The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God

by | Apr 26, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

Hearing God’s Voice

“I love your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night you are close like no other
I’ve known you as a Father
I’ve known you as a Friend
And i have lived in the goodness of God, yeah”

Goodness of God, Bethel

“27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27, NIV

How do we learn to hear the voice of the Lord? 

The Good Shepherd cares for His flock – loves His sheep. The sheep trust Him and know His voice just as He knows them.

The Good Father cares for His children – loves them. His children trust Him and know His voice just as He knows them.

Our relationship with Jesus will determine the degree to which we hear and recognize the Voice of the Lord.

Samuel was sleeping in the temple when he hears the Lord call his name. Because there was no relationship yet he could not recognize the voice for what it was and goes to Eli instead.

God is always speaking. He never stops. 

We just need to get tuned in – like those old ‘rabbit-ear’ antennas we had growing up. They would ‘hear’ the signal and convert it into a vision on our TV screens. Sometimes it would take a little bit of effort – tuning your set, adjusting the position of the antenna, maybe even moving around the living room until you could see and hear clearly.

We need to get tuned in to God. We need to learn to hear, recognize, trust and love His voice.

Relationship helps us distinguish between the voice of our Father and the multitude of other voices around us.

Through daily prayer and meditation we get to know the Voice of God.

We learn to recognize His voice by spending time with Him.

I am reminded of Elijah. At one point he finds himself in a cave, hiding from the forces of King Ahab and Jezebel, despairing even unto death.

In 1 Kings 19 we read about how God spoke to Elijah – the Presence of the Lord came by in the form of a mighty rushing wind, an earthquake and even a fire – but the heart of God for Elijah was communicated in a soft and gentle whisper.

And in this whisper we find direction – in this intimate communication from God.

It is time that we draw near to God – near enough to hear the gentle whisper of God. Near enough to hear His heartbeat for us.

Too often we are waiting for the mighty rushing wind and the earthquake – an encounter full of goosebumps and sensation – but God is speaking to you in a much deeper way.

It is in the stillness of the secret place that we will hear Him much clearer.

Elijah tells God: “I have been very zealous for You.” (1 Kings 19:10,14)

“I have been burning with love for You…” 

And there is no indication in his words that he had ever stopped loving God. 

Take 15 minutes and retreat from your surroundings – your situation, your circumstances. Pour out your love for the Lord.

Another thing that Elijah does is bring his fear, insecurity and brokenness to God.

Take 15 minutes out of your day. Pour out your need for His love and mercy. Pour out your love like precious perfume. And then…

Wait… 

And hear what God wants to tell you today. Respond to this whisper with obedience. Act on what God is impressing upon your heart. Let His answer flood your heart and see how He fills your life with His presence.

Prayer: Lord, anoint the ears of my heart that I might hear Your sweet and gentle voice. Open the ears of my heart so that I might hear the whispers of Your love, mercy and grace. Fill me with Your presence. Saturate me with Your peace. I love You Lord. Help me seek You and see You more clearly. Draw me closer. Pull me deeper. And when You speak, Lord, in whichever way You deem fit – give me the wisdom to act and obey so that I might see Your Kingdom come in my life and the lives of those around me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

Come Emmanuel

Come Emmanuel

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, John Mason Neale

“Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55:6-7:, NKJV

In this present dispensation of grace it is often easy for us to lose sight of the heart and will of God.

The message often proclaimed from the pulpits of seeker-friendly churches is this: “Jesus loves you just as you are. Don’t be religious church. Grace is what saves us!”

This is only a half truth.

Jesus loves you – but He loves you so much that He offers you the chance to change. A chance for a better life.

The grace of God – the love of God, undeserved – goes hand in hand with the mercy of God: God refraining from pouring out the wrath that we DO deserve.

Shall we then cheapen this great gift of grace by staying as we are?

It seems to me that the modern believer wants the benefits of the Kingdom – deliverance, freedom, healing, peace, prosperity – but what we really need is the Rule and Reign of God.

