These days, there are plenty of reasons to fear. Our world seems to be in a continuous state of war and crisis. The jobs market is dismal, natural disasters wreak havoc, and stories of crime dominate the headlines. As Christians, we know that fear should have no place in our lives, but how can we ignore what’s going on around us?

Basically, there are two paths you can walk: faith or fear. It’s impossible to simultaneously trust God and not trust God. Another way of saying this is that you cannot both obey and disobey Him–partial obedience is disobedience. So, which road are you traveling?

Some people who read the Bible and believe in God nevertheless choose to live with fear. Seeing others experience hardship, they start wondering if it could happen to them: Someone at my office lost his job; will I be next? Someone died in an accident–I could die too. But this kind
of “logic” places your circumstances above your relationship to God.

If Satan can get you to think like this, he has won the battle for your mind. But when you focus on God rather than your circumstances, whatever the situation is, you win. The Bible tells us, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7).

Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He’s sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I found that my worrying stopped.

 I used to be a faithful listener to the national news. But it seems that more and more reporting consists of communicating more and more bad news. As a result, I’ve become more of a sporadic listener. Of course, I recognize that this is not a recent trend. Most news has rarely, if ever, been uplifting. The events deemed “newsworthy” are generally traumatic or catastrophic events. The recent random shootings in Arizona, Colorado, and Wisconsin, the continuing economic crises in the U.S. and Europe, the continuing conflicts in the Middle East all serve as recent examples.

 These “bad news” stories are even more difficult to deal with because they are not simply news stories affecting someone else; they are real stories of the everyday realities of people all around me, and including me. Close friends have loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colleagues struggle to make ends meet, and wonder how they can continue to keep up with the rising costs associated with gas and food. Necessities become negotiable and disappear altogether. For many, these are not simply news stories these are their stories of trying to survive in extraordinarily dark times.

 While these particular circumstances are specific to the contemporary context, extraordinarily dark times are sadly nothing new. Even the greatest of leaders in the ancient world were not immune to trouble and despair. As we are told in the Hebrew narratives, David, the great king of Israel, experienced many difficulties throughout his life.  And when he experienced trouble, he turned to poetry. Psalm 18, as one example, appears to have been a poem written after the experience of deliverance from national enemies and the current king of Israel, King Saul. 

 The poetry composed by David expresses his grief and distress in the midst his trials. The imagery he uses is of a near death experience: “The waves of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me; the cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.  In my distress I called upon the Lord” (2 Samuel 22:5-7a). His distress felt like drowning; being swallowed up by the mighty waves of the sea.

 Yet, somehow David believes he will be delivered. In my distress I called upon the Lord. David hopes in God’s deliverance. Even though he feels overwhelmed by powerful forces at work against him, David affirms that “The Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19). 

 It is tempting to understand the Lord’s rescue operation as one that restores the equilibrium or status quo to David. As one commentator notes, the psalmists’ chief concern to give thanks to God are not chiefly found in regaining “physical health, or adding more years to life, or by enhancing the life they now enjoy with greater comfort or security. That is a modern conception of life, whose emptiness is eventually disclosed. According to Israel’s way of thinking, life is missed when people do not choose it: ‘See, I have set before you life and death….Therefore, choose life.'”(1) Those who know David’s story know that it continues to be fraught with difficulty and hardship even as he becomes the great king of Israel.

 God’s rescue was not simply a return to the “way things were” or always a salve of comfort and ease. To read the poem this way is to miss its main image of the God whose rescue shakes the deepest foundations. “The earth shook and quaked the foundations of the mountains were trembling.” God’s rescue often involves the overturning and upending all the things in which we place our hope apart from God.  For the poet David testified: The Lord was his stay. Ultimately, salvation does not come from the things God does for David, or for us. God’s rescue sets one in a broad place opening up new spaces in which we can find room to trust. 

 Sometimes, God’s rescue involves the deliverance from all the things we think make up true life. As Christoph Barth observes, “[W]hat the psalmists pray for in laments, or thank God for in thanksgiving is the restoration of life that they have lost, or its radical renewal through true life—that is the life that is given through relationship to God.”(2)

 When we make God our stay we acknowledge that all other ground is like sand—even those things that appear as a strong foundation. Our notion of rescue is upended. And while we never want to deny that days are often filled with bad news, God can be our stay, open up a broad place where we want more than simply to be rescued and instead desire to become the means of rescue. We can have active hands and feet that swiftly move to help others in times of need, and in times of abundance, with God as our stay. As people living at times in want and in times of bad news, we can renew and restore the lives of others in remarkable ways, inviting them into the broad place where we stand on the ground that is God.

 Margaret Manning is member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington.

 (1) Bernard W. Anderson, ed., Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today, (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1983), 127.
(2) As quoted by Anderson, Ibid., 127.

