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The “All” Psalm

Published October 16, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: anxiety, fear, Psalm 34, the "all" psalm, trouble, worry

Psalm 34 is one of those psalms that Christians quote verses from all the time without knowing exactly which psalm they’re quoting. In that sense, it’s we might call it “the anonymous psalm.” But it’s also the “all” psalm, and you’ll see why shortly.

This is really a psalm of deliverance; deliverance from all kinds of things, including fear, danger, trouble, and affliction. The historical context behind Psalm 34 is interesting and can be found in 1 Samuel 21:10 – 15, where David pretended to be crazy before King Achish of Gath. Achish may also have been named Abimelech.

That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: ” ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?” (I Samuel 21:10 – 15 TNIV)

Bless God all the time

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1 KJV)

The psalm begins on a positive note, and one that hymns and gospel songs have echoed. Matthew Henry makes a succinct observation on verse 1:

If we hope to spend eternity praising God, it is fit that we should spend much of our time here in this work.

He’s right, of course. If you’re a Christian yet find it difficult spending a few moments in praise of God, then you’re in big trouble! You’ll never make it in Heaven! But does this mean engaging in the singing of worship choruses all day long? Does it mean blessing God even when you don’t feel like it? Or praising Him when your car breaks down or your microwave oven ignites and catches on fire?

Let’s look at what David is saying we should do.

First, he says we should “bless” the Lord. The word “bless,” barak, essentially means “to kneel before.” But the idea is not so much posture but attitude. We are to acknowledge God. We are to thank God. We are to praise God. Now, depending on your circumstances, it would be just plain foolish to thank God for your house burning to the ground. Or for the flat tire. But you should always acknowledge Him; take time to remember that He is always with you, even in those bad situations. Always acknowledge His presence. Always acknowledge His abilities to help you and meet whatever need it is you have.

And you should never stop praising God. There are all kinds of reasons for praising God, and if you can’t think of any at the moment, then you are truly the most miserable of creatures and probably beyond help! This verse helps a lot, and if you can keep in the front of your mind, you’ll always be praising Him:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17 KJV)

When you take a look at your life; at all the good things in it and realize they all came from God, why wouldn’t you praise Him?

But what if you have a truly miserable existence? If you honestly can’t praise God for what He’s done for you, then you can certainly praise Him for who He is!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:3 – 6 KJV)

There is never a time when you can’t bless the Lord!

God delivers from all fears

I sought the Lord , and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4 KJV)

The first three verses of this psalm can be considered a kind of general introduction. At this verse, though, David gets personal. This is his personal testimony about something God did for him. Despite his faults and failings, David was never shy about telling others what his God did for him!

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things people are afraid of? But did you know that fear is the opposite of faith? It’s a sin, and there is no virtue in fearing anything. Now, it’s good to respect certain things, like the ocean or fire or grizzly bears. You’ll live longer. But fear has NO place in the Christian’s life. Purkiser was absolutely right when he wrote:

Fear and an attitude of faith in the goodness of God are contradictory moods. “The fear of the Lord” destroys all unnatural fears and anxieties.

I believe that to be true. A healthy fear of God should cancel out any other fears you may have. If you, like so many people today, struggle with fear, then do what David did: seek the Lord! When you do that, verse 5 comes to pass in your life:

They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. (Psalm 34:5 KJV)

When you take the time seek God – to look to Him – your very countenance will change. You won’t look fearful or anxious. You’ll be encouraged and you won’t be let down or disappointed.

And ye shall seek me, and find me , when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 KJV)

Struggling with fear? Anxious about something? Let God deliver you from those things once and for all! Moffatt translates verse 4 like this, and it’s how you will look when you look to God:

Look to him, and you shall beam with joy.

That’s what Christ-likeness is all about. When we adopt His character and allow His perfect personality to overtake ours, we will shine with His presence and “beam with joy” regardless of what’s going on in the moment of our lives.