The love of God is free and without restriction – but relationships have boundaries. Covenants, like contracts, have conditions and clauses.

We are saved by grace, but this love of God poured out is only the beginning.

Jesus came preaching repentance.

This call for repentance is a call to action. Yes, we are saved through faith by grace – but grace without works is dead.

Much of the Psalms and the Prophets is a heartfelt cry for repentance and salvation – and not just individual repentance and restoration – but that of the nation. For us as Christians, having strongholds of the faith around the world, the call is not for the individual nor the nation – but for the nations! The whole world.

Crying out on behalf of the world, come, o come, Emmanuel!

It is time for Christian brothers and sisters to heed this call to action and take up the work of prayer and evangelism.

The church, as a Body and as a movement – as an institution – has failed. We have strayed from the Truth. We have become seeker friendly rather than seeking the lost.

Brothers! Sisters! Let us take up the work of prayer – taking no rest and giving God no rest. Let us pray until we see the light of His salvation breaking through!

Let us endure for our loved ones. Let us endure upon our knees.

And as we pray, let us do so with the knowledge that He inclines His ear to us. He hears us.

Let us pray and seek the Lord while He might be found and urge others to do the same.

Let us pray for and with our loved ones at every opportunity that presents itself.

Let us pray also for ourselves – the Body – that we may be faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. That He might give us the strength to resist scandal and controversy, to avoid falling into the temptation of false doctrine, and that we might incline our ears to His Holy Spirit working in our lives, through our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Let us, as the Body and as the Bride cry out to our Beloved: Come, o come, Emmanuel!

Let us pray for His Rule and Reign to be established in our churches, in our schools and in our governments yet again – that He might impart to us His righteousness, as He did at Mount Sinai. Let our prayer be for His Dominion, His Authority and His Kingdom to come in our lives. For His face to shine upon us – so that He might have preeminence – the highest praise and the highest place in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, as I take up the work of prayer, give me the words to pray for my loved ones, for my community and for my country. Wherever I might be, Lord, let me be a stronghold of the Faith. Guide me in my quiet time, equip in my solitude so that I might be a faithful witness of Your Kingdom come. Come, o come, Emmanuel – come and establish Your throne in our midst – and let us see revival, reformation and restoration in our lives and the lives of those around us. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Hosanna: Come Save!

Hosanna: Come Save!

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees”

Hosanna, Hillsong

“14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.“

2 Chronicles 7:14: NKJV

When Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowds went ahead of Him shouting: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna is used for the first time in Matthew 21:9: and is derived from a Hebrew phrase: Hoshiya Na – which is a desperate and heartfelt cry for help – “please, save!”

In the Triumphal Entry of Jesus, coming into Jerusalem, the crowds cry out: “Hosanna, come save!”

A few days later they are condemning Him to the Cross.

In our modern Christianity we have very often forgotten the meaning and significance of not just specific phrases and passages of scripture, but even the meaning and significance of certain individual words in their original context.

Hosanna is a prayer, in the tradition of many of the Psalms, a plea for salvation.

Our modern interpretation of the word is more a shout of joy and excitement – instead of being a call for salvation it is a rejoicing in the coming of salvation. Instead of “come, salvation”, we cry “salvation has come!”

But are we perhaps losing something in the process?

In this fastfood, instant gratification culture that we live in, faced with the ills and evils of a society calling for the ‘death of God’ it seems that we can learn a thing or two from the original context.

Yes, we who have Christ have much to rejoice about – certainly it is right for us to cry out “hosanna, salvation has come’ – but I turn again to the great revivalist Jonathan Edwards and his sermon “On the Preciousness of Time”:

“Christians should not only study to improve the opportunities they enjoy, for their own advantage, as those who would make a good bargain; but also labor to reclaim others from their evil courses…”

How then shall our labour look?

In the second book of Chronicles we see a heartfelt prayer – a plea for the salvation and habitation of God – as Solomon dedicated the Temple to God.