Morning “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” / Proverbs 11:25

We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to
accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others
happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the
spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How?
Our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent
talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our
strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to
fight the Lord’s battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not
know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow’s tears,
and soothe the orphan’s grief. We often find in attempting to teach others,
that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us
have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away
blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we
are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper
insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We
discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much
the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased
by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation
gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other’s
limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in
circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her
scanty store a supply for the prophet’s wants, and from that day she never
again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good
measure, pressed down, and running over.

Evening “I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.” / Isaiah 45:19

We may gain much solace by considering what God has not said. What he has said
is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what he has not said is scarcely
less rich in consolation. It was one of these “said nots” which preserved the
kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for “the Lord said
not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven.” 2 Kings
14:27. In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer, because
he hath “not said unto the seed of Israel, Seek ye me in vain.” You who write
bitter things against yourselves should remember that, let your doubts and
fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no
room for despair: even the voice of conscience is of little weight if it be
not seconded by the voice of God. What God has said, tremble at! But suffer
not your vain imaginings to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair.
Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be
something in God’s decree which shuts them out from hope, but here is a
complete refutation to that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be
decreed to wrath. “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth;
I have not said,” even in the secret of my unsearchable decree, “Seek ye me in
vain.” God has clearly revealed that he will hear the prayer of those who call
upon him, and that declaration cannot be contravened. He has so firmly, so
truthfully, so righteously spoken, that there can be no room for doubt. He
does not reveal his mind in unintelligible words, but he speaks plainly and
positively, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” Believe, O trembler, this sure
truth–that prayer must and shall be heard, and that never, even in the
secrets of eternity, has the Lord said unto any living soul, “Seek ye me in
vain.”

I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘seek me in vain.’   Isaiah 45:19

We can gain a great deal of comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is full of comfort and delight; but what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was what God had not said that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for “the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven” (2 Kings 14:27). In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer because He “did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.'”

Those of you who are prone to self-condemnation should remember that, lest your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no need for despair: Even the voice of conscience carries little weight if it is not seconded by the voice of God. We should tremble at what God has said! But do not allow your rambling thoughts to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God’s decree that shuts them out from hope, but we have here a complete rebuttal of that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. “I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say [even in the secret of my unsearchable decree]… , ‘Seek me in vain.'”

God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contradicted. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and positively. “Everyone who asks receives.”1 Doubter, believe this sure truth—that prayer must and will be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, “Seek me in vain.”

1Matthew 7:8

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 50   Psalm 28

Have you ever ignored the press of conviction upon your heart? Maybe you rationalized your wrongdoing with the thought that if God were really upset, He’d put a stop to things by disciplining you. Psalm 50:21 reminds us that the silence of heaven does not mean approval. Remaining in sin is an abuse of the Lord’s patience.

When God seems slow to react, we might hope He’s overlooking our transgressions–we’d like to continue in sin because the momentary pleasure is more appealing than obedience. But thankfully, the Father knows our weaknesses, our innate carnality, and the state of our spiritual growth, and He therefore measures His response. Motivated by love and a desire to gently restore His children to righteousness, God refrains from doling out immediate punishment. Instead, He waits for the Holy Spirit’s proddings to impact the believer’s heart. The weight of conviction is actually an invitation to turn from wrongdoing and return to godliness.

However, we’re a stubborn people. There are times when we persist in sin because the sentence against an evil deed isn’t executed quickly (Eccl. 8:11). In this dangerous situa-tion, it’s possible to immerse ourselves in sin and harden our hearts against the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit’s call to repentance falls on spiritual ears rapidly going deaf.

As we learn and understand more about God and His ways, we are increasingly responsible to live righteously. The Lord is not slow; He’s patient. Do not abuse His patience with callous disregard for His statutes. Repent and be holy in the sight of the Lord.

 If you have ever read anything of Saint Simeon the Stylite, undoubtedly, you have not forgotten him. Simeon was the first of a long succession of “pillar hermits” who held a great reputation for holiness in Eastern Christendom. Practicing a rather peculiar form of asceticism, Simeon sat atop a freestanding, fifty-foot column for 36 years. Upon his pillar, Simeon devoted himself to silence, prayer, fasting, and the writing of letters. 

 Saint Francis of Assisi lived his life on land, but like Simeon, with his heart firmly planted in the heavens. He is celebrated as the gentle saint with the all-embracing love of nature. He ate with lepers, sang to flowers, and preached entire sermons to birds. Saint Francis served Christ passionately, giving away everything—his wealth, his clothes, his rights. Even his asceticism was clothed with a sort of divine romance; he often referred to “Lady Poverty” as his wife of surpassing beauty. 

