Many express that the most difficult hours for them are at night when sleep flees and they have no rest of mind, and that results in no rest of body. This causes other problems because they seem to be in constant turmoil; seeking solutions and finding none.
When David was in the wilderness of Judah, there must have been times that he found himself alone and in need of comfort, peace of mind, and rest. In one of these situations he writes; “when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy” (Psalm 63:6–7). It was in those “watches of the night” that David found comfort by meditating on the Lord in the “shadow” of God’s wings. So strong was this comfort from God that he could “sing for joy.” For some, darkness brings fear, tension and lack of rest, but David knew that for God, “the night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you” (Psalm 139:12). That brought him rest. If you are one who struggles with the hours of darkness that come each day, let me suggest that you learn to meditate on verses of Scripture like these in this blog. There are so many verses in the Bible that God uses to bring rest to the spirit and quiet to the mind. Commit these verses and others to memory and ask the Spirit to use them to dispel dark thoughts and replace them with the peace and joy of God’s presence.
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I am challenged by David’s openness to the Lord about his meditation. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). These two parts of our body cannot be separated. As Jesus is dealing with the self-righteous Pharisees, He says to them, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). What was in their hearts was spewing out hatred in words against the Lord Jesus. Their words and actions revealed their heart.
Solomon understood what happens in the heart of man has a direct effect on the life of a person. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The meditation of the heart plays a critical role in what we say and do, and the ultimate outcome of our lives. There is an eternal aspect to what our hearts meditate on. As we saw in the first reference (Ps. 19:14), David wanted the Lord to look at what was going on in his heart and making sure it was “acceptable in [His] sight.” Through his meditations, David learned to “fix” his eyes on God’s “ways” (Psalm 119:15). I would call this kind of meditation, ‘active thinking with the heart.’ It is far from the world’s idea of meditation, but exactly what we need. Taking time to observe the Word of God by daily reading its pages and providing the right kind of material for our hearts to meditate on, will then inform our words and actions with truth so we speak and act as God wants us to. From as recently as 1955, meditation has taken a very interesting road which does not follow the biblical idea. Many have taught that meditation is emptying the mind, visualization, channeling, achieving a higher level of spiritual awareness, and even becoming one with nature and being god. None of these follow the biblical model and meaning.
When Joshua was given the role of leading Israel into the promised land, the Lord told him; “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). The word “meditate” means to “ponder, give serious thought and consideration to selected information, with a possible implication of speaking in low tones reviewing the material.” That is far from the meaning false teachers have given it. For Joshua, this serious consideration of God’s Word would result in obedient following what Scripture taught. David asked God to examine his meditations; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). Instead of ‘emptying the mind,’ David wanted to be sure that he put the right kind of thoughts and information into his mind so they would guide and control his words, actions and life. We get the same idea in Psalm 119:15; “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” I trust you will become a person who will meditate daily on God’s word and then obey it. So often I have returned to Psalm 19 to remind myself of how amazing the Bible is. David knew this perhaps more than any Old Testament saint. With the isolation of being a shepherd, being chased every day by his boss, and realizing failure in his own life, there was nowhere to look for consolation and help than God’s Word. Read David’s words below and let them speak to you.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7–8). Like David, I have experienced times when my soul was dry, my heart for the Lord had lost it drive, and difficulties sucked life out of everything. It is the Word of God that revives my heart and soul. Often, I face very difficult circumstance when trying to help others and I need wisdom from the Lord. His Word provides wisdom this world can never give me. The sorrows and pain I see in the lives of others at times steels my joy. I must quickly return to the promises and purposes of God to restore His joy in my heart. There is never a day I face that I don’t feel the need of instruction from Scripture. That is where I go to find wisdom and enlightening that is reliable and true. Where do you go when these needs affect your life? This picture has given all of us great inspiration, and speaks to all of us about what really matters. Most parts of the world have been influenced by Western values; placing more importance on money and possessions, all of which will be destroyed. Each of us need to carefully evaluate what we consider valuable and important in our lives. That is what we will invest in. James makes a great observation; “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5). Where does their faith come from? Paul helps us answer that question; “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The woman in the picture lived in very simple circumstances, but she was feeding her soul and faith with the Word of God. If she had nothing else in the world except her Bible, it was more valuable than the whole world because it made her rich in faith. Those riches do not fade or pass away! What would you list for your riches? It is not often we come to you with an urgent prayer request, but this is one of those times. Tim has just left for Thailand, so this turn in Mason’s health will be a major concern for him.
