Deceptive / Direction

Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail.

Jeremiah 7:8

It is easy to be taken

by a lie.

When i have put my trust

in the liar.

Some I have heard.

Some I have rejected.

Some I have accepted.

Some I have turned away from.

Yet deceptive words still

can be heard.

“It will never change.”

DECEPTION

“Happiness is gone.”

DECEPTION

“Joy is in things.”

DECEPTION

“Just knuckle down, shut up, and trust yourself.”

DECEPTION

By faith I repent from

lie reception

and seek to put my trust in

The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

His Word I now hear.

His Truth I now accept.

The lies I clearly reject.

His ways show me my way

and deceptive words are known

to fail.

“Follow Me.”

DIRECTION

“Rejoice in Me.”

DIRECTION

“I will give you rest.”

DIRECTION

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

DIRECTION

amazing hope

…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might…

Ephesians 1:18-19

I write more reflection concerning this past year. As I meditate on this prayer of Paul’s I am encouraged for the days to come. One of the wild discoveries of 2023 for me, the gracious flip side of grief and loss, is the anchoring reality of hope in Christ. There is more hope than I ever dared to imagine there ever could be! What’s more, it is a hope that is brighter than the darkness, more sustaining than my weakness, richer than my losses, more powerful than my powerlessness, and surrounds me with the saints in my loneliness!

These are more than eloquent sentiments from Paul. In my year’s experience, I’ve come to know a kind of hope I’ve always said I believed — a confident expectation in Christ — that has been substantially and tangibly real to me. I have never been much of a mystic. I’m wary of experientialism’s damage to good theology. I have always sought to play down my experience, testing it by the clear facts of scripture. Yet in this year, as overwhelming emotion has literally floored me, driven me often to my knees begging for relief, I have known the light of true hope burning into “the eyes of my heart” (that’s a weird experiential kind of phrase, isn’t it?) just as Paul has prayed here in Ephesians. I’ve seen by faith how Jesus can heal and help my deepest wounds. Trauma that I had buried over four decades in my past resurfaced in bizarre ways but with the help of biblical counsel and care was illuminated by the gospel and was changed into the glory of His story in me. And for that I am grateful well beyond my ability to properly communicate. Hope runs deep! 

Heaven is so real in my hope. God’s power to change is so significantly personal right now. The riches of Christ are a treasure more valuable and more tangible than anything else I have ever owned or known. And all of that is what God has worked in me through disappointment, pain, anger, fear, devotion to the care of another person without holding back, and the loss of what I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined I would lose. The light of hope shines like a floodlight ahead to 2024. There are more rich spiritual experiences and great joys still ahead. With confidence, I will hope!

hope in Christ

…so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:12

As this year winds down I will inevitably reflect on the way 2023 has massively changed my experience. The one big thing though that has not changed and will never change is captured in this prayer of Paul’s: hope in Christ. In that hope I am secure. And the big lesson… the great experience of this past year has been my renewed hope in Jesus Christ. As one new and precious voice has so aptly and graciously been used by God to show me: “God… certainty amid our uncertainties.”

I have real hope. I have known a peace in the raging fury of the storm. I have felt His presence in my aloneness. I have known His mercies in my confusion, anger, doubt, and disbelief. I feel His grace pour over my sins, inabilities, paralysis, and failures. I know His comfort in my loss. I have known how God’s truth has confronted the lies I have believed about my life and this world. His strength has carried me in my weakness. His power has enabled me to go on with each day. His touch heals my hurts. His hand provides all I need. His love fills my needy heart. Yes… I have hope ahead of me and it is all the work of Jesus Christ.

In quite another kind of prayer, Paul was convinced of hope: “…I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me…” (1 Timothy 1:12). Yes, I know Whom I have believed. Yes, I am convinced He will guard all I am, all I have, safely in Him until I too enter eternal dwellings safe in Him. This hope illuminates my view back on 2023 with perspective on the painful parts of the experience and the joy of Jesus right in the center of it all! It also shines a bright light on the mystery and adventure ahead in this coming year!

Lord Jesus,

It is to the praise of Your glory that I thank You for this certainty that You have centered my heart upon for this past year. And in hope of You I face a new year of expectation and confidence in You.

Amen

False love destroys

And you, O desolate one,

what do you mean that you dress in scarlet,

that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

that you enlarge your eyes with paint?

In vain you beautify yourself.

Your lovers despise you;

they seek your life.

Jeremiah 4:30

Craving what all worldlings seek:

acclaim, pleasures,

power, treasures

But these will always reek:

selfishness, need,

ignorance, greed

It is a vain attempt.

And God will not relent.

His justice will burn

as from Him we turn.

“Your lovers despise you!”

As judgment falls on you.

Seeking instead God’s kingdom:

truth, righteousness,

submission, holiness

There is a real freedom:

love, service,

provision, obedience

It is abundant living

that Jesus is giving.

Eternal life now known;

Grace to us always shown.

“Jesus, Lover of my soul!”

Hidden in You, all joy I know.

they are no gods

Has a nation changed its gods,

even though they are no gods?

But my people have changed their glory

for that which does not profit.

Jeremiah 2:11

There is more than disappointment in God’s voice as He walks through His care of Israel through Jeremiah’s prophecy. This is a mix of many emotions. This is God with a broken heart. This is God angry at being deserted and disobeyed. This is a holy God offended by sin. This is a loving God hurt at rejection of His perfect love. This is a providing God Who will no longer stand being taken advantage of and taken for granted. This is a glorious, worship deserving God Who has been replaced by worthless idols. He will not stand for any of this from Israel. The time had come for all of this to change. Through Jeremiah His prophet, God announces what He will do to deal with the desertion, disrespect, and dereliction of duty.

All this is easy to blame on Israel’s blindness. I mean idols? When you have a unique relationship with the only God? Really? It seems so clear to modern minds. But I can have my false gods too. And they are equally unprofitable. True confession: I have struggled with various idolatries over the years. Here are a few I have found utterly worthless:

• Comfort. This is the lie of the “hard work yields a happy, restful retirement” mantra of our culture. I have chased entertainments, vacations, experiences, and hobbies to source my comfort. I have trusted them sometimes more than God. They fall short. They are not God.
• Approval. The praise of man is only partially fulfilling. It is better to praise God. Fickle human praise does not fulfill. Darling one day… Dog the next. I’ve seen how unreliable pleasing people can be.
• Stuff. Materialism looks promising… Until maintenance controls you with its relentless unsustainability! God however gives good gifts and supplies my need. Worshiping things is completely unfulfilling.

So Lord, You have taught me to seek only You. That which is no god does not profit. I heed Your words! Amen.

What I need to be: a reflection for the coming year

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints…

Philemon 4-5

Lord,

My prayer this morning is informed by the testimony of Philemon. Oh how I long for others to know in me the reputation that Paul found in Philemon. I want to be a cause for thanksgiving. I desire to be used by You, among Your church, and in the world, in such a way that there is not a negative thought of me in the hearts of those who know me. I am far still from the character of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is still but a vine in me. But oh how I want two very profound one syllable words to be what people get from knowing me. I want to always be a man of love and a man of faith. I want to be known as a man whose love and faith is rooted in Jesus and displayed to His people.