 There is something within the lifestyles of the early Christian saints, mystics, and martyrs that make me wonder about the comfortable slumber of my soul. Their stories are filled with a curious intensity, so far from the Laodicean neutrality around me; the synonym of laziness that describes my own church as much as it described the Laodiceans that made it an adjective. Many of the early Christians lived lives full of visions of Christ’s suffering, others spent months or years in caves wholly devoted to prayer and fasting in pursuit of God. In each story, however extreme or strange the expression of faith, evident is the incredible thirst of a soul, the passionate pursuit of God, and the delight of a life lived in the presence of Christ. At a time when one can look around and see so much thirst for novelty, for thrill or for security, such lives depict a deep well of hope—a well these men and women drank deeply of themselves—indeed, living their lives solely to pursue.

 To two men who were once following him, Jesus turned and asked point-blankly: “What do you want?” What if it is a question he still wants us to answer? What is it you want? What are you looking for? What is it you’d call your deepest desire? What would it take to make you feel alive? We find ourselves in a world filled with many tempting waters said to satisfy any thirst. And yet, our chorus seems to be closer to the old song: “I can’t get no satisfaction.” 

 Yet the pull of heart and mind for satisfaction is persistent. Saint Augustine famously wrote that our hearts are only satisfied when they are satisfied with God. King David pursued many things passionately, including women, kingdoms, and power. But his thirst was not touched until he fell to his knees and admitted that his longing was for the touch of God. He writes in Psalm 63, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you, my soul thirsts for you.”  When God is seen clearly, the seeming promises of the world come into focus. “My soul longs for you,” writes David, “in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” 

 Jesus once said to anyone who would listen, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink.” Generations of thirsting pilgrims have prayed that all would find their way to these real waters: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”(1) If you know the longing is real, what might become of it if you turned that restless thirst toward God? What if we lived as if truly knowing that anything that is not eternal is eternally unable to satisfy our deepest thirsts? With joy perhaps we, too, might draw deeply and be satisfied by Christ the King. 

 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

 (1) Ephesians 3:17-19.

Morning “The sweet psalmist of Israel.” / 2 Samuel 23:1

Among all the saints whose lives are recorded in Holy Writ, David possesses an
experience of the most striking, varied, and instructive character. In his
history we meet with trials and temptations not to be discovered, as a whole,
in other saints of ancient times, and hence he is all the more suggestive a
type of our Lord. David knew the trials of all ranks and conditions of men.
Kings have their troubles, and David wore a crown: the peasant has his cares,
and David handled a shepherd’s crook: the wanderer has many hardships, and
David abode in the caves of Engedi: the captain has his difficulties, and
David found the sons of Zeruiah too hard for him. The psalmist was also tried
in his friends, his counsellor Ahithophel forsook him, “He that eateth bread
with me, hath lifted up his heel against me.” His worst foes were they of his
own household: his children were his greatest affliction. The temptations of
poverty and wealth, of honour and reproach, of health and weakness, all tried
their power upon him. He had temptations from without to disturb his peace,
and from within to mar his joy. David no sooner escaped from one trial than he
fell into another; no sooner emerged from one season of despondency and alarm,
than he was again brought into the lowest depths, and all God’s waves and
billows rolled over him. It is probably from this cause that David’s psalms
are so universally the delight of experienced Christians. Whatever our frame
of mind, whether ecstasy or depression, David has exactly described our
emotions. He was an able master of the human heart, because he had been
tutored in the best of all schools–the school of heart-felt, personal
experience. As we are instructed in the same school, as we grow matured in
grace and in years, we increasingly appreciate David’s psalms, and find them
to be “green pastures.” My soul, let David’s experience cheer and counsel thee
this day.

Evening “And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.” / Nehemiah 3:8

Cities well fortified have broad walls, and so had Jerusalem in her glory. The
New Jerusalem must, in like manner, be surrounded and preserved by a broad
wall of nonconformity to the world, and separation from its customs and
spirit. The tendency of these days break down the holy barrier, and make the
distinction between the church and the world merely nominal. Professors are no
longer strict and Puritanical, questionable literature is read on all hands,
frivolous pastimes are currently indulged, and a general laxity threatens to
deprive the Lord’s peculiar people of those sacred singularities which
separate them from sinners. It will be an ill day for the church and the world
when the proposed amalgamation shall be complete, and the sons of God and the
daughters of men shall be as one: then shall another deluge of wrath be
ushered in. Beloved reader, be it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in
action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this
world is enmity against God.

The broad wall afforded a pleasant place of resort for the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, from which they could command prospects of the surrounding country.
This reminds us of the Lord’s exceeding broad commandments, in which we walk
at liberty in communion with Jesus, overlooking the scenes of earth, and
looking out towards the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and
denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are nevertheless not
in prison, nor restricted within narrow bounds; nay, we walk at liberty,
because we keep his precepts. Come, reader, this evening walk with God in his
statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet thou thy God in the
way of holy prayer and meditation. The bulwarks of salvation thou hast a right
to traverse, for thou art a freeman of the royal burgh, a citizen of the
metropolis of the universe.

