Depression; June 19, 2021

Posted on June 21, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

I personally think these two verses express the biggest reason God allows trouble in our lives: to get us to recognize our need for Him so that we will seek Him. There is literally no substitute for that, even though we try to substitute various things for God all the time. This particular Psalm (along with Psalm 43, which is in all probability part of the same original Psalm) deals explicitly with depression. Sometimes we tend to think depression is a modern problem, but it is as old as mankind. There are lots of reasons for it, but it fundamentally comes from truncated vision, the inability to see beyond current events and circumstances. Frankly, there’s plenty going on around us to cause us to feel down, but at the same time, we are surrounded by God’s gracious blessings. Depression comes when we focus on the one and not the other. There are chemical/biological things that influence depression, either positively or negatively, and I’m not discounting that, but I stand by my premise. The Psalmist here recognizes that with the admonition to himself, first stated in verse five and repeated in verse 11 and 43:5, to focus on God. I’m sure I will be accused of being simplistic, but that is ultimately, and always, the answer. We can think of countless excuses, but it comes down to the choice to trust God. Depression isn’t something that can be switched on and off like a light, but if we manage to focus on seeking God, He will answer.

I don’t write this casually. I attempted suicide once when I was in college. I can say with assurance that suicide is the ultimate expression of being self-centered. Lately “bipolar” is a popular diagnosis and excuse, but in my observation, people who are being chemically treated for such a condition are some of the most pathetic people around, because their emotions are compressed from both sides, to the point of being essentially unable to feel anything emotionally at all. People who are emotionally sensitive do need a support structure of family and friends, but running from emotion isn’t the answer. Many creative people have this issue, and squashing their emotions can likewise squash their creativity. Handel had this issue, and wrote the entire Messiah in the space of about two weeks, hardly sleeping, and then crashed. Thankfully there were no psychiatrists to dope him up, and with the support of those around him he recovered and went on to create much more magnificent music. In one of my own experiences, I was lying in bed, not consciously praying but just thinking, “There are so many things I wish were different.” Very clearly, so clearly it could have been an audible voice, except that my wife beside me didn’t hear anything, I heard the Lord say, “How do you think I feel?” Ever since then I have been comforted by the assurance that though things are a mess right now, God isn’t through with it all, and He is to be trusted.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s not something I’m likely to forget! I ask for wisdom and compassion as I deal with people around me all the time who are depressed, often with good reason. Help me point them to You without making them feel I am taking their suffering lightly. I’ve had some real problems in that area. May I be so focused on You that those with whom I interact may likewise lift their eyes to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Testifying; June 18, 2021

Posted on June 21, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

At first glance this might seem to conflict with another famous verse from Psalms: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) However, in Japanese there’s no conflict, because the Psalm 119 passage says, “I have stored up your Word in my heart.” The point here is acknowledging blessings. Frankly, we do that far too little, because we feel entitled to all we have. Much is made of “entitled young people,” and that is indeed a major problem, but it certainly isn’t limited to the young. As has come up in my readings recently, parents who shield their children from any possible hurt or even disappointment are doing them no favors. We can’t appreciate good stuff until we understand that bad stuff exists. This Psalm is well known and loved, with the first four verses having been set to music multiple times. Verse six and verse eight are both quoted in the New Testament as referring to Jesus. However, from verse 12 on, David is speaking of his current dire circumstances. We gain much more understanding of David when we realize that he wrote some beautiful songs of praise while he was in pretty bad situations. In other words, he was not hiding God’s abundant goodness to him simply because the current moment didn’t seem so good. Testifying to God’s character is always a good idea! The fact of the matter is, as Jesus told us, in this world we will have trouble. (John 16:33) The more we focus on God, remembering how incredibly good and gracious He has been to us, the better we will be able to rejoice in Him regardless of what is going on around us. On top of that, the more we do that openly and vocally, as this verse talks about, the more those around us will be led into a right relationship with their gracious Creator.

