Dangerous Doubt and Why You Need It

Let's talk about doubt. For some, doubt is a big bogeyman. Feel doubts about your faith? Expunge them with all haste!

Well, maybe.

I depends on the kind of doubting you're doing. But you may be surprised by what the Scriptures actually say about doubt.

You're Commanded to Doubt

You may not know this, but the Bible actually commands Christian to doubt. At least, a kind of doubt. Paul wrote, "Test everything, but hold fast to the good." (1 Thes. 5:21) This the wise, soul-protective doubt that keeps faith filled disciples from becoming foolish chumps who believe anything that looks vaguely Christian. Understood in this way, I can't help but think that a whole lot fewer end-times books would sell if Christians took Paul's command to heart.

When Doubt is Dangerous

Doubt is dangerous when it metastasizes into the cancer of cynicism. Cynicism is a false epistemology — a way of knowing that says, "You can't know that," about everything. It takes the position that truth can't be found. But saying "I don't believe that," about everything is just another way of saying "nothing is to be believed," about anything. C.S. Lewis exposes the foolishness of cynicism when in The Abolition of Man,

You cannot go on 'seeing through' things forever. The whole point of seeing through things is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too. It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is not to see.(1)

Look, I get cynicism. Cynics sound smart, but they're not. They're fools engaging in a sophistry that hides the fearful insecurity and lack of trust that marks hurt hearts.

Some Things You Should Never Doubt

There are some things that you should never doubt. God's character, never doubt that. God gave you his Son when you gave him the finger. That's a good God. God's love, never doubt that. His love for you and I cost him everything. There are more things not to doubt, surely. But of all people, Christians shouldn't fear doubt. We should fear the slide that doubt may place us on toward the cancer of cynicism. So, doubt well.

(1) C.S. Lewis. The Abolition of Man. Pg. 53-54.

Thankful for Thankfulness

A while back, I found myself in a deep, dark, depressive sadness that I could neither explain nor escape. If you know me, you'll know that I'm not the type given to soul-sadness. I'm generally a pretty energetic, happy, passionate guy. But, there I was, filled with self-pity, fear, and anger.

Probably, I'm not the only one with emotions I can't explain. Probably, you've woken up on the wrong side of the bed before — maybe even for weeks in a row. Probably, you've been jealous of others whilst pitying yourself. How do you escape? How do you run away from these emotions which seem to have such magnetism to the hard irons which bind our hearts?

Thankfulness.

Psalm 50:23 speaks of the one who offers thanksgiving to God. He's the one for whom God prepares the way. I've developed a few habits that have really helped me, and I'd like to share them with you:

Let the First Words I Speak be "Thank You." Each morning (though I don't do this perfectly) I want the first thing I say to be, "God, thank you." Nothing has happened yet, but already I'm blessed. I'm alive again. I'm healthy again. I'm in my home with my family. I'm still loved by God. Food remains in the fridge, gas remains in the car, and I remain grateful. This keeps back that seizing sense of anxiety that attacks achievers like me for all the things that we have to do that day. It's also a great moment to grab onto some promises in Scripture with both hands and hold them tightly as I thank God for them.

Let the Last Words I Speak be "Thank You."  Before I go to sleep, I'm working hard to thank God for what happened that day — good and bad. He's sovereign over all, after all. He's brought about the affairs of my day for my good. I'm learning that the difference between escaping life through sleep and enjoying life through rest depends on the bridge of gratitude I build throughout the day. This turns the mere unconsciousness of sleeping into true resting.

Instead of Cursing Hardship, Thank God for It.  This one is tough. But, when I find myself dealing with something hard — which is frequently — almost nothing good ever comes when I curse it. I'm not talking about four letter words, here. Most of those have migrated out of my vocabulary. I'm talking about my attitude when the phone rings one more time, and all I want to do is ignore it. When I'm trying to do the right thing and the wrong thing is all I'm seeing. Again, God is sovereign, isn't he? He's always working my situation for my good and his glory, right? Why not say thank you, even through tears?

Instead of Worrying, Laugh.  This one follows from the first three. I've found that if I'm rising to wake and falling to sleep with a thank you on my lips, and if I'm looking at hardship like grace wrapped in trial, then I'm free to laugh. Not to snicker, but to be marked by the kind of joy that enables mirth — that laughter of the soul.

This is what's working for me. Try it, and let me know if it works for you.

God Doesn't Need Me

Most Sundays when I approach the pulpit, I'm prepared. I believe in hard work, study, and spending hours getting ready for the preaching and teaching that I do at church. But, this Sunday I was not. Emotionally, I was a wreck. Mentally, I was clouded. Physically, I was tired. Spiritually, I was dull. "This is going to go terribly," I thought. The music faded, I took the pulpit, I prayed, and I opened my mouth.

