Scaling the Heights with God

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fall and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,yet I will rejoice in the Lord;  I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places.” –Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV).

We know little about the prophet Habakkuk.  He does not mention the nation of Judah in his prophecy, nor does he give us a hint of the date when he wrote except that it is prior to the Babylonian invasion as noted in 1:6:  “For behold I am raising up the Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians), that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.”   Scholars place Habakkuk as a contemporary of Zephaniah and Jeremiah and some say of Ezekiel and Daniel.  The short book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between the prophet and God in two cycles with Habakkuk’s complaint or lamentation, followed by God’s response.  Then comes Habakkuk’s prayer.  The first cycle of the dialogues is in 1:2-11 with his lament stated in 1:2-4 and God’s answer in 11:5-11. The second dialogue gives Habakkuk’s lament in :12-2:1 and God’s response in 2:2-20.  Habakkuk’s prayer is all of chapter 3 and ends with the exalted words of our focus verses for today. To study Habakkuk and examine the prophet’s complaints and God’s responses shows us how very timely the book is for us today:  “Destruction and violence are before me…the wicked surround the righteous...justice goes forth perverted”(1:3, 4).  God answers the first complaint by saying to Habakkuk:  “I am doing a work in your day that you would not believe if told” (1:5). Habakkuk gets bolder in his second complain, and asks God: “Why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (v. 13).  Does this not address the age-old question:  “Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?”  Within the answer to Habakkuk’s second complaint is the inimitable statement that sparked the Reformation and has stood as a beacon in every age:  “the righteous shall live by his faith” (v. 2:4), known to us better in the King James Versions as “the just shall live by faith.” 

Habakkuk 3:16 sees the prophet resigned to the nation’s fate, expecting the invasion by a foreign power that will come upon them.  In verse 17 he lists almost every calamity he can imagine that will transpire under invasion and captivity.  The prophet has come a long way in his faith and acceptance.  He began his complaints by seeking to tell God how to run his world.  He ends up by recognizing that God is in control.  Although calamities will befall the people, like crops in fruit orchards, vineyards and fields failing, and the flocks being cut off (all major means of staying  alive and thriving in his land), the prophet makes a victorious statement:  “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord;  I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (3:18).  I recall Corrie ten Boon’s account of her life in the horrible concentration camp during Hitler’s period of persecution and take-over.  She was able to rejoice in what we would consider the grossest of circumstances, seeing God’s hand in the tribulations they bore.  “God the Lord is my strength” Habakkuk declared (v. 19).  Then the prophet gives the beautiful metaphor of God making his feet like the deer’s feet—sure-footed and confident in the most extreme circumstances.  We see an image of the deer—or hind—able to keep on climbing to the hard-to-scale precipice because he has spotted a grassy knoll on the heights of a formidable mountain.  We learn from Habakkuk to face our doubts and questions honestly. “Take them to the Lord in prayer” as the hymn advises us.  The noted English theologian G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Our joy is in proportion to our trust.  Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God” (The Westminster Pulpit, London: Pickering and Inglis, 1970, vol. 6, p. 153).  God always equips us to meet circumstances.  Therein is faith and trust—and we become like the deer, sure-footed and confident in God’s power to provide.

A Call to Americans on the Nation’s Birthday

“If my people who are called by My name will 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.” –II Chronicles 7:14. (NKJV)  “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.  From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.”  -Psalm 33:12-15 (NKJV).

The context of II Chronicles 7:14 is exciting.  King Solomon had just led in a masterful prayer for the people.  It was the occasion of the dedication of the magnificent temple in Jerusalem.  Solomon had offered sacrifices on the altar and fire had come down from heaven and consumed the offering, and “the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (II Chron. 7:1). The people worshiped, feasted and celebrated for seven days.  And then they left Jerusalem to return to their respective villages and homes.  We are told in II Chronicles 7:11 that “all Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.”  That night in a vision the Lord came to King Solomon  and told him that during times of draught, pestilence, locusts and other calamities, He would hear from Heaven and be attentive to their prayers.  The message of II Chronicles 7:14, written by the chronicler in the annals of the King of Israel, was a message from God Himself.  And here in the twenty-first century, in America, it is still a message from God to be heard, heeded and acted upon:

“If my people who are called by May name will 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.”  What are the conditions?  Humility before God.  We can do nothing in our own power.  “My (our) help comes from the Lord.” (Ps. 121:3). I read with what humility the founders of America approached the major task of building a nation.  They pledged “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” and with humility proceeded to do what they could under God’s power to form a nation.  Now we cannot mention God’s name lest we offend some.  God help us to return to humility and dependence!  The next requirement is to pray.  The great poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, “More things are wrought through prayer than this world dreams of.”  By returning to God and seeking His face in sincere prayer, America may yet have an opportunity to be healed.  It happened during the periods of America’s Great Awakening, the spiritual revivals that swept our country at a time of great need. Prayer sustained a nation during the crisis of World War II.  God told Solomon two more requirements:  seek Gods face and turn from wicked ways.  Repentance is necessary; then we can truly seek God’s face after we admit our wrong-doings and rebellion.

