Obedient Prayer; July 9, 2021

Posted on July 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 7:10-12 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Often God tells us to pray, and sometimes He even tells us how to pray. It is very foolish not to listen and obey! This particular passage, being the prophecy of Immanuel, is frequently read around Christmas, but this lesson about prayer is certainly applicable year-round. Ahaz was in a very dangerous situation, and Isaiah had confirmed the danger but then had given a strong word of encouragement that God was still in control. I have always liked the line immediately before these verses: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (verse 9) Ahaz was being put to the test, and frankly, he failed. However, as Paul reminded Timothy, “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13) The prophecy of Immanuel was probably fulfilled once in the short term soon after this, but we don’t know the details of that. What we do know is that it was fulfilled for all eternity in the birth of Jesus, many years after Isaiah spoke it. All of that said, we are back to the fact that Ahaz was told to ask for a sign and he refused. On the face of it he was being very pious, because “putting God to the test” was very poorly spoken of in the Pentateuch, but this was refusing a direct instruction from God by way of Isaiah. It’s probable that he didn’t trust that Isaiah was hearing God accurately, but that’s a poor excuse, particularly considering Isaiah’s track record up to that point. This brings to mind one of Jesus’ most famous teachings: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) We aren’t to be selfish or greedy, but after all, God tells us to ask!

This is of course as close to home for me as it is for anyone. I couldn’t begin to tally up all the things God has granted that I have asked for, but at the same time, there have been many that God said were not what I needed, or was best. I couldn’t calculate the ratio between the affirmative and negative answers, but in the process I have come to the absolute conviction that God has my best interests in mind. Just yesterday I watched a video of a man talking about his near-death experience, and the best word he could come up with to describe it was love. The longer I live in faith, the more sure I am that is correct. As Bill Gaither wrote, The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows. I want to obey His every command, because I know that every one stems from His love, that was strong enough to cause Him to give His Son to die in my place. He says ask, so I will ask!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me recognize what You are saying to me at all times, and be quick to respond in obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Religion as Usual; July 8, 2021

Posted on July 11, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 1:13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations– I cannot bear your evil assemblies.

This first chapter of Isaiah has a glorious offer of forgiveness and redemption in verse 18 that has been memorably and beautifully set to music multiple times, but as a whole it is a ringing denunciation of “religion as usual.” The various activities mentioned are all specified and even commanded in such places as Leviticus, but the people’s failures in their personal lives made their religious activities not just meaningless but detestable. It is perhaps appropriate that church membership in the US has dropped below 50% of the population in recent years, because people are certainly not living as disciples of Jesus Christ! It is in a way strange that throughout history people have thought that going through certain motions, holding certain ceremonies, would placate God and make Him like them. God has always wanted our hearts – and not the way the Aztecs used to offer them to their gods! As verses 19-20 make clear, heart attitude is everything. Throughout the Bible it is very clear that repentance and humility are everything, Religious formulas just don’t cut it.

I’ll probably never forget the poor grade I got on my final assignment in preaching class in seminary (graded by a doctoral teaching assistant, and not by the professor). My text was from this chapter, and my title was, “There’s Blood on Your Hands.” I was graded down with the comment that it was “too extreme.” My response was that if I was too extreme, then Isaiah was too extreme! As the largest Protestant seminary in the world, they were very invested in “religion as usual,” which was quite sad. There were certainly exceptions, and I formed good relationships with some outstanding professors, but the overall impression to me was of maintaining the corporate enterprise of church, rather than training people to hear and be obedient to the Lord of Creation. That said, I too am steeped in tradition, and I can’t say that my obedience is always fresh and heart-felt. I am grateful for my years as a Christian, but I can’t maintain a fresh relationship, a sense of wonder, on my own. I need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to keep working in me, exposing and discarding the junk and keeping me hungry for more of Jesus. On my own I will stagnate into “religion as usual.”

