(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)
Last week we looked at Psalm 121 and how the Psalms are an excellent resource because they 1) connect with us in our varied emotional states, from weak and desperate to strong and rejoicing, and 2) remind us of who exactly it is that we are praying to – “The Lord, who made heaven and earth.” This week we’ll continue on with our study of Psalm 121 by looking at a few more reasons for why the Psalms are an excellent resource for believers traveling through this life.
He who keeps you…
Six times in this Psalm the Lord is referred to as the believer’s keeper. This is significant in that it takes the reality of verse 2, that the God in whom we trust is God almighty who created all things and it takes it to its natural conclusion in our relationship with him – that this Creator God is actively looking after us. It’s in him, as Paul quoted at the Areopagus in Athens, that “we live and move and have our being.” His sovereignty is not one of distant rule but one of active keeping. W. Robert Godfrey, in his book Learning to Love the Psalms (which I highly recommend!) says this about the keeping nature of God – “This keeping is not passive; it means that the Lord is actively guarding us. The LORD is the guardian of each pilgrim and of all His people. He always stands guard over his own to protect them from every danger.”
We see this truth repeated throughout the Psalms, and especially here in Psalm 121. Verses 3-4, “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Verse 5, “The LORD is your keeper.” Verses 7-8, “The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in.” The Lord’s sovereignty is seen and felt and known in the Psalms and likewise, in our own lives, through his keeping of us - through his care, guidance, and working all things out for our good – whether we see it or not at the time.
He… will neither slumber nor sleep.
There’s something to be said for the incredible faithfulness of God. His faithfulness is not like our own. Compare it to marriage if you will. As husbands and wives, we consider ourselves faithful to one another and to our children. We love one another, care for one another, and desire to protect one another. If someone intruded into our house in the middle of the night – we’d like to think we’d be ready. That we’d be alert and able to protect one another – correct? And yet, we have to sleep. It never fails. No matter how alert you might feel, our human bodies need rest. This doesn’t make us unfaithful in our roles, but it shows our human limitations in our faithfulness. We’ll never be able to care for one another or our families like the Lord. He on the other hand, he “neither slumbers nor sleep(s).”
It is the imagery of a loving God watching over his people, even when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable, on a treacherous journey and exhausted. And here, the Lord promises, he will watch over us as we sleep. And when we move forward the next day he will protect us from both the harsh and penetrating light of the sun that threatens to break us down and weaken us to despair (verses 5-6). Consider the picture of Israel wandering in the wilderness. The Lord was with them, he was near to them, and he led them by fire at night and by a pillar of clouds during the day. The promise here of God’s faithful care is a comprehensive one as we see the extent to which it reaches in verse 7 – “The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” To this Godfrey rightly responds, “Many difficulties confront the Christian Pilgrim throughout life. In all of them, God is our helper.”
From this time forth and forevermore.
Lastly, these Psalms remind us of the continued covenant the Lord has with his people. This covenant has no end. It is eternal. And it is based, not on our own weakness or unfaithfulness but on the very faithfulness of the perfect creator God who looks after us, who keeps us, and continues to promise to us his hope and protection. Perhaps the most beautiful hope offered in the Psalms is the perspective they give us that the care of God is both present (to the very nanosecond in which we live!) and forever. God cares about our “going out and our coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” This means two things: 1) that our present state, whether good or bad, whether strong or weak, whether troubled or hopeful, is not overlooked by our faithful covenant keeping God, and 2) that our future of a better and eternal hope, of life in the new heavens and new earth where “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain anymore,” is ever secured before us by the God who made heaven and earth.
The Psalter is a book for those on this journey called life. It is for those in the valleys and on the mountaintops, who are trudging along, climbing, falling, sprinting, and crawling – but ever moving forward to the celestial city that we know is our true home. Psalm 121 reminds us that on this journey the Lord is faithful and present, that he cares for us and that we are not alone, and that in Christ he will make sure that we complete this journey and make it “home.” The focus of Psalm 121, and of the Psalter as a whole, is on the completed outcome. The journey of life, no matter how rocky or smooth it might be, will be completed. As Godfrey writes, “This help from God is for both now and forever (v. 8). In this life, God is our help in every circumstance. But the promises of God are not for this life only. 'If in this life only, we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied' (1 Cor 15:19). God’s promised help is forever for eternal life. Our spiritual pilgrimage ends only in the new heaven and new earth that God will make.” Brothers and sisters, I know not where your heart or mind finds itself as you read this but know that these promises are for you. No matter the depth or breadth of your spiritual state today, dive into the Psalter and let the Lord minister to you today through his word.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Ministry of the Psalter - Part I
(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)
Over the next two weeks I’ve been given the chance to write for the weekly Touchpoint article. Given my current preaching series from the Psalms, I thought this might be a good opportunity to expound upon my fascination with/ appreciation for, the Psalms. There are a number of benefits to reading the Psalms regularly. Often times they connect with us emotionally in ways other biblical texts don’t, they also remind us of various attributes of God giving us a greater reason to worship and adore him. In all these things the Psalms minister to us in unique and refreshing ways. This article, and the next, will be an attempt to identify and expound upon some of those benefits of regularly reading the Psalms with a case study of one of my most favorite Psalms, Psalm 121. So pick up your bibles, turn to the Psalter, and let’s get going!
