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Don’t Forget

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 77
Focus: Psalm 77:9-10

“Has God forgotten to be merciful? Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

Periodically in the Pacific Northwest, we are blessed with absolute gorgeous days! The sun is shining, the flowers are in full bloom, the green, lush foliage on the trees is back after a long, grey winter, the glimmering snowcapped peaks provide the most breathtaking backdrop to this incredible Divine canvas you will find anywhere in the world! The sheer beauty literally renews you—body, mind and spirit!

If you live in this part of the world, you need days like that. You see, we can begin to think winter will never end. But it always does. Seasons come and go—I’m as right as rain on that one (okay, bad bromide—but I’m a northwesterner, I can’t help myself).

Likewise, the seasons of life come and go. Winters of discontent and disappointment don’t last forever, but when we are in the middle of them, we might think there will never be an end. The psalmist started off his song thinking this way. Then he did something you and I need to do every once in a while—maybe even a lot: Recall the goodness of God and recount the many blessings of being his child. Believe me, if you will remember not to forget how good God is and how he has unconditionally blessed you, it will be just like that sunny Spring day to release hope and renew joy in your soul once again.

Here is your assignment: Make your appeal to the track record (“the years”) of grace (“the right hand of God”) and record them in your journal or put them on a piece of paper and keep them where you can regularly review them. Do what the old Gospel song suggests:

Count your blessings; name them one by one.
Count your many blessings see what God has done!

What are those blessings? How about starting with the big one—salvation! No matter what happens here and now, I will be saved, secure, productive, joyful and significant for all eternity—and none of it I deserve. How about the fact that I was born in a land of opportunity! If you’ve travelled at all around the world, you will begin to appreciate how much you have—even the little things. How about the fellowship of believers in your life! How about your health! How about that you have eyes to read this page, or a mind that can reflect on God’s goodness! How about that you have another day of life and breath!

If you are slogging through a winter of discontent, let me challenge you to take on this assignment. See if what I’m suggesting doesn’t help! What do you have to lose? Try it, and let me know what happens.

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“To bless God for mercies is the way to increase them; to bless Him for miseries is the way to remove them.” (William Dyer)

 

Making Life Work: Literally, count your blessings, name them one by one. Write them on  piece paper. Once you get to twenty-five, I guarantee, you’re going to feel a whole lot better.

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Righteous Wrath

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 76
Focus: Psalm 76:10

Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

Ask most people and they will tell you they prefer a God of love, not wrath. They like the Jesus who is “full of grace,” but they are not so sure about the Christ whose grace is perfectly balanced with “truth.” People get very uncomfortable with a Deity who actually punishes sin, preferring a world where “all dogs go to heaven,” as do all people. All of which would render judgment, punishment and hell entirely irrelevant.

Yet throughout the Bible we find in the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—a capacity for righteous wrath: Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire, moneychangers are given the bum’s rush right out of the temple, greedy Ananias and Sapphira drop dead in church, and at the proper time, the living and the dead will face the final judgment. Though perfectly loving, resplendent with grace, unequaled in patience, a place of safety for his children, God is also a bit dangerous because he is organically just.

“Behold then the kindness and severity of God.” (Romans 11:22, NASB)

I prefer a God like that. I don’t won’t the syrupy, doting eternal Santa Claus who does nothing but dispense goodies to one and all—even the bad ones. I want a God who is fair and true and just…and dangerous.

However, what I prefer, what anyone prefers, matters little. Like it or not, the kind of God we get is a God of love—and of justice! Likewise, the kind of Savior we get wasn’t the sugary sweet version so many in our culture have made him to be—a sanitized, tame, Mr. Rogers version of Christ. Dorothy Sayers was right,

“To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies…To those who knew him, however, he in no way suggests a milk-and-water person; they objected to him as a dangerous firebrand.”

But the Bible is quite clear: Jesus is no pussycat—he is the Lion of Judah, and one day, as II Timothy 4:1 says, “Jesus Christ [will] judge the living and the dead.” And on that day, all of heaven will thunder, “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One…Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” (Revelation 16: 5,7)

All of creation, including you and I, will be utterly amazed at the justice and fairness of God’s judgment, and we will stand in solidarity and declare in unison, “That’s exactly right—true and just are your judgments!”

Justice will finally be served by the only One who can be trusted to judge in righteousness and fairness. What a relief!

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“When the author walks on the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right…something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise…it will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up.” (C.S. Lewis)

 

Making Life Work: Romans 2:4 says, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” Think about God’s kindness in your life. One of the appropriate responses to that kindness is to humble yourself in repentance before your loving Father.

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God Rules—Live With It!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 75
Focus: Psalm 75:6-7

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

It is God who brings one down and exalts another! That is certainly a timely reminder, wouldn’t you say! It is neither the Democratic or the Republican National Committees that get their candidates elected; it is not how well organized the parties are at the grassroots level; it is not the hundreds of millions of dollars that we now spend to “buy” elections—although those factors certainly play into the outcome. But at the end of the day, it is what God permits that determines who will rise and who will fall.

