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Caught In A Blizzard

The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion!

Psalm 20:1,2

It snowed about a foot in the few hours we were in that little country church giving a concert. I sang lead in a gospel quartet when I was in my early twenties. Our concert was in a small, rural Mennonite Church miles away from the nearest town. In fact, it was miles away from anywhere and anyone. It was only about 30 miles from the city but it might as well have been hundreds because it was too far to walk in a freezing, blinding snow storm.

We were in trouble. As we left the church, the van we were driving got stuck in the snow, in the middle of a country mile section a few miles away. It was obvious no vehicle had driven that road in the fresh fallen snow. It was about 9:00PM and it was so dark, all we could see was the swirling, blowing snow. Talk about unprepared, we had no blankets and no heavy winter coats.

Prayer was our only hope. We prayed as we sat there in the van letting the engine run to keep the heat on, but we knew that couldn’t last for long or we’d run out of gas. It was finally decided someone had to walk to look for help, in hope of finding a nearby farmhouse. The Baritone and I were the youngest, so we volunteered.

We set out walking with nothing to focus on; it was a blizzard all around, and we weren’t dressed for the conditions. We knew if we found help, it would be sent from God. Trusting Him to guide us in the right direction was the only way; anything but the shortest distance to help and we would freeze to death.

Psalm 20 can be read as a prayer of blessing over those who are in trouble, over those who need rescued. As you read through it, notice the confident, joyful tone of the prayer. The Psalmist doesn’t just hope God will help him, he knows He will:

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans!

5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. (Ps. 20:4-6)

What troubles you today? Do you have confidence in the Lord to see you through it? Call on His name and in His time, He will send you help from His sanctuary (v. 2). We walked as far as thought we could that night, and just as we felt like giving up we saw a light on the horizon. We didn’t know how far away it was, but we knew it meant help so we kept going.

The Lord sent His help. That light was just what we needed to keep us going. Look hard on the horizon of your life, and you will see His light. He will send help from His holy heaven.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Come Away with Me

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

The sign on the door said “Quiet Prayer Only”. I’d been in many chapels but never one that didn’t allow any talking. I was intrigued so I opened the door. Inside I found a room with glass walls on three sides and large stone at the center of the room. It wasn’t just a rock it was a boulder. The stone was almost as tall as me and at least five feet around. Around the room the glass walls were lined with chairs, kneeling benches and some pads for lying prostrate in prayer.

The chapel is at the Spiritual Life Center. The Center is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita and is open for all to use for everything from seminars to retreats. I was there on a weekend men’s retreat our church was holding.

I wasn’t in great need of a place to unburden myself in prayer; I was just exploring the building. Once inside the chapel, I sat down to look around and take in the beauty and majesty of being in such a sublime place. My mind and my heart began to dwell on the words of Psalm 19. As I stared at that boulder I could see in it, “Jesus, my rock and my redeemer.”

The Psalmist tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God, that day and night pour forth the voice of God without needing words (v 2-3). Growing up with a Catholic background in my youth, I was familiar with the spiritual discipline of meditation. However, in my years with the Church of the Nazarene, I must admit that I lost the call to such times of meditation, but there in that quiet place it all came flooding back. The gift of Christian meditation is for all believers; scripture calls us to it.

The windowed walls look out at the beautiful grounds surrounding the Center. There is a view of a lake with a fountain in the middle, and many trees and birds. It’s really quite serene. The stone boulder in the middle of the chapel had a small bronze tabernacle sitting atop it. Beside the tabernacle was a lighted lamp, and inside the tabernacle was the Eucharistic bread, also known as the Host. In Catholic theology to be in the presence of a consecrated Host is to be in the transubstantiated presence of Christ.

I thought I was dropping in for a moment. However, the moments turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into an hour. I was lost in the words of the Psalmist:

3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun… 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

Have you heard the voice – the voice of God in creation? It is as the Psalmist says, “sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

In the chapel that day there were no words from my mouth, but the meditation of my heart was pleasing to my soul, and I pray it was pleasing to my rock and my redeemer as well. As I write this devotion the words of a song by Norah Jones comes to my mind, “Come Away with Me”. Listen to the words. I don’t know who Norah was thinking of when she wrote this popular love song, but I’m hearing the words of my rock and my redeemer calling me to come away with Him, to meditate on Him and His love for me. Won’t you come away too?

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can’t tempt us, with their lies

And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won’t you try to come

Come away with me and we’ll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I’ll never stop loving you

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Deliverance

30 This God–his way is perfect; the promise of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?

Psalm 18:30-31

It was dusk as I pulled into my driveway. In fact, darkness was falling by the seconds. There were no lights on in our house. All the curtains were still open, my first clue that something was wrong. My wife, Rhonda, was seven months pregnant with our first child and the house was full of moving boxes, which were in plain view from the uncovered windows. Rhonda never left the curtains open as night fell.