God will save you from all your troubles

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him , and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6 KJV)

The “poor man” here is David; this verse is autobiographical. King or pauper. Rich or poor. Trouble makes all men the same! All the resources in the world can’t chase away fear or create lasting satisfaction. Spiritual poverty afflicts most everybody, even some Christians. It’s sad that so many believers allow themselves to think that they are spiritual paupers; that they actually lack the things they need. Does any Christian seriously think that God would ever withhold anything from him, if he needs it?

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11 KJV)

If you believe that, and you should since it’s in the Bible, then start living like it! If you truly believe that God gives you what you need, then you’ll walk fearlessly and courageously. Years ago, we used to sin a chorus that went like this:

This smile on my face wasn’t always there the struggles use to get me down,

Hassles and problems from every direction use to make me wear a frown.

In the midst of the storms I found a deep contentment to help me face this night and day

You see the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away!

That’s how we should be living our lives! The attitude we all need to adopt. It’s Biblical! You should be living in obedience to the Word. You’ll be happier, and the people around you will be happier.

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 KJV)

I love this verse; it’s so matter-of-fact. There’s no ambiguity or question. When a child of God calls out to God, God hears. Period. Do you know what a singular privilege that is? To know without any doubt that God hears your prayers? There’s no begging involved. Or convincing.

But there is something else here; an inconvenient truth tucked away in these verses. The assumption is we will have troubles. Apparently many. God, for reasons that seem good to Him, allows them to come into our lives, but the promise is that when we ask Him, He will deliver us from them. Of course, that deliverance may or may not be immediate. We always have to trust that whatever is going on is not going to harm us and that in some way we will actually benefit from the trouble. Sounds crazy, but it’s a profound truth Joseph well understood:

As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. (Genesis 50:20, 21a TLB)

And of course, Jesus made it clear that trouble would be the lot of Christians:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 KJV)

And that’s really the secret, isn’t it? To be of good cheer when it doesn’t make sense to be.

God delivers you from all evil

Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19 AMP)

Like it not, if you are among the “consistently righteous,” then you have a following. But it’s probably not the kind of following you want! If you’re a Christian and trying to live the good life – the righteous life – you might as well be walking around with a target painted on your back. The demons have you in their sights and they want to take you down. That’s evil. That’s what David is talking about here. God will deliver you from that kind of evil. You have nothing to fear from this world or the world beyond for God takes care of His own.

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:3, 4 KJV)

Again, that’s a statement of fact: You have overcome the “spirits” that are not of God. It’s an accomplished fact. There is not doubt.

And when you feel overwhelmed, you call out to God and He will deliver you. Period.

God preserves even your body

Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time. He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken. (Psalm 34:19, 20 MSG)

Some Bible scholars believe these verses allude to Jesus and the fact that He died without any broken bones. That’s probably forcing an interpretation onto this psalm that isn’t warranted. The power of these verses is that they applied to David, though the specific incident isn’t known, yet they also apply to all believers. God loves and saves His people from a myriad of trouble. In fact, God cares so much that He won’t even let a finger get broken! It’s a statement of the caring concern that God has for His people.

Now, you may wonder: “If God cared that much, why not keep all trouble from ever getting close to me in the first place?” That’s a good question. But I keep going back to Joseph. All the awful things that happened to him were for a very specific reason. Of course, at the time he didn’t know that there was a reason. But he never gave up on God; he never lost faith. And we shouldn’t either. God’s ways and purposes are seldom clear. They become clear in hindsight, but not always. That’s why we need faith. That’s why we need to stay in the Word. It gives meaning and perspective to what we may be going through. And as one commentator noted:

I’d rather have a thousand afflictions and be delivered out of them all, than half a dozen and get stuck in the midst of them!