I think one thing that inhibits me from testifying of God’s blessings is that I’m afraid of being seen as bragging. There really is the danger it would turn into that, but the far greater danger is of my failing to give Him the thanks and praise He deserves. Sometimes I get the response, “Of course God’s good to you. You’re a missionary.” I’m a missionary not to get God’s blessings, but in response to them! I seek to teach others not only to recognize God’s grace to them but also to be vocal about it. That’s really difficult in Japan, where people tend to be very private and bragging is strongly discouraged. My concerns about being seen as bragging myself come from that. I need God’s wisdom all the way around. However, the difficulty should not keep me from the attempt, either of testifying myself or of getting others to testify.

Father, Your grace and blessings are indeed without number, and even I fail to recognize the vast majority of them. I ask You to open my eyes to see You more and more, and to use me in opening the eyes of others to do likewise, to that we will be the grateful, obedient children that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Confession; June 17, 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”– and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Confession is an interesting thing. We certainly aren’t telling God anything He doesn’t already know. However, the act of confession frees us from the prison we have created for ourselves by our sin. It is when we try to hide everything that we wind up in more and more bondage. That’s not to say that being open about our sin gives us license to continue it; that is making a mockery of the grace of God. That’s exactly what the “pride” movement is doing, trying to get others not only to accept but affirm degeneracy of all sorts. The vast majority of such people got into perversion through the sins of others against them, in one way or another, but that ultimately isn’t an excuse. We all encounter a great deal of junk of one sort or another, living in a fallen world and surrounded by fallen individuals, but how we respond to what is done to us is ultimately our own responsibility. That’s what confession is all about: accepting responsibility. Another trick of the devil at this point is to try to get us to atone for our own sins, rather than accepting that only God can do that. That’s what Judas did, committing suicide in an acknowledgment of his sin without submitting himself to God for Him to deal with it. His confession to the priests (Matthew 27:3-5) didn’t cut it, because he was just confessing to people and not yielding himself to God. Genuine confession is inseparable from repentance, which is turning from the sin in question. If you confess your sin but then continue to wallow in it, you certainly haven’t repented. The devil does his utmost to convince us we can’t really be freed from our sin, and sadly, he’s often effective, causing people to give up. Paul wrote extensively about this in such places as Romans 6, where he admonishes us to “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11) That doesn’t mean we’ll never slip up, as Paul himself laments in Romans 7, but then he starts the next chapter with a glorious affirmation: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Confession to God is what opens the door to that glorious grace.

I could write at considerable length about this because I have experienced it so much myself! I well remember one time when I was liberated from a persistent sin by a verse from Peter: “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Peter 1:9) God used that verse to get through to me that when sins are confessed and repented of, they are gone. The devil keeps bringing them up, telling us nothing has changed, but he’s a liar as always. It’s just like John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ) I earnestly look forward to heaven, where I will be freed from the presence of sin, but meanwhile I can rejoice that right now I am freed from the power of sin.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s such a vital truth, yet so many are blind to it. I pray that You would enable me to communicate it to others so that they may be freed from the traps of the enemy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Seeking God; June 16, 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 27:8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.

This Psalm is loaded with familiar, dearly loved passages, many of which have been set to music. However, I think this verse is what has impacted me most personally. The Japanese puts a slightly different twist on it: “My heart says in your place, ‘seek my face.’” In other words, David recognized that the voice, the desire in his heart, was a Word from the Lord. God speaks to all of us far more often that we generally recognize, but we have to choose to obey what He says to us, as David does here. “Lord, You are telling me to seek Your face. I choose to seek Your face.” The specific term for “seek” that the Japanese uses actually means, “earnestly desire and ask for.” It’s the same “earnestly desire” that is used in Psalms 42:1. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” When we recognize that God is telling us to seek Him, we need to choose to obey. It’s like Jesus so famously told us in terms of seeking our physical needs: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) We have all sorts of impulses, some from God and some not, and it is our choice which we will pursue. The path of blessing is always to follow God!

