May 23, 2014

Posted on May 25, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.

This should be the prayer of every Christian. All of us should live so that our lives would be an encouragement to other believers. The Japanese expresses it as more of an accomplished thing – they will rejoice – rather than as a hope. In either case, it is because the speaker waits expectantly for God’s Word. The Old Testament says that sort of thing many times, probably most famously in Isaiah 40:31, but English lacks a standard expression for it. I don’t know why the translators mostly say either “wait” or “hope,” but don’t combine the two into “wait expectantly.” That actually is a standard expression in Japanese, and to me it adds a great deal to all such passages. Some people wait on God by default, simply because they can’t do anything themselves, and some people hope God is going to come through while they are doing all sorts of stuff in their own strength. Neither path is the way to seeing God’s power manifested! We need to wait on God with the assurance that He is going to come through, doing what He directs rather than trying to figure out how we might “hurry Him along.” From our perspective it does seem sometimes like He’s really taking His time, but His timing is always best, whatever it looks like to our eyes. The story of Lazarus’ resurrection comes to mind here. If Jesus had been “on time,” the resurrection wouldn’t have happened! We need individually to wait expectantly on God, and also encourage one another to do so. If we will do that, we will all rejoice together.

Once again, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I’ve had my times of not wanting to wait on God, and of waiting on Him out of resignation. Neither is much fun, or profitable. It is when I wait expectantly, seeking what He would have me do but not cooking up schemes on my own, that I do see Him work, and I have peace and joy in the process. This is something I try to communicate to the believers in the church, but most of them are almost as hard-headed as I am! I didn’t learn this lesson easily, and I’m still learning it, so I need to have patience and compassion toward others who are struggling with it.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me, and thank You for Your perfect timing. Thank You for the various things I’ve seen unfolding recently, and for the expectation of seeing much more. I do continue to pray for an outpouring of Your Spirit on this nation, for repentance and salvation, and I trust You for Your right timing. May I be fully useful to You in Your plan, whether I see the fruition with my physical eyes or not, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 22, 2014

Posted on May 25, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:67, 71 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.

Wow! This is strong stuff! It’s one thing for Paul to say repeatedly to give thanks for everything, (Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:18) but this writer is saying that suffering was happiness for him! I don’t think he was a masochist, though. His focus was so completely on God and being obedient to Him that he welcomed anything that enabled him to do that more fully. That’s certainly an admirable attitude. I don’t think anyone should be looking for trouble, but we should be looking for how our troubles might draw us closer to God. The majority of our troubles are the result of our own inattention to God and what He has said to us, so we need to approach every difficulty as a learning opportunity to make us more like Christ. If that is our attitude, then we will indeed be grateful for everything that advances that goal. Sometimes our suffering is the result of someone else’ rebellion against God, and sometimes we suffer simply because we live in a fallen world, but even there, our response to the suffering determines whether the experience is ultimately gain or loss. When we focus on the suffering itself, it seldom does us much good. If we lift our eyes to the Lord and ask Him what He wants us to gain through the suffering, we will rise to a level of intimacy with Him that we hadn’t imagined before, and that is happiness indeed.

I don’t really feel like I have suffered very much. I’ve had some times when I was pretty unhappy about what was happening, times that were emotionally painful, but the Lord has always been there for me, and I’ve come through them. I read of others’ reports of abuse of all sorts, as well as medical difficulties and outright persecution, and I feel that the Lord has given me a very easy road. As a pastor I find that those who wail and moan the loudest are seldom those with the greatest problems, objectively speaking. Maybe I’ve learned from that! I am never to put people down or belittle their suffering, but I am to be gently persistent in pointing them to Christ, reminding them of what He went through for them, to help them gain perspective. I am deeply grateful for the movie, The Passion of the Christ, because it makes it so graphically clear what Jesus endured because of my sin. With that awareness, how can I complain?

Father, thank You yet again for Your overwhelming grace toward me. Thank You for Jesus and His cross, and for His resurrection. Thank You for “stoop[ing] down to make me great.” (Psalm 18:35) Thank You for opening Your Word, Your heart to me, though I am so unworthy. That’s why it’s grace! Help me be increasingly responsive to all that You want me to say and do, so that others may be blessed and drawn to You as Your will is done through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 21, 2014

Posted on May 22, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.