The Right Kind of Fear

Published June 20, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: fear, Malachi, reverence, reverential fear of God

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3:16 – 18 NIV)

When the prophet Malachi was in business, his nation was in bad shape. 50,000 exiles had returned to Judah from Babylon (538-536 b.c.). The temple had been rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel (516 b.c.) and the sacrificial system reinstated. After being back in the land of Palestine for century, the ritual of the Jews’ religious routine had become cold and empty; they were merely going through the motions. The hardships they endured led to hard heartedness toward God’s great love for them and to a widespread departure from His law by both people and priest. The people felt they deserved better. They believed they had been short-changed by God.

The mission of the prophet Malachi was to deliver stern rebukes to the people and priests and to call them to repentance. The prophet reminded them that in spite of the hardships now, future blessings were in store for the faithful. The big theme of Malachi’s book of prophecy is that God loves His people even though they sin and their worship was not what it should be. The behavior the “the Lord’s people” brings to mind a few statements made by Jesus in Matthew:

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16 – 18 NIV)

In other words, even though Malachi’s people were doing everything they were supposed to be doing in regards to their religious obligations, they were doing everything wrong.

Their hearts were not in it. They had become spiritually lazy. They had become hypocrites.

But not everybody in Judah had become a religious slacker. There were, in fact, some who still feared the Lord and who actually paid attention to the prophet’s messages. There weren’t many, but there were some. There were some whom God paid attention to because they were paying attention to Him.

We can learn a lot about the kind of people God takes notice of and pays attention to by looking at this paragraph in Malachi 3. We can also learn some important things about the Lord, as well.

Three things about God’s people

A great many people claim to be Christians. Sometimes they go to church. They take Communion. They talk about God’s blessings and how much they love Him. But are they really Christians? Are they true believers? You may wonder what business is it of ours to question and judge the veracity of another’s faith. Actually, we’re supposed to be doing just that. One of the biggest problems in the Church today is that we don’t! Too many Christians are way too trusting. Jesus said this:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 NIV)

Uninformed people love to say, “The Bible says we’re not supposed to judge.” That’s clever but wrong. The Bible says not to judge another’s heart or motives. Paul said this:

The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15, 16 NIV)

But most importantly, he also said this:

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. (1 Corinthians 5:12, 13 NIV)

So, then, to help you judge correctly, here are three important things unique to the Lord’s people.

They are reverent. True believers reverence the Lord. They fear God. What does that mean? Martin Luther struggled with the idea of “fearing God,” and he famously came up with a distinction between a the right kind of fear and the wrong kind. The wrong kind of fear he referred to as servile fear. This is a dreadful fear; the kind of fear a death row prisoner has for his jailer, the guards, the date of his execution. It’s a feeling of fright that comes between two people. This is the wrong kind of fear. It’s not the kind of fear we should have for God.

The right kind of fear Luther called filial fear. It comes from the Latin concept of the family. This is the kind of fear we need to have toward God. It’s the fear a child has for his father. It’s not that a child is frightened of his father, it’s that he respects him and wants to please him. He’s not scared of being punished but afraid of disappointing his father. This is why God wants us to think of Him as, among other things, as our Heavenly Father. That’s one aspect of our relationship with Him. True believers want to live lives that please their Heavenly Father. They are concerned that they are not. True believers hold this reverence for God and take it very seriously. They have a healthy awe and respect for the majesty of God.

They are thoughtful. The KJV looks like this:

...them that feared the Lord…thought upon his name. (Malachi 3:16b KJV)

True Christians actually think about Jesus when they’re not in church. They engage in conversations of a spiritual nature. They talk about Scripture during the week. Can you imagine? Can you imagine a faith that is not just for Sunday morning? True believers can, and that’s how they live.

One time, a small group of disciples was walking along the road to Emmaus, talking about Jesus. Here’s what happened:

As they talked about those things, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. (Luke 24:15 NIrV)

When Jesus is on your mind and part of your conversation, He’s right there, in a very real way. When Jesus is on your mind, you take care in where you go, how you speak, and in the attitudes you hold. Thoughts of Jesus’ nature and character will help to shape your nature and character. Jesus is never far from the thoughts of a true believer.