The rewards of humility, prayer, seeking God, confession and repentance are that God will hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.  The Psalmist in 33:12-15 adds emphasis to the word of the Lord to King Solomon:  “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  Our founding fathers considered this nation to be blessed and chosen of God.  Can we regain that spirit of purpose and destiny for our nation?  Is it too late to fulfill God’s requirements and turn again to the Sovereign Lord for direction and blessing?  The Psalmist recognized that God sees from Heaven and knows the affairs of men on earth.  He is not remote and uncaring.  “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”  On our nation’s birthday, and in all subsequent days, may we remember, as did King Solomon, the God who is our Sovereign Lord.  If we meet His conditions, then He will hear from Heaven as He promised, and heal our land.  May we sincerely pray to this end, meet His conditions (for they are indeed for our best good), and anticipate His healing and blessings upon America.

Put on the Whole Armor of God

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to the end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” –Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV).

Paul admonishes believers in this passage to dress properly for battle.  Imagine a soldier going into battle and wearing a coat of mail to protect himself.  Paul reminds us that we are to recognize swe can be strong in the Lord and in the power He imparts.  But each person must make a conscious effort to “put on the whole armor of God.”  We have a formidable enemy, ever present, ever trying to overcome the Christian.  The enemy is subtle and cunning, is not a ‘flesh and blood” enemy but the god of this age, the ulterior spiritual powers that seek to tempt and waylay the Christian from the truths and purposes of God.  We call him Satan, the devil; he also has many helpers who masquerade as angels of light and seek to divert the Christian from the truths of God and His Word.  Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe says of this enemy:  “Satan wants to use our external enemy, the world, and our internal enemy, the flesh, to defeat us.  His weapons and battle plans are formidable” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, New Testament, Colorado Springs: Cook, 2007, p. 623).

We are to consciously put on the whole armor of God.  With it, we can stand against the battles we face daily in the Christian life.  The first piece of the armor is the ‘girdle of truth.’ The actual girdle in the coat of arms was the first piece the soldier donned, and it held the other armor together.  As we think of girdling ourselves with truth, it is to have a firm grip of the truth of God in a clear conscience.  The next piece is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate in armor protected the soldier’s heart and covered his body, front and back, from the waist to the neck.  Many an arrow could be deflected when hitting the metal breastplate.  Likewise, the breastplate of the Christian is a life lived righteously in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  On the feet of the soldier of Christ are the “shoes of the  gospel of peace.”  Having put on shoes, the special sandals that would give him grip and stability as he walked, the soldier was ready to advance into battle.  This bespeaks the Christian’s responsibility to witness to others, to take the gospel of peace to those in the world in need of hearing about the salvation Christ offers.  Next, the soldier takes up his shield.  In wartime of old when the well-armed soldier faced battled, they could hold up shields side-by-side and make a virtual wall as they faced the enemy.  The shield of the Christian soldier is his faith, the growing, developing faith that “in Christ I can do all things, I can be an overcomer, I can meet the enemy.”  The shield can also quench fiery darts.  Likewise, when our shield of faith is in position, we can overcome temptation and be ready always to meet the demands of spiritual battle because of our shield of faith.  Finally, the well-dressed Christian soldier dons the helmet of salvation and takes up his sword, which is the Word of God.  The mind is covered with the assurance of salvation.  The mind that dwells on God and His truths cannot be easily led astray.  Then the other major defensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, is necessary We learn how effective this weapon is from Hebrews 4:12:  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The short sword of the Roman soldier was carried in his belt and was used for close-up battles.  Likewise, we are to use the word of God in personal encounters with others as we witness to them about the saving grace of the Lord.  Being girded for battle, the good soldier of Jesus Christ then had one more thing to do:  “praying always, with all prayer and supplication.”  Even with the armor of a Christian, we cannot depend fully on our own dress, our own power.  We pray.  We keep in touch with the source of Help and Strength…”with all prayer and supplication”—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication.  Thus protected with the full armor of the Christian, and strengthened with prayer, we are ready for battle.