What followed was nothing of Adam Mabry. It's a little difficult to explain. I was involved, obviously. I was present, and I was active. But the power of the words, the effect they were having on the people, and the results which flowed from my preaching, were so obviously not from me that I was quite literally dumbfounded. People came to faith in Jesus. Repentance flowed as tears streamed. Sicknesses were healed. It was as though, for a moment, the veil between Heaven and earth was pulled back, and we experienced a small expression of the glory of God.

This experience of my desperate inadequacy and God's gracious sufficiency afforded me a few insights:

God Doesn't Need Me Theologically, I knew that God didn't need me before yesterday. But the experience I had yesterday of being completely at the end of my rope mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually — and God doing so much anyway — solidified what I knew.

God Loves His People How crazy is the love of God for people that he'll simply meet with his people directly?! My preparation is not the pre-condition for God's manifestation.

God Loves Me Again, a fact I knew, but not an experience I walked in. Yesterday, across our three services, we had the best attendance we've had all summer. We had the most response to God we've ever seen. We had the most dramatic experience of worship that our gatherings have ever achieved. I watched it and all I felt was God saying, "See, I love you. I've got this."

God Wants Me This one is the most mind-bending of all. I "love" a lot of people that I don't want to be around much. That's because I'm still selfish and self-preferring. God's not like that. God actually wants to use me. He wants to be around me. He wants to meet with me, and my people. He doesn't need to, that's obvious. The only other option is that, for some reason, he really likes to. And that's crazy.

I've read God's words to the Apostle Paul a thousand times, "My power is made perfect in weakness." But yesterday — yesterday I saw it.

Yesterday I was weak. And God — God was so strong.

Confronted by Jesus

It's a warm day. The smell of dust and animals in the air — the sounds of a small, bustling Palestinian town in the background. Jesus is on his way from one place to the next, when in the distance he hears someone shouting his name. The disciples hear it too. Their sound is desperate, but the disciples are tired. Must they stop again? Soon the shouting prevails as they see their master locating the source of the cries. Two blind men. Two brave, reckless blind men, being hushed by passers-by. But Jesus stops. He asks what they want, as if it weren't obvious. But he wants to hear them say it. They need to speak their needs to Jesus. His answer, "According to your faith may it be done to you."

These words confront me like a fist confronts a jaw. I don't want this to be true. I want Jesus to say, "according to my power, may it be done to you." Or, "according to my mercy, may it be done to you." This word faith disrupts me to the core. I'd much rather live in a world where God just made it all happen, and I, like a floating leaf, meandered down the river. But this verse cries, "Swim!"

But that's not how it works. Not with Jesus. Jesus chooses our participation with our growth. He enables and inspires faith, and then he demands it of us. When I become like the blind men, desperately weary of my own blindness and wholly convinced of Jesus' power to heal, I'll cry out to him in faith too.

The real question is, then, what am I desperate for? Because it seems to me that desperation is the foundation of miracle-enabling faith.

O, Great Mystery

In a former life, I had the wonderful experience of singing great music. One such piece of great music was set to the beautiful, ancient poem O Magnum Mysterium. Here are the words... O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, jacentem in praesepio! Beata virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Chirstum. Alleluia.

Which translates to...

O Great mystery and wonderful sacrament, that animals could see the newborn Lord, lying in a manger. Blessed is the virgin womb who was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia.

The mystery can get lost in the bows and ribbons, the food and the friends. It's good to take a second and peer through the pretty Christmas and stare, trembling at the mysterious, messy, marvelous advent of our Lord. What humility and mystery that our King wasn't first viewed by dignitaries, but donkeys. Not the important, but the animals. Let the mystery and music help you wonder at the humility of our Savior King.

Finding Time for Jesus

We are busy people. "Can you meet me tomorrow for coffee?"

"Oh, I'd love to, but I'm busy. How about the following day?"

"Nah, that won't work, I'm busy that day."

I can't tell you how many times I've had this conversation. I've got a hard time meeting with people — even people I really like. If you're at all like me, then this same busy-ness can hinder the most important appointment we have — our daily meeting with Jesus. Here are some thoughts on our most important appointment.

Jesus is never too busy. Unlike you and I, Jesus is never too busy for us. He is always waiting for us, never late or held up by another more important request. He's available.

Jesus is worth the effort. If you're honest, many of your meetings are just a pain. We don't want to do them, but we must. Life with Jesus is never like that. He's always worth the effort of rising early, meditating on his word, praying, and waiting.

Jesus gives you something to walk away with. There are those appointments that make you soul-tired. The friend who drones on and on about her problem. The boss who won't cut you a break. Meeting with Jesus is never like that. He always gives you more in your soul than you showed up with.

Andrew Murray knew something about meeting with Jesus. The great man of prayer knew that conversing and creating time for encounters with Christ. I'll close with his prayer for people like you and me,

Let Thy wonderful revelation of a Father's tenderness free all young Christians from every thought of secret prayer as a duty or a burden, and lead them to regard it as the highest privilege of their life, a joy and a blessing. Bring back all who are discouraged, because they cannot find aught to bring Thee in prayer. O give them to understand that they have only to come with their emptiness to Him who has all to give, and delights to do it. (Murray, Andrew. Lord, Teach Us To Pray (p. 14).

