July 12, 2015

Posted on July 14, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.”

This refrain, appearing twice in this Psalm and once in the next, is powerfully direct. People today often laugh at the idea of “giving yourself a talking-to,” but actually we talk to ourselves all the time. Freud even tried to formalize it with terms like ego, super-ego, and id. The world would be a better place if people took this idea seriously, because God gives each of us a conscience, and we need to listen to it! Here, the Psalmist is faced with some pretty depressing circumstances, probably as almost everyone is at times. He knows intellectually that God is still God, but his emotions aren’t keeping up with that knowledge. That’s why he’s being firm with his emotions, pointing out the truth of God’s reliability. As Jesus said, the truth will set us free, even from the grips of depression. (John 8:32) Many would protest that depression doesn’t yield to logic. In a sense that’s true, but we’ve got to start somewhere, and choosing to appropriate truth is that place. Expecting to say a few words and be done with depression is foolish, but choosing to wait in hope for God will get us through just about anything. It’s that element of hope that is key. We don’t have to see what the ultimate solution will be, because that’s not given to mankind to be able to do. (Many people try, but looking back at various projections and predictions can be pretty amusing reading.) That’s why we have to choose to believe, to trust, to hope. The devil does all he can to hinder that, but for the Christian, the One who is in us is far greater. (1 John 4:4)

I’ve had various struggles with depression over the years, and in college I even tried to end my life over it, so I certainly don’t speak casually here. I have learned that nothing trumps the plain fact of God’s absolute reliability. Certainly my own weakness doesn’t trump it. I’ve come to the conviction that many of us think our weaknesses are greater than God’s strength. How could that be? God, who spoke the universe into existence, can certainly do anything He likes with anything He made. I have learned that God can use even me and my circumstances to bless others and bring Him glory. I have learned that the various compound names for God in the Old Testament (now there’s a rich, blessed study) are all true, that He’s our Provider, our Healer, our Righteousness, our Helper, and all the rest. That makes it much easier to wait in hope for Him, and forms a firm bulwark against depression. As a pastor, I’ve learned that simply demonstrating the reliable love of God gets through to people in the fog of depression far better than haranguing them over how foolish they are being. Speaking the truth simply, briefly (!) and in love works wonders, but only when a framework of love has been established.

Father, thank You for Your grace toward me over the years, and for the privilege of being a channel of that grace to others. I pray that everyone in this church would indeed be able to take their eyes off of themselves and fix them on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) so that we will not lose hope at any point, but walk in the peace and joy that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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July 11, 2015

Posted on July 12, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 39:4 “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.”

I can’t say I was aware that this verse was in the Bible – it certainly wasn’t underlined – but the desire to know our lifespan is common. However, David approaches the question from a slightly different angle, that of reminding himself how insignificant he is. None of us know how long we will live, with the exception of people facing scheduled executions. Even people who have been pronounced terminal with some disease often live longer or shorter than the doctors expected. However, physical life itself is a terminal condition, and we do well to remember that. If we do not remember both that we are here for a limited time and that we are here for a purpose, then we will fritter away our time and lose a great deal, on many levels. We don’t like to accept that we are transients on this planet, but we do want to have a sense of purpose, a sense of accomplishment. That will not come fully until we accept that we are created beings; we are not here by chance any more than we willed ourselves into existence. To know our purpose, we have to know our Creator, and getting to know our Creator is actually our biggest task on this earth. We have many secondary tasks, and those differ with each individual, but the primary task for anyone ever born is to know God and respond to Him in love and obedience. Realizing that brings peace that can be had no other way, and it releases us from all sorts of pressures. God has indeed prepared tasks for each individual, (Ephesians 2:10) but He has also supplied the abilities and resources necessary for those tasks. If we will press in to know Him, then everything else will fall into place.

Recently finding someone dead, still seated at his dinner table, really brought this into sharp focus. He was 82, in declining health, and a firm Christian, so I’m sure it was a relief and even a joy for him, but dealing with everything he left (since he lived alone and had little family) has really driven home the insignificance of material things. I have already outlived my father and look well set to outlive my mother, but that’s hardly a good measure of the value of my life. My focus needs to be on getting closer to my Lord and being more accurately and instantly obedient to Him. There are things I would like to do and things I would like to accomplish, but all of those fade to insignificance when compared to knowing God. The thing is, one of the things I have been given to do is helping others know more of God, to draw close to Him as I desire to do. That is to be my second priority, after drawing closer myself. Everything else is to be evaluated as to how it relates to those two goals, those two purposes. It’s the second of those that makes me want to stick around on this earth. If my only thought were being close to God, then in heaven there’s nothing to keep me from Him. However, this life is the only chance I have to introduce others to the salvation I am experiencing, so I want to make full use of it. Along the way I have and will have various opportunities to tear down the devil’s works, (1 John 3:8) and I don’t want to miss any of those. With those priorities in place, I can live in peace and assurance for as long as the Lord keeps me here.

