Trusting Jesus with the Hidden Fears of the Heart

“And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.” (Mt 8:19-20 AV)

Isn’t that just like most of us?  Conditional discipleship.  In this case, it was ignorance that lent to conditions for following Jesus.  The scribe never inquired regarding accommodations.  He never asked of the nature of living arrangements nor nourishment.  The question seemed genuine enough.  In fact, we are not told what the scribe did in response to Christ’s statement.  We don’t know if the scribe accepted the conditions or changed his mind.  The only thing we know for sure is the scribe expressed a desire to follow Jesus, and the Master revealed the heart of the matter.  There were no guarantees.  Jesus would not provide what was dearest on his heart.  The scribe, according to the statement of Jesus, harbored concerns he was unaware of.  Not until the LORD told him there was no certain dwelling place did the scribe realize the severity of his desire.  One would assume because of what follows that the scribe changed his mind.  However, we don’t know this for certain.  What we do know is that when the offer to follow Christ appears, there are things we have never considered until the LORD raises the curtain.  The question will be, when confronted with deep-seated concerns of which we were unaware, will we be just as eager to follow the LORD as before we realized the depth of commitment it requires?

It is not uncommon for a mentor, employer, parent, etc, to encourage commitment from their charge without revealing the extent of what that commitment might mean.  We do this because we know what we offer is for their own good, but if they knew everything that would involve the choice, it would be declined.  I was an overly-cautious child.  I still harbor that personality trait.  This did not bode well when times of adventure presented themselves.  My dad was an avid camper and outdoorsman.  He would take us on all sorts of trips.  We would tent camp in all sorts of weather.  This meant we were in tents in the middle of winter, the heat of summer, during days of extended rain, and nice weather.  He would pack us all up and head for the woods.   We learned to build fires in nice weather or wet weather.  We learned to cook meals over an open fire.  We learned how to stay dry even when it was wet outside.  We learned how to dig latrines.  We learned how to boil water.  We learned how to tend to land filled with thorny trees.  We learned how to clear land and build a volleyball court.  We learned how to blaze trails and leave other land to the wild.  We learned much.  But at the inception of our trip, my father never led on that our trips would be a mixture of fun and work.  He never led on that regardless of the weather, we would make it work.  Before we left, we didn’t know exactly where we would set up.  We didn’t know every detail of what we might face.  We didn’t even know what questions to ask.  We simply went and trusted our father.

Deep faith is not faith to trust what we can reliably predict.  Real faith is when we are confronted with things we had never thought of before.  Deep faith is when the secret things of our mind or heart are brought to the surface and we are forced to trust in spite of them.  Job said it well.  “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25 AV)  When the thing that we never consider is now our reality, then deep faith is at work.  The scribe was nervous about his accommodations.  He didn’t know that he was.  Or he would have asked about them before he offered to follow.  The LORD often raises fears we didn’t know we had so that we can confront them and learn to trust.  What will we do when we are face to face with a monster we didn’t know existed?  Will we still follow and trust?  Or will we decide the risk is not worth it?  The story of the scribe is untold.  It remains to be seen what he had chosen.  What About your story? Is it untold?  What have you chosen?  Will you trust Him with the unknown?

Anxiety of Faith

“When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Mt 2:3 AV)

At the announcement of the birth of the promised Messiah, this may seem odd, but it is completely understandable.  Israel was under Roman rule.  They were free to govern themselves to a point.  They were free to worship within the common values of the Roman culture.  Then enjoyed peace at the hands of Rome in exchange for taxation to the Roman Caesars.  They were relatively comfortable even though their culture and faith were under restraint.  Israel was promised a king and a kingdom.  If this was the Messiah, that meant a disturbance of that to which they had grown accustomed.  If the Messiah had come, it might imply warfare.  Lives might be lost.  The ‘normal’ would be overturned.  They would once again become the scourge of the world.  If Messiah had come, their entire world would be turned upside down.  One can understand why they would be troubled.  It doesn’t excuse it.  But it is understandable.

