Focus; July 5, 2024

Posted on July 6, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.

I get the distinct impression that David wrote this, not when he got news about Saul’s forces, but when God spoke his deliverance into his heart. From the beginning of the Psalm he is crying out to God, describing his troubles as destructive storms (verse 1) and his enemies as fiery beasts, with remarkably graphic imagery (verse 4). However, from verse 5 he shifts to praising God for who and what He is, and it is at that point that God’s presence floods his soul with assurance that everything will be all right. We too need to be that way, rejoicing in God’s deliverance even when we don’t yet see it physically. We need to be as Paul said, living by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) When we do that, this world will hold no terrors, because we will know that “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) As Jesus said, in this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33) but when our focus is on Him and His kingdom, all the trouble fades into insignificance. The devil does all he can to grab our attention, so God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) need to be our conscious choice of priority. When that is the case, His peace and joy will be ours to a degree the world simply cannot understand. (Philippians 4:7)

This is something I am growing in. Yesterday, completely out of the blue, I had a call from a mental hospital saying they had a patient who wanted to become a Christian. When I showed up, it turned out that he had been hospitalized for depression, but 50 years ago he had heard the Gospel and received a Bible, and recently he has been turning to God in prayer and discovering He really is there. I came back from that visit on a definite high! Then this morning when I checked my phone, I found a message that someone we are connected with is in the City Hospital ICU, having been taken by ambulance last night, with what appears to be acute hepatitis. We never know what each day will bring! I need to lift both of those men up to God in prayer and trust, but not feel like they are personally my burden to bear. I’m sure I will be involved in both cases, but it is God who will do the heavy lifting, even if it looks like I’m the one doing it at a given moment. I need to remember that God’s good plans apply not only to me but also to everyone around me, and rejoice to be involved in it all.

Father, thank You for always being there, and for always caring. Thank You for Your perfect plans and for involving me in them. I ask for clear vision, clear perception, so that I may recognize what You want me to do in every situation and do it, with joy and gratitude, so that Your will may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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In God We Trust; July 4, 2024

Posted on July 5, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
    In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

I didn’t plan it this way, but this is a singularly appropriate Scripture for America’s Independence Day, since the national motto is In God We Trust. That motto has come under a lot of attack in recent years from people who don’t want to acknowledge their Creator, claiming “separation of Church and State,” but it is about as non-sectarian as it could possibly be. That people would revile it says far more about them than it does about the motto, or about the nation! That said, there are several things about this passage that are worth noting. In the first place, David acknowledges that there are times when he is afraid. Fear itself can be very valuable as a survival mechanism, but it can be such a powerful emotion as to be debilitating, blocking out rational thought. The solution to that is the choice to trust God. Many people like to portray themselves as victims of their circumstances, but we always have the power of choice, whe­ther to trust God or despair, to obey Him or reject Him. A major help in that is the Bible, because it gives us a record of things He has done and said. That David word praise God’s Word here is neither casual nor unimportant. That’s why Bible literacy is at such a low point, because the devil doesn’t want us protected against his attacks on our minds and hearts. Even Jesus quoted the Bible when He was tempted in the wilderness! (Luke 4:1-13) When we have the foundation of what God has said and done, then the actions of mere people seem appropriately small in comparison.

This is a lesson I have had worked into me over the years. Growing up in Japan, America’s National Motto was not very big in my awareness, but my parents certainly modeled trust in God. Like everyone else, I think, I have had moments when choosing to trust God was my only viable option. I cannot choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I respond to it, and trusting God is a vital part of the foundation for all such choices. Now that I have retired from school teaching, in some aspects I have more room to choose how I use my time, but all sorts of things combine to limit my options. I must choose to trust that God has a plan for me that is constantly operative, and that His plan for me is indeed good. (Jeremiah 29:11) If I keep that in focus, then I can relax and enjoy the journey! As He has told me personally, I need to rest, relax, and rejoice!