Father, thank You for all You are doing in, around, and through me. Help me recognize each specific task You have for me and do it with my whole heart, not being distracted by fluff, either good or bad, but keeping clear focus on You, Your kingdom and Your righteousness, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 10, 2015

Posted on July 12, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 37:8-9 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

This is very appropriate advice for this day in which we live! Temptations to harbor anger abound. There is a place for righteous indignation, as Jesus showed when He drove the merchants out of the temple, but what David is talking about here is letting anger fester, mulling it over. That’s where “revenge killings” and “honor killings” come from. We’ve got to remember that God has said, “Vengeance is mine.” (Deuteronomy 32:35) It is when we try to do God’s job for Him that we get into the deepest trouble. The Bible is filled with assurances of reward, good for good and evil for evil. At the same time, the Bible also tells us to be sure our criminal justice system works well, neither acquitting the guilty nor punishing the innocent. It is very sad indeed to see the judicial system corrupted, as it certainly is in many instances. The recent incident of a man with multiple convictions being released and then committing apparently random murder is a case in point. The demons controlling him were unrestrained, and they escalated things. Such situations call for good people to be active, certainly, but at the same time we have to remember that “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20)

I have noticed in myself the rather ironic tendency to get angry that I’m angry. I don’t enjoy anger, but it does happen, and when I realize that I’m angry, that fact in itself makes me more angry! Such a cycle certainly doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. I need to remember what Paul said, quoting Psalm 4:4. “In your anger do not sin.” He followed that up with practical advice: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) This is exactly what David was talking about, because if I nurse anger I open myself up to the devil and that leads to evil, certainly. When I recognize anger in myself I need to turn first to God, being honest before Him about my anger and asking Him to show me what the real cause of my anger is. Often it’s not the immediate circumstance at all, but something previous that I had covered over. Anger produces various physiological responses in me, with adrenaline release and other things. When possible, I need to work those off with such things as physical exercise, but especially when that’s not possible I need to ask God’s help in dealing with the situation and my response. Anger at being angry doesn’t solve anything! I need to acknowledge my own humanity but not use it as an excuse, rather depending on God instead of on myself.

Father, the whole issue of anger is complicated. I have seen many lives ruined by mishandling of anger, both in “letting it all hang out” and in suppressing it until it comes out in such things as anorexia and suicide. Help me be a channel of Your truth and wisdom to people so that we may not be caught in the devil’s traps but rather walk in the abundant life that You provided for us in Christ, (John 10:10) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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July 9, 2015

Posted on July 10, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 33:20-21 We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

It’s interesting that the Japanese specifies, “Our souls wait in hope for the Lord.” It is also interesting that this is one of the few places the NIV does specify “wait in hope,” rather than just “wait.” “Wait in hope” is a fairly common Japanese compound, and it seems very expressive to me. Waiting without hope is resignation and despair. We often have to wait for God’s timing, but much of the time we do so impatiently. This is not that, but rather knowing that God’s solution is going to be better than anything we could have come up with, and it will be in time. This is not necessarily passive; rather, it calls for active participation. If we are waiting in hope for God, then we will be doing all we can to be ready for His answer when it comes. I am reminded of the farming community in the American Midwest that called a prayer meeting because of a drought, and only one little girl took an umbrella. The drought was broken, and I think it may have been because of that little girl’s faith! California is in the grip of a severe drought right now. Water usage rules aside, the only real solution will be a shift in the weather patterns, but California has led the world in active defiance of God in a number of areas, so “waiting in hope” for them would involve repentance at the very least. Most of us operate on a much more personal scale, but the principle of waiting in hope is applicable on every scale. It involves recognizing that God is indeed our “help and shield,” and nothing else will do the trick. Many people depend on government to be their help and shield, but that is actually idolatry. God can and does use governments, but when we place the government ahead of God we are spitting in God’s face.