Lord, I confess I get in the way of this reputation. Help me to lay aside selfish concerns, past hurts, and my pride. Help me Jesus, in Your healing and redeeming work in me, to love you well. I believe only in that way can I truly love others as I should, as the love of Christ compels me.

Lord, I also confess my plans and my doubts riddle my faith, making it harder to simply lean into You like I should. Forgive my stubborn need for control. You are my Lord. Your Spirit is my guide. Your Word lights my way. I believe You! I also believe You call me to trust others that You bring to speak wisdom to me. Help me, I pray, to trust in You and to trust Your people when You use them to make me more like Jesus.

My love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints must be exhibited from a heart God is transforming. Keep me focused! A fresh year is soon upon me… Love and faith in my Lord and toward His church is my hopeful goal! Amen

the King in your midst

The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;

he has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

you shall never again fear evil.

Zephaniah 3:15

The God Who judges is also the God Who forgives and restores. Despite all the stern language of wrath in the prophecies of Zephaniah, despite the exile of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem, God promises to bring back a people who will worship Him wholeheartedly. He will restore a cleansed and repentant people who will once again live under His rule, love His law, thrive under His blessing, and enjoy freedom from fear.

And how will this happen? The Lord will do it. It is God Who takes away His judgment (now accomplished by Christ). It is God Who clears away all Israel’s historic enemies (a promise as yet unfulfilled). God promises to directly rule in Jerusalem as King. That is yet to be realized in the return of Jesus. But God never lies. And this is why I still cling to an interpretive stance (ridiculed as it often is and sometimes rightly so for its extremes) that there are yet promises that Jesus will keep as King of Israel. Yes, the Jews must trust the gospel. They must see Jesus as Savior and Lord by virtue of His life, death, and resurrection. But God will not let His Word return to Him without accomplishing His purpose. It is for that reason that as I celebrate the first advent of Jesus in a manger, I also anticipate His coming advent as Messiah!

I’m completely unsure as to whether the current war in Israel has scriptural prophecy associated with it. I know it is NOT to be proof-texted by biblical citation. I am not compelled to do so. I do know that historically Gaza represents Philistine enemies of Israel. And even in my current reading of Zephaniah, I see that the prophet foretold of Gaza (and all Philistine oppression of Israel) to be made desolate and uninhabited (Zephaniah 2:4). Maybe that could happen now. Perhaps not. It seems to me that it would only occur as a prerequisite to Jesus doing this physically restorative work mentioned in Zephaniah 3:15 to rule as King. And that seems to be still on the horizon. I’ll never geek out on biblical prophecy concerning Israel. I want to understand it, but it is complex. Instead, I will always marvel at how it all points to Jesus, King of Kings, Messiah, and Lord of Lords!

hidden on THE DAY in Christ

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,

who do his just commands;

seek righteousness; seek humility;

perhaps you may be hidden

on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Zephaniah 2:3

There is a call to repentance made in this stern passage about the day of God’s wrath yet to fall on planet earth. Both the Old and New Testaments are very clear on this fact: God has prepared a day when He will, in righteous anger, judge all the peoples of the earth. No nation is beyond His ability to bring them to nothing before Him. No person will escape His scrutiny. It will be a global event judging the entire world. It will also be a personal judgment unique for each individual. God will pour His wrath on a rebellious planet. God will indeed be merciful to those who are truly seeking Him. This is an unpopular doctrine today, but scripture is clear: to reject the Day of the Lord is to reject God.

This verse sets the criteria for what will help a person thrive and survive on that day of God’s fierce anger. There are four things mentioned here that lead to survival and they are all provided for in Jesus by trusting the gospel:

1) Seek the Lord. Those who honestly want to know God… who believe Him, who trust Him, who cry out to Him, and who want to know His ways will be heard by Him. God comes to those who truly seek Him and then reveals further what they need to be saved.

2) Obey the Word of God. God will spare those who “do his just commands”. They respect and obey scripture. They know the Bible as God’s Word and His truth and they commit to following it as best they can in their day-to-day choices.

3) Seek righteousness. Survivors want to do what is right. God’s holiness motivates them. They find out how to do so by following what God says in His Word and obeying it. They trust the God Who supplies the ability to be forgiven and made holy in Christ.

4) Seek humility. This characteristic is mentioned twice in this verse. Those who reject the exaltation of self, who abhor the sinful arrogance of human pride, will find mercy from God and grace to live in dependence upon all God gives. Humility orders a person under the Lordship of Christ, the King of Kings.

By the way, all four of these characteristics are perfectly found only in Jesus. We MUST believe Him, find salvation in Him, submit to His rule, and be delivered by faith in the gospel in order to confidently be hidden in Christ during that day of God’s wrath. He is our Deliverer. Jesus already took our judgment on the cross. Faith in Him saves us in the Day of the Lord.

Sweep Away

“I will utterly sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

Zephaniah 1:2

Things seem outrageously

bad today;

God has promised He will utterly

sweep it all away.

A day of justice ultimately

will fall;

God will finally, eventually

end it all.

A divine broom furiously

will sweep

the debris of sin judiciously

cleansed deep.

A hand of judgment powerfully

will not relent

and all humankind will meekly

keep silent!

Everything will be purged, righteously

swept through;

As fires burn, the heavens and earth freshly

made new.

On that day, Jesus victoriously —

broom in hand

wields sword and scepter simultaneously

over all the land.

Come now Lord Jesus quickly

to reign!

Over us, judge and cleanse completely

all our sin and pain.

Old creation groans, weary and deathly,

longing for this day

when Jesus, You deliver us completely —

sweep the old stuff away!

working spiritually

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

These words were originally written to encourage slaves who had converted to Christianity. They may have toiled under Christian masters. They may have had unbelieving masters. Paul instructs them in either situation to consider that earthly slavery is not their true condition. He urges them to take a higher view of their lives, and in so doing, calls us to consider the same.

Paul’s advice to slaves is to “work heartily”. The phrase can be literally translated as “work from your soul”, or in better vernacular to “work spiritually”. Their work was not mere physical labor or menial management. Instead, slaves were to do spiritual work, with a focus of offering their labor to Christ, not men. Slaves were to look for the “well done” of Jesus and not people. They were to be rewarded by serving Christ as their Master and not to get hung up on pleasing human masters.

It is popular to attempt to translate Paul’s advice to slaves into modern principles of employment for Christian employees in the marketplace. I find that offensive for a couple reasons. First, it trivializes the dehumanization that is institutional slavery, and though Roman slavery was not as brutal as American racial slavery, it was still awful. Secondly, it minimizes the reality of vocational calling and unique giftednese if I think of myself as a “slave” to my job. Instead, I choose to just embrace Paul’s advice to slaves as good insight into every believer’s motivation. We should do all for Christ’s kingdom anyway. Paul considered himself a slave of Christ (Titus 1:1). Christians call Jesus Lord and Master, a slave’s address to a superior authority. Mentally, we should serve because we have no other occupation or choice in the matter. We are slaves of Jesus. We too must serve “the Lord Christ”.