Many years ago I wrote, “Yes, Lord,” beside this verse in the Bible I was using at the time. I wish I could say I have been totally consistent in following through with that in the years since! I can say that the longer I walk with the Lord the easier and more natural it is to seek Him above and before anything else. I just wish I didn’t act so “unnaturally” at times! I am reminded of a man who has recently expressed a commitment to follow the Lord in baptism. However, when I talked with him about the timing, he wanted to put it off for a year! He actually said, “I want to play around for a year.” He quickly realized what he had said and backpedaled, but I think he was expressing his true feelings. He has already put off such a commitment for several years because of a “pet sin,” recognizing that Jesus will allow no other gods beside Him, and he is still being deceived to value that sin above eternal salvation. God is speaking to his heart as surely as He did to David, but he hasn’t yet responded fully to say, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” It’s easy for me to see what’s going on in him, but I am too often blind to my own deviations from the path the Lord has laid out for me. The “toys” the devil dangles in front of me can be pretty distracting at times!

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for indeed speaking to me, and frequently at that. Help me recognize and obey everything You say to me, seeking the intimacy with You for which I was created, so that all the lies of the devil may be defeated and I be fully useful to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Blessing Others; June 15, 2021

Posted on June 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 20:1-2 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.

It’s interesting that this is labeled “A Psalm of David,” whereas others are labeled “prayers” of David. I think that’s because the focus here isn’t on David himself; he’s actually praying blessing for others. Blessing others is one of the highest return-for-effort activities we can do. The only reason we don’t do it a lot more often is that we are so self-centered. The famous priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 has been set to music multiple times, to marvelous effect. Just recently my younger daughter, who leads worship at her church in the US, used one of those arrangements in a farewell service for their pastor, to marvelous effect. Not only was the pastor and his family blessed, or even everyone in the congregation, but also, I think, all who saw and heard it via the Internet. Imparting blessing with our words is real, however illogical that might seem. Genesis 1 says that God spoke the universe into existence, and He has given us the gift of speech as well. How we use that gift is our responsibility. As James points out, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3:9-10) We have been given the privilege of praising God and blessing people, and we do well to make full use of it. I think many people hesitate to speak blessing to others because they think it would seem like they are putting themselves on a higher level than the person they are blessing. That’s not the case at all, because the fulfillment of the blessing comes from God, not us. Blessing others is simply acting as a tube so that some of God’s living water can drip through, at least.

I had a real revelation in terms of intentionally blessing others not long after we came to Omura, almost 40 years ago. Yongi Cho came to Fukuoka for a big meeting to encourage Japanese Christians, and he touched on the subject. I have absolutely no memory of what he said, actually, but I do remember getting the message from the Lord that I could and should bless others intentionally with my words. The group I was with had lunch, I think it was, at a little restaurant, and there was a little girl, maybe three years old, not with our group, running around. I very clearly remember speaking blessing to her, and how much it blessed me to be an agent of God’s blessing. In the years since I have tried to make a practice of that, but I haven’t been as consistent as I could have been. For many years now I have opened each of my school classes with prayer, praying blessing on my students, and I have gotten some very grateful feedback. I’m very thankful the Lord opened my eyes to the practice of blessing, because it has certainly blessed me!

Father, thank You for the privilege of blessing others. Thank You for Your unlimited blessings to us all – even the ones that don’t feel like blessings in the moment. Help me be a faithful and consistent channel of Your blessings, that many would be drawn to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Being Heard by God; June 14, 2021

Posted on June 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 17:6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

