There are times when a hymn can do what nothing else can do. The Solid Rock, written by Edward Mote (1797-1874), has been my favorite hymn for as long as I can remember, and it is to the second and third verse I want to turn today.
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath His covenant and blood
Support me in the ‘whelming flood:
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Darkness does come, whether we want to admit it, or not. There are times when, like Shakespeare, I feel all I’m doing is “trouble[ing] deaf heaven with my bootless cries.” At times His loving face is hidden in the darkness, leaving me to feel like no one is listening, like no one cares.
But I will rest on His unchanging grace.
And when, in the darkness, I feel my ship tossed, I must remind myself that I am not the One responsible for the journey. When the darkness is so thick that it sucks away all light, leaving me only with the sensation of drifting, I must not fear…I must not lose hope…I must stay in the ship.
My anchor holds within the veil.
Am I forgotten? Is my purpose of not importance? What of my value that I should be left alone in the increasing depths of sorrow and doubt? Has He left me to drown as the waters rise around me? Is He unfaithful to finish what He has begun? NO! Of course not! His Word is true, and he cannot lie! He is faithful, even when I am not, and His promise of my rescue is sealed in His own blood!
His oath, His covenant, and His blood support me in the overwhelming flood.
When it seems like everything is caving in around me; when it seems like every place to stand becomes loose soil on the edge of a cliff; when all the advice in the world sounds hollow…
He, then, is all my hope and stay.
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
“We seek out panaceas to resolve the conflicts of the world and to heal our own personal and private wounds. Many are consulting the psychiatrist, the doctor, the minister, and anyone else who will listen. But we do not seem to recognize that the great need in our own personal lives is prayer. Prayer is the greatest neglected resource that we have; it’s a power that we simply are not using today.” – J. Vernon McGee (emphasis mine)
Today is the National Day of Prayer, and so I want to encourage each of you to pray. We need to be on our knees for our country, our cities, and our homes instead of rioting, protesting, and cursing each other. Oh, how much could change if we would just take advantage of the resource that’s been provided to us!
However, be careful; prayer is nothing but idle words and wishful thinking, motivational self-talk at best, if the Object of our prayer is not God.
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him (Jesus), that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” – 1 John 5:13-15 (emphasis mine)
Pray, but go to God in prayer. Prayer doesn’t change things – He does.
Specifics
When you pray, pray with intent. Don’t pray in generalities; be specific. If you don’t already have a list of specifics, let me suggest a few to get you started. Let the Holy Spirit guide you after these.
Praise God for the opportunity to pray. Thank God that He even allows us into His presence.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.” – Psalm 100:4
Confess your sins to God, and repent.
“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” – Psalm 32:5
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
Pray for your President (or Prime Minister), your regional officials, and your local government leaders by name, if possible.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Pray for Wisdom.
“Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with [my] whole heart.” – Psalm 119:34
“Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” – Proverbs 4:7
“A man is powerful on his knees.” – Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983)
Today Is a Big Day. I thought you should know about it.
Folks, there are so many things going on in our country today, so many things that I cannot even begin to address them all. You know about what’s happening in Baltimore, don’t you? I hope so.
But do you know what is going on today in the Supreme Court? Oral arguments are being presented in a key case that will affect the whole nation and the definition of marriage.
I would seriously encourage you to look at the times below and pray accordingly.
On April 28th, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear oral arguments about the constitutionality of marriage for the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
KEY QUESTIONS
There are two questions that will be considered by the Court. Ninety minutes is allotted to oral argument on question 1; 1 hour is allotted for oral argument on question 2.
Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?
KEY CASES
Obergefell v. Hodges (Ohio), 14-556 Tanco v. Haslam (TN), 14-562 DeBoer v. Snyder (MI), 14-571 Bourke v. Beshear (KY), 14-574
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Mary Bonauto, well-known same-sex “marriage” lawyer who serves on the staff with GLAD.
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Donald Verrilli, Jr., Solicitor General of the United States, will argue against God’s definition of marriage.
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
John Bursch, former Michigan Solicitor General, will argue that states are not required to recognize same-sex “marriages.”
11:30 a.m. – Noon
Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, the attorney on record for one of the central cases and the only lead lawyer with an established Supreme Court practice, will argue that same-sex “marriages” must be recognized.
Noon – 12:30 p.m.
Joseph Whalen, Tennessee Associate Solicitor General, will argue for a state’s right to limit marriage to one woman and one man based upon a 2006 Tennessee referendum that passed by 81% of the vote.
My last post was a call for intercession. I am most grateful to all who prayed.