And so I labor in the kingdom, which I will do however I am called to do so, until God takes me home. I will adopt a motivation to work “with soul”, in a spiritual way, with God-focused motivations. My goal is not human recognition, the employee of the year reward, MVP status, or applause from others as I take the stage. Rather, I have one “well done” in mind as I toil behind the scenes, with humility, content to let others be served and to serve my Savior. I will only hope to possibly hear “well done” when one day I will bow before my only Master and Lord: Jesus!

the path to healthy relationships

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:12-13

I’m struck with some powerful principles about human relationships from these two verses. The truth challenges me and calls me to live differently than I normally would be wired to react. These principles involve deliberate choices when my worst reactions might want to come tearing out of me.

1. Relational stability requires deliberate effort. It does not just happen. I have to apply myself to God’s truth. I can make changes in my actions, but have no power for other people to do the same in their lives. So I must “put to death” what Paul calls “earthly” passions (Colossians 3:5-10). Once these are recognized as wrong and repentance is started, I must complete it by also “putting on” the character that Christ calls me to exhibit. I make the choice and commit to the change. God supplies the means in Christ, but I am expected to live it out actively.

2. Change is both internal and external. God changes me (He chose me, He loves me, He made me holy - Colossians 3:12) and I also “put on” the change. It works out of the new life that Christ creates in faith. Without first believing the gospel I cannot change. But belief must always show in action. It will be seen by compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience in my actions. I pray such things will be what people see in me, and hope that this character outline is truly the man I am known to be.

3. Forgiveness covers my complaints about others. Sooner or later in any human relationship there will be an action or attitude that hurts a person. It is easy for me to hold such complaints against another person… to see their sin as so great and mine as so insignificant. But we are called not to hold grudges, cast judgment, make a record of wrongs, or point fingers. We are told instead to seek to be forgiven and forgiving when relational dissonance is experienced. This is a loving and gracious commitment. I struggle to be this way, but want to receive this kind of treatment, so I commit to forgiveness as my hope in all conflict.

4. Jesus is the standard for relational peace. We forgive as Jesus forgives us and because He has forgiven us. We sacrifice our demands, we humble our hearts, we surrender to our Savior’s standard, and we forgive. This high standard keeps us focused on Jesus Who is our peace. With Him as the center, the focus of our hopes and ambitions, the Lord over our thoughts and actions, our relationships can thrive!

competing captivations

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Colossians 2:8

As I read this warning, I am reminded to carefully consider what thoughts I entertain, what rationale for life I will offer up, and I am called to essentially evaluate why I do what I do. It is easy to be captivated by another kind of thinking than that which Christ teaches us. This world is filled with competing captivations. It is the water in which we swim. Here are quite honestly a few that can become alluring enemies of the Christian life if we let them:

Self-empowerment. This is a very dominant philosophy in our culture. It underlies many a “family film” and our culture makes heroes of those who “believe” in themselves… even if their lifestyle is selfish and sinful. I’ve found myself tempted to fall for it, oddly enough, especially as I’ve had to face so many solo experiences this past year. How dare I think I did them without the enablement of Christ?! But ultimately self-power is an empty deceit because I lack the power to change my broken, sinful heart. And I know what lurks there. I need Christ and the gospel to change and empower me.

Human relationships. It is tempting to look for people to be what only Jesus can be. Don’t get me wrong… human relationships, especially with other Christians… are vital. God made us social beings and it is not good to be alone. But human relationships are not the sole substance of my life and if I find my only happiness in them I WILL be disappointed. I will also disappoint others because as fallen sinners, all human relationships are marred… will have a degree of brokenness that only Christ can mend. The controller of all relationships and King over all the love I seek with others is Jesus!

Materialism. I am still very much a child of consumeristic, American-Dream, late 20th century cultural persuasion. But having stuff, maintaining stuff, buying stuff, and owning stuff… none of that experience is a source of lasting happiness. Materialism does not fulfill because my soul must love souls and be loved by another Greater One to find true fulfillment. Materialism’s failure is this: THINGS DO NOT LOVE BACK! That is why Christ owns me and I claim nothing but the cross and an empty tomb as my greatest hope of possession. Only then am I forever free of greed and consumeristic unmet wants. Only then can I find joy in being His as He is mine!

my heart is encouraged

…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:2-3

This is a prayer for encouragement. Paul prayed it for the believers in a specific congregation. He prayed for a church whose members he had met and that grew so that there were also many members he had not met. And it is a rich prayer revealing strong facets of encouragement in Christ. Look at the list:

• Hearts drawn to other believers in love. We all crave close relationships. We are designed to thrive in community. Christians should find this among other believers in a local church. Our hearts are “being knit together in love.”
• A spiritual life with true riches. The wealth of gospel community should be what each Christian knows and loves the most. We need one another. Our relationships enrich us.
• A new understanding in Christ. Paul’s word is “mystery”, meaning a powerful truth in Jesus that was a “surprise” to Old Testament theology but is now revealed in the gospel. And this surprise is a joyous revelation of new wisdom and knowledge.
• Possession of the greatest treasures. Christ is who and what we value. And nothing in this world, no gold or silver, no investments, no property, no earthly possessions match the priceless treasure hidden in our life with Christ.

Lord,

My life is bound in the experience of the gospel. My heart is knit to my Christian family. My wealth is found in Jesus. My wisdom is Christ. My treasure forever kept in heaven is hidden in my Savior. I am indeed encouraged despite whatever comes my way!

Amen

Jesus… Mighty God

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

Do we really know this Jesus that Christmas is all about? Would we boldly believe that a baby arrived in a backwoods Judean town, born to a Jewish peasant girl while an empire crushed her people… and that this unknown, oppressed, impoverished little human was actually the omnipotent God of the universe? That’s the truth of it as the gospels reveal it and as in this passage the apostles proclaimed it. Jesus is the Mighty God!

Paul’s words here have Jesus securely holding the universe in the pinch of His thumb and forefinger. It is hardly an exertion! He existed before “all things”. Jesus is the Eternal God, from everlasting to everlasting, the One Who was, and Who is, and Who is always to be. He is God Almighty Who entered into this universe He designed. He is in control. He is before time, in time, beyond time. Jesus is the Eternal God. That was the person they laid in a cattle trough for a cradle and Who relied on His mother’s care to survive as an infant. Even there and then Jesus is God. This is mind blowing stuff!

But wait… there’s more. Paul goes on to say that, by Jesus, “all things hold together.” Jesus made the universe and as God, He controls it. It would all just disintegrate… easily “poof” out of existence were it not for His sovereign Lordship over all creation. Again… that baby in Bethlehem? He’s that powerful! He is the key to the universe. He keeps it all together. He also keeps us and our lives all together!

Jesus… Mighty God!

You Who are before all things… Who always has been and always will be… You know my times… are in my times… literally You are my life since all this is true! And You are before my life right now holding ME all together. You shower grace and life on ME. You, my Lord Jesus, are the Mighty God.

Amen

Full Power

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 1:11-12

Father, Who sent Your only Son

so my redemption could be done

how I need strength, I pray

to see me through this busy day.

I’ll need words not my own

to encourage those who are down.

I’ll need strength only You give

so I and others can truly live.

Lord, if I’m not filled with Your might

I might collapse before tonight!

So fill me up, in what You say

with all Your power for today

I have a long race yet to run;

Endurance is needed until day is done.

I have tough foes to counter and fight

patiently empower me with Your might.

