refreshing

“And the king, and all the people that [were] with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.” (2Sa 16:14 AV)

The circumstances for the refreshing are known, but the place is not.  David was in flight from his son Absalom.  Absalom hated his father because David did not exercise justice promptly enough for Absalom.  Absalom’s sister was raped by their half-brother Amnon.  Absalom killed Amnon for it.  The bible tells us that David was comforted over the death of Amnon.  Absalom resented his father for his delay or refusal to do what had to be done.  So, when Absalom returned from banishment, he used that resentment as a way to take the kingdom from his father.  While in flight, a man from the household of Saul cursed David and his men along the way.  He cursed, threw stones, and tossed dust in the air.  For miles this went on.  A constant barrage of insults, accusations, and ill will.  To say that David was discouraged would be an understatement.  Rejected by a nation to whom he dedicated his life, rejected by a son who wanted him dead, and insulted by the godless family whom he replaced; David needed a time out.  The context suggests that David purposefully refreshed himself and his men even while Shimei was cursing. 

There is a difference between refreshing and resting.  Resting means all present activity is ceased.  I lay down.  I fall asleep.  I am at rest because activity has ceased.  Refreshing does not require that activity cease.  Activity can be interrupted or lessened.  But activity continues.  I had a brother who was an amateur athlete.  He started as a marathon runner.  Then he graduated to cycling.  He entered contests in our home state and would travel a bit to compete.  When he traveled, he would often check into a hotel for a night or two.  The night before the race, he would rest.  The night after the race, he would rest again.  However, while participating in the race, there was no resting.  There was refreshing.  Every few miles, there would be tables of water for the contestants.  As they ran or cycled by, they could grab a cup of water and drink a refreshing drink.  The race continued.  Maybe they slowed a bit to grab the water, but stride was maintained.  They were refreshed along the way, while their challenge still lay before them.  Resting will come eventually.  But while in the race, refreshing was necessary.

David was in flight.  He had to save his skin.  God gave him a promise, and Absalom’s insurrection wasn’t about to end it.  He had the battle of his life before him.  He had harassment from all sides.  He could not rest.  To do so meant death.  What he could do was to find a place of refreshing.  As the cursing and pursuing continued, he stopped long enough to grab fresh water and a meal by a river’s bank.  One can imagine how that fresh cold water would drown out the calls of evil all around him.  This refreshing was so overpowering that the surrounding troubles seemed to shrink.  We need this refreshing.  Every day we need to spend time with the LORD.  The battle against the flesh, devil, and the world will rage on until our graduation.  The battle for the lost souls of mankind will rage on.  These things will not stop until our eternal rest.  Refreshing is necessary lest we come to an untimely and unproductive end.  That cool, clear water of the word of God and the sweet taste of intimate prayer are what we need every day.  The swirling trouble will continue.  The stones will still fly.  But ignore them for a brief moment and refresh your weary soul in the presence of Almighty God!

Equal Value

“The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all.” (Pr 22:2 AV)

Every human soul has equal worth with God.  Assigning worth to a person based on external criteria is a trait of fallen man.  To the LORD, the rich have no more worth than the poor.  To the LORD who has made us all, the value of a person in found in his existence, not in his condition.  We are all equally fallen.  We are all equally wicked.  An education or lack thereof does not impress God.  A net worth or humble poverty is not more valuable to the LORD.  The eternal soul, which we all possess, is what Christ died for.  He didn’t die for our pocketbooks.  He owns it all.  He didn’t die for our simplicity.  Whatever we do, or fail to do, in this life will not determine the value of our souls.  All will die, and all will appear before their Maker.  One cannot buy himself past the judge.  One cannot plead hardship to avoid examination.  We will all appear before the LORD Jesus Christ to give an account of a life graciously given.  God loves all equally.  God died for all, equally.  There is no distinction.  There is nothing to earn.  There is nothing to accomplish.

