The Lord Is a Warrior

For some reason, several weeks ago reading through Exodus 15, the song of Moses struck me.

I’m sure I’ve read it multiple times before, but this time I was unexpectedly taken with the notion that I should memorize it. Aside from Psalms, I’m not sure I’ve memorized a large portion of the Old Testament before.

Here’s how it goes (I’m typing without looking … but I’ll go back and correct it before posting!):

I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and my song,
And He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.

The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and His army He has cast into the sea,
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power.
Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
And in the greatness of Your excellence
You overthrow those who rise up against You.
You send forth Your burning anger,
And it consumes them as chaff.

At the blast of Your nostrils, the waters were piled up.
The flowing waters stood up like a heap,
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said,
“I will pursue.
I will overtake.
I will divide the spoil.
My desire shall be gratified against them.
I will draw out my sword.
My hand shall destroy them.”

You blew with Your wind.
The sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?
Who is like You,
Majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises,
Working wonders?

You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.

In Your lovingkindness
You have lead the people that You have redeemed.
In Your strength
You have guided them to Your holy habitation.

The peoples have heard.
They tremble.
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed.
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them.
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

Terror and dread fall upon them.
By the greatness of Your arm,
They are motionless as stone
Until Your people pass over, O LORD.
Until Your people pass over, whom You have purchased.

You will bring them and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

The LORD shall reign forever and ever.

(I butchered the last three lines. But otherwise, not too bad.)

I wonder why God had me memorize these particular verses. I’m sure there is a reason.

Numbering Our Days

One of the prayers that I pray for myself is Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

This morning I was feeling restless and somewhat troubled in my heart, and I happened to the site Grace Gems, and this was the daily "gem," drawn from that very prayer from Psalm 90:12. Thank You, Lord, for little reminders that You think of me.

The whole thing is worth reading.

Here is one excerpt that was especially meaningful:

You had sorrow. Did your sorrow leave your heart sweeter and purer? Did it make you gentler, more patient, more compassionate, more mindful of others? Did it bring you nearer to God? Or did the sorrow hurt you, leaving your peace broken, your trust in God impaired, your spirit vexed and troubled?

Or you had temptation. Did your temptation make you stronger as you resisted it, and overcame the tempter? That is the way we may make our temptations blessings, to make even Satan help to build up our spiritual life. An evil thought resisted and mastered, leaves us not only unhurt—but stronger in the fiber of our being. But temptations parleyed with, and yielded to—hurt our life. What has been the effect of the year's temptations on your life? Have you come out of them unhurt, with no smell of fire on your garments?

Or take the year's business or occupation. How has it affected your spiritual life? Business is not sinful, unless it be a sinful business. A right occupation ought always to be a means of grace. What has been the effect of your secular business—on your spiritual life? Has it been helpful, strengthening, ennobling?

Or take your companionships and friendships; what have they done for you in the year that is gone? Have you been helped Godward and heavenward by them? Have they been full of sweet and good inspirations for you? Have they made a summer atmosphere for your heart, a weather in which all spiritual fruits and all beautiful things have grown and flourished?

What marks has the old year left on your life? Are you carrying hurts and scars from its experiences? Or have they helped to build up a truer, stronger, holier manhood or womanhood in you? We ought to be ever growing in whatever things are lovely. That is what life is meant to do for us.

From J. R. Miller, 1912

Anger

Pastor Sam shared a thoughtful and thought-provoking devotional word at Tuesday's staff meeting.

His premise: Anger is a result of one of two things.
1) You expect something; it doesn't happen.
2) Something happens; you didn't expect it.

At the bottom, anger is related to expectations.

The emotions that come from thwarted expectations (disappointment, frustration, rage, etc) are common experience to us all. James 1:19-20 says, "This you know, beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."

As Sam pointed out, anger is like a "light on the dashboard," pointing to disappointed expectations. When you notice anger "lit," consider these three questions about your expectations.

1) Were they realistic?
2) Were they biblical?
3) Could you yield them?

Bumper sticker in the neighborhood: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

Better: "If you're outraged, you're not paying attention."

Why? Because God is the only being in the universe who has a pure right to be outraged at how He is treated.

At the moment when the most catagorically evil act in the universe was being committed (the death of Jesus at the hands of wicked men), God did not respond as every reasonable expectation (both realistically and biblically) would dictate.

Instead, by the death of His own Son, He opened the way of mercy for undeserving wretches like me.

I think I'd be a lot less likely to get angry if I just kept that in the front of my mind.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while w were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Even Then...

We sang the second verse of "It Is Well With My Soul" in staff lunch this week.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is not always easy to "let this blest assurance control," especially when Satan buffets and trials come.

But--I know it, even then--because of Jesus' kind regard of my helplessness (not only helpless, but hateful, rebellious, and despicable), my soul has been plucked out of all the worst horrors and given all the best promises possible.

So, it is well.

Though the Earth Should Change

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride

(Psalm 46:1-3).