I think a common characteristic of those who pray a lot is the faith that they are being heard. I frankly don’t see how someone who is convinced that God is listening wouldn’t pray. We are all too easily persuaded that either God isn’t aware of everything that goes on, or that He just doesn’t care. Neither of those things are true. We tend to think that any difficulty we have means that God either doesn’t care or that He’s mean, when in fact He loves us enough to want us to mature, and we aren’t going to do that without overcoming obstacles. Parents who try to shield their children from every possible danger are doing them no favor. We have had an epidemic of that kind of parenting in the US – and elsewhere, for that matter – and the result has been a generation of snowflakes, who fall apart at being crossed about anything. I think that’s a major reason for the high divorce rate. Every couple has conflict of one sort or another, and generally of several kinds. It is in confronting those issues and resolving them that both partners grow and the relationship is strengthened. With today’s spoiled generation, they are all too likely to throw in the towel. Children need to be taught to deal with difficulties, respecting themselves and respecting the other people involved. In difficulties it’s always OK to ask for help, and that’s a major function of prayer. We can and should ask for wisdom and direction, to know what we should do, and we can and should ask for strength, both emotional and physical, to carry through with what we should do. It is highly unreasonable to ask, much less expect, God to put everything we want on a big pillow and set it down in front of us. If that’s the way we’re praying, we’ll quickly come to the conclusion that “prayer doesn’t work.” That fits in with what James said: “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) Self-centered prayer isn’t going to teach you that prayer works!

As I have commented frequently, I grew up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, but I’ve still had to learn a lot about prayer in the years since then. I’ve been preaching a series on prayer for the past couple of months, but as I mentioned in yesterday’s message, I have no idea when it will end, because the topic is so deep. I have learned that God is always listening, so if there’s a problem, it usually means I’m not listening! I personally have a strong distaste for confrontation, but I’ve learned the hard way that seldom makes problems go away. Recently someone consulted me in distress because they were being lied about at work, to the point that they were considering quitting their job. I told them to go talk to the person doing the lying, and only if that didn’t resolve the issue, to go to their supervisor. Last night I got the report that the liar at first denied lying about their coworker, but when pressed, they admitted it and even apologized. The result was a restored relationship and major growth in the person who had been lied about. God allows these situation to grow us as He knows we need to, so praying to get out of every pressure is counterproductive. We need to pray to get through each situation. If we will do that, not only will we grow, we will discover that God is indeed always listening, and He truly cares.

Father, thank You for all that You have taught me about prayer over the years, and for the joy of sharing it. I pray that my words would be fully effective, chosen and guided by Your Spirit, to tear down the lies of the enemy and bring people into the fellowship with You for which they were created, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Boldness; June 13, 2021

Posted on June 16, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 6:8-9 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

We don’t know what gave David this assurance that he had been heard, but whatever it was impacted him greatly. The thing is, he had to have fairly strong faith to have interpreted it as God speaking to him. Current secular society, and certainly the current school system, actively teach us not to interpret anything as God’s action toward us. What a loss! We can certainly see the hand of the devil in that, because the last thing he wants is for people to have an active awareness of their Creator. When we know we are hearing from Him and that He hears us, then we are very bold, just as David is here. There are various kinds of boldness, and some are very stupid, because they rely on false premises. However, there’s no substitute for the calm assurance that “God’s got this, and He can use me in the process.” That’s what John wrote about. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15) The point is to be actively pressing in toward God, to know Him better so that we may know His will better, and thus pray and act in line with that. Often that will require that we lay down whatever we want, just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, (Luke 22:42) but the closer we walk with Him, the more likely we are to want what He wants in the first place. That gives us an assurance that the world cannot touch, even if in the short term it leads to martyrdom. It was said of the early Christians, “They really know how to love each other, and they really know how to die.” When our faith is clear and strong, then we know that “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

I have experienced the stupid boldness of conceit, and I have also tasted the boldness of complete assurance of God. Believe me, there’s no comparison, even though from the outside they might look similar. I am reminded of the hymn, It Is Well with my Soul. The author/ composer experienced extreme loss and heartache, but his faith, the assurance of God’s presence and love, carried him through. That’s the kind of boldness I want, not based on me or my circumstances but on my Father who loves me, even when He’s leading me through rough times.