From where does my help come?
Psalm 121 has been a Psalm “near and dear” to me for some time now. I remember the first time it stood out to me. It was over a year and a half ago, just a few months after I had herniated two discs in my lower back, and a few months before I would have the surgery that would “fix” the situation. I wasn’t sleeping, I was in a lot of pain, my leg was getting weaker, and I was down and out in more ways than one. My wife, Madison, first shared this Psalm with me. She had read it earlier in the day and had left her bible open to it on the table. I had just painstakingly sat down next to it and probably muttered some frustration or complaint about my malfunctioning body, and then I saw this Psalm. Psalm 121 is a Psalm clearly written by someone who knows the low places in life, yet has found in God their refuge and strength. A Psalm written from a suffering soul, but with such great hope, confidence and boldness.
This Psalm quickly became my anthem during the remaining months leading up to, and after my initial surgery. I read it often, prayed it often, and used it to fix my eyes on the Lord when my heart would begin to wander. It’s recently come back into my life full force with the re-herniation of one of my discs. This time around, thanks to better medication, I’m not in nearly as much pain as I was previously, but my leg is getting significantly weaker. Somehow the Psalmist’s claim in verse 3, “he will not let your foot be moved,” has been a source of reassurance to me that this weak ol’ leg of mine will not overcome me. It’s temporary. Minor in the grand scheme of things. And the Lord is looking after me. He cares for me. Perhaps this wasn’t the Psalmists original intent, but the beauty of the Psalms is that they range from specific in their circumstances, to vague, all of which have the ability to connect with our hearts at various times and in various ways, to show us how believers of times past have worshiped God, both in the midst of celebration and in the pits of desperation. We can see this reality here in Psalm 121, in the Psalmist’s initial glance upward.
He begins with a question. You can almost sense the desperation in it. We’ve all been there. That circumstance or moment where you just don’t know or can’t imagine how you’ll make it through. How you’ll dig yourself out of the hole or get through the pain. Verse 1 – “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come.” Psalm 121, like many other Psalms, brings us into the eyes of the hopeless and helpless to point us to the only true hope we have in this life. Verse 2 – “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and Earth.”
The LORD, who made heaven and earth.
In bringing us into connection with our own frailty through the frailty of the Psalmists, the Psalms also do an excellent job of ministering to us by reminding us of who God is. They remind us of his power, his sovereignty, his creative control over every last inch of his creation. Psalm 121 is no different. In this Psalm the eyes of our heart are lifted up to the God on high, the great I AM, the very creator of heaven and earth. The Psalms, as songs and prayers, remind us of exactly who it is that we are praying to. That is, “The LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
At times such a reminder is necessary. Why? Because we forget exactly who God is. In our weakness we offer up rote and trite prayers. We pray as if we’re talking to a boss or an earthly official – someone that perhaps has some sway over things, some sort of influence, but that’s it. Our prayers can end up lacking faith on multiple levels. On one hand, perhaps we find ourselves praying as if God is weak, as if he’s somehow also resigned to the events already at play in our circumstances. As if he’s unable to truly change the course of things or to offer much help or comfort in our calamity. As if God is simply a good shoulder to lean on, or an ear available to listen to our cries and pleas. On the other hand we can fall into the trap that, while still believing that God is powerful and able to intervene, we end up praying with hearts that doubt his love and care over his creation – especially us.
Yet the Psalmist speaks against both of these weak and false mentalities – to the first he says, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” And to the second he declares the faithfulness of God to his most treasured creation – his image bearers –“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” The Lord who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them never ceases to rest in looking after his creation, especially his people. What a great comfort in our times of need.
Stay tuned for next week as we consider more of the Ministry of the Psalter.
