My father loved old westerns. Maybe it was the comfort of knowing that for those 2 short hours, good could be counted on to triumph over evil. Maybe it was that it reminded him of summers spent rounding up cattle on the estancias of Argentina. He loved the scenic views of majestic Montana, and one of the enduring memories I have of watching them with him is the sight of the cavalry, appearing on the horizon, spread along the mountain range. It’s what I think of when Elisha tells his servant to look up and see the armies of the Lord surrounding what had appeared to be an invincible enemy. It’s how I picture Psalm 121,” I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my Help come?”
Mountains can be counted on to always be there. Living in Switzerland, it was delightful to come to rely on the breathtaking views that never failed to disappoint. Mountains in our lives can be things we come to depend on to always be there, and the Lord warns us in Isaiah 54 that He will sometimes remove those from us, so that we come to depend only on Him. “Though the mountains and hills be removed, my covenant of love will never be removed from you”.
New York never expected the Twin Towers to vanish from their skyline. As unlikely as it seems, when those comforting mountains of strength disappear from our lives, we should remember a. that God promised us they might, and b. that His love for us will NEVER depart.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It's all about the glory
I vacillate wildly between great anxiety and some measure of peace and trust – and in recent weeks have had many troubled nights. At the root is always my ability to trust and rest in God’s heart towards us, and in His timing. Why would He bother with peanuts like us? And if He does, why isn’t He acting on our behalf? Yet we can be assured of both – that He is nothing but loving and kind towards us, and His plan is rolling out with perfect precision and in order that the greatest glory would go to Him.
So this morning I read some of my favorite verses in 2 Cor chapter 1: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
The first phrase is where we wake up in the morning, and sometimes before morning: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. The second half of verse 9 is the why – But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. God has us in this very place so that we must rely on Him and not on ourselves. Verse 10, my favorite of all….if the first half of the verse is true, He delivered us from such a deadly peril, then so also is the second and he will deliver us.. In Christ, He HAS delivered us from the deadliest of all perils – eternal separation from God and damnation. That being the case, it is assured, and inconsequential by comparison, that He will deliver us from our present peril. (Love the word peril!). This tracks with Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? If it is true, and it is, that God did not spare HIs own Son, which is the hardest of all things that He would ever have to do in every way, then, we can know for a fact that everything after that is a gimme:how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
So our response: On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.: hope; not wishful thinking, but solid confidence based on how He has already demonstrated both His ability to deliver us from deadly peril, and His willingness to spare nothing, even His own Son, to extend His grace to us. The “why not now?” question makes some sense because of verse 11…You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many..The more people are pulled into this trouble, and the more of us who respond by prayer, the more glory goes to Him alone. The more pray-ers, the more thank-ers – and the more glory to God.
So this morning I read some of my favorite verses in 2 Cor chapter 1: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
The first phrase is where we wake up in the morning, and sometimes before morning: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. The second half of verse 9 is the why – But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. God has us in this very place so that we must rely on Him and not on ourselves. Verse 10, my favorite of all….if the first half of the verse is true, He delivered us from such a deadly peril, then so also is the second and he will deliver us.. In Christ, He HAS delivered us from the deadliest of all perils – eternal separation from God and damnation. That being the case, it is assured, and inconsequential by comparison, that He will deliver us from our present peril. (Love the word peril!). This tracks with Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? If it is true, and it is, that God did not spare HIs own Son, which is the hardest of all things that He would ever have to do in every way, then, we can know for a fact that everything after that is a gimme:how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
So our response: On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.: hope; not wishful thinking, but solid confidence based on how He has already demonstrated both His ability to deliver us from deadly peril, and His willingness to spare nothing, even His own Son, to extend His grace to us. The “why not now?” question makes some sense because of verse 11…You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many..The more people are pulled into this trouble, and the more of us who respond by prayer, the more glory goes to Him alone. The more pray-ers, the more thank-ers – and the more glory to God.
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