And they restored Jerusalem as far as the broad wall.   Nehemiah 3:8

 Well-fortified cities have broad walls, and so did Jerusalem in her glory days. The New Jerusalem must, similarly, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world and separation from its patterns and ideas. There is a tendency today to break down this holy barrier and make the distinction between the Church and the world merely nominal. Believers are no longer fixed on godliness, questionable literature is widely read, frivolous pastimes are eagerly indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord’s special people of those sacred distinctives that separate them from sinners. It will be a bad day for the Church and the world when the proposed amalgamation is complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be united, and another deluge of wrath is ushered in. Beloved reader, make it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God.

The Broad Wall provided a pleasant place of relaxation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which they enjoyed sweeping views of the surrounding country. This reminds us of the Lord’s exceedingly broad commandments, which provide a pathway to freedom and communion with Jesus. From here we look upon the scenes of earth and gaze toward the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are not in prison nor restricted within narrow boundaries; no, we walk in freedom, because we keep His commands.

Come, reader; this evening walk with God in His statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet your God on the path of holy prayer and meditation. You have every right to stand upon the walls of salvation, for you have been given the key to the King’s city—you are a citizen of the metropolis of the universe.

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 49 Psalm 26

 Joshua 21:45  

God always keeps His promises. This is one thing you can be sure of and the principle bulwark of your faith: If the Lord says He is going to do something, then you can stake your life on the fact that He will do it. It is crucial for you to understand this if you want to grow in an intimate relationship with God and walk in the center of His will.

Think about it: in Matthew 16, when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vv. 15–16). To this, Jesus declared, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that … upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (vv. 17–18).

Jesus did not mean that the church would be based on Peter; rather, it is founded on the truth that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and the Messiah. Jesus did, however, intend to use Peter and the others to spread the gospel.

Again, relationship was poured into the foundation of God’s work on earth—and it always will be. The Father kept His Word by sending us the Savior who would redeem us, and all the powers of hell could not prevent Him from fulfilling this all-important promise to us. Likewise, nothing can stop Him from keeping every pledge He has made to you.

Joshua 21:45 tells us, “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” This is the basis of your confidence that He will keep His promises for the future—that He will make a home for you in heaven (John 14:2–3), that you will see your believing loved ones there (1 Thess. 4:15–17), and that you will dwell in His presence forever (Rev. 22:3–5). All history testifies to the fact that God always keeps His Word. That’s why you are wise to trust Him.

 The well-known lines of William Blake’s last epic poem “Jerusalem” conjure images of Jerusalem’s first pilgrims: 

 I give you the end of a golden string; 
Only wind it into a ball, 
It will lead you in at Heaven’s gate, 
Built in Jerusalem’s wall.

Several times a year, when it was time to celebrate a festival, crowds of pilgrims would make the trek together toward Jerusalem. Celebrating the Feast of Passover was a command hastening back to the last days of slavery in Egypt, and later reinstated under King Josiah. Many traveled from a great distance, their caravans taking more than a few days to arrive. For some the trip was no doubt long and strenuous, and it would perhaps be understandable if, when the journey was trying, only a drudging sense of obligation moved them forward. Yet, in the Scriptures, not only the feast but the trip itself is described as a time of celebration and worship. 

 The psalmist remembers leading the procession to the house of God “with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.” Elsewhere the writer recalls the presence of God and the fellowship of believers as they walked together among the crowds to Jerusalem. “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.'” The journey itself, though trying or tiring, was an integral part of the festival.(1)

 There are days when the reality of life as a pilgrim moving with the multitudes is as shining as Blake’s golden string. As a Christian, I see myself on a journey in great company, I see signs of the kingdom before me, and like the writer of Hebrews and the ancients ahead of me, I am sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see. But there are also times when I see no golden string and begin to wonder if I was ever really given one, times when I see no sign of the kingdom and wonder if it is really present and among us like he said. On these days I feel more like a lonely wanderer than a voice in the great assembly shouting thanks along the way. 

 But in this imagery of pilgrimage left behind by the psalmist, I believe we find a metaphor to live and hope to proclaim, even when the journey seems most uncertain or tedious. In every season of a life moving toward God, the psalmist shows us that the one we journey toward—and with—is the reality that sets our hearts toward pilgrimage in the first place. In this alone, is there not reason to give thanks along the way? We seek because there is one to find. We follow even in difficulty because God is among the festive throng. Whether in loneliness or in triumph, we are given songs to sing and thanks to voice. And in the Son we find the most hopeful image of a pilgrim, a man who came far from home to pronounce the kingdom among us, and walked forward even unto death to show us into that kingdom. As we move further up and farther in, we are promised that the road is costly, even as he offers a burden that is easy and a yoke that is light.