Father, for some reason I’m reminded of what Melvin Bradshaw said about my father after he visited him in the hospital the day before the surgery that took my father home to you: “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” That’s how I want to live, with complete assurance in You, whatever You have planned for me. Help me indeed have the bold faith that comes from being at rest in Christ Jesus my Lord, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Morning Devotions; June 12, 2021

Posted on June 16, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 5:3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

It is evident from various Psalms that morning prayer was a regular practice of David. The Japanese translation implies that he made some sort of a morning sacrifice, where the NIV says, “I lay my requests before you.” However, in either language it is clear that David wasn’t just going through rituals, but was expecting a response from the Lord. That’s one of the most important differences between formal religion and a living faith. Liturgy has its good points, but it also carries a high risk of sterility, since it’s all too easy to go through the motions without really engaging your soul and your spirit. Morning devotions are extremely valuable, but only if they are done in faith and expectation. Actually, every time we read the Bible we should do so with the expectation of hearing from God. Even the most familiar passages can speak to us in fresh ways, if our hearts are open. It is absolutely true, however, that we won’t get anything if we don’t read. People who don’t have a regular habit of morning devotions tend to think of them as a duty, an obligation, and that makes it all the less likely that they will encounter God through them. However, if you go into it with a hunger for more of God, He will absolutely meet you there.

I honestly don’t remember when I established the solid habit of morning devotions. It’s been “lost in the mists of antiquity,” so to speak. I do remember trying to get started when I was in college, and making a total failure of it. Two things worked against me. The first was that my motive was theoretical, that it was “a good thing to do.” The second was more fundamental: I didn’t think I needed it, because I was already “a good Christian.” That attitude nearly sank me! I am in awe of how God protected and blessed me over the next several years in particular, because I certainly didn’t deserve it. In the period in question He gave me the wife that He had prepared for me from before either of us was born, and I couldn’t be more grateful. In spite of His grace I flirted with things that were potentially deadly, but He always kept me from going over the cliff. It was after I was a father that I had the experience I have written about many times, when He tapped me on the shoulder and, when I turned, He had a mirror to give me a glimpse of the blackness of my soul. I was completely undone. It was at some point after that, that I started reading the Bible every morning, seeking to hear what God wanted to say to me. My spiritual ears still aren’t as sharp as they could be, so my time every morning is “hearing exercises.” With age, my physical ears continue to get less sensitive, but thankfully, that doesn’t apply to spiritual ears! As a pastor I seek to encourage every believer to get into this habit of morning devotions, but with very mixed results. The biggest problem seems to be a lack of felt need. Frankly, they don’t know what they’re missing! Also, many seem to feel that “God would never speak to me.” They couldn’t be more wrong, but the devil has blinded them to their need and God’s grace.

Father, thank You for this continuing series You’re having me preach on prayer. I have no idea how long it will continue! I pray that Your Spirit would take my words and use them to generate hunger in my hearers for fellowship with You. May they dare to believe that You desire it more than they do, despite all their imperfections. May we all become true disciples in response to Your overwhelming grace and love, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sleep; June 11, 2021

Posted on June 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 4:4, 8 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

In my experience, there are three common hindrances to getting good sleep. One is simple jet lag, being physically out of sync with your body’s natural rhythms because of the speed of modern transportation. When you think about it, that’s very much a luxury complaint! Another hindrance is physical pain or discomfort. My wife is all too familiar with that, and she’s not alone in that situation. However, by far the most common source of insomnia seems to be mental or emotional distress, and that’s what David is touching on here. It’s interesting that the Japanese renders the first line of verse four as, “Be respectfully fearful. Do not commit sin.” Paul certainly agreed with how the NIV renders it, when he quoted it in Ephesians 4:26! With either rendering, however, the point remains that when we lie down we need to release things to God, letting Him be the arbiter of everything and not trying to impose our will and desires on situations that concern us. We can get really worked up about a lot of things, and when we essentially try to wrest control away from God, that’s sin. Getting proper sleep is a major factor in our general happiness. The devil wants to steal or destroy that happiness, so he works to disrupt our sleep. As James said, we are to submit to God and resist the devil. (James 4:7) Submitting to God specifically includes releasing to Him all the issues we are worked up about. This sort of thing is why we speak of “sleeping like a baby.” Any parent can tell you that babies don’t necessarily sleep through the night, but if they are in a warm, peaceful home environment, they at least don’t worry about anything, and so generally sleep easily and well. The better we realize that we are children of our heavenly Father, the more we can do that as well.