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Help me remember that despite all my advantages I am just as capable as anyone else, if not more, of totally despicable hypocrisy. Help me walk in transparency before You and before the world. You see through me anyway, but keep me from even thinking I’m hiding! Help me be the child You desire and deserve, worshiping in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Wise Prayer; July 7, 2021

Posted on July 10, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 30:8-9 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

This is a remarkable prayer, both for its wisdom and for its rarity. I doubt many people pray this in all honesty! For one thing, the motive for wanting to avoid poverty is very pure. This person evidently had the reputation of being devout, and they recognized that their actions would reflect on the God they were known to serve. We can easily name some prominent Christians who should have kept that in mind! However, it is the desire to avoid wealth, and the devout motive for that, that really stands out. Probably the majority of wealthy people who are in the public eye today have the attitude mentioned here: “Who is the Lord?” It was a terrible shock to Jesus’ disciples when He told them, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24) Even so, just about everyone you meet would like to be rich. Since nothing is impossible for God, (as Jesus pointed out in verse 26) there have been exceptions to this. R. G. Le Tourneau, to quote Wikipedia, “was a prolific inventor of earthmoving machinery. His factories supplied LeTourneau machines which represented nearly 70 percent of the earthmoving equipment and engineering vehicles used by the Allied forces during World War II, and more than half of the 1,500-mile (2,414 km) Alcan highway in Canada was built with LeTourneau equipment. Over the course of his life he secured nearly 300 patents relating to earthmoving equipment, manufacturing processes and machine tools.” Naturally, that brought in a lot of money! He started out tithing, that is, giving 10% of his income, but as that income grew, he started increasing the percentage, eventually keeping only 10% and giving 90% to Christian causes. It would be interesting to see what would happen if Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the like had that kind of faith! Instead, most people tend to dream of that kind of wealth and overlook the disastrous personal lives of such people, not even thinking of the eternal consequences.

I’ve never been in danger of being terribly wealthy, but I have been at risk because of the similar pride of intellect. God dealt with that rather strongly, and He continues to remind me that without Him I am nothing. I have been in very tight straits financially, but thankfully have never seen stealing as a way out of that. God has been amazingly faithful to supply our needs, and continues to do so. I haven’t been sharply aware of this particular prayer, but I’m quite familiar with Paul’s words to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:10) and other NT passages on the subject. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11) Not many people realize that’s the context of the very famous verse that follows: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) I’d bet anything that Bill Gates doesn’t have that kind of peace! My task is simply to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) walking in obedient faith, for His glory.

Father, I couldn’t begin to enumerate all the ways You have demonstrated Your faithfulness toward me. Thank You. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Choices; July 6, 2021

Posted on July 10, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 28:9, 14 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable.
Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord,
but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

These two verses present very contrasting attitudes, and the outcome thereof. The good attitude has become a truism: “Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord.” That is stated many, many times in the Bible. It’s the contrasting attitude that strikes me at the moment. Verse 9 is somewhat shocking, because we know that God is a God who hears prayer. (Psalm 65:2) The thing is, though God “hears” every prayer, because He is aware of absolutely everything that goes on, He receives prayer only from those whose hearts are tender toward Him, who acknowledge His sovereignty and desire to please Him. Verse 14 makes it clear that “turning a deaf ear to the law” is a choice, because it speaks of a person hardening his heart. No one can force you to harden your heart. Circumstances can influence and contribute, but two people can go through the same experience and one become hardened and bitter toward God and the other softened and obedient toward Him. It all comes down to choices, and choices have consequences. We are surrounded by examples of this, and some of them are pretty stark. You cannot force another person’s choice, but you can choose for yourself. If we choose to fear the Lord and listen obediently to what He tells us, then our prayers are received and we are blessed indeed.