They aren’t ashamed of Jesus. Malachi wrote that those who fear God “talked with each other.” What were they talking about? It certainly wasn’t the weather. It wasn’t sports. The context is clear. True believers talk to each other about godly things. This is very closely related to the above point. A true Christian isn’t afraid to bring up his faith and he isn’t afraid of who’s listening.

Those who love the Lord, love each other, feel close to Him and talking about Him is natural and brings them joy.

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16 KJV)

If your faith is important to you, how can you NOT talk about it?

Those three points are three important aspects of the Christian life. But we can also learn some things about God, too.

Three things about God

The Lord is interested. Malachi wrote:

…and the Lord listened and heard…

There is a common view of God that is wrong and dangerous. It says that God is real but that He is afar off; He made the material world but leaves it alone. Nothing can be further from the truth. God is vitally concerned with His creation, especially with man. God pays attention to man; He hears what man says and takes it to heart. That makes you want to watch what you say, doesn’t it?

The Lord is interested and He does care and He does step in to help. But there is a caveat. This help isn’t for everybody:

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9 AV)

Only those whose hearts are completely His does the Lord watch over and help.

The Lord is careful. Who knew that the Lord has a “scroll of remembrance” in Heaven? He makes note of those who belong to Him. Over in the New Testament, we read about, not a scroll of remembrance, but a Book of Life:

My true companion, here is what I ask you to do. Help those women. They have served at my side. They have helped me spread the good news. So have Clement and the rest of those who have worked together with me. Their names are all written in the Book of Life. (Philippians 4:4 NIrV)

Deeds are important and so are words. According to the Bible, every word is noted because by his words a man is justified or condemned.

But here is what I tell you. On judgment day, people will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. By your words you will be found guilty or not guilty. (Matthew 12:36, 37 NIrV)

Now maybe you understand why true believers freely talk about the things of God. They’ve been justified and forgiven. They’ve experienced the justice of God firsthand. True believers have been found “not guilty.”

Let Christ’s word live in you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct each other wisely. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thanks in your hearts to God. Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ. (Colossians 3:16, 17 NIrV)

The Lord is faithful. The Lord makes it clear that His people are His “treasured possession.” Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, said this:

And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the Last Day. (John 6:39 TLB)

The faithfulness of God is beyond compare. He is far more faithful to us than we are to Him. Jesus said that He would never leave or forsake us. In our darkest hour, He is the light that shows us the way. He may be depended upon when everyone else has given up on us.

When a person fully understands what he has in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, how can he be anything other than a genuine, true believer?

Fear Not, 9

Published July 15, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Daniel, fear, Futility of Fear, spiritual warfare

Daniel 10:12

Daniel was a man blessed by God. He was statesman, saint, and prophet. And in some ways he was a strange man. At least by some standards. By the time chapter 10 of the book that bears his name rolls around, Daniel is pushing 90. Fifty may be the new 30, but 90 is old by anybody’s reckoning. In all, over seven decades has passed since his deportation from the land of Judah. Two years had gone by since Cyrus had decreed freedom for the Jews who had been living in Babylon, now Persia. Many of them had left the Empire to return to the ruins of Jerusalem to begin the arduous work of rebuilding the city of David. Many chose to remain in Persia, and among those who stayed behind was Daniel.

Four years before chapter 10, Daniel had his now-famous vision of “the Seventy Weeks.” Here, he has another vision during a prayer vigil. We’re not sure what prompted Daniel’s season of prayer or what he was praying for. It may well be, as some scholars have speculated, Daniel was praying for the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem. It was a struggle for them to rebuild the city. Dangerous, too. It makes sense that Daniel would take the time to intercede on their behalf.

Let’s take a look at what happened when Daniel prayed.

