Robert Hawker: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers
Lord, grant me grace to abide in Jesus, that every act of my life may testify whose I am, and whom I serve.
And like the martyr who answered every question “I am a Christian,” may my every thought, word, and action proclaim Jesus and my union and oneness with him—so that everyone may plainly see I am no longer my own.
But instead, “being bought with a price, you glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are both his.”
Amen.
Someone once said: “Most people admire a good loser . . . as long as it’s somebody else.” It’s true, isn’t it? We savor victory. From the Little League baseball game to the corporate takeover on Wall Street, the name of the game is to win. The apostle Paul expressed our sentiments when he said, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” With our bent toward winning, we enjoy promises like that. But, the declaration of Paul asks the question, “Into what arenas of life does God lead us in triumph?” It is important to know since there’s a great deal of confusion about it. The preaching that’s popular today is the kind that promises people “outrageous fortune.” However, it would serve us well to reexamine those arenas wherein we may truly experience victory.
Several years back, I passed along a joke in one of my message groups (when they were popular) about two big city coaches who went north to ice fish. Having purchased all the required paraphernalia at a sporting goods store, lines, poles, lures, bait, and a small power saw to cut through the ice, they found their location, pitched a tent, and proceeded to cut a hole in the ice.
Just as they got started, however, they heard a voice call out, “There’s no fish under the ice.” They looked at each other startled and wondered where the voice was coming from. Then, they proceeded with their work. Again, the voice called out, “There’s no fish under the ice.” Both looked up thinking the voice was coming from above and returned to their work pretending they didn’t hear it. The voice thundered a third time.
Finally, one coach could stand it no longer. He stood up and cried out, “Is that you, Lord?”
“No,” returned the voice. “This is the manager of the ice skating arena!”
God may lead us in triumph, but it is important to identify the arenas of life where victory may honestly be experienced. Fortunately, the apostle Paul does not leave us guessing. He clearly identifies those arenas in the passage before us. Observe them and then begin to experience victory for yourself.
It is impossible to read 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 without receiving the distinct impression there was a serious relational flaw among the Corinthian Christians. Nobody knows for certain what the exact nature of the problem was. However, in 1 Corinthians 5, we learn of a member of the congregation who was guilty of incest. Perhaps that is the problem to which Paul alludes in the passage before us. In any case, it is noteworthy that the early church took seriously the matter of disciplining errant members. Apparently, the Corinthians had exercised some sort of discipling action against the person or persons responsible for infecting the church’s spirit of internal harmony and external witness in the world. Therefore, Paul said, in essence, “Enough is enough!” In verses 6-8 we see that He instructed,
This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
The oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.
PSALM 9:18
Scripture References: Psalm 33:6, 139:13; Acts 17:26
In his book The Genesis Mystery, anthropologist Jeffrey Goodman surmises that humanity emerged from apelike ancestors by intelligent intervention of an outside source. The gradual changes necessary in an evolutionary development aren’t in the fossil records, he notes. Goodman said he favors some kind of intervention because it both fits the facts better and accounts for the high view of human purpose the race has always held. Since beliefs about our origin determine present behavior and future life, he said, we need to discover our origins.
How true. Human purpose can be understood only as we understand human origins. Only then do we find ourselves as more than bundles of electrical impulses, nerve endings, and chemical reactions—the conclusion reached by “The Astonishing Hypothesis.” That all of these are the parts is beyond doubt, but something else is the catalyst, charging them into life when it comes and leaving a corpse when it is gone. Sooner or later we have to come back to morality, character, and spiritual nature. The biblical answer never fails to satisfy on all points. It sees us in all our dimensions and relationships, but always from the perspective of our first dimension and relationship—formed bodily of dust but suffused with God’s image.
Today you’ll wonder if you’ll have enough, or you’ll tell yourself,
“The Lord will provide,” and in faith you’ll move forward.
To live the way you have been called and graced to live, you have to know your address. You have to understand what it means to live where you live every day. For example, if you live in the city, you know that parking is going to be a problem. If you live in the suburbs, you know you’ll have a big yard that will require maintenance. If you live in the inner city, you may need to be aware of the dangers on the streets at night. If you live in an old house, you can be sure that you’ll need to hone your carpentry, electricity, and plumbing skills, because some parts of the structure are going to give way. The same is true spiritually. It is essential that you understand the implications of living where you live or you’ll find yourself confused and unprepared over and over again.
