July 4, 2016

Posted on July 5, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

It is good to realize that David didn’t write all the Psalms; there were other gifted poets who loved God. This says it is “of Asaph,” but given Hebrew conventions, it could have been written by one of his descendants. In any case, it was written by a Levite, someone whose life revolved around the temple. Today that would be someone who was on the church staff, but not necessarily the senior pastor. Looking at it that way, it’s easy to understand why he would resent the apparent prosperity of wicked people, particularly when his life was far from trouble-free. He had the good sense to realize that grousing about it would be damaging to those who were in his spiritual care, (verse 15) and that when he was consumed by resentment he was no better than an animal. (verses 21-22) Verses 25-26 have been set to music very nicely, and are well loved. All of that leads to the conclusion expressed in this last verse: he is blessed to be near God, he has set his heart to depend on God, and he is going to tell others how good God is. Whatever our circumstances, we too can be near God by faith, if we will choose to turn to Him in all that happens in our lives. When we live like that, we will have plenty to tell others about God, because we will see Him at work in every area of our lives.

This is certainly my testimony! By God’s grace I have indeed been “close to God” all my life, even when I was ignoring Him, but it was when I acknowledged my absolute dependence on Him that I started growing in every area that matters. Resentment is still a trap to me at times, but it is easier every day to rest in the reality that what is waiting for me is infinitely better than what awaits anyone who is rejecting God. My biggest heartache at this point is all the people who refuse to open their eyes to the truth, repent, and believe for their salvation. I was talking with someone just yesterday about how, having a great-grandchild on the way, I realize that material wealth doesn’t matter at all; what matters is people. Jesus didn’t come and die for wealth, or for the environment, or for political power, or any of that sort of thing, He came for people. I am to be focused on the people Jesus came for, sharing the good news of His grace and love so that they may open their hearts to Him. Frankly, that doesn’t come naturally to me, because I am at heart a rather solitary geek, so I need to let it come supernaturally, particularly since I couldn’t save anyone in my own strength anyway. It is nothing short of amazing that God does use me to draw people to Him, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for this expression of Your grace that I can relate to so closely. Help me live out all You have spoken to me and done in me, so that I may fulfill all of Your purposes for me, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 3, 2016

Posted on July 5, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 71:23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.

There is nothing more joyful than singing genuine praise to God. The Bible is filled with examples, but so few people seem to take it to heart and experience it for themselves. Today’s message is on “Singing to God,” but words alone will not communicate the glorious reality that is praise and worship to God; it has to be experienced. In so many churches today “worship” is a spectator sport, and that isn’t worship at all. Too many preachers consider the “worship team” to be an opener for their act, and when that’s the case, that’s all it is. Ministering in Japan as I do, I have been to many conferences that had foreign speakers with interpretation. I have seen some such speakers worship even when they didn’t understand the words, but too many times I have seen them slip into the auditorium only just before they were to speak, or if they were earlier, spend the time with their notes rather than in worship. The most carefully crafted lecture will not have a fraction of the impact of words spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of someone who worships in spirit and in truth. Worship isn’t really for God’s benefit, though it pleases Him. Rather, worship is to get our hearts in line with Him, allowing us free access to Him by the Holy Spirit. That is a privilege beyond the power of human language to express.

Growing up in a family that loved God I had many opportunities to worship, but I also experienced the reality of the saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Church was in Japanese, and since many of the hymns were translated into archaic Japanese (just as a number of English hymns use language that is archaic today) I often “tuned out,” singing the notes but not actually worshiping at all. When we sang as a family at home it was in English, and there were some times of real worship there. However, I experienced the full joy of singing praise and worship only after I was baptized in the Holy Spirit as an adult. Interestingly, I was back in Japan at that time, and I indeed learned to worship in both languages. Now, the majority of my worship is in Japanese, but with full understanding and participation. Today I have an opportunity to help people understand what they see me doing week after week, but my words alone certainly won’t accomplish that. I’ve got to be fully submitted to the Holy Spirit so that He can get through to people through me.