It is interesting and timely that this passage has come up when I was already sure the message for this coming Sunday was to be on “Refuge,” talking about where we go, emotionally speaking, when things get tough. These two verses express the desired outcome of what I expect to say! I have tended to retreat to various things over the course of my life when things have gotten difficult. Thankfully, neither alcohol nor drugs have been among them, but the principle is the same. I’m still learning to turn first to God, rather than falling back on Him once other things have proved inadequate – as they always will. I still have room to grow in “waiting in hope” on my Creator, even though I am very familiar with Isaiah 40:28-31. It is interesting to me that the most traditional English translation, the KJV, renders verse 31 as, “But they that wait upon the Lord,” and the NIV says, “but those who hope in the Lord,” but no English translation I’m aware of expresses it with the compound, “wait in hope.” I wonder why not? As a pastor, I need to lead all the believers in placing God first in all their priorities: desires, hopes, expectations. It is only when we do that, that we will walk in the peace, joy, and satisfaction that He intends for us.

Father, You know who is struggling and how. I ask You to speak Your truth into each heart to set them free from the lies that are tying them in knots. May they let go of all the negative “what ifs” and choose to trust you, waiting in hope on You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 8, 2015

Posted on July 10, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 31:23-24 Love the Lord, all his saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.
Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

Life is filled with all sorts of things to get us down, and the devil is constantly trying to deprive us of joy, or of any of the other good things the Lord has for us. It is important to stand against the devil’s onslaughts, as James said, (James 4:7) but the key to doing that is in the first part of what James said, that is, to submit to God. It is when we focus on God, as David is exhorting us to do here, that we are able to resist the devil. Nothing else will get the job done! It is when we live life as training for and a foretaste of heaven that we walk in all the Lord intends for us. Frankly, there is no end to the depressants available to us, on the news and elsewhere. Some people choose to avoid those things, so they think, by turning inward and focusing on personal pleasure and convenience. That is ultimately futile and leads to the emptiness described by Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Others give up hope, period, and “live lives of quiet desperation,” as someone has said. The only real solution is focus on God and His Son Jesus Christ, who out of overflowing love provided salvation for everyone who will receive it by faith. David didn’t know about the cross of Christ, except perhaps in glimmers of prophetic revelation, but he knew God from experience, so he tells us, “Love God!” It is indeed those who wait in hope for the Lord who can be bold, who can strengthen their hearts.

This is certainly timely! The experience of discovering one of the members of this church dead, and then having to deal with all of his stuff, since he had very little family, kind of set me up, and then a real flurry of scheduling things, along with some church members who are losing some skirmishes in spiritual warfare, had me feeling pretty down. The answer, as always, is to lift my eyes to my Lord and praise Him, because He has not changed and will never change, and He is more than worthy of all praise, honor, and adoration. As I have told others countless times, all I need is a change of focus. I think some of the people who know me, in this church, even, would be shocked to know that I need to be exhorted to keep my focus on God in praise and worship. Things, that is, material and temporal objects and circumstances, can distract from that, and that’s my current difficulty. I need to “build [myself] up in [my] most holy faith” (Jude 1:20) and rejoice in God!

Father, thank You for this Word of encouragement this morning. I certainly needed it! Thank You for pointing out that each of the things confronting me is not so large individually; it’s the aggregate that got me down. Thank You that even if they were big, they would still be no problem for you! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, allowing You to deal with the issues and deal with me, so that I may be Your agent of blessing for everyone around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 7, 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 25:14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.

For those who want to get close to God, to hear what He has to say and walk with Him, David has very simple advice: fear Him. To us today that seems counter-intuitive: how can we get close to someone we’re afraid of? It’s all a matter of our understanding of fear. I’ve done a good bit of electrical work. I’m not “afraid of” electricity, but I have a healthy respect for what it can do, good or bad. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make connections securely and safely or understand the principles behind such things as 3-way and 4-way switches. We are prone to think of God very much like Santa Claus, and that’s no way to get close to Him. The Japanese translation of this verse specifically says “is friendly/close/intimate with,” where the NIV says “confides in.” It is actually the character for “parent.” Another way of saying it would be, “God is Father to those who fear Him.” We have trouble grasping that to the extent that our physical fathers failed to mirror Father God. In other words, everyone has some degree of difficulty with it, because no human father is perfect. However, a salient feature of a good father is discipline. Hebrews 12:7-11 expresses that clearly, but society today has left many fathers afraid to discipline their children, and both the children and society as a whole suffer for it. A child in a truly healthy family will delight in being with their father, but at the same time will not want to make their father angry! That is the sort of relationship David is talking about here. It is sad and ironic that he didn’t succeed very well with his own children, but that doesn’t negate the truth of what is written here.

