How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution: Be Empowered by God

One of the joys of a new year is the hope it generates that our lives can improve or our flaws can be overcome. The power of this hope often results in a New Year’s resolution. While there is disagreement about the usefulness of these resolutions or what makes a good resolution the one thing that we can all agree is we aren’t very good at keeping them. The average New Year’s resolution lasts about 10 days so by the time you read this post you will likely be more than halfway through a typical New Year’s resolution lifetime. So Instead of providing insight on what your New Year resolution should be or if you should have one at all (if you are interested in this topic see Jacob Smith’s post from December 2022), the focus of this post is how to keep a resolution (New Year’s or otherwise) to begin with. Put another way how do we develop a godly resolve to keep our commitments?

 

We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts.

 

First we should see that our conversion itself is a kind of resolution, empowered by God, to follow him. We have been saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and are now slaves to righteousness (Colossians 1:13, Romans 6:15-23). Upon conversion our life is now marked by a commitment to follow the ways of Christ. This commitment comes with great power to obey him. We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts. Instead we must trust that he will provide the power and encouragement to us. Knowing that he has rescued us and that he now empowers us reminds us that we should actively depend on him to keep the “resolves for good” that we have (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12).

 

Our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

 

Another key to keeping a godly commitment is knowing how to respond to failure. Failure of some kind is inevitable with a year long (or life long) commitment, so it is critical that we train ourselves to persevere and overcome them.  Godly resolutions don’t die because we fail to keep a commitment perfectly, they die because we simply quit. Often times our failures are so demoralizing and debilitating that we are tempted to give up our commitments altogether. Because of our sin, we should expect to fail at some point. This fact shouldn’t provide us comfort but rather it should encourage us to prepare ourselves to respond to our failures in a godly way. The prophet Micah is great example and encouragement in this regard. His response to failure is not to run away from God but to acknowledge the results of his sin and put his trust in the same God he has sinned against to “bring him out to the light” (Micah 7:8-9). So even our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic. Paul describes his ministry to the church in Corinth as a work “with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). He goes on to give them many godly commitments that make for good resolutions. There are encouragements to give (2 Corinthians 9:6-15), to reconcile both to God and man (2 Corinthians 5:18), and to not tamper with God’s Word (2 Corinthians 4:2). We should see our godly commitments as a way to increase our joy in Christ, remove our despair, and keep our godly resolve. Our New Year’s resolutions and how we keep them (or not keep them) show us what we put our hope in. As we make these commitments, let us trust in God’s power to fulfill them, fight against our despair, and work toward joy in Christ.

Where is This World Headed?

Within the last week:

  • A former student breaks into a school and murders little children and adults.
  • A former president running to regain the office is indicted.
  • A foreign leader threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

Where is this world headed?

Revelation 13 describes a world in which evil powers rage. A beast rises out of the sea with ten horns, and a crown on each horn (thus indicative of the power of the state). “The whole earth marveled” at the beast (Revelation 13:3), thinking that its power is greater than any other. Indeed, it exercises authority “over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7); many respond by worshiping it. The beast blasphemes God and makes war on any who don’t worship it, on God’s people, conquering them.

A second beast then arises out of the earth, performing miracles such as calling down fire from heaven, deceiving people (thus indicative of the power of false religion). It instructs them to make an image of the first beast – and then gives breath to that image, causing it to speak and even to kill those who don’t worship it. Then people are given a mark identifying them as belonging to these beasts – and only people with this mark can buy or sell.

Consider that world of Revelation 13. There are parallels with at least the trajectory of our world – but that world is far worse!

Where is God in such a setting?

The author of Revelation, John, lets us know in four subtle ways that God is very much in control, even as these evil forces seem all-powerful:

  • In verses 5, 7, and 15, John uses “divine passives” to show God’s sovereign control over these evil forces. In Revelation 13:5, the first beast “was allowed to exercise authority 42 months.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Similarly, in Revelation 13:7, the first beast “was allowed to make war on the saints.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Yet again, in Revelation 13:15 the second beast “was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast.” Was allowed by whom? By God
  • The beasts’ time is limited, according to Revelation 13:5. As Jesus says to those coming to arrest Him, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). But Jesus rose from the dead in just a few days, and that hour ended. Just so, God limits the time that these beasts have power.
  • The beasts come out of the sea and the earth. In Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel “set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land.” God is in control of the origin of both beasts.
  • God’s people are not led astray by the beasts. Yes, they suffer – they are attacked and conquered. But Revelation 13:8 tells us, “All who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.” If their names are in the book of life of the Lamb, they are secure.