 As the weary pilgrims of Israel made their ascent to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, they sang with the journey yet on their hearts: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). It is a stirring image: a great crowd making the ascent to worship God after a long journey already wrought with thanksgiving on their lips. It is all the more stirring to see yourself as one of them: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” (Psalm 84:5).  

 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

 (1) cf. Psalm 42:4, 122:1.

Morning  “He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord.” / Micah 5:4

Christ’s reign in his Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but
it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving
flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of
the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose
voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of
goodness.

His reign is practical in its character. It is said, “He shall stand and
feed.” The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for his
people. He does not sit down upon the throne in empty state, or hold a sceptre
without wielding it in government. No, he stands and feeds. The expression
“feed,” in the original, is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to
shepherdize, to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to
preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.

His reign is continual in its duration. It is said, “He shall stand and feed;”
not “He shall feed now and then, and leave his position;” not, “He shall one
day grant a revival, and then next day leave his Church to barrenness.” His
eyes never slumber, and his hands never rest; his heart never ceases to beat
with love, and his shoulders are never weary of carrying his people’s burdens.

His reign is effectually powerful in its action; “He shall feed in the
strength of Jehovah.” Wherever Christ is, there is God; and whatever Christ
does is the act of the Most High. Oh! it is a joyful truth to consider that he
who stands today representing the interests of his people is very God of very
God, to whom every knee shall bow. Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd,
whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us
worship and bow down before him as the people of his pasture.

Evening  “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my
strength.” / Psalm 31:4

Our spiritual foes are of the serpent’s brood, and seek to ensnare us by
subtlety. The prayer before us supposes the possibility of the believer being
caught like a bird. So deftly does the fowler do his work, that simple ones
are soon surrounded by the net. The text asks that even out of Satan’s meshes
the captive one may be delivered; this is a proper petition, and one which can
be granted: from between the jaws of the lion, and out of the belly of hell,
can eternal love rescue the saint. It may need a sharp pull to save a soul
from the net of temptations, and a mighty pull to extricate a man from the
snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency, and the
most skilfully placed nets of the hunter shall never be able to hold his
chosen ones. Woe unto those who are so clever at net laying; they who tempt
others shall be destroyed themselves.

“For thou art my strength.” What an inexpressible sweetness is to be found in
these few words! How joyfully may we encounter toils, and how cheerfully may
we endure sufferings, when we can lay hold upon celestial strength. Divine
power will rend asunder all the toils of our enemies, confound their politics,
and frustrate their knavish tricks; he is a happy man who has such matchless
might engaged upon his side. Our own strength would be of little service when
embarrassed in the nets of base cunning, but the Lord’s strength is ever
available; we have but to invoke it, and we shall find it near at hand. If by
faith we are depending alone upon the strength of the mighty God of Israel, we
may use our holy reliance as a plea in supplication.

“Lord, evermore thy face we seek:

Tempted we are, and poor, and weak;

Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek.

Let us not fall. Let us not fall.”

 You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.  Psalm 31:4

Our spiritual foes belong to the serpent’s brood and seek to ensnare us by subtlety. This prayer presupposes the possibility of the believer being caught like a bird. The catcher does his work so skillfully that simple souls are soon surrounded by the net. The request is that even out of Satan’s snares the captive may be delivered; this is a proper petition, and one that can be granted: eternal love can rescue the saint from between the jaws of the lion and out of the depths of hell. It may need a sharp pull to save a soul from the net of temptations and a mighty pull to extricate a man from the snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency, and the most skillfully placed nets of the hunter will never be able to hold His chosen ones. There will be grief for those who are so clever at net laying; those who tempt others shall be destroyed themselves.

“For you are my refuge.” What a wonderful encouragement is found in these few words! How joyfully may we encounter toils, and how cheerfully may we endure sufferings when we can lay hold upon the strength of the Lord. Divine power will thwart all the endeavors of our enemies, confound their politics, and frustrate their foolish tricks. Happy is the man who has such matchless might engaged upon his side. Our own strength would serve us poorly when trapped in the nets of our cunning enemy, but the Lord’s refuge is always available; we have only to ask, and we will find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending solely on the strength of the mighty God of Israel, then our dependence may become the occasion of our prayer.

Lord, evermore Thy face we seek:

Tempted we are, and poor, and weak;

Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek.

Let us not fall. Let us not fall.

Family Reading Plan   Jeremiah 48   Psalm 24

The Scriptures contain many stories of people who waited years or even decades before the Lord’s promises came to pass. What modern believers can learn from the patience of biblical saints like Abraham, Joseph, David, and Paul is that waiting upon the Lord has eternal rewards.