I’m giving thanks to my Father above

You save me, equip me, in Your love

to share in an inheritance in light

with all Your saints shining so bright.

Strengthened by power, with joy I’ll go

into this day praising the God I know.

Full power supplied by Your saving grace,

I will endure and run this race!

Lord, Your strength is my power.

Your truth guides me through each hour.

To You I sing my heartfelt praise.

You will lead and brighten all my ways!

three essential christian experiences

…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel…

Colossians 1:4-5

This careful prayer of Paul’s emphasizes three essential experiences every believer in Christ enjoys. They satisfy our souls. I believe they set our character and define all our relationships.

The first experience: Faith in Christ Jesus. Christianity is all about Jesus. The good news of the truth, the gospel, is all about Jesus. Jesus is our Teacher. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is our Leader. Jesus is God. Jesus is our Lord. It is an essential experience that all Christians are committed to gospel faith in Jesus, about Jesus, and upon His completed work. From that essential our relationship with God, and in Christ, can be lived to the full, with joy, thankfulness, and direction.

Secondly, we know love for all Jesus’ people. The church is a vital place, not just pounding out right doctrine exclusively, or demanding hard expectations of us. No, the church is a group of people who experience the love of Christ together and in that love we grow, thrive, learn to think, and mature in our understanding both of our Savior and the saints. I love people because Jesus does. I love His church because He does. My deepest friendships are in Christ with Christians. In many ways my local church is my family and always will be. And with Jesus in common, we know love. With Him we show love.

And finally there is hope for us in heaven. We work toward an eternal goal. That hope Paul says is “laid up” for us… a call to the language of Jesus Himself Who calls us to “lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven”. His perspective was bigger than the mere present and its possessions. And our measure of success and wealth in Christ must also be eternally focused. My hope (re-arranged as all things have become for me in 2023) is squarely set in heaven. Eternal life is so much more important than chasing any earthly endeavor. Jesus, and eternity with Him, are the real treasures!

And so… in faith, love, and hope I now live by the mercies and grace of Jesus Christ. Lord, may Your people thrive in these essentials until You return!

of merchants and locusts

You increased your merchants

more than the stars of the heavens.

The locust spreads its wings and flies away.

Nahum 3:16

It is foolish to put one’s trust in business, in economies, or in the ability to make money. When Ninevah fell under God’s judgment, no amount of business expertise, no profit margins, no bank accounts, no healthy economic forecasts would deliver the nation. The capital city was obliterated, the empire toppled, the merchants were all made paupers, and the economy collapsed. It was as if a devouring plague of locusts stripped everything, eating wealth like crops, leaving businessmen destitute, and then flying away.

All my life I have lived in a country with a thriving economy. Even in temporary recessionary times, America has been on the top of the world in terms of wealth, average lifestyle, and per capita income. Although I have never been particularly wealthy by American standards, by world standards I live like a king! I’ve never gone to bed without food, shelter, security, access to healthcare, clothing, or at least a little money in my pocket. For that I am very thankful. But I don’t take it for granted. I’m amazed God has kept my culture thriving as long as it has.

God will not let trust in riches steal His glory. Wealth is deceptive. Riches pierce the heart with many pangs. Estates should be stewarded with one goal in mind: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Christians invest only in eternity. And for that reason I reject the American Dream and trust instead in God’s provision and the glory of the gospel. The locust could eat all my material possessions tomorrow. Yet God will not leave me without His provision and love! May Jesus always be my security, my trust, my provider, and my treasure.

disgusted with idolatry

The LORD has given commandment about you:

“No more shall your name be perpetuated;

from the house of your gods I will cut off

the carved image and the metal image.

I will make your grave, for you are vile.”

Nahum 1:14

The book of Nahum is all about the end of wicked Ninevah. Jonah was a story of grace undeserved to a wicked and violent people who repented at God’s warning of judgment. Ninevah was a given a reprieve under Jonah. In the oracle of Nahum however, Ninevah is handed over to complete annihilating judgment. Assyria’s dominance and violence would end. Ninevah’s idolatry would be finished. God would deliver the judgment He demanded.

God does not tolerate idolatry. We must remember that Ninevah did at one point repent and turn to God. So these harsh words against idolatry are right of God to pronounce. He had forgiven them only to be rejected. His worship was abandoned for idolatry once again. Here then is what God really thinks about idolatry!

The results of Ninevah’s idolatry look like this:

1) Ninevah would be destroyed and forgotten. Not only does nobody remember Ninevah’s false gods… nobody remembers Ninevah! The name of Ninevah is trivial. It is as if her gods never existed.

2) Idolatry would be cut off at its source. The temples of Ninevah’s false worship are no more. There are no more wooden or metal images of what was worshiped there. Idols, as mere physical objects, are easily destroyed by God.

3) The Assyrians themselves are gone. God dug their graves Himself in this prophecy. He ended idolatry in Ninevah by ending idolaters. False worship kills. It’s that serious.

4) False worship makes a person vile. It isn’t a little thing to turn from God to something else. We must see worship of anything other than God Himself in the most disgusting terms. God does.

Before I Call

Before they call I will answer;

while they are yet speaking I will hear.

Isaiah 65:24

When my spirit is weary

feels like I have faced it all

God knows my burden

even before I call

He sees my trouble

He knows my need

He longs to deliver

from sin and sorrow freed

I am struggling

even to begin to pray

and His Spirit is interceding

with words I cannot say

He speaks when I can’t

silence is broken above

as He clears my confusion

with God’s unfailing love

Before I call

I am already heard

Before I pray

God answers with His Word

While I am waiting

His work is alive

When I am failing, falling

He is making me thrive

Words are flailing

faithful is His power

I feel forgotten

He is yet in this hour

Always ready

Jesus is here

Always answering

my unvoiced prayer

Jesus, I love You

my faithful friend

You will hear and care

bringing a joy-filled end

mountains tremble

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

that the mountains might quake at your presence—

as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

and that the nations might tremble at your presence!

Isaiah 64:1-2

Do I pray like God is this powerful? Do I believe, in my prayers, that were God’s presence revealed, the Himalayas would shake to gravel and the seas would boil? This vision in prayer asks a fearful God to make Himself fearfully known to a world that does not fear Him. The God Who makes mountains shake should make people tremble as they are aware of His holiness, His greatness, His power, and His authority!

I long for that sort of power to be known in this world. I want God to shake things up. I want the deafening rattle and hum of His power to electrify this world. A mighty God is in control. And He is our Judge and our Savior! My soul is moved to worship God in His truly awesome power this morning. He Who has shaken all my mountains, boiled my life in His hands, burned up the brushwood around me… He is making Himself known by His sole greatness. At the center of all fallen mountains stands the majesty of my Savior… all I need!

Did you feel the mountains tremble
Did you hear the oceans roar
When the people rose to sing of
Jesus Christ the risen one

Did you feel the people tremble
Did you hear the singers roar
When the lost began to sing of
Jesus Christ, the saving one

And we can see that, God, You're moving
A mighty river through the nations
When young and old return to Jesus
Fling wide, you heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord

Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring Your hope
Songs that bring Your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice

Do you feel the darkness tremble
When all the saints join in one song
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokenness

And here we see that, God, You're moving
A time of jubilee is coming
When young and old return to Jesus
Fling wide, you heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord

Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring Your hope
Songs that bring Your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice

—Matt Redman

Light of my world

Your sun shall no more go down,

nor your moon withdraw itself;

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Isaiah 60:20

There is a time coming, Jesus, O Light of the world, where You will be all the light this world will need. No more night will bring dread. No more long darkness, alone, weary, cold and tired, will prolong our hope of Your new day. There will be only Your bright dawn shining on. It will be glorious!