Father, I know that You actively seek those who will worship You in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) May I be such a worshiper, and may I be fully useful to You in leading others to worship You fully as well, for their eternal blessing and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 2, 2016

Posted on July 3, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 71:14 But as for me, I shall always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

This Psalm has no attribution, but whoever wrote it shared David’s faith. From verse 8 and verse 18 it might be called “The Psalm of the Senior Citizen!” In any case, it depicts someone facing real opposition from people, as well as perhaps physical problems (maybe age related). This verse clearly states the writer’s attitude and the result of that attitude. Every human being desires hope, and it is actually essential to us. It has been shown time and time again that hope or the lack of it is one of the biggest factors influencing medical outcomes, among other things. This has of course been true since the dawn of humanity, and will be true to the end of the universe. That’s why genuine hope is so attractive. Peter pointed out that it is a powerful “bait” for evangelism. (1 Peter 3:15) Actually, “bait” seems to imply some sort of trap, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is no trap at all! As this writer experienced, when we have a solid hope, gratitude and praise will be the order of the day. When we express praise to God our faith, and consequently our hope, are strengthened, which should in turn lead to more praise. The devil hates praise to God, not only because he desires it for himself and is insanely jealous, but also because he wants to steal our hope, and he knows that he can’t do that to anyone who is focused on praising God.

This is something I have certainly experienced! When I focus on problems rather than on God, those problems loom larger and larger to me and my hope fades. When I focus on God in grateful praise and worship, the problems fade to relative insignificance. It’s not that the problems disappear, it’s that I am able to see that even a worst-case scenario is strictly temporary, and God is going to triumph in the end. Those temporary problems can indeed be severe, but when my focus is on God, I can take them in stride. People marvel when they see that attitude in Christians, and generally they desire to be that way themselves. That’s what Peter was talking about. We are indeed to be prepared to tell people why we have hope, and actually, what our hope is all about. We don’t hope for a problem-free life on this earth. Jesus said otherwise, (John 16:33) and experience certainly validates that. However, when we know and trust the love of God we always have hope, and so can rejoice, just as Jesus said.

Father, it’s easier to practice this when I’m the one in trouble, but right now numbers of people whom I care about deeply are suffering in various ways. Help me communicate Your hope to them, so that together we may praise You and experience Your very best for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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July 1, 2016

Posted on July 2, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 70:5 Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.

I would call this Psalm a short, honest prayer. It is essentially the same as the last part of Psalm 40, and quite possibly was either written first and then incorporated in the longer Psalm, or extracted from the longer Psalm to be used independently. Regardless, it is clear evidence that, like us, David sometimes got into a panic over God’s timing. Timing is a big issue for us because we are material (or at least our bodies are) and so are in the flow of time. Physics tells us that time cannot exist without matter, which has a huge impact on the question of Creation vs. anything else. Our human, finite minds really can’t conceive of a state without time or matter, whatever we might say, so those who refuse to acknowledge God try to claim that the universe has always existed. However, there is a mounting volume of evidence that indicates a point of origin, commonly called the Big Bang. The irony of an atheist talking about the moment of Creation is extreme! All of that aside, it is clear that God is outside of time, as He is not made up of atoms, so it goes without saying that “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) It is absolutely astounding that an uneducated fisherman like Peter would have such insight, which proves that he understood this issue by Divine revelation. People in his day struggled with this issue like David did, and we still do so today. God is never late, but He is seldom early. From our perspective we accuse Him often of being late, but there is always a purpose to His timing, just as Peter discussed. The point for us is to trust Him, specifically on this issue of timing, without being passive. We are always to be active in pressing in closer to Him, to hear Him more clearly and obey Him more accurately, but that must include leaving control in His hands, and that includes timing.

Timing is a very personal issue for me, since I hate to be late for anything, so this whole matter of trusting God’s timing has been a struggle, and I’m not over it yet. I find that when I am when I am up­tight about when one particular thing is going to happen, I generally am letting other things that I should be doing slide, sometimes to very bad effect. There are various things in the works right now that I would dearly love to see resolved, but I have to trust God with His timing. That’s especially difficult when my activity is directly involved. At the same time I want God to hurry up and act, I procrastinate! There are all sorts of distractions, but none of them are any sort of legitimate excuse. I need to be humbly, actively obedient, not worried about my comfort zone but seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. If I do that, I will always be operating on God’s schedule, for the blessing of many and for His glory.