I am sorry that I cannot go into detail, for it can be difficult praying for something when you don’t know specifics. However, if you would just continue to remember my family and me as we deal with a particular issue. In our own wisdom and strength the path is scary and the load is heavy, but with the Spirit leading and in God’s strength the path will be lit and the burden won’t be carried alone.
Let me also add, pray that my eyes be open to what snares the Enemy has laid before me. Even though that old devil is defeated, I don’t want to encourage his state of denial or make his retreat any easier.
There is much I would like to blog about, but there are many other things which must take precedent. Keeping things in their proper perspective are important right now, not viewer stats. For those of you who regularly visit here, please forgive me for the recent lack of pithy posts.
You and I may never know down here the affect your prayers are having, but one day we will know as we are known, and on that day will can rejoice together for God’s providence and grace. In the meantime, just know that you are appreciated and our Father sees all.
Until next time, God bless!
OH! By the way! This is my 700th post! That’s cool! 🙂
“And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work [is] great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place [therefore] ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.” – Nehemiah 4:19-20
The children of Israel were trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, yet they had to be spread out because of the size of the work. And since there were but few of them, and the threats from the enemy was ever-present, they worked with one hand, kept a sword in the other, and listened for the sound of a trumpet.
Nehemiah saw that their few numbers, if attacked in one spot, could be overrun. However, if when one group working on one section of the wall would sound a trumpet when under attack, the rest of the groups would come to their aid, increasing their fighting power.
For those of you who understand, the parallels between the Jews rebuilding their wall and those of us who fight spiritual battles are striking. If nothing else, we should understand that Satan always looks for the greatest points of weakness, and that’s where he will attack. If we never sound the trumpet for reinforcements, and if we, the reinforcements, never show up when called, is it any wonder so many battles are lost?
Friends, I’m sounding a trumpet. I need you to intercede for me, my family, and my church congregation. I cannot, in my own strength, bear up under the demonic attack being launched. I don’t need to give you details…I don’t need anything from you…all I am asking is for you to hold up my arms (Exodus 17:11-12) through intercessory prayer.
This is the proper use of the internet, wouldn’t you say?
Folks, I am a die-hard conservative. Want me to prove it?
If I were Catholic – which I’m not – I’d nominate President Ronald Reagan for sainthood.
I was a registered Republican long before “hanging chads” were even a problem and didn’t like Al Gore (a fellow Tennessean) even when his wife, Tipper, hated rock music.
I still wear a vintage, hand-made, limited edition Rush Limbaugh tie every once in a while.
In the 80’s one of my heroes was Alex P. Keaton.
So, in other words, when I say I am a conservative, it’s not hype. However, I feel much of the ruckus over President Obama’s comments at the recent National Prayer Breakfast is, in my opinion, not much more than that…hype. To be clear, let’s define hype:
■ noun extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion.
■ verb promote or publicize intensively or extravagantly.*
Oh, don’t misunderstand me! I have many issues with the POTUS and his policies, especially those which undermine our freedom of religious expression in the workplace and the public square. But the way some on my side of the political camp, especially those of the religious persuasion, have attacked Obama for his comments at a multi-faith prayer breakfast seems to be over-the-top – more hype than anything – especially considering the context.
Context
Like I said in the title of this post, the POTUS’ speech was not that bad, that is, if you consider where he was making the speech, to whom he was speaking, and all that he could have said, but didn’t. Let’s face it, people, Obama was NOT speaking to a singularly Christian audience; there were many faiths in attendance. So, to say that Obama’s remarks regarding humility were only being directed at Christians is a tad bit disingenuous.
Now, I do not agree that there is any moral equivalency between the Crusades and what ISIS is doing in the world. For that matter, I wish more attention would be paid to the fact that the Crusades were, incidentally, a response to earlier Muslim expansion by the sword; much of the Christian “atrocities” were in response to hundreds of years of Muslim “atrocities.” But the general message of Obama’s speech was one that encouraged tolerance across the board. Even though he made comments highlighting the Crusades, he spent even more time addressing killing in other places around the world, such as Nigeria, India, etc.
Obama is the President, not a preacher or theologian. For that matter, he is not even a historian of any degree. His purpose at that prayer breakfast was ecumenical in nature, to encourage well-meaning citizens of all faiths to seek peace, to seek the face of God, and to renounce violence toward others in the name of religion. He was at a MULTI-FAITH prayer breakfast, for crying out loud! What else did those present expect him to say?
Unreported Positives
Just in case you missed it, there were some other things President Obama said that were encouraging. First, whether he ultimately means it or not, he used the term “freedom of religion” in the same sentence as “freedom of speech”!
“There’s wisdom in our founders writing in those documents that help found this nation the notion of freedom of religion, because they understood the need for humility. They also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that there was a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of religion. For to infringe on one right under the pretext of protecting another is a betrayal of both.”
