Trusting God in a Tottering World

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In tumultuous times how will we respond? Will we care only about our own needs or will we bear one another's burdens?

Recently, in a men’s Bible journaling small group meeting, I read a handful of assigned texts including 1 Peter 2, Isaiah 38-39, 2 Kings 20, and Psalm 75, and I chose the following three brief passages for this devotional post. 

As the world "totters" it is through times of reading and sharing the Scriptures in community with others that the tottering seems to stop and the challenges seem to shrink as we stand together in Christ-centered faith, reminded of the goodness of God on our behalf.

Psalm 75:2-5

 “At the set time that I appoint  

 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,     Selah
   I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
    or speak with haughty neck.’”

Isaiah 38:17

Behold, it was for my welfare    
but in love you have delivered my life
    from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
    behind your back.

1 Peter 2:21-24

                                   For to this you have been called, 

because Christ also suffered for you, 

                                        leaving you an example,

                                        so that you might follow in his steps. 

    He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 

    When he was reviled, he did not revile in return;

    when he suffered,      he did not threaten, 

  but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 

                 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

                 that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 

                         By his wounds you have been healed. 

   For you were straying like sheep,

                                                  but have now returned

               to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Comments: 

Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash

As Americans, we need to remember that not all suffering is bad. Some suffering serves the gracious purpose of turning us back to God. Yet even as we do so and receive deliverance, we should be careful not to claim it only for ourselves. Rather, we should share what God has done for us with others so that they too might benefit from it.

In Isaiah 38, when God delivered him, Hezekiah responded well (at first), by writing down his words of praise. However, later, once he was comforted by the envoys from Babylon, in pride he showed them all that he had in his storerooms and was non-plussed when Isaiah told him that it all will be taken away and that some of his sons would eventually be eunuchs in the court of Babylon. Further, once he knew how much time he had left to live (15 years) he didn’t seem to intercede for his sons or do anything to try to change the trajectory of the nation despite having personally experienced the efficacy of fervent prayer!

Do I do the same thing? Do I cry out when I am in need and enthusiastically embrace God’s deliverance for me but fail to really care about others and mourn over what they will face? Am I satisfied to get what I need when others do not have what they need? It is too easy to fall into an egocentric trap of success and blessing instead of working, compelled by the love of Christ, as ministers of reconciliation.

O Lord, thank you for suffering for me. You alone are my rock and my shield. Yet may I remember that you suffered for the sins of others and that they need to hear the good news that you judge justly and that you took our place. Lord, I also contend for the next generation, that they would not be "eunuchs in a foreign land" but living stones and a holy nation built together for your own possession (1 Peter 2:9). May we continue, generation after generation, to praise and serve you alone!

So now Lord, as the earth seems to totter, in a pandemic, in protests, in political schemes, and in personal suffering, I look to you to steady its pillars. My first call is to you and you judge with equity. 

Lord, hear my prayer!

The Big Picture (Part 3)

We have been considering how God worked in the life of Joseph and that in his suffering and integrity, Joseph was an amazing type (as a symbol and foreshadowing) of Christ. Though we are no longer types, we are called to be witnesses pointing people to Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

It has been said by many that we are always witnesses—one way or the other. Either our life attracts people to Jesus through the light of a transformed life, or it repels people because it claims something that it doesn’t deliver. 
We need to ask whether our lives and churches are like a dark and oppressive forest to those who "know not the way"? It seems that so many of the people that I talk to who are antagonistic towards the church have been exposed to someone who was, in their view, an offensively negative witness. At the same time, those who are in the church may see those people who are angry and hurt as merely twisting things to justify their own sin. There is probably truth in both positions. What if we learned to look for the big picture in the lives of those we meet? What if we took the time to listen to the other person’s story and appreciate their suffering in a manifestation of the love of Christ? There would probably be fewer people angry and turned off at the church. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from a Nazi prison,

We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer. The only profitable relationship to others - and especially to our weaker brethren - is one of love, and that means the will to hold fellowship with them. God himself did not despise humanity but became man for men’s sake.[1]

Last week’s post ended with me asking three fairly pointed questions,

• 
  
  Do we bear a family resemblance to Joseph and to Jesus? If we are going to be positive witnesses then it will be because people can see, hear, and feel Jesus in our lives.
• Where do we fit in the big-picture plan of God? We know that he has called us to be a part of the plan though we may not know all the details. It may involve waiting, as well as suffering, and rejection at the hands of those we are trying to reach. It may not be a place of power and prominence, but rather a place in the margins, but why should we expect better than Jesus? He has given us an opportunity to share in the fellowship of his suffering so that we can also share in his comfort. 



