Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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God is My Fortress

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Psalm 59:16b (ESV)

For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

In reading Psalm 59 this morning, I notice that David twice describes God as his fortress.  A fortress is a place of protection. In a physical sense I visualize impenetrable walls and a defensible location when I think of a fortress. When under attack, I want my body protected.

Fortress

Is David merely using symbolism in this description? Perhaps not.

The verse that came to me as I considered this was Matthew 10:28. There Jesus reminds me that God is the only one that has authority over my true self, my soul. Governments and thugs (sometimes two different groups, sometimes not) can kill my body but my soul is protected by God.

Perhaps David, the man after God’s own heart, had this in mind when describing God as his fortress. Saul, who was pursuing David at the time, could kill David’s body, but David’s soul was protected by his relationship with God.

Ask, Seek and Knock

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KnockLuke 11:9–10 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

In response to these verses I can only echo the prayer “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 (ESV)

Because of my struggle to fully appropriate these promises, my prayers are often whiny and insipid when they should be bold and passionate.

I suppose the answer to this has something to do with deepening my relationship with God so that I am increasingly aware of God’s desires for me and my world. With this knowledge, I can pray more boldly.

My biggest struggle is praying for things which I am not sure God wants. For example, the computer on which I am writing this has a screen that often turns everything blue and is old technology, but it still works. Can I pray passionately for God to provide a new one when there are so many other, more basic needs in the world? Am I just being selfish with such a prayer?

I suppose I can pray passionately about the computer with the realization that if it is not something that God wants, he will not provide it.

Perhaps the answer is to let loose the passion in prayer with the expectation that God will direct that passion for his purposes. I can see where it might be better to be passionate about the wrong things in prayer than lukewarm about the right things.

A Matter of Perspective

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Storm at sea

The disciples lacked Jesus’ perspective on the storm that surrounded them. Luke 8:24 tells us:

And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

The disciples are frantic. Verse 23 tells us that the boat was filling with water. Several of the disciples grew up fishing on this lake and know the capabilities of boats in such conditions. They are certain that they are going to drown.

In spite of all this, Jesus is sleeping in the boat.

The difference between Jesus and the disciples is perspective. Jesus knows they will not drown and is relaxed in that knowledge. He is in control and does not need to be stressed. He is calm enough to allow his body to rest.

I, limited by space and time, struggle to see God’s perspective. I sometimes think that my circumstances will overwhelm me and eat me alive.

I am learning that I can spend my time complaining to God about my circumstances, or I can accept them as part of God’s plan for me. The difference in perspective effects how I approach God and approach others.

If I am aware of God’s love for me and that there is never a situation where he is not in control, I can then approach life with confidence that God will show me the path for today. He promises to give me my daily bread. God is then my rock and my point of reference.

When I fail to maintain this perspective, I then become a man-pleaser and look to others to gauge how I am doing. I can then be overwhelmed by my problems because I find that neither I, nor the people around me, are capable of calming the storm.

Psalm 43:3 – Light and Truth

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Psalm 43:3 (ESV)

3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!

LightAs I read this verse this morning, I was reminded of Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world found in John 8:12, 9:5 and 12:46.

Since this is an election year, I am bombarded by political “debate” on the internet and radio. I am by nature somewhat cynical about politics and political debate. I struggle to believe that either of the major parties in America are seeking truth and light. I believe that they are both seeking power and will use whatever truth helps them to achieve their desire. Hence the need for “spin” and “spin doctors.” In the end truth is the biggest casualty and chaos the result.

Both parties seem to think that the light is only to be used to expose their opponents’ foibles.  As a result we have “attack ads” to get the public to vote against the opponent.

In the midst of all this we are called to stand for the truth and lovingly shed light on what is really going on. What is really going on is that we have a government which seeks to be independent of God and his principles. The only source of information that is excluded from the debate is the Bible.

The time is coming when the true Church, the invisible Church within the organized church, will be forced to stand up and make a stand for Truth, for Jesus Christ. When this happens, it will be then that light and truth will be displayed for all to see and those who choose to follow will be brought to the dwelling of God and God’s holy hill.

One of the unfortunate problems with democracy is that we get the government we deserve. When we elect knuckleheads we get knuckleheaded laws. Corruption breeds corruption. We want to believe the lies and then feign shock when we discover them to be lies.

All this to say that the church better not look to the political process to solve the problems facing our country and our world. Jesus said it succinctly when referring to the blind leading the blind, which is what the political process offers at present.

What the Church needs to do is individually and collectively fall on our face before God and admit that we have willingly disobeyed the two great commands and have not placed God above all. Our great need is for spiritual revival which begins in individuals being willing to submit to God and allow him to revive their hearts. It is only then that the Church can be the light that the world sorely needs.

What the world does not need is a sanitized “Christianized” version of humanism which much of the church has offered in my lifetime.

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