Thus Revelation 13:10 tells us, “Here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints.”

The world may appear to be under the control of evil forces – and those forces do indeed have much power. There will be persecution and murders; government authority and religious influence will be used against those following Jesus.

But God is in control. His people are secure. So we must endure, whatever the chaos, whatever the trials, whatever the tragedies – endure in faith, endure in joy, and endure in confidence that, however things may appear, there is One Who reigns. For the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, and then loud voices in heaven will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

He is in control now, and He will return to right all wrongs and to bring in His eternal Kingdom.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

[For more on Revelation 13, see the sermon “Tribulation, Endurance, and Faith,” preached July 3, 2005: text, audio.]

Know You are Loved

See what great love the Father has given us
that we should be called God’s children– and we are!
(1 John 3:1 CSB)

This is the Good News – that the Father loves us. That we are precious to Him. That we are in His intimate family. That His love is essential to His character, and thus will never change.

If you are in Christ Jesus, if you believe in Him as your Savior, your Lord, your Treasure, if you love Christ Jesus – that is the result of the Father’s love for you. “We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19). “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

We must remember His love every day – His love that never changes, His love that never ends, His love that is not dependent on anything we say, on anything we do, on anything we accomplish.

What happens when we forget His love?

  • When criticized, we either are defensive (feeling that if the criticism is correct, we won’t be loved), or are controlled by the critic (trying to win back his love by changing our behavior).
  • When feeling depressed and hopeless, we either plaster a smile on our faces, stifling the feelings, or turn away from God, thinking He has let us down.
  • When someone wrongs us, we either aim to convince the perpetrator of his sin, or pretend we’re ok and live a normal life outwardly while bleeding internally.
  • When gossiped about, we either wonder if we deserve it, or frantically search social media to track the terrible things being said about us and then do whatever we can to get even.
  • When tired, we either gut it out and get more and more tired, or try to create our own rest, getting angry and annoyed with those who interfere.

All these negative responses come from letting our feelings drive us – feelings of hurt, of inferiority, of inadequacy, of exhaustion, of depression. Jesus never says, “Your feelings will set you free.” Instead, He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). The truth that sets us free includes the truth of the Father’s love for us. When we know we are loved – when we know that the Father has declared us righteous, has justified us completely by His grace through faith in Jesus, and thus He accepts us and sees us as His own precious possession – then we are free from the chains that compel us to those negative responses. Confident in His love, we can respond differently:

  • We don’t have to let the face of the criticizer or oppressor dominate our thoughts. We can seek the Father’s loving face – and respond out of that security.
  • We don’t have to pretend everything is fine when hurting. We can cry out, like a little child with her daddy. We can weep and mourn – while holding on to the One Who loves us.
  • We can listen to critics and pray to see what is behind the criticism – yes, what ways we may have failed and need to change by God’s grace, but also what hurts and pains may be motivating the criticism, and thus be able to acknowledge that pain and stand beside the hurting criticizer.
  • We can endure the trials and tribulations of this world, not because tomorrow will be better – it may be worse! – but because nothing can separate us from the Father’s love; He will bring us safely through even the valley of the shadow of death to His heavenly Kingdom, and Jesus will return to reign forever.
  • We can see the troubled Christians around us not as problems to solve, but as others loved by God whom we can help endure in hope until they see Jesus face to face.
  • We can follow our Savior in displaying meekness – which is strength leveraged for the good of another.
  • We can know that when we are wrong or when we sin, we are still loved.

So do you feel hurt? Do you feel despairing? Don’t suppress the feelings – rather, thank God for them. But don’t let those feelings control you. Rather, use the feelings to prompt you to remember the truth of God’s love.

That’s how Jeremiah responded to feelings of despair (read Lamentations 3:17-18 to hear the depth of his feelings). In the midst of horrors far beyond what we have experienced, the prophet says:

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24).

Call to mind the Father’s love. Have that hope. Know that love every morning – every beautiful, peaceful sunrise and every horrible, pain-wracked break of day.