So many people see God’s laws as restrictive, when quite the opposite is true. As I tell people in parenting seminars, we have an innate need for boundaries; without them we are uneasy. When we recognize the boundaries God has set in His wisdom and love, then the assorted false limits the devil uses to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) are seen as the lies they are, and we are set free. God creates every human being with amazing potential, and the devil hates that. There are worlds of destructive behaviors, and the devil tries to lure us into them with promises of “freedom,” when they are actually restrictive as well as destructive. When we recognize that God’s commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3) but rather are to protect us, then by seeking to follow them we can move forward with assurance in all areas. The Japanese translation of this verse says, “walk about broadly.” That’s what we are really seeking with such things as the slogan, “No limits.”

I deal with this constantly. People frequently want to know how it is that I can do so many things, and I always tell them it’s because my parents raised me with moral boundaries but not mental ones; they never told me, “That’s beyond your abilities.” They did, however, not hesitate to tell me when things were wrong, and not to be done for that reason. As a pastor I deal with many people – probably the majority of all the people I deal with – who are locked in invisible boxes, much like the mimes that people like to make fun of. They do not seek God’s precepts, and so they accept boundaries of other sorts that cut them off from all sorts of blessings that God intends for them. I do seek to help them recognize the falsehood of those boundaries, but to do so I must teach them God’s true boundaries, that are to set us free. That’s exactly what Jesus was talking about in John 8:32, when He said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Father, You know those who come to mind as I write. Thank You for how You are liberating one of those from his invisible prison. I pray that he would indeed seek Your precepts and accept them as You open his eyes to them, so that he may walk about broadly indeed, fulfilling the full potential that You have placed in him, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 20, 2014

Posted on May 22, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

I have always thought this verse in English was a bit strange. What does it mean to “hide God’s Word,” anyway? However, the Japanese translation makes a lot more sense: “stored up.” That’s exactly what we do when we read the Bible regularly. Sometimes it has immediate application, and the more we grow spiritually the easier it is to see that application. However, at least as much if not more, regular Bible reading gives us a storehouse of God’s Word for times when we don’t have the printed book at hand. The Holy Spirit guides us, but He has a much easier time of it when we have stored up the Word of God in our hearts and minds. When we have done that, the Holy Spirit can pull out relevant passages for almost any situation we find ourselves in. In terms of standing against sin, which is what the Psalmist is referencing here, having Scripture “on call” in our heart is a huge advantage in resisting temptation. There’s no better defense against a lie than the truth, and God’s Word is the very definition of truth. That’s why the devil does all he can to discredit the Bible, inviting people to pick and choose what they like out of it and discard the rest for one excuse or another. However, as Paul said, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) That gives us every reason to store it up in our hearts and minds!

I grew up in a home that was saturated in the Bible, but we had very little emphasis on memorization. That was quite possibly because my father, as a Greek and Hebrew scholar, and my mother, as the daughter of a Greek scholar, were well aware of the down side of relying on one particular translation. The first full Bible I owned was (and is – I still have it) the RSV translation, but when I was in Christian children’s groups, any memorization they did was KJV. I’ve been using the NIV for preaching in English for about 35 years now, and the Shin Kaiyaku in Japanese, but my memorization is all over the map. I wish I were better at referencing chapter and verse, but I am happy to say that a good chunk of the content is indeed “on call” for whenever it is needed. Now if I only put it into practice more consistently! However, there too I am growing, and I am grateful. As a pastor, I have to be careful I don’t inundate people with Scripture at the drop of a hat! I need to keep growing in expressing God’s truth to people without their feeling like I’m hitting them over the head with the Bible.

Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the heritage You have given me of ancestors who loved and cherished the Bible, seeking to apply it and share it with others. Help me be increasingly effective at that same task, so that people may be drawn into Your family and Your children be built up and equipped, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 19, 2014

Posted on May 20, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

This verse has been seized on by many as a promise to them, sometimes rightly and sometimes as just wishful thinking. Just yesterday we got an email from someone battling cancer that quoted it. God does make promises like this at times, but our focus needs to be on serving Him for as long as He keeps us here. Length of days can be a good thing, but it certainly isn’t the deciding factor. When my father was in the hospital in Winston Salem before the heart surgery from which he didn’t wake up, a fellow Japan missionary who happened to be in the area visited him, and later commented, “I never met a man who had more reason to live, or who was more ready to die.” It was right around his 64th birthday, which by current standards is dying early, but over most of the course of human history it would have been considered a ripe old age. If we forget the second half of this verse, the first half loses its meaning. We are here to proclaim the works of the Lord and even participate in them, by His grace. We are here because He has work for us to do, so when we leave, it’s either “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or, “You’re fired.” Not much question which is better!

Since I am past my 65th birthday, this is very close to home. It is much easier to relate to the impermanence of my body when I am already older than my father was when he died. I well remember the shock felt by many at that time, the projects that were uncompleted, and the very real burden on my mother. Those are the biggest factors in my own desire to “stick around,” because as much enjoyment as I do get from many things in this life, I know that it can’t compare to what awaits me. Each day I live is a day closer to that reward! I am to be focused on what the Lord wants of me and for me each day, not bemoaning physical discomfort or thwarted plans. That’s not always easy! I am to be proclaiming the works of the Lord however He enables me to do so, rejoicing in Him and in the privilege of serving Him. I am to be sharing with others what He has given me on every level, so that they too may learn to love Him as He deserves, and serve Him accordingly.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me. Thank You that You never change, whatever seems to be changing around me. Thank You that when I wait expectantly on You, You indeed renew my strength. (Isaiah 40:30-31) Help me walk in Your strength each moment of today, knowing how You want me to use that strength and being faithful to obey, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 18, 2014

Posted on May 20, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

In Japanese, “confidence” is written with characters that mean “self belief.” When I am teaching English to Japanese, I tell them I don’t like the Japanese term at all, because if I trust in myself, I will always let myself down. However, I have assurance that God can do anything through me, and that is far better than self belief. We have no idea who wrote this Psalm, but it is one that Jesus quoted. (Matthew 21:42) The author had certainly tasted the joy of being used by God, and his perspective was molded by that experience. When our focus is on God and we know that He is for us, then the opinions and actions of people recede greatly in importance. Paul wrote famously on this point in Romans 8:31-39. In this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33) but it’s no big deal when our focus is on God. Fear of man really destroys our enjoyment of life, just as it says in Proverbs 29:25. The image in this verse is that of a little child, boldly confronting bullies because he’s holding on to his daddy’s hand. That’s a very good, very secure way to be.

I was raised in an atmosphere of trusting God, so the attitude in this verse comes fairly naturally to me. However, I have twisted things around a great deal many times in my life, doing such things as allowing others’ opinions of me cause me to do things that weren’t good, as well as being conceited, trusting in the gifts God had given me rather than in the One who gave them to me. Every time I have allowed that to happen, the results have not been good. That should give me understanding and empathy for those to whom I minister. I am constantly dealing with people who are paralyzed either by what others think of them or, more often, by what they are afraid others will think of them. This verse is exactly the truth they need. However, just quoting it to them doesn’t do the trick; they have to receive it, and I can’t make that happen in my own strength. I’ve got to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would reveal this truth to their hearts so that they may be set free.

Father, You know who is on my heart right now, because they are on Your heart. I do ask You to speak to their heart, revealing Your love and Your power in ways they can receive, so that they may be set free from the traps of the enemy indeed, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 17, 2014

Posted on May 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 116:7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.

It is an interesting stylistic convention that so many of the Psalmists addressed their souls like this. We don’t know who this writer was, but he had good company, with David and several others doing the same thing. Actually, just about everyone talks to themselves at times, and this particular way of doing it makes sense. The soul is the seat of emotions, and sometimes it needs a good talking to! We can have a clear, objective understanding that God is in control and His plans are good, and yet still be in turmoil inside. This writer is reminding his emotional self that there’s no need for that. It’s interesting that the Japanese specifies “complete rest.” The terminology used is the same as that in Psalm 23, which should clarify the image for most people. The problem with our staying in that condition of complete rest is that we focus on our problems or on our own abilities, and human logic gives us every reason to panic! Faith is not blind, but it looks beyond the merely visible to the God who is above and beyond and beneath it all. The writer here is reminding his emotional self of what God has done in the past in order to have calm expectation of God’s good actions in the future. We would all do well to ask the Lord to open our eyes to see all that He has already done for us, so that we too may have perfect rest as we anticipate the future.