You and I live between the “already” and the “not yet.” Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice. The wisdom of the word has been placed in your hands. The Holy Spirit has come to live inside you. But the work of God in you, for you, and through you has not yet been completed. This means that sin has not yet been fully eradicated and you are not yet all that grace will transform you to be. The last enemy of God has not yet been placed under the powerful foot of the Messiah. So the moral battle still rages. The spiritual war still goes on. That means you need to understand that you live in a war zone. And you need to be very clear on this—that great spiritual war is fought on the turf of your heart and it’s fought for control of your soul. Your life is lived every day in the middle of that war. It’s a war of doubt and faith. It’s a war of submission and rebellion. It’s a war of anxiety and trust. It’s a war of wisdom and foolishness. It’s a war of hope and despair. It’s a war of allegiance and disloyalty. It’s a war.
Perhaps the epicenter of that war is this question: “Will the Lord do what he has promised?” Will the Lord provide? Can I step out in faith and courage, knowing that the Lord is with me and will provide what I need when I need it? Or do I have to worry that, when it comes to push and shove, I won’t have enough? Should I be afraid, or is God trustworthy?
When you hit hard times, when your weakness is exposed, be ready for the enemy to whisper in your ear, “Where is your God now?” and be ready to respond, “He is where he has been and always will be—with me in power, glory, and grace.” You won’t always feel his nearness, but you can rest assured he will never abandon you. He is the one who said, “Behold, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), and he never goes back on his word.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls (Hebrews 12:3).
One thing which contributed to make Caesar’s soldiers invincible, was their seeing him always ready to take his share in danger, and never desire any exemption from labor and fatigue. We have a far higher incentive in the war for truth and goodness when we consider Him Who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself.
~ SPURGEON
MATTHEW 21:33
“There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it,
dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers
and went into a far country.”
We too have received a garden to cultivate.
It was given to us as a gift at our birth. A sound body and the faculties and powers of our soul. A loving mother and a good father. Many brothers and sisters and good companions. A good home. A good bringing up and instruction in many useful things, both at home and at school.
In the midst of this beautiful garden God planted the tree of life. At our very birth God met us in holy Baptism. Our soul was small, but the triune God nevertheless found room there. In the bright spring morning of our life many a blessed heavenly seed was sown in the little garden of our heart.
Then He set a hedge about it. A remarkable hedge. For many years—how many I do not know, but for many years—nothing could harm the little garden. Not we ourselves; we were still too small. Not any other person, either. No, not even the devil.
We lived a few happy years in our garden. And God garnered fruit there. We prayed our childhood prayers, which made glad the heart of God. And we struggled with our childhood sins. True, we often fell. But when we turned to God and asked His forgiveness, God received again the fruit which He sought. We ourselves received the most. For we received power to uproot many a thorny growth.
But since that time? Since that time many have permitted the weeds to grow again. Thorns and thistles have choked everything that God planted.
However, they are not happy with the garden destroyed. They sit during hours of quietude, longing sorely for the faith and for the garden of their childhood.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac . . . (Hebrews 11:17).
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God (James 2:23).
God counseled Abraham to leave his own country and go in pilgrimage into the land which God has shown him, that is, the “Land of Promise” . . . Now the good counsel which God enjoined here on the father of the faithful is incumbent on all the faithful, that is, to leave their country and their land, their wealth and their worldly delight, for the sake of the Lord of the elements, and go in perfect pilgrimage in imitation of him.
~ St Columba
Abraham did not know the way, but he knew the Guide.
~ Lee Roberson
The people who related to God best—Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah—treated Him with startling familiarity. They talked to God as if He were sitting in a chair beside them, as one might talk to a counselor, a boss, a parent, or a lover. They treated Him like a person.
~ Philip Yancey
Robert Hawker: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers
With what humble confidence may a poor sinner, such as I am, look up and tell him of the glories of his cross, now shining in the glories of his crown!
Will I not hope, dear Lord, by the sweet influence of your blessed Spirit, to make every day a coronation day, when by faith I crown you my true and lawful sovereign?
I desire to bring every thought and affection of my poor heart into obedience to you. I want to bow the knee of my heart before you, and with holy joy confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the roar of the seas, and to the rushing of nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! (Isaiah 17:12).