Vines on a Kibbutz in Israel


• He has a place for us. Will we embrace it? Jesus said that he who saves his own life will lose it and he who loses his life will save it. Yet we too often prefer to trust in our own efforts rather than trust in Christ. We self-medicate in a thousand different ways and yet can never heal ourselves from the sickness of sin. Only Jesus can do that.

What if things don’t work out the way we planned? It is all too easy to blame others for our failures. It is harder for us to accept our own responsibility to live fully for God despite hardship, suffering, and even death and leave the result to God. Trust is hard but it is the only way to embrace the big picture. Let us not become discouraged by setbacks and mistakes. God will see that his plan comes to completion. We just need to stay humble as we strive to live responsible, committed lives, depending daily on his grace. Again, let me quote Bonhoeffer, 

“I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose, he needs men who make the best use of everything. I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us to resist in all times of distress. But he never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on him alone. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future. I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds. I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that he waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions.” [2]

We're not out of the woods yet... though Jesus knows the way! 
Perhaps trusting God together is the big picture.

[This was originally posted on my Cultural Engagement blog when I was still a doctoral student.]

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (2011-05-10). Letters and Papers from Prison (Kindle Locations 224-227). Touchstone. Kindle Edition.

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (Kindle Locations 244-249).

The Big Picture (Part 2) — Learning From Joseph

In my last post, I started talking about Joseph’s experiences as an example of how God uses even the bad things in our lives for his big picture purposes. I know what is so hard for me is that I don’t really have a clue as to how it all works together while I am walking through it. Does that bother you too? I am learning to trust God more in the moment of trial than ever before and Joseph’s story helps. From this narrative, I was reminded of and challenged in several areas.