Daniel’s prayer vigil, 10:1-3

At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. (Daniel 10:2-3 NIV84)

Whatever it was that weighed down the prophet’s heart, it was serious enough that he not only prayed but fasted too. Not only that, he didn’t bathe for three weeks, either. At that point, his neighbors probably went to prayer, too.

Stop and think about Daniel’s situation. He’s an old man and it’s almost certain he had retired from his career as a statesman/diplomat/politician. Most people, when they retire, want to lead a life of ease. They want to travel and do all the things they couldn’t do when they were raising a family and working all the time. Daniel may have retired from public service, but he hadn’t retired from his faith.

And neither should we. Just because you get old and retire, if you’re lucky enough to be able to do that in today’s economy, that doesn’t mean you stop being active for the kingdom of God! It’s admittedly hard to spend time in prayer when you’re working all day and raising a family. So how fortunate is a person who isn’t punching a time clock and who’s kids are grown and out of the house? All that free time to devote to spiritual pursuits! At least, that’s how it should be.

We old timers tend to accuse the younger generation of being selfish and self-centered, but maybe we should stop and look at ourselves and the time we have left. Have we become so preoccupied with living what we *think* is the good life that we’ve factored God out of it? How many weekends, for example, do you plan on some activity or other that causes you to miss church? Good question.

No, church doesn’t save a soul, but it is the visible Body of Christ and you, whether you like it or not, are accountable to it. What many Christians lack is not a confession of Christ, but a commitment to His Body.

Fortunately for Daniel, he was committed and disciplined.

Appearance of the Glorious Man, 10:4-11

When we read these verses, we are reminded of what John saw in his vision while in exile on Patmos (Revelation 1:10-20). The descriptions of the Person both men saw are so similar, who can doubt they saw the same Man? He didn’t identify himself to Daniel, but He did to John:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18 NIV84)

On April 24, 534 BC by our calendar, Daniel was privileged enough to have been given a vision of the pre-incarnate, transfigured Christ before either Moses or Elijah saw him. Daniel needed to see the glorified Christ to encourage him.

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. (Daniel 10:5-6 NIV84)

In the past, Daniel had seen wild, crazy animals, spirit beings, huge statues, and long weeks in his dreams and visions. Now he sees a man. But not just any man. Daniel sees THE Man: the glorious Son of God.

Christians are so blessed – blessed beyond Daniel, in fact. Daniel had a once-in-a-lifetime vision of Christ. For us, we have His constant presence in our lives through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet we take Him for granted to the point where we don’t even notice that He is right there with us, all the time. We’ve become so lackadaisical when it comes to the Divine Presence in us. How sad for us.

Here’s how Daniel reacted to the vision:

So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. (Daniel 10:8 NIV84)

His servants didn’t see a thing but were terrified, nonetheless. The presence of God can do that sometimes. There are limits to what a human being can bear when it comes to a spiritual encounter, and apparently Daniel hit that threshold. He was completely overwhelmed.

That’s when our Lord spoke these reassuring words to the prophet:

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” (Daniel 10:12 NIV84)

This “do not be afraid” is for anybody who has ever prayed for the needs of others. We’ve all done that. And we’ve all had the excruciating experience of waiting for that need to be met. The need could have been anything: healing, deliverance, or financial. We pray. And we wait. And wait. And we wonder. What the Glorious Man told Daniel should serve as a great encouragement to we who wait.

Your prayer is heard immediately

Yes, in spite of what it feels like, the very moment you pray, that prayer is heard in Heaven. There is absolutely no lag time, even if the answer to your prayer seems delayed.

Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding…your words were heard… (Daniel 10:12 NIV84)

“The first day.” That’s important to note. According to the Daniel’s own words, he had been praying and fasting for three weeks. Three weeks is a long to for a person to keep on praying for something and, as in Daniel’s case, fasting. Obviously Daniel had no idea his prayer had been heard on “the first day,” for if he had he would surely have stopped praying and eaten a sandwich.

