Lent 2015 Day 10: From Afar

On this 10th Lenten morning,

I come to You in dust and ashes, my Lord,

my conscience laid bare before Your holiness.

For the sake of Christ, O gracious Father,

grant that I may rend my heart, my all to You.

Direct my will to claim no right in myself,

in what I am, have, or hope to become someday.

Receive me now and always as Your very own,

and use me as Your vessel in every possible way --

through afflictions or affections, losses or gains.

Do with me, Your child and instrument, as You please. 

Amen.

I greet you, my friend, and hope the words prayed above will stir your heart and mine to continue trusting in the Father whose love for the world caused Him to give "His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16). This season of rending is an opportunity for us to expose our hearts to the luminous presence of Immanuel -- God with us -- as we prepare to celebrate Christ's victory over sin, death, and the grave.

Nourishing our minds and hearts, Psalm 139 has been pointing us to the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and the power of the cross. The past 9 days led us to meditate upon the following:

Psalm 139

To the Choirmaster. A psalm of David.

1  O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2a  You know when I sit down and when I rise up . . .

As a result of pondering the psalm heading, we grew to view this beautiful hymn as one originally intended to be used by the Choirmaster of the time, the distinguished musician in charge of leading God's people in worship. We learned that God Himself is our ultimate Choirmaster or life master. We also gleaned that David (first a lowly shepherd then anointed king) is to be seen as the writer of this psalm. That fact heartens us to believe anyone who surrenders to God can be used by Him for His great purposes regardless of economic status or position in life. 

In verse 1, we further saw God's lordship over heaven and earth, humans and beasts and plants -- learning that God's light scrutinizes our hearts and knows human motives, thoughts, words, and actions before any one of them materializes.

Verses 2-6 are seen as a way for David to unpack some of the mysteries contained in verse 1. So, yesterday, we learned of God's intimate knowledge of our heart attitudes both when we sit down and stand up. It was a truly convicting moment of meditation!

Today, we are looking at the second part of verse 2, which reads,

You discern my thoughts from afar.

How might we define the verb "to discern"?

The following phrases might come to mind:
-  to know by sight
-  to detect a matter
-  to notice something unclear
-  to distinguish between right and wrong

If the above picture agrees with "discern," then David's words might suggest that the Lord can literally see our thoughts; He knows them by sight. The Father easily detects the matters that teem our hearts. He notices the concepts/motives that are often fuzzy or hidden to our observers. 

And . . .

He can discern everything both near and far.
He is immanent and transcendent, after all.

That is, He understands, grasps, comprehends our thoughts -- He gets it all! -- way before we even acknowledge them. He foresees and foreknows. He already knows the cause, character, and consequence of our thoughts before we are even cognizant of them. His interpretation of our musing is always spot on.

He is Wisdom.

One quick glimpse of God suffices for Him to tell us everything we have ever pondered or considered. One glance is enough for Him to pierce through the fog of our darkened minds and hearts.

He is Light.

This Light and Wisdom were found in one Galilean who walked the lanes of Israel over two thousand years ago. John, the beloved disciple, described a particularly enlightening scene below:

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Indeed, Nathanael knew right away that this man was the foretold Messiah. He recognized in Jesus the divine attributes Psalm 139 instructs. Without ceremony, Jesus made it clear to Nathanael that He knew what was in his heart even from a great distance. When looking at Jesus' response to Nathanael, the words recorded are "I saw you" and not "I knew you." Yet it was clear that Nathanael realized that the sight Jesus meant included total knowledge of who he was -- His omniscience. Nathanael "saw" then that only God could have figured him out so plainly.

What about you and me, friend? Have we come to "see" in Christ the God who sees, knows, and discerns our thoughts from afar? Have we come to "see" Jesus as the Rabbi, the Son of God, the King of Israel?

May the Lord of all wisdom and perfect sight lead us to that place!  

Lent Day 2015 Day 9: Sit or Rise

I am grateful to be awake on this 9th morning of Lent. My chosen companion for the 46 days leading to Easter, Psalm 139 has been on my mind and in my heart ever since Ash Wednesday. I pray the Lord will continue to reveal Himself to me through the words of King David.