Father, thank You for this reminder. America is in turmoil at this point, as is much of the world, to the point that people fear for their safety because of their political opinions. That is sad, but they still have the options David presented. I do pray for Your grace and mercy, not just in America but around the world, so that the lies of the devil may be soundly defeated and people be set free to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Genuine Repentance; July 4, 2024

Posted on July 4, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

This is a very important and very familiar Psalm, and every line of it resonates in my heart as I read it. The circumstances around it are an illustration of Jeremiah’s lament: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) David was someone who genuinely loved God, who had experienced times of deep worship and who had expressed God’s heart in poetry, and yet he stole another man’s wife and tried to cover it up by having the man killed. That boggles the mind, and yet we could name various other men of God who have dragged His name in the mud by their actions. David wasn’t uniquely sinful! That he was a genuine man of God is demonstrated by his response when Nathan confronted him. He was truly broken, as this verse says, and God accepted that as repentance. He couldn’t undo what he had done, bringing Uriah back to life and restoring Bathsheba to him, and the child he had conceived with Bathsheba was undeniable. A lesser man might have tried to stonewall, insisting that, as king, he had the right to do what he had done. However, David was genuinely broken, and when the child of his adultery died, he didn’t begin to accuse God of injustice. The child, after all, was innocent, and I’m sure, and David was sure, that God accepted him as such. This was a defining time in David’s life, and it removed all vestiges of pride from his heart. He didn’t proclaim his purity in any of his Psalms after this! This is what we need to emulate about David: not his sin, certainly, but his humility before God. He was as aware of God’s grace as anyone can be, I think, and that is how we need to be as well.

I have written numerous times about how God confronted me with my spiritual pride, and I am all too aware of my capacity for deceiving myself. I am deeply grateful that I have never followed through with sinful impulses the way David did, but I know that I have been capable of it, and that’s scary. I have seen that it isn’t the depth of a person’s sin that matters, but rather the depth of their repentance. I don’t want to do something drastic, just so that I will have something to repent of! Actually, I have done countless things that have been in violation of God’s character, and I identify all too well with Romans 7! However, just as Paul rose above that, I too proclaim with joy, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace. Thank You for loving and using even someone like David, who was an adulterer and murderer. Thank You not only for protecting me from such actions, but for showing me all the countless ways I have ignored You or even actively disobeyed You. May my repentance be genuine and effective so that I may be fully available and useful to You, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Depending on God; July 2, 2024

Posted on July 3, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 41:5 My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish?”

It is clear from the Psalms that David had plenty of enemies, and he had occasional serious health issues. Even so, he kept his focus on the God who had saved him from his youth. His encounter with Goliath is certainly famous, but even before that he encountered at least one lion and at least one bear, as a young shepherd boy, and he was victorious by the grace and power of God. (1 Samuel 17:24-27) That track record gave him faith to stand against human enemies and even disease. If he had taken personal credit, at least in his own thinking, for those early victories, he would not have had the faith to stand later. God is gracious to everyone, but if we fail to recognize His hand in events we won’t gain all the benefit He intends. The strongest people are those who know they are weak, but that God is strong on their behalf. That’s what God spoke to Paul, and what he accepted with joy. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) The better we internalize that lesson, the more peace and joy we have regardless of our circumstances.

This is a lesson I have learned better than many, but it’s taken me a long time to learn it! As I am frequently reminded, I have taken God’s grace toward me for granted, even as my due, and that is the height of stupidity. I was born with superb genetics and blessed with parents who encouraged my many interests and abilities, and as a result am able to do a wide variety of things that tend to amaze others. However, that’s all grace. Rather than being a source of pride, I am at times painfully aware of my lack of stewardship of some of the abilities I have been given. For example, I was concertmaster of the 25th Division Band, but I haven’t touched either of my clarinets in years. In comparison to David, my level of enemies and health issues is much lower, and I am grateful. I don’t think I have anyone just waiting for me to die! I still need to learn from him, from Paul, and from a host of other saints, to be faithful with the abilities and opportunities I’m given, so that God’s plans may be fulfilled in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the renewed opportunities recently to use the knowledge and experience You’ve given me in electrical wiring. I pray that as I do that today that I may have Your wisdom and insight so as to know what needs to be done, and Your strength and dexterity so as to do the job right, for a fully safe and efficient outcome, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Optimism; July 1, 2024

Posted on July 2, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 40:17 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
    may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    you are my God, do not delay.