Does that mean our prayers are heard on “the first day” we pray them? Verse 12 gives what may be considered a condition:

…humble yourself before your God… (Daniel 10:12b NIV84)

It’s safe to say that a prayer offered in a humble spirit is heard when it is prayed. There’s not a lot of humility in the Church of Jesus Christ today! Listen to how some Christians pray. It sounds like they’re ordering God around sometimes!

Humility isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a requirement!

He has showed you, O man, what is good.And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV84)

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10 NIV84)

Daniel must have been a humble man, therefore his prayer was heard immediately. You should be too, if you want your prayers heard the moment you pray them.

Something else about Daniel’s character overflowed into his prayer. Notice:

…you set your mind to gain understanding… (Daniel 10:12b NIV84)

Daniel’s mind was fully engaged while he was praying

He wasn’t daydreaming. He wasn’t vainly repeating some time-worn liturgical prayer somebody else prayed generations ago. He didn’t babble before The Lord. Daniel used his reasoning mind as he prayed. Whatever it was he was praying for, he was thinking about the need; he was trying to understand the need even as he was praying about it.

Delays in answered prayer are not always God’s fault

Depending on your denominational persuasion, that statement may have caused your head to explode, so hang on while it’s explained.

Sometimes, answers to your prayers are delayed because you’re not ready for the answer. You may have an earnest desire as you ask God for such-and-such a thing, but God knows you aren’t ready or fit for the answer. God may require you to wait for some reason; perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned. Maybe your faith needs to be stretched a little so it will grow and be stronger. This is not a denial of your prayer, just a delay.

In Daniel’s vision, the delay was a bit more nefarious:

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. (Daniel 10:13 (NIV84)

The answer to Daniel’s prayer was sent immediately, but it was delayed – it was blocked. The angel of the Lord was prevented from delivering the message Daniel had been praying for. Now, this is an amazing verse, and we learn a little about what “spiritual warfare” is all about. It also throws some light on what Paul wrote to his Ephesian friends:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11-12 NIV84)

That word Paul used, “struggle,” is a key element in Paul’s theology of “spiritual warfare.” He wrote a similar thing to the Romans:

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (Romans 15:30 NIV84)

Here Paul used the word “struggle” again to describe how he was praying. The KJV uses the phrase “strive together,” and that gives a slightly different flavor, but essentially puts across the same idea of the Greek word sunagonizom, from which we our English word, “agonize.” This idea of “agonizing in prayer” leads to the obvious question: Do you? When was the last time you “agonized in prayer?” This shouldn’t be confused with the notion of begging God for something. That’s not agonizing, it’s humiliating. No believer needs to beg his Heavenly Father for anything, any time. But to “agonize in prayer” is to take your prayer to the next level. Today, prayer is such light thing. Most of us are exhausted after just three or four minutes of praying. Or we pray like we hear our preachers praying: in the KJV language or following some liturgy. Real prayer is not prayed according to rote or memorization. It’s not trying to impress God by taking on a holy tone, using unusual words and phrases. Prayers shouldn’t be profound, they should be from the heart. To “agonize in prayer” means that you humbly realize He is your only hope. You have no one else to turn to. It means to be persistent; to keep on praying until the answer arrives. Maybe the answer will be, “Stop praying.” But maybe the answer will be like what Daniel was told. He was given the reason for the delay and then the answer to his prayer.

Daniel persevered for three weeks. We have a hard time persevering for a few minutes. We modern Christians would do well to take a lesson from old Daniel. Let’s learn how to “agonize in prayer.” Let’s persist in our prayers three days, or three weeks, or thirty weeks if need be. We should never give up on a prayer request until we see the answer or, as happened to Moses and Joshua, we are told to stop praying. Spiritual conflict in prayer is far more common than you may think, so persevering is virtal. One preacher from bygone era wrote:

Many a lost battle would have been won if perseverance had been practiced a little longer on the part of the combatants.