It is easy to get stuck in the status quo.  When disturbing it might mean short-term stress, we are comfortable right where we are.  No one wants to rock the boat.  No one wants their lives upended on the promise that it will get better.  Who wants that?  Recently, I was reminded of a saying that is common from my heritage.  It was used in a program where a family was sitting at Sunday dinner.  This family was accustomed to talking about adult topics.  Not inappropriate.  Just grown-up conversation.  The children were all approaching college age, which meant they would soon be moving away.  One child had graduated and was moving across the country.  The family threw out a hypothetical.  If they didn’t live where they lived, where else would they rather live?  Warmer climates were suggested.  Country living instead of urban living was an idea.  Even different countries altogether.  But one by one, problems and all, they would rather stay put.  The phrase, “better the devil that you know than the one you don’t know” was the common phrase used.  What that means is better to deal with the problems you know than the ones that might be.  This is at the root of a faithless generation.  Better to stay put and deal with that to which you have come accustomed than to strike out and try something new, even if it means more troublesome problems.

This is exactly what Herod and Jerusalem felt.  Better to deal with Rome, to whom they because accustomed, than to try living with the Messiah and introduce fresh troubles which need to be overcome.  At my age, I can certainly appreciate their apprehension.  But it wasn’t right.  God promised them a kingdom.  They were repeating the same error the nation made when they left Egypt.  They would rather return to Egypt under conditions that made them cry to heaven than be free and toil for their own liberty.  Better the devil that you know.  With faith, this is inexcusable.  If the LORD has made promises, it is our ethical responsibility to act on those promises.  If the LORD has told us to follow, we need to leave that to which we have become accustomed and trust Him!  What would have happened if Israel had refused to cross the Red Sea?  The Egyptian army was right behind them.  Do you think Egypt would have escorted them back to slavery without any consequences?  No way.  They would have slaughtered a good portion of them so they would never attempt to flee again.  Rome burned Jerusalem to the ground.  The circumstances they knew and to which they became accustomed became far worse than fighting for the Messiah.  It is wrong to recoil at the challenge of faith.  Very wrong.  They were troubled.  That is understandable.  But to allow their anxiety to rule their choice was wicked.

 

Changing the Rules

“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied [him]? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil [is] good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where [is] the God of judgment?” (Mal 2:17 AV)

There is an interesting digression here that is of worthy note.  At first, I would have assumed the progression to be the other way around.  The first attitude is for the wicked to think their values are right and the LORD’s values are wrong.  That is exactly what we see today.  Accepting transgenderism is seen as morally right, while condemning it as wicked is seen as morally wrong.  The second attitude is to think that God doesn’t care about right or wrong.  It matters not to Him.  Again, I would think the second would be first and the first would be second.  I would think that God not having an absolute for which He is passionate would open the door for the wicked to define their own.  But that is not the progression listed above.  And there is an excellent reason for this.

See if this scenario rings a bell.  This usually happens with siblings.  You sit down with family to play a new board game.  As you set up the board, you look at the pieces and the board and think that the rules are self-evident.  So, someone rolls the dice to start the game.  As you play along, you notice that the rules you thought were the right rules begin to conflict.  Or, the rules by which you play the game make it boring or unfair.  Then you begin to fight about it.  Some rules are changed as you go.  After finishing one match, you change the rules again.  This happens time and again until someone decides to read the rule book.  Who cares?  You found a way that works for you, and your way is more fun.  The first step is to ignore the book.  Just make up rules that seem more to your liking.  Even if the rule book clearly states a unique style of gameplay, who cares?  Your way makes more sense to you.  If siblings don’t want to play, they can go do something else.  Then you have that one sibling that presses earnestly for the rules in the rulebook.  I am married to one of those kinds of people!   Who cares if your rules work better for the situation at hand, she will press very hard to conform to the rulebook.  Not only that, but we will begin the game without consulting the rulebook and have a grand time in our own little world, and she has to jump right in the middle of it, stop gameplay, and force everyone to follow the rules.  Annoying!  Is Milton-Bradley going to show up at the door and arrest us for unethical gameplay?  The rule book is a suggestion, not a law!  First, we replace our own rules with the ones that exist.  Then we discover they probably don’t care!

