Lent Day 3: Seek Him As a Precious Jewel

"Cast your cares on the LORD

and He will sustain you;

He will never let the righteous be shaken."

-- Psalm 55:22, NIV

On this third lenten morning, a thought by Henry Benjamin Whipple (1822-1901) came to my attention. It reads:

“All we want in Christ, we shall find in Christ.

If we want little, we shall find little. If we want much, we shall find much;

but if, in utter helplessness, we cast our all on Christ,

He will be to us the whole treasury of God.”

What do you and I want in Christ?

Singer and songwriter, Laura Story, answers the above question in her song, Blessings:

"We pray for blessings, we pray for peace,

comfort for family, protection while we sleep.

We pray for healing, for prosperity;

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.

And all the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things . . ."

Whoa!

The grocery list of items mentioned in Laura Story's song is a faithful replica of prayer list after prayer list most of us have encountered at local church prayer gatherings. How can these prized items be seen as lesser things?

Perhaps, better things might be spiritual feats or gratifying answers we want from God according to our own timeline . . . Maybe? Again, Blessings addresses us on that front:

"We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe . . ."

-- Extracted from Blessings, Laura Story

Believe.

Yes, that's it!

Belief in God, faith in God, trust in God is the rudder that guides our praying. It is "faith that precedes and undergirds the prayer life of a disciple of Christ" (Weeding Impatience, 24). It is faith that reveals our utter helplessness to and total reliance upon the Father.   Without the precious faith He has graciously deposited in the vault of our hearts, all requests of ours have no choice but to be considered lesser things. The writer of Hebrews says it like this, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (11:6, NIV).

And how does He reward us?

The Holy Spirit comes to the rescue in inspiring songwriter Dennis Jernigan to pen this widely beloved chorus:

"You are my strength when I am weak

You are the treasure that I seek

You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel

Lord, to give up, I'd be a fool

You are my all in all."

-- Extracted from You Are my All in All, Dennis Jernigan 

Wow!

In other words, all the trials and battles that I face exist to heighten my utter helplessness and point me to discover amazing and potent truths about my Savior:

Christ is my jewel.

Christ is my greatest prize.

Christ is my life, my crown and glory.

Christ is the whole treasury of God available to me.

Examples abound in the Word of God depicting battles and situations where the people of God typified faith-induced reliance upon God while seeking Him, His presence, as a precious jewel:

-  Moses in front of the Red Sea 

-  David in front of Goliath

-  Esther before approaching King Xerxes 

-  Daniel in the den of lions 

-  Jonah in the belly of the great fish

-  the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace 

-  Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin before his stoning 

In all the stories aforementioned, prayer played a significant role in pointing onlookers to the glory of God as faith-filled servants, aware of their helplessness, turned to the Father in spirit and in truth. Long after their death, their prayers of faith are still reaping dividends in the hearts of individuals being added daily to the great throng of believers in Christ.

One particular instance chronicled in 2 Kings 19 paints a wonderful picture of what prayer can do in terms of unleashing the work of the Holy Spirit—divine victory over the forces of evil. The problem was given to us in the previous chapter when Sennacherib, the powerful and fierce Assyrian king, sent word to Hezekiah reviling God’s name and threatening to overtake Jerusalem.

In 2 Kings 19:1-4, we are given the response of Hezekiah -- he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and sought the Lord (going to the temple to be in God's presence). Such is the response we are invited to offer to every situation we face, every threat the enemy throws at us. 

Because of Hezekiah’s leadership in calling God’s people to pray, all kinds of things were set in motion. God's first response came through Isaiah (vv. 5-7)—“Do not be afraid.” When Sennacherib heard of God’s response to Hezekiah, he dared to discredit God to Hezekiah in a letter (vv. 9-13). However, Hezekiah did not answer him. Instead, he took the letter and spread it open to God, and PRAYED a powerful prayer in humility (vv. 14-19). God responded to Hezekiah's prayer through Isaiah again (vv. 20-34). God's answer was much more than what Hezekiah had asked for—it was a blessing! Then in verse 35, God fought the battle for Hezekiah while he was asleep, culminating in Sennacherib being destroyed/cut down by his own sons.

What is truly important to notice is that the entire time, not once did Hezekiah engage Sennacherib directly. He only sought the Lord as a precious jewel in prayer. 

Might we do the same, brothers and sisters in Christ? 

Might we starve the urge to engage our attackers directly?

Might we forgo the right to indulge our desire for lesser things?

Might we seek the Lord earnestly, living in Him and for Him today? 

Might we embrace the faith that leads us to rend our hearts to the Father?

Might we remember that our jealous God takes personally the threats and lies the usurper hurls at us? 

Might we remember that the Father will call forth all the reserves of heaven for the deliverance of His people? 

Indeed, the Father has opened His treasure chest to us. He has already granted to us His brightest Jewel by sending a Savior to fight against sin, a Light to overcome our darkness, and boundless grace in response to our numerous offenses. Let us surrender all our battles to the One who fights on our behalf while we are sleeping. Let us be mindful of Peter's words, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7, NIV).