To Hell with Authenticity

Your bag is burlap. You prefer records to mp3's. Whole Foods is too corporate for you. Everything you own is made by Apple (which for some reason isn't too corporate for you.) You're authentic.

And nothing says "authentic" like an instagram effect on the staged picture of your life you really want everyone to see so they know how great your most recent sun flare'd cup of organic, ethically-sourced tea you tasted. But by the time you were done staging the picture, it was cold. It stinks when authenticity horns in on real life...

Our current cultural moment values with unique ardor the "authentic" individual—everyone being fully themselves. This is a movement driven by my generation. And historically speaking, 18-35 year-olds are great at knowing who they are, aren't they? It's the cultural equivalent of changing my son's name to Iron Man because he's convinced (at 3 years old) that's who he really wants to be. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is. Yet, everything about my generation is connected to this vain endeavor. Gender—which one most authentically fits you? Sex—what most satisfies you? Politics—what best represents your values? Money—what view of economic justice and policy resonates most deeply within your soul? Doug Wilson puts it this way,

We want our jeans authentic (pre-ripped at the factory), our apples authentic (grown locally instead of somewhere else),  our music authentic (underground bands nobody ever heard of), our lettuce authentic (organically manured), our literature authentic (full of angst), our movies authentic (subtitles), and our coffee tables authentic (purchased from a genuine peasant while we were on some eco-tour). In short, we are a bunch of phonies.

I'm convinced that when the history of my generation is written, many will scratch their heads and wonder why we were so fixated on being personally authentic. The reasons for this large-scale psychosis are many... repression, confusion, social dissolution, and many other "_____tion" kinds of words. But at bottom, the most basic reason is clear as day: Ego.

Chasing Authenticity is Selfish "But wait!" You say. "How can being authentic be selfish? Isn't it selfish of you to ask me be something other than myself?" And yes, I suppose you may have a point, if that's what I were saying. But I'm not. No one likes a faker. What I'm saying is that you chasing your essential you is just that... living for number one. We have a word for that in the English language: selfishness.

Chasing Authenticity is Unloving Because the pursuit of authenticity is selfish, it is therefore unloving. Biblical love is pouring out your life for the life of another. It's finding your joy in the joy of another. It's essentially Trinitarian and essentially Christ-like. But did Jesus spend his thirty years before his public ministry living in Mary and Joseph's basement, listening to vintage records, reading Marxist literature and discovering himself? No. He spent his early years preparing himself for his public ministry. He came to love us which meant not living primarily for his own sake.

Chasing Authenticity is Inauthentic Perhaps the most tragic reality about striving for authenticity is that it makes you the most fake, plastic person possible. Becoming who you are is not a goal, but a side effect of becoming like Christ. Jesus said that in order to live, you have to embrace death. Death to self—even the authentic, organic, burlap, Apple, ethically-sourced, self. Only then, when you've died to you and all your precious, nuanced ways you've come to identify you will you truly live.

So I say to hell with authenticity. May the vain pursuit of personal preciousness perish along with all other lesser loves, cheaper joys, and distracting sirens. For if we do not cast this foolishness into outer darkness, then we will very likely be taken there by it in the end.

Can it Be?

A few hundred years ago, Charles Wesley wrote the following words, meditating on the cross of Christ. Today, on Good Friday, I wanted to share them with you.

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood! Died he for me? who caused his pain! For me? who him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies! Who can explore his strange design? In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine. 'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more. 'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more.

He left his Father's throne above so free, so infinite his grace!, emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race. 'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me! 'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night; thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in him, is mine; Alive in him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach th' eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own. Bold I approach th' eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 40: God Will.

I am watching over my word to perform it. (Jeremiah 11:12) I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose, (Psalm 51:6).

I, the Lord, do not change. (Malachi 3:6).

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).

Have you ever worked on a project with someone who wasn’t dependable? Because they were flaky, you couldn’t depend on them. When they worked, their work was good, but you couldn’t really depend on them to be the same person or do the same job from one day to the next. Sound familiar? Maybe you know someone like that. Or, maybe you are someone like that.

We began be seeing that God is, and today we end by remembering that God will. All the different attributes of God, all of the acts of God, and all of the will of God will be accomplished. We do not have to doubt. We do not have to fear. There is no need for worry. God will be himself forever, and he will never, ever stop accomplishing his will.

This has two implications. First among them is this: because God will, we can. Who wants to work for a company that’s crashing? Who wants to sail a sinking ship? The fact that God will always remain fully himself gives us great confidence when we seek to do his will. He won’t leave us. He won’t change his mind. He is watching over his word to perform it. Therefore, working with him is always 100% guaranteed to bear fruit.