Today let’s look at Israel’s most memorable monarch. David was the chosen heir to Israel’s throne, but he spent years dodging King Saul’s wrathful pursuit. Despite having two different opportunities for vengeance, David resisted the temptation and spared Saul’s life. He chose to adhere to God’s timetable for his coronation instead of dishonoring the Lord by killing the divinely anointed king. David’s psalms reveal his intimate awareness of Yahweh’s work in his life. The shepherd king not only achieved his objective through patience; he also observed that God’s way was always best.

David left behind an incredible testimony of God’s faithfulness for each of us to read and meditate upon. He was committed to waiting upon the Lord, and as a result, he had the Father’s approval and blessing. We cannot underestimate the reward of living in divine favor. That isn’t a special state reserved for “giants of the faith” like David. All who obediently endure until the Lord acts on their behalf abide in His favor.

David didn’t receive his blessings because he was special; he was honored among men because he honored the Lord above all. And since he trusted in God’s faithfulness, he endured hardship with patience. We, too, can expect to be blessed when we wait upon the Lord.

 A few years ago, while traveling across to Europe in a ferry, we found our bus parked next to a truck. It was one of those trucks where there are two levels of storage space for live animals. This time, it was loaded with sheep. There must have been at least a hundred sheep crammed into that vehicle, all on their way to the slaughterhouse. 

 As I observed the animals, they were behaving rather amusingly—some were sticking out their noses sniffing away, while others were trying to peek out curiously as they experienced the new smells, sights, and sounds that were quite different from their usual farmstead. Little did they know they were on their way to be butchered!

In another incident, it was reported a while ago that shepherds in Turkey watched in shock as hundreds of their sheep followed each other over a cliff. It started when one sheep went over the edge, only to be followed by the whole flock. At the end of the episode, more than 400 sheep died in the plunge—their bodies buffering the fall of 1,100 others that followed.

While we might laugh at the silliness of the sheep, it is also a vivid illustration of our human state. On a daily basis, we are offered joyrides that promise pleasure and adventure, opportunities that seem to realize our ambition for recognition, power, material wealth, intimacy, and even meaning. At every turn, we are led by advertisers to believe that their products or services can satiate our thirst for excitement and thrill. Unknowingly, we accept invitations for rides which take us on roads that could result in our slow spiritual deaths. Sadly, we are not often aware of the looming danger as we are too preoccupied taking in the new experience and novelty. By the time we arrive at our destination, it would be too late for us to escape our end.

 Anyone who has been to a sheep pen would tell you that sheep are not exactly the smartest in the animal kingdom. They do, however, have a strong instinct to follow the leader. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if the first sheep has no idea what it is doing. The incident in Turkey is a case in point. Apparently, even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock.

 Interestingly, sheep are often used to typify humans in the Bible. Jesus speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd and how we are like sheep that have gone astray who are in need of a shepherd.(1) Meanwhile, the wisdom of Proverbs warns us that “There is a way that seems right to a person, but in the end it leads to death.”

 Realizing our propensity to follow ways that are dangerous to our souls, how then might we safeguard ourselves from following the wrong leader? Paul, who recognized how easily the human heart is enticed by the things and the ways of the world, urged the Romans to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in the power of one worthy of leading. In short, if we are to follow the Good Shepherd, there is hope for every journey no matter how discouraging it might appear. By renewing our vision with the power of his life and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can discern the options presented to us by the world and avoid the way that leads to far less promising ends.

 I’Ching Thomas is associate director of training at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Singapore.

 (1) cf. John 10:14 Mathew 9:36.

Morning “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.” / Psalm 29:2

God’s glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his
character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and
lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his
character are also glorious; but while he intends that they should manifest to
his creatures his goodness, and mercy, and justice, he is equally concerned
that the glory associated with them should be given only to himself. Nor is
there aught in ourselves in which we may glory; for who maketh us to differ
from another? And what have we that we did not receive from the God of all
grace? Then how careful ought we to be to walk humbly before the Lord! The
moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the
universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Shall the insect of
an hour glorify itself against the sun which warmed it into life? Shall the
potsherd exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the
dust of the desert strive with the whirlwind? Or the drops of the ocean
struggle with the tempest? Give unto the Lord, all ye righteous, give unto the
Lord glory and strength; give unto him the honour that is due unto his name.
Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to
learn this sentence–“Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory.”
It is a lesson which God is ever teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by
most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, “I can do all
things,” without adding “through Christ which strengtheneth me,” and before
long he will have to groan, “I can do nothing,” and bemoan himself in the
dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and he is pleased to accept of our
doings, let us lay our crown at his feet, and exclaim, “Not I, but the grace
of God which was with me!”

