“Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life.”
Job 24:22
We should periodically re-configure our thinking. We don’t always get to observe nature working anymore. It seems we must rely on the technique and talent of the photographer to bring us up close, and then perhaps we begin to see things differently. People who live in cities, will seldom get the chance to see the stars in the night sky. Nature, and its profound wonders are the canvases God uses to proclaim His presence and glory.
Sometimes I think that when a person becomes a Christian, we should get them a Bible, and a subscription to National Geographic Magazine! We need to experience both to truly see the wonder of God in His creation. After all, we become what we worship.
“Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?”
–Job 37:15
Photo of a massive lightning storm above the clouds.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.“
Mark 1:35, ESV
Why is it that we avoid the very thing that we need so desperately? Lately I’ve been fascinated by my own seeming failure to pray. I am so completely convinced by prayer’s efficacy and power. It works! Spending time with Jesus, covered by his love is the most authentic thing I can do. It clarifies and brings wisdom to this foolish old man.
So why can’t I pray? A private time with God, that is consistent, I suppose is like going to the gym. I need it, but its hard. It isn’t what I want to do. I know its the right thing to do, but I still avoid it. Prayer is quite often spiritual work.
Now conversing with the Almighty really isn’t like going to the gym. But the deliberate decision to share, and listen (and talk) can be the best thing happening for me… (and for those who must put up with me.)
Jesus did not vacillate on this. It had been a hectic day. But he was sold on the reality of being with his Father. He didn’t need rest, but he did need active prayer. Leading up to this was a very full and substantial day (read Mark 1). There was so much going on, and it was constant non-stop ministry.
In a single day:
Jesus Picked the First Disciples
Jesus Healed a Man with an Unclean Spirit
Jesus Taught in the Synagogue in Capernaum
Jesus Healed Many, Many Others
Jesus Confronted the Demonic
“And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him,“Everyone is looking for you.”
Mark 1:36-37
Where is Jesus? He is missing, and a search party finally locates him. He was praying and “working out” with his Father. What a lesson for us! My own days are relatively tamer than Jesus’ day. Jesus prioritizes prayer. It was the first thing he chose to do. It had supremacy over all else. It is worth thinking about anyway.
“Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.”
Isaiah 35:10, NLT
Part of our personalized history includes an opportunity to have a rich contact with ‘joy’. Joy really has its introduction with our redemption. When grace latches on to us we find ourselves soaked with gladness and real joy. It is as if we stepped into a waterfall of mercy. It has divine origins.
Isaiah speaks of joy as a crown. To have a crown is a great thing. When we discover our new headgear is a crown, we can find joy. People who are troubled and distracted about their salvation are rarely joyful. Without the confidence of the Holy Spirit, joy cannot find a place to settle, so it moves on.
Let’s be very clear– joy is not happiness, or cheerfulness. It is not found in great worship, or a rousing time of singing. Joy is actually strength in God and it is the primary way of defeating the enemy. It will drive Satan and the demons back into the darkness. When we are cloaked in joy we will push through a great number of obstacles and leap over fortress walls.
Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. This means a lot of things, but it definitely means that we cannot fabricate it or develop it in our lives. Joy is one of those proximity indicators. When we more closely approach the Lord we find ourselves percolating with a deep sense of joy. We are where we belong. And our soul knows it.
“I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”
Psalm 132:16, KJV
A good analogy for me is this. Joy is the box we get to open to get to the salvation that’s waiting inside. When we look at the subject of the believer’s joy we discover that it is a quality and a fruit of our relationship with God. We can’t ‘develop’ it, or make it happen.
No one is ever commanded to produce joy on demand. It will come when by faith you step up to fully receive your salvation. Joy is not an option that only a few people get.
“Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you’ll say, “Give thanks to God.”
Isaiah 12:3, MSG
The joy is waiting for you, and when you have it, you will wonder how in the world you ever lived without it. Believers will find that joy will be the freshness to follow Jesus in a very beautiful and delightful way. And those who have a disability or a ‘mental illness’ will find joy to be God’s way of boosting us through hard times. And this will be the very thing we’ve been waiting for.
“Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.”
1 Kings 10:20
These statues had to be remarkable. They seemed to stand guard, everyone who entered had to pass by them. Symmetrically and aesthetically, they would’ve been placed six on the right and six on the left. Each lion was placed at the end of the step. Over the centuries, lions are a wonderful symbol of sovereignty , and in them, like nothing else, we can hold concepts of strength, dignity and royalty.
Lions are emblematic of ‘rootedness’ and stability. Those who ‘wear the lion’ are intentionally connecting to this ‘strength’ and are stating they admire and respect all that the lion represents. King Solomon intentionally chose the lion to guide the kingdom and give direction.
Lions cannot be domesticated. They serve no one. They cannot be made tame or docile. Being carnivorous their appetites are something to be aware of. (Lions have a tendency to be a tad irrational when hungry.) But in spite of this they are amazing animals. Fierce and intense, when they need to be, they watch over each other. They do not mingle with other species of animals. They are set apart.
For the Christian believer, there is a definite ‘lion connection’. We know Jesus as ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah’, (Rev. 5:5). His majesty and power have been intentionally referred to by believers throughout the centuries. Jesus exhibits all the good attributes about lions, and none of the bad.
I wonder where the lions are? Where are those who would stand against the evil we see today? John, the Baptist stood in the light, and he would not take a step back. We see him boldly confronting the wickedness of his day, and in it all, he would not bend; and yet it seems that’s what others thought he should do.
The lions, where are they? There is a boldness that is missing in our churches. It seems as if the lions on the front steps have been taken from us. We haven’t even noticed, but they are not there anymore. Even if the lions were returned to us, there would be a whole scale rejection of such fanaticism. Lions are simply not ‘in style’ for the modern American believer. Lions defy so much of the protocol and etiquette of this present moment. They are simply not ‘politically correct.”
But what will we do without the lions? Their absence may seem somewhat minor. We don’t need them to give us authority or moral courage, after all we really should do this on our own. But we must receive a boldness and decisiveness from the Holy Spirit. He has the ability that we need to follow Him. We need men and women to live their lives as ‘spiritual’ lions.
Broken Believers 