“Please keep Mason in your prayers (Tim & Edith’s great grandson, if you remember he is the little boy with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning, he has half of a heart). He tested positive for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) today. He has been admitted to New Hanover Regional Hospital and they will be in contact with Duke Hospital on plans for his care. On top of RSV he also has an ear infection. Please pray for our baby boy, that he can fight this off soon.” Paul reminds us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). I know the family will greatly appreciate your prayer support. In a very unique way, God has led this ministry to take our training book, God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) and transform it into a booklet for children. This idea grew out of watching a mother in Nicaragua, Central America, take GPHD and teach children from 5 to 15 in the simple principles of being a disciple. The new book, God’s Plan for Young Disciples (GPYD), combines Bible stories and pictures that children can color and learn how to be a disciple of Jesus.
This reminds me of Jesus’ heart for children. “Now they were bringing even infants to Him that He might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him, saying, “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:15–16). The fact is that children will often grasp biblical principles and ideas much faster than adults. That is why Jesus thanked the Father and said; “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25). They were those who had not been tainted by years of tradition and habits. Pray for us as we develop this tool so it becomes an effective tool in reaching children around the world. These young disciples will often accomplish what those of us who are older cannot do. When unrest rises among nations, our natural tendency is to become anxious about the tension and what might happen to us personally. These are times that should drive us even more to the Word of God for divine perspective. Psalm 67 is a reminder of how we should be praying for the nations.
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!” (Psalm 67:1–5). I have underlined three key desires we should have for all nations (ethnos), people groups.
Ask God to shine on you with the Spirit’s power so nations turn in praise through your witness. I just got off the phone with a young man that I am seeking to mentor. He has a growing love for the Lord and His Word, wanting to be used by Him, but finds it difficult and even frustrating to wait for God’s timing for ministry as he has envisioned it.
As we were talking, I remembered the Song of Ascent sung by Israel as they made the journey up to Jerusalem for the yearly feast. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5–6). Watchmen who guard the city at night were always anxious for the morning to come and the dangers of the night to be past. This portion of the Songs of Ascent could have been written by Solomon or David. In it we see a waiting on the Lord with intense expectancy. Whether the Lord answers our prayers and longing quickly or makes us wait for some time, we must instinctively know that He has a purpose and reason for making us wait. The keys to waiting are, 1) “wait for the Lord” and 2) hoping “in His word.” Both require trust. Knowing the Lord through our personal experience with His means that we have developed a personal trust in how he leads and manages our lives. This is also bound up in believing and trusting His Word. So often this is counter-intuitive to human reasoning. As we apply active faith to our waiting, we become more interested in what God is doing than our timing of events. As with my dear friend, may your impatience be turned to waiting that is full of faith. I am not a person where words flow easily when I speak or write. It takes time for me to get out what I want to say or write because the right words don’t come as quickly as I want them to. It looks like Solomon had the same concern.
“The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth” (Ecclesiastes 12:10). Notice that Solomon looked for words that appealed to his audience, but at the same time, they had to be “words of truth.” That is a challenge for preachers, teachers, or anyone who claims to agree with the Bible. It is more common that preachers want to appease the audience rather than speak the truth which places them in the category of a ‘false teacher.’ Paul reminds us of two principles that should make us very careful about what we say and how we say it. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Notice that “speaking the truth in love” are words that result in spiritual growth. That is the normal outcome of biblical teaching and preaching. He also warns of a tendency in our day; “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3). We are in those days. If you follow this blog, I am confident that you do not fall into this category. May God help us to use words that gain the attention of others because they are words of “truth.” |
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