Father, You know the things that face me far better than I do. Help me deal with each thing as You want me to, neither being anxious nor making excuses. Help me indeed do what You desire, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 30, 2016

Posted on July 1, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 59:16-17 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble
O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Reading through the Psalms, I think it’s pretty clear why the Lord allowed Saul to pursue David for several years. Time and again David was put into situations where he could easily be killed, and God was his only recourse. David’s response was indeed to turn to God, and he often did it poetically. I’m not sure he was very creative as a musician, because several of his Psalms indicate they are to be sung to certain standard tunes. This one, for example, goes to a tune called “Do Not Destroy.” Even so, David obviously loved to sing to God, and that had a profound impact on his life. Considering the musical instruments of the day, with their limited tonal range, his singing would probably sound pretty monotonous to us today, but that’s not the point. The whole point is that David committed himself to God in song, and God responded. Many studies have shown the profound influence music can have on us, especially emotionally. We speak of “singing the blues,” and indeed, some songs can make us sad just by listening to them. David chose to sing thanks and praise to God, and that echoed through his life. I can’t help but think that it had been a while since he had sung to God when he got into the mess with Bathsheba, because if he had been practicing what he says here, I don’t think he would have been very easily deceived by the devil’s trap.

This has certainly been my experience. When I encounter temptations, either to do things not pleasing to God or to despair and lose hope, if I will choose to sing to God, He straightens me out. I was blessed by being raised in a musical family by parents who loved God. Some of my sweetest memories are of being gathered around the piano singing hymns together. I’m sure that’s why I could read music before I could read the words. Relatively few people are so blessed, so I must not presume on people’s background, but I am to teach them how to sing to God. So many churches today have been caught in a performance mentality, with the “worship team” up on the stage performing and the congregation as no more than the audience. That is a terrible trap of the devil! It has been shown that very few people are actually tone deaf, unable to hear differences in pitch, but very many people are so lacking in training and opportunity that they “can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” I’m not to put them down for that, but rather give them as much support and training as possible so that they can make the best use of what they have. The biggest thing is in removing the embarrassment of not singing as well as someone else. That will come when they learn to focus on the One to whom they are singing rather than on people who might overhear them. I need God’s wisdom, because to this point people have tended to be intimidated by my singing and so be as quiet as possible. That’s no way to raise up a praising congregation!

Father, You started talking to me about this yesterday, and now You’re making it very clear. However, at this point I have the “what” but not the “how.” Help me listed to You carefully and accurately, being neither presumptive nor hesitant, so that the Body of Christ may be built up as You intend, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 29, 2016

Posted on June 30, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 57:2-3 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

The last three verses of this Psalm have been set to music very beautifully, but the Psalm as a whole is another marvelous example of David’s combination of sincere devotion and gifted craftsmanship. This little section speaks of David’s heart attitude and God’s response to it. His prayer is to God, but in that polytheistic society it is significant that he specifies “God Most High.” He wasn’t praying to the storm god (Baal) or to the moon god or any other god claimed by the nations around him, he was praying to the Creator of the universe, above and before whom there is and can be no other. In the next descriptive line the NIV supplies “his purpose,” to try to flesh it out in terms of contemporary English, but the Japanese says “everything.” You name it, God gets it done. In the next section, where the NIV says “those who hotly pursue me,” the Japanese says, “those who step on me.” In both translations, however, it is clear that God sends love and faithfulness from heaven to work salvation. David the poet was a master of personification, and here he speaks of Love and Faithfulness as though they were two warring angels on a rescue mission. I would think that word picture would be very comforting to any believer! David knew to whom he prayed, so he never lost hope regardless of his circumstances. No wonder he could say in verse 7 that his heart was steadfast, unshakable!

My years of walking with the Lord have made me less and less shaky, spiritually speaking, though I still have plenty of room to grow. Like David, my response to almost any situation is to sing! (verse 7) I have found there is nothing that redirects my spirit to God better than singing praise to Him. The nice thing is that there is so much material to choose from, and David was a great contributor to that body of work. Having studied poetry in college, writing a bit of it myself, and doing a good bit of song translation work, I am very aware of the craftsmanship involved, but if I look at it just that way, the end result of my singing is just noise. My singing to God must be from my heart, as David’s was, or I am no more than “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) I need always to remember to whom I sing and why, giving Him my heart along with my words and my voice. As a pastor, I need to lead and teach all the believers to do likewise. Some are intimidated, not having had the musical training I have enjoyed, but as much as I might cringe at someone who is off pitch, that isn’t the issue. I need to help them understand that if their heart is in it, God is pleased, whatever it sounds like to the spiritually insensitive.