The first several verses of this Psalm are so familiar that I wanted to see what else the Lord would speak to me through it. This verse gives very good insight into David’s attitude that kept him close to God, despite his serious lapses. For at least half of his life, David was not someone the world would call poor; he was a king! Even before he reigned in Jerusalem, he had a significant group of people who considered him their leader, the “big cheese,” and in those days that automatically meant physical resources. However, he never lost sight of his dependence on God. As is often the case, the Japanese provides some fresh insight. It says, “I am one who suffers. I am one who is poor.” David was very aware that in this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33) and he also knew that God was the solution to that trouble. I don’t think he was ever particularly surprised by the trouble he encountered, but he had assurance that whatever the issue was, God could deal with it. He did occasionally get antsy about God’s timing, though! We could certainly do worse than to follow his example.

By this point in my life I don’t think I’m surprised by trouble either, but I am definitely an optimist. After all, I know without doubt that in the final analysis, we win! There have been things that I didn’t look forward to, like my retirement, but I knew that God could handle it even if I couldn’t. I know that my tenure in this world isn’t forever, nor would I want it to be, but I know that what follows is far better. My biggest issues at this point are the countless distractions this world offers. I know that God has prepared work for me to do, (Ephesians 2:10) and I don’t want to miss any of it. However, I know the Holy Spirit is a reliable guide, so I’ve got to keep listening to Him. Today I’ll be giving a 15 minute testimony about my mentoring in this church, as part of an online Coaching seminar, and frankly, I’m not sure what I will say, because the mentoring I’ve done hasn’t been particularly organized. However, I know that mentoring has happened, and I can trust the Holy Spirit to give me the words to bless those who will be hearing me. Tomorrow I’ll be going to help a younger missionary in a neighboring town with the electrical wiring in the house they’ve bought and are remodeling before moving in. That won’t be a formal mentoring setup by any means, but if past times are any indication, the Lord will be speaking through me to him off and on through the day. I have learned the hard way that I am indeed foolish and powerless on my own, but God can and does use me in spite of myself, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for enabling me to be an optimist! Thank You for all You’ve brought me through to this point, and for the peace and assurance You’ve given me that I’ll make it through to the end. May I indeed be an example and a mentor to those around me, so that together we may fulfill Your purposes on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God; June 30, 2024

Posted on July 1, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 31:14-15 But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.

David’s emotions certainly fluctuated, at least as he recorded them in his Psalms. However, here he expresses the anchor that always drew him back to stability: the choice to trust God. The devil tries to hide from us the fact that trust is a choice. It is helpful to get facts together, to examine our own experiences and those of others, but ultimately, trust is a choice. If the object of our trust is unworthy of our trust, that can be foolish, but nothing and no one is as worthy of our trust as God. Some people will complain, “I trusted God but He didn’t come through.” How and for what were you trusting Him? Was it to fulfill your selfish and/or childish demands? God can be totally trusted to do what is right, what is ultimately the best for us, however it looks in the short run. Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, concludes with this: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40) We need to remember that we are only a small part in God’s plan, and that plan is ultimately very good indeed. God is never mean to us, and whatever we run into in the moment, we need to remember Paul’s admonition: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) It is when we get that worked into our hearts and minds that we can trust God fully.

In 75 years I’ve experienced a lot, and trusting God comes easier all the time. I can’t say all my experiences have been enjoyable, not by a long shot, but I can say that, as again Paul famously noted, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) If I were to have planned out my life myself, I would have had no idea how my life would have impacted those around me. I’ve got to remember at all times that I’m not the central figure, God is, and He cares about every one of His children. I am to rejoice when I experience things that feel like blessings to me, and I am to rejoice when I am used to bring blessings to others. Above all, I am to rejoice when my life, my actions, my words, in some way bring glory to God, because He is the center, first and always. If He were mean or capricious that would be terrible, but He is not. As John said, He is love itself. (1 John 4:8) And that is agape love, not anything less. He is certainly worthy of my total trust.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You bring me through, and for all that You do through me. Thank You that I am just a supporting player in this morning’s service, with praise and testimonies taking center stage. May my interpreting be accurate and anointed by Your Spirit, so that whatever language is being heard, Your purposes may be accomplished for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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This Life and the Next; June 29, 2024

Posted on June 30, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 30:11-12 You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