Do you wonder if the Father loves you like this? He does, if you are in Christ. Do you then wonder if you are in Christ? If so, come to Him! The only requirement is that you are weary and heavily burdened! (Matthew 11:28). So repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15).

Friends, in Jesus you are loved. Today. Tomorrow. For all eternity. God is faithful to His character – and thus He is faithful to love us now and forever. Remember that love. Call it to mind. And then bask in that love.

[Beth and I were privileged to take part in the annual Treasuring Christ Together retreat October 19 to 21. I try here to synthesize ideas presented and discussed at the retreat. Several different talks prompted this devotion – including those by Sean Cordell, Lance Parrot, Nathan Knight, Kenny Stokes, and Tim Cain. Anything you think particularly well said probably did not originate with me! Unless noted, Scriptures are ESV.]

 

 

Aging with Grace

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. (Proverbs 16:31)

With both of my parents in their nineties and my father hospitalized for the last month, I have been drawn to Scriptures that speak particularly to those who are aged. Here is a selection to help those of us who have gray hairs today or who eventually will have them.

Examples of the elderly in Scripture:

Many of God’s servants are faithful to the end of their lives – and for some, their key role in biblical history takes place after they are advanced in years. These are great examples for us. Consider the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Samuel, Barzillai (2 Samuel 19), Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna.

Others start well but are unfaithful in old age, serving as negative examples: consider especially Solomon (1 Kings 11) and Asa (2 Chronicles 16).

How can we be like the positive examples and unlike the negative? First, we must remember God’s promises. Here are six that are especially important to hold on to as we age:

First promise: “I will always carry you!”

Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. (Isaiah 46:3-4)

Second promise: “I will always lead you and guide you!”

And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.  (Isaiah 42:16)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

Third promise: “My goodness and love will pursue you always!”

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6)

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children (Psalm 103:17)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Fourth promise: “In Me, you will always bear fruit!”

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (Psalm 92:12-15)

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:3)

He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

Fifth promise: “By My power, you can resist temptations – including those that are particular to old age”

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Sixth promise: “In eternity, you will have pleasures forevermore at My right hand”

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:10-11)

After remembering God’s promises, cry out to Him in dependence every day:

First: Cry out to see Him:

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

[We must] run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NET)

Second: Pray: “Teach us to number our days and to be satisfied with your love”

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:10-14)

O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Psalm 39:4)

Third: Cry out asking Him to fulfill His promise to keep you and to use you to the end:

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! …Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent…. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you…. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. (Psalm 71:1, 5-6, 9, 17-18)

Fourth: “Sustain me as you sustained the Apostle Paul to the end”

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

May we all fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith, to God’s glory through the strength He supplies by His Spirit because of Jesus.

(Scriptures are ESV except where noted)

 

 

The Faith to Rejoice

A unseen virus spreading around the world. Millions losing their jobs. Uncertainty about whether or not we can ever get “back to normal.” Will tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions die of this disease?

What are your thoughts about God in these times? Are you praying? If so, how? With tears? With anger? With a broken and contrite heart?

Habakkuk 3:17-19 contain words of great hope. But we won’t understand those verses unless we see the depth of despair that faced the prophet writing them.

The immediately preceding verse reads:

I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. (Habakkuk 3:16)

Habakkuk sees God as a consuming fire, pure and holy. In chapter 1 he called out, “God, why don’t you give us justice! Punish these evildoers!” By 3:16 he sees the enormity of that punishment – the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. And he trembles.

Seeing the horrible end coming to his country, the prophet writes our text::

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, And makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Let’s consider these three verses in turn:

Verse 17: I’ve Lost Everything!

The economy of Judah at this time was based almost exclusively on agriculture and livestock. Agriculture could be divided into permanent crops – fruit trees, olive trees, grape vines – and annual field crops, like wheat and barley. According to this verse, what parts of this economy have failed?

  • The first three items: figs, grapes, and olives – that is, all the permanent crops.
  • The next item: fields – that is, the annual crops, the staple foods, the source for most of the calorie supply. So neither the permanent nor the annual crops have yielded anything
  • Final two items: Flock and cattle – that is, sheep, goats, and cows. All their livestock are dead.