Father, thank You for this. The idea of doing a session of vocal training from the pulpit hadn’t occurred to me, but I’ll do whatever You say. Help me indeed teach and train the believers to turn their hearts to You in every situation, whether they sing or not, so that together we may be fully submitted to You, firmly resisting the devil, (James 4:7) so that Your kingdom may come for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 28, 2016

Posted on June 30, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

One of the most important things David got right was the matter of exercising his will in obedience to God. He understood that life is a matter of choices, and though he made some pretty bad ones, he still made the fundamental choice to trust and rely on God. When we waver on that point we invite mountains of misery that God neither intends nor desires for us. Fear is the devil’s favorite tool, and the only sure defense is trusting God. Two people can go through essentially the same circumstances and one have an absolutely miserable time and the other simply grow, emotionally and spiritually. The difference is in the choice to trust God and let Him be Lord. As long as we think we are supposed to be in control, frustration and fear are the order of the day. When we acknowledge both how weak we are and how loving and powerful God is, both frustration and fear are dealt with. Fear is easily understood, since it is a primary emotion, but frustration, though familiar, is a little less easy to pin down. It comes essentially from things not being the way we feel they ought to be, and the antidote is letting God be God and not trying to do His job for Him. It’s amazing how often we try to do that! However, our failure there is a foregone conclusion, and all we get out of it is frustration. Choosing to trust God is the answer, whatever the question.

This is a lesson I have been amazingly slow to learn. I’ve never been a particularly fearful person, but frustration has been all too familiar. God has been remarkably patient and faithful in giving me lesson after lesson to teach me to trust Him and and let Him be Lord, but my GPA isn’t very good! It was a major breakthrough when I finally realized that it isn’t a matter of God being smarter than I am, it’s that He’s smart and I’m not. That helped a whole lot! He has blessed me with a high IQ, but that’s only a measure of comparison with other human beings. Compared to God, the relevant Japanese expression is, “Acorns comparing height.” It takes fairly sensitive equipment to detect much difference between acorns! Whether I happen to know the right answer to a situation or not is irrelevant. The problem is in insisting that things be my way instead of seeking God’s way. I have always thought the song, My Way, that was written for Frank Sinatra and so accurately described his life, was one of the most pathetic songs I had ever heard. However, it has a very nice tune, and is popular around the world. I still want to write a Christian variation on it, saying, “I’ll do it Thy way.” However many times he missed it, that was David’s desire, and it is mine.

Father, thank You again for Your patience and faithfulness toward me. Thank You for being God. Thank You for telling me to rest, relax, and rejoice. Help me be obedient in that, so that all of the devil’s schemes may fall flat and all of Your plans be fulfilled on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 27, 2016

Posted on June 28, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

This Psalm is one of the most famous prayers recorded in the whole Bible. The circumstances are of course when David was confronted with his horrible sin of using murder to try to cover up adultery. What makes David different from so many people was that he didn’t try to run from God, but rather threw himself on God’s mercy in honest acknowledgment of what he had done. He knew that his heart was not pure, so he asked God to make him a new one. He knew that his spirit had wavered horribly, so he asked God to renew it. Rather than running from God, he wanted to be close to Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Incidentally, “Holy Spirit” is the most common New Testament name for the Third Person in the Trinity, but it is not so common in the Old Testament. Its use here is very significant because of David’s awareness of his own unholiness.) That he would want the joy of salvation restored goes without saying, but the next line is very telling. When we are grudging in our obedience to God, such obedience is hard work. When we are fully willing and committed to serving God, such service is a joy rather than a burden. Every part of this Psalm teaches us a great deal about a right relationship with God. It is a beautiful example of how God takes something horrible and turns it around for good. (Romans 8:28)

God has used some of my sins in similar ways, as I have known how to teach and guide others because of what I have gotten myself into. I am never to excuse sin, but I am to remind those who are repentant of what God did in, for, and through David, so that they too will draw close to God to be cleansed and used by Him. The devil tries to tell us that God wants nothing to do with us after we have sinned, so I am to counter that lie with the truth of His grace and forgiveness, using David as an example. We tend to categorize and grade sins in terms of severity, but ignoring God and defying Him is sin whatever form it takes, and so cuts us off from Him. I need to proclaim the Good News that God is always ready to forgive, cleanse and receive, if we will only repent and believe.