My father wasn’t perfect, but he was pretty high up the scale, and I have benefited from that all my life, in more ways than I could say. I was certainly not the best possible father to my children, but we do have a good relationship now that they are parents themselves. As a pastor/spiritual father I am continually presented with challenges, particularly because I don’t have such a clear framework for discipline. I can admonish, but I can’t really punish. I find that when believers are involved in things they know aren’t the best that they withdraw from me, and sometimes even from the church. That hurts them more than it does me, but it’s painful enough for me. People say they want to hear from God like I do, but they don’t have the fundamental commitment to obedience that is involved in “fearing the Lord.” I don’t have the wisdom or strength to solve each situation, so I have to stay open and humble before the Lord, speaking and acting as He directs, rather than just whatever occurs to me.

Father, You know those who most concern me right now, and You love them more than I do. I ask You to convict them as they need it, as well as give them a revelation of the forgiveness that fully available and waiting for them, so that they may be brought into the intimacy with You that You desire, for their benefit and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 6, 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 25:8-9 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

Going between languages produces some interesting insights. The term the Japanese uses here where the NIV says “good” is exactly the same as the first line, in Japanese, of What a Friend We Have in Jesus, which is probably the best-loved hymn in Japan. One Japanese-English dictionary defines it as “affectionate; loving; tender; merciful.” Just saying “good” seems flavorless in comparison! That said, the point of what David is saying here is that God teaches sinners because of His character, not just swatting them but showing them both their error and how to get it right. The other side of that is that we have to be humble enough to know we need such instruction. If we are that way, then He will show us His very own way, which is guaranteed to be right and have the best possible outcome. Most people agonize over major decisions, knowing that their choices really do make a difference. What is lacking in a majority of those cases is humble submission to God. If we really understood the character of God we wouldn’t hesitate so much to trust Him! We have to recognize that we are sinners, that our natural tendency is to depart from God’s path, and then repent, that is, decide to do differently. In this case, that means seeking God’s way and following it.

I’ve had a complicated relationship with this truth most of my life. I grew up knowing the facts about God but appropriating only the smallest fraction of them in my daily living. God has loved me enough to let me stumble, so that I would learn that I can’t get it right without Him. He has also led me in ways that I would not have imagined, and they have been better than I would have planned. As I deal with others I am often reminded of how I have been, and I desire for them a shorter path than I took! I am to be “affectionate, loving, tender, merciful” and upright as an extension of His character, so that they may be led to repentance and faith, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, You those with whom I deal better than I do, and You certainly know their needs better than I do. Help me be fully submitted to You, not thinking that because something worked with someone in the past that it’s the way to go this time, but seeking You and listening to You. I pray that I would be fully available to You so that the people of this church and the people of this city would be led to full devotion to and fellowship with You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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July 5, 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

There are many kinds of trusting. The phrase used in the Japanese translation here means “find refuge in and depend on.” That’s pretty descriptive, I think. We find refuge in all sorts of things – “comfort foods” come to mind – and we depend on even more. Many people have an academic awareness that God is more worthy of that than anyone or anything else, but that awareness remains largely theoretical until it is tested. For too many of us, God is pretty far down the list when it comes to actually finding refuge and depending on something. This verse illustrates a linguistic/cultural shift that can cause misunderstanding of quite a few Biblical passages, and that is the meaning and inference of someone/something’s name. Throughout the Bible, a name is a representation of the character and core reality of a person or thing. That’s why it was so significant that Adam was told to name the animals. (Genesis 2:19-20) Today we tend to just tack Jesus’ name onto our prayers, when Jesus’ instructions to pray in His name meant to pray in line with His character and who He is. In this verse, “knowing the name” of the Creator meant really knowing Him, in a vital, ongoing relationship. We cannot know Him fully on this earth, but the correct starting point is expressed here: seeking after Him, inquiring of Him. The better we know Him the more we will want to know Him, in a beautiful, ongoing cycle.

I have been blessed to know of God literally all my life, as a child of missionary parents. However, really knowing Him personally has been, and continues to be, an ongoing process. I find my flesh still tries to take refuge in things other than God, and occasionally in things that are in direct opposition to God. I still get anxious at times, as though I were in charge of things or I had to make them happen by my own strength and wisdom. However, the Lord has brought me through time after time when there was no way I could do the job myself, but He has done it through me, or sometimes even in spite of me! Those experiences weren’t necessarily enjoyable at the time, but as it says in Hebrews, they “produced a harvest of righteousness and peace.” (Hebrews 12:11) I’m not to complain or rebel at such circumstances, but rather give thanks, and I am to seek to lead others to do likewise. Really knowing God is more than worth it!