Daniel was fearful that his prayer had gone unheard. You don’t have to be. Fear not. No matter how it seems to you, your prayers are heard and will be answered. But you need to be aware that there is a spiritual world swirling all around you, and you need to keep that in mind as you pray.

Futility of Fear, 7

Published June 30, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Elisha, fear, Futility of Fear, perspective

What’s yours?

2 Kings 6:16

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16 NIV84)

This “don’t be a afraid” is for anybody who feels overwhelmed by any forces arrayed against them. Maybe this describes you sometimes. Have you ever felt stymied by some bureaucracy when all you wanted to do was make a few extra dollars? Or maybe you tried to do something recently that was a breeze a few years ago but now it hurts so much you have to stop. Or maybe your situation is far more serious. God’s Word to anybody facing any “enemy” is simply, “don’t be afraid.”

The incident in 2 Kings where God told Elisha’s servant to not be afraid follows the case of the floating axe head.

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. (2 Kings 6:6-7 NIV84)

Miracles followed Elisha around like a lost puppy. This man of God walked and worked in the power of God. It may seem almost impossible to believe that an iron axe head can float, but with God, nothing is impossible.

This particular miracle has never been repeated, but the incident that follows it is as up-to-date as tomorrow’s headlines.

An age-old conflict

Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” (2 Kings 6:8 NIV84)

Aram, or Syria, had been harassing Israel with intermittent warfare and guerrilla raids. Yes, they’ve been going at it for a long time over there. Even during this period of Hebrew history, this conflict was a very old one. What we see happening in the Middle East today – the tension between Israel and the Arab world – can be traced back to the dim days of the Old Testament.

Time and time again the Israelite king and his armies were delivered from these ambushes because of Elisha’s intervention. By divine revelation, Elisha always knew when and where the Aramean army was and what they were planning.

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. (2 Kings 6:9-10 NIV84)

These constant defeats really frustrated the Aramean king and he came to, what was for him, the obvious conclusion: there just had to be a spy in his camp.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” (2 Kings 6:11 NIV84)

Unbelievers will never come to the correct conclusion concerning the work of God. They will always try to find “the logical answer” to God’s miraculous ways, and the logical answer is almost always the wrong answer when it comes to God’s miraculous ways.

Danger for Elisha

“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” (2 Kings 6:12 NIV84)

How about that Elisha! He even had the king’s bedroom bugged! That’s the “logical answer,” but of course we know the truth: God was revealing the king’s plans to His prophet. We’re not told how or why this officer knew the truth, but it may well be that Elisha’s aid to Israelite king Jehoram was not exactly the best kept secret at this time.

What’s the king to do? He’ll eliminate the problem.

“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” (2 Kings 6:13 NIV84)

Elisha was staying in Dothan, a strategic town located some dozen miles north of Samaria, and about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. This town was the prophet’s headquarters, so it’s not like he was hiding out. The Aramean king took action and his forces surrounded Dothan. He took Elisha’s ongoing threat seriously, deploying the whole army to get this one man.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:15-16 NIV84)

And who wouldn’t be afraid after seeing the great Aramean army? Elisha and his servant were just two men, by themselves, facing the host of the Arameans. That makes Elisha’s epic answer all the more powerful – the servant had absolutely nothing to fear because, in the prophet’s words, “those who were with them were more than those who were against them.” The question is an obvious: just who was with them? Who’s my boss talking about? Can you imagine the servant looking around for those whom Elisha referred to? Of course, there was nobody there.

That’s what it looked like, anyway. But Christians can’t always believe their eyes!

We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV84)

Elisha’s servant was about to learn how true Paul’s statement is!