God answers in the next chapter:

”13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-16: NIV)

We as the church find ourselves in a place of dryness. There is a very real drought.

Yes, in some pockets of the world we have seen what looks like revival, but in many of these cases it is not an outpouring of restoration, but rather a cistern of emotion breaking open and we find that it is short lived and evanescent in nature.

Real revival can only be birthed from the womb of prayer.

Our music – filled with jubilant shouts of salvation has come – will not turn the world around. We have been singing this happy hosanna for decades now and yet we see only the most shallow change.

Eloquent preaching, although moving, can only move us to a point – but what do we do when we find it is not enough? Many fall away from the faith because of pretty promises based on bad theology, or even worse, when the preacher falls the parish falls with him…

We rejoice in our salvation – but it is as Edwards implies – a little flock focused on improving the opportunities they enjoy. We sing the happy hosanna but forget the other side of the coin.

There is a dying world. And if their burden is not our burden we are doing something wrong.

It is not enough for me to seek my healing and forget the world. I need to get up and seek my Father’s Heart and Will – I need to get up and seek the restoration of His people.

And what does that look like? Big churches built with silver and gold? Seeker-friendly worship? Program upon program to attract and entertain? No!

The restoration of our communities is found on our knees. It is found in the taking up of arms – the weapons of our warfare, prayer and intercession – as we take hands and pray, giving God no rest as we take no rest in seeking Him!

As we cry, restore us oh Lord! As our heart breaks for what breaks His heart! As we cry out, Hosanna, come and save!

If we do this, if we will humble ourselves and pray, we will see God move in our midst again.

Prayer: Oh Lord, let me answer this call to arms, this call to take up the station of intercession, with a yielded and unrelenting ‘yes’. Move me Lord, through the unction of Your Spirit, to pray for revival. To pray for my community. To pray for my friends, my colleagues, my loved ones – and even those who I don’t get along with. Give me eyes to see what You see. Give me eyes to see deeper so that I might grow in my discernment and know what to pray. Lead me deeper Lord in Your Word. Teach me how to wage war like You taught David. Put Your Word in my mouth as I pray for real revival to come again. Not a flame that flickers faintly before dying out, but a raging forest fire – uncontained, unrestrained and burning up our enemies of doubt, fear and unbelief. In Jesus Name. Amen.

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.’

In Christ Alone, Stuart Townsend

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:5-8:

Oh, the gift of love and righteousness in Christ.

I remember when I was a child – eight or nine years old – and at night I would pray for two things. Every night I would pray that my parents would live forever and that I would grow up to be a millionaire.

Earnestly I prayed – and diligently – night after night.

But those were the prayers of a child.

And for many of us these are also the kind of prayers we tend to pray when we first come to Christ.

Prayers influenced more by our carnality than anything else – our fears and our insecurities drive our earliest prayers as we seek to just ‘fill the need’ – but this should change over time.

The more we set our eyes on Jesus and grow in our understanding of Him the more things like money and immortality start to lose their value.

When we start to see Jesus for who He is we realize that there is nothing that compares to Him. No amount of money, no amount of success, esteem or anything else that we could try and fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts with will ever be enough.

All these things are meaningless. I am grateful to have learned this lesson early in my life – for there are many who chase the things of this world well into old age. There are many who are old and frail but still praying the prayers of a child… And not childlike prayers of faith, but childish prayers based in fear, insecurity and self-seeking.

I don’t need to be a millionaire – there are things that are way more important than wealth.

I understand now that this life is just a passing thing – and that we will indeed live forever – if we are in Christ!

When we start seeing Jesus for who He is we will find ourselves gravitating towards prayer and worship – not to ask from but to give unto the Lord – our love, our praise and our adoration!

Having been a drug addict, having survived the life associated with it – guns and overdoses, incarceration and insanity – I know that I have much to be grateful for. Nothing compares to knowing Jesus.