I have had my times of insomnia, certainly. I’ve had a few times of sleep-inhibiting pain, from broken ribs, kidney stones, and surgery, but those have been a marginally small percentage of my life. Going back and forth across the Pacific, I’m certainly very familiar with jet lag! However, it’s the emotional turmoil I have dealt with most often. Anger is no friend of sleep! As Don and Katie Fortune pointed out to me, we tend to think that “sleeping on an issue” can resolve the anger involved, but it actually just lets it migrate to our subconscious, to build up and come out later. The second half of Ephesians 4:26, where Paul quotes verse four here, says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.” I have learned that is superb, practical advice that avoids a lot of trouble down the road. Individuals I can choose to forgive, but when it is societal issues that have me upset, I’ve simply got to release them to God. Things may be a mess now – and they are – but He’s not through! He told me several years ago to rest, relax, and rejoice. That’s in perfect sync with this passage, and will give me the sleep I need.

Father, thank You for this very practical reminder. I was talking with my students just yesterday about their need for sleep. I don’t want them to try to get it in class, but at their age, they tend to prioritize all sorts of things ahead of sleep. I pray that I would always speak the truth in love, so that the devil’s works may be destroyed right and left, (1 John 3:8) for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Bold Prayer; June 10, 2021

Posted on June 12, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

The Creator is speaking to the Messiah here, the Father to the Son, but there is still a principle that we, the Father’s much lesser children, need to learn. That is, our prayers should be bold and big. A song has been written that combines this verse, Isaiah 6:8, and 2 Corinthians 5:20, inspiring many people to go to foreign nations as missionaries, Christ’s ambassadors. Some people react negatively to that, saying that it it is self-centered pride that asks for nations. I don’t think so, but then I’m a missionary! I think the world might be a much better place if more people were to ask God for the nation where they are, or the company where they work, or even their own family, not as a personal trophy but for the kingdom of God. When we do that, we have to offer ourselves to God for Him to use in accomplishing that for which we are praying. That’s why the second verse of the song I just mentioned goes, “Here am I. Send me to the nations as an ambassador for You.” If we aren’t willing to be Christ’s representatives, speaking His truth in love regardless of any fears or obstacles, then such bold prayers are just words. We are to pray boldly, speak boldly, and act boldly, not for our personal benefit but so that God’s name may be acknowledged as holy and His kingdom come as His will is done, specifically by us first, for His glory and not ours.

Most people consider me a “foreign missionary” but I wonder about that designation, not only because I was born and raised here but also because I have no “sending body” to which I report. As my wife very wisely said when we were in seminary in the US, we’d rather be Lord sent than board sent! The IRS doesn’t consider me a missionary because my income has been from teaching in secular schools, rather than from “missionary work.” However, I have indeed asked the Lord for Japan, the nation of my birth, and specifically for the city of Omura. He has given us the vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in the nation, as it was 450 years ago. That is absurd from the human perspective, but nothing is impossible for Him. I cannot possibly make it happen in my own strength and wisdom, but I can keep myself available to Him to be used however He pleases. To this point that has meant simply being here, establishing myself as a part of society for the past 40 years. I have gained a voice that I would not have had otherwise, and I pray that my voice, and my life itself, would be fully useful to the Lord in fulfilling the vision He has given us.

Father, thank You for Your calling. Thank You for Your patience with me and for using me, in spite of myself at times. I do ask afresh for this city and this nation, that multitudes would be brought out of the traps of the devil and into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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