Carrying golf bags for the rich and famous comes with an allusion of inflated worth.  I have carried the bags of very wealthy and famous people.  It was interesting how those with wealth and influence treated their caddies.  Personalities and habits ran the gamut.  There were clients who treated their caddies as peons.  They treated them with less respect than they would a hired hand.  Then there were others who treated their caddies with great respect.  It was easy to be impressed with clients who owned companies, lived in palaces, and drove expensive cars.  Being silent, a caddy hears much impressive talk.  Millions of dollars could trade hands by the ninth hole.  Entire companies could be bought or sold.  Agreements between millionaires were shared over a putt.  How these people talked of things larger than life as if they were talking about a hamburger recipe was beyond impressive.  World changers who were normal people.  But the ones that were really impressive were the humble millionaires.  You wouldn’t know how much they were worth.  When someone told you, it knocked you off your feet.  People are people.  It doesn’t matter what their bank accounts say or not say.  Standing before the LORD, we will all stand the same way.

Solomon, the smartest and wealthiest man of his time, puts life into perspective.  What he accomplished, he did so for the LORD.  This didn’t earn him a place with God any more than the simple shepherd who tended only one sheep.  Solomon shows great wisdom here.  His point is simple.  There is one event that happens to us all.  We will all die.  We will all stand before our Maker.  What we have done or failed to do in life will not change that.  What we do with Christ will determine our eternal state.  Knowing this, envy should never be a temptation.  It doesn’t matter what we are when compared to others.  We are all a mess.  It doesn’t matter if we carry someone’s golf clubs and he tips us a mere pittance.  It doesn’t matter if God uses us for much or for little.  It doesn’t matter if we have ten talents or one.  It really doesn’t matter.  We will all stand before God.  We will all give account.  Not with what we have done, but rather, how faithful we were with what we were given.  No room for envy.  None!  God is good to all who call upon His name.  No matter what!

Flawed but not Forsaken

“And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” (2Sa 12:24 AV)

David and Bathsheba had an affair.  When it was told to David that Bathsheba was with child, David arranged for Bathsheba’s husband to die in battle.  Uriah was sent to the front lines and told to assault a city wall.  An enemy arrow pierced his heart.  That was God’s way of bringing Uriah home.  Uriah never found out his wife had been unfaithful.  With the birth of this child, God struck the child with sickness that would take his life seven days later.  It was only right that God would not allow David and Bathsheba to enjoy the fruits of their sin.  In those seven days, David prayed for God’s grace.  In particular, David sought health for his newborn.  God did not grant David’s wish, but He did show infinite grace.  Most of us would see the event as one that could never be blessed.  David committed adultery and murder.  One would think that God would never give them a child.  But He did.  He gave them Solomon.  Solomon would be that certain king of Israel who grew the nation into a world power.  God loved Solomon.  God showed grace to two repentant and humble parents in the giving of a child He used for His glory.

God is far more gracious than we might think.  His tender mercies do not fail.  Because of who and what we are, we deserve an eternal hellfire.  Yet, the LORD is slow to wrath and quick to forgive.  When we take stock of the blessings of God, there is not one honest saint who can say they deserve all they have.  Even if the saint is highly disciplined and righteous, he or she still deserves the pits of hell.  When compared to the glory of God, falling short of it is infinitely short no matter how righteous we might be.  Let us never forget that!  When remembering all the LORD has done over almost 50 years of salvation, this saint stands humbly amazed at what God has done.  This writer deserves the hottest place in the devil’s domain.  The account, although settled along ago, still grows.  Even after I know better.  The old man seems to be more of a pest every day I live.  Sin is at the door.  The heart is stained with sin.  Sin that has to be battled every day.  Some battles are won.  Some are lost.  Seeking God’s forgiveness is a daily thing.  The day of glorification cannot come too soon.  Yesterday, while door knocking, I spoke to a man in his nineties who knew the LORD.  We both agreed that the LORD cannot come soon enough.

Solomon was God’s way of telling two flawed people that they were forgiven.  Solomon was God’s extended hand of love and mercy toward two people who made very bad choices.  Solomon was God’s way of telling two people that in spite of what they had done, God loved them and was going to use them for His glory.  The existence of Solomon went a long way in healing the scars left by sin.  David would have to pay his fourfold cost for stealing another man’s wife.  He lost his newborn, but would lose three more sons before he passed.  The consequences were not totally avoidable.  But Solomon was the grace to endure what was coming.  Solomon, by his mere existence, was an amazing young man.  Every time he called out for Momma or Daddy, it was God’s way of saying, “I forgive you and I still love you”!  Praise God for His wonderful grace to the children of men.