Over the next two weeks I’ve been given the chance to write for the weekly Touchpoint article. Given my current preaching series from the Psalms, I thought this might be a good opportunity to expound upon my fascination with/ appreciation for, the Psalms. There are a number of benefits to reading the Psalms regularly. Often times they connect with us emotionally in ways other biblical texts don’t, they also remind us of various attributes of God giving us a greater reason to worship and adore him. In all these things the Psalms minister to us in unique and refreshing ways. This article, and the next, will be an attempt to identify and expound upon some of those benefits of regularly reading the Psalms with a case study of one of my most favorite Psalms, Psalm 121. So pick up your bibles, turn to the Psalter, and let’s get going!
From where does my help come?
Psalm 121 has been a Psalm “near and dear” to me for some time now. I remember the first time it stood out to me. It was over a year and a half ago, just a few months after I had herniated two discs in my lower back, and a few months before I would have the surgery that would “fix” the situation. I wasn’t sleeping, I was in a lot of pain, my leg was getting weaker, and I was down and out in more ways than one. My wife, Madison, first shared this Psalm with me. She had read it earlier in the day and had left her bible open to it on the table. I had just painstakingly sat down next to it and probably muttered some frustration or complaint about my malfunctioning body, and then I saw this Psalm. Psalm 121 is a Psalm clearly written by someone who knows the low places in life, yet has found in God their refuge and strength. A Psalm written from a suffering soul, but with such great hope, confidence and boldness.
This Psalm quickly became my anthem during the remaining months leading up to, and after my initial surgery. I read it often, prayed it often, and used it to fix my eyes on the Lord when my heart would begin to wander. It’s recently come back into my life full force with the re-herniation of one of my discs. This time around, thanks to better medication, I’m not in nearly as much pain as I was previously, but my leg is getting significantly weaker. Somehow the Psalmist’s claim in verse 3, “he will not let your foot be moved,” has been a source of reassurance to me that this weak ol’ leg of mine will not overcome me. It’s temporary. Minor in the grand scheme of things. And the Lord is looking after me. He cares for me. Perhaps this wasn’t the Psalmists original intent, but the beauty of the Psalms is that they range from specific in their circumstances, to vague, all of which have the ability to connect with our hearts at various times and in various ways, to show us how believers of times past have worshiped God, both in the midst of celebration and in the pits of desperation. We can see this reality here in Psalm 121, in the Psalmist’s initial glance upward.
He begins with a question. You can almost sense the desperation in it. We’ve all been there. That circumstance or moment where you just don’t know or can’t imagine how you’ll make it through. How you’ll dig yourself out of the hole or get through the pain. Verse 1 – “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come.” Psalm 121, like many other Psalms, brings us into the eyes of the hopeless and helpless to point us to the only true hope we have in this life. Verse 2 – “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and Earth.”
The LORD, who made heaven and earth.
In bringing us into connection with our own frailty through the frailty of the Psalmists, the Psalms also do an excellent job of ministering to us by reminding us of who God is. They remind us of his power, his sovereignty, his creative control over every last inch of his creation. Psalm 121 is no different. In this Psalm the eyes of our heart are lifted up to the God on high, the great I AM, the very creator of heaven and earth. The Psalms, as songs and prayers, remind us of exactly who it is that we are praying to. That is, “The LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
At times such a reminder is necessary. Why? Because we forget exactly who God is. In our weakness we offer up rote and trite prayers. We pray as if we’re talking to a boss or an earthly official – someone that perhaps has some sway over things, some sort of influence, but that’s it. Our prayers can end up lacking faith on multiple levels. On one hand, perhaps we find ourselves praying as if God is weak, as if he’s somehow also resigned to the events already at play in our circumstances. As if he’s unable to truly change the course of things or to offer much help or comfort in our calamity. As if God is simply a good shoulder to lean on, or an ear available to listen to our cries and pleas. On the other hand we can fall into the trap that, while still believing that God is powerful and able to intervene, we end up praying with hearts that doubt his love and care over his creation – especially us.
Yet the Psalmist speaks against both of these weak and false mentalities – to the first he says, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” And to the second he declares the faithfulness of God to his most treasured creation – his image bearers –“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” The Lord who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them never ceases to rest in looking after his creation, especially his people. What a great comfort in our times of need.
Stay tuned for next week as we consider more of the Ministry of the Psalter.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Christ - Our Advocate and Surety
(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)
This article is a revision of a previous blog post I wrote while a student at Westminster. It’s been on my mind a bit lately as I’ve considered the essential role that Christ fills as our advocate and surety (more on surety later) and has placed the biography of Dr. Archibald Alexander at the top of my reading list once again. In case you’ve never heard of Alexander, he was the first professor on staff at Princeton Theological Seminary way back in 1812, and, in fact, when Princeton first met, they held classes in his house! But back to the topic at hand.