It’s been several years now since the Lord told me clearly to rest, relax, and rejoice. I’ve had plenty of reason to remind myself of that in the years since! A fundamental characteristic of faith is that it grows by use. Each time we choose to exercise faith and trust God makes it easier to do the next time. As a pastor I say that to people often, but I’ve got to remember it myself. The devil never lets up in his attacks, and God allows that because He knows the blessings we will gain if we will only exercise the faith we already have. Not only does our faith grow, our understanding of and fellowship with the God who gives us that faith grows and deepens. That’s certainly worth putting out some effort to achieve!

Father, thank You for never putting me in any situation that is beyond the faith You have given me. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but when I choose to trust You, the faith is there. I ask for wisdom to relate to each of the people to whom I minister. May I not make demands of them, or come across like I am, but may I encourage them to exercise the faith You have given them so that they may receive more in abundance, to walk in all the blessings that You have prepared for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 16, 2014

Posted on May 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord.
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who finds great delight in his commands.

This Psalm is another listing of the benefits of fearing the Lord. There are many such Psalms, and several are, like this one, acrostics, starting each line with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. That doesn’t mean they are any less true or inspired, it is simply a poetic form the writer followed. However, it does place constraints on the specific grammatical forms involved, and that sometimes makes for ambiguities. However, the best poetry is often ambiguous! I am struck here by verse 4, which in the NIV is rendered as “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.” The Japanese specifies that it is the Lord who causes light to shine in the darkness for the upright person, and then says that it is the Lord who is gracious and compassionate and righteous. A little checking shows that there is no subject, grammatically speaking, to the last half of the verse, leaving it open to either interpretation. Either is good, and both are true! Going with the NIV, it would follow that these traits would be characteristic of the person who fears the Lord and delights to obey Him. That is certainly true. A person who matches the description in verse 1 will increasingly be like Jesus, and verse 4 certainly applies to Him. Some people put on an appearance of piety, but if their character, their daily interaction with others, doesn’t resemble Christ, then it is clear that they are simply acting, and will get no eternal reward. That’s why it’s so important that this starts with fearing the Lord. If we fear Him rightly, the last thing we want to do is be hypocritical, because we know He sees right through us, and that attitude will be evident in every area of our lives.

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I have experienced countless blessings because of knowing God, though I can’t claim perfect obedience, certainly. I have never met anyone who would not benefit from a right relationship with God, and so I seek to lead them into such a relationship. The greatest benefits are eternal, but from our current perspective those seem very theoretical, so I need to approach people from the standpoint of their life right now. That’s certainly not to say that opening your heart to God instantly solves all the things you see as problems, but it at least puts them all in a different perspective. Anything is easier to bear when you know you are on God’s side! I need God’s wisdom, guidance, and strength, because it’s clear mine are not up to the task. However, God graciously provides all that is needed for those who serve Him with gladness, so I am to be anxious for nothing. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Father, thank You for Your Word that refreshes me morning by morning. Thank You for enabling me to hide it in my heart. (Psalm 119:11) Help me not only relate to You rightly myself, but also lead many others to do so. I ask You to raise up an army of those who fear and love You so that we may tear down the gates of hell and set the captives free, even as you promised. (Matthew 16:18) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 15, 2014