Chipped Teeth

“Bread of deceit [is] sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” (Pr 20:17 AV)

It was that second part that stood out to me.  Curiosity drove me to consider what would possess a baker to put gravel into his dough, or what event would result in dirt or pebbles being baked into a loaf.  Further, who would eat such a thing without first examining it?  I know there are types of bread out there that might fill the bill.  There are whole grains that are coarsely ground that may leave a residue.  But who would eat that for pleasure?  One must assume the bread is offered to someone who is both naïve and impulsive.  He does not think the offering all the way through, neither does he want to consider the consequences from such an offer.  All he sees is freshly baked bread that smells amazing.  He knows the flour and honey will taste very good, but does not consider the offering may be tainted.  Such it is with sin.  Rarely do we think it all the way through.  We are drawn more to the short-term pleasures and ignore the long-term effects.  That is, until we chip a tooth on the gravel within.

This is our universal problem.  It started in the garden of Eden and has perpetuated to this day.  No one is immune.  Sin is attractive.  Sin is alluring.  Sin is pleasurable.  What is seldom considered is what follows.  I give Capt’n Crunch a hard time.  And rightly so.  I don’t know why any sane person would eat such a thing.  The taste is outstanding.  But the aftertaste is horrible.  Admit it.  After a bowl of that stuff, the diner must brush his or her teeth for an hour to get the grit off.  Who would want to eat something that requires an immediate dental visit?  Or, who in their right mind would eat bread that is more seed than flour?  Good for you?  Really?  Eat enough of that and one might sprout a barley plant in the colon.  Our how about any number of foods that taste great, but require a bathroom nearby.  My wife’s coffee cake is that way.  It is out of this world.  Yet if I am not near a bathroom within an hour of consumption, there is going to be a mess somewhere.

Solomon is saying what we all experience.  There isn’t a perfect person on the planet.  We all make bad choices and then pay the prices afterward.  It is really silly.  Thinking on it, one might come to the conclusion we are not all there.  Perhaps we are a few fries short of a happy meal.  Why would we do this?  Yet, we do.  We make horrible choices and then pay the piper later.  We consume and then regret.  We live and then sorrow afterward.  The only hope is the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Only He can convict us before the choice is made.  Remaining in prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit is the only way to turn one’s head away from gravel filled bread.

The Greatest Blessing

“Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken [it]: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.” (2Sa 7:29 AV)

I think this prayer is perfect!  David is asking for the blessings of God.  What he is asking for is a specific blessing.  He is not asking for the windows of heaven to open so that he and his descendants can live a carefree life.  He is not asking for material blessings, good health, or peace from all his enemies.  David is not asking for a stress-free life.  The king is not asking for a palace, a treasury larger than any other nation, or an army that can conquer all that he desires.  What David is asking for is the blessing of endurance in the things of God.  In his eyes, the greatest blessing he could ever experience is if his house continued to love God and serve Him in truth and righteousness.  I get it!  Material things come and go.  Health isn’t forever.  There are always persecutions on every side.  Temptation is part of our existence.  We live in troublous times when tomorrow cannot be guaranteed.  But one thing above all others stands as the ultimate blessing.  The blessing that my children, my children’s children, and all others that follow might receive Christ as their Savior.  One blessing is above them all!  That is that my household would love the LORD God with all their heart, mind, soul, and body.  One blessing above all others would be that the LORD would establish my house in the things of God!

As a young parent, there were many times I sat watching my sons grow up, and taking great pride in what they were accomplishing.  They played basketball on the same varsity team.  They played golf together.  My sons were involved in Awana and my oldest almost earned every possible award.  My youngest was a baseball player.  It was a good day to sit in the stands and watch him play.  My middle son was a hunter.  I will never forget most of the deer he bagged.  Then I watched them grow into manhood.  God blessed them with godly wives.  I am so blessed by the daughters-in-law even though they want to put me away when I get too old.  LOL.  They serve the LORD with their husbands.  They do not cause any grief.  They are a blessing to my sons and I am so blessed to have them.  The LORD has blessed me with six grandchildren.  Three boys and three girls.  Now I brim with pride as the videos of them singing in church come across my phone.  Before I blink, they will be getting married and starting families of their own.  I much from the LORD.  I am truly blessed.  Yet, for all this, there is one blessing I desire the most.  That is, that all those whom God has given me will continue in the ways of the LORD.