Time hasn’t changed a noticeable fraction of a second in ten million years. The first man who stood on two feet and watched the sunrise and had a glimmering of wonder about time knew the same span of daylight that we know today, and the same year. Grass grew as deliberately then as now, and the berry ripened in its own time.
But somewhere along the way man began to count not only the days, but the hours, the minutes, the seconds. Time was unchanged but man was caught in his own time-traps. The very echoes came to say, “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” And only now and then did anyone stop and ask, “Why, and what for?”
~ New York Times
PAUL’S words about the Law being unable to produce righteousness because of the weakness of the flesh (Romans 8:3) should not be interpreted as if he thought little of the Law. On the contrary, he took seriously the high calling and expectations that God revealed through Moses. In fact, walking “according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4) involves the fulfillment of these expectations. That’s why Paul urged believers to:
This is life in the Spirit—a lifelong adventure of reclaiming what God intended for us from the beginning (Ephesians 5:8-10).
[Christ] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words (Colossians 2:3-4).
The Gnostics, of course, boasted of an understanding far surpassing anything found within the pages of divine revelation. Their wisdom was something in addition to what was found in Christ or Christianity. But here Paul is saying that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, the Head. Therefore, there is no need for believers to go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. The treasures in Christ are hidden from unbelief; and even the believer needs to know Christ intimately to enter into them.
Christ is in the believer as Head, center and resource. By the vastness of His unsearchable riches, by the pre-eminent wealth of His infinite greatness, by all that He is essentially as God, by all He has accomplished in creation and in redemption, by His personal, moral and official glories, He crowds out the whole army of professors, authors, mediums, critics, and all others arrayed against Him.
There is more in this verse than meets the eye. All knowledge is found in Christ. He is the incarnation of truth. He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Nothing that is true will ever conflict with His words or His works. The difference between knowledge and wisdom has often been explained as follows: Knowledge is the understanding of truth, whereas wisdom is the ability to apply what truth has been learned.
Because all wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, Christians should not be deluded with the persuasive words of false cultists and false teachers. If a man does not have the truth, then he must seek to attract a following through the clever presentation of his message. That is exactly what heretics always do. They argue from probabilities and build a system of teaching on deductions and assumptions. On the other hand, if a man is preaching the truth of God, then he does not need to depend on such things as eloquence or clever arguments. The truth is its own best argument and, like a lion, will defend itself.
Psalm 12 has a simple A-B-A or chiastic pattern.1 The first section (verses 1-4), dramatically states no one remains who is faithful to the Lord. The second section (verses 5-7), shows that in a world where others are untrustworthy, one can always trust in the Word of God. The third section (verse 8), returns to describing the wickedness of the human race mirroring verses 1-4. When employing this A-B-A or chiastic structure, the writer is emphasizing the message of the central section. One can think of it as “the central idea” or “the heart of the matter.” Therefore, David’s central message is that when the majority have become unfaithful to the Lord, continue to trust in God’s Word.
The psalm begins with a cry for help because it appears the upright in heart have disappeared. Verses 1-4 describe the disloyalty of the human race. They are deceptive flatterers using manipulative words to their own sordid ends. They are proud of their ability to exploit others with their persuasive words. But David emphatically states their words are empty. Nevertheless, verse 5a describes the effects of these words causing “the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy.” It is for this reason that David indignantly prayed that the deceivers would be “cut off,” meaning removed or destroyed. In its conclusion, Psalm 12 reiterates the activities of the wicked as they exalt that which is worthless, meaning, that which is vile and shameful.
Where does one find hope in such a godless society? In the Word of God. The Lord says He will rise up and save those who long for God, taking action on their behalf. Then David states how trustworthy God’s Word is in contrast to the empty words of the flatterers mentioned above. God’s Word is completely “pure,” without any imperfection. In the Bible, the number seven often denotes completion and perfection. Here, David is saying God’s Word is perfect in every way. Therefore, since God’s Word is perfect, David knows he can wholly trust it. He is able to assert that God will keep and protect His people forever. David knows so because God’s Word says so.
