As the deer pants for the water…
Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
Psalm 42:8 By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
Because we have woods surrounding our neighborhood, we still see deer in the morning if we are up early enough. What pleasure it is to see the gracefulness of their walk as they commune with each other.
When David wrote the above psalm he had been away from the house of the Lord for some time. His longing to be in communion with God in God’s own house was almost more than he could stand. The image of a deer longing for water to quench its thirst and perhaps hide its scent from the enemy is the perfect analogy for the state of David’s soul.
Yet, David thinks on the things God has done for him in the past, remembering God’s goodness, dwelling not upon the disappointments but reveling in the joys.
Friends, when you are away from the community of believers and from the place where you go to meet God, there is still comfort in thinking on those things that God has done for you, and counting on the things He is still going to do. Our relationship with God does not depend on where we are physically, but where we are spiritually.
If you cannot be in church because of illness, know that God will meet you where you are.
PRAYER: Gracious Father, how long would our days and nights be if we could not meet with you in your holy place. May we always seek to be with you, setting aside either the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day to meet with you and join with others to praise your name forever. I pray that we would make it a priority to be in your house and that only sickness would separate us from being present along with other believers. We acknowledge that grace not only saves us but transforms us into new creatures. Where we once were alone, now we are part of a community. Where we once were separated from you by the great gulf of sin, now we are reconciled through the blood of Jesus. Thank you for you love and for your grace. Amen
For the weapons of our warfare are spiritual
1 Corinthian 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
As a little girl, we watched a lot of war movies. After all, I was born less than ten years after WWII ended and so movies about that era were big. “To Hell and Back” detailed the journey of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII who returned home to star in westerns. The tension of the Korean War was tempered with humor by the Mash unit. And then there was Viet Nam.
Suddenly scenes of war were part of our evening ritual as the 6:00 news showed fighting in places with names we did not know and could not pronounce. From the jungles of Viet Nam to the deserts of the Middle East the wars have continued.
In talking to the church at Corinth, Paul felt the need to explain that the spiritual battles we wage are on a different plane than physical battles. The weapons of earthly warfare change as technology develops, but weapons used in spiritual battle have not changed. Ephesians 6 tells us we are to put on the full armor of God:
- The helmet of salvation
- The breastplate of righteousness
- Gird or belt your garment with the truth
- Put on shoes of peace
- Pick up the shield of faith
- Take up the sword of the Spirit (the word of God)
Too often when we have conflicts or disagreements with our fellow man, we resort to solutions that are neither spiritual nor effective. We forget that we are at war against the principalities and powers of the Evil One, and the only weapons effective in that type of battle are weapons given to us from God on high.
Why do we turn to prayer and scripture as a last resort rather than making them the cornerstone of our battle plan? Because we fail to take captive the thoughts and fears that plague us, giving way instead to dwelling upon things that serve only to weaken us.
PRAYER: Father, we ask your forgiveness that we just don’t get it sometimes. Instead of turning to you first, we try to solve our problems and our disagreements our own way. May you be the first thought on our minds when we open our eyes in the morning, may Jesus be the first words on our lips, and may we live out our lives as servants of the living God.
The Soil of Ancient Civilizations
2 Corin 6:17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 7
New International Version (NIV)
7 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
In the ancient world, the Israelites had many laws regarding cleanliness. Among these laws were washing their hands before eating (not a bad practice) and they were to touch no unclean thing, including the dead. These physical laws were presumed to bring them closer to a holy God, yet many times they kept their bodies clean to the detriment of their spirits.
You remember Pig-pen, the Charlie Brown character who can come out of a tub of water dirty. He sometimes excused his perpetually dirty state by saying “the soil of ancient civilizations had settled on him.”
What excuses do we make for failing to allow holiness to reign in our hearts? What justifications seem palatable to us even though they separate us from God and from our fellow man?
May we recognize once and for all that God loves us so much, but He cannot tolerate sin. May we seek His face early while He may be found, and may we focus like a laser beam on what is good and pure and acceptable in His sight.
PRAYER: Our Father, we praise you today for who you are. We give you thanks for all you have done and all you are doing in our lives. May we allow you to cleanse us of all that would separate us from you and your great love. Amen
The Tortoise and the Hare
1 Cor 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? They embarked on a race, one that seemed unevenly matched and highly weighted in favor of the rabbit. As the race began, the rabbit sped off, but soon lost interest. After all, he had plenty of time to reach the finish line. So he began to frolic and play, and even took a nap along the way. The turtle, however, plodded along, slow but steady, his eyes on the prize and ultimately won the race.
Paul is writing to the Christian church at Corinth around 55 AD. In reading this letter, one might surmise Paul was writing to a pagan church because of the behavior. They were suing each other, engaging in immoral behavior—hardly a beacon of light by which others could follow. Sadly the church had fallen into moral decay. Once again we see the lessons God has taught us throughout history. God chose those who seemed unworthy or unable to complete His calling because of their status in life, not despite it. Why? One reason is very clearly stated here—if there is any boasting it will be in the Lord, not lifting ourselves up for the world to see but lifting Him up.
No one would have expected a turtle to win a race with a rabbit. Likewise, no one expected the Church to survive through the ages. Perhaps you have looked in the mirror and thought, “How can God use me? Why would God choose me?” That’s a good thing! When we recognize that we are unlikely candidates to carry forth God’s message and share His love, then we are being made ready to do just that. We are being transformed into the people who will purpose to finish the race, no matter what obstacles come our way.
PRAYER: Father, we see repeatedly in your Word that it is those who seem the least prepared to be used of you that are the most effective. Through your grace we pray that all semblance of the self-assured and even cocky rabbit would be banished, and in his place would be the temperament and determination of a turtle who, against all odds, not only makes it to the finish line but wins, taking the glory not for ourselves, but always for you. Amen
He lives, He lives
Bible Gateway, New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
This scripture is one of the Songs of Zion. According to The Asbury Bible Commentary “these Songs of Zion celebrate Yahweh’s unique presence in Jerusalem, and rightly so, for much depended on that presence. Zion’s stability and security are connected directly in these songs to Yahweh’s presence in spite of international turmoil (46:6; 48:4). The congregation’s safety was at stake (46:7). God himself was the citadel’s defense (48:3; 76:3).”
How wonderful when God’s people understand fully the importance of God’s presence in their lives. These scriptures highlight that God is the creative force not just behind our lives, but He is behind our ability to live our lives with joy even in the midst of trouble. Where Israel saw God’s presence and His security as being intertwined with Jerusalem, we can know that God’s presence and security is not found in any given place, but He is alive and working within our hearts today.
“He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today,
He walks with me and talks with me
along the narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart,
you ask me how I know He lives,
He lives within my heart.” Alfred Henry Ackley
PRAYER: Our Father, how do we stray from you when your presence is so vital to our existence? May we finally come to know that without you we can do nothing, but with you truly all things are possible. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 