the people who will take our place. 65 other men pastored the church I serve before me. Chances are someone else will follow me when I am gone. I don't who that person will be. I have given a portion of my ministry in training others God has called.  That is the nature of life. All of us are expendable. Patriarchs and Matriarchs of families die. Other people have to take on those roles. Workers die and have to be replaced. Bosses come and go with new bosses coming behind. Owners die and leave their companies to children or faithful employees. Are you training and preparing anyone to do what you do once you are gone. Nobody does you better than you. There are things you do that needs to be taught to future generations. 

Training future generations to evangelize, to lead, to maintain God honoring marriages and families, to work, to serve the Lord, and other things that are important to you. Prepare the next generation to serve the Lord so that it will not be said of our families, "A generation grew up who did not know the Lord."

Darkness

She awoke to a clear, bright, and sunny morning. Her mood did not reflect the weather. She felt dark inside. Alone, Abandoned. Without hope. Her husband had left for work long before she awoke. She had little will to even get out of bed and bravely face the day. It was like something was holding her down and weighing on her more than the comforter on the bed. She laid there starting at the walls for some time. Wondering what difference, it would really make if she decided to get up and try to be productive. Even fake it around other people. 

Everything felt like a chore. Making the bed. Showering. Picking out clothing. Making her way to the kitchen where soon hungry little munchkins would be up wanting something to eat before school. She choked back her inner feelings as she dutifully put out some pop tarts and milk. She got the kids to school and then wondered what she would do with the rest of the day. She wanted to go back home with the blinds closed to sit in the darkness. She knew that would only make matters worse. 

She chose to drive to a little out of the way coffee shop. She purchased her favorite flavored coffee and made her way to an isolated corner table. She opened the Bible app on her phone where her eyes rested on this verse. 

Psalm 42:5 (NASB)

⁵  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Her mind was disturbed, in turmoil, like a hurricane of hopeless thoughts swirling around inside. Nobody could see what she was thinking. Overwhelmed, underappreciated, unloved, and hopeless. She could not fight back the tears she held inside all morning. Slowly they welled up in her eyes and then trickled down her cheeks. Each drop filled with the pain and darkness of her soul. She kept trying to brush the tears away trying to hide her condition from those around her. It did not work. 

On the far side of the coffee shop a lady looked up from her journal writing to scan those sitting around her. She noticed the lady on the far side weeping and trying to hide the tears from everyone else. Suddenly she felt the Holy Spirit nudge her to leave her journal and to seek to minister to the weeping woman. She tried to ignore the prompting not wanting to intrude or get involved. The nudging persisted until she knew she had to obey God. 

Nervously she sauntered up to the weeping woman. Softly she said, "Excuse me. I wondered if you needed a shoulder to cry on. I am willing to listen." The weeping woman looked up with red swollen eyes and a defeated countenance. Sheepishly she nodded she did. For the next half hour she poured out a broken heart, shattered dreams, and a broken spirit groped in darkness. 

It was hard to listen to, but the ministering woman noticed the Bible app opened to Psalm 42:5. She gently began expounding the truth of that verse to the broken woman cloaked in inward darkness. Word by word they dissected the verse like a student dissecting a specimen in biology. With each word and phrase explained the broken woman stopped sobbing. She listened intently. The truth of God's word was medicine for her condition. A perfect verse, showing up at the right season, and an available servant of the Lord being available at the perfect time. 

Turns out the broken woman was a child of God. Blood bought and redeemed. Truth, is she had no one to talk to. Her husband worked all the time. When he got home, he ate and then did more work before falling into bed exhausted. Relationships she had at her church were all superficial. She did not trust anyone enough to share her ongoing struggle with depression. For some reason she trusted this complete stranger enough to spill her soul. 

The two ladies prayed together. An interesting thing happened. Neither lady had noticed clouds moving in indicating an approaching storm. The weather earlier had been picture perfect. Another interesting thing happened as the two ladies prayed. The darkness lifted from the broken woman. Hope surfaced from the depths of her soul. Though storm clouds were brooding outside, everything looked brighter, happier and more hopeful. 

They both exchanged contact information and went their separate ways. The darkness lifted for one, the joy of being a vessel for God to the other. 

A Modern Tale - Matt Edwards