Christ as our Advocate:
For the longest time I think I would have answered the question of, “How can I know if I’m truly a Christian if sin is still present in my life?” by answering that one could know that they are saved by the fruit evident in their life (1 John). While this is true, and biblical, it’s not complete. And on its own, I think this answer brings more heartache and inner anguish without actually offering the true hope that is found in Christ to the Christian that is wrestling with this question.
In the early pages of his biography of Alexander, James Garretson recorded Alexander’s struggle with the truth of God’s perfect justice and the reality of his own continuing sinfulness. At one point, Alexander sought counsel from a local pastor whoseresponse was very similar to what I said above. The result in Alexander’s heart was this (Alexander’s words quoted by Garretson):
The problem with this line of thinking, apart from Christ, is that it focuses all of our hope on our own ability to be mortified of our own sin and grow in righteousness. It’s easy, at least for me, to see how such a focus could lead Alexander to lose all hope that he had been saved. But, by God’s grace, Alexander’s story didn’t end there. Shortly after the previous account, Alexander found counsel from a Rev. James Mitchell. Mitchell’s response to Alexander’s distraught state was much wiser, and got to the heart of the Gospel. Garretson records Alexander and Mitchell’s conversation as the following;
Yes! That’s it! This last bit is what is so refreshing for me. Why? It rests at the heart of the gospel. Christ is our advocate before the Father. He stands on our behalf. It’s not that I haven’t heard or known of Christ as my advocate, or even found great joy and peace in such truth in the past. Rather, it’s that this truth continues to astound me and bring me hope, joy, and peace on such a greater and deeper level as life goes on. Fellow sinner, if you are feeling the weight that comes with the conviction of sin and you want to know how you could be presented as just before a holy God, know this - That we have an advocate in Christ Jesus who stands before the throne of God on behalf of sinners, not presenting as evidence our own righteousness, but HIS righteousness! What good news!
Christ as our Surety:
All this reminds me of the song, “Arise, My Soul, Arise”, the chorus of which reads like this:
In case you need a definition of surety (I did the first time I heard this song), it is: “A person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfillment of another's debt or obligation and himself becomes liable if the other defaults” or “One who has contracted to be responsible for another, especially one who assumes responsibilities or debts in the event of default.”
In short – God is Holy. I’m a sinner. Christ is my advocate before our Holy God. My righteousness is not my own but Christ’s. My debt is great, yet he has paid it all. “Before the throne my surety stands.”
This article is a revision of a previous blog post I wrote while a student at Westminster. It’s been on my mind a bit lately as I’ve considered the essential role that Christ fills as our advocate and surety (more on surety later) and has placed the biography of Dr. Archibald Alexander at the top of my reading list once again. In case you’ve never heard of Alexander, he was the first professor on staff at Princeton Theological Seminary way back in 1812, and, in fact, when Princeton first met, they held classes in his house! But back to the topic at hand.
Christ as our Advocate:
For the longest time I think I would have answered the question of, “How can I know if I’m truly a Christian if sin is still present in my life?” by answering that one could know that they are saved by the fruit evident in their life (1 John). While this is true, and biblical, it’s not complete. And on its own, I think this answer brings more heartache and inner anguish without actually offering the true hope that is found in Christ to the Christian that is wrestling with this question.
In the early pages of his biography of Alexander, James Garretson recorded Alexander’s struggle with the truth of God’s perfect justice and the reality of his own continuing sinfulness. At one point, Alexander sought counsel from a local pastor whoseresponse was very similar to what I said above. The result in Alexander’s heart was this (Alexander’s words quoted by Garretson):
“From this time I abandoned all persuasion that I had experienced regenerating grace. My desire now was to be brought under such alarming convictions of sin, as I had heard of in the case of others. But that evening, which I spent in the forest, I was greatly distressed on account of my exceeding hardness of heart. I rolled on the ground in anguish of spirit, bewailing my insensibility. The conclusion forced itself upon me that I should certain be lost forever. My mind was calm and thoughts deliberate, and when I came to this result I was nowise agitated, and began to contemplate the justice of God in my condemnation. Yet I felt that I could never entertain any hard thoughts of God, even when suffering under his heavy displeasure.”
The problem with this line of thinking, apart from Christ, is that it focuses all of our hope on our own ability to be mortified of our own sin and grow in righteousness. It’s easy, at least for me, to see how such a focus could lead Alexander to lose all hope that he had been saved. But, by God’s grace, Alexander’s story didn’t end there. Shortly after the previous account, Alexander found counsel from a Rev. James Mitchell. Mitchell’s response to Alexander’s distraught state was much wiser, and got to the heart of the Gospel. Garretson records Alexander and Mitchell’s conversation as the following;
“To this Mr. Mitchell answered, that no certain degree of conviction was prescribed; that the only purpose which conviction could answer was to show us our need of Christ, ‘and this’, added he, ‘you have.’ He then represented Christ as an Advocate before the throne of God, ready to undertake my cause, and able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. A new view opened before me at this moment. I did feel that I needed a Savior, and I knew Christ as an Advocate was able to save me. This mere probability of salvation, after having given up all hope, was like the dawn of morning on a dark night; it was like life from the dead… I was like a man condemned to die, who is unexpectedly informed that there is a friend who can obtain a reprieve.”
