“Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men . . .”
Ezra 8:18
***
Having understanding is a step towards compassion.
Oh Lord, we pray and seek You to be men and women of understanding.
And here’s a simple poem . . .
***
The Basics
I may not comprehend algebra
or scientific equations
or have the solutions for
complex complications
but I ask You Lord
to help me understand
to love and care about
the basic needs of fellow man.
“Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord. Let’s shout praises to the Rock who saves us. 2 Let’s come to him with thanksgiving. Let’s sing songs to him, 3 because the Lord is the great God, the great King over all gods. 4 The deepest places on earth are his, and the highest mountains belong to him. 5 The sea is his because he made it, and he created the land with his own hands.
6 Come, let’s worship him and bow down. Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us, 7 because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of, the sheep that he tends.
Today listen to what he says:
Psalm 95:1-7, NCV
Such joy: it just bubbles through the words. This is a psalm saturated with excitement. These first seven verses are ‘carbonated joy.’ They pronounce an excitement of a living God that excels in every way. These are simple words made to escort us into a true worship, unlike any other. We might use the word, “jubilant” when hearing this psalm. And we wouldn’t be far off.
“The Lord is the great God,” and He is the King of any ‘so-called’ gods. Everything concerning the earth is His doing– for He created it, with His own hands! And our creating God is also our Shepherd, tending and caring for us as His very own flock.
These verses extol our God, to the point of exuberance. It channels us to the point of worship upon our knees, with the realization of the greatness of God. But this Psalm continues for four more verses.
Today listen to what he says: 8 “Do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah, as they were that day at Massah in the desert. 9 There your ancestors tested me and tried me even though they saw what I did. 10 I was angry with those people for forty years. I said, ‘They are not loyal to me and have not understood my ways.’ 11 I was angry and made a promise, ‘They will never enter my rest.’”
Psalm 95:7-11
There are two parts to Psalm 95. The first is of jubilant worship. But the second part emphasizes a solid obedience. The phrase,“Today listen to what he says:’ welds these two sections together.
Worship must always lead to obedience. You can do ‘cartwheels’ on Sunday morning, as long as you follow Him on Monday.
The issue is an history lesson that goes back to Israel’s days of Moses and the days following the Exodus. Because they were so hard and stubborn, they would wander for forty years in the desert. Their continued ‘stubbornness’ not only closed off the Promised Land, but also closed off their relationship with God— a relationship that would’ve been ‘jubilant’ and profound (at the same time). They missed out on verses 1-6 and settled on verses 8-11. How tragically sad.
There is a thread that works through scripture called “the rest of God.” The book of Hebrews uses in 12x usually as a warning:“Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter.” (Heb. 4:1).
“Let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey.”
Heb.4:11
To be in God’s rest is to be in harmony with Him. It is a mixture of confident faith mixed with a careful obedience. When you combine these two, you have the recipe for joy.
I believe this rest is the believer’s place of joy, peace and confident faith. It obeys because it really wants to. It is Psalm 95:1-7 in action. It is for the jubilant Christian.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Romans 3:23, NLT
I know myself pretty well. I fully understand how dark I can be. I’m nasty and mean, selfish and destructive. I am the “King of Filth and Deceit.” (That is my official title, look it up.) King Midas turned everything he touched into gold. It seems that everything I touch turns black and putrid. I have come to understand Martin Luther’s own assessment, “Sin boldly, but believe in God more boldly still.” He wasn’t encouraging sin; nor was he giving out ‘a license to sin.’ He was simply acknowledging our nature. He was also speaking of God’s wonderful gift of grace, and the faith needed to obtain it.
But I have heard that there is a place where I can be made white and bright; fully and truly cleansed of an immensity of evil. He can heal me, and I do not have to continue to produce such wickedness. I do not have to hurt His dear ones anymore. When I accept Him, His blood releases me. He makes it possible for me to have a new life.
So I come to Him, and cling. I will not let go, I grab Jesus and hang on.
I won’t slide back into this painful darkness. I will latch on to Him with everything I have. I cry out for ‘the spiritual velcro’ of Grace. I do this over, and over– until it works. Just give my sin-addled soul Jesus. I’ve had enough religion, now I want Him.
I’m learning that I must learn to forgive myself. He has already forgiven me. A weaver works diligently on a rug that he is making. He uses even the dark thread as he does his work. In the same way, those deep transgressions must become a part of the Spirit’s work from my life. He takes it up, without flinching, and weaves it into His work. What He does is miraculous.
God’s specialty is turning rascals into sons and daughters.
I see sadness and confusion, and He sees glory. I see nothing but evil, and He chooses to turn it into a special grace. And so, I cling to Him and wait for the Lord to meet me. He is not overwhelmed by my stains, and He promises a complete deliverance from my great darkness. So I cling, as a drowning man latches on to a life preserver.
Oh, dear one. Someone has been looking for you. Jesus has been searching, trying to save you. You can go your own way, but I predict nothing but a difficult sorrow, if that is your real choice. But, there is a way of escape, and it is full of joy and peace. And it is real.
I know, (first-hand,) that it difficult, but that is just the first stage. There is a raucous joy that is waiting for you. You will find such a purpose and completeness that will make your head spin. He will launch on you into a love and a kindness that you will hardly be able to contain.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
“The depressed don’t simply need to feel better. They need a Redeemer who says, “Take heart, my son, my daughter; what you really need has been supplied. Life no longer need be about your goodness, success, righteousness, or failure. I’ve given you something infinitely more valuable than good feelings: your sins are forgiven.”
Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
It really does come down to “needs” after all. I don’t need to feel better, and I don’t need a to take another Zoloft. Do I believe in psych drugs? Yes, most definitely. I do need to control my moods. But when we talk about need (its really an emphatic word, it needs to be drawn out) I have discovered I really have very few needs.
I’ll tell you what I need. I need to follow Jesus with my cross. I need to pray and worship in His presence. I need to love my wife and children. I need to love my neighbor. I need the Word, both ‘rhema’ and ‘logos.’ I need a good pastor, and I need to fellowship with other believers more than I do.
Its good to go through this sifting process. I do not need to feel happy, healthy, wealthy, content, strong, moral or helpful. I do need God however. Yes, I am “mentally” ill. I do take meds to keep me from burning down our house and shooting our dog. I’ve been listening to music in my head that others can’t hear. I see things, astonishing things. I sometimes have to deal with paranoid feelings that would curl your hair.
But what do I really need? I desperately need God.
I need his love. I need to know all my sins are forgiven. I need to know that I will be with him forever and ever. I guess the challenge is now yours, sort out these issues. It doesn’t matter what flavor of mental illness you have. You need Him. Everything else is mostly froth and scum.
“I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”
