Tag: Peace

Joy and Peace in the light of God’s face

Posted on by scott

4 Be angry (agitated), and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. – Psalm 4:4-8

Fear

I don’t know a word that more aptly describes the world in which we live today. An unseen threat in the form of a virus has not only claimed the lives of thousands of people, but has enveloped much of the world in a cloud of fear. A cloud so thick and ominous that the buzzwords of the day are quarantine and social distancing. It feels like hourly, if not more frequently, we are being updated with the casualties as they mount. We have been advised to take every precaution to keep the virus out of our homes, but keeping the cloud from casting it’s shadow over our hearts is an equally important battle. And perhaps more difficult.

Because of this unseen enemy, many families are living in isolation from one another. Senior citizens are passing the long days with no company or social interaction. Nursing homes are closed to visitors. Sick patients are turned away by overwhelmed Hospitals. Businesses are forced to close their doors and workers are forced to stay home and draw unemployment. Likewise, schools are closed and sports have been put on hold. If the boredom of it all won’t do us in, the constant negative news will certainly finish off our sanity (supposing we ever had any).

The Book of Ecclesiastes says “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9), but this feels new to most of us. How do we respond in such a time? As quoted above, the Psalmist tells us to be “Raghaz”: to quiver, be moved with fear (tremble), but not to sin.

Ponder

Instead of allowing fear to dominate us and causing us to sin (in this particular case manifested in rage), the Psalmist (David) encourages us to ponder in our hearts as we lie in bed. When we are removed from the over stimulation of the world, we are to rest before the Lord and commune with, or speak to, our hearts. After being overwhelmed with the circumstances of the world and the inundation of information, much of which may not even be factual, we are to speak Truth into our hearts. Call it what you will: self communion, soliloquies, or meditation, but don’t underestimate it’s value.

All day long we are tempted by the world to panic. Our health is fragile. Our futures are uncertain. The bottom might fall out of the Market tomorrow. We could lose our jobs. We might lose our homes. A lifetime of toil and it’s reward could be wiped out in an instant. Yesterday I thought I was in control of my world, and then a pandemic strikes. We have been living a life of delusion. May we listen to David and allow our fear to shake us out of our complacency and bring us to our senses. Might we be still before the Lord and speak Truth to our hearts.

Light

David tells us we are to offer right sacrifices before the Lord. We are to come before Him in faith, with a proper view of His divine attributes and a proper motive. We are to come before His throne in humility, with broken and contrite hearts. As we come before him offering ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice, might we do so recognizing the depravity of our hearts and our utter dependency upon Him. As David admonishes us, we must put our trust in the Lord. To place it anywhere else is not only futile, it is foolish.

When things are darkest, the world cries out, “Who will show us any good?”, to which David replies, “Lift up the light of your face upon us O Lord”. This request reminds us of Aaron’s priestly prayer in Numbers chapter 6.

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

The world’s cry of desperation has already been answered.

Joy

David may have been a man after God’s own heart, but he wasn’t immune from heartbreak. As a young boy he may have defeated the Philistine enemy Goliath, but he was scorned by his brothers. Despite being the heir to the throne, the reigning King hunted him down like an animal and tried on numerous occasions to take his life. As a military leader he had no peers, but he couldn’t conquer the lust in his own heart. David buried an infant child and suffered the heartache of a rebellious adult child. But despite his circumstances, he knew experientially what is was like to bask in the joy of the Lord.

According to David, those around him could have their grain and wine in abundance, but it could not compare with his joy. Their grain will satisfy their appetites for a season, and their wine may bring them temporary “joy”, but neither will last like the joy God has placed in his heart. Worldly joys can never compare with Heavenly. Nor can life’s trials compare with the Gospel. Christ came to make our joy full. We just need to ask Him to fill our hearts with it (John 16:24).

The coronavirus is real, but in time it will pass. Not so the joy of the Lord. When heaven and earth have passed away, it will only be more real to us.

Peace

We began this section of scripture looking at fear, we end looking at peace. We may carry our burdens all day long, but we must not let them steal our joy or our peace. As we still ourselves before the Lord on our beds and speak Truth into our hearts, we begin to feel the embrace of the arms of the Lord. They have been holding us all along, but in our agitation and trembling we did no feel them. No longer.