And Jesus, You are even now the light of this heart! I am weary. I am cold. I am anxious as the long lonely winter nights come to me. I miss the warm days… the bright sun… the brilliant hope… the healing warmth of light. And so I pray for the seasons You have made to keep turning… for this long year that You control to change for me, even as winter nights serve Your purposes to remind me of what was in my past by what is in the present so I trust what will eventually be in Your future. I live with anticipation.

The hope of each dawn that You bring, Lord, points me to a greater hope yet to come for all the world. A day will come where with Your light all mourning everywhere, even in my heart, will end… all sorrows in the night will be forgotten… all weeping will be eclipsed by the bright joy of the light of Your revealed love. Shine soon, O Great Light of the World! Amen

Sometimes at night, when I am afraid

I cover my eyes, cover my shame

So here in the dark, broken apart

Come with Your light and fill up my heart

O Great Light of the World

Fill up my soul

I’m half a man here

So come make me whole

O Great Light of the World

Come to impart

the light of Your grace

to fill up my heart

— Bebo Norman

A Redeemer has come.

“And a Redeemer will come to Zion,

to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 59:20

God promised a very sinful and disobedient people (read Isaiah 58 and 59 for the full context of just how disobedient Israel had become) that He would, in an act of pure mercy, provide the means for their sins to be atoned. God Himself would both punish sin and redeem sinners. God saw the complete inability for Israel to either keep covenant with Him, or to atone for their own wicked ways. They were completely incompetent and impotent. No human could intercede between God and mankind. God would have to provide the intercession and He promised to do so Himself (Isaiah 59:14-16).

God stepped in when sin was the great divider that kept His loved creation from Him. God interceded when there was no person who could. When justice needed to be done, God sent His Son to perform it. When righteousness was far away, Jesus came near. When truth was stumbling and falling in the public square, Jesus came to boldly declare Himself the Light of the World… the only Way… the only Truth… the only Life! When God’s people and the entire world needed saving, Jesus was the hero who arrived to be our Savior!

Armed like a warrior for battle against all evil (see the description in Isaiah 59:17-19), Jesus arrived to fight for all that was needing to be saved. His righteousness was on display. His salvation became ours. He came in holy zeal to right all wrongs, to make evil pay for past oppression, and to renew a godless world with a rushing, glorious river of mercy and grace!

Lord Jesus,

Today I thank You for being my Redeemer. Today I am grateful that You have become the salvation of all who believe the gospel. Today, my prayers of gratitude are for the glorious hope Your salvation has renewed, not just in my heart, but for the entire world. The Redeemer has come. You are here now, saving now, loving now, and You rule this world in Your saving mercy!

Amen

at peace and grateful

“Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD,

“and I will heal him.”

Isaiah 57:19

God’s peace is extended in this prophecy to the entire world. It is a peace offer that is global. All people far (Gentiles) and near (Jews) are offered the same peace. It is a peace that is Messianic. Only Jesus can offer this kind of universal peace. It is a peace that is gracious. God offers it despite knowing our sins, and in a mercy, He limits His judgment (Isaiah 57:16, 18). It is a peace that renews and restores. God heals the wounds made as sin has festered in our hearts.

As I reflect on this extended grace, mercy, and peace, I realize they all pour into my heart daily. I am one of those far from God that Jesus has now drawn near in peace. Thank God He calls those who are far from knowing Him into His love and grace! I too know that Jesus is my peace. He is my only solution. He is my Savior. He is my Lord. I know the grace of God… the riches of His love in Christ… as I live in Jesus, given all that I need for life and godliness in His great and precious promises. 

It is a peace that showers mercy over me who by nature am  a broken and awful sinner. I know my heart. I know where my sin and pain and broken experiences have twisted me. And God’s mercy is more than all my sin! 

And I also know His healing peace… especially this year of change, loss, and humiliating sorrow, when the broken pieces of this shattered life dream have begun to be healed, strengthened, and restored as only Jesus can do!

Lord,

I thank You for all this. And in peace I trust where it is all going. I am Your Work… Your redeemed life… Your story to write for Your glory!

Amen

wasteland no more

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the LORD,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 55:13

I felt the heat

gritty sand at my feet

hot blast in my face

of moisture not a trace

I staggered through the thorns

hands and feet sore and torn

the wilderness I knew

felt abandoned, Lord, by You

The empty dunes stretched for miles

I’d forgotten all the past smiles

distance magnified by my pain and sin

desert blast of burning wind

dry brush and weeds all scattered

staying alive was all that mattered

Wandering further, drifting away

I tried to reach out — tried to pray

Words fell empty to the sand

desperately needing Your saving hand

Reduced by wasteland to my bones

I cried out for You to lead me back home

And then one drop of rain fell

and showers watered that dry personal hell

until verdant flowers and leaves appeared

and once again my Lord came near

Thorns replaced by river cypress

briers broken, washed into that old mess

Your vibrant Word watered it all

into a woodland shady and tall

and as this fragrant garden grew

I saw it all renewed by You

I felt Your Word reshape this husk of a soul

I know Your Spirit has made me whole

cool breeze of heaven in the air

calls me by faith to see Jesus here

wasteland eclipsed by new creation

I am in awe of this grace-filled situation

everlasting sign from my Father above

I praise the Lord of renewing, saving love!

The depth of His death

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:11

I must not forget what it cost my Savior to redeem me and all those who will trust Him. It was more than just ending a human life. It was also an anguish of soul unimaginably vast. The death Jesus died was not just physical. Many people have heroically given up their physical lives. Jesus also experienced an emotional and spiritual death… an anguish of soul… unique to His sacrifice for those who believe.

And where did this anguish of soul find its roots? It was anguish because He bore our sins. In the massive sin debt Jesus took upon Himself He suffered as the Holy One of God. The Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world shouldered an unspeakable evil as the cup of the wrath of God was poured upon Him by the Father. All the sin of all the world of people, from all time, was borne by Jesus on that dark afternoon we know as “Good Friday”. 

Jesus also had an anguish of soul from all the brokenness, all the griefs, all the sorrows He bore all at once. He took on Himself every depression any human ever had or will have. Every tear-filled grieving over loss was nailed to His cross. Every sorrow over a broken relationship was felt in His heart. All human suffering from every war, every atrocity, every genocide, every infidelity, every family rebellion, every broken heart was His anguish as He died to take all our pain, our sorrows, and our iniquities upon Himself. It was God’s will to crush His only Son with the weight of all our sickening sin and grief (Isaiah 53:10).

Lord Jesus,

I really cannot fathom the extent of Your sorrow as You bore my sin, and all sin and sorrow of all time on Your cross. I am in remarkably dumb-founded awe of the intense depth and breadth of Your love as You gave Your life, and of the power of Your resurrection beyond all that darkness, depression, and death! Thank You, Lord! You are worthy of all worship, all commitment, all my heart!