The truth is, we see only a little slice of history. From our perspective, leaders get elected because the country was desperately needing change, or we were in a war and we needed a wartime leader in the Oval Office, or whatever other scenario we used to describe our current context. But God lives outside of time and above circumstances, and he is moving human history to a foreordained conclusion that goes well beyond our little slice in time. Daniel 2:20-21 reminds us,

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

If we could truly absorb that truth and embrace it as a guiding principle for our everyday lives, what difference would it make in how we approach life? I think we would live with a lot less anxiety about the current global climate. I think we would be a great deal less upset about our current leaders, or a lot less dependent on them to solve our every problem. I think we would be a lot less worried about whether we would have a job, or good health, or a happy family when the sun comes up tomorrow. In fact, we would not lose any sleep at all about the sun coming up tomorrow or not.

Now I’m not claiming that we should adopt a do-nothing, careless approach to life. Of course not—that would make us unworthy servants (see Matthew 25:24-30) of a Master who expects us to do our best with what we have been given (Colossians 3:23-24). But remembering that God rules over all, big and small, that God controls all, big and small, that God uses all the events of this world, big and small, to bring about his perfect plan, this is what helps me to live out my life in a much more purposeful, peaceful and productive way.

Yes, God rules—live with it!

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“There is a God in heaven who over-rules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul.”(David Brainerd)

 

Making Life Work: God rules—live with it! So offer up a prayer of gratitude right now to the One who rules over your life!

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God, Where Are You?

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 74
Focus: Psalm 74:9

We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.

“God, it seems like you’ve left me high and dry!” That is the essence of this psalm. Have you ever talked to God like the writer of Psalm 74 did? I have! I am not talking about being disrespectful, but I am talking about being desperate.

There have been times of desperation in my life—when a loved one far too young to die was on her death-bed, when a conflict arose that seemed to have no resolution, when a financial need was staring me in the eyes and I had absolutely no answer for it; when an attack came from out of nowhere that just sucked the life out of me—and to be frank, I felt all alone. God was nowhere to be found from the human perspective, overrun with fear, anxiety and hopelessness, through which I was viewing all of life.

You have had those moments, too. And if we dared to be brutally honest with God, we said something to the effect, “God, where are you? You are really letting me down on this one!” Or worse!

Well, if you are having second thoughts about your unfiltered prayer to God, don’t fret.  Jesus had a moment like that, too: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Perhaps your desperate cry to God has been more general—like the one in this particular verse. Your holy discontent has led you to prayerfully complain to God that he never seems to show up in his power and glory, with signs, wonders and miracles, like he did in days of old—and there seems to be no indication that he will anytime soon. You are desperate for God, but he doesn’t seem desperate for you.

The writer of this psalm most likely penned this prayerful lament after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The Jews were deported to Babylon, the Holy Land had been overrun and defiled by pagans, and God’s people were in a bad way—with no end in sight. Worst of all, God was silent—he wasn’t acting (“no miracles”), he wasn’t talking (“no prophets”) and there was no game plan except for more of the same (“we don’t know how long this will be”).

So the psalmist poured out his complaint—which is always a good thing. And even though it wasn’t in this psalm, God did give his people some profound advice (I guess his advice is always profound since, after all, he is God) through a prophet that served around the same time as the palmist. His words are recorded in Jeremiah 29:1-23. I hope you will take the time to read them.

Of course, this passage contains the verse that everyone loves: Jeremiah 29:11—I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and give you a hope and a future. But read the context. God is, in essence, saying to them, “this difficult time is going to take a while—and yes, I will see you through it—but in the meantime, bloom where I’ve planted you. Even though you don’t hear me or see me, I am still at work. I’m doing my part, so you do your part by staying faithful and useful to me.”

Here’s the deal: The best part of our walk with God is not what he does for us, as glorious as that may be; it is what he does in us! Faith, humility, trust, dependance—all the qualities of Christ-likeness—are best forged in the crucible of adversity. That is what God has done to and for all the greats—Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Job, Daniel, Paul… Why should you be any different? Out of the fire of advesity comes the tempered treasures of righteousness.

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“God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.” (C.S. Lewis)

 

Making Life Work: Frustrating times may last for a long time, but faithful people will endure forever. Restate your unequivocal trust in God. Tell the Lord, that no matter what, you will be faithful to him.

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A Moment Of Clarity

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 73
Focus: Psalm 73:2-3,17

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Haven’t we all had those moments when we’ve envied the prosperity of the wicked? We see the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous—the luxury cars they drive, the jewelry they wear, the vacations they take, the enormous homes they own—complete with walk-in closets the size of the average living room—a gaggle of sycophants who tend to their every need, hang on their every word, and stroke their bloated ego.

And what did they do to come by such prosperity? Certainly nothing worthy of eternal accolades! For that matter, they did nothing to add any real lasting value to this world either except to look cool, rap out a few trashy lyrics, catch some air on a half pipe, shoot the ball through a hoop, or perhaps appear on one of the thousands of reality shows on TV these days and get famous for being famous. It’s not like they discovered a cure for cancer or solved world hunger or even made life better for even just one of the billions of people on this planet who could really use a helping hand.