Yes! That’s it! This last bit is what is so refreshing for me. Why? It rests at the heart of the gospel. Christ is our advocate before the Father. He stands on our behalf. It’s not that I haven’t heard or known of Christ as my advocate, or even found great joy and peace in such truth in the past. Rather, it’s that this truth continues to astound me and bring me hope, joy, and peace on such a greater and deeper level as life goes on. Fellow sinner, if you are feeling the weight that comes with the conviction of sin and you want to know how you could be presented as just before a holy God, know this - That we have an advocate in Christ Jesus who stands before the throne of God on behalf of sinners, not presenting as evidence our own righteousness, but HIS righteousness! What good news!
Christ as our Surety:
All this reminds me of the song, “Arise, My Soul, Arise”, the chorus of which reads like this:
Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:Before the throne my surety stands,Before the throne my surety stands,My name is written on His hands.
In case you need a definition of surety (I did the first time I heard this song), it is: “A person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfillment of another's debt or obligation and himself becomes liable if the other defaults” or “One who has contracted to be responsible for another, especially one who assumes responsibilities or debts in the event of default.”
In short – God is Holy. I’m a sinner. Christ is my advocate before our Holy God. My righteousness is not my own but Christ’s. My debt is great, yet he has paid it all. “Before the throne my surety stands.”
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The Whole Body of Christ
(Originally posted as "Youth as Members of the Body" at OakHillsPCA.com)
The Church as the Body of Christ
One of the aspects of Paul’s writings that has fascinated me over the last few months is his writing on the body of Christ as being just that, a body. I’m sure this is a concept of Paul’s writing that many of us are familiar with, right? Each one of us is like a body part. Without a hand a body cannot function up to its peak ability. Or with a hand but without the rest of the arm a body simply has a hand attached to a shoulder (assuming the shoulder’s still intact) and that is certainly not the most ideal way to go about living. Paul uses this analogy to talk about the equal importance of each person in the church – so to speak. In his own words from Romans 12:3 – “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” One of the things that has been particularly fascinating to me more recently however is how this idea relates more specifically to our youth and children in the church.
The Church as the Body of Christ
One of the aspects of Paul’s writings that has fascinated me over the last few months is his writing on the body of Christ as being just that, a body. I’m sure this is a concept of Paul’s writing that many of us are familiar with, right? Each one of us is like a body part. Without a hand a body cannot function up to its peak ability. Or with a hand but without the rest of the arm a body simply has a hand attached to a shoulder (assuming the shoulder’s still intact) and that is certainly not the most ideal way to go about living. Paul uses this analogy to talk about the equal importance of each person in the church – so to speak. In his own words from Romans 12:3 – “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” One of the things that has been particularly fascinating to me more recently however is how this idea relates more specifically to our youth and children in the church.
Youth and Children as Members of the Body
One of the things that I have come to love about covenant theology is its biblical reasoning for understanding our children as members of the church. There are a number of exegetical arguments for this but one of the most convincing for me was simply the fact that Paul wrote, not just to adults in the household, but also to the children. In Ephesians chapters 5 and 6 Paul writes to wives and husbands, to parents, to servants and masters, and to CHILDREN. A letter written to the “saints in Ephesus” includes the children as its recipients, much like the Old Testament writings were written to a covenantal community which included children. So, if we believe that our children are members of the body of Christ, then what does it look like for them as they learn their specific roles as physical members of the local body?
One of the things that I have come to love about covenant theology is its biblical reasoning for understanding our children as members of the church. There are a number of exegetical arguments for this but one of the most convincing for me was simply the fact that Paul wrote, not just to adults in the household, but also to the children. In Ephesians chapters 5 and 6 Paul writes to wives and husbands, to parents, to servants and masters, and to CHILDREN. A letter written to the “saints in Ephesus” includes the children as its recipients, much like the Old Testament writings were written to a covenantal community which included children. So, if we believe that our children are members of the body of Christ, then what does it look like for them as they learn their specific roles as physical members of the local body?
“Let no one despise you for your youth.”