Evening “Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit.” / Romans 8:23

Present possession is declared. At this present moment we have the first
fruits of the Spirit. We have repentance, that gem of the first water; faith,
that priceless pearl; hope, the heavenly emerald; and love, the glorious ruby.
We are already made “new creatures in Christ Jesus,” by the effectual working
of God the Holy Ghost. This is called the firstfruit because it comes first.
As the wave-sheaf was the first of the harvest, so the spiritual life, and all
the graces which adorn that life, are the first operations of the Spirit of
God in our souls. The firstfruits were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as
the Israelite had plucked the first handful of ripe ears, he looked forward
with glad anticipation to the time when the wain should creak beneath the
sheaves. So, brethren, when God gives us things which are pure, lovely, and of
good report, as the work of the Holy Spirit, these are to us the prognostics
of the coming glory. The firstfruits were always holy to the Lord, and our new
nature, with all its powers, is a consecrated thing. The new life is not ours
that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit; it is Christ’s image
and creation, and is ordained for his glory. But the firstfruits were not the
harvest, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not the
consummation–the perfection is yet to come. We must not boast that we have
attained, and so reckon the wave-sheaf to be all the produce of the year: we
must hunger and thirst after righteousness, and pant for the day of full
redemption. Dear reader, this evening open your mouth wide, and God will fill
it. Let the boon in present possession excite in you a sacred avarice for more
grace. Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, and your Lord
will grant them to you, for he is able to do exceeding abundantly above what
we ask or even think.

Job was a man who certainly knew trouble and temptation, and yet he boldly claimed, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). That is commitment. Job had lost his children, his fortune, and his health, but he refused to abandon faith in God. The stricken man was determined to hold on because he trusted the Lord to do right.

Unwavering commitment to trust the Lord in all situations is a cornerstone of unshakable faith. From the vantage point of that foundation, we can focus our eyes upon God alone. It is easy to be distracted by circumstances and allow them to dictate our emotions. But if that’s the case, then when life is good, we’re happy; when times are tough, we’re frustrated; and when hardship pours in, we’re downright miserable and looking for escape.

Unlike Job, we are fortunate to have Scripture, which reveals God’s nature and promises. And it is a wise believer who claims those promises when enduring hardship. For His Word tells us that our Father is always good, always just, always faithful, and always trustworthy. When we take our eyes off the whirl of day-to-day activity and concentrate on honoring Him and following in His way, we find a consistent peace that carries us through both plenty and poverty.

In order to hold on to God through any trial or temptation, commit to trust and follow Him all of your days. Lay claim to His promises: The unchanging Lord and Savior (Heb. 13:8) is committed to caring for you in all circumstances (1 Peter 5:7) and will never leave or forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

There is a part of me that feels the twinge of being scolded whenever my name is spoken to me. “Jill, what are you doing?” “Hurry, Jill, we need to go.” (Perhaps those of us that share this idiosyncrasy got in trouble a lot as kids.) But I have often wondered how Peter felt when Jesus’s scathing rebuke confronted not “Peter,” which would have yet had its sting, but “Satan.”

In those days, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law. He began to explain to those who loved him that he would be put to death. Peter, like most of us reacting to the suffering of our loved ones, swore to protect him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” I can only imagine his shock at Jesus’s response. Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Matthew 16:23).

I cannot read that passage without picturing my reaction to those words. I probably would have been devastated. But I also know that when Jesus says something devastating it seems to be something I should pay attention to all the more. The intensity of his reaction to Peter portrays the intensity with which he knew he had to suffer, the weight of history, prophecy, and salvation he felt on his soldiers, and his severe understanding of our need for his affliction. To get in the way of his necessary suffering was to be as an enemy obstructing the plan of God.

As I look at Peter standing before Christ with good intentions, not wanting to see the one he loved broken or defeated, I wonder how many times I, too, have obstructed suffering God deemed necessary. My gut reaction in the face of pain—my own and others—is to make it stop. Like Peter I vow to fix it, not knowing what I mean, just wanting it gone. Yet in the midst of suffering, Jesus warns, we must decide whether we will have in mind the things of humanity or the things of God.

The Christian understanding of suffering might seem odd to the world around it, for it is forged at the foot of the Cross. At the Cross, is the unpopular suggestion that God’s plan for our lives includes suffering. Christ was wounded and crushed for our iniquities. By the suffering and shame he endured, we are healed. Can God not also have a plan for our own pain?

As one theologian notes, “Jesus did not die in order to spare us the indignities of a wounded creation. He died that we might see those wounds as our own.”(1) At the Cross, we see our sin and the suffering that we have caused because of it. But we also find meaning even in suffering that doesn’t come as a result of our sin. We see, as Paul observed, that suffering produces perseverance, that we are purified in its fires, that what was meant for ill God intends for good. We see that Christ who suffered for us, so walks with us in our own suffering. “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5). At the Cross, we see that some suffering is not only necessary but meaningful. 