Amen

When God says, “Here I am!”

Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.

Isaiah 52:6

God, in power, in delivering might, in a mercy undeserved by His people Israel, promised to deliver them. They did not earn it, yet God gave them hope that after stern judgment would come a great deliverance. God had given them over to captivity (“You were sold for nothing” Isaiah 52:3) and He would bring them out again just as dramatically (“you shall be redeemed without money” Isaiah 52:3). Yet even though the captive rulers of Israel despised God’s name, He would be merciful and deliver them again (Isaiah 52:5).

Why would God do this? Why would He deliver them again? Why would He redeem a broken, rebellious, and oppressed people who did not worship Him despite their losses? He did it to make Himself known. He redeemed them so they would see Him, believe Him, worship God again. He did not wait for them. Without a doubt a redeemed generation would know God had brought them back. God didn’t just make their circumstances better. God redeemed them to HIMSELF. And they would know Him, not despise Him. The God Who had seemed distant would quickly rescue them and sweep them up close in an embrace, announcing with love and authority, “Here I am!” His power, presence, and mercy would be undeniable.

When God makes Himself known… when He redeems a people for Himself… Here are the experiences they should expect:

• Good news is proclaimed (Isaiah 52:7).
• Peace is known (Isaiah 52:7),
• Happiness is felt (Isaiah 52:7).
• Salvation is theirs (Isaiah 52:7).
• Joy abounds (Isaiah 52:8).
• Singing breaks forth (Isaiah 52:8-9).
• Comfort is real (Isaiah 52:9).

In Jesus, God has come near… announced to the entire world: “Here I am!” Jesus has brought redemption to the enslaved, healing for the broken, and pardon for the rebellious. And in Jesus we have good news, peace, happiness, salvation, joy, rejoicing song, and comfort!

he who comforts you

I, I am he who comforts you;

who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,

of the son of man who is made like grass,

and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker,

who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth…”

Isaiah 51:12-13a

God is comfort. God comforts His people. These words, spoken to a rebellious people who turned from God, only to experience His judgment and justice, were an encouragement to a people still loved by God. His love demanded He do what would be necessary to bring them to a re-commitment to His Covenant. And so He sent Babylon to Jerusalem to take away a generation from Judah. In the ruins of Jerusalem the survivors staggered in fear. And God, through His prophet, brought comfort again. As His people in pain and trial turned to Him again, God would use their deepest failures and pain to rewrite a story of His restoration of them.

Fear takes our eyes off the comforting control of God’s loving and mighty ways. But even in desolation God asks us to take our eyes off the ruined landscape and look to Him. God asks us to stop looking horizontally at what seems hopeless and instead to gaze in faith vertically at our only hope in Him! “I am he who comforts you.” Yes, Lord, You are!

How then does this historical account of God’s restoration of Israel inform our own needs for His consolation today? I don’t think my suffering is due somehow to ways in which I have broken covenant with my God. In fact, as a child of His, reborn in faith in Christ, adopted into God’s family, and heir with Jesus, I believe grace rules over all my experience… even loss! That alone is a huge comforting perspective. God’s comfort is great.

But honestly, I get disappointed by human comfort alone. To this day the least comforting thing people still say to me is something like this: “I can’t imagine what you are going through.” Really? You can’t imagine death and sorrow? No, what you mean is, “I am uncomfortable identifying with your loss. I don’t want to think about me going through the same thing.” Thanks for nothing, O man! Literally. Human inability to comfort aside, God says the exact opposite. God IS comfort. He knows loss because Jesus gave His life. Jesus carried our sorrows on the cross. God knows the pains that people push away. Jesus experienced them. He designed my circumstances and is right beside me in them for His glory and my good. It is God Who comforts the hurting.

Near

He who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who is my adversary?

Let him come near to me.

Isaiah 50:8

My Savior is near.

I have no foe to fear.

My salvation is here.

His Word is clear.

Jesus is near.

My God is near.

His deliverance is dear.

His voice I can hear.

His power has no peer.

Jesus is near.

Vindication is near.

No judgment I fear.

His Word is my mirror.

Christ’s holiness I now wear.

Jesus is near.

The Way is near.

I see a path that is clear.

His direction points me where

my steps should take me there.

Jesus is near.

The Truth is near.

His gospel rings in my ear.

His Spirit comforts all my fear.

His Word guides me to where

Jesus is near.

New Life is near.

Abundant life is right here.

Eternal life will be there.

Death no longer I fear.

Jesus is near.

great God

For I know that the LORD is great,

and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all deeps.

Psalm 135:5-6

I too know the greatness of God. He has constantly and without fail shown Himself consistently great and powerful in the circumstances of my life. All I am right now, all I experience, all that has changed, all that is new, all that is no longer mine, all that is now mine, all that is different, all that is the same… all of that is the work of a great God! The world of humanity is chaotic. Because humans fail at sovereignty, what we do is naturally out of control and filled with dangers. False gods are worshiped non-stop and promoted as true… gods such as self-rule, materialism, naturalism, scientism, politics, wealth, fame, even the very earth itself is now a god. Basically any form of physicality that we can take in with our senses we will falsely worship instead of God.

But God will still prove Himself superior over what our souls want to worship more than Him. He always does as He pleases in perfect holiness and justice. He will make Himself known as sovereign not only in His throne room, but in earth, which is His footstool. No wave rolls over us outside His command. No earthquake shakes in the deep that has not been stirred by His voice. He will show both His power, and in the gospel, His grace to this world intent on worshipping everything else BUT Him. God will be known, even as He is rejected.

Great God,

I bow before You this morning. I am aware of Your greatness, Your power, Your control, and Your might. And where my soul gets sucked into sinful worship of false gods, correct me, my King! Show Your power and urge me to repentance so that I too will worship only You. Let nothing I love get in the way of my love for You! May I be one in whom You do as You please!

Whatever I face today will be from Your sovereign and grace-filled hands. May Your mercies rain down from heaven upon my world. May this earth know the saving work of Jesus. May people surrender to Your Lordship and worship the God of heaven, earth, the seas, and the deeps!

Amen

Restore us!

Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalm 80:3

Restore us, O God!

R - REELING in need of REDEMPTION; RUINED by our sin; RESULTS: desperation… disease… death.

E - EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, EVEN me will EVENTUALLY die EXTRAORDINARILY doomed by death.

S - SALVATION is unattainable except by Your SON’S SACRIFICE.

T - TRUSTING You, Lord, by faith; TURNING from sin; TURNING TO follow Jesus; only in Him can change happen.

O - ONLY Jesus, the ONLY Son, the ONLY Savior can restore OUR souls.

R - RUNNING to You; RELYING on grace by faith we are REDEEMED and REMADE.

E  - EXCHANGING our sin and judgment for Christ’s holiness and life we EXPERIENCE ETERNAL and abundant life.

Restore us, O God!

Let Your face shine upon us as the Light of the world!

Save us that we might forever be new… with You… living in and for You… showing Your change that we have indeed been remade, restored, and saved!

God of the new and the hidden

“You have heard; now see all this;

and will you not declare it?

From this time forth I announce to you new things,

hidden things that you have not known.”