For all that David accomplished, he remained a simple man.  You don’t read much of his material gains.  Solomon is another story.  Solomon fiscally grew the nation into a superpower.  Not David.  David remained that simple shepherd who wished more for a righteous battle than for a business deal that would bring great wealth.  David would rather contend for the name of God than sip coffee over a deal.  David was not complicated.  David was a man who lived for the glory of God.  All the trappings that came with it were necessary tools of the trade.  He would just as soon put on servant’s clothes so he could dance before the LORD than sit upon a throne with a golden crown upon his head.  David was a man after God’s own heart, so when he asked for blessings, it wasn’t the tangible that drew him.  David wished more for the things one couldn’t count or touch.  He wanted his family to faithfully love and serve God above all else.  That truly is the greatest of all blessing.

Eyes Up

“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes [wait] upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” (Ps 123:1-2 AV)

This psalm was sung as the penitent ascended the temple mount.  A psalm of degrees were psalms sung in the process of worship.  The context will reveal whether the psalm was sung while ascending or descending the temple mount.  This psalm was obviously sung while ascending and facing the temple.  One would think this psalm is self-evident.  As the troubled soul ascended the temple mount, his eyes would naturally be cast upward.  The servant or maid who needs mercy is the servant or maid who has concerns that require atoning.  The hand of the servant or maid attends to the needs and desires of the master, but that does not mean success was always the case.  A wondrous thing to consider is that the servant or maid labors because mercy is expected rather than earned.  The upcast eyes are not eyes of condemnation.  Rather, they are eyes of expectation.  The eyes are cast upward not out of terror, but out of gratitude.  As the penitent ascends the temple mount, he does so with a sacrifice.  He does not ascend with a  sacrifice hoping that the LORD will accept it.  He does so knowing that because he brings it according to the law, it will be accepted.

The eyes of service are a continue state.  The hands that serve the master continue.  They do not abate because mercy is needed.  They continue because mercy is forthcoming.  That which touches the heart this morning is the direction of the eyes rather than the activity of the hands.  They are upward.  A memory comes back.  A memory of a special time and place.  I grew up near Niagara Falls, NY.  We lived east of the Falls and slightly north.  With weather coming from the west, this meant our weather was greatly affected by the Falls.  So much so that rain patterns and cloud formations were unique to our little town.  One feature of our skies was cotton-ball-style clouds.  It reminds the reader of those grade school art projects where cotton balls were glued to a blue piece of construction paper.  In my childhood, flying kites was popular.  That was back in the day when the TV had only four channels and there was no such thing as the computer or smartphones.  Most of our entertainment was outside, in the weather.  Getting the kite to fly was a bit of a chore.  But once we did, there was no better sight than to see it dancing among the cotton ball clouds.  At that moment, the stress of childhood melted away.  Because our eyes were cast upward, the troubles of life became out of view.  To this day, fifty years later, I can still remember the times I looked skyward, completely enamored with the puffy white balls in the sky.

We have an indescribable eternity awaiting us.  That which resides in heaven cannot be compared to puffy white clouds.  The glory of God that outshines the sun is there.  Sinless perfection with no sorrow added to it is our future.  We will see Jesus face to face and thank Him for all that He has done.  There awaits a sight that John struggled to put into words.  There are sights that Paul saw that he was forbidden to share.  Our eyes cast heavenward is more than mere escapism.  Walking with the LORD for many decades, the heart yearns for direct fellowship.  As the things of this life begin to change and that which was once very fondly treasured, are minor when compared to the person of God and our eternity with Him.  Those eyes cast upward are eyes of hope and affirmation.  There is no doubt the master will show mercy.  There is no doubt the LORD has and will forgive all sin.  The eyes are cast heavenward not out of fear.  Rather, the eyes are cast heavenward because there is never-abating hope.