And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17 NIV84)

What passed through this servant’s mind when he saw the hosts of God all around them? For a moment he was given a glimpse into the spirit world. The Aramean king had planned an ambush but God had planned his own! Again, Paul puts this in perspective for us:

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31 NIV84)

Indeed. Only the most arrogant, ignorant of people would dare stand in the way of a believer doing the work of God! No wonder Elisha told his servant to not to be afraid. Why fear any man when God has surrounded you with the army of heaven?

Standard operating procedure?

When we read stories like this, we naturally wonder: Is this how God always works? You’ve probably met Christians that claim remarkable deliverances like this one in 2 Kings. These Christians experience deliverances from things like poverty when they receive an anonymous check in the mail, or deliverances from an empty gas tank when a stranger offers to fill it up for them, or deliverances from sickness by a miracle. You get the idea. The rest of us who never had these experiences wonder, Are we that out of touch with God? How do we explain the miraculous leadings and deliverances some believers claim to have experienced? The answer lies in Dothan.

Dothan is mentioned only two times in Scripture. The other time is in Genesis 37–

“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. (Genesis 37:17-18 NIV84)

It was in Dothan that Joseph was sold into slavery – a fate worse than death. Dr. McGee comments:

It was a living hell to be sold into slavery, yet that is what is happening to this boy of 17.

Seems terribly unfair, doesn’t it? Joseph, a young man, blessed by God with dreams and visions, trapped by his scurrilous, no account brothers and sold into slavery. Where were the chariots of fire for Joseph? Where was God’s army?

Remember, we can’t always believe our eyes. Just because it didn’t look like they were around Joseph didn’t mean they weren’t. When we study the life of Joseph from this point on, we can see the hand of God on it. In fact, in some ways, you can see God working more in the life of Joseph than in Elisha’s! Certainly in terms of the flash and sizzle, Elisha had it all over Joseph. But God did remarkable things in and through Joseph without the flash and sizzle. So much so Joseph was able to say this to his brothers:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20 NIV84)

No miraculous deliverance for Joseph, yet he kept on keeping on – he stayed faithful to his God despite his sometimes awful circumstances. In the end, though, he prevailed and was blessed mightily. And because he did, so did the nation of Israel.

So you see, at Dothan God was there with Joseph just as He was with Elisha, just in a different way.

Blinded by the Light

It wasn’t over yet. Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, and now he prayed for the reverse to happen to the Arameans:

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. (2 Kings 6:18 NIV84)

We don’t usually think of praying things like that, but Elisha did, and God answered it. He blinded – temporarily – these soldiers and led them in the wrong direction!

After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria. (2 Kings 6:20 NIV84)

God certainly has a sense of humor, doesn’t he? But His ways are not our ways, either. Instead of killing them, as surely as they would have killed Elisha, his servant, and any other Israelite they happened upon, mercy was shown:

“Do not kill them,” [Elisha] answered. “Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” (2 Kings 6:22 NIV84)

There may be several reasons why these soldiers’ lives were spared. For one thing, Israel didn’t kill prisoners of war, so that’s how Elisha may have seen these men. Or it could be that Elisha was gently reminding the king that it was unlawful to kill soldiers not captured in battle. Or it may be that Elisha saw these men as being under God’s protection for the time being.

Whatever the reason, Elisha made sure these soldiers were well-fed and sent home safely. The result was nothing less than stunning:

…he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory. (2 Kings 6:23b NIV84)

Elisha ended this plague of skirmishes with kindness.

Even though Elisha was Israel’s prophet, he nonetheless showed that he was aware of and able to actually influence events on an international level by actually controlling what people saw. He controlled their perspective. His servant was paralyzed with fear until, through Elisha’s prayer, he was able to see God’s army all around them. The soldiers were a deadly threat until, again through Elisha’s prayer, they were blinded and rendered helpless. When, through Elisha’s prayer, they regained their sight, it led to peace.

Fear was a bad thing as far as Elisha’s servant was concerned because it was unfounded – there was absolutely no reason for him to fear. However, fear was a good thing for the soldiers to experience because it led to peace.

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Fear Not, 9

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