So that’s my rant! And my point is, we sometimes look at how people like that live, and we envy. Perhaps we think, “Am I missing something? How come living the righteous life doesn’t bring those kinds of rewards?” After all, shouldn’t doing the right thing, living the holy life, doing our best to honor God have some payoffs here and now?

I’m reminded of the story of Henry C. Morrison, who after serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, became sick and had to return to America. As his ship docked in New York harbor, there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Morrison and he turned to God in anger, “I have come back home after all this time and service to the church and there is no one, not even one person here to welcome me home.”

Then a still small voice came to Morrison and said, “You’re not home yet.”

And neither are you!

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“God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.” (Thomas Aquinas)

 

Making Life Work: Dear friend, don’t get so earth bound. Heaven is your real home, and it’s way beyond any of the ephemeral stuff the rich and famous enjoy for this brief season on earth. Next time you’re tempted to envy, come into the sanctuary—that place of intimacy with God—and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that moment of clarity—and pray for that moment to become a deeply ingrained way of thinking for you.

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Long Live The President!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 72
Focus: Psalm 72:15

Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.

It has been a long time since we’ve had a leader like the one described in this royal psalm. This is a psalm of Solomon, who of course, was King David’s son, and successor to the throne. Under Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel expanded economically, educationally, militarily, culturally and spiritually — “happy days were here again” for God’s people.

Solomon began his reign by declaring his utter dependence on God. You can see it here in this song, which is really a prayer to God declaring the kind of leader he wants to be. He speaks of being divinely endowed with justice and righteousness so that his leadership will be characterized by those same two qualities. (Psalm 72:1-2). He desires the nation to be prosperous and fruitful primarily as a result of his righteous rule. (Psalm 72:3,7) He declares his intentions to look out for the little guy—the needy, poor, oppressed and the innocents. (Psalm 72:4,13-14).

No wonder he thinks his leadership can endure and his influence expand. (Psalm 72:5,8) People will not be crying out for term limits with this leader; he is both an authentic servant of God as well as public servant in the truest sense. His people love him!

Wouldn’t it be great if our presidents began their reign by declaring their utter dependence on God? Wouldn’t it be great if they saw their administration as a conduit to God’s blessing on us? Wouldn’t it be great if they played fair with both the bigwig and the little guy? Wouldn’t it be great if they fundamentally saw themselves as both servant of God and servant of the people?

Who wouldn’t want to follow a leader like that!

But as much as we wish for that kind of leadership in the White House…or in the governor’s mansion…or in the mayor’s office…or in the pulpit, we should be even more intent on praying for those very qualities to be endowed to them from on high. And, of course, we ought to pray that they would have the kind of heart into which God places the stuff of great leadership.

Solomon was wise enough to know that he couldn’t be that kind of leader without the prayers of the people. That is why he includes a prayer request for himself in the song: “May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.” (Psalm 72:15)

Wouldn’t it be great if we began praying and blessing our president like that! Who knows what good it might do him or her. And in the process of praying and blessing the president, it might do us some good, too!

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“The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.”(John Stott)

 

Making Life Work: When was the last time you prayed for your president? And when the next president rolls around, will you commit to praying for him or her too—whether you voted for them or not? You have a choice in the matter of praying for your president. But if you’re a Christ-follower, you actually have an obligation to pray.

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Evaluations—How Fun!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 71
Focus: Psalm 71:7

I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

The New Living Translation renders this verse, “My life has become an example to many.” The New King James says, “I have become a wonder.” Portent, example, wonder—whatever the case, people were talking about the writer of this psalm. He was being evaluated—how fun!

We’re not sure if David wrote this song, or if it was one of his musicians. It is generally believed that the composer was in his old age, and, surprisingly, still facing trials—reminding us that much like weird relatives, they never really go away!

As is always the case, with trials come evaluations. For that matter, evaluations come no matter what, be it trials or triumphs. If you are alive, you are going to get evaluated! And if you are in a position of influence of some kind, just multiply that to the “nth degree.” Again, how fun!

The psalmist was going through a challenge, and people were talking. Some thought his trial was proof that he was under God’s curse, while others saw that was God caring for him even in his trial. Now if I were to venture a guess, more people were amazed that God’s loving care had yet again sustained him than those who were putting a negative spin on it. Yet the psalmist was more focused on his naysayers than his encouragers. (Psalm 71:4,10-11,13,24) He was just doing what we human beings shouldn’t do, but do anyway: Giving undue weight to the critic.

But he also did something right—something you and I need to practice when we’re under the bright lights of another’s evaluation: Put our hope in God. (Psalm 71:5,14) Whether the critics are dead on, or dead wrong, or perhaps even both (as they say, even a broken clock gets it right twice a day), leaning on God to see us through (Psalm 71:12), and even cover our goofs with his grace (Psalm 71:20) is the only good way to go through challenging times and blunt the criticism of our evaluator.

Crisis, or not; critics, or not—put your hope in God!

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“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.”(The Apostle Paul, I Corinthians 4:2-4)

 

Making Life Work: Yes, you will be evaluated in life—how fun! Until the day you die, you will be evaluated—and even after you die. So what! Put your hope in God—after all, that’s the only thing that really matters.