I am not going to minimize the threat around us. The cloud is real and it indeed casts a dark shadow over us, but it is nothing the light of the face of the Lord cannot penetrate. And it will. History proves it.

The darkness over the void earth was no match for the voice of God. “Let there be light.”

The darkness over Egypt gave way to the Exodus. In the form of a pillar of light God would lead his children out of darkness and into the promised land.

A dark Bethlehem sky gave way to a bright Star, announcing the birth of a Savior. The light of Heaven was born in a dark world. Purity penetrated sin.

The darkness over Calvary was merely a prelude to the Resurrection. Friday’s dark grave would give way to the light of Sunday’s rising sun.

We may live in a dark world, but like David, we can lie down and sleep in peace. Because the fact of the matter is, God makes us dwell in safety. As children of God our eternity is secure. Ultimately, what can men (or viruses) do to us?

There is truly nothing new under the sun. Until Christ returns or the Lord calls you home, may you faithfully ponder Truth in your heart!!

Application

May I close by recommending an abbreviated outline from Jonathon Edward’s sermon entitled Christian Happiness?

  1. Our bad things will turn out for good (Romans 8:28)
  2. Our good things can never be taken away from us (Psalm 4:6-7)
  3. The best things are yet to come (1 Cor 2:9)

As you rest your head in the safety of God’s hand tonight, might you ponder these basic Truths. In the midst of the storm, sleep tight. The tempest is no match for your Savior.

Agree With God

Posted on by scott

21 “Agree with God, and be at peace;
    thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,
    and lay up his words in your heart. – Job 22:21-22

The Wickedness of Man

Our society, like our world, is in trouble.  Just in case you hadn’t already noticed.  We want good without God.  Mankind has cast off the shackles of restraint in the name of liberation.  We have boasted of killing God and instead deified self-aggrandizement.  We persecute those with moral convictions and celebrate perversity in the name of diversity.  With hearts that are full of hatred, we give lip service to peace.  With blood on our hands, we talk about love.  We dispose of the weakest in our society in the name of choice and pat ourselves on the back for promoting rights.  Despite all of the boasts about greater education and advances in civility, Genesis chapter six gives the clearest description of how things really are.

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5

The Role of Victim

We are so delusional to our depravity that we can’t even see the source of our problems.  Rather than looking honestly in the mirror, we self-righteously point fingers, forever playing the role of victim.  It is so easy to blame the education system, the greed of corporate America, the hypocrites in the churches, the guns, or even God Himself (although claiming He doesn’t exist).  What we need to do is remove ourselves from the throne we were never meant to occupy.  We are in way over our heads.  If we really want peace, we will heed the advice of Eliphaz and agree with God.

Interrogated by God

I firmly believe that the best cure for the delusion of man is an interrogation.   By God.  If only God would speak once again out of the whirlwind as He did to Job.

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action like a man;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy? – Job 38:1-7

With these words, God was just getting started.  There was much more to follow.

6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

7 “Dress for action like a man;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
    Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
9 Have you an arm like God,
    and can you thunder with a voice like his? – Job 40:6-9

This is just a sampling to remind us that none of us would fare well if we were on the stand and God was interrogating us.  But if we want the right answers, we need to ask, or be asked, the right questions.  Too often we avoid them because they are hard questions.  But if we really want peace, often we have to “squirm” a little before God will grant it to us.  Being cured of our self-delusion isn’t always comfortable, but it is for our best. Personally, I would rather hear God say, “Well done good and faithful servant”, than “who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”  A stand may not be comfortable, but it fits us better than a throne.

The Counsel of Eliphaz

Eliphaz encouraged Job to receive instruction from God’s mouth, and to lay up His words in his heart.  Eliphaz may have been charged with giving Job bad counsel, but I don’t believe this advice fell into that category.  To the contrary, this counsel is always wise and always timely.  God’s Word is not only a lamp for our feet, it is our lifeline.  We MUST consistently be in His Word and hiding it in our hearts.  Unlike the shifting sand that is the wisdom of the world, God’s Word is unchangeable.  It is absolute Truth.  What was true in the beginning will be true in the end.