I keep being reminded of how extremely blessed I am to have been raised in the family I was, but whereas that made Godly choices easier, it didn’t automate them. I have chosen other-than-God more times than I could count! As I tell others frequently, it’s easy to spot other people’s wrong choices, but that doesn’t guarantee that mine are right. My first choice must always be to fear the Lord and be tender toward Him, drinking in “the pure milk of the Word” (1 Peter 2:2) and putting it into practice. (James 1:22) I wish I could say I was totally there, but I’m grateful to say I’m headed that direction.

Father, You know my choices before I make them, because You see all of time at a glance. I ask for wisdom, courage, and willpower to make the right choices, more and more consistently, so that I may be a pure and useful vessel in Your hands, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Wisdom; July 5, 2021

Posted on July 9, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

This particular truth is repeated numerous times throughout the Bible, but we seem to have a hard time really getting it into our awareness. That’s doubtless why the Lord repeated Himself so many times! Yesterday I watched another Virtue Signal video by Bill Whittle and Alfonzo Rachel in which they, appropriately for the occasion, talked about the founding principles of the United States. The Founding Fathers were certainly not all dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ, but several of them were, and the documents they produced make reference to “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” At the very least they were deists, firmly convinced that the universe didn’t happen by accident, and since that was the case, they needed to do their best to abide by the instructions of the Creator. That’s the source of the at times incredible wisdom found in those founding documents, which is being demonstrated daily even today. Those men weren’t all even what we would call moral in their personal lives, but even Benjamin Franklin called the group to pray before major decisions were made. Today we are seeing a dramatic divide among politicians, with some going the way of the Founding Fathers and some refuting the whole idea. That makes these very dangerous times for the nation, because there is no wisdom in denying and/or rebelling against God. Those who know Him need to be active in praying for those in leadership that they would indeed fear God, at least, and so acquire at least a little wisdom. Some seem to be completely devoid of it!

This naturally applies much closer to home as well. I have a high IQ, but that’s not at all the same thing as wisdom. I have never been more stupid than when I have been convinced of my own competence. I can do nothing right completely on my own! The better I have learned and operated on that truth, the more God’s wisdom has operated through me. I still mess up, and have done so recently, to the pain of those around me, but God is gracious and merciful. I need to operate constantly in the awareness that God is the only one who knows it all, and so actively commit myself to seeking and following His will in every detail. That applies, quite literally, to everything, and I must not forget it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I started this time with You rather in a fog, mentally speaking, but I feel You have gotten through to me. Thank You. Help me not just acknowledge this as abstract truth, but rather live it out in practical terms moment-by-moment, so that I may avoid the traps of the enemy and function as a conduit of Your grace and blessings to those around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Hypocrisy; July 4, 2021

Posted on July 8, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 15:8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

This is another expression of a truth that is stated countless times throughout the Bible, and that is that God cares about what is on the inside of a person far more than He cares about exteriors. It’s no use trying to hide things from Him, as is pointed out immediately after this: “Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord– how much more the hearts of men!” (Proverbs 15:11) We are easily distracted by externals, but God doesn’t have that problem. This brings up a number of incidents in Jesus’ ministry when He spoke strongly against hypocrisy. The thing is, hypocrisy never works! Even if it manages to fool some people, it never fools God and it does no one any benefit. There’s a rather “cutesy” poem that is quoted around Christmastime depicting a poor child trying to decide what to give the baby Jesus. It ends with the line, “What will I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart.” The point of that poem is actually the same as that of this verse. Grand gestures aren’t necessarily bad, but God is most interested in what is behind what we do. A huge gift to a church building fund isn’t a bad thing in itself, but motives for such things can certainly be mixed. However, a simple prayer from a heart that is humbly, genuinely seeking God is beautiful to Him indeed.