And we all had a rock bottom from which Christ had to stoop down and save us…

Oh the Love of Jesus poured out upon that lonely cross for me!

How can we not love Him!

John Calvin said the following: Whoever is not satisfied with Christ alone, strives after something beyond absolute perfection.

Christ is the All-Sufficient One!

In Him we have the hope of heaven. The realization that all of our troubles and all our trials only persist for a little while before giving way to glory.

In Him our every need is satisfied. If we walk in His will for our lives – in faith and obedience – we will never be disappointed.

Prayer: Lord, today I thank you for pulling me out of the miry clay of my past. You are my foundation, my cornerstone – my hope, my refuge, my now and forever. Help me Lord to grow in my understanding of You, so that my prayers can be childlike rather than childish. Oh Lord, if I have one request today let it be for more of You in my life. Always more of You. Open the eyes of my heart and help me see You rightly, as You are – let everything in my life give way to Your glory. I give You the highest place in my life today Lord. Be enthroned in every situation, in all of my circumstances. Let me be hidden in the Rock of my Salvation – tucked away safely in Your embrace.. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Here Comes The Glory

Here Comes The Glory

by | Apr 24, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Heaven is here right now
Heaven is here right now
What we long to see
Is happening happening
Here right now
Heaven is here
Here comes Heaven”

Here Comes The Glory, David and Nicole Binion

“Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.”

Psalm 144:5

When Jesus started His ministry He went from place to place declaring: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

It is easy for us to listen to this – as I did for a very long time – and think that Jesus was talking about a coming time where the Kingdom would be established on Earth… But the nearness described here is not temporal but rather spatial: “The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now, in your midst!”

The Psalms and the Prophets are filled with the desire of the people to SEE God – to see His Kingdom come.

Even the disciples ask Him in Acts 1:6 when it is that He will restore the kingdom (the basileia – dominion, authority and sovereignty) to Israel.

The Kingdom here refers to the sovereign theocratic rule of God that was originally established at Mt. Sinai.

Psalm 144:5: echoes this desire specifically when the psalmist asks God to bow the Heavens and set the mountains on fire. We read in Exodus 19 that after coming out of Egypt Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain to meet with God. It says in verse 18 that Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire.

It is here that God first institutes His theocratic government through His covenant with Moses and the Israelites.

David writes: “Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.” (Psalm 144:7-8:)

The disciples ask: Lord, when will You restore the Kingdom to Israel?

At this time Israel is drowning in the mighty waters of the Roman Empire – being ruled over by foreigners and corrupt officials.

Jesus’ answer is probably not very satisfying: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

What Jesus is saying might not be what they were looking for – but it is what we all need: He wasn’t about to restore the kingdom to Israel – but was here to establish His Kingdom in their hearts and the heart of every believer to come.

We as the church cry out: Lord, when will You restore Your Kingdom?

We are drowning in the mighty waters of a sick and corrupted world with its political and moral philosophies running so contrary to the Word of God…

At Sinai God calls the Israelites – through faith and obedience – to be His treasured possession. A Kingdom of priests – a nation holy unto God.

When we open up our minds and hearts and allow God to step in and flood our lives, what we long to see starts happening – He transforms us. As His Kingdom comes in our lives it starts pouring out through us and we see His Kingdom come in the lives of those around us.

We see revival starting and this revival leads to awakening in society and a holy nation and royal priesthood is raised up – but it all starts with us today saying: Lord, come establish Your Kingdom in our hearts – come establish Your Kingdom in my life so that I may be Your witness in my Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the Earth.

It starts with us, today, resolving to pray – as individuals and together – like the disciples gathered in the upper room! It starts with us looking to and waiting on the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, today I open up my heart and ask You to flood my life. Come in and take over. Help me, through Your Spirit, live a life of faith and obedience. In doing so, my God, I pray that I will make a difference in the lives of those around me. Let Your Kingdom come in me, through me, and around me – let Your will be done. Come rule and reign in my life. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.