I don’t know why, but instead of entering the house from the back as usual, I went to the front door. I guess I just wanted to look around to see if Rhonda was outside by the neighbor’s. I didn’t see her anywhere. As I stepped up onto the porch, I caught the glimpse of a large man crouched down beside me, just inside the brick wall that wrapped around the porch. What happened next seemed almost like an outer body experience as I look back on it.

Standing there in my designer suit (I was a clothing salesman), and in my meanest, gruffest voice (not very mean, I’m sure), I called out, “Hey! What are you doing on my porch?” Much to my surprise the man answered, “I think I’m going to be sick”. He then acted as if he was going to throw up. In one of those moments that had to be God inspired I said (still as gruff as I could), “If you’re sick, I’ll go get help”. I then backed down the steps, never taking my eye off the man, and proceeded to walk backward toward my neighbor’s house. As I reached the neighbors yard the man on my porch got up and ran away – he was about twice my size!

I nearly collapsed from the rush of adrenaline my system must have used over those last few seconds. As I collected my thoughts and immediately praised God for His deliverance from what could have been a very ugly, perhaps deadly situation, my sweet, pregnant wife came out of the neighbor’s house across the street to return home – in the dark! She’d lost track of time.

In Psalm 18 we read of David’s praise to God for delivering him from his enemies, even King Saul and his armies. In verses 8-18, David, recounts the miraculous deliverance of God as he sings about the cataclysmic nature of God’s power and might to protect those who are blameless. In verse 21 he proclaims the Lord will reward those who are righteous. Prophetically, the Church hears the voice of Jesus in praise to His Father for delivering Him from His enemies, even death.

What do you need deliverance from today? Like David and Jesus, perhaps you feel like your enemies surround you on every side? Things may even seem impossible, but I have good news for you. With God all things are possible. Our God brings deliverance for the blameless, for those who trust in Him. The word used in scripture as deliverance is the same word for salvation in the original language. Salvation is assured for those serve God, for those who trust in Him, no matter what. Won’t your trust Him today?

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” (Psalm 9:10)

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Resurrection Is Always in View

15 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.

Psalm 17:15

Have you faced any injustice in your life? Probably. Most have of some form or another. But, what about a grave injustice; something so unfair you were brought to the brink of despair? Many of the Psalms are prayers cried out to the Lord in the face of such grave injustice. Psalm 17 is one.

Though we hear the prayer of David, who faced many great trials in life, the real voice of the Psalm is Jesus. Who of us would dare pray the words of verse three? Only Christ can truly pray those words. As we read them today, we can connect our hearts to Jesus’ words. While we can’t say that if God tests us He will find nothing but pure righteousness, what we can say is, “Search me O God, and know my heart” (Ps 139). Our hearts can be pure before the Lord – David’s was.

The prayer of Psalm 17 is the prayer of Jesus in the closing days of his life before the cross. His enemies had surrounded Him (v9). Their hearts were closed to all pity (v 10). Yet, Jesus knew the Lord would deal justly with His enemies. However, He also knew it would require His complete sacrifice on the cross. The same completeness is required of all who follow Christ.

The Psalm ends with the assurance Jesus felt, that when he would give up His spirit on the cross and lie down in death, He knew He would see God when he awoke (v 15). To Jesus, the resurrection was always in view. He always knew His Father would answer His cries for help (v 6), and so can we.

What injustice are you facing? Have you cried out to the Lord? I hope so. I hope you’ve cried out in confidence, knowing He will rescue you. I hope you always have resurrection in view. As Martin Luther wrote in his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress, “The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still.” The truth of God is that resurrection is always in view for those who place their hope in Christ, who dwell with Him in faith.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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To Where Does Your Heart Run?

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.

10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.

11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:9-11

The Old Testament people of God didn’t have a developed theology of resurrection. There was an understanding that when a person died they descended to ‘Sheol’ (Hebrew) or ‘Hades’ (Greek), a place for the dead. Gradually they understood Sheol to have two sides, one for the righteous who were somehow comforted by God, and the other for those who were not; theirs was a place of darkness and suffering. As we pray with the Psalmist in Psalm 16, we see that he believed the Lord would not abandon him to the ‘Pit’, the dark side of Sheol for the unrighteous dead.

In this Psalm we can hear the voice of Jesus as David prays prophetically. He prays in faith, knowing His Father (the Lord) will not abandon him after death. Jesus always knew His road would lead to the cross. Whenever the knowledge of such impending suffering would overwhelm Him, He took comfort in the Lord’s leading. Ultimately, He knew the “path of life”, lead to “fullness of joy” and “pleasures for evermore” (v. 11).