This is not the case with God.  God does care.  He will judge.  He must judge.  He is offended when we change the rules to suit ourselves.  Yet we go one step further.  We reason that our rules are more ethical and just than God’s rules.  Since we see no immediate consequences for changing the rules, we surmise that even though His was is the law, our way works for us and He couldn’t care less.  In this progression, we change God’s law to accommodate our own desires.  In assuming He doesn’t care, we prove that His way is the right way.  If it were not the right way, not caring would be self-evident and not necessary to state.  When we go about and live contrary to the word of God, thinking God doesn’t care, we are testifying to the perfection of His law yet choosing to reject it, anyway.  How depraved of mankind to assume that God’s way is the holy way yet He does not care, and therefore, we have permission to live as we please.  The answer is to repent of our wickedness, turn to Jesus Christ, and walk with God in obedience and faith.  That is the only choice for wicked mankind!

Just 100mph

“But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, [that] at evening time it shall be light.” (Zec 14:7 AV)

When looking at that verse, one might be tempted to think it impossible.  How can the LORD create a situation where there is little to no night?  In heaven, the Father and Son are the light thereof.  There is no need for a sun.  But we are talking about the earth here.  The context is the return of Christ, where He sets down on the Mount of Olives.  The mount splits in two running east to west.  The Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea are joined.  Instantly, the Dead Sea is made alive.  Just like the scriptures predict.  The Dead Sea will host life again.  In our passage, it would seem that Jesus will miraculously make it so that there in no more day and nighttime.  There will be sunlight throughout our 24-hour day.  Or will it?  Can we even say there will be a 24-hour day?  After all, our 24 hours is measured by one complete rotation of the earth.  Then, I did a cursory investigation, and it would seem that if the earth sped up 100mph, our days would increase to 22 hours.  It wouldn’t take much for this miracle to happen!

One of the judgments of Revelation tells us that day and night will be decreased by 30%.  That wouldn’t take much either.  Perhaps the impact of Wormwood would do the trick.  Or some other celestial collision.  Then the mind went to what this miracle might mean.  Some would think it a disaster.  Yet, just the opposite would occur.  With a mere 100mph increase, our entire environment would stabilize and thrive.  Water would congregate more centrally.  Light being available all the time would give a constant growth window without the rest of night.  Plants and trees would have twice the time to grow and thus produce much more mast.  Crops would grow immensely taller.  Without war for 1,000 years and limited crime, disease, etc., the human population would explode beyond anything previously seen.  Perhaps the LORD speeding up the rotation of the earth and thus creating a stable weather system, agricultural prosperity, and non-stop industry could take care of the vast population that would inhabit the earth.

Here's some natural benefits of the earth spinning 100mph faster:  1. Shorter Days - This could mean cooler average temperatures in some regions because the sun wouldn’t heat the surface as long each day, possibly helping reduce extreme heat in equatorial zones.  2. Redistribution of Water - The stronger centrifugal effect would pull more ocean water toward the equator.  This could create new land exposure near the poles, opening new areas for life to thrive and possibly increasing habitable land in northern and southern regions.  3. Boosted Winds and Ocean Currents - Stronger rotation would strengthen trade winds and ocean currents.  This could improve nutrient circulation in oceans, which might boost marine ecosystems and fisheries in some regions.  4. More Diversity in Habitats - The shifting balance between equatorial bulge and polar flattening would alter climate zones slightly.  This could create new ecological niches where certain plants and animals could adapt and flourish.  5. Auroras and Magnetic Field Effects - A faster-spinning core (if tied to the mantle’s increased speed) could, in theory, strengthen Earth’s magnetic field.  A stronger magnetic field would shield life even better from harmful solar radiation, which could benefit both humans and nature long-term.

When one stops and thinks of how mighty our God is, it blows the mind.  To Him, speeding up the rotation of the earth is a simple solution and a simple task.  He created all things.  He can modify them as His will dictates.  Jesus will fill the earth with people.  Souls that can confess sin, accept His grace, and live in a near perfect world.  But He has to take care of them all.  How?  By putting the world back to a similar condition it knew before the flood of Noah.  What an amazing God we trust!  If God can speed the rotation of the earth by a mere 100mph, He can certainly take care of whatever might ail us!