Profitable All-Nighters

“And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.” (2Sa 2:29 AV)

“And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which [was in] Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.” (2Sa 2:32 AV)

I find it interesting that the detail of walking the entire night is mentioned, but I don’t know why.  Here are two foes who are going in opposite directions and doing so all night.  Abner killed Joab’s brother in self-defense.  Abner warned Asahel that to try killing him would only result in his own death.  Asahel was an overly ambitious young man who did not have battlefield experience.  Hebron was where David was.  Joab was returning to serve his king.  Mahanaim was in the territory of Gad on the east side of Jordon.  It was a town mostly inhabited by Levites.  Ironically, it is the same place David fled when Absalom stole his throne.  Bothe Joab and Abner traveled all night as arrived in their place of service.  Joab by the side of David, and Abner, who had plans to live out his life among the Levites.  But what of the all-night travel?  Why not wait until the break of day?  Why not stick around and see if the other honored the agreement?  One explanation was duty and fear.  On Joab’s part, he had a duty to take his brother’s body to Benjamin and bury him.  Abner had no reason to stick around.  Perhaps he fled because he did not trust Joab.  Whatever the case, God thought it important to let us know that these two men traveled all night to reach their desired locations. 

I have taken a few of these trips.  When we were younger parents and we wanted the kids to sleep all the way through, we would often leave after the sun went down and traveled all night.  The driver was exhausted when we arrived, but our kids never fought or fussed the whole way.  Traveling at night time was also less stressful.  With the majority of traffic abated, the risk involved was fatigue.  It wasn’t the stress of unpredictable traffic.  Traveling at night was easier on the car, too.  The heat of the day was not beating upon it.  It was easier on the engine as it drove and cooled the car.  There were risks.  The clientele at truck stops is a bit sketchy at 3am.  If there is a breakdown, you are on the side of the road for a while.  But traveling at night is peaceful and has a way of leaving one to one’s thoughts.  I remember one of the last trips my wife and I made that went well into the night.  We were coming from the Gulf of America back up to Paducah, KY.  I think it was a nine-hour drive.  We had attended a Bible Conference, so we left after it was over.  We started out in the middle of the afternoon.  We arrived home around 2am.  After about 9pm, my wife is fast asleep.  So, I had five hours of reflection.  It was a good thing to get into my head and work some things out.

I imagine at Joab and Abner laid aside their swords and walked all night, they too were left alone with their thoughts.  Having left the emotion of the conflict behind them, they could process their state of mind and come to some reasonable conclusions.  Later we find that Abner has resolved his.  Joab did not.  Walking all night is only profitable for a humble heart.  Joab allowed the travel time to consume his vengeance toward Abner.  Abner could find peace and actually worked for peace.  Before his all-nighter, he was David’s enemy.  By the time he arrived at Mahanaim, he found the love for his king that turned to cooperation and reconciliation.  He had to kill Asahel.  No hard feelings.  But there was a job to do.  How we use our all-night prayers, meditation, etc often determines the course of life we choose to take.  It certainly did for these two men.  One used his all-night stroll to plot revenge, while the other used it to plan reconciliation.

Encouraging Words in a Discouraging TIme

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21 AV)

Jude utters these words to the end-time saints.  Those who are overwhelmed by false teachers and prophets.  Those who are discouraged by apathy and carnality among God’s people.  Those who have seen better days.  Those who have witnessed a moving of the Holy Spirit and have witnessed the holiness which is the result.  This is the audience of this letter.  He encourages them not to give up the faith.  He instructs them to stay in the love of God and encourage one another as the day of the LORD’s appearing draws near.  Because he uses the phrase “building up yourselves”, he suggests that survival isn’t the only goal here.  Rather, growth is.  Even in discouraging times, it is possible to increase as a believer.  There are three actions they must take.  First, prayer is of the utmost importance.  Prayer goes a long way in overcoming challenges to our faith.  Second, they must always remember that God loves them and, because He does, they are to live in that love by returning that love upon God.  Third, to remain encouraged means we look for the mercy of God until eternal life is our dwelling place.  That mercy is forgiveness of sin.  But that mercy is also seeing the grace of God in the midst of trials and troubles.  Jude has a heart for those who must go through the deep waters prior to eternal graduation.  In some way, regardless of the current dispensational time-line, this is all of us.