To where does you heart run when you’re overwhelmed with the pain and struggles of this life? As Christians we can take comfort in knowing our Father will not abandon us to the Pit. We too can know the promises of God are of joy and peace for evermore. St. Peter reminds us that in this life we will have times of trial and testing, but if we will “cast our anxieties on Him”, we can be assured He cares for us, “And after you have suffered a little while, The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” (1 Ptr. 5:7,10)

So today, no matter where the day takes you, let you heart be glad, let your soul rejoice, and know that your body will dwell secure (v 9), for there is no good apart from God (v 2). Let you heart run to the promise of resurrection.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The Greatest Question?

O LORD, who shall sojourn in thy tent? Who shall dwell on thy holy hill?

Psalm 15:1

There are several of what can be called ‘first order’ questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? And of course, What’s the meaning of life? Those questions often precede us in our journey to faith in Christ. All people ask them eventually.

But, for the Christian the greatest question changes. Once we become spiritually aware of our journey with God in this world, and that it is leading us toward another world, we realize we’re not fit for the life with God in the next.

There is an interesting paradox discovered by all the saints of the ages. The more we grow in the Spirit of Christ, that is the closer we get to God, the less holy we feel, the more sinful we see ourselves. This is because we realize more and more how infinitely holy God is. Our goal post is always moving further away the closer we think we get. We can never be completely like Jesus Christ. But, Thanks be to God He gives us his grace to redeem us and purify our hearts so that our intentions may become pure towards Him. This is what it means, to use St. Paul’s words, to be “sanctified entirely” (1 Thess. 5:24).

It is in the realization of this paradox the Psalmist, David, asks the greatest question of the human heart – who can live on Your holy mountain, O Lord? The question is asked many times, in many different ways, and by many different people throughout scripture. But, the answer is always a variation of the same thing.

We must live blamelessly before the Lord. Verse three tells us our blameless ways must flow from our hearts. To live a holy, sanctified life, we must have a pure heart that issues forth into the works of pure hands. Then, we can do the works of righteousness He prepared for us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 2:10).

Where are you on your journey with the Lord? Have you come to place of asking that greatest of questions? Have you heard His answers? I hope so. Know this, the journey never stops, we never fully arrive in this world. God will always take you further than you ever thought you could go. There may even be more questions. But, the Spirit of the Lord is ours in ever increasing measure if we ask Him to accompany us along the way.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad.

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The Remnant

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.

Psalm 14:1

I remember as a young boy my mother taught me to never call anyone a ‘fool’. I didn’t understand then. I just thought anyone who acted like a fool deserved to be called one. But after many years of studying scripture I learned why. To this day, I try never to use the word fool in describing someone, though it seems they are plentiful in our world. Why is ‘fool’ such a bad thing to call someone? Because the Bible tells us that a fool is basically an atheist. An Atheist says there is no God. Yet, scripture teaches us the fact of God is self-evident in creation.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;

The Psalmist speaks of a time when it seems no one believes in God anymore. In verse two he says of the Lord that He looks down from Heaven to see if there are any that, “act wisely” and “seek after God”. Verse three brings the answer, “…there is none that does good, no, not one.”

The problem of most of the world seeking after other gods and turning their backs on the Lord is not a new one; it has been common to every generation in varying degrees. But God has always had a remnant. It may seem like no one believes but there is a remnant of the righteous as the Lord told to Elijah (1 Kings 19:18).

So is everyone who turns from God to worship other gods a fool? No, not really. We shouldn’t confuse the idolaters with atheists. Idolaters are lost people seeking something or someone in which to believe. However, an atheist is one who says there is no God, and only a fool would say that. To be a fool is to be the most lost of all people. We have a chance to show the lost the true light of Christ, by the way we live as true followers of Christ. But, an atheist has hardened his heart. We can’t show him anything because he does not have eyes to see or ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

The Psalmist ends in hope. With God there’s always hope. He knows deliverance will come for God’s people. You and I must live in that same hope. No matter how bad it looks out there in our world, God always has a remnant. The true church is His remnant, and that remnant is the hope of Christ to a lost world  Let’s be sure we’re a part of that remnant. Let’s be sure we’re not fools.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Agony

How long, O LORD? Wilt thou forget me for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Psalm 13:1

Have you ever suffered such intense pain that you despaired of living, that you felt you physically couldn’t go on? I hope not. But, sadly such agony of suffering is quite common to our humanity. It is in a very real sense, something we instinctively try to avoid at all cost. However, for the Christian the call of Jesus is the call to die. St. Paul said he was ‘crucified’ with Christ, so that he would no longer live to himself but that Christ would live and reign within him (Gal. 2:20).