Keeping the faith can be difficult when much of what we see around us is increasing moral decay and decreasing faithfulness to the Lord. Our perspective can easily become skewed and even a bit jaded. It is for this reason we must not underestimate the importance of the daily intake and meditation of the Word of God. Instead of listening to the empty lies of this world, we desperately need the perfect Word of God to remind us of the truth. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
It is difficult to know in what particular circumstance David was in when he wrote Psalms 11 and 12, and their focus within the context of laments, pleadings for God’s help, is a little different from the other psalms. In these two psalms David not only focuses on the wicked as he has in preceding psalms but also on those who may have been his so-called friends and the effect they had on him during his time of difficulty. In Psalm 11, they suggest that the only thing the righteous can do when oppressed by the wicked is run away, and in Psalm 12, they apparently took their own advice and fled themselves. However, Psalms 11 and 12 promote faith in God Almighty: have faith in the Lord God when tempted to lose faith, and have faith in His Word when all others appear to have lost their faith and abandon you.
Psalm 11 begins with David’s declaration of faith in the Lord in response to the advice he received to run away from the threats of the wicked. David’s statement is emphatic. In Hebrew, a way of expressing something emphatically is to put the object first, so here it is literally object-subject-verb: “In the Lord I put my trust!” David’s emphasis was first and foremost on the Lord. Consequently, his response to the suggestion to flee was one of consternation. Their suggestion made no sense. There is no safer refuge than the Lord Himself in times of trouble.
When one’s focus is off of the Almighty and focused on the threat instead, one is sure to lose hope. The wicked were armed and ready to attack from the shadows. The idea is that the attack could come suddenly at any moment from any direction. The situation was grim and seemingly indefensible, and fleeing to the mountains like a bird made sense. Verse 2 also reveals that this attack was focused on “the upright in heart.” To be upright literally means to be straight, the opposite of crooked. The wicked, those who are crooked, were set to attack the straight, the upright in heart who trusted and served the Lord God.
With all this description of the situation, David’s declaration at the beginning of the psalm, is in response to the pessimistic and defeatist question voiced in verse 3: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” In other words, they were asking, “When worldliness and lawlessness run amok and every foundation for righteousness in society has been thrown down, what can good people do?” The implied answer is that they can do nothing but run away. Therefore, because their focus was on the trouble and not on the Lord, they arrived to this wrong conclusion. David gave them the correct answer: “put your trust in the Lord!” He is the only sure foundation.
In verses 4-7, David provides logical reasons for trusting in the Lord:
1) The Lord reigns over all and sees everything that happens. He is intimately aware of what every person is doing, and he is not shaken by any of it.
2) The Lord examines or tests the righteous. He is especially interested in how the righteous respond to difficulties. Will they respond in faith or despair?
3) The Lord completely rejects the wicked. Fire connotes complete destruction. So, God will ultimately put an end to evil, and so David poetically prayed what he knew to be the will of God.
4) The Lord is righteous, so one can expect Him to do what is right. And,
5) the upright will see the Lord act on their behalf, but more importantly some day they will see His face.
The oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.
PSALM 9:18
Scripture References: Psalm 27:1; Acts 2:41
In 1914 the French never contemplated defeat at the hands of Germany. The essence of optimism over Germany’s eventual defeat is revealed in an apocryphal report to General Joseph Joffre from General Ferdinand Foch: “My center is broken, my right retreats, the situation is excellent: I attack.” That optimism brought Allied victory in 1918.
The first generation of church leaders expressed a similar buoyancy. They baptized every adversity, creating a grace from disgrace. They gladly accepted and gratefully endured all setbacks and attacks. Their unconquerable merriment fills the New Testament. Paul is in jail, but not the Word. Peter is on the run, but the Word still conquers human hearts. Christians lose their possessions, jobs, and lives, but others fill in the emptiness, unable to resist the sway of the Christ who uses even suffering to proclaim his conquest of Satan.
Whatever happened to that primal optimism? Did we lose it in our haste to institutionalize the body of Christ, to gain respect in a community of unbelievers, to safeguard our reputations, to ease the requirements for discipleship? If we have lost it, we had better find it again. If we never had it, we must pray to receive it.
Octavius Winslow: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers
Jesus, it is my aim divine, hence to have no will but yours.
Let me covenant with you, yours forevermore to be.
This my prayer, and this alone:
Savior, let your will be done!
You to love, to live to you: this my daily portion be.
Nothing to my Lord I give, but from him I must first receive.