Isaiah 48:6

Israel had a relationship with God in which He made His will clearly known in the ministry of the prophets. God used these men so that in the blessings that Israel received, they could only attribute God as the source because the prophets had spoken. God knew Israel was obstinate. He knew they would try to trust in idols. And so He brought prophetic events to pass to prove only He was Israel’s God (Isaiah 48:3-5).

When judgment finally came, Israel also knew, because of the prophecies, that God had brought it. They could not either in good times or bad ever doubt that God was in control. His Word was true. His prophets were verified. God did what He said. 

And now in prophecy God was saying a new thing. And it was an outpouring of grace… a new mercy was coming! God knew they were treacherous people. God knew they had rebel hearts (Isaiah 48:8). The God Who brought judgment they deserved would bring deliverance they did not deserve. He would save and redeem. They would run out of captivity freed once more… liberated to serve the God Who both judged them and freed them (Isaiah 48:17-22). He would renew the kind of care for Israel historically exhibited in the wilderness. The biggest new thing promised in Isaiah 48? God would bring them back home.

God,

You are a God of revelation. You have spoken. I must believe You. 

You are a God of judgment. I too have a rebel heart. I must repent.

You are a God of new deliverance. I will trust You when You make new things from the old, in a mercy I will receive and a grace I never earned.

Amen

One Creator

For thus says the LORD,

who created the heavens

(he is God!),

who formed the earth and made it

(he established it;

he did not create it empty,

he formed it to be inhabited!):

“I am the LORD, and there is no other.”

Isaiah 45:18

One Creator

of heaven above and of earth below

One Revealer

of Himself — shown in His work — One we can know

One Lord

in worship before Him all will bow

One God

Who has firmly said “I am the LORD.”

One God

the One Who made Himself revealed in His Word

One God

Who calls all people from sin to turn

One Lord

sent to us to live, die, redeem the slave

One Savior

in Whose life… and death… and life again… will save

One Lover

of our souls Who in love our sins forgave

One Creator

in Christ remakes our lives anew

One Rescuer

Who gave Himself, calling all to trust Him too

One Protector

holding all Who believe, calling everyone, saving the repentant few

One Lord

over His people now to reign

One God

Who calls us to return to Him again

One Savior

Who will renew forever, freed from sin and pain

false worship: a feast of ashes

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Isaiah 44:20

Isaiah 44:9-20 is all about the delusions and lies that come from worshiping idols. We are easily deceived into seeking from anything other than God what only God can provide. But God confronts idolatrous hearts. And in this passage He does so with a practical, almost comical, logic that points out the outlandish things we do, the illogical extremes our hearts go to, in the pursuit of false worship.

The four part case God presents to confront idolatry goes like this:

1.  Idol-making and idol worship lead to nothing. Idolaters will ultimately answer to God anyway (Isaiah 44:9-11).

2.  Idol-makers take what is natural and falsely convince themselves it is supernatural. They use tools to cut wood, carve idols of their own design, then deem the outcome “gods” (Isaiah 44:12-14), which makes absolutely no logical sense at all!

3.  The same cedar wood that is carved into a “god” is also burnt for fuel, bakes bread, and warms the idolater. A natural thing provided by the true God (wood) is falsely exalted by virtue of extreme human effort and its natural design (fire, fuel, food preparation) is rejected in favor of replacing it with a delusion (Isaiah 44:15-19).

4.  The end of the idol is destruction. It still has its natural ability to burn! God will burn our wood-carved idols to ash… (Isaiah 44:20) showing us what they really are! 

God’s point is this: Idol-making is irrational and stupid. It is a kind of crazy denial of reality. It attempts to replace the Creator with His creation. It relies on lots of human effort. We work hard at rejecting God and making our idols. And when they disappoint us (and they always will because THEY ARE WOOD FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!) we fall hard. Delusions are dangerous. False worship delusions are eternally consequential and lead to judgment and destruction. 

Lord,

I’ve never taken a chisel to wood to make my idols, but I have still indeed made plenty of them! I have suffered when I’ve worshiped this world’s stuff instead of You. Draw my heart to reject a false feast of ashes, to want You more than comfort, more than worldly concerns, more than thinking a career provides what I need, more than the acclaim of people!

Amen

talking back to fear

Fear not, nor be afraid;

have I not told you from of old and declared it?

And you are my witnesses!

Is there a God besides me?

There is no Rock; I know not any.

Isaiah 44:8

Once again I see comfort in the command to “fear not”. I look around my personal position and I see a remarkable peace that only God has brought. I can trust God although every morning, waking up still somewhat disoriented and alone, I see Him working in this different experience that has been this strange and unsettling year of 2023. Even as the year winds to a close, I am in such a better place! I trust God’s wisdom, His ways, His certainty that all have stayed the same… well… actually… that certainty has GROWN as the landscape of my life has become increasingly new and unfamiliar. Yet I do not need to fear.

I am indebted to biblical counselor Ed Welch for his insights into fear and peace. In his book, “Running Scared”, Welch talks about how fear always has a voice… is always talking in some degree. It says things to us… initially to make us stop and think… but inevitably that voice can get twisted, loud, and harmful. And then sinful fear speaks lies to us… lies that can turn us from God and His truth. God in His grace has led me to reject the worst lies that fear had gripped me with. I’ve been called to repent from:

• “You are alone.” No. I may have new solo life challenges, but with Christ I am never alone.
• “Nobody really cares or notices you.” No. I am living in Christian community and in a family, surrounded everywhere I look by people who love me.
• “You will never feel happy again.” No. I can choose joy despite loss and find contentment in my present situation. My life has a bright future because the joy of the Lord is my strength.
• “It is just one dreary day after another.” No. There may be seasons, or days, where grief is more intense. That is to be expected. But even storms are under God’s control, and rains replenish the earth. I will let this season draw my heart to God’s heart and reject the notion that a few clouds ruin my life.
• “This confusing time will never end.” No. This is just a season… and even now I see new light dawning as God teaches me, brings new things and experiences and people into this life. God loves me and is building new life from my old life, revitalizing my hope!

So I say to my soul: “Fear not. Do not be afraid. God has declared His love for me in Christ. I am witnessing His renewing work beyond my loss and my confusion. No one is like Him. His work in me RIGHT NOW is good! There is no Rock like my God!”

Only God is God.

“I, I am the LORD,

and besides me there is no savior.

I declared and saved and proclaimed,

when there was no strange god among you;

and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.”

Isaiah 43:11-12

God knows who He is. Do we? God is the Lord of all things. He is in control. We must submit under His rule. Will we? God is the provider of salvation. He always has been. In Jesus we have a mighty and complete Savior. Will we trust Him?

God’s Word has been declared. God has spoken the very universe by His breath. His Word sustains it all. Will we hear Him and believe Him? His Word brings saving truth to us. He speaks, He saves, He shares His good news of salvation. Will we be bearers of this great news to those around us so that the world can know that Jesus saves? There is only one Savior. There is only one hope. There is only one God. 

Only God is God. There is none other. We may be tempted to worship many other things. We make idols of His creation. These things were meant to draw us to Him and yet we will worship them. We may seek to find comfort, pleasure, fulfillment, or direction solely from other people, other places, other experiences, or other things we can touch, have or feel. But in the end we will be dissatisfied and broken if we fail to accept that only God is God.