Time for the Latter Rain

“Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; [so] the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” (Zec 10:1 AV)

This prophecy regards Israel and the promise of a Messiah.  In particular, this prophecy regards deliverance from their diaspora.  The first rain was deliverance from Egypt.  The prophet mentions idols as that from which Israel needs deliverance.  The latter rain is the coming of their Savior.  This latter rain is spoken of in the next chapter.  In chapters eleven and twelve, Zechariah mentions specifically that Israel will look on Him whom they have pierced and more for Him as an only brother.  The former rain delivered Israel from pagan worship.  The latter rain, in the person of Jesus Christ, is to deliver them permanently from their sin.  As N.T saints, we can apply this directly and indirectly.  As born-again believers, the latter rain has come into our souls.  We are delivered from sin, death, and hell.  The direct application is that the latter rain, in the person of Jesus Christ, has come to the saint.  But there might be a practical application to this verse as well.  That is, looking for the latter rain when the time for it is expected.  In this sense, the latter rain is deliverance.  In particular, deliverance that results in revival.

The scriptures that follow make mention of grass growing and maturing.  It takes me back to my hunting days.  After the fall harvest, some farmers grow a crop called winter wheat.  Most do not.  It grows well into the planting season the next spring.  Harvested in early summer, the wheat is valuable as a cash crop, a cover crop, and supplies most of the wheat used in baking.  Some farmers will grow this wheat as they rotate their crops and rejuvenate their fields.  These crops rely heavily on the latter rains of fall and winter.  Once in hibernation, these crops come alive in early spring.  Winter wheat continues to grow until ripened.  Some farmers will plow the wheat under rather than harvest the crop.  They will enter the fields in early spring and plow the unripen crop as a soil conditioner for other crops to follow.  I remember hunting turkey over winter wheat fields.  The farmers told me not to mind damage done to the plants.  They were simply going to be plowed under, anyway.  The latter rain is important to this crop.  The summer is hot and dry.  For the winter wheat to survive, rain must fall as it did in the spring.  To revive the soil, the heavens must open rather significantly between September and January.  The latter rain is even more refreshing than the former.  The former rain is coming at the time when snow is melting.  The former rain drops on a already saturated field.  But the latter rain is coming on a parched field.

The time of the latter rain is a time well known.  It comes when the soul is parched from much growth and harvest.  I cannot help but think of our seasoned saints.  We have given decades of service to the LORD and most of us are all used up.  We have sacrificed.  We have built.  We have ministered.  We have invested.  Now it is time for the latter rain.  We need deliverance from weariness.  We need deliverance by seeing the hope of our labors growing into the next generation.  We need to see that our labor was not in vain.  We need the latter rain of God’s presence to reinvigorate us for our final growth season.  We need to drink of the fountain of grace that joy and hope abound.  When the dry winds of summer have parched the soul, the latter rain is desperately needed.  We need a refreshing.  Our churches desperately need a downpour of God’s power.  We need to have our soil reinvigorated for the responsibility that lies ahead.  We need the latter rain because it is the time for the latter rain!

Preservation Way

“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.” (Pr 2:6-8 AV)

That last phrase is quite a promise.  To keep that promise, there are implications.  These implications are found in the context.  Solomon is sharing with his children that the ways of God do not change.  The LORD graciously informs us and teaches us the application of this wisdom.  There are consequences in place for ignoring these absolute principles.  So, when the promise of preservation is given, this does not imply life will be smooth sailing.  Rather, God sends wisdom from above, but that wisdom has to be learned.  In fact, if the promise is true, then it will be learned.  Sometimes the easy way.  Sometimes the hard way.