As believers, we should hold him to these words, especially when it comes to the public expression of faith on public grounds.
Second, the President took the time to specifically mention three Christians who had either been persecuted or sacrificed for their faith: Kenneth Bae, Pastor Saeed Abedini, and Kent Brantly. And what’s more, he even quoted a portion of a letter from Pastor Abedini, still being held captive in Iran: “Nothing is more valuable to the Body of Christ than to see how the Lord is in control, and moves ahead of countries and leadership through united prayer.”
Third, President Obama quoted more from the Bible than any other religious text. For example, at the end of his speech in one paragraph he quoted from both 1 Corinthians 13:12 and Micah 6:8.
“If we are properly humble, if we drop to our knees on occasion, we will acknowledge that we never fully know God’s purpose. We can never fully fathom His amazing grace. “We see through a glass, darkly” — grappling with the expanse of His awesome love. But even with our limits, we can heed that which is required: To do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.”
The fourth encouraging thing might be the most overlooked of all: despite everything else, the President of the United States of America is NOT an atheist. Hallelujah at least for that, right?
Conclusion
So, just to recap all I’ve said, I don’t think it was fair to compare the Christian church of today with the Crusades of 800 years ago, especially in the light of what Islam is doing at this moment. It was also irresponsible to morally equate the Crusades to the 15 centuries-worth of Muslim expansion by the sword. That being said, considering the audience and the context of the event, Obama’s speech wasn’t that bad – especially if you’re an ecumenical, pluralistic, main-stream liberal.
So, my fellow conservatives (of all types), quit making such a big deal about this one prayer breakfast…at least Obama went (which is a lot more than we can say for his church attendance). He even got to hear Darrell Waltrip (NASCAR legend) preach the Gospel.
There’s still hope.
*Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, eds., Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
Continuing in the theme of the last couple of days, I read something last night that hit me like a brick regarding preaching. You see, I have been reading a little book by Andrew Murray (1828-1917), Living a Prayerful Life. I should have read it years ago.
In one paragraph Murray sums up what is probably the single-most devastating reason why our/my preaching is not more powerful and effective than it is.
I pray that each minister of the gospel might understand that he has received this precious space of time from God in order to wait on Him! God must have for fellowship with himself the first and the best of our time. Without this, our preaching and our service will have little power. Here on earth I may expend my time in exchange for money or learning. The minister exchanges his time for divine power and the spiritual blessing to be obtained from heaven.That, and nothing else, makes him a man of God and ensures that his preaching will be in the demonstration of the Spirit and power.*
We are only given so much time. Like currency, we can use it to purchase for ourselves many things, like pleasure, satisfaction, wealth, knowledge, etc. But how much of it do we use to purchase power from the Holy Spirit? How much time to we spend in prayer?
Oh, this is so convicting, is it not? Why is there not more power from the pulpit? Because we are wasting time, flittering it away, spending too much of it on things which we, as ministers, need not. What we need MOST is a “demonstration of the Spirit and power!”
It’s past time we exchange our time in prayer. Pastors, the Church (in America, at least) is weak, and it’s our fault!
* Murray, Andrew. Living a Prayerful Life. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2002, p. 96.
Thank you so much for your mercy and grace! Thank you for loving me, despite everything about me that I’d despise, if I were you. But I’m not You, and I’m glad.
Lord, I’ve been reading and studying Your Word, and I believe I know what it is you’d have me to say to us tomorrow. But even though I think I know, only You know for sure what we need. Please use me as Your mouthpiece to say what’s on Your heart.
I know I’m human. I confess that there will come a point tomorrow when I’ll want to insert my own two cents. If I do, please make sure Your image is on the coins; my currency is worthless.
Lord, don’t let me waste any one’s time in the morning, please. Preach through me in spite of myself. We want to hear You, not me. These are good people who could be going other places, doing other things, or resting in; don’t let me be the reason for them wishing they were some place else.
I want to feel Your presence. I want to be bold, fearless. I need your Spirit to strengthen me, to give my words authority, to break the bread and multiply it, meeting needs I could never supply. Fill me. Possess me. Empower me. Erase me; let them see Jesus.
I’m a sinner, Lord. I’m ashamed of my shortcomings. You deserve more than I’ve given; I’ve held back my all. Help me not to love my self so much, oh God. Help me to love you, to thirst for you, to be enraptured by YOU! If my love for You is lacking, so will be my preaching. Forgive me of my adulterous heart that is prone to wander from Your embrace. I’m ashamed! But You forgive! I’m unworthy!!
Oh that your pulpit will be a lighthouse! May the Light be bright! Guide our folks away from what endangers them! Only You know what they are facing next week.