1. God’s plan operates above, under, and around the “right now” instantaneous sensory perception of those of us who are involved in the world. Joseph would have had no idea what God was going to do at the beginning of his story. When Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house or in the dungeon would he have imagined that one day he would not only be released but be placed in charge of the entire country of Egypt, and with all the trappings of his new position and authority? Pharaoh even gave Joseph a new name, "Zaphnath-paaneah."  While scholars are uncertain as to its exact meaning, this name has been interpreted to mean any of the following: "The Savior of the World," "The Supporter of Life," "The Food of the Living," or "The Revealer of Secrets."  All are appropriate to Joseph and ultimately to our Lord Jesus Christ as well. One day, the Lord Jesus Christ will give to those who overcome a new name as well! What should comfort us in the valley of the shadow is the presence of the Lord with us even as he was with Joseph.
2. We can allow the things that people have done to us to keep us from trusting and loving others the way that God requires, or we can see our own brokenness in their broken actions. We are all broken and are in need of the grace that God offers in Christ. In acknowledging our own susceptibility to treat other people as mere objects to be arranged as we wish, we will be quicker to forgive and show grace when others treat us that way. When we see the sins of others, it should remind us to repent of our own sins all the more fervently. The tears of a broken and repentant heart when mixed with trust in God’s love are the certain antidote for the malignant cancers of cynicism, bitterness, and hate.
3. How do we live in the moment when we can’t see God’s big-picture plan? Joseph lived with integrity, distinguishing himself in his work, with patience, and with trust in his God no matter how grievous the situation. We would do well to learn from Joseph to the same. Yet Joseph was not the hero in his own story…it was the presence of God that made all the difference in giving success (Genesis 39:3, 21, 23). Jesus still promises us our daily bread, through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is because though he fully knows us he does not leave us, that we can respond in love. It is because of such responsive love that we can sing, even in the dungeon, “Though none go with you still I will follow, no turning back! No turning back!”
4. What do we do when the tables are turned and we have both the power and the opportunity for revenge? After testing his brothers to see if they would throw Benjamin “under the bus” like they had done to him, Joseph recognized that God had not only been at work in his own life through the years but in his brothers’ lives as well. Not only did Joseph pass the test of power, but his brothers passed the test of humility. As God used Joseph to test the brothers' hearts, he worked repentance in them.  The testing of their lives produced fear (Gen. 42:28,35) and sorrow (Gen. 42:21), then confession (Gen. 44:16) and repentance (Gen. 42:13-34). Their hearts were changed. They were concerned about their father and his potential grief. They were now willing to stand in place of their brother, even to their own hurt—truly an act of relational repentance from their shameful treatment of Joseph. It was because of this repentance that they were in a position to experience grace, which they heard and received (Gen. 45:5).  It is an old saying, but true that "Those who say, 'We are guilty' could rightly understand the words of precious grace, 'It was not you but God'."[1] Joseph chose to forgive their sins against him and to embrace them again as his family. He was yielded to the larger purpose of God. Are we willing to stand before our brothers that we have treated shamefully, in some way like Joseph was treated, and repent? Are we willing to take the place of dishonor for the benefit of another? I hope so.
5. They really meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Which purpose will we choose to respond to, to live into, to die for? It is all too easy to blame others for our failures. It is harder for us to accept our own responsibility to live fully for God despite hardship, suffering, and even death. For what are we willing to die? For our own power, desires, and comfort, or for the holy redemptive cause of Christ in the world? In 1980 Salvadoran martyr Bishop Oscar Romero told a reporter, a short time before he was killed, "You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of God, which is the people, will never perish."[2]
6. God’s big-picture cycle of reward and retribution is not contained in this life on earth, much less within the current workweek. It has been said that we don’t sow and reap in the same season. It is a theological error that directly associates material wealth, worldly comfort, and ease with personal righteousness or the lack of these things with personal sin and foolishness. Just as it was wrong for Job’s friends to conclude that because he had suffered so terribly he must be a heinous sinner, it is wrong for the wealthy to think that God will not hold them accountable for looking down on the poor in oppressive contempt. Jesus is coming back. He is not slow…he is just patient and does not desire that any should perish (2 Peter 3). Let us work together with Jesus towards that end as agents of reconciliation! 

Joseph was not only a wonderful and personal type of Christ but his actions served as a historical type as well.  Arthur W.  Pink, in his book, Gleanings in Genesis lists and describes 101 ways in which Joseph was a type of Christ! While I have not found as many, there is plenty of room for further study on this point. More importantly, I have to ask, do we bear a family resemblance to Joseph and to Jesus? Where do we fit in the big-picture plan of God? He has a place for us. Will we embrace it?

[This post originally appeared on my cultural engagement blog while I was a DMin student.]

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[1] C.H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Book of Genesis, (Loizeaux Brothers, 1880,1959), p.331.

[2] http://www.uscatholic.org/culture/social-justice/2009/02/oscar-romero-bishop-poor#sthash.qv9WtkTj.dpuf

The Big Picture (Part 1) — Learning From Joseph

As Pastors and leaders, we often experience setbacks, stress, and suffering in a way that can be hazardous to our well-being and that of those around us. There are times when we experience betrayal, and false accusations, and may be subject to the court of public opinion without an opportunity to defend ourselves. I am not even talking about the huge train wrecks of moral failure but of the smaller issues where our motivation is questioned or our effectiveness is criticized. Those times when our allies turn on us unexpectedly or forget about our valuable input into the process. Sometimes we launch out in faith that God has called us but we don't see immediate results or perhaps feel like we have been sidelined unjustly. If you can relate to any of this then I hope that this series of three posts based on the story of Joseph will serve as encouraging reminders of God's presence in the midst of trial and of his continued ministry call on our lives.