I watched a comedian last night who had a bit on being unintelligent and depressed as a symptom of addiction to news.  I think he might be on to something.  Never before has mankind been so discontented.  Never before has there been a general loss of hope.  This is not unique to the lost world.  It is a disease that has encroached the body of Christ.  More and more, we see discouragement, depression, and even suicide.  The numbers are staggering.  At one time, I served in a church whose county had the highest suicide rate per capita of any in the nation and also the highest prescription use of antidepressants.  This was a county in the heart of the Bible belt.  This was a county where the vast majority of citizens claimed a personal relationship with God.  How is that possible?  How can people who know the LORD and who know their Bibles walk in discouragement?  Jude thinks it is possible.  He thinks it's even probable.  The closer we get to the LORD’s return, things will get better.  Not worse.  Many thought that our last national election would turn our nation around.  What we found out is that we are too far gone for one person to completely erase a century of secularism and liberalism.  It will take more than that.  It will take the return of Christ.  So, the elation many felt a bit over a year ago has turned from cautious optimism to unfortunate reality.  The forces of darkness march on.  Our current situation is a mere hiccup.  Can we be encouraged?

Jude certainly thinks so.  He gives us the formula for surviving and thriving amid a world that is ever-increasingly rebelling against the LORD.  He tells us to encourage one another by building each other up in the faith.  He then tells us to pray.  A lot.  Thirdly, we are not to forget that God loves us and because He does, we must live to please Him in that love.  Lastly, never stop looking heavenward!  Jesus is coming back.  Because no man knows the day nor the hour, His return is always imminent!  Those of the mindset that the coming of the LORD is centuries away are fools.  His return is just as likely today as it is one hundred years from now.  Because not even the Son knows the day or hour, but only the Father, it could be now!  So, we can look at the heavens, from whence cometh our help.  He is coming back.  Don’t just survive – thrive!

He Hears

“In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.” (Ps 120:1 AV)

Just being heard is sometimes enough.  What is missing from this psalm is how God answered.  Or if He answered at all.  What follows the words above are the specifics of what the writer is seeking.  He is seeking relief from his persecutors.  There is no mention of what the LORD had done.  We don’t know who the writer is nor the circumstances of which he speaks.  All we know is the state of his heart and the comfort he received in simply knowing God heard him.  As stated before, sometimes that is all we need.  Sometimes all we need is to pour our hearts out to the LORD.  Sometimes, all we need to do is process the emotions bottled up from events too overwhelming to handle perfectly.  Sometimes, all we need is to know our God hears and cares.  What He chooses to do in response to our prayer doesn’t matter as much as knowing He hears.  That way, whatever He chooses to do or not to do is received and welcomed.  Even if the cause of distress is not immediately resolved, we are ok; because He hears.

One of the skills of a good hospital chaplain is learning how to listen.  There is little, if anything, I could do regarding a patient’s physical challenges.  I could not adjust medication, schedule rehab, or diagnose disease.  What I could do is to lend an ear.  Most of my visits were just that.  Pulling up a chair and holding a hand as they verbalized their struggle was about all I could do.  Offering a bit of scripture helped.  So did prayer.  But honestly, the biggest help to someone in distress is to be a sounding board for their troubles.  Over the few years I served as a chaplain, the LORD allowed me to see a few hundred patients.  There are a few I remember.  Each one taught me something different.  As the Holy Spirit led me to minister to unique needs, He taught me the best way to treat people as individuals and do the best I could do to help them.  My greatest fear was getting a call from someone who had passed unexpectedly or by tragedy.  One evening, late in the night, that call came.  A patient had been attacked and beaten.  He died while in the emergency room.  He was a young man in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time of night and lost his life because of it.  I expected to find a family so distraught that there would be no comfort to be found.  At that moment, I learned a listening ear is often more help than a speaking tongue.  This family simply needed to process their shock and emotional distress.  No words were going to bring their loved one back.  No hatred was going to make it right.  An ear is what they needed.

We may not know how God will answer.  We may not even know if He will.  But knowing that He loves us with and everlasting love, that He has a purpose for all things, and that He will guide us to our heavenly home is sufficient.  Knowing that He hears might be all that we need.  It certainly was for our psalmist.  Even the LORD Jesus Christ starts out His prayer for Lazarus stating that the Father always hears Him.  I think that might be where faith starts.  We must believe that He is.  But we also must believe that He will reward those who diligently seek Him.  Maybe not with the answer we had hoped.  Maybe not with an answer at all.  Rather, He rewards us with the comfort in knowing that He always hears.  That is enough.  That is comforting.  That is assurance.  That is hope.  That is the greatest need of our hearts.  He hears us.