A lion is seeking whom he may devour, Lord. I hate that scoundrel! He will have his crowd doing their best to hurt, hinder, distract, and all that stuff. Mess him up, Lord! Screw up whatever plans he may have for tomorrow! Keep the fights from getting started. Protect our folk on the road. Protect hearts and minds from temptations that could rob their joy. Despite the devil’s best efforts, help the ones who want to come to church get here, joy and all intact, ready to worship You!
Lord, I’m going to go to bed, now. May I dream holy dreams, encouraging dreams, dreams that remind me of Your power and majesty. May I wake up already pumped, full of expectation, ready to raise my Sword for battle.
Thank You again, Lord, for this opportunity. I don’t know why You chose me, but I want to make You proud. If I don’t get a single response from a single pew, when the time comes for me to step down, may I hear your Spirit whisper “well done.” Be glorified, Father, in spite of me. And when it’s all said and done, because of You, may the congregation honestly say, “I’m glad we came unto the house of the Lord!”
Some big names in evangelicalism (David Platt, for example) have a problem with the sinner’s prayer. Many even claim that this type of prayer has led to a plethora of false conversions. Some even go so far as to claim this kind of prayer is a form of “works salvation.”
My Two Cents
Below is the comment I left on The River Walk (tworiversblog.com):
Where do I start? Where do I end? I’m a Baptist. I’m a Baptist pastor. I prayed the “prayer” as a child. I am born again. I have given altar calls. I have invited others to pray the “prayer” during invitations. There’s no way I can know who was born again…or not; only God knows. However, I can tell you about fruit.
No, the prayer doesn’t save; Jesus does. But what I see so often today is an attempt by many to belittle, malign, berate, and denigrate something that is precious and effective if presented in context with the true gospel message. I have seen it so many times: young, intellectual, up-and-coming theologians stirring up strife within the body of Christ, all the while holding on to the banner of grace, attempting to change, as if change itself was something divine. Why not accept the “sinners prayer” with a little more grace and along with it teach the fundamental doctrines on which it depends to be effective?
We ARE commanded to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Rom. 10:13). Is it not a “sinner’s prayer” when a sinner prays for salvation? Yes, I believe that there have been many false conversions brought about by head-hunting preachers and evangelists leading silent, congregational “sinner’s prayers.” That is why when I give an invitation I always explain that true salvation will result in public confession (Matt. 10:32-33). In other words, I never say “Pray with me…” and then ask people to come forward. I say that if one is truly repentant, truly understands his need of new birth, truly finds himself humbled at the foot of the cross, then he will have no problem coming to an altar, making a public profession, and then being baptized.
So, to sum this up…sorry for the length…I was saved at the age of 6 (I’m 47) when I realized that I was a sinner, was going to hell, and that the only way to heaven was to accept God’s gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t have been able to recite the Apostle’s Creed, the Baptist Faith and Message, or even the Ten Commandments, but I knew I was lost. My dad led me to a little Sunday school room where we knelt at a little table, and it was there that my dad, a humble, former moonshiner, led me in the “sinner’s prayer,” because I didn’t know any better way to say what was in my little heart. That was the day I was saved, and I thank God my dad prayed with me.
I am now well into the second week of 2015 with one book read and another started. The first book I finished was Donkey Tells a Promise Kept. The book I am reading at this moment is Living a Prayerful Life by Andrew Murray (1828-1917).
If you have never heard of Andrew Murray, he was a South African preacher and pastor (of Scottish decent), but more than anything a prayer warrior. Some of his theology may not sit well with all of us, but one thing is certain: this man had a heart for God like few others.
Quote of the Day
I am not even a quarter of the way through this little book, but there is something I’ve got to share with you. Something Murray wrote is convicting me, stinging me with a pain sharper than any wasp, more like the burn of a red-hot poker to the heart.
The Enemy uses all his power to lead the Christian – and above all, the minister – to neglect prayer. Satan knows that however admirable the sermon may be, however attractive the service, however faithful the pastoral visitation, none of these things can damage him or his kingdom if prayer is neglected. – Andrew Murray (p. 28)
I’m not going to lie – I don’t pray like I should. What a waste! What a sin!
I have preached some pretty good sermons and tried to do all the pastoral stuff, but how much more effective could I have been had I spent more time on my knees and less time at a desk? What if I spent more time talking with Jesus than talking about Him?After all, the whole reason the disciples called for the selecting of deacons was so that they might first give themselves “continually to prayer…” (Acts 6:4).
Preachers, before you worry anymore about your outline for Sunday, your clever illustrations, or your Power Point, spend some more time prostrate before the throne. If we neglect earnest prayer, we’ll have no power, so what’s the point?
The Recovering Legalist 