In Praise of God

Recently, I was asked to share what I do when I do not feel close to God.   In the hope that you may be encouraged (as I was as I formed my answer), here is how I responded.

When I find myself not feeling close to God…

First, I remind myself that this is a frailty common to man, and while it should not be treated lightly, it is not unexpected.   God will work this, too, for my good!

Next, I thank God for making me aware of this lack of closeness and causing me to care about it (because I know there are many who are not close to Him and do not even realize it or care much).   As I pray, I recall former times when there was a sweet intimacy and I ask Him to work in my heart, pulling me away from whatever is currently usurping or disturbing my affections, and again moving my heart toward Him.

I read works written by people who know/knew God well.  I find many Puritan works especially helpful, such as those by John Bunyan, John Flavel and Jeremiah Burroughs.

I spend time meditating on the greatness of God–          

His sovereignty

His power

His love for His people

Etc.

I tell someone close to me, such as my husband, how I am feeling and ask him to pray for me (sometimes I will ask a few others as well).

I review all I’ve learned from the psalmists who felt far away from God.  I read and reread psalms such as Psalm 73, 77 and 88 and review the notes I made when I first studied and wrote lessons on these psalms.

Finally, I wait on God.  Intimacy with God is not just something I can wish into being or produce on my own . . . as with everything else, it is a gift from God.  I know He is faithful and will bring me into greater intimacy with Himself in His own timing.  So, as I thankfully and expectantly wait,  I do the things I know to do which foster intimacy (Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, confession, talking about God with others, etc.) and I constantly remind myself that even though I do not feel close to God, He is close . . . and my lack of feeling does nothing to diminish the reality of His care and love for me.

I have recently been reading a great book that I would like to recommend.  Unpacking Forgiveness by Chris Brauns is  loaded with Scripture and excellent teaching from God’s Word.  If you are struggling with bitterness or forgiveness because you feel you have been wronged, I strongly recommend that you read this book right away.    Even if you read this book just to be better equipped to help others, you will probably discover that you have learned something to benefit yourself as well.    This book is helpful for day to day, minor issues as well as large, life-consuming problems.

Brauns defines forgiveness as “a commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated.”  He goes on throughout the book to break this down and help you “unpack forgiveness” by explaining biblical truth about God’s forgiveness and your responsibilities as well as offering practical helps for dealing with your thoughts and feelings.  Brauns also uses examples of real-world situations to help put personal situations in perspective.

While Unpacking Forgiveness is instructional, it is also comforting.  One reason I enjoyed this book is because the writing style is very conversational.  The author deals with a heavy subject in a way that is manageable; I felt as if he was helping me through a difficult problem with compassion, and yet he wasn’t letting me off the hook for my responsibilities.

I resisted reading this book, which a friend had recommended to me, because I thought I would be loaded with guilt, and I thought I already knew what the Bible had to teach about forgiveness: forgive because you have been forgiven, and if you have been offended follow Matthew 18.  Yet Brauns unpacks many more truths that are worth discovering.

While reading this book, there were times I put it down for a couple of days to think about about what I had read and really process it.  Nevertheless, it is generally an easy read, and I learned a lot.  It is also filled with practical application.  I can truly say that reading this book and applying it changed my thinking about forgiveness and helped me deal with an ongoing issue.

In my next post I will share some points from the book on dealing with bitterness and how to stop thinking about an  issue that is consuming your thoughts.  Stay tuned…

Crossbearing.  Truthfully, it’s not something which comes often to mind . . . but I know it should.

Matthew 16:24  Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

 

Mark 8:34  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

 

Luke 9:23  And He said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Recently, I have been powerfully reminded of Christ’s call to crossbearing as I have been reading Walking as He Walked by Joel Beeke.  While this book has been greatly encouraging, it has also been exceptionally convicting.  Beeke’s thoughts on crossbearing have huge implications for marriage, parenting, discipleship, hardships…and all of life!  For instance, he says:

“We want to be smooth and sanitized Christians–not cross-carriers.  The cross is an offense to us.  The cross gets in our way.  To take up Jesus’ shame, Jesus’ cross, and to follow Him is against our nature.  It spoils our plans.  It breaks our selfish utopias.  If forces us to set priorities in our lives.  It brings us face to face with our selves and with God.  The cross exposes us to who and what we are.”  (page 11)

“Crossbearing is for your benefit; it is your Father’s gift to you.”  (page 19)

“…remember, He [Christ] has measured out your every cross.”  (page 22)

“Your future is not here, your life is not here, your joy is not in this world.  You were redeemed for a better world, and this life is but the preparation by which God prepares you to be with Him.”  (page 22)

“When you murmur and chafe and rebel against your cross, you are not following your Master.  You are denying your discipleship.”  (page 25)

In the midst of the busyness and uncertainties of life today, I am thankful to Dr. Beeke for prompting some much needed self-examination.  My fervent prayer is that I would not murmur or chafe against my Lord, but willingly, and gratefully, let Him prepare me to live with Him for eternity. . . in whatever way He determines is best!