So do you see what he is saying? “Even though I’ve lost everything; even though all my income disappears.” We might say, “When I lose my job and the unemployment insurance runs out; when I can’t work and am denied my disability claim; when we’re sick and can’t pay our medical bills.”

But really Habakkuk’s situation is worse than anything we can imagine in this country. For in Judah there is no social services agency, there are no homeless shelters, there are no food stamps – and during the destruction of Jerusalem there are no well-off relatives. Emergency rooms that serve the indigent don’t exist. No income for Habakkuk means starvation. It means death – first for the weakest in the family, the old and the young, and eventually for everyone.

So in this verse Habakkuk says: Though it looks like all God’s gifts have been taken from me.

How does Habakkuk respond to this situation?

Verse 18: Yet I will Rejoice!

Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Note here three reactions Habakkuk avoids:

  1. He does not lash out at God in anger: He does not say, “God, you have no right to destroy your people! You are a faithless God!”
  2. He does not pretend that the evil won’t happen. He doesn’t withdraw into a fantasy world, saying, “That’s too terrible to think about. I will close my eyes and think of something else. I’ll watch Netflix all evening and get distracted.”
  3. And, note carefully, he does not even say, “Despite all this, I will endure! I will keep a stiff upper lip and stick it out! I will still wait for the Lord! I will remain faithful!”

Instead, what does he say? “I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!”

Habakkuk not only foresees the possibility that he could lose everything; he foresees the certainty that the world as he knows it – along with everything and everyone he loves – will be destroyed terribly. And in this extremity he says not only, “I won’t accuse God of being unfaithful,” but, “I will rejoice in God.”

How can he say that? Looking ahead to the terrors of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege, how can Habakkuk rejoice in God? He answers that in verse 19:

Verse 19: For God Led Me Here

The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, And makes me walk on my high places.

Consider three questions that arise as we try to understand what he is saying: Why does he say his feet are made like those of a deer? What is implied by “high places”? And what does he mean by He “makes me walk”?

(a) “He has made my feet like the feet of a deer.” If Habakkuk had lived on this continent, he might have said, “like those of a bighorn sheep.” Many years ago, Beth and I hiked for a week in Montana’s Glacier National Park. Frequently we would look up at a rocky, seemingly inaccessible peak – and there near the top we would see bighorn sheep. They would climb to the uppermost crags and run over rock fields as easily as we would run on the beach.

Why are bighorn sheep able to do this? Because of their feet – their tough, cloven hooves. These hooves aren’t hurt by sharp rocks; rather, they are able to grip even small outcrops. God designed their feet for climbing. They don’t slip. They don’t fall.

Note that the point is not the power of the sheep, but the design of the sheep’s foot. Habakkuk uses the word for the female deer, not the male, to emphasize this point. The female deer too is able to climb to the highest heights, to run over rocky fields, because of her special feet.

So Habakkuk rejoices that his feet are made like deer’s feet, like the feet of bighorn sheep – designed by God to travel over the most difficult ground.

(b) “My High Places”

For many of us today, the phrase “walking on high places” connotes recreational mountain climbing: Go out on a beautiful day, climb to the highest peak, experience a great view, exercise your body, get back to nature. But these are recent ideas. In Habakkuk’s day, no one exercised for the sake of exercise. Recreational mountain climbing was still a few millennia in the future.

Instead, in his time, “high places” connotes a difficult, challenging place. A place one would not want to go unless it is absolutely necessary. You might climb to a high place to gain defensible ground in a battle, but you only go there if you can’t avoid it. So “high places” here means a difficult, challenging place.

(c) “Makes me walk on my high places”

The NIV translates this, “enables me to go on the heights.”

Most English translations use two verbs here: the NAS, “make” and “walk”, the NIV, “enable” and “go”, the ESV, “make” and “tread.” But in Hebrew, there is only one verb, the usual verb for “walk”, with a stem change that indicates the subject is caused to do the normal action of the verb. So in this case, the phrase might mean:

“He leads me to these high places; He makes me go there even though I don’t want to.”

Or, it might mean (as the NIV interprets it):

“He enables me to walk on places I could not go without his help.”

I think both ideas are present. Habakkuk is not talking about a pleasant afternoon of rock climbing. He dreads what God has in store for him; he knows the path is very challenging, very dangerous. In that sense, God is leading him to a place he does not want to go. Yet God is his strength, and Habakkuk is confident that God will enable him to do what he could never do on his own.