Keeping From Evil

“And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed [be] the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.” (1Sa 25:39 AV)

Nabal was a very wealthy rancher who was shearing his sheep in the fields.  The custom was to visit the flocks and shear them while they pastured.  This left the flock and the workers vulnerable to predators, both wild and tame.  Thieves could take advantage and attack.  They could kill all the laborers and steal the flock.  Or, wild animals could take advantage of the helpless nature of a recently sheared sheep and enjoy a meal of lamb chops.  Nabal would be a responsible businessman if he set sentries to guard the laborers and the flocks.  But he did not.  David noticed that, and without requiring any up-front reimbursement, set his 600 men around the shearing floor and protected Nabal, his servants, and their flocks.  Nabal never asked them to leave because he had no intention of reimbursement.  He enjoyed the benefits of having David and his men provide security, yet refused to cover their costs in doing so.  This would amount to theft.  This explains David’s desire to attack Nabal.  Nabal’s wife, Abigail, was told of the situation and intervened.  She prepared food and supplies for David and his men.  This act of integrity kept David’s hand of rash justice at bay.  In other words, what would have turned out badly, God intervened and saved David from an extreme choice. 

I don’t think the evil David speaks of is necessarily sinful.  But the principle can certainly be applied that way.  The examples are too numerous to recall.  A story is told of a young man who was planning a weekend getaway with his girlfriend.  The problem was he didn’t keep it to himself.  He involved his younger sister and best friend.  The younger sister, having a conscious, told her father of her brother’s plans.  So, Dad got to work.  He set in motion one small roadblock after another.  Dad, who owned his own business and hired his son, stated that inventory had to be done before they went home Friday evening.  It shouldn’t take too long.  He and his son stayed until almost eleven that night.  It was too late for his son to start his weekend with his girlfriend, so they decided to go the next morning.  When this young man went to his car, he found he has two flat tires.  One on the front and another on the back.  Both mom and dad were gone with their cars, so he had to wait for them to return.  Having fixed his car, it was not early afternoon.  At least they could spend one evening in immorality.  One was better than none.  On the way to pick his girlfriend up, he had a phone call.  It was her.  She was at the hospital with her mother.  Her mother fell and needed some X-rays.  As emergency rooms go, it took hours.  First her leg.  Then her head.  It wasn’t until very late that evening that she was discharged.  The romantic getaway never happened.  Seeing as how his plans were ruined, he got up and went to church.  That morning, the Preacher happened to preach on moral purity.  Talk about keeping someone from evil!

We all have a trail of bad and sinful decisions we have left behind.  We have wreaked havoc on a life that should have been holy and separated.  As horrible as that trail is, imagine what it might look like if God had not interrupted our plans for even more evil! There are times when we are well aware that the LORD has kept us back from sin.  A needy child requires our attention.  The dog needs to go out.  An unexpected bill pops up.  A road is closed.  These interruptions are ways in which God can and does often frustrate our wicked intentions.  But then there are the Abigails.  There are those saints that seem to know how to intervene when we need it the most.  There is no judging.  There is no condemnation.  They simply know when to show up and pray or encourage.  They are a reminder that the battle for righteousness can be waged and won.  They call, text, or show right at the time we need them to the most.  Perhaps if we were more involved in the lives of others, we can be that person.  There are times when we need someone like that, but there are also times when we need to be that person.  Praise the LORD for keeping us from doing more harm to our own lives!

Always Good

“Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this [is] known in all the earth.” (Isa 12:5 AV)

Note ‘things’ is plural.  God isn’t singular.  Listen to David.  “Blessed [be] the Lord, [who] daily loadeth us [with benefits, even] the God of our salvation. Selah.” (Ps 68:19 AV)  David had a rough life.  Running from his father-in-law, having a wife that ran out on him, and losing four sons to sin was difficult.  Add to that ruling a nation and all that might encompass, and it can be safely said that David did not have it easy.  Reading certain psalms, one might conclude David had it worse than most.  Yet, it appears David had a balanced view.  Not week by week or month by month.  It appears David’s balanced view was daily.  If he could recognize the good hand of the LORD as a daily thing, this means he was looking for it.  Adding to the scope of this truth, Isaiah does not limit his observation to a local situation.  Isaiah tells us that the excellent things of the LORD are throughout all of creation.  If we cannot see it, we are looking at the wrong thing.

