Tag: A Word for Wednesday

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Stay Quenched, My Friends

Dry as a bone. Have you ever felt that way, spiritually empty and distant from God? This is exactly where I was years ago when, fortunately, someone invited me to a weekend retreat. I had declined similar invitations before, but this time it was my time. After two days of compelling testimonies, open discussions and prayer time with God, I came away nurtured, refreshed, and feeling close to Him again. What a welcome relief! Yet I found myself wondering, how did I arrive at “dry” in the first place?

Likely we can all remember times when we let our sin distance us from God in fear of guilt and judgment, rather than turning to Him in faith for forgiveness. The more we disengaged from Him who offers “living water,”1 the more parched we became. Yet I think we face a stealthier weapon of separation, one disturbingly well disguised— the subtle deception of letting Christlike activities replace Christ himself as our focal point. Serving others, for instance, is a wonderful call, but if we let service replace Jesus as our personal foundation— our reason for being and our life itself— we veer off target. We could say the same of mission, seeking the outcast, or Christian values—all of these are good pursuits as led by the Spirit, but none should replace our relational embrace of Jesus’ living presence. He is our life. 2

On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus instructed His disciples, “Abide in me, and I in you.”3 Anything less is merely Jesus-adjacent. He is the vine, and apart from Him we are lifeless, fruitless branches.4 He himself is “the bread of life;”5 why would we hunger apart from Him? Jesus shines in our darkness,6 would we dim His light? Of course not. It is in Christ, and only in Christ, that we can effectively pursue the “good works, which God prepared beforehand”7 for us to do. And it is only in Christ that our efforts bear fruit.8

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”9 Jesus didn’t merely speak these words privately to His disciples, He cried them out publicly to all within earshot—this is how essential they are to who Jesus is and who He has made us to be. In Him there is no parched, there is no dry, only rivers of living water. So abide in Jesus—camp out in His Word, talk openly with Him as a friend, praise Him who alone is worthy of our praise, and trust Him completely in all things. Stay quenched, my friends.

Jesus, You are my sustenance, my life—let nothing come between us. Abide in me through Your Spirit, that my life would bear fruit for Your Kingdom. Amen.

1 John 4:14
2 Colossians 3:4
3 John 15:4
4 John 15:4
5 John 6:35
6 John 1:5
7 Ephesians 2:10
8 John 15:5
9 John 7:37-38

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The Wise Plans of a Good God

Our executives gathered for a two-day offsite strategy and teambuilding session. This one included yet another personality evaluation for all, showing among other characteristics our comfort level with “control.” Regarding influencing others and taking control of a situation, the exercise showed me to be pretty comfortable—on the high side of average. As for my contentment with others taking charge and influencing my direction, however, let’s just say I had a strong preference not to be controlled.

For most, the Christian walk is a continual process of relinquishing control, not only over our own plans, but over God’s plans, too. We can be impatient with God’s pace of revelation (“Please, I need to know right now!”) and we can be anxious about what He has in mind for us (“What if He wants to send me as a missionary?”). And in case He hadn’t thought of it, we even go so far as to suggest how God might go about accomplishing our requests. (“Was that thunder, or a celestial chuckle?”)

God has plans for His people, each of us and all of us. Paul assures us, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”1 His are “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”2 Yet in unsearchable wisdom—and often to our frustration—God keeps His plans a mystery, unknowable to us until He reveals each in His time and in His way. But while we may not always know God’s plans, we do always know His self-proclaimed character— “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”3 This is who God is.

So comforted in God’s character that we do know, we can be contented with His plans we do not know. If He is by nature good, faithful, loving, and compassionate, certainly His plans for us will reflect the same. We can rest assured, as David did, “You are good and You do good,”4 and “Your faithfulness endures to all generations.”5 We can confidently worship with Jeremiah, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”6 We can trust the wise plans of our good God and relinquish control today. What a relief.

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.7 Amen.

1 Romans 8:28
2 Jeremiah 29:11
3 Exodus 34:6-7 NIV
4 Psalm 119:68 NASB [emphasis added]
5 Psalm 119:90
6 Lamentations 3:22-23
7 Isaiah 25:1 NIV

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The Nature of Him Who Calls Us To Pray

One of the men in our Bible study posited this for us to ponder: “When my dad says, ‘Don’t run out into the street,’ do I obey because I fear my dad’s anger and wrath, or because I trust his wisdom and care?” What an effective diagnostic! (Or so it seemed to me). The question was analogous, of course, ultimately focused not on our relationship with our earthly father, but with our heavenly One. It occurred to me that our understanding of who God is affects the spirit in how we approach Him. Then let’s look at the nature of “our Father who art in heaven,” the character of Him who calls us to pray.

God loves His people, and of His own desire He draws us close to Himself. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”1.

God listens to us with intentionality. Marvels David, “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”2

God’s desires for us far exceed our own imagination and petitions. He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”3

God sometimes says, “no” to our prayers, this for our own good and for His higher purposes. Paul testifies: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about [my affliction], that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”4

God may take time to answer us, so that we grow stronger in our faith, itself “more precious than gold”5. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith . . .  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”6

God is faithful to answer us in His wisdom and in His time. “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”7

Loving, caring, lavish, protective, wise, and faithful—this is the nature of our heavenly Father toward us who are His children “through faith in Christ Jesus.”8 God delights in us and eagerly invites us into conversation with Him. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace . . .”9

Father, forgive us for doubting Your character. Grace us to know You as you really are and, in this confidence, to draw near to Your throne of great grace. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 Jeremiah 31:3
2 Psalm 116:1-2 NIV
3 Ephesians 3:20
4 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
5 1 Peter 1:7
6 1 Peter 5:8-10
7 Psalm 69:13
8 Galatians 3:26
9 Hebrews 4:16