Father, it is a heartbreaking mystery why so few people accept Your free offer of salvation in Christ. Help me never give up, but keep proclaiming Your truth so that people may be set free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 26, 2016

Posted on June 28, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 44:6-7 I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.

This Psalm was written during some time of national calamity by a member of the Korahite clan of the tribe of Levi. From verse 9 on it is a complaint about the terrible situation they find themselves in, and a plea for Divine action, but it bases all that on these first eight verses that proclaim God’s faithfulness. That said, there is important truth here. These two verses in particular are important for everyone to take to heart and remember. The writer is not unequipped; he has a bow and a sword. However, he does not rely on his equipment but on the Lord. We tend to get that backwards, focusing on material resources and the like and tacking God on as an afterthought, if at all. Amazingly, that is true even in churches, where you would expect God to be the first thought. The Bible does not teach us to be passive or lazy, but again and again it tells us to put God first in our thinking, planning, and actions, (Matthew 6:33 and many more) because we can do nothing without Him. (John 15:5) We are called to be good stewards of all that God makes available to us, (1 Corinthians 4:2) but we must not let what has been provided – or what seems to be insufficient – distract us from the One who provides everything. We need to be focused on God, first and foremost, and follow Him in obedient, faithful trust.

This is very timely, because we as a church are faced with an opportunity that seems too big for us, and at the same time the devil seems to be trying to take it away from us. We are not to be cocky, but neither are we to be discouraged. The very ferocity of the opposition should give us assurance that we are impinging on enemy territory, and give us joyful anticipation of what God is going to do through us. We are not to be careless and we are never to be puffed up, as though it were all about us, but we are to be joyful in the assurance that God is more than able to meet every challenge. We must stay submitted to Him, acting when and how He directs and not otherwise, but not holding back from anything, no matter how difficult it might seem from our perspective. Our focus is to be on God’s kingdom and His glory, not ours. In ourselves we are certainly not up to the task, but nothing is difficult for Him. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Father, thank You for this Word. It is easy to get distracted by all the opposition, with attacks on health and confidence on so many in the church. Help us all learn from these things what You want to teach us, so that we will be increasingly equipped and prepared for what You want to do through us, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 25, 2016

Posted on June 26, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 41:4 I said, “O Lord, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

It could well be simply a quirk of the Hebrew language, but it strikes me that the Japanese sticks with the original text here and says, “heal my soul,” rather than just “heal me.” Physical illness is certainly real, obviously enough, but research continues to show more and more connection between the physical and the intangible. Saying something is “psychosomatic” seems to carry the inference that it’s not a real disease, but the results can be no less fatal! We are triune beings, with spirits, souls, and bodies. Materialists focus just on the body, while psychologists and psychiatrists are showing more and more about the soul, but the Bible speaks of the spirit as well. We aren’t going to enjoy genuine health without all three being in good shape. The problem is, while more and more physicians are considering the soul in their treatments, hardly any deal with the spirit. Without any of the benefits of modern medicine, David still got it right, turning to God, who is Spirit, to heal his soul and body. God does use medicine and medical techniques, but we must never forget that He is the source of all true healing, even as the Bible says. (Exodus 15:26, Psalm 107:20)

I have had a great deal of interaction with the medical profession over the years. I have great respect for it, but at the same time I am very aware of the truth of what I have just written. Encounters with MD’s and PhD’s who have refused to acknowledge anything but the physical have been frustrating to say the least. I am not to look down on them, because “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,” (Proverbs 16:18) but neither am I to be intimidated by them. I am not to refuse medical treatment, for myself or for others, but I am to seek God first, whoever is involved, and see what He has to say. A gifted physician who is committed to the Lord and humble before Him is a treasure indeed. I am to pray for the many physicians I know, that they would come to know Christ and be committed to Him. Then, and only then, will they be able to treat body, soul, and spirit.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me. Thank You for using me from time to time in treating people’s souls and spirits. It seems like everyone I encounter – including me – needs healing to some degree in some area. Thank You for Your promise that none of that will be an issue when You make all things new. May I walk in all that You intend for me right now, rejoicing in Christ my Savior, (John 16:33) so that the works of the devil may be destroyed indeed, (1 John 3:8) for the liberation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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