Knowing this truth, we would naturally express our joy and gratitude.  The extent of our observation is equal to our response to it.  Isaiah tells us we should sing.  Sing unto the LORD.  There should be a voice of humility, which deeply appreciates what God has done.  Although Isaiah could be commanding the expression of singing, I don’t think he is.  This is particularly intriguing as Isaiah is the prophet to a failing nation.  It won’t be much longer and both Israel and Judah march off to captivity.  Perhaps one reason they failed is that they forgot how good God was and is to them.  I see the same in the saints today.

We are encouraged to complain and critique.  We find what is wrong and not what is right.  The world constantly pours upon us the spirit of hopelessness.  There is one disaster after another.  There is always one more thing to be anxious about.  It would be good if we simply shut it all off.  Newsmax and FoxNews make their money by scaring us to death.  The more they stir up the masses, the larger their corporation becomes.  If it isn’t the news, then the pharmaceutical companies are telling us we are falling apart.  Recognizing the good hand of the LORD goes a long way in how we live.  As I write this, we are sitting in the hospital getting fluids.  My wife has had a rough couple of days, and it was evident.  Along comes a hospitality service that spontaneously gives flower arrangements to patients.  It is a non-for-profit that exists just to brighten someone’s day.  Someone on the staff must have mentioned she wasn’t doing well.  There you have it!  God is good all the time.  It may be a simple thing to some, but to Lisa, it means to world.

Our Sophisticated God

“[Though] hand [join] in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” (Pr 11:21 AV)

Though hand join in hand is a pretty encompassing condition.  It matters not how much the wicked collude.  God sees it all, and all will be made right.  It doesn’t matter how much the wicked think they are secret and safe.  God is a God who sees all.  It amazes me just how secret we think our lives and choices are.  We forget that our Creator is everywhere, all the time.  We forget there is nothing He does not know.  He knows every thought and intention of the heart.  He knows it all.  The ridiculous notion that a secret conspiracy can be successful is beyond the absurd.  Just because man cannot discern it does not suggest God is ignorant as well.  Though hand join in hand, God sees it anyway!

A study of history will reveal many conspiracies to commit treason or crimes that were so massive, it boggles the mind.  From the assassination of Julius Ceaser to modern government operations, the millennia of human history tell of successful and not so successful plans of men to change the course of history.  Or get away with a large-scale crime.  Documentaries regarding well-known crime syndicates are popular.  Even more popular are films based on the same subject matter.  Conspiracy theories abound because the nature of man makes them probable.  It is believed that most evil activity is done in secret and kept secret.  What is troubling today is the level of sophistication it takes to get away with a plot, but also the level of sophistication it takes to discover it.  It requires a certain level of electronic communication expertise to construct a web of evil unprecedented in human history.  Reading of certain subjects that have circulated in the recent past, this writer is astounded by the level of technology used to catch those who would do harm.  One would think that technology could advance to the point that activity would be undetectable.  Not so.  There is always a trail.  There are always breadcrumbs.  Nothing happens is a vacuum.  Today, the only thing that protects a criminal is an apathetic judicial system that rewards, rather than punishes, crime.  The tools are there.  The will to use them for good is fading.

This is not so with God.  As advanced as our technology is, it will never reach the standard of Almighty God.  One catastrophic power failure would put an end to all the tools we have at our disposal.  If today’s technology indicates the challenge it is to operate in secret, imagine what the Creator possesses!  He knows and sees everything.  The pride of man that thinks all he needs is a more complex web to succeed is fooled.  There is nothing that can match an infinite God.  If man possesses the ability to stay one step ahead, imagine what God will do.  The futility of thinking that man can get away with wickedness as long as the plan is sophisticated enough is absolutely insane.  We are no different that simple Adam and Eve, who ran into the woods thinking they could hide from the all-seeing God.  Though hand join in hand, God still sees it and will judge it.