I have as much trouble with this issue as anyone. I intend to seek God honestly and in purity, but things get complicated. I too care about the opinions of people, and how they see me. I was a Drama major in college, so I know how to put on an act! At the same time, I know that none of that holds any water before the Lord. It’s certainly not that I am to quit doing good works, but rather that I am to ask the Holy Spirit to act as my “alarm system,” notifying me when my heart gets out of the lane. (My wife’s car has that feature as part of the collision avoidance system.) I’m not to be anxious, much less paranoid about it, as I have seen some people be, but I am to maintain humility before the Lord, knowing that my motives are unreliable. I am very aware that God isn’t through with me, and He’s still grinding down rough areas and strengthening weak spots. I take great comfort in Paul’s encouraging words to the Philippians: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your truly amazing grace that covers my countless sins and hypocrisies. Keep me moving closer to You, less distracted by all the things the enemy throws at me, so that I may be more and more pleasing to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Personal Righteousness; July 3, 2021

Posted on July 8, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

This should be the daily prayer of every believer. David has just acknowledged that “no one living is righteous before You.” (verse 2) It is with that awareness of his own unrighteous bent that he asks for teaching and guidance. There are a few Psalms in which David seems convinced of his own personal righteousness, but this is far wiser than those! We certainly aren’t to wallow in sin, but never are we to think we’ve got everything down perfectly. We need to be like Paul, who not only famously proclaimed his own imperfection in Romans 7 and Philippians 3, he stated how each of us should be all the time: “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) God doesn’t show us all our faults at once. That would destroy us! Rather, He shows us things one or two at a time, so that we can deal with those issues and move on to the next. That’s what it is to have a clear conscience. Often, a clear conscience is an indication that God is ready to sharpen our spiritual vision so that we can see more things that need to be dealt with! It’s interesting that David speaks of God’s “good Spirit.” The term used in Japanese for “good” here isn’t simply the opposite of bad, but could be rendered, “deep of compassion and ultimate goodness.” David hadn’t been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit as has been available to all believers since Pentecost, but he had tasted enough of Him to know He was good, and that was the kind of guide he wanted. We too need to be active in seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, because there’s an awful lot of demonic “guidance” running around, seeking to lead us into swamps and off of cliffs. When we are following the Holy Spirit, we will certainly be doing God’s will.

I will never forget the time the Lord gave me the briefest glimpse of my own soul, back in 1972. I was totally wiped out! I couldn’t see details, but I could certainly tell it was a cesspool. (We don’t use that word much any more, but it means septic tank, or holding tank for a latrine.) Over the years He’s worked on and with me to get the “cess” out, but some of it has been pretty thick and crusted. I like another analogy that I think I learned first from Jack Hayford. That is of a field with a huge boulder in it. The field is our heart, and the boulder is our sin. At the moment of salvation the boulder is taken away by God, and we rightly rejoice. However, over time we discover that the field is dotted with head-sized rocks, and we are responsible for lugging those out of the field. Some are pretty heavy, and we have to get help. It’s at that point that we notice all the fist-sized rocks that are all over everywhere! We can pick those up and throw them out, but that can get very tiring. And of course, that brings us to all the gravel that is endemic throughout the field. That illustration has really been brought home to me with our vegetable garden. The area where we have it was low and flooded in rain, so when dirt was being removed from adjacent building sites, I asked for and received a few truck-loads. The problem was, mixed in with the dirt were not only rocks, but broken roof tile and sewer pipe, and assorted junk. This is the third year we have grown vegetables there, and I keep getting out more rocks and trash! It’s important that I keep adding appropriate fertilizer and minerals, but beets don’t do so well when they’re having to push rocks out of the way! My heart is the same way. I need to keep taking in the “fertilizer” of the Word, and be alert to the rocks and trash the Lord shows me is there, whether of long standing or recently blown in by the storms of life or tossed in by the devil. I want my heart to be level ground, rich soil to produce the harvest God desires.

Father, thank You for this clear illustration. Help me use Your words to express Your truth in love at all times, so that all who take it in may indeed be set free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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My Way vs. God’s Way; July 2, 2021

Posted on July 7, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.