At the time of my writing this devotion, it is only hours from learning that a dear friend, the child of a dear friend, died of tragic circumstances. I arose to read Psalm 13 today and immediately felt the need to call out to Jesus for my friends who are dying inside at their loss.

We often think of this ‘death to self’ as a metaphor for having made a decision to follow Christ. But, is that all it is? Not really. The call of the Christian to die is nothing less than a call to agony and suffering. Not a suffering we go looking for, but the kind that comes to us in all forms from this broken and sinful world. And when it comes, our response is to die upon the cross of our suffering when it presents itself. Crucifixion and agony go hand in hand.

Agony is defined as the final stages of a painful death, or as extreme physical or mental suffering. Whatever can be said of agony, it carries such a finality and extreme pain that few can bear it for long without giving up. It is precisely at this moment of giving up that we hear the Psalmist cry out in the prayer of Psalm 13. In the voice of David, we can hear the voice of Jesus as he faced the greatest agony of His life in the Garden of Gethsemane. And, it is precisely at this point of giving up that we realize we are not alone – Jesus is with us!

Though the pain and agony Jesus endured were excruciating, to the point of sweating drops of blood (Luke 22:34), we know He was able to cast His extreme burden on His Father. Verse five tells us He trusted in the steadfast love of the Father, whose love never changes and whose mercies never end.

Whatever suffering and agony you face today, know you’re never alone. Even though all your friends may forsake you, remember, there is one who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24), and His name is Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord, for there is power in the name of Jesus. Is there anything greater we can do in the midst of our darkest circumstances than to call upon the name of Jesus? I don’t think so. Perhaps listening to this song will help strengthen your faith today so you can call upon the name of the Lord.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Whose Words Will You Believe?

7 Do thou, O LORD, protect us, guard us ever from this generation.

8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 12:7,8

The feeling of living in a vile generation has been common to all ages, for sin is common to all. However, having said that, it still feels as though things are headed in the wrong direction in today’s modern culture. The psalmist felt as if there was no truth left among the people in his day; the godly seemed to have vanished and it seemed everyone was full of lies (v 2).

Words have always been important because in them the truth is spoken. However, it can be very challenging to a society when the culture decides to change the meaning of words in order to fit a new agenda that is counter to timeless truths. Today, we are living in an age that is not only changing the meaning of words but is rejecting the very truths at the heart of the words. When a society loses all sense of objective truth, then what is considered truth becomes relative to the whims of those who can command the most attention.

The psalmist says the wicked seem to be on every side (v 8). The breakdown of truth we are experiencing in our culture today is not a new thing – it’s just new to us. The psalmist felt it in his day. Jesus felt it in His day too. But, the good news is found in verse 6; the promises of the Lord are as pure as silver that’s been purified seven times.

The righteous have not been forsaken, though it may appear so at times. The Lord will arise (v 5). He will rescue the righteous with His salvation. God will always rescue those who stand with Him and the truth of His Word.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”

So, whose words will you believe? The culture around you that is saying wrong is right, that there is no sin? Or will you stand with God and His words? Before you decide, be sure you hear the words of the prophet Isaiah on this very subject…

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!… Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 5:21,22,24)

Rather than be discouraged about the way things seem to be headed in a culture that wants to re-define words at every turn, be strong in the Lord, and in His words. Don’t let go of His words…His truth. He has promised to protect the righteous in every generation.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The Safe Place

4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men.

Psalm 11:4

When we pray Psalm 11, we here the voice of the Church as the true body of Christ proclaiming the only real safety is, “in the Lord” (v 1). He is the only completely safe place. This is a frequent theme of the psalmist. He knows that in the Lord he will find shelter and refuge.

As we journey through this dark and dangerous world, we can know…we must know, that the Church of Jesus Christ (the Body) is our place of refuge; the righteous run into it and are saved (Prov. 18:10). The Church is the “holy temple” (v 4) from which Christ reigns, and it extends from the reaches of Heaven to the ends of the earth.

The psalmist doesn’t need to flee to the mountains to escape the evil that is chasing him (v 1) and neither do we. We only need to stand strong in the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ is the true “upright in heart” (v 2), and when we stand strong in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10), we are more than conquerors.

The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked (v 5), but we know we can pass the test, not in our strength, but in His. Are you feeling the test? Sometimes we just want the tests to go away. I’m sure the psalmist did too; you can hear it in his voice. But like the psalmist we must keep praising the name of the Lord. We must not give up. No matter what happens, each day we must lose ourselves in his mercy and grace. Just as God was faithful to save Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, so too He will be faithful to rescue us from the coming storms of fire and brimstone.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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