Peter not only picked himself up from a rebuke more severe than anything he heard Jesus give the Pharisees, he took Jesus’s words to heart. In a letter meant to encourage fellow believers, he wrote, “It is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God” (1 Peter 2:19). Peter chose in the end to keep in mind not on human things, but the things of God.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Peter Gomes, Sermons (New York: Morrow, 1998), 72.

Morning “Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide.” / Genesis 24:63

Very admirable was his occupation. If those who spend so many hours in idle
company, light reading, and useless pastimes, could learn wisdom, they would
find more profitable society and more interesting engagements in meditation
than in the vanities which now have such charms for them. We should all know
more, live nearer to God, and grow in grace, if we were more alone. Meditation
chews the cud and extracts the real nutriment from the mental food gathered
elsewhere. When Jesus is the theme, meditation is sweet indeed. Isaac found
Rebecca while engaged in private musings; many others have found their best
beloved there.

Very admirable was the choice of place. In the field we have a study hung
round with texts for thought. From the cedar to the hyssop, from the soaring
eagle down to the chirping grasshopper, from the blue expanse of heaven to a
drop of dew, all things are full of teaching, and when the eye is divinely
opened, that teaching flashes upon the mind far more vividly than from written
books. Our little rooms are neither so healthy, so suggestive, so agreeable,
or so inspiring as the fields. Let us count nothing common or unclean, but
feel that all created things point to their Maker, and the field will at once
be hallowed.

Very admirable was the season. The season of sunset as it draws a veil over
the day, befits that repose of the soul when earthborn cares yield to the joys
of heavenly communion. The glory of the setting sun excites our wonder, and
the solemnity of approaching night awakens our awe. If the business of this
day will permit it, it will be well, dear reader, if you can spare an hour to
walk in the field at eventide, but if not, the Lord is in the town too, and
will meet with thee in thy chamber or in the crowded street. Let thy heart go
forth to meet him.

Evening “And I will give you an heart of flesh.” / Ezekiel 36:26

A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a
foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a moment,
is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of
stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so the heart of flesh.

“If to the right or left I stray,

That moment, Lord, reprove;

And let me weep my life away,

For having grieved thy love”

The heart of flesh is tender of God’s will. My Lord Will-be-will is a great
blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God’s will; but when the heart of
flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven,
and bows like an osier in every breeze of God’s Spirit. The natural will is
cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form, but the renewed will,
like molten metal, is soon moulded by the hand of grace. In the fleshy heart
there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the
Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection towards him. The hard
heart is selfish and coldly demands, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I
love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says; “Lord, thou knowest that I love
thee; help me to love thee more!” Many are the privileges of this renewed
heart; “‘Tis here the Spirit dwells, ’tis here that Jesus rests.” It is fitted
to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is
prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honour and praise of God, and
therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defence against
sin, and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its
watchtower looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of
flesh?

And I will give you a new heart …A heart of flesh.  Ezekiel 36:26

 A “heart of flesh” is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination or to have allowed a wild desire to linger even for a moment is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so the heart of flesh.

If to the right or left I stray,

That moment, Lord, reprove;

And let me weep my life away,

For having grieved Thy love.

The heart of flesh is tender to God’s will. Unlike a strong heart that refuses to bow before God’s dictates, when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven and bows like a willow in every breeze of God’s Spirit. The natural will is cold, hard iron, which refuses to be hammered into form, but the renewed will, like molten metal, is quickly molded by the hand of grace. In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection toward Him.

The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says, “Lord, You know that I love You; help me to love You more!” There are many privileges of this renewed heart. It is here the Spirit dwells; it is here that Jesus lives. It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honor and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defense against sin and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Do you have this heart of flesh?

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 43   Psalm 19

Christ began His public ministry with baptism. At the time, John the Baptist was calling people to confess their sins and demonstrate repentance through immersion in the river. So why did Jesus, the sinless One, ask to be baptized? At first, John actually refused, knowing Christ was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But Jesus wasn’t demonstrating repentance; He was sacrificially identifying with sinful humankind.

As Christians, we’re called to follow His example in all things, becoming more like Him as we grow in our faith. That’s why baptism is the first step in following Jesus. As He was willing to identify Himself with us, we publicly identify with Him when we are baptized, which is a symbolic way of declaring, “I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior and believe that the debt of my sin is fully paid through His sacrifice. I believe that as He rose from the dead, I will also be resurrected through Him. I look forward to walking in God’s will while I’m on the earth and living with Him throughout eternity. Since He loved me enough to identify Himself with me in my sin, I will show my love for Him by following His example right now, and for the rest of my days.”

Baptism demonstrates our connection not only with Christ but also with our spiritual brothers and sisters–past, present, and future. We’re joining everyone who has walked before us in faith, saying that we are members of one body, redeemed and brought to life by the same Lord.