And that is why he is joyful! God led him to this very spot. And though there is pain and difficulty here, he knows that God will either rescue him from the danger or allow him to die. But even death is controlled by God; that will come about only if God directs.

So why rejoice? God is good! He is wise! He is in control! And He knows what He is doing!

Lessons for Living By Faith

Let’s draw two lessons that may not be obvious from what we have said so far:

(1) By definition, walking by faith is harder than walking by sight

Habakkuk chapter 2 presents us with lessons about how not to live by faith. The proud one searches for satisfaction, security, accomplishment, and honor. All of us desire these things. The natural response to these desires is to seek them directly: to try to satisfy ourselves, to try to establish our own security, to try to accomplish great things, to aim to bring honor to ourselves. The natural response is the easy response.

But to the one who lives by faith, God says, “Don’t pursue these directly! You will not find them that way. I know, that’s the natural thing to do. But I tell you: Trust in Me! Delight in Me! And I will give you the desires of your heart. You will find true satisfaction, true security, true accomplishment, and true honor in Me alone!”

So you say living by faith is hard? That’s no surprise. Walking by sight is easy. Walking by faith is hard. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be walking by faith.

(2) Living by faith means loving God, instead of loving God’s gifts.

Habakkuk sees all God’s gifts disappear. Now, the question is: Will he love God?

Think of a parent who lavishes gifts on a child. The child says he loves his parent. But isn’t the child’s reaction to the ending of those gifts the real test of his love?

Or consider a young man who loves a young woman; he gives her many gifts, he writes lovely poems for her, he sends her flowers daily. She takes his gifts, reads his poems to others – but then ignores him.

How easy it is for us to act that way toward God! To love His gifts, to delight in His gifts – and to become angry if those gifts disappear.

There is a great deal of difference between, “I love what you do for me” and “I love you.”

Living by faith means loving God Himself! We indeed must be thankful for His gifts – but God is our delight, He is our portion, He is our treasure, and nothing we desire compares to Him.

So as God opens Habakkuk’s eyes to the coming of one of the most terrible events in human history, the prophet – knowing that God will bring this about –can delight in God, who enables him to walk on the high places.

What about our sorrows today, our worries about this virus?

All pain and suffering in the fallen world results from sin, beginning with man’s initial sin in the Garden. And God is dealing with sin. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, He has rendered death powerless. He has promised to end sin, to end rebellion, to fulfill His every promise for those in Christ.

So rejoice! Not because of the pain and sorrow, but because you can be confident that our God Reigns! He is sovereign over the affairs of men. He will be exalted by your joy in the midst of sorrow. He will stand by you and enable you to walk over those high places.

Once this particular pandemic ends – and it will end – what other high places lie ahead for you? Will he enable you to have great victories – playing a key role, perhaps, in the Third Great Awakening in this country? Or in establishing a church planting movement among an unreached people group? Or to have such career success that you give millions in funds to advance the Gospel, to provide for the poor, to change the culture?

Or will your high places be more like Habakkuk’s, more like those described in Hebrews 11:35-38: Mocked, beaten, imprisoned, poor, destitute?

Whatever your high places might be, know that God has guided you there. He will enable you to endure, He will enable you to rejoice. Trust Him. Delight in Him. Throw yourself upon Him. And love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

[Much of the material in this devotion is taken from a sermon preached in 2001. You can read the entire sermon – which is about twice as long – here.]

 

God’s Power – For What?

Why do you need God’s power? When you pray that others might be empowered by God, what outcome do you have in mind? The completion of some great task? Effective witness of the Gospel to thousands?

Surely there are times when we should pray for such outcomes. But consider the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1. He makes a number of requests for that church, yet especially asks that they might be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father” (Colossians 1:11-12a).

Paul himself is under arrest when he writes (Colossians 4:18). The natural reaction to such circumstances would be to chafe at these bonds, to be annoyed at the limitations on his freedom and ministry – even to be bitter and angry towards God for this experience of suffering.

But he rejects this natural reaction. He endures to the end. He rejoices always in the Lord. He gives thanks in all circumstances.  He does all this by the power of God working in him.