For once we have perfect agreement between the English and the Japanese! That leaves me very confident of the meaning of the words themselves, but it leaves room for interpretation of what they imply. I think the situation described here is emotional exhaustion. We’ve all been there, when we hardly know which way is up, and really don’t much even care. Physical tiredness is usually related, so proper sleep is an important step, but that’s certainly not the whole story. The second line gives us real insight into the situation, because David recognizes that God knows both where he is and where he should be. All too often we know neither! Occasionally this might apply to being geographically lost, but it is far deeper than that. To be honest, I doubt if any of us know fully “where we are” on every level. We may think we are fine when we are in grave danger, and we might be anxious when we’re on exactly the right path. God alone knows fully, so the vital thing is knowing and following Him. We might know that our eventual destination is heaven, but we have very little understanding of the route by which we are to get there, or the stops along the way. That uncertainty is one of the things that can wear us out emotionally, so that’s why it’s so important to trust that God indeed knows all the details, and His plan is for our benefit. From the first time I heard it I have thought that Frank Sinatra’s signature song, My Way, was one of the most pathetic songs possible. The music is very skillful and has brought the song great popularity, certainly in Japan, but the lyrics, fully descriptive of the life of Frank Sinatra and so many others, display an ignorance of and indifference to God that is pathetic indeed. When we try to dictate the details of our life we make a total mess of it, as indeed he did, squandering the gift of a magnificent voice and other abilities. David blew it too, but he came back to God. That needs to be our goal.

I’ve definitely had times when I was wandering aimlessly on many levels, and I don’t recommend it. The irony is that I have known from childhood that God had a way that was best, and that He had a way specifically for me, but I haven’t sought it for too much of the time. I haven’t set up grand plans for myself – I’m not big on planning in general – but too often I haven’t paid attention to whether the path I was on was truly God’s way for me, even when I was supposedly a “full-time Christian worker.” That has led to wasted effort and unnecessary detours. However, God indeed doesn’t waste anything, but turns my foolishness and even my sin around and uses it for good. (Romans 8:29) That’s not at all to say it wouldn’t have been better if I had sought Him in the first place! At this point I have much more of my physical life behind me than I do ahead of me, but it’s still important that I spend each day, each moment, in the way God knows is best, both for me and for those around me, and indeed, for His kingdom. That is to be my goal, and I’ve got to remember that only He knows the details, and so listen attentively to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I see all sorts of things going on in my life and in the world around me, and I can’t begin to keep it all straight. Keep me from panic, and keep me from abdicating my responsibility in each thing that involves me. I find I am easily distracted from what is actually the task at hand. Help me focus on You so that I may recognize what that task is and apply myself to it fully, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Dieting; July 1, 2021

Posted on July 2, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 141:3-4 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.

I hadn’t realized there was a dieter’s proof-text in the Bible! Verse three first caught my eye, because I am very much a man of words and I presumed David was talking about speech here. But then I got to the end of verse four and I realized it was talking about what goes into the mouth, not what comes out! Obesity is something of a national plague in the US at this point, with over half the population overweight. The seriousness of that has been driven home with the corona virus pandemic, because the most common “co-morbidity,” and actually one of the most predictive of a poor outcome, has been obesity. Countless people are obsessed with their weight, trying one diet after another but with little success, and many more have simply given up. I think very few people think of it in spiritual terms, but that is very much a factor. The devil wants to mess us up any way he can, and it’s much easier to do with attractive things like food than it is with unpleasant things. As always, the devil cannot create things on his own, so he miss-purposes and misuses things God created for our benefit. Delicious food certainly fits into that category, as does sex. Just as there are drug addicts, there are sex addicts and food addicts. None of that is God’s fault. James rightly pointed out, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15) That’s pretty stark, isn’t it? We make all sorts of excuses for our weight and other issues, but weight always comes down to the balance between fuel intake and energy output. You could even say it’s an engineering problem. Where the NIV says “wicked deeds,” the Japanese says, “lawlessness.” Sometimes the laws in question are as simple as the laws of physics! We are responsible as stewards of the bodies we have been given, so we need to pay attention to the “maintenance rules” set by the “manufacturer.”