Posted on May 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

There are a couple of differences in nuance between the NIV and the Japanese here. Where the NIV says, “follow his precepts,” the Japanese says, “perform this,” that is, fearing the Lord. Also the verse ends up with, “His praise stands firm forever.” That said, the two translations agree perfectly on the first line, which is the real punch in this verse. Recently I’ve been impressed that “the fear of the Lord” is not the same as being afraid of God. If you’re afraid of God you will try to stay away from Him, but a proper fear of the Lord is like a son might feel about his father: “Dad would whup me if I did that.” It is a major problem that parents so often fail to discipline their children any more. Not only does it lead to insecure people who have hazy concepts of right and wrong, it also destroys the foundation for their understanding of God. God is love, and parents should love their children unconditionally, but God is also righteousness and holiness, and ignoring those means we can’t receive His love, either. Someone with a non-functioning conscience is called a sociopath. That is devastating not only for society but for the individual himself. With no fear of the Lord, they are a danger to themselves and to everyone around them. In contrast, someone who practices the fear of the Lord, that is, the respect and honor that He deserves, gets a handle on life, to function well and get full benefit from it. It’s important to note that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It’s not that the fear of the Lord will instantly make you a sage, it’s that it puts you on track to receive and benefit from the many lessons of life so that you will indeed gain wisdom, instead of just becoming embittered. Hebrews 12:1-13 is a very important passage on this subject, because it points out the connection between discipline and love. We need to understand that God loves us enough to discipline us. That is the fear of the Lord.

My parents weren’t violent with me, certainly, but I can remember some spankings, vaguely, and I did grow up not wanting to displease them. I do think my father could have been a bit more active in that discipline, but that’s certainly long past now. How accurate and effective I was in disciplining my own children is between them and the Lord at this point. However, as a spiritual father to many, the issue gets really complicated. I certainly can’t administer a physical spanking to an adult spiritual child! However, I can point out to them the consequences of their actions, good and bad, and help them understand the Lord’s discipline. At times I wish there were a “fear of the Lord” pill that I could get them to take, but it doesn’t work that way. Looking back over my own life I can certainly see that my multiplied foolishness has indeed stemmed from failing to fear the Lord properly. That should give me empathy and patience with those who are struggling, and guide me as I pray for and minister to them.

Father, thank You for the fear that opens the way to love, rather than causing us to run away. I do pray for those I see who are trying to run away from You. I ask You to give them a revelation of Your strong love, love that cares enough to discipline, so that they may repent of their running and turn to You in obedient love, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 14, 2014

Posted on May 16, 2014 by jgarrott

Psalm 103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

David starts his Psalm of praise this way, and then spends the next 17 verses expressing some of the good things God does. I like the way the Japanese says, “Don’t forget a single one of the good things He has done.” We really are prone to do that, actually. We get on emotional highs, and then when things happen that are less exciting to us, we plunge to the depths. In severe cases we call that being “bi-polar,” but everyone has that tendency. The answer is not in chemically chopping off the highs and lows (which is a common therapy these days) but in remembering the highs in the lows. As with so many things, we tend to notice this problem in others before we admit it in ourselves. Like Jesus said, we need to work on ourselves first! (Matthew 7:3-5) One of my wife’s favorite hymns (she has many!) is “Count Your Blessings.” That’s singing the same principle David states in this verse. It’s not at all that bad things don’t happen in our lives; even Jesus assured us they would. (John 16:33) However, when we are focused on God and the good things He does for us, those bad things don’t have the power to pull us down very far. For someone who is genuinely fixed on God, in intimate fellowship with Him, even tragedy and disaster lose their sting. (Romans 8:37) At times the world around us may seem totally dark, but a heart that is fixed on God will have light from the inside.

I would like to be able to say that I never forget a single one of the good things God does for me, but that would not be true. For one thing, I don’t even know all the good things God does for me! One of the joys of growing in fellowship with Him is recognizing more and more of His blessings that actually were there all along. As a pastor I am constantly dealing with people who need to listen to what David says in this Psalm, and I am regularly amazed at how stubbornly some of them resist it. In The Last Battle, the last book in the Narnia series, C. S. Lewis depicts a group of dwarfs who make it to heaven but persist in keeping their eyes shut and refusing to recognize the wonderful things around them. I think that’s overstating it, because once we get to heaven all such foolishness will be removed, but I do know the attitude he’s talking about! I must not allow the devil to steal the peace and joy God has prepared for me, and I am to let God use me in leading others out of the devil’s traps as well.

Father, I don’t have words to thank You enough for all the good things You have done, are doing, and will do. Keep me from falling into the trap of focusing on negatives, and help me lead others out of that trap as well. You know the people I will interact with today, and You know what traps they are in. I ask You to enable me to speak Your truth in love, Yours and mine, so that Your truth may penetrate and set them free indeed, to walk in Your peace, joy, and hope, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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