Father, the past two weeks have been hectic to say the least, and the rush isn’t over yet. Help me accept this too as training from Your loving hand, and rest, relax, and rejoice in You even while I’m running full speed, so that You may receive all the glory as Your will is accomplished on Your schedule. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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July 4, 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by jgarrott

Job 19:25-27 “I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

As in Job 14:14-17, once again we have an amazing declaration of faith that seems prophetic, given the time it was recorded. This reads to me like an expectation of resurrection. One of Job’s afflictions was a skin problem, (Job 2:4-8) which accounts for the specific reference here to “after my skin has peeled off,” as the Japanese puts it. Still, the idea of a direct confrontation/relationship with the Creator is remarkable. Job is very specific that he himself will see God, and not just the Redeemer seeing God for him. That he would have faith for a Redeemer in the first place is remarkable enough, but he goes further and says that once redeemed, he will relate to God directly. That is exactly what happens through Christ. One of the many significant things Jesus said was, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26-27) Jesus does intercede for us, (Hebrews 7:25) but when by faith we are clothed in His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) we can come boldly before the throne of God ourselves. (Hebrews 4:16) That is amazing grace indeed, and it’s all the more amazing that Job was given a revelation of it so far before Jesus walked the earth.

I have the advantage of the availability of both the Old and the New Testaments, but the question is whether I make full use of all that has been provided. I need to walk in faith and not unbelief, obedience and not rebellion, to receive all that God has provided. I am still learning the breadth, the depth, the magnificence of that provision. As a pastor I seek to lead others into that provision as well. It is clear that I can’t open the eyes of people’s hearts by my own wisdom and strength, but I can be a channel of God’s Spirit to do that. I am to be active but not independent, not drawing back from any task the Lord has for me, whether I see the purpose in it for not. I do not see the end from the beginning, and He does. Even if the interval is thousands of years, as between the Book of Job and now, I am to trust that God will bring fruit from my labors, and rest secure in Him.

Father, this is a further restatement of “Rest, Relax, Rejoice.” I have trouble really doing that, don’t I? The past two weeks have been packed, and at the moment I’m not at all ready for the service tomorrow. Help me remember all that You have done so that I will have peace and assurance about what You will do, even when I have to be an active participant in the process. I ask for physical strength as well as emotional strength for today, as well as wisdom and presence of mind to know in what order to do things and how to get them done. Keep me from stressing out over things that are not yet done, but do each thing in turn, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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July 3, 2015

Posted on July 4, 2015 by jgarrott

Job 17:15 “Where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?”

Hope is as necessary as food, and almost as necessary as air. There are countless examples of people who were in extreme circumstances but made it through on the strength of hope, while others in much less severe circumstances perished. Many people today echo Job’s cry here, wanting to know where their hope is, who can find hope for them. When life is easy the presence or absence of a deep hope is not so apparent. It’s when push comes to shove that the difference becomes obvious. That’s perhaps the major reason times of persecution are generally times of growth for the Church, because the attitude and actions of someone with an eternal hope can be striking indeed. America is entering a period of legal justification for persecution of faith. However, it is precisely those people who are willing to sacrifice their job in order to remain true to their God who have the kind of hope that the rest of the world lacks. The ancient Romans said of the Christians, “They really know how to love each other and how to die.” They knew “how to die” because they had hope that physical death wasn’t the end, and that their eternal reward would be so great as to make them forget whatever suffering they might experience on the way. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Up to this point Christian faith has been the “easy road” in America, with general admiration and few if any negatives. That is changing, and fast. The epithets hurled at those who refuse to budge from Biblical principles are downright amazing at times. This could well be God’s mercy, because this will clean out those who have not acknowledged and repented of their own sins and submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord. As Peter said, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God.” (1 Peter 4:17) The result will be “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:27)

I had not thought of my own hope as being so striking, but recently a psychology professor who teaches with me has been talking about how he enjoys meeting me each week because I am always so upbeat. I’ve known him now for over 30 years, so he knows it’s not just a fluke! Apparently he finds my hope very attractive, so as Peter said, I need to explain my hope in simple, respectful, attractive terms. (1 Peter 3:15) My wife has similar opportunities. People are greatly impressed and attracted to her because of her cheerful, hopeful outlook despite numerous and hardly insignificant health challenges. We need God’s wisdom to draw in the nets that He has built through our lives over the years, so that the many, many people we have impacted would be drawn to clear-cut repentance and faith, for their salvation and the glory of God.

Father, Wednesday night You had me pray very boldly about a multiplication of the people in this church, and I believe You’re starting to show me how that is going to happen. We still can’t do it in our own wisdom and strength, but You can use us, so that is our prayer. This church alone hardly makes a dent in Your plans for this city and this nation, but we aren’t left out. I pray for all the believers to take hold of the hope they have in Christ and live it out, so that many would be drawn into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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