Additionally, we can rest. Because God will never change; because his plans never fail, we don’t have to be anxious. Rest is possible, because God will. Even when we don’t God will. Even when we fail, God will. Even if we’re incapable, God will. He looks into the world and says with full assurance, “My counsel will stand. I will accomplish my purpose.”

The life, death, resurrection, and promised return of Jesus are proof positive that God will. Will what? Will save, will love, will be uncompromisingly himself ... will stop at nothing to see his people redeemed. As we stare wonderingly into the attributes of God, may our hearts be ever convinced that the God we’re coming to know is the God who will never change, forever reign, and will always be fully himself.

Only when our hearts are captivated by the God who will can we fully be what he’s calling us to be. We can work because he will work. We can rest because he will accomplish. We can know him because he will always be the same.

Eternal God, thank you for doing and being all you will do and be. Thank you that you do not change. Thank you that you will always reign. The more I see of you the more I know I can work, because you will work with me. The more I work with you the more I can rest, because I know it is you who will accomplish your will. So God, I rest all my hope and peace in you. You will, so I can. 

Praise you, God. Amen.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 39: God is Truth.

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Number 23:19) Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (Psalm 51:6).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

Our culture is preoccupied with truth. We’re the kind of people who love to get to the bottom of things. We like our 20/20 exposé specials. We want to know the inside scoop. We value people with lots of degrees who’ve studies the facts. In short, we want to know that what we know is true.

But what about who we know? Are we as concerned that who we know is true?

This question may sound strange to you, but it wouldn’t sound strange to Jesus. Jesus introduced himself to humanity using a word that up to that time had never been attributed to a person. He called himself truth.

This makes us squirm a bit. We’re used to fact-truth. Truth comes in bullet points. We read truth on paper. We can’t know truth as a friend, can we? After all, truth is definitely propositional. That 2+2=4 is a fact that is true, but impersonal. I’m not friends with 2. I don’t get angry at 4. But Jesus says something fundamentally mindblowing. He says that he is truth.

God is not like us. He doesn’t lie. He doesn’t exaggerate. He tells the truth, because he is the truth. All truth derives from God, because God is the truth. He doesn’t just know truth “out there,” as though “2+2=4” was hanging out before he got around to creation. He is truth. And this fact is extremely important to us.

First, it means that any real search for truth will find its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus has revealed himself to us full of grace and truth. That means that he’s knowable, and is inviting us to know him too.

This also means that lying is a big deal, because it isn’t just something God doesn’t like, it’s opposed to his very nature. Therefore, God wants his people to be gracious truth-tellers, just as Jesus was.

Finally, God’s truth-ness means that we can truly know him. Knowing God isn’t a game. It’s not a religious manipulation. We don’t have to worry about the next 20/20 special uncovering something false about him. If we know Jesus, we can be at peace in our souls. We know the truth, and in knowing him, we are now free.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 38: God is Listening.

...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-7).

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. (Revelation 8:3-4).

“If God already knows everything that’s going to happen, then why pray?” Sometimes this question comes from an honest curiosity. Many times, however, it comes from our own hearts when we feel like our prayers are hitting the ceiling. “After all,” we begin to think, “God’s strong enough to get his will done without us. So, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” This is the first step down a slippery slope that leads to our spiritual apathy.

Does God know the future? Yes. Does God control the events of the future? Yes. Does that therefore mean that we shouldn’t pray? No. Why? Because God is a listening God, and he delights to act in history in response to our prayers.

The times of the kings of Israel were marked with great highs and some startling lows. In the midst of this roller coaster, God made a promise to his people. If they would humble themselves, turn from sin, and seek him in prayer, God would listen. The same is true today.

But of course, we don’t believe that God will really just listen to us. That’s why we decorate our simple cries to our Father with extra, superfluous, religious language. We don’t really believe that God is good enough to know us and our needs intimately. We work those religious reflexes in a vain attempt to get God’s attention. What we don’t realize is that this lack of faith in God’s listening skills actually shuts his ears to us.

Christian, God is listening. He hears and he answers your prayers. “But I’ve been praying for years and he still hasn’t come through.” Now think of that for a moment. If my children ask me for something, I will often say, “Yes, but later.” Why should we be surprised if God says the same thing. Sometimes, God tells us “no,” and other times, “yes.” Whatever we pray, we always get an answer, because God has a will concerning everything we bring to him.

In Revelation, we’re told that our prayers arise before God like sweet smelling incense. Another image is that these prayers fill up bowls, which God pours back out when he answers us. What’s the point? The point is that God takes our prayers seriously. He hears. He listens. And, because of Christ, we know that he responds. The promise he gave us is that our “heavenly Father already knows what we need.” He has provision prepared for our prayers. Let us then happily and humbly ask him.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 35: God is Returning.

I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
(Jeremiah 24:7). The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
(Matthew 18:3-4)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
(Revelation 21:1-5). In the beginning, God and man walked together as friends; partners in the world. This was short lived, as we know. When we brought sin into our world, we pushed God out. But ever since then, he’s promised a return.