Switching it up a bit, these are the words that were most often quoted to me in my “youth” during discussions early on in life. Now, I suspect, these words have either encouraged some of us at some point in time, or even been ruined for us by teachers who have reminded us that Timothy (This verse is taken from Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12), was likely in his early 30’s – so not exactly the “youth” of our youth and children’s ministries today (Sorry if this is news for you - it’s still a great verse!). Still, is this verse irrelevant if misinterpreted? And why am I switching gears all of a sudden to talk about a misinterpreted verse? My answer to the first question is “No,” and to the second questions is, “because I’m getting somewhere, trust me.” Easier said than done, perhaps.
Switching it up a bit, these are the words that were most often quoted to me in my “youth” during discussions early on in life. Now, I suspect, these words have either encouraged some of us at some point in time, or even been ruined for us by teachers who have reminded us that Timothy (This verse is taken from Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12), was likely in his early 30’s – so not exactly the “youth” of our youth and children’s ministries today (Sorry if this is news for you - it’s still a great verse!). Still, is this verse irrelevant if misinterpreted? And why am I switching gears all of a sudden to talk about a misinterpreted verse? My answer to the first question is “No,” and to the second questions is, “because I’m getting somewhere, trust me.” Easier said than done, perhaps.
My point is this – our youth and children should not feel separated or distinct from the rest of the church. Rather, we should do our best to help them to realize, from the youngest age, that they are an integral part of our church. That by their birth into covenantal families, and their baptisms, they become members of the church – and that as members of the church, God has created them to be unique members of our local church – Oak Hills. Sure there is a differing degree of faith that the Lord has given members – Paul is aware of that (Rom. 12:3) – but the leveling of the playing field comes, not by the strength of one’s faith, but in the alien objectivity of the gospel. All men, women, and children are saved by grace through faith. All enter the church the same way, through baptism. And all are nourished by the Spirit through the ministry of the word and the eating and drinking of the body of Christ in the Supper. In Paul’s explanation of the body to the Corinthians he begins with this thought – “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Helping our Young Members Mature
Now, the body analogy does not just level the playing field in the sense that it equalizes everyone in their unique importance in the church. It also ought to motivate us to serve the church in whatever ways God has gifted us. After all, if we are one of two feet in the church, the church needs us to do the things only feet can do, right? Thus, we should look for opportunities to serve as we are able. What does this look like for our youth, and perhaps harder yet, our young children? I think a good chunk of that burden falls on us parents to help our kids to recognize how the Lord has gifted them, as well as to recognize that even simply as children and youth, they are unique from us and thus at times they fulfill a different role in the church than us. Babies often soften hearts in ways adults can’t. Children lift our moods if we learn to enjoy both their maturity and their energy. Youth often help us to rekindle a positive outlook on life when burdensome years have inevitably hardened us to some degree or another.
Now, the body analogy does not just level the playing field in the sense that it equalizes everyone in their unique importance in the church. It also ought to motivate us to serve the church in whatever ways God has gifted us. After all, if we are one of two feet in the church, the church needs us to do the things only feet can do, right? Thus, we should look for opportunities to serve as we are able. What does this look like for our youth, and perhaps harder yet, our young children? I think a good chunk of that burden falls on us parents to help our kids to recognize how the Lord has gifted them, as well as to recognize that even simply as children and youth, they are unique from us and thus at times they fulfill a different role in the church than us. Babies often soften hearts in ways adults can’t. Children lift our moods if we learn to enjoy both their maturity and their energy. Youth often help us to rekindle a positive outlook on life when burdensome years have inevitably hardened us to some degree or another.
Now, I recognize that this article is more descriptive than it is prescriptive. If I could end with two challenges for us as a church body they would be these: First, encourage our children and youth to serve. Look for opportunities where they can tag along as they are able. Maybe it’s a church cleaning or work day (we have one coming up!), or a mission trip, or bringing the sick, new parents, elderly or grieving a meal (and maybe even conversation and prayer if welcomed!), or simply cleaning the church/mowing the lawn on a Saturday to prepare for Sunday morning worship. All of these are great ways to help our children learn to serve the church. Secondly, we ought to model for them selfless service and enjoy them as they serve alongside us. And if you don’t have any children, you aren’t off the hook. After all, we are all a part of this body together. For those of us without kids, we still have the responsibility to help model for them what it looks like to serve the church with gladness and joy in our own unique ways. And, when we rub shoulders with them at a work day or on a mission trip, we ought to enjoy their presence and help – even if sometimes it might mean that the task takes a little bit longer to complete, or it isn’t finished as perfectly as we originally hoped. That time teaching them in their youth to love and to serve Christ and his church, as part of the church themselves, is priceless and worth any bit of inconvenience that might come with it now.