Dr. T. W. Hunt suggests in his wonderful teaching on prayer that the Christian consciously put on the armor of God daily as a readiness and preparation for the daily battles of life.  How do we stand as we arm ourselves for Christian warfare?

God’s Work of Grace in Us

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV).

For everyone who is a new creation in Christ Jesus, we are the workmanship of God. God’s grace—His unearned, unmerited favor—is the gift from Him that changed us from a separated, condemned, hopeless state to a new creation in Christ Jesus.  Not from any works which we did or could have done are we saved.  Salvation is the gift of God.  And Jesus is the originator and bearer of that gift of salvation.  God prepared and ordained it beforehand and Jesus died that God’s grace be manifested.

Our works cannot save us, and if we depend on a salvation of our works—which are “as filthy rags,”  we cannot be saved.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  Our own personal faith is the commodity we bring to the Lord to accept the gift of grace He extends to us.  How can we describe faith?  It is a firm and unshakeable conviction, belief, trust and confidence.  Faith gives believers the assurance that they can approach Holy God; He is reachable, accessible and already reaching out to us even before we approach Him in faith.  If salvation came through our own works, we would have occasion to boast, to brag about what we have done.  But it is through no merit of our own work or goodness that we are saved.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (v. 10).  The Greek word poiema translated “workmanship” is the same word from which we derive our English word “poem,” and means “that which is made.”  Being a poet of sorts, and having a life-long interest in the pursuit of and love for poetry, I can relate to this idea of God’s workmanship in us being like creating a poem.  The germ of an idea presents itself for a poem.  Sometimes it comes “full blown” and easily; at other times much thought, rearrangement and labor go into a poem before the poet is satisfied that the work is finished.  God’s grace saves us and His “poiema” (poem) workmanship begins in us.  Then through His Word, our prayers, our diligence in study, and even trials and sufferings, God works in each individual to bring us to our fulfillment in Him.  Look how long He worked in Moses:  forty years in the wilderness; and Joseph, sold into slavery before he was made second in power to the Pharaoh in Egypt and ready to help his own brothers who had sold him into slavery; Paul, persecuting the Christians before he was called to be an Apostle.  God’s grace saves us, and that by our faith.  God’s workmanship in us, to form us into the meaningful “poem” our life can be takes our whole lifetime of walking in His way.  Not only is faith required to accept His grace, faithfulness is required in practicing and growing in our faith.  May we be found faithful!

Behavior Befitting a Christian

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” –Ephesians 4:29-32 (ESV.  Read Ephesians 4:17-32).

These verses from Ephesians are part of a passage in which Paul is setting forth the characteristics and behavior of a Christian.  “By their fruits you shall know them,”  Christ taught.  And Paul, who was instructing the believers at Ephesus (and subsequently Christians everywhere) in how to live the new life in Christ, gave some very firm advice on how a Christian should live a separate and distinctive life of holiness.

Watch what you say.  Our words should not corrupt but build up and should convey grace to those who hear.  All gossip, idle talk, vain repetitions, cursing and slander should be far removed from a Christian’s talk.  We all know that it is easy to hear vain talk, and a temptation to pass on tidbits of gossip that may or may not be true but certainly can harm the persons about whom these are told.  Paul says firmly, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths.”  He had just admonished in verse 25 to “put away falsehood.”  How we talk is a measure of our Christian commitment.  James also warned against the tongue and the damage it can do:  “From the same mouth come blessings and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10).

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”  Our sin “grieves”—brings sorrow to—the Holy Spirit.  His mark upon and work in the life of the Christian is to “seal” or designate, as though marked by the assurance of God’s presence.  God pours out His Holy Spirit on all of His children as a guarantee (an earnest) of their share in the kingdom of Heaven.  Believers are the Lord’s especially treasured possession, kept for the day of redemption from this world of trouble and sin and anticipating glorification .It matters how we live here.  The Holy Spirit is an indwelling presence to lead us to live lives different from the world.

Paul says the New Life has certain behaviors squelched.  These are wrath and anger and clamor and slander…and malice.”  These are all characteristics to which we are prone in a worldly state.  But with cultivation of the virtues of gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and love, we can overcome the ulterior behaviors that characterize unredeemed persons.  We must make decided efforts to put off these behaviors unbecoming to a Christ-follower.

Then Paul gives the opposite of worldly behavior.  He urges “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).  The behavior befitting a Christian takes diligence, prayer and practice.  It takes remembering that we are different from the world because we belong to Christ. And the Holy Spirit Himself, whom we are not to grieve by falling into sin, is beside us to guide us into truth and goodness.  Thank God for His ever-present help in assisting us to live a changed and different life in Christ!