Such familiar words, and comforting. But yesterday reading them, I was struck by the particular aptness of the words “though the earth should change.” Change is often what I fear. Not that the way life is right now is perfect, but I know it. Not that the world has no problems, but right now I feel comfortable facing them. But what if things change? What if I can’t take what comes?

So basic and uncomplicated. There is a refuge which can never be shaken. There is an unchanging reality who promises to be near, whatever comes. Bank on Him, and I won’t fear. Whatever He sends me, even if it is a cataclysm that destroys the whole landscape of my life, He will send His own presence and help too. He is not just present, in fact … He is a very present help. May it be so, Lord, and knowing it, let my heart be calm.

For Teachers of Children... Or Anybody

Over the past several days, I have been listening to messages from the 2007 Children Desiring God Conference. What encouraging words!

Wayne Grudem wrote Systematic Theology, and hearing him talk in simple, humble terms about how such complex and majestic truths can be shared with young people was very refreshing to me.

And his explanation of the variety of biblical motivators for why we obey God was illuminating... and gave me renewed gratitude for what a gracious, wise God we serve. (That portion starts at about 28:25 in his second talk, I believe.)

I don't even work in children's ministry, and I gained a lot through this.

2007 Children Desiring God Conference
Standing on the Truth: How Great A Salvation

Do the Unwelcome Task

A great quote from C.J. Mahaney's "Biblical Productivity":

No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by
putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind
us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to
be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of
unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and
pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a
smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand
threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our
communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of
work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at
once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.
‐Alexander MacLaren (1826‐1910), Scottish preacher

Busy With the Right Things?

Someone on our retreat today mentioned this article by C.J. Mahaney on "Biblical Productivity." I've only read about one page, but I'm already struck by this thought:

Our Savior understood priorities. Although his public ministry was
shorter than one presidential term, within that time he completed all the works give to him by the Father.

The Father evidently called him to heal a limited number of people
from disease, raise a limited number of bodies from the dead, and
preach a limited number of sermons. As Jesus stared into the cup of
God’s wrath, he looked back on his life work as complete because he
understood the calling of the Father. He was not called to heal
everyone, raise everyone, preach copious sermons, or write volumes
of books.

While we must always be extra careful when comparing our
responsibilities with Christ’s messianic priorities, in the incarnation he entered into the limitations of human life on this earth.

So join me over the next few days as we discover the root and nature
of laziness, so that we might devote ourselves to biblical priorities and join our Savior in one day praying to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4, ESV).

I have a hunch the rest of this article will be very good food for thought for me.

HT: C.J. Mahaney

Retreat

Tomorrow through Thursday, I get to join a pastors' wives retreat (a silent retreat, at that). Everyone has her own room, and we come together for meals but otherwise the time is ours to spend as we please.

I'm looking forward to it ... and praying that the Lord will meet us each in special ways and help me to hear what He may have for me.

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her (Hosea 2:14).

Beloved

Sometimes God amazes me with His tenderness. Yesterday was a delightful day, and I felt very cherished (which shouldn't surprise me, since Ephesians 5 does say Jesus nourishes and cherishes His Bride).

For example...

-Ben decided not to go to his Friday morning men's group but stay home and have breakfast with me.

-In the ten minutes I had to go shopping, I was able to find a sweater for 60% off (and an extra 15% on top of that) to wear for our special evening out.

-A friend from small group had given us a flyer with a special for the Minneapolis Symphony ... 2 tickets for $10. And we got to hear Ben's favorite composer, Grieg.

-Ben's class ended an hour before the orchestra began, but he got out a few minutes early, so we had time to eat dinner without rushing.

-I had packed food for supper, but we were downtown and had nowhere but our cold car to eat it. But providentially, we parked right next to a facility (virtually empty) with comfy chairs and tables, even a sink to rinse our strawberries.

-Just yesterday morning I was listening to a sermon about how culture and the use of music glorify God, who made the very concept of music. (If you're interested, you can hear it here.

-We both really enjoyed the evening of excellent music. I read this morning: "Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy" (Psalm 33:3).

God is always kind to me, but sometimes I am numb to it. Yesterday was certainly a reminder of His unmerited favor to us in Jesus.

God of Justice

A friend sent me this stirring song today, reminding me to be faithful with what I've received.

God of Justice
Tim Hughes

Listen to it here.

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood

This message by John Piper was so encouraging to me:

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood from Desiring God

Hard to Get Up

On the Girltalk blog, women are invited to join the 5am Club... dedicated to rolling out of bed early enough to have a regular time with God.

Responding to a new "club member," here is their helpful word about fighting laziness:

Just because rising early (or fasting) is hard, doesn’t mean we can’t do it or that it isn’t worth it. J. Alec Motyer explains in his comments on Philippians. 1:9-11 Read it carefully. Then read it again:

And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“Our obedience, discipline and hard graft are not insignificant or optional. On the contrary, they are the God-intended context for growth. But something else energizes the growth till the fruit is ready for harvest: all is done through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (verse 11)….In this setting the daily task of obedience remains hard, but not fruitless. We are often neglectful, frequently failing, ever inadequate; yet the end is secure, for God is at work.”