Speech, Conduct, Love, Faith and Purity
I’d like to end with the rest of Paul’s advice to Timothy as I think it has warrant for us today as we consider how we lead our youth and children to love the church. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Let us seek to be the example to our children of what it looks like to honor God and faithfully serve his body as members ourselves in our speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.
I’d like to end with the rest of Paul’s advice to Timothy as I think it has warrant for us today as we consider how we lead our youth and children to love the church. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Let us seek to be the example to our children of what it looks like to honor God and faithfully serve his body as members ourselves in our speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Worship in the Midst of Suffering
(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)
What does it look like to worship God in the midst of suffering or grieving? That’s a hard question to wrestle with and it’s one I’ve found particularly perplexing over the last month. Especially in the first few days after Eden’s death I found myself angry at God or mistrusting of him. It was hard not to be. I’d ask myself, “Why did this happen? Christians all over the US and in many cities around the world were praying for us, why?!” In the hospital before Eden was born I found myself praying constantly for God to stop Madison’s laboring and spare Eden’s life. But after Eden was born, and died, I couldn’t bring myself to pray anything short of a meager, “Lord, help us.”
In the days and weeks to follow I found myself thinking a lot of King David in the Old Testament and how he responded to the loss of his first son with Bathsheba. While his son was alive he prayed and fasted and slept on the hard floor but after his son was born he immediately got up, washed himself and put on clothes, and then went into the house of the Lord to worship. When his servants questioned him for fasting and weeping before his son died and then worshiping afterwards, he responded “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:22). David’s response provided me with hope that I too would see Eden again. But it also perplexed and convicted me. It seemed like an unobtainable goal to end mourning and simply worship God.
David isn’t the only person in scripture that suffered greatly and responded in his affliction by worshiping God. Job is another fascinating example. After hearing the news that all his livelihood had been taken, his servants slaughtered, and his children crushed to death in a collapsed building – Job 1:20 reads “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” What could prompt David and Job to respond by worshiping in the midst of such pain and heartache? I’d like to suggest a few things:
First – worship in the midst of suffering happens when we are able to turn our focus off ourselves and instead look to Christ. It’s worshiping, not just when we “feel” like worshiping him, but also when we feel far from him. By worshiping him in the midst of our suffering we force ourselves to, for a time, stop looking at ourselves and fix our eyes on the one who is faithful and steadfast – never changing in his love for us. This worship is not confined to Sunday mornings per se, although Sunday morning worship is important, but it is also lived out in how we move forward, how we face each day, how we interact with those around us, how we disciple our children in the midst of our pain, etc. Despite our pain and suffering, God is still good and he has still conquered the pains of sin and death once and for all. He has given us hope in our suffering and by turning our eyes toward him in worship instead of focusing on ourselves, such a hope moves to the forefront of our eyes.
Second – worship in the midst of suffering is easier when we are already in the habit of worshiping God. In the first few days after we left the hospital, one of the most helpful (and difficult) things we did was to continue our habit of praying the Lord’s prayer every night with our kids. I remember the first night how Madison and I could hardly speak the lines “your will be done” and “deliver us from evil”. We started praying together as we always did but when we started to say those words our voices cracked. We found ourselves thinking thoughts like – “Did we really want God’s will to be done if it meant our daughter was dead?” and “Could he really protect us from evil?” It was incredibly difficult but so helpful. It forced us to move forward and to continue to trust in the LORD, even when emotionally we didn’t “feel” like we could. And, with every time we prayed the Lord’s prayer, the words began to ring more true with our hearts. We found ourselves once again believing in the steadfast love of God and turning our eyes from our own pain to look to him for hope and comfort. We found ourselves once again truly comforted by the steadfast love of God.
Lastly – worship in the midst of suffering helps us to better understand our need for God. It is one thing to worship God in the midst of seasons of blessing, but to worship him when we are at our lowest is to worship him in the midst of recognizing our own frailty and weakness. Job is a great example of this. In Job 1:21, Job cried out as he fell to his knees to worship God in the midst of his affliction – “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In his pain he realized that everything he had was a gift from God, that he had been blessed with them for a time but now they were gone. And so he turned his eyes upward to the great gift giver and sustainer of life and worshiped him. Not only does such worship help us to better understand our frailty but it also helps us to feel nearer to God despite our frailty. Our worship reminds us that “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. May are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psa. 34:18-19).
So how can we worship God in the midst of our suffering? I suggest that if you are wrestling with this question that you turn to scripture. As I mentioned earlier, we have found a great help in praying the Lord’s prayer regularly. We have also started incorporating Psalm 23 into our nightly prayers. Praying scripture is a great way to reorient your heart and mind towards worshiping God when you don’t feel like it, and it can even help you to express your feelings to God when you find yourself lacking adequate words. At the end of the day, it may never be easy initially to worship God during times of heartache, but as we give ourselves over to worship in the midst of our suffering, we are often able to better find comfort and to trust in the promises of the Lord in ways we never could have imagined previously.
