Overwhelmed

"When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." ~ Psalm 61:2

From Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening -

"Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails..."

Do you know what he's talking about? Have you experienced this?

This past weekend I was honored to play and sing "Oh You Bring" in our church service with a good friend. It's a beautiful, simple song about how the Savior seeks and saves . . . and how He deserves all honor, glory and praise. The passage above from Spurgeon and the song below from Hillsong contain much encouragement, insofar as they are full of the truth of God's Word.

Al On Creation

A friend of mine referred me to a talk given by Al Mohler on the Creation week and the age of the universe. If you have time, it's a really solid presentation and provides great insight into the apparent contradiction between the Biblical account of a recent creation and a seemingly ancient universe.

I was pleased to hear, towards the tail end of the session, two answers given by Mohler as to why the universe appears so old, and that these answers were actually conclusions I had come to already! And there the similarity between my intellectual prowess and Mohler's comes to a halt. But I digress.

The first point Al made was that "the universe appears old because the Creator made it whole." (emphasis mine) Adam was not created as a fetus or fertilized egg. When the first man was formed, he was mature and complete - fully grown, complete with an apparent age. Similarly, all the plants and trees in Eden were created fully grown, not as seeds, though they obviously contained seeds that they might produce after their kind. And thus goes the rest of the universe: created mature, with "age", and whole.

The second reason brought up by Mohler as to why the universe appears old is that it simply "bears testimony to the effects of sin." We've all known people who have aged long before their time. It's not uncommon to see a man or woman who appears 20 years older than they actually are due to the effects of abusing drugs or alcohol or whatever. Even without those influences, humans age at an accelerated rate from what was originally intended. It makes sense, then, that Creation itself has suffered, has become wizened and even crippled, because of its "bondage to decay." Think how bad you'd look if you'd been scoured by an epic global flood!

Frustrated, But Not Forever

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:20-22

In Genesis 1 the vast array of animal life that God created ex nihilo was given "every green plant for food." Can you imagine? Think about that. The plant we call poison ivy was once a food source, but due to The Curse and the frustration to which creation has been subjected, the oil it secretes is a harsh irritant and is carefully (hopefully) avoided.

No wonder creation groans. Although still magnificent in beauty, it is tainted, as are we. Our own souls are poisoned by sin. But there is a balm in Gilead! The "balm" mentioned in Scripture is also known as the Balsam of Mecca, a resin that was used in perfumes and particularly in medicine, and now we see in the Scriptural balm of Gilead a picture of our Savior, who brought healing to our sinful souls.

What's more, in Revelation 22 there is a tree that was growing in Genesis 2, whose leaves will heal the nations - the tree of life! There will be restoration, the curse will be removed and the process has already begun in the lives of those who put their trust in Christ!

Kowtowing To Nonsense

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:11

I'm noticing a growing trend of believers backing down from a young earth/seven day creation stance. I used to be concerned to hear of preachers declaring that a young earth/seven day creation isn't that important when it comes down to it. "What does that have to do with someone's salvation?" they would ask. But now I'm even more alarmed to hear men I know saying such things.

How can this NOT be important? Kowtowing to any notion of naturalistic evolution and long ages is absolutely contrary to the teaching of Scripture! I mean, the seven day creation/rest scenario is referenced in the Decalogue as the basis of commandment #4. And some people (believers) are supporting the notion that the Genesis creation is a metaphor? A symbol? An allegory? What is going on?

How about the references made to Adam in the New Testament as a single, unique, individual? Romans 5:12 says that "sin entered the world through one man." Jesus and the Apostles apparently were convinced of a young earth and seven day creation. But then again, that was 2,000 years ago - what did they know?

I think this is like giving in to the bully on the playground and surrendering your Twinkies everyday at lunchtime just because the bully is bigger and louder, even though he's actually full of nonsense and hot air.

In the end, I think you can be a Christian and think you believe in some sort of naturalistic evolution/long ages scenario, but hopefully not for long. A true believer must by definition adhere to the clear teaching of Scripture, with careful attention given to what it says about itself and the history of mankind. Furthermore, a preacher of God's Word, and any mature believer for that matter, should take a strong stance on the trustworthiness of the Biblical message on all fronts.

Grace Works

Nothing motivates like grace.

I've found that my children are more obedient (willingly obedient!) when they understand where I'm coming from as I ask or require certain things from them. And these "commands" span the spectrum from "would you please vacuum the living room" to "don't you dare be an idiot when you post something on Facebook." When they understand that my intentions for them are full of love and not domination, when they realize that I value them highly enough to give them some safe boundaries, when they begin to see the sacrifices that have been made for them and what a scandal it is to rebel against the love of their parents, they not only want to do what is right, but they also do it with eagerness.

Of course my boys know I have the authority to discipline them and will do so appropriately and when necessary. They also know that I am for them, and obedience is easier when trust has been achieved.

But this isn't a parenting lesson; it's an attempt to highlight how liberating God's grace can be.

His great love and favor actually set us free to obey. When threats and intimidation fail, grace works. ;)

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." Titus 2:11-12

Need of Grace

A particularly meaningful selection from The Valley of Vision:

O Lord,
Thou knowest my great unfitness for service,
my present deadness,
my inability to do anything for thy glory,
my distressing coldness of heart.
I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable,
and loathe and abhor myself.
I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest have me do,
for I feel amazingly deserted by thee,
and sense thy presence so little;
Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth,
and the dreadful sin of my nature,
so that I feel all sin,
I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.
Return again with showers of converting grace
to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness,
after a constant devotedness to thee,
after growth in grace more abundantly every day.
O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness,
and am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;
Help me to hold out a little longer,
until the happy hour of deliverance comes,
for I cannot lift my soul to thee
if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.
Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender,
lest I offend my blessed friend
in thought and behaviour;
I confide in thee and lean upon thee,
and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.
O that all my distresses and apprehensions
might prove but Christ's school
to make me fit for greater service
by teaching me the great lesson of humility. (emphasis mine)

Pas Facile

Simplicity does not necessarily indicate facility.

One of the simplest things to do in the Christian life is to surrender ourselves completely and utterly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Simple, yes. Easy, no.

I'm baffled yet again at my ability to complicate my walk with Jesus and head off in dark and twisted directions. I find myself praying for help to do this or do that, when in fact everything is secondary to having a surrendered heart.

My prayer life, and consequently my life, is much better off when I'm keeping things simple: Lord, help me to really love people - because I don't. Teach me to serve like You served, because I'm selfish. Remind me to trust Your promises, because I tend to forget.

"In quietness and trust is your strength," says Isaiah 30:15. Interesting how we know that part so well, yet neglect the rest of the sentence: "but you would have none of it." That's me. I'd rather squirm and fidget and fight and indulge in some form of Believer's OCD.

Jesus, teach me to repent, rest, be quiet and trust.