Having fought this battle against temptation in his own life through dependence on God’s power, he prays that the Colossians might do the same. Let’s walk through this part of his prayer:

  • He prays that they would be strengthened not just with a bit of power, but with “all power.” This fight is so important – and the adversary tempting Christians to despair, to anger, to frustration, is so powerful – that we need great power, all power to resist.
  • To accentuate the extent of the power, Paul asks that we be strengthened with power “according to His glorious might.” That is, in accord with the great power of God Himself. That is the mightiest power possible!
  • He prays that God might strengthen us with this power so that we would live out “all endurance.” He asks that we be able to bear up under whatever trials, sufferings, or setbacks we might experience.
  • Furthermore, he prays that we might be strengthened to all “patience” or “longsuffering.” Confident in God’s sovereign control, we know that He is working all things together for His good and wise purposes. Even in the valley of the shadow of death we wait patiently, eagerly anticipating God’s turning to the good what evil men and malevolent spiritual forces mean for harm.
  • In addition, he prays that we would exhibit joy as we endure patiently. We are not gritting our teeth, saying, “I can get through this, I can get through this!” By His power, we like the Apostle rejoice in the Lord always, in all circumstances.
  • Finally, he prays that we might maintain an attitude of thankfulness. Whatever our circumstances, we are always recipients of undeserved gifts. Every breath we breath, every calorie we consume, every minute we live is a gift of God. By His power we can continue to recognize those gifts even in the midst of horrible suffering.

So, pray this way for one another. Pray for strength according to God’s mighty power, so that we might have all endurance and patience with joy, always with an attitude of thanksgiving. God is pleased to answer such prayers – so that we, individually and corporately, might be conformed more and more to the image of His suffering yet conquering Son, to the glory and praise of the Father.

How Can I Be Sure of My Hope?

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Yet we all hope for what does not come about:

  • I hoped that the Panthers would beat Seattle this year.
  • I hoped Joel’s soccer team would win the State Cup last June.
  • I hoped to travel with Matthew to India last April.

More seriously:

  • I hoped that a friend would grow deeply in his faith over the last six months.
  • I hoped that another friend would come to faith in Christ this year.
  • I hoped that Kenya would not experience another serious terrorist attack.

I hoped. And yet none of those came to pass.

Is the book of Hebrews telling me, “Hope harder! If you just have a strong enough conviction, such things will happen!”

No. Not at all.

As the chapter proceeds, the author tells us of men and women who had such faith, such assurance of things hoped for. Some of them saw God work in miraculous ways on their behalf in this life:

[They] stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead by resurrection (Hebrews 11:33b-35a).

Others seemed to be complete failures, losing everything:

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth (Hebrews 11:35b-38).

Yet the author confirms that all of these were “commended through their faith” (v39). All of them – both those who saw miracles and those who lost all – had the “assurance of things hoped for.”

Really? Even when they were sawn in two?

Yes. As my friend Charley Handren puts it, “You can be sure of what you hope for when you hope for what is sure.”

So, no, we can’t be sure of our hopes in sporting events, or future travel, or a friend’s spiritual growth this year, or safety from evil acts. We can and should pray for the more important of those hopes. But God makes no promise about them.

So how can we hope for what is sure? By placing our hope in what God Himself guarantees. For He is faithful – and “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).

So consider these sureties:

  • The LORD, the LORD, [is] a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7).
  • All the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus Christ]. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
  • According to his great mercy, [God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
  • “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
  • For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

So don’t place your hope in your skills or your money or your reason or your family or your health or your education. All of those will fail you. None of those is sure. Don’t even place your hope in the steadfastness of your faith. Your faith itself is not what is sure. You can only be sure of what you hope for when you hope for what is sure.

Instead, the object of your faith must be sure. And God tells us time and again: “Trust Me. Trust My promises. Trust in My sovereign care. Trust that I have a plan. I am the faithful God. I keep my covenant to a thousand generations of those who love Me (Deuteronomy 7:9). You may suffer. You may lose all in this life. But even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you need fear no evil (Psalm 23:4). So fear not, My little flock; it is My good pleasure to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32).”

Hope for what is sure.

(Charlie Handren is Pastor of Glory of Christ Fellowship in Elk River, Minnesota, a fellow church in the Treasuring Christ Together Network. We were together earlier this week for TCT Network meetings at Grace Church Memphis, where Charlie spoke from Hebrews 11.)