The heading for this Psalm says, “A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.” However, David wasn’t alive when the temple was built. That said, he was very involved in preparing the finances and materials for the temple, and it seems entirely reasonable that he would have written this Psalm at that time for it to be used once the temple was completed. That indicates that it was written in his old age, which shows that gifting is operative throughout a person’s life. These two verses were set to music early in the Charismatic Movement, I believe, and I have sung them a lot in both English and Japanese. The Psalm as a whole alludes to various problems David had, but not specifically. For all of his writing about “going down to the pit,” in verse 9 and various other Psalms, I think David had a strong conviction that his connection to God would not end with his physical death, and that is reflected in the very last line of this Psalm. At the time he wrote this, David didn’t know of the Son of God who would come to die for his sins, but I’m sure everything fell into place once he got to heaven. Jesus said clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Everyone who is saved, from Adam to the end of the world, is saved by the atoning work of Christ on the cross, even if they didn’t know about it in this life. That creates all sorts of questions about people today who die in total ignorance of the Gospel, and frankly, those questions are beyond our “mental horsepower” and authority to answer definitively. Paul said in Romans 2 that everyone will be judged according to their personal response to God. That certainly doesn’t mean Universalism, “everyone gets saved,” but it does mean that we have to release each person to God.

I certainly didn’t expect to get into this issue when I started writing this morning! However, it’s an inescapable one. This morning I read a Facebook post that told how a 25-year-old young man died in his sleep, to the total shock of the family he was visiting. There was no indication of foul play or drugs, so current indications are that it was an unrecognized medical issue. I have no knowledge of his spiritual status, but the point is driven home that none of us knows how long we have here. Having already outlived my father by over 11 years, if I were to go today people would be surprised, since I am in good health, but they wouldn’t say, “So young!” I have complete assurance of my salvation by grace through faith, and I am to spend my time actively seeking and doing the “good works” God has prepared for me to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) In that, I am to be filled with praise and gratitude to God, as David was here, sharing the Gospel with all who will receive it, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the experience I had of discovering someone who had died, though he wasn’t in this house. Thank You that I have assurance that he knew Christ as his Savior and Lord, and that I will see him again before God’s throne. There are so many more around me about whom I don’t have that assurance. Help me be fully available and useful to You in bringing them to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Dancing; June 28, 2024

Posted on June 29, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

David knew how to thank God! That is a lesson anyone should be able to get by reading through the Psalms. In the verse ahead of this we see that he had been given assurance that God had heard his prayer, and this is his response. We don’t know how he was given that assurance, whether by external events or simply by hearing the Lord in his heart, but that’s not a major issue. When we are aware of God acting on our behalf, however that comes about, we should express thanks to Him. The NIV does a better job of matching the Japanese here than the ESV does. The ESV says “exults,” where the NIV says “leaps for joy,” and the Japanese says “dances for joy.” We aren’t to hold back in expressing our thanks to God! A young man who was in this church as a child over 20 years ago is currently in a Christian dance troop, and they have recently toured Europe. I think he knows a lot about dancing for joy before the Lord! Like almost everything else good, dancing can be and has been appropriated and polluted by the devil, but that’s no reason to cede it to him. Just watching children will teach you that we are designed to move to music, and squelching that can do a lot of harm. We are to submit our whole selves to God, specifically including our bodies, and dancing can and should be an expression of that.

At one point in my youth I considered going into ballet, since I have always had unusually flexible hips, but I never studied dance. The closest I came was in being one of the “dance chorus” in a production of Finian’s Rainbow in college. However, I have always liked to move to music, and I am often in motion during the praise and worship time in our services. I anticipate that dance will very much be a part of our joy in heaven! However, as in everything else, I am to be careful that the focus is on the Lord, and not just on my pleasure. At 75, my dance moves are far less extravagant than they once were, but I know that in heaven all limitations will be removed, and I look forward to that!

Father, I ask You to continue to grow me in thanking You accurately, in worshiping in spirit and in truth. May my whole life be an expression of thanks and praise to You, because You are certainly worthy of all that and more. Thank You. Praise God!