I well remember the first time we visited the US after we had moved to Omura, and we took a young woman from our church with us. We had a layover in LAX, and we went to a coffee shop. The Japanese girl’s eyes were quickly riveted on a woman who had put two chairs together to sit on, and she overflowed on both sides! We had to dissuade our friend from asking the lady if she could take her picture! Frankly, and sadly, that sort of scene is not uncommon any more. I have personally been blessed with a fairly good metabolism and have stayed active, though I’ve never been into sports. At the point I was nearing the age at which my father died, 64, I decided I needed to be more serious about my health maintenance, and joined the city gym. That turned out to be inconvenient in a number of ways, and I switched to regular walking, which I have maintained since. Still, I have “love handles” that don’t please me, and I could stand to lose about 5kg. I have long maintained that as excellent a cook as my wife is, it’s a miracle I’m not grossly overweight! However, that’s an excuse. It all comes down to controlling how much I take in, as my wife has demonstrated beautifully, dropping 28kg over several years without strenuous exercise, simply by watching amounts, and not by forbidding any particular type of food. With such an excellent example, I have no excuse!

Father, thank You for this very unexpected reminder! Help me indeed be a good steward of this body You’ve given me, and help me be an encouragement to others to do likewise, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Israel; June 30, 2021

Posted on July 2, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 122:6-7 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”

This prayer has been urgent at many times throughout history, but certainly now. Those who don’t know history, and particularly those who aren’t aware of spiritual warfare, are often mystified at “all the fuss” that’s made about the nation of Israel and Jerusalem its capital. Anyone reading this is likely to have some ideas about it, however. The significance of the nation, the people-group, God chose the vehicle for His revelation of Himself to the whole world can’t be overstated. There have been genocides against various people-groups dotted throughout history, but nothing with the ferocity and persistence of that aimed at the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their very existence is a statement that God exists, and He cares about the affairs of men. Those who are in rebellion against Him, starting with Satan, can’t stand that, so they try to wipe them out. This is in no way to claim that Jews are perfect, or even that they don’t need Jesus, the Messiah they have overlooked for 2000 years, but it is to say that they have a special place in God’s plans, as the Bible proclaims from Genesis to Revelation. The current sharp resurgence in antisemitism is one of the many things that indicate that these could well be the Last Days indeed. As John recorded, “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12) We will not stop God’s plans, as laid out in Daniel, Revelation and the like, but we can pray that the devil be thwarted, and that means praying for the peace of Jerusalem. It is interesting how easy it is to see the spiritual position of political movements by their attitude toward Israel. That should be a clear indicator to all disciples of Jesus Christ what their politics should look like! Among politicians there are rats by every label, and no perfection anywhere, but there are clear indicators for anyone who is looking for them.

As long as I can remember I have been proud that I was born the same year as the modern nation of Israel, 1948. Probably the best-loved non-Christian music book in our house was The Fireside Book of Folk Songs, and I learned Hava Nagila at a young age. Through no specific intent on our part, my wife, children and I were adopted into the Messianic fellowship when we were in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and we still have contact with some of those brothers and sisters in Christ. I have no Jewish genetics, (at least as far as My Heritage can determine) but I have always felt a deep affinity for that branch of the Children of God. Ministering in Japan as I do, my interaction with Jews, Messianic or otherwise, is rare, but I do get Internet newsletters that keep me informed of the situation on the ground in Israel. I’ve never been, physically, but I have a remarkable sense of connection. I do pray for Israel and the Jewish people frequently, though not on any sort of schedule. I certainly look forward to my Lord’s return to the Mount of Olives! When and how that will happen, and my part until that day, is in His hands.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how clearly the lines are being drawn all over the world, showing who is on which side. I do pray that Your children would rise up, not in vengeance but refusing to be plowed under, so that those who are on the fence, or even ignorant, would see Your truth and choose it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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