The Word of God

God doesn’t need to speak out of a whirlwind, He has left us the Bible.  It is all we need during these trying times.  It is sufficient for our peace.  God only desires that we avail ourselves of it, and agree with it.  Despite the wickedness of the world, we will always have hope because of God’s Word.

10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
    clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
    and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
    and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them all in the dust together;
    bind their faces in the world below.
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
    that your own right hand can save you. – Job 40:10-14

23 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
    if you remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in the dust,
    and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
    and your precious silver. – Job 22:23-25

Who Do You Say I Am?

The questions God asked Job help to give us a proper perspective.  If we want peace we have to properly answer the question posed by Jesus.

“But who do you say that I am?” – Matthew 16:15

The same God that spoke to Job from a whirlwind gives us the answer from a cloud.  The cure for our sin is His Son.  It is wise to agree with Him.

5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” – Matthew 17:5

The LORD’s Peace

Posted on by scott

 

“The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” – Numbers 6:26

Shalom

As we come to the end of this blessing we see God invoking peace.  Shalom.  As mentioned in a prior lesson this is not just the absence of conflict.  “Shalom means fullness of life and wholeness in all areas of life: material, societal, and religious.  It is a state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence.”  I like that last sentence.  A state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence.  How else can we have wholeness in all areas of life?  Let’s look at just the three listed.

Material Wholeness

Do you ever worry about finances?  How about struggling with covetousness?  Keeping up with the Jones’s?  Any anxiety about your retirement account?  Stressed about the new furnace you need or the roof repair?  How heavy is the debt load on your back?  Shoulders getting tired from the financial burden?  Are you fretting over the loan that hasn’t been paid back to you?  Are you keeping score of who owes for the next meal?  Are you afraid you are being taken advantage of?  We never have enough and what we do have is decaying.  Just like us.  God’s remedy.  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Need more convincing?  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried…Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.  Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.  Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:22-23, 29, 31-34).  We are to be wise stewards, but we are also to place our faith in God who has promised to give us the kingdom.  Worry is a lack of faith.  God offers peace.

Societal Wholeness

Can’t we all just get along?  Look at what divides us.  Abortion rights.  Gay marriage.  Religious freedom.  Euthanasia. Immigration.  Gender identity.  Government mandates.  Unfortunately, the list of things that divide us as a society seems to be multiplying exponentially.  Worse yet, the divisions seem to be getting deeper.  How can we have peace in this area?  What does wholeness at the societal level look like?  Space doesn’t allow for all of the passages, but God is not silent on these issues.  The Bible addresses the sanctity of human life.  Marriage between a man and a woman was God’s idea.  Same with Governments to reward good and punish evil.  God has established lines of authority for the home and church as well.  The problem isn’t that God is silent.  Society at large has chosen to ignore Him.  We’ve given into pride and sin is running rampant.  I believe that most of our societal issues stem from relational problems.  Our problems are many, but we have a great weapon.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  I am not promoting compromising Biblical Truth.  We are to be salt and light.  But if we are going to make any progress, we need to be the hands and feet of Christ.  We have to win the lost with His love.  Ultimately we have to rest in His sovereignty.  In His time He will make all things right.  Until then, “You shall love your enemy as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

Religious Wholeness

This is where it all begins.  We are born in sin.  We are born dead; dead in our trespasses and sin. We struggled with our bondage to Satan.  Although spiritually dead we feared physical death.  The father of lies wanted to keep us in darkness.  We wanted peace but we looked for it in all the wrong places.  Nothing the world has to offer could fill the void in our souls.  But light entered our dark world and penetrated our souls.  We exchanged the lies of the world for the Truth of the Gospel.  “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32).  Because we embraced the Gospel and put our faith in the atoning work of Jesus we became Sons of God instead of His enemies.  “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” (Colossians 1:21-22). We cannot have shalom unless we have peace with God.   His enemies will never experience fullness of life.  They cannot have wholeness in any other area of their lives apart from Him.  But as His children, we can.  When He offers us shalom, that is what He is blessing us with.  A state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence.  

In Jesus, the peace of God was made incarnate.  He is the Prince of Peace.  He offers a peace that passes all understanding.  He provides the peace that puts everything else in perspective.  “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).  “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way.  The Lord be with you all” (1 Thessalonians 3:18).