In the Old Testament, we can find a lot of promises like the one in Jeremiah. God promised to come not only to rule his people externally as their king. He promised to live with them internally as their beloved God. What sin separated, God was repairing. He would come to his people, and they would come to him.

This work was completed in Jesus Christ. God came to be with humanity. He taught us. He suffered for us. He died for us. He rose for us. Before returning to his Father, Jesus made another promise—he would return. God would come back to bring an end to the work of redemption. God would return.

In the two thousand years between Jesus’ words and today, many have begun to live as though Jesus wasn’t serious. It’s not unlike those people who wait outside the store on the night before black Friday. They spend so much time waiting that many of them start to live in the line. They bring tents, provisions, and start to live as though the line was the point. How we do the same! We get so moved in to our moment on earth that we act as though we don’t really believe there is a greater day coming when all this will change.

Be assured, God is returning. This is both good and bad. For those who find their joy and refuge in Jesus Christ, seeing him will be the consummation of their delight. Happiness and peace will flood their yearning souls like a tidal wave. But for those who’ve lived shortsightedly, imagining that this life is final reality, Jesus will be a terror.

This reality changes the way we live. Knowing that Jesus is returning first means that we who delight in him can hold our “stuff” with open hands. We can be generous with money, food, and resources because this treasures won’t last. It also means that our individual purposes fit under, not over, a high one. God is not excited about the wicked perishing. In fact, in the gospel he’s make provision for their rescue. So, whatever our purpose in life, it must be subservient to God’s purposes to rescue the lost. And finally, the coming of the Lord fills us with peace. When Jesus returns, he’ll take care of every injustice. He’ll right all wrongs. He’ll beautify the ugliest brokenness among us. Therefore, we can rest assured that our work for him on the earth will actually, in the end, last.

Today, let us see heaven’s coming in our distant vision. Pray that God would bring into your far sight the coming of his son. If he does, then the way you live will change.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 33: God is Gracious.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 
(Psalm 103:8). Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
(Matthew 18:3-4)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 
(Ephesians 2:8-9).

Grace is simultaneously the most sublimely simple yet frequently misunderstood idea in Scripture. Everything within us fights grace. We want to work. We want people to get what they deserve—especially those people who hurt us. We want to believe so, so desperately that we get what we deserve, and what we deserve is good.

Grace is different. The comparison between religion and grace is as stark as light and darkness. Religion says, “do,” while grace says, “done.” Religion says, “work so God will love you,” while grace says, “you’ve been loved so much, let’s get to work.” But what does this means, really? What is grace?

Grace is that unmerited, free, generous kindness from God to us. It’s not a substance like air or water. It’s a part of God’s nature—to be kind to his enemies, and to love those who are far off. God’s greatest display of grace was, of course, when we gave up the life of his son to save mine and yours. We are saved by grace, not by works of religion. Have you any idea exactly how much that means you are loved, Christian? Have you considered the sheer volume of God’s affections for you, that he treats you not as you deserve, but as Christ deserves? What grace.

And yet, our hearts are so naturally resistant to grace. We are cynics of grace so often. “God couldn’t save me,” we might say, “I’ve done too much.” Our hearts machine excuses that supposedly disqualify us from God’s grace. But all that really does is show us our desperate need for it. How can we possibly shed this hardness of heart? How can we really begin to open up ourselves to the possibility of God’s grace?

Jesus gave us some great examples of grace-getters. This group of people are professional happy love-takers. Totally dependent, they never bother to fool themselves into thinking they don’t need help. In fact, they ask for it all the time. Who are they? Children.

Jesus said that unless we approach his grace the way children approach life, then we won’t get it. Children are humble—that is, they are aware that they need, well, everything to be given to them. My children wake up every morning and ask me for breakfast. They’ve never, ever gone without it. And yet, they always ask. Why? Because every morning they’re hungry. Do I begrudge them for this? No, I make them breakfast because I’m their dad and I love them. Is it so different with God? Surely the distance between us and God is greater than the handful of years that separate me from my kids. How much more, then, are we in need of him?

O Christian, come to Jesus for fresh grace today. He’s not looking to you to try harder on your own. He wants so much to serve up a fresh measure of his grace each morning to you, would you but ask. So today, ask him.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 31: God is Worthy.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 
(Psalm 18:3). I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 
(Romans 12:1)

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,  saying with a loud voice,“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” 
(Revelation 5:11).

I remember watching a television show about a woman who was a “couponer.” She reported to the interviewer to have spent around 25-30 hours per week clipping, saving, and sorting coupons, all in an effort to get as much free stuff as she could. After watching this for a while, I said to my wife, “If she spent that time working, she probably wouldn’t have to cut coupons. It wouldn’t be worth it.”

But of course, I’m just like that woman. There are many things that I do, ways I spend my time, that are simply unworthy (or worth-less) endeavors. You and I could, if we were honest, fill a list with some of the unworthy things we do. But God is nothing like that. God is totally, completely, always, worthy.