Note in particular that ‘the way’ is preserved.  Not the saint.  It is the way of his saints.  Whether we continue in the way all the time is up to us.  It is suggested that they are one and the same.  To a larger extent, they are.  The bible teaches God’s sovereignty.  Yet it clearly teaches the ability of man to choose and act.  The way of the saints is steadfast and unchanging.  God keeps the paths of judgement that make up the way.  Within that way, God has given the ability for the saint to exercise self-determination.  There are rules that govern every choice the saint will make.  These rules do not bend.  They do not relax.  They are certain.  It reminds me computer games or apps of a certain genre.  When I was a teenager, Myst was all the rage.  It was the first of a kind.  Since then, all sorts have appeared.  The point is to follow clues to meet an objective.  There were clues that pointed directly to the solution.  There were also clues of secondary importance that would eventually lead the player to the solution.  Then there were clues that had nothing to do with the solution, and the player wasted time and resources in chasing them down.  The solution was always the same.  Regardless of individual path or choices the player selected, eventually he would reach the end of the game and find the exit.

When the LORD promises to preserve the way of the saints, it is the way unto glorification.  We can walk this path in different ways.  The more committed we are to Christlikeness, the straighter the way and quicker the journey.  However, if we stray from the direct route to Christlikeness, circumstances of our choices will press us back on the way.  Our life’s journey will depend on how quickly we desire Christlikeness.  The good news is that when we are received into the kingdom of heaven, we are transformed immediately into the likeness of Christ.  We must not misunderstand the promise above.  God is not promising to preserve the saint with a perfect life regardless of his or her choices.  Sometimes the life of a saint ends in tragedy because he or she does not follow the LORD.  That which God does promise is that the means to godliness will not change, cannot be altered, and are free from adversarial assault.  God will do everything to keep us on the straight and narrow so we can enjoy the blessings of Christlikeness in this life.  Praise the LORD for this promise.  This means He will never stop working on me.  Praise the LORD!

Always Reigning

“Thy throne [is] established of old: thou [art] from everlasting.” (Ps 93:2 AV)

It is easy to forget this.  There is never a time when the LORD does not reign.  He allows things to happen that may bring this truth under further investigation.  But that does not change the truth itself.  God reigns.  He always has.  His authority and power are eternal.  Although the psalmist speaks only of the past and present, the eternality of His throne and power continues unabated to the future.  Knowing that an unbroken line of God’s sovereignty extends infinitely into the past sure makes it silly to doubt it in the past.  There were far greater forces than mere human influence that challenged God’s sovereignty.  To think that the events of the present have broken God’s control over the present is irrational.  To think that the unforeseen events of the present have somehow interrupted the sovereignty of God flies in the face of the truth above.  Just because we cannot see it does not mean God has lost control.  As He has always been, so shall He ever be.

To further support the assertion that the LORD has been, and always will be, in control is the present tense ‘is’ regarding a past tense action.  The establishing of the throne of God eternally past tense.  Yet the establishing of it is said in the present tense.  This suggests a continuing action with end.  We would normally say ‘was’.  We would normally say his throne was established of old.  If that were true, then before the ‘was’ happened, it wasn’t.  If His throne was established, then there was a time when it wasn’t.  But if His throne is established, and it always was or is, then there is not ‘was’.  The line of His throne is unbroken.  By using the little word ‘is’, the truth of God’s eternal sovereignty is declared.  It is declared without rebuttal.  God eternally sovereign.  ‘Was’ does not fit into the idea of eternally past tense.  It cannot.  If ‘was’ is from the past, it cannot be eternal.

What does this all mean?  It means that when we doubt that God is in control, our doubt does not break the eternal sovereignty of God.  Events may seem like they are out of control.  But they are not.  God is on His throne.  He always has been and He always will be.  Our doubts cannot change that.  The problem is trusting in His sovereignty when we cannot see it.  Like a submarine patrolling the waters of our nation, we cannot see them.  We know they exist.  We cannot see the work they do in the hidden parts of the deep.  They are there.  How do we know?  Because we are still a sovereign nation.  How do we know that God is on His throne and fully in charge?  Good question.  This insight only comes from reading the word of God, prayer, and meditation.  Examining what we see against the nature of God revealed in His word illuminates our understanding of His sovereignty.  There is no ‘King of the Mountain’ with God.  No challenger could approach the LORD unless He allowed it.  There is no throwing God off the mountain.  Satan tried it, and it cost him eternity.  God cannot be moved.  Why?  Because He was always there and remains.  God is in control whether we see it or not.