Walking through the Valleys

Some time back I was really struggling in life, probably depressed as I look back now, yet trying to hold on to joy. I had this verse written on a notecard that was taped above the kitchen sink so that I could look at it and pray through it while doing dishes...

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT)

¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights.

Fairly recently a friend's battle with cancer surfaced this verse again and reminded me how even when things look the most desperate and barren and hopeless (as in Habakkuk's day with the coming destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, see Hab. 1:6ff) we can still find our joy and strength in "the God of Israel is our fortress" (Ps. 46:7).

I'll admit I am a day behind in my Daily Walk Bible reading (there, as the leader of the DWB reading program I feel relieved having now confessed :) so when I read this verse this morning it struck another chord...

Dear, dear friends of ours in Massachusetts are right now trying to rejoice in the Lord in the face of hardship. As the wife said, "Romans 12:12 is my mantra..."Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (ESV). Amen. 

My wife and I have been praying for this family a lot and so I have added this verse from Habakkuk to our "quiver" of arrow prayers to pray to our gracious, heavenly Father.

In the midst of these circumstances it's been very timely that I've been waking up to this song called The Valley Song by Jars of Clay and it seems so appropriate for these days in which we find ourselves. 

"I will sing of your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy ... hallelujah!"

Are we like Jonah?

 

Jonah Praying Before the Walls of Nineveh by Rembrandt

found here.

As we all know, this past week was a tough one for the United States...the remembrance of the horrible attacks on 9/11, the killing of the consulate workers and US Ambassador in Libya, the Teachers strike in Chicago and the continuing violence and protests against the US across the world.

It's easy to stop and think, "what in the world do we do?" For some, it is easy to respond with anger and bitterness and to keep the violence going, even if it is only in our hearts and minds. But we know from Jesus' words in Matthew 5 that this is just as bad as the actual actions themselves,

 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell."

As I was reading and rereading some of our Daily Walk Bible readings from this past week I was challenged by the Old Testament book of Jonah and the prophet's actions and attitude and most of all by God's loving response to the most powerful and evil nation at that time, Assyria. Understandably so, Jonah wanted judgment, he wanted God's wrath and power to be on display on Israel's evil neighbors. God gave Jonah his assignment in 1:2, "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." God knew Nineveh's sin and wicked ways and he wanted to offer a second chance to them through Jonah's preaching.

We all know the ensuing story from our childhood Sunday School classes...Jonah disobeyed God and ran away in the opposite direction. As a result, he found himself in a storm which the Lord caused (1:4) and then in the belly of a great fish which "the Lord had arranged" (1:17). God's plan of redemptive preaching to the Ninevites would not be thwarted! After his seeming repentance (2:1) and "earnest prayer" (2:7) the Lord delivers Jonah out of the fish and he obeyed and heard his duties for a second time (3:1; cue the Mission Impossible music, or at least that is what Jonah would've thought!)

Jonah's message to the citizens of Nineveh was one verse long, 8 words in length ... "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" And what happened? "The people believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow" (3:5). As a result, "when God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened" (3:10, NLT). 

But how did Jonah respond? I suspect our attitude, if in his place, might have been the same ... "this change of plans greatly upset Jonah and he became very angry" (4:1).

In our world today many of us are like Jonah and we have many "Ninevites" that we hate and wish to see God bring his wrath and judgment down upon their heads. And let's not delude ourselves. As I was reminded in my prayer time today, for many people in the world the U.S. IS their "Ninevites" in their mind! So will we, will the world, be angry like Jonah?

Or will we pray, truly pray, that God, who is "merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love" (4:2), will send numerous messengers of His love, grace and forgiveness out into the world? The Lord said to Jonah, "Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" (4:11, NLT).

In our own ways, in our own circumstances, whether it is against a world dictator or against a family member, or church member, or next door neighbor, we ALL need to turn away from our Jonah-like ways and extend forgiveness. "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy-seven times" (Mt. 18:21-22).

Hiding Snakes, sneaky Sin

In case you haven't heard our dog Oakley got bit by a Copperhead snake while hiking on our vacation (you can read about it here, two-thirds of the way through the post) in North Carolina. As I was reliving that day people would say "there's a lot of sermon material in that story." Indeed, there is.

This past weekend I was talking to a good friend, and man of the Word, and he was encouraging me to look for the spiritual meaning behind this snake-bite situation. Understandably so when everything happened I was just worried about Oakley. But now that I have had time to step back and reflect I've taken this dear brother's comments to heart.

In that conversation the Lord immediately brought this passage in Genesis 4:7 to mind, "Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master" (NLT). As we know earlier in Genesis 3 sin is incarnated in the Serpent, the Devil himself. But Adam and Eve, nor Cain in Genesis 4 for that matter, subdued sin; rather, they gave it a foothold and let Satan do his trickery and deceit.

In relation to this passage I was thinking about how I was sitting on this rock above this Copperhead snake who was only 6 inches from my legs. Little did I know the pain and anguish and maybe even death that was only inches and seconds from striking me. Physically, this is a frightening realization. Spiritually speaking, it is even more so! How similar is sin in our lives to this Copperhead!?!?

Like the Copperhead hiding between the rock and the grass, often times sin is hidden in my life and I don't realize the death-filled potential it has. As I talked with this friend on the phone my mind started to think of the various sins in my life that I don't recognize and the many sins that I blatantly ignore and turn a blind eye to. As my former campus ministry coworker use to say, "sin runs deep" and often times we don't recognize the power it has nor give it the respect it deserves. Even more so, we don't deal with it like we should. We need to "subdue it and be its master."

Enter in this morning's Daily Walk Bible reading from Hosea 12-14. Hosea 12:14 says "but the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the Lord, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins." The Apostle Paul said, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).  The Bible is clear, the consequence for Sin is death.

So what a wonderful joy and gift to read that "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt" (Hos. 12:9) and "I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt" (Hos. 13:4). The author is reminiscing about the historical event in the life of the Nation of Israel, the Exodus out of Egypt. But we can also clearly make the connection to the spiritual saving that God won for his people out of their slavery to sin; and out of our slavery to sin because while "the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." And that is an amazing gift!

So I want to encourage you today to take your sin seriously! Do battle with sin by praying through these verses in Hosea 14; I did this this morning and was blessed and encouraged by this time of repentance, confession and the assurance of God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

1) "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God for your sins have brought you down" (Hos. 14:1). We must recognize that sin has control in our lives and we need to turn away from it and turn back to God.

2) "Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us..." (Hos. 14:2). Bring those sins, your confessions, to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. We know that He will be gracious in forgiving for His Word has said so, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

3) "Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses...No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy" (Hos. 14:3). Recognize that nothing in this world can save us, it is only in the Lord Jesus Christ that we find mercy.

4) "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever" (Hos. 14:4). Trust that the Great Physician, out of his gracious and loving heart and character, wants to do major heart surgery in your life and He wants to heal you through and through.

The gift of new life in Christ is that "my people will again live under My shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines" (Hos. 14:7). "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).

As the Holy Spirit leads us we can remember that "I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me" (Hos. 14:8). God alone answers prayer; and God alone, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will forgive us of ALL our sins.

We got the wonderful news yesterday that Oakley has officially been cleared by our Vet and there are no other issues we need to worry about in relation to this Copperhead condition. And what wonderful news that ...

"... now he (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:26-28).