In English, the word, “worthy,” is related to the word, “worship.” That is, we worship what we find to have the most worth—what’s most valuable to us. And in the Scriptures we find over and over again that God is the most worthy being in existence. Therefore, he is worth our worship. David picked up on this in his statement, “I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised...” That is, God is worth being called upon. He’s the most valuable, excellent being in existence. So, I call on him. The result: salvation. The most worthy being is worth calling upon because he is more important, more weighty, and holds more value than anything which assails us. In worshipping him, we declare war on the worthless enemies of distraction, smallness, and meaninglessness.

In fact, God is so worthy of worship that he’s even more valuable than life itself. In Romans, Paul exhorts his audience to present their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Why? Because it is the right way to worship such a God. He was so convinced that a life lived in total obedience to God was worth more—was better—than a life lived for self, that he said, “Just go ahead and consider yourselves dead to everything but God himself. That’s worship.” Wow.

But of course, that’s our destiny. Heaven is filled with countless beings who will be crying out for a thousand forevers, “Worthy!” God is worth all our worship, all our work, all our lives. There is no one like him. No one better. No one mightier. No one more lovely. No one. He, alone, is worthy, and from him to all other things find their subsequent value.

And this begs the question, do we really believe this. Are we willing, today, to give God our bodies? How about our finances? What about our relationships, can he have those? What about our kids, spouses, mothers, and fathers? When we get a glimpse of the worth of God, then (and only then) are we able to say, “Worthy are you, Lord, to receive everything I’ve got...” So, how do you see him?

Prayer & Fasting, Day 30: God is Angry.

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, 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, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 
(Exodus 34:6-7). When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger,  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish... (Deuteronomy 4:25).

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9).

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).

I remember speaking with my grandfather about his church experience growing up. As he did, a phrase kept surfacing and resurfacing, “God just seemed so angry.” Therefore, he didn’t go back to church when he became an adult. Who wants to go worship a being that’s mad all the time. We don’t even want to be friends with people like that. So, why in the world are we talking about it?

The reason is simple: if we lose the anger of God, then we lose the gospel. Moses was a servant of God. No one on the earth knew God like Moses did. And, at one point, Moses asked to see God—with his eyes. So, God took Moses and hid him in a rock, allowing him a glimpse of just a small part of his greatness. As his glory passed by, the Lord introduced himself with two character traits: his exceeding love, and his just anger. God thought these two parts of his nature were so important that he didn’t mention any of his other attributes (like grace, power, glory, etc.) He said, “I am God, my love never ends, and my anger at sin is just.”

This makes us very uncomfortable. Even writing this, I know that I’m going to get negative feedback. “We shouldn’t tell people that God is angry,” we’re told. “They need to know God loves them, not that he’s angry.” It is true that people need to hear of God’s love for them in Christ. But if they do not also hear that God is angry at the seemingly limitless sin that plagues the people he loves, then we are not telling the truth. God’s love will seem sentimental. It will be nice, like your distant relative who loves you. But you’ll misunderstand love, because you misunderstand wrath.

Wrath is a biblical word that describes the just, measured opposition that God has for everything that is opposed to his will, character, and people. Sin, therefore, makes God angry. So what are we to do? Is God just a cranky, lose cannon, stomping around heaven until the day that he finally blows all the sinners away?

No. God is not like that at all. We’ve become so accustomed to seeing anger as always, only, ever wrong, that to attribute it God feels wrong too. But it’s not God’s anger that’s wrong. It’s our unwillingness to come to terms with it. God is justly angry at sin. He hates injustice. He abhors rape. He can’t stand murder. He despises theft. We hate these things too, because we still bear the fingerprints of our maker. But here’s the problem with sin—it’s inextricably linked to us. Sin isn’t just “out there.” Sin’s “in here.” We sin. We are sinners. Therefore, God’s anger at sin means he’s angry with us.

So what is God to do? How can it be that he loves us, and yet is totally, determinedly, and eternally opposed to our sin? How can God destroy sin in righteous anger and not destroy us along with it?

Answer: Jesus. In Jesus, the full force of God’s anger at human sin was expressed so that the full measure of God’s love for people could be experienced. Jesus took the anger. We get the love. This should tell us a few things...

First, God’s anger at sin is serious. It’s no laughing matter. Nor is it the subject of trite pastoral wit. It’s deadly serious, because Jesus died for it. Second, it means that God’s love for us is serious too. For, if we are in Christ, then we don’t bear God’s anger. Christ did. Now we experience his love. Finally, it means we can live in peace. Why? Because God is more than able to distribute wrath rightly. We don’t have to take vengeance for violence. We can stop the cycle of pain. The cross tells us that everyone’s sin will meet God’s anger, either on the cross of Christ or on ourselves. The choice is ours.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 29: God is Incomparable.

There is none like God... (Deuteronomy 33:26a). There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. (Psalm 86:8).

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40:18-22).