I’ve been crisscrossing the southeast on road trips this spring.  What beautiful drives - tree lined roads, hills…I love it!  To pass the time, I sometimes listen to talks that I’ve downloaded to CDs, and I’ve listened to some of Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s Henry Forums.  Recently, I enjoyed hearing “Out of Africa: Biblical Christianity in Zambia” by Conrad Mbewe.

During the first part of this talk, Mbewe highlights how the gospel first came to his region of Africa and how Christianity spread there throughout the last couple hundred years.  Often, he describes how one individual specifically impacted the life of another, who in turn had an impact on another person or group, and so on.

This got me thinking about the importance of geneaologies.  Just as people often want to fill in their biological heritage (learning that their great great grandfather was the first settler of a town, etc.) I think it is perhaps even more important to consider one’s spiritual heritage in not only general but also specific terms.  It encouraged me to hear how the Lord specifically worked through the everyday lives of individual believers in Africa through many years to do what has developed into a great work.

It is so encouraging to consider the many saints that have taught and discipled me personally, and think of those believers earlier this century that blessed, exhorted and strengthened them, and then of those earlier believers who taught, wrote, sang, discipled and loved that generation…and so on…  Throughout history, God has ever continued to work through His people.  And, by His grace, He will continue to work through me.  When I think of the larger picture of this “family tree” that He is growing up on this earth it spurs me on to continue pursuing Kingdom purposes even through the hard, difficult or seemingly fruitless times.  The tree is not fruitless.  The tree is growing.  The tree has deep roots.

I love this time of year. The weather is warming up, the grass is getting green and it is March Madness time!

I enjoy college basketball, especially because it is something I watch with my teenage son.

My son and I follow the Arizona Wildcats, because I am from Tucson. Each year when the season begins, he gets on the internet and looks up the schedule and we see which games are Nationally televised. When we can, we watch them together. When the tournament rolls around I ask him to print me a bracket (he fills his out on the net now!) and I fill in mine, with my limited knowledge of the teams. We enjoy talking about how we’re doing on our picks. He usually does better!

You see, I purpose to be involved in something that he enjoys. Oh, I like watching the games, but that’s not why I do it. I take an interest in something he enjoys, so that I can spend time with him, engage him in conversation, hear what he has to say. Just hanging out with a teenager over a basketball game is a great way to find out what’s going on in their lives. Spending time with him lays a foundation for a relationship.

You cannot disciple the next generation if you don’t spend time with them.

Go Cats!

When facing very difficult trials, it can be hard even to know what to do next. As one of my friends goes through a hard time, I have been considering how to encourage and exhort her. One way, I believe, is to help her come up with specific, biblically-based “action points” (if you will).

Here are a few I’ve thought of so far. Feel free to add more in the comments!

• Fix your eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross in our place and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. (Heb. 12:2)

• Tell Bible stories to yourself and others that demonstrate God’s great faithfulness to His people. (Ps. 119:90; Ps. 145:4-12)
  • Daniel living among godless people and surviving the den of lions (Daniel 1-6)
  • The children of Israel having food and clothing throughout 40 years in the wilderness (Deut. 8:1-4)
  • Mary gaining blessing as she joyfully submitted to God’s will even though it meant personal hardship and loss of reputation (Luke 1)
  • Elisha receiving a double portion of Elijah’s spirit as he was about to begin ministry alone (2 Kings 2)
  • Esther being granted favor with authorities to help her people overcome a deadly enemy (Esther)
  • David, who was commended as a man after God’s own heart, still gaining forgiveness for sins again and again (1 Sam. 13:14; Psalm 32, etc.)
  • Job never being out of the sight or control of God even through prolonged suffering–and gaining an ultimate reward (Job)
• Serve others in practical ways - even small ways. (Matt. 20)
• Guard against a root of bitterness taking hold within your heart. (Heb. 12:15)
• Sing. (Ps. 30:4-5)
  
• Get wise counsel. (Prov. 19:20)
• Know that this will not last. (1 Peter 1:6)
• Encourage and exhort one another; stir up one another to love and good deeds as the Day approaches. (Heb. 10:24-25)
• Go about the daily business of life. (Make the bed. Write the report. Change the diaper. Cook the dinner. Discipline the children.) (Gal. 6:9)
• Sleep enough. (As my dad always says, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”) (Ecc. 5:12)
• Honor God by how you take care of your body: Eat enough, and eat healthily. Exercise. (1 Cor. 6:19)
• Fast and pray. (And no, fasting is not in opposition to the previous direction!) (Matt. 6:5-18; 1 Thess. 5:17)
• Give soft answers (Prov. 15:1)
• Listen and think before you make judgments and before you speak. (Prov. 18:2, 13, 15)
• Listen to sermons. (Rom. 10:18; 2 Tim. 4:1-2)
• Read the Word, as well as Christian books. (For a book suggestion, perhaps start with C.J. Mahaney’s book Humility: True Greatness. Chapter 11 is “Responding Humbly to Trials”). (Jos. 1:8; Neh. 8:8; Ps. 119:92-94)
• Meditate on the things of God long enough that, over time, your “head knowledge” begins to affect your feelings, thoughts and actions. (Jos. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3)
• Thank God for the trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance - character - hope. (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Thess. 5:18)