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Patience; June 27, 2024

Posted on June 28, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Using a new Bible that I deliberately haven’t underlined, this Psalm caught me a little bit off guard. It’s actually one of my favorites, and I think in my previous Bible every bit of it is underlined in one color or another. Several parts of it have been set to music, this last verse by a friend of mine, Makoto Iwabuchi. The lyrics in Japanese are precisely the translation I use, unaltered in any way, but to match my friend’s music I translated it this way: “Be strong and wait for God; take heart, and wait for Him. Know that the Lord your God will answer, so be strong and wait for Him.” That doesn’t directly match any English Bible translation I’m aware of, but I don’t think it does any violence to what the Lord said through David. The thought is an important one. We don’t like to wait! Particularly in today’s “microwave society,” patience is in short supply. I have a friend who says he doesn’t like food that takes longer to prepare than to eat! Actually, he delights to eat my wife’s cooking, which often violates that rule, but his statement is a clear expression of the modern attitude. God doesn’t operate like that! Peter’s statement on the subject is as accurate as it is famous: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) We have trouble with that, no matter how well we have that verse memorized! There are times when God acts quickly, even from our perspective, and times when He wants us to do likewise, but getting with His schedule and pace can be a real test of faith. We need to be willing to move as fast as He says to, and at the same time release the results into His hands. We might well not see the fruit of our labors in this life, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t sure!

This couldn’t be any more applicable and personal than it is to me. Japan is notorious as a “graveyard of missionaries,” yet I am the second generation in my family to be stationed here. This church just had its 40th Anniversary Celebration, yet I rejoiced that we needed all 15 cups I prepared for Communion this past Sunday! I have known of ministers in some places who would give up if they couldn’t get 20 people in a year. Such people certainly don’t last in Japan! The Lord told me several years ago to rest, relax, and rejoice. I’m still learning how to do that fully, but that seems like the epitome of patience to me. I tend to get possessive of “my time,” but that too needs to be given to the Lord. I was recently reminded of the significance of 40 years in the history of Israel, with Moses having had three major 40-year periods in his life. I will be delighted if this church has now cleared its “wilderness period” and is now about to enter the “promised land!” However, that’s something I have to leave in God’s hands, because I clearly can’t make it happen on my own.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of interacting with younger believers and ministers. The news last night from one of my spiritual children that he thinks his wife is very close to committing to Christ is joyful indeed! Help me recognize Your appointments and be faithful in meeting them, so that Your will may be done in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God’s Love; June 26, 2024

Posted on June 27, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 26:2 Test me, Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind.

This is a very dangerous prayer, but it is one of faith. David was probably a bit over-confident when he prayed it, but his heart was in the right place nonetheless. Psalm 139:23 says essentially the same thing with a little less pride, and it has been set to music several times. The point is, we don’t know ourselves fully or perfectly, but God does, and He loves us anyway. He takes us through various experiences so that we will learn more about ourselves and about Him, and in the process commit ourselves more fully to Him. It is when we react badly to the discoveries we make that they become dangerous. It is when our commitment is to God in the first place that trials become blessings, because they open our eyes to God and to ourselves as things really are, and there’s nothing bad about that. It is when we try to keep up pretenses in spite of all God shows us that we suffer the most damage. We need to say, “God, thank You for showing me this weakness in me. Help me repent in truth, to see genuine change so as to become more like Your Son, for Your glory.” If we will do that, every trial will become a step closer to Him, and that is wonderful indeed.

I have written many times about when God, for a brief moment, showed me a mirror to see the state of my own soul. I totally collapsed, but that was an entirely appropriate response, because I had been walking in blind, stupid pride. God has showed me things about myself since that have again humbled me, and I am grateful. I was thankfully raised with an awareness of God’s love that enabled me to understand that my actions couldn’t shake that love, they just impac­ted my ability to receive it. I don’t want anything to stand between me and God’s love! That’s why Paul could write both that we are more than conquerors, regardless of our circumstances, (Romans 8:37-39) and also that that he could rejoice in all sorts of negative circumstances, because they gave opportunity for God’s power to be manifested. (2 Corinthians 12:10) Japan has a long tradition of “public face” and “true self,” but I must not be that way. I am to be honest with myself, with God, and with all the people around me, because God has already dealt with the worst that is in me through the cross of Christ. I am to let Him wash all that away to bring out all that He has created me to be, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You keep working on me, chipping or grinding away the rough spots. Help me cooperate with that process and not resent it, so that I may grow at the speed You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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