One of the reasons that it seems difficult to wrap your mind around God is that he is quite simply incomparable. Of course, that brings up a question: why have we been comparing him to things and ideas this whole time? Good question.

There are two directions for comparison—two origins of our correlation. The first says, “God says he’s like _____.” The other is the reverse, “I think God is like ______.” This is an important distinction, because one is legitimate while the other is idolatry.

It is totally legitimate for us to compare God to something in the world if God does. In Isaiah, for example, God tells us that he will bear us up on wings like eagles. Therefore, God is like an eagle—mighty, beautiful, and strong. Jesus reveals to us that, if we are in Christ, God is our father. Therefore, God is like a really great dad. God has shown us that he is like many things in our experience. So, when we compare him to those things, we’re actually getting to know him a bit better.

But this can also go all wrong on us. It starts when we speculate about God. “I think God is like ______,” we say. And typically, we fill up that blank with whatever we like the most. This is not a legitimate way to know God because it doesn’t start with God, it starts with us. We come with a great deal of audacity to think that we can ascribe to the Almighty attributes we’re most comfortable with. Instead of humbly exploring and enjoying his revelation, we insist on the validity of our own speculation.

“But if God is incomparable,” you may ask, “then how can we compare him to anything at all?” This is where God’s incomparability becomes beautiful. Because God is God, whatever good likeness we see in his creation is but a shadow of the original that exists in God himself. If we have a great dad, we might say, “God is a great dad like my dad.” But, God is actually so much better than your dad (or anyone else’s) that his fatherhood is incomparable—it’s unparalleled.

Or, perhaps you’ve experienced someone else’s sacrificial love. Maybe someone gave up a lot to take care of you, for example. You might, therefore, compare God’s sacrificial love to this person’s. But, God’s love is so much more costly, even than our own, that his love for his people in incomparable.

See, when we speculate about God, we get discouraged. Because, after all, how can we really know if God is like our comparison. The reality is much better. When we joyfully accept God’s revelation, then our knowledge of God is living and real, because we’re seeing God the way God sees God. Today, consider the likeness of God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. As you remember him, love his likeness. The real God is always better than the one we make up, anyway.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 28: God is Active.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1). Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm... (Exodus 6:6).

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4).

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5).

In the 18th century, the natural sciences were exploding. At this point in history, men of science began to picture the world like a giant clock, and God as its maker. The only problem with this view was, once the clock got started, the maker was out of a job. So, deism—the view that God created the world and walked away—grew. Today, vestiges of this deism live on, even in the church.

Perhaps you don’t think so. But I think that many well meaning Christians have such a lofty view of God, that they don’t really see him as an active, living, moving being. God is static—he’s out there, somewhere. But the Bible has a very different picture of God.

In the Scriptures, we see the Lord active in a host of ways. Let’s think about three: creation, redemption, and restoration.

First, God is active in creation. He made it. But he didn’t stop there. He didn’t just construct the clock and go take an eternal nap. He’s the power source of the clock. Furthermore, he continues to keep the clock working. That is, God is active in his creation.

Secondly, God is active in redemption. God didn’t just make the world, he loves it. He loves us. He loves his people, and he won’t suffer them to be lost forever in their own sin. So, God promises to redeem, and then actually does it. Sending Moses to the children of Israel, he said, “I will redeem.” Sending Jesus to the children of Adam (you and me), he says the same. He is active to come and save. And he still is, by the way. He is still moving, acting, and saving. How do I know? Well, he’s saved me. That’s at least some proof.

Finally, God is active in restoring the world and everything in it. In his vision of the future, John looked and saw Jesus bringing a new heavens and a new earth out of the old. A heavenly city was seen coming down from the sky, and ever tear was wiped away. No one was sick, no one was sad, and all evil and injustice had been destroyed forever. Summing up all that he was doing, Jesus said, “Look! I am making all things new!”

Don’t fool yourself for a moment into believing that God is inactive. Just because you may have a hard time seeing him move does not therefore mean that he is static. You can’t see the mighty oak grow either, but its roots will displace the greatest of man made structures. God is active, and he invites your activity with him.

Prayer & Fasting: Day 27: God is Beautiful.

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). For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. (Psalm 96:4-6).

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At least, that’s what we’ve been told. Taken to it’s logical conclusion, however, and the word beauty becomes meaningless. It’s a word which totally depends on what individuals prefer. It’s not occurred to us that beauty might just have an objective foundation. Beauty might, most fundamentally, be found in God.

In fact, that’s exactly what the Scriptures teach us. Goodness and beauty aren’t ideas that cultures agree upon, merely. These are concepts rooted in the person of God. God is beautiful. Therefore, whatever looks, acts, and seems most like him is what is truly beautiful. The psalmists knew this. In their songs, they sing and shout about how great and beautiful God is. In Psalm 27, David describes the beauty of the Lord as the singular preoccupation of his life. He’s saying, “If I could do any one thing, all I’d want to do is gaze at your beauty.”

