Some Trust in Chariots

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice.

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.

Save, LORD!
May the King answer us when we call. (Psalm 20)

This Psalm has been a bright shining glimmer of hope in the midst of those days where I find myself overthrown by the reality of the impossible. Those days where I haven't known how I would keep moving. Times where I've wondered whether God was truly with me, even on the single occasion where I began cursing in my prayer time because I was so frustrated at my outward circumstances. I've even felt the voices challenging my faith to believe His Word that "with God ALL things are possible"(Matthew 19:26). Voices love to flood my heart and mind like sharp arrows hungry to celebrate my defeat. I can genuinely say that my faith has been tested over the past several months (and I pray will continue to be tested until the day I die - with the testing comes perfection - James 1). There have been times where I have, be it ever so slightly, entertained the voices of doubt and unbelief in such fundamental faith basics as the existence of God, the resurrection, God's concern for my seemingly insignificant life, the infallible Word, etc. When honesty trumps our fears, haven't we all questioned this or am I more human than most?

How much God has delivered absolute power and might to my spirit during this time of testing continues to shock me. His ways of overcoming doubt/unbelief have been many and varied. He has used primarily Scripture to come alive in my heart, to the point where I sometimes read a passage (like this Psalm) and wonder with astonishment at how beautifully it applies to my exact feelings or situations. My hunger for His word has grown so much and I find that if I don't have a daily dose, I begin to experience the adverse affects. The Lord has also used many friends and family members to speak sweet words of encouragement and support. On occasion, He has used a few key individuals to give me very specific "words" of wisdom/knowledge as outlined in 1 Cor. 12:8 - these have usually come as a total surprise (I have not gone looking for them) and have at times, brought me to tears because of how accurate they are to where I'm at or where I've been. Through it all, He has provided more abundantly than I could have ever imagined.

In the event that you haven't been keeping up with this blog or my walk so far this year, you can fill yourself in here and here. The short and sweet of it is that I left a very comfortable salary job to trust God to use my life 100% for the furthering of His kingdom. Most of my posts are directly attributed to what I've experienced personally as a result of this desire to follow Jesus where He has called me. I hadn't started this blog with the intent of sharing this with you, but it seems to apply appropriately. July marks month seven of having left behind a great job and committing all of my time and attention towards a vision God gave me to raise missionaries out of artists (and anyone else, really - aren't we all, who claim Christ as Lord, missionaries in one capacity or another? I don't believe discipleship-making was ever meant to be optional. "We are all called according to His purpose" - Romans 8:28). In the past seven months my family has never gone without food, water, or a roof over our heads. I haven't received compensation from an employer in those seven months and yet God has allowed us to pay every bill and our mortgage (to be fair, I have had one bank overdraft and the Lord has many times stretched us about as thin as possible). He has provided provision in just about every way possible - the generosity of others, retirement funds, unexpected inheritance money, selling off of earthly possessions, etc. etc. Just this past Sunday I was able to tithe more money to our church (at one time) than I ever had done working a full-time, salaried job. Only God! Now, none of this is to say that I've done even an ounce of it on my own, it was (and will always continue to be) ALL His mercy. Times ahead may still be very tough going - so much work is yet to be done and we have many obstacles/situations to overcome, but God's faithfulness in seeing His plan through has been a daily wonder.

I have likely prayed Psalm 20 nearly every day for the past three months, that's how much it has meant to me. If you are enduring any trial, testing, tribulation, or any obstacle larger than what you are able to accomplish, I'd encourage you to begin the daily meditation of this passage. You should also look at it in different translations (I love Bible Gateway for this). Here's the same passage from "The Message":

God answer you on the day you crash, The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach,
Send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
Exclaim over your offerings,
Celebrate your sacrifices,
Give you what your heart desires,
Accomplish your plans.

When you win, we plan to raise the roof
and lead the parade with our banners.
May all your wishes come true!

That clinches it—help's coming,
an answer's on the way,
everything's going to work out.

See those people polishing their chariots,
and those others grooming their horses?
But we're making garlands for God our God.
The chariots will rust,
those horses pull up lame—
and we'll be on our feet, standing tall.

Make the king a winner, God;
the day we call, give us your answer.

The Psalm sums it up far better than I ever could. For the sake of a closing statement, please stop trusting in your own chariots or horses. Remember the Name of the Lord your God. May the Lord answer you, May He defend you, May He send you help, strengthen you, and remember every one of your offerings/sacrifices. May He grant your heart's desire and fulfill ALL your purpose. We'll rejoice and set up banners in God's name over your success.