See the whole post.

When Trouble Comes

Some further notes from Paul Tripp’s talk at our church on Wednesday…

Look at Hebrews 11:17-19:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

It makes no sense to us. It seems to be lunacy, absolute folly even to consider the command to offer up that one miracle son that God had promised and then finally given.

But it says, “when he was tested.” There is no extricating God from this mess—He is the one who is actually testing Abraham. This is no sadistic “pop quiz” kind of test like you have in junior high. Here God is refining, tempering, doing something good in him.

I am yet in need of refinement, so grace will take forms of violence and pain as God works to bring my heart closer and closer to Him. God will take you where you haven’t intended to go … to produce in you that which you could not produce on your own. This is uncomfortable grace.

The psalmist says, “May the bones You have broken rejoice.” In order to purify your heart, God will break your bones. Relief and release are ultimately coming, but right now what I most desperately need is refinement. I am tempted to be satisfied right where I am … but God won’t leave me there.

Many times we cry, Where is the grace of God? And we’re getting it. Loving arms of redemption wrapped around us when we could never deserve it. We are so content with where we are; we’re so arrogant. We’re so good at swindling ourselves out of a deeper and sweeter life. I have a perverse ability to feel okay about things in my life that I should not feel okay about. God wants you to have nothing but Him because He is your only hope.

If I were “on the joystick,” I would choose not to go through difficult times. Yet when they come, we meet God in ways we would not have done otherwise.

Looking at Abraham’s example, here are three things to embrace when the difficult comes:

1. God’s promises (Hebrews 11:18). Abraham did believe God would be faithful to His promise. Do you rest in God’s promises? Do you see them as reliable in every circumstance? The words in Hebrew in the Genesis account where Abraham builds the altar (on which he will offer his son) indicate a man at rest—he is working neatly and in order. Abraham’s rest in the promises of God is visible even in how he constructs the altar he did not understand.

2. God’s power (Hebrews 11:19). Abraham considered God strong enough even to raise Isaac from the dead, if that’s what He chose. Do you believe the remarkable, creative, sovereign power of God? Remember the story of David and Goliath. The Israelites looked at the equation Little Us vs. Big Giants and trembled. But David looked at the equation as Little Giant vs. Huge God and did not fear.

3. God’s faithfulness. Abraham was convinced that God would not turn from His purpose. In that moment of crisis is not where faith quits—it’s where faith lives. Our hope is not in a system of redemption but in a great Redeemer. And because of His kindness to us in Jesus, this moment, albeit painful, is grace. I know it because His face toward me is grace. Let my heart cry, “Give me the grace to receive this as grace … and be glad.” We can’t work up faith; it’s a gift.

Lord, let me truly sing, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Uncomfortable Grace

Paul Tripp spoke at our Wednesday evening service last night. There was a lot worth hearing, but here is one of my favorite quotes:

"God will take you where you haven't intended to go ... to produce in you that which you could not produce on your own. This is uncomfortable grace."

I hope to write more thoughts from the talk later.

Debtors

From one of my favorite devotionals:

February 3 Morning & Evening, Charles Spurgeon

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors." — Romans 8:12

As God's creatures, we are all debtors to Him: to obey Him with all our body, and soul, and strength. Having broken His commandments, as we all have, we are debtors to His justice, and we owe to Him a vast amount which we are not able to pay. But of the Christian it can be said that he does not owe God's justice anything, for Christ has paid the debt His people owed; for this reason the believer owes the more to love. I am a debtor to God's grace and forgiving mercy; but I am no debtor to His justice, for He will never accuse me of a debt already paid. Christ said, "It is finished!" and by that He meant, that whatever His people owed was wiped away for ever from the book of remembrance. Christ, to the uttermost, has satisfied divine justice; the account is settled; the handwriting is nailed to the cross; the receipt is given, and we are debtors to God's justice no longer. But then, because we are not debtors to our Lord in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise. Christian, pause and ponder for a moment. What a debtor thou art to divine sovereignty! How much thou owest to His disinterested love, for He gave His own Son that He might die for thee. Consider how much you owe to His forgiving grace, that after ten thousand affronts He loves you as infinitely as ever. Consider what you owe to His power; how He has raised you from your death in sin; how He has preserved your spiritual life; how He has kept you from falling; and how, though a thousand enemies have beset your path, you have been able to hold on your way. Consider what you owe to His immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once. Thou art as deep in debt as thou canst be to every attribute of God. To God thou owest thyself, and all thou hast—yield thyself as a living sacrifice, it is but thy reasonable service.

See each day's Morning & Evening here.

Brain Cancer, Haiti, and God

Matt Chandler is a pastor with brain cancer.
Associated Press Article on Matt Chandler

Haiti has been devastated ... and is perhaps only entering the worst of the horrors.
The Church in Haiti

These are two blog posts I read today that re-adjusted my perspective, made my heart heavy, and made me look up, to the only One big enough to help.



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