Maybe that sounds soft to you, but it hardly is. These words are uttered in a psalm where David was pleading with God for help. The beauty of God wasn’t some abstract, flaccid, weak idea. At least not to David. To him, God’s beauty was reason for confident and peace. He knew that the goal of his life was to stare in wonder at the beauty of God. The idea of doing so was so powerful that it brought him deep, profound peace.

Psalm 96 echoes the theme. “...strength and beauty are in his sanctuary,” sings the author. Why? Because God’s beauty is connected to all his other perfections. The beauty of God is what we see when all his manifold perfections are on display. When the power, grace, justice, and peace of God all collide together, then there’s only one word appropriate to describe it: beauty.

So what does this matter to us, practically? It means that to preoccupy our mind with the beauty of God can change us. Paul says as much to the Philippian believers. He admonishes them to think on what is good, true, and beautiful. In the midst of hardship (especially then) we can think about God’s beauty and our whole perspective changes.

Are things hard today? Are you exhausted, tired, and hurting? Wherever you are on the spectrum of experience, this is what the Scriptures teach: to think on God’s beauty is to change. It is to lift your eyes from the dingy, ugly, day-to-day pain that marks the life and gaze into heaven. Then, having such a gaze, to repaint the heaven you see back onto your own experience.

This is what Jesus did. His life was hard. But being in constant communion with God did two things: it gave him perseverance in hardship, and it gave him power to change it. In Christ, we see the power of preoccupation with the beauty of God. And we see something deeper still—we see beauty incarnate.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 26: God is Near.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 
(Matthew 1:23). And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20).

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’. (Acts 17:26-28).

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8).

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3).

Perhaps the greatest news of the Christian story is that God has come from his high and lofty place down to us. The core message of the gospel is not that we must ascend to God through religious duty. The good news is that God has descended to us, by grace and mercy.

Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied about one who would be called “Immanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” Thus, when Jesus was born, Matthew immediately made the connection from prophecy to fulfillment. Jesus had come, God was with his people. What a miracle to behold!

But the news gets better for us. Because Jesus has ascended back to the Father, we possess treasure greater than even having Jesus sitting next to us—the Holy Spirit living within us. Jesus promised his followers as he left that he would be with them always. How? Because the Holy Spirit would come to live in them.

Contrast this with how you feel most the time. Do you feel like God is with you? Or, do you feel as though he is far off? However you feel (because feelings can be deceiving), you and I and all who follow Christ should rejoice at this: God is near! He is not far. He isn’t like the absentee father who just works all the time, never having time for us. He is near to us. Does he feel far? Then do what James says. Draw near to him in prayer, in the Scriptures, and in worship. These are channels of grace—of the very presence of God in our lives.

The nearness of God is our future. The fall broke our closeness to God. But, when God makes all things new, we will be with him. Together, forever. We will be with him in still a measure greater than we are now, and he will be with us.

So what does this all mean? It means that no matter how you feel, what you think, or what your day is like, God is never too far away. He is not far from any of us. We simply must turn (repent) and see him (ask).

Prayer & Fasting, Day 25: God is Other.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 
(Jeremiah 2:13). O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens ...When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:1, 3-4).

... God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (Ecc. 5:2b).

“Does God get lonely up there in Heaven?”

My little girl was about five when she asked me that. It was a sweet question, and part of it resonates with us. She was struggling to understand God, because he is very different than her. God is other.

The “otherness” of God is admittedly difficult to understand. After all, if God is so different than us, how are we to understand him. Furthermore, if God is really so other, why does that matter?

In theology, this otherness is often called transcendence. This word means that God is higher than we are—totally above us. And it’s good news for us for at least a few reasons. First, if God really is above us, then we can trust him to have insight and thought that we don’t have. Whenever a human being is in trouble, he has a natural inclination to pray—to ask God for help. It’s been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. Why? Because when we need real help, we all inherently know that we should call on the one who is totally higher and totally other than us. When we’ve gotten ourselves into a mess, we don’t look to us to get out of it. Why? Because we need a God who exists on a different plane of thought and experience. We need another.

A second reason the otherness of God should give us cause for praise is this: we know him anyway! In Christ, this totally high, holy, and lofty God has come down to make himself known to us. In the Psalms, we see David extolling the greatness and majesty of God. He’s nothing like us. He makes the moon and stars. He makes people and angels. He creates and controls the universe. But David’s song doesn’t stop there. He continues to sing, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” His mind is totally blown by the fact that such a transcendent, other God has stooped down to know us. This is the reason that David wrote the psalm. God is totally other, and we get to have a relationship with him anyway.

Finally, the otherness of God should produce humility in us. Before any of us begin to run our mouths about the way life should be, we should take the preacher of Ecclesiastes’ advice: “God is in Heaven, you’re not. So, shh.” The loftiness of God should cause us to stop talking, look up in wonder, and worship. God is other, and we know him in Jesus. The totally other has become knowable. What grace.