May our King answer you when you call!

The Peril of Not Progressing

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6: 1-12)

Are you being constantly driven forward by the Spirit of God or are you finding yourself in a frustrating position of being stuck? Do you see signs of fruit in your life and in the lives of those you spend time with? Is God your utmost priority or has He taken the back burner? All of these questions beg to be answered and I'm personally challenged in the asking. As much as we're all well-trained to put on a smile and cheerfully declare that "everything is fine", most of us fall prey to the condition of half-hearted living. It's all too easy, especially in the times of testing or trials, to trade in the "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" fruit-of-the-spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) for a lack-luster attempt at just getting by. I've been guilty of this recently and I'm so grateful for God's undeniable mercy. He never let's us sink to the point of no return....but He does allow us to sink. More times than not, the Lord wants us to sink to a point of realizing that we have not a single glimmer of hope other than His deliverance.

This passage starts out by speaking to the position that tempts any of us who are striving to be more Christ-like. That temptation is to make the quick turn into theological debate over what seems like deep, intellectual (even spiritual), conversation - that, at the end of the day, lacks the vitality of true Spirituality. We will only move into the place that pleases God IF He wills it. Which, by the way, He absolutely wills. How do we know? Because Jesus himself made it clear; "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40) The difference between a real relationship of not just understanding, but mostly practicing, are:

1. Being enlightened
2. Tasting the heavenly gift
3. Becoming partakers of the Holy Spirit
4. Tasting the good word of God and the powers of the age to come
(For deeper study go here)

The warning for those who have experienced all of the above, and then turn their backs on Christ, is powerfully frightful. But, as frightening as it might be, it should also be reassuring. Reassuring in the sense that many of us have claimed Christianity but lack in experiencing one or more of these areas. The commentary by Matthew Henry says it far better than I ever could.

Every part of the truth and will of God should be set before all who profess the gospel, and be urged on their hearts and consciences. We should not be always speaking about outward things; these have their places and use, but often take up too much attention and time, which might be better employed. The humbled sinner who pleads guilty, and cries for mercy, can have no ground from this passage to be discouraged, whatever his conscience may accuse him of. Nor does it prove that any one who is made a new creature in Christ, ever becomes a final apostate from him. The apostle is not speaking of the falling away of mere professors, never convinced or influenced by the gospel. Such have nothing to fall away from, but an empty name, or hypocritical profession. Neither is he speaking of partial declinings or backslidings. Nor are such sins meant, as Christians fall into through the strength of temptations, or the power of some worldly or fleshly lust. But the falling away here mentioned, is an open and avowed renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against him, his cause, and people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers, and all this after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and tasted some of its comforts. Of these it is said, that it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Not because the blood of Christ is not sufficient to obtain pardon for this sin; but this sin, in its very nature, is opposite to repentance and every thing that leads to it.

If you feel as though you haven't truly experienced the four conditions listed in this passage as descriptions of the true believer, than as Henry' suggests, cry out for mercy and ASK God to help you. Pray through each of them and ask that He would open your eyes and ears to what He has in store for you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:8) God WILL help you and He will give you what you need.

What I need more than financial breakthrough (much-less financial "security"), greater opportunities, more friends, nicer belongings, good health, or anything else on earth is "faith and patience to inherit the promises". We can exist on very little but we can't even begin to breathe eternal oxygen apart from a "full assurance of hope" that, by faith and patience, will bring us through to the very end. There's not a thing we can pull off on our own strength other than God's divine ability to strengthen us for the journey.

Join me in asking the Lord to draw us deeper into all things that bring Him glory. Progress is not a good thing, a noble accomplishment, or even a lofty goal. Progress in our spiritual maturity is ESSENTIAL.

God, please empower us to enter your work and labor of love which we desire to show toward your Son, Jesus. Strengthen our feeble hearts so that we long to minister to the saints. Keep us from our own natural tendency to fall into the trap of sluggards, even the kind who seem to busy themselves in every way but in pursuing You. Take our focus off everything around us that is not essential towards our progress as kids acting in quick obedience towards their Daddy. We love You and desperately need You. Enlighten us, allow us to taste your heavenly gift, to become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and to taste your good Word along with the powers of the age. Forgive us our unbelief and overcome in us any hurdles that might prevent your desire to force us along in progress.