What does it look like to worship God in the midst of suffering or grieving? That’s a hard question to wrestle with and it’s one I’ve found particularly perplexing over the last month. Especially in the first few days after Eden’s death I found myself angry at God or mistrusting of him. It was hard not to be. I’d ask myself, “Why did this happen? Christians all over the US and in many cities around the world were praying for us, why?!” In the hospital before Eden was born I found myself praying constantly for God to stop Madison’s laboring and spare Eden’s life. But after Eden was born, and died, I couldn’t bring myself to pray anything short of a meager, “Lord, help us.”
In the days and weeks to follow I found myself thinking a lot of King David in the Old Testament and how he responded to the loss of his first son with Bathsheba. While his son was alive he prayed and fasted and slept on the hard floor but after his son was born he immediately got up, washed himself and put on clothes, and then went into the house of the Lord to worship. When his servants questioned him for fasting and weeping before his son died and then worshiping afterwards, he responded “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:22). David’s response provided me with hope that I too would see Eden again. But it also perplexed and convicted me. It seemed like an unobtainable goal to end mourning and simply worship God.
David isn’t the only person in scripture that suffered greatly and responded in his affliction by worshiping God. Job is another fascinating example. After hearing the news that all his livelihood had been taken, his servants slaughtered, and his children crushed to death in a collapsed building – Job 1:20 reads “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” What could prompt David and Job to respond by worshiping in the midst of such pain and heartache? I’d like to suggest a few things:
First – worship in the midst of suffering happens when we are able to turn our focus off ourselves and instead look to Christ. It’s worshiping, not just when we “feel” like worshiping him, but also when we feel far from him. By worshiping him in the midst of our suffering we force ourselves to, for a time, stop looking at ourselves and fix our eyes on the one who is faithful and steadfast – never changing in his love for us. This worship is not confined to Sunday mornings per se, although Sunday morning worship is important, but it is also lived out in how we move forward, how we face each day, how we interact with those around us, how we disciple our children in the midst of our pain, etc. Despite our pain and suffering, God is still good and he has still conquered the pains of sin and death once and for all. He has given us hope in our suffering and by turning our eyes toward him in worship instead of focusing on ourselves, such a hope moves to the forefront of our eyes.
Second – worship in the midst of suffering is easier when we are already in the habit of worshiping God. In the first few days after we left the hospital, one of the most helpful (and difficult) things we did was to continue our habit of praying the Lord’s prayer every night with our kids. I remember the first night how Madison and I could hardly speak the lines “your will be done” and “deliver us from evil”. We started praying together as we always did but when we started to say those words our voices cracked. We found ourselves thinking thoughts like – “Did we really want God’s will to be done if it meant our daughter was dead?” and “Could he really protect us from evil?” It was incredibly difficult but so helpful. It forced us to move forward and to continue to trust in the LORD, even when emotionally we didn’t “feel” like we could. And, with every time we prayed the Lord’s prayer, the words began to ring more true with our hearts. We found ourselves once again believing in the steadfast love of God and turning our eyes from our own pain to look to him for hope and comfort. We found ourselves once again truly comforted by the steadfast love of God.
Lastly – worship in the midst of suffering helps us to better understand our need for God. It is one thing to worship God in the midst of seasons of blessing, but to worship him when we are at our lowest is to worship him in the midst of recognizing our own frailty and weakness. Job is a great example of this. In Job 1:21, Job cried out as he fell to his knees to worship God in the midst of his affliction – “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In his pain he realized that everything he had was a gift from God, that he had been blessed with them for a time but now they were gone. And so he turned his eyes upward to the great gift giver and sustainer of life and worshiped him. Not only does such worship help us to better understand our frailty but it also helps us to feel nearer to God despite our frailty. Our worship reminds us that “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. May are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psa. 34:18-19).
So how can we worship God in the midst of our suffering? I suggest that if you are wrestling with this question that you turn to scripture. As I mentioned earlier, we have found a great help in praying the Lord’s prayer regularly. We have also started incorporating Psalm 23 into our nightly prayers. Praying scripture is a great way to reorient your heart and mind towards worshiping God when you don’t feel like it, and it can even help you to express your feelings to God when you find yourself lacking adequate words. At the end of the day, it may never be easy initially to worship God during times of heartache, but as we give ourselves over to worship in the midst of our suffering, we are often able to better find comfort and to trust in the promises of the Lord in ways we never could have imagined previously.
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