We all have our stories of brokenness and hurt…for no one is immune to the bruising experience of life in a fallen world. Some people’s pain may be more acute—stabbing, searing in a moment of tragedy. While others hurt may be more chronic suffering long over the years and even decades. Why do we evaluate the pain of others in the same way that we consider our own sin and failure? We tend to amplify our own pain while minimizing that of another, at the same time we minimize our own sin while that of others is often perceived to be more severe. When we are hurting, physically or emotionally, our pain can seem like it is the center of the universe. 

But it isn’t.

Yet, it is not wasted, not a bit of it, if we are surrendered to Christ, the one whose suffering was, in fact, the center, the crux, of the universe! Do we see the big picture of sharing in the suffering of Christ or are we mired in the dark pit of our own limited view? Has our short-sightedness caused us to become angry, frustrated, or bitter? I hope not.

Years ago, my son was a medic in the Army National Guard, and at times chafed at the extremely mundane assignments performed during monthly drill weekends. However, when his unit stepped up their training in preparation for their deployment that all changed. After returning from some intense brigade-level training, my son had a different attitude and said that he had finally got to see “the big picture.” He saw how all the mundane tasks if not done with diligence can have tragic consequences on the battlefield. 

The Bible story that perhaps best illustrates this concept is the story of Joseph found in Genesis 37-47. His birth is described in Gen. 30:22-24, but the story really gets going in Gen. 37.

Joseph was Jacob's first son by his wife Rachel, who had waited many years to have a child.  She named the child Joseph for two reasons: (1) The name Joseph is connected linguistically to his mother’s testimony, "God has taken away my disgrace," and (2) the name itself is a prayer of faith to God ("may the Lord add" to her another son).  Joseph was certainly a man who would never be one to bring disgrace, but instead, by his integrity and simple faith, he worked to remove it…even in the lives of those who meant him ill.   

Joseph grew up with the love of his father but not that of his brothers. They were alienated from him by their jealousy and their father’s show of favoritism. They blamed Joseph for their disgrace instead of taking responsibility for their failures. The Scripture says that they "could not speak a kind word to him" (37:4).  Literally, they would not speak a "peaceable" word, referring to the common Middle Eastern greeting, "Peace be with you."  They snubbed him at every opportunity.  You can read about what happened as the old story of Cain & Abel (Gen. 4) reverberates in the life of Joseph. Here is a brief outline of Joseph’s story:

1. God used Joseph as a youth to reveal God’s plan for his family (Gen. 37)
2. God used Joseph as a slave in Potiphar's house (Gen. 39:1-20)
3. God used Joseph as a prisoner serving other prisoners (Gen. 39:21 - 40:23)
4. God used Joseph as a prophet to interpret Pharaoh's dreams (Gen. 41:1-36)
5. God used Joseph (raising him to power) to save Egypt, and his family (Gen. 41:37-56)
6. God used Joseph as a judge to test his brothers (Gen. 42-44) 
7. God used Joseph as a peacemaker to reconcile his family. (Gen. 45-47) 

Why is the life of Joseph so important to us today? It asks and answers questions about our purpose in God’s plan for our families, nations, and the world. Joseph experienced a lot of pain—relational, physical, cultural, and perhaps even racial bigotry. Yet there was a larger purpose behind all he suffered. He was hated by his brothers, betrayed, sold as a slave a couple of times, sexually harassed, falsely accused and imprisoned, and finally forgotten by one who should have quickly shown gratitude. This happened over the course of many years before God suddenly raised him up as one prepared for the moment of crisis. Not that betrayal, estrangement, slavery, and the dungeon are good (they’re not!), but that God took what was intended for evil and used it for good. God was with him every step along the way. He was not separated from, or a stranger to, Joseph’s suffering. One thing we don’t see Joseph doing is questioning God’s presence or complaining about God. Do we have an attitude and a work ethic that God can bless no matter what our circumstances are? Can God give us favor with those in authority over us without violating his own character?

Are we using what has been intended for evil against us for the good of God’s people? I am convinced that God wants to do just that.

My next post will elaborate on some of the “big picture” lessons I am learning and the hard questions I am asking myself in response to the example of God’s working in Joseph’s life. Join me on the journey!

[This was originally posted on my Cultural Engagement blog when I was still a doctoral student.]