Lord God,

Only You are God. Only Jesus is my Savior. Only You are Lord over this life. Forgive my wandering from this reality. Forgive my attempts to take control. Forgive my idolatrous worship of what You have made instead of worshiping You alone. You have declared Your Word. I believe it. You have saved me. I believe You and trust Jesus. You have proclaimed Yourself my Lord and my God. I submit in faith and trust in You.

Amen

God of the new

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise from the end of the earth

Isaiah 42:10a

God of the new

I sing of You.

Your power and might

have ended the night.

You’ve made a new day

in Your own loving way.

God of the new

my praise shouts to You.

A brand new grace

I see in Your face.

The old has gone.

The new has come.

God of the new

I worship only You.

Strength and power

arrived in my needy hour.

Your Word I will heed

as You always meet my need.

God of the new

You’ve seen me through

trials and pain

are now healed again.

Amazed I proclaim

the wonders of Your name.

God of the new

I sing to You.

You calmed my fear

by drawing so near.

New life I see

in what You have given to me.

God of the new

this song is for You.

My praises I bring

with lips that gladly sing

of a Father’s good love

poured over me from above.

God’s promises are greater than fear.

…fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

The most repeated command in all of scripture is some variation of “fear not”. God knows how anxious our souls can become. He knows how fear, worry, sorrow, and pain can combine in a toxic cocktail that can sicken our souls, weaken our strength, and diminish our faith. And so He commands us not to fear.

But such a command by itself becomes almost ludicrous. Telling an anxious person “do not fear” is like telling a baby to stop crying! Anxiety is not logical and feels uncontrollable. There is not a switch to turn off. It is a condition — a set of circumstances — to understand, manage, review, and contemplate. That is why although there are two commands (do not fear; be not dismayed) in this verse, there are also five promises. And it is in these five promises that we find the power to obey the commands.

Do not fear. Why? “I am with you.” God is with us in our anxious moments. He is beside us in our fear and anxiety. He is in the midst of our bewildering and scary circumstances. We often fear what we think we face alone. But good theology reminds us that God is present and powerful with us at all times!

Don’t be anxious. Why? “I am your God.” The character and the power and the person of God are all “ours”! God is our God. The Creator of the universe is with us… is for us…is our God… is right here with us in all that we know and face in life.This is the perspective that will diminish dismay and extinguish anxiety.

And God promises to support us in three ways: 

“I will strengthen you.” — He resources us to be stronger than what we fear.

“I will help you.” — He provides assistance beyond what we can find when limited by our fear.

“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” — He backs us up, embraces us, puts His strong arm around us so what we fear never ends in failure.

Thank You, Lord! I don’t have to be anxious or afraid! You are with me. You are my God. You are for me. You are my strength. You are my help. You hold me up. I will not fear. I will not be dismayed.

Amen

the God I’ve known and heard

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28

O Lord God,

I come to You humbly with these reminders of the God I worship and I need. These truths move me to worship. They put my heart in its proper place. I bow down to a God more glorious than anything or anyone I think would make me happy. I pray to a Person Who knows and loves me more than any human lover ever possibly could. I cling to a Savior stronger than my inabilities. I learn from a Mind unsearchable in Your wisdom and understanding.

Lord, You are my everlasting God. This year I have become frightfully all too aware of the fragility of mortality. I’ve seen the flower of life’s bloom suddenly fade, wither, and die in the body of the person I’ve loved most in this world. I’ve grieved, O how deeply my soul has in brokenness grieved, at the transience of all things. I’ve even for a season lost the gusto of action and activities and relationships that I once thought were so important to my happiness in life. In all this I’ve had nobody else who truly understands but You! I’ve thrown myself into the arms of Your care, my everlasting God! I too am made of this flaking, dying dust. But You are my hope O God! You are everlasting. You are God.

Dear God, You are my Creator and have placed me exactly where You want me to thrive in Your universe. I could be anywhere in the ends of the earth You’ve made, and yet here I am… alive now… relating where You want… to whom You want… for Your glory… along with all creation I serve Your purpose!

Mighty God, You are my strength. You have lifted up my weary, grieving, broken soul. You have restored my shattered perspective with a grace-filled new perspective. You have been my Provider of true joy.

You provide my understanding, wise and patient Father. And as I seek to follow You, my Lord, cultivating new life in new directions alongside my family, my old friends, and my new friends, I will praise the Lord Who knows what I need, loves me, saves me, and always sustains me for His glory!

Amen

glory revealed

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 40:5

A day was prophesied that the glory of the LORD would be revealed to all the world. And in Jesus this has happened! The glory of God came to dwell among us in human skin. God was enfleshed. The Lord of heaven incarnate to make God’s glory known,  lived with us, walked among us, talked to us, loved and laughed and cried and sang alongside us, all to bring us to a new relationship with the Father Who sent His Son so we could be made new again by His Holy Spirit.

The glory of the Lord HAS been revealed. And I see Him at work shining in me and all His people even now. The gospel story shines in glory in the church as Christians seek to live like Jesus and proclaim His saving gospel into a dark world. The message of salvation in Jesus is the glory of the Lord revealed. The church is where that glory shines. God’s people are called to reveal His glory in a world that is blind to God’s greatness and holiness.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 

John 1:14

Jesus,

You are the glory of the Lord now revealed! You are grace and truth. We see Your glory. We know it. And may we worship and proclaim You with every day that we have to do so!

Amen

glorious, majestic God

Glorious are you, more majestic

than the mountains full of prey.

Psalm 76:4

G - Giving You my praise

L - Living for Your fame

O - Only You are God

R - Reigning over all the world

I - Invincible in power

O - owning everything… everyone

U - Universal King

S - Sovereign in actions and events

M - My God, my Savior, my Lord

A - Always faithful Word

J - Jehovah Jireh, Jesus Christ

E - Exalted above all gods

S - Strong to save your people

T - Triumphant in battle

I - Incredible Deliverer in need

C - Cosmic Controller of our destiny 

G - Grateful creation cries to You

O - Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God

D - Destroyer of death through eternal life

My God,

These thoughts of You lift my soul with immeasurable hope. You are more majestic than any earthly experience. And You love me, keep me, care for me. I will always praise Your name.

Amen

waters, streams, pools, and springs

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Isaiah 35:6b-7

This wilderness stretches as far as I can see;

Miles and miles of dry rocks before me.

Yet water flows from rock in this dry land;

Unleashed by the grace of God’s loving hand.

A desert wasteland seems barren and dry;

I wonder how long until I die.

Pausing to wonder what all this heat and pain can mean

I am rewarded with the wonder of a cool, flowing stream.

Beneath my feet is burning sand —

The depth of dryness in this land

is punishing, pain-filled, hard, and cruel

yet You, Lord, pour out a refreshing pool.

This thirsty ground… this desperate man

cries out to God with all that I am:

“Quench me, Lord! It’s all that matters!”

…and up explodes Your springs of water!

Desert jackals growl and cry;

Even my own soul will whimper and sigh.

But then cracked, broken ground which once was mean

is turned lush and reedy, verdant and green!

I now know, Lord, that deserts bloom

with Your healing touch You make room

for refreshing waters, flowing streams;

My wilderness is no longer what it seems.