Lord, for me your blood was spilled.
Lead me, guide me, as you will.
All that is opposed to you, however dear it be,
From my heart the idol tear.
You shall have no rival there.
Only you will fill the throne.
Savior, let your will be done.
Will you, Lord, in me fulfill
All the pleasure of your will.
Yours in life, and yours in death.
Yours in every fleeting breath.
You my hope and joy alone.
Savior, let your will be done.
Amen.
Faith means you take God at his word, you never let yourself think that
you’re smarter than him, and you live inside his boundaries.
Faith so completely takes god at his word that it is willing to do what he says and stay inside his boundaries. Faith is a response of your heart to God that completely alters the way you live your life. You don’t just think by faith; you live by faith.
Now, it is important to face two implications of real, living faith. First, faith is simply never natural for us. We aren’t born with faith in God. We don’t come out of the womb ready to acknowledge his existence, worship him for his glory, and submit to his rules. We tend to live by sight, by personal experience, by collective research, or by good old intuition, but faith isn’t natural. It’s natural to give yourself to wonderment about mysteries in your life you’ll never solve. It’s natural to imagine where you’ll be in ten or twenty years. It’s natural to wonder why someone else’s life has turned out so very differently from yours. It’s natural to panic at moments, wondering if God really does exist and, if he does, if he hears your prayers. But putting your entire existence in the hands of one whom you cannot see, touch, or hear is far from natural. This is why faith is only ever a gift of divine grace. You and I have all the power in the world to doubt and no independent power at all to believe. So if you are living by faith, don’t proudly pat yourself on the back as if you did something great. No, raise your eyes and your hands toward heaven and thank God for gifting you with the desire and ability to believe.
Second, participating in formal Christianity is a part of a life of faith, but it does not define the life of faith. Just because you participate in the scheduled programs of your church doesn’t mean you’re a person of faith. You can praise God for his wisdom in that service on Sunday but be breaking his law on Tuesday because, at street level, you really do think you’re smarter than him. You can sing in thanks for his grace on Sunday and resist the work of that grace the rest of the week. It’s so easy to swindle yourself into believing that you’re living by faith when you’re really not. So look into the mirror of Hebrews 11 and examine your faith. You don’t need to do that fearfully, anxious at what you’ll see. You don’t need to deny the reality of your spiritual struggle or act as if you’re something that you’re not. You don’t have to fear exposure, because your struggle of faith has been more than adequately addressed by the grace of the cross of the Lord Jesus. Run to him and confess the off-and-on-again faith of your heart. He will not turn you away.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2).
And how is that to be done? In two ways. Go up the mountain, and the things in the plain will look very small; the higher you rise, the more insignificant they will seem. Hold fellowship with God, and live up beside your Master, and the threatening foes here will seem very, very unformidable.
Another way is—pull up the curtain and gaze on what is behind it. The low foot-hills that lie at the base of some Alpine country may look high when seen from the plain, as long as the snowy summits are wrapped in mist, but when a little puff of wind comes and clears away the fog from the lofty peaks, nobody looks at the little green hills in front. So the world’s hindrances and the world’s difficulties and cares, look very lofty till the cloud lifts. But when we see the great white summits, everything lower does not seem so very high after all. Look to Jesus and that will dwarf the difficulties.
~ MACLAREN
THE SPHERE OF HUMILIATION
Mark 9:22
“If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
After every time of exaltation we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are, where it is neither beautiful nor poetic nor thrilling. The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mount, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the sphere of humiliation that we find our true worth to God, that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at the heroic pitch because of the natural selfishness of our hearts, but God wants us at the drab commonplace pitch, where we live in the valley according to our personal relationship to Him. Peter thought it would be a fine thing for them to remain on the mount, but Jesus Christ took the disciples down from the mount into the valley—the place where the meaning of the vision is explained.
“If You can do anything . . .” It takes the valley of humiliation to root the skepticism out of us. Look back at your own experience, and you will find that until you learned Who Jesus was, you were a cunning sceptic about His power. When you were on the mount, you could believe anything, but what about the time when you were up against facts in the valley? You may be able to give a testimony to sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you just now? The last time you were on the mount with God, you saw that all power in heaven and in earth belonged to Jesus—will you be skeptical now in the valley of humiliation?
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FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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