So far, we have pondered the beginning of the psalm:

Psalm 139
To the Choirmaster. A psalm of David.

1  O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

We learned that this beautiful hymn was entrusted into the hands of the Choirmaster, the distinguished musician in charge of leading God's people in worship -- gleaning also that God Himself is our ultimate Choirmaster or life master. We also ascertained that David (first a lowly shepherd then anointed king) was most likely the writer of this psalm -- finding therein much hope that God would choose to use us like David for His higher purposes regardless of our status in life. We further pondered God's lordship over heaven and earth, humans and beasts and plants -- understanding thereby that the light of God searches the human heart and intimately knows all our motives, thoughts, words, and deeds before any one of them materializes.

Such a God knows me . . . 

puny me
even me

. . . and knows me so well that He knows when I am active and inactive as expressed in the next verse:

2a  You know when I sit down and when I rise up . . .

God's probing light exposes you and me.

He knows when we sit down . . .

-  alone (Jer 15:17)
-  in the seat of scoffers (Ps 1:1)
-  at His banqueting table (Ps 23:5)
-  in the company of revelers (Jer 15:17)
-  in ashes scraping loathsome sores (Job 2:8)
-  on the ground for days uttering nothing (Job 2:13)
-  greedily imbibing juicy gossip and slander (Prov 18:8)
-  waiting patiently to be drawn up from the pit of destruction (Ps 40:1-2)

. . . and He knows when we rise up . . .

-  alone (1 Ki 18:22)
-  in the morning (Ps 3:5)
-  groaning and crying (Ps 5:1-2)
-  in the pathway sinners take (Ps 1:1)
-  standing in the fiery furnace (Dan 3:25)
-  in fierce anger against the Lord (Jonah 4:1)
-  taking our prayerful stand at our watchpost (Hab 2:1) 
-  standing in awe of the Lord's righteous laws (Ps 119:120)

Yes, my friend.

He knows you and me.
He perceives all that comes out of us.
He notes our position -- whether sitting or standing.

Charles Spurgeon says it this way, ". . . I am observed when I quietly sit down, and marked when I resolutely rise up." Samuel Annesley advances, "Thou knowest my rest and motion . . ." And James Montgomery elaborates, ". . . at home, abroad, in crowds, alone, Thou mark'st my rising and my rest." And I join their rank in saying He knows when I sink into the miry pit of despair and when I rise with a prideful, heaving chest.

Lenten thought is beckoning you and me to rend our selfish leanings in deference to the glory of our Lord when we face sitting down or rising up:

Might we give up grumbling and choose gratitude instead when we sit down to eat?
Might we give up gossip and use discretion instead when we rise from a confidential conversation? 
Might we give up mockery and choose encouragement instead when we sit alongside others?
Might we give up conforming to the world and instead align our minds and hearts with the Word?

I pray you and I will sit to imbibe Scripture with attentiveness and affection, gratefully receiving therein all that is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). I also pray you and I will rise up from our time in the Word humbly yet firmly prepared to take our stand against the devil's schemes.

Thank You for teaching us, O Lord.

Lent 2015 Day 8: Personal Twist

Good morning, fellow traveler!

Yesterday (day 7) came and went. In all honesty, from the moment I awoke (5:00 am) to the moment I collapsed in bed (midnight) time in the Word kept eluding me. Interruptions of all shapes and sizes blocked my path from the quiet season of meditation & prayer that I have come to cherish so dearly. My heart wept as I kept carving out little bits of time at home and at work (1 minute here and 2 minutes there) throughout the day to no avail -- every single time I was interrupted by a legitimate need.

To God, to myself, and to you, dear reader, I must confess something that surfaced as I finally put my head on the pillow in the darkness of my bedroom last night:

I felt like a failure and a fraud.

You need to understand I am an achiever, an over-achiever (those closest to me call my condition). I have set up my mind to read and meditate upon Scripture daily. To go an entire day without having that appointment in the quietness of my kitchen while sipping hot, delicious tea felt appalling to me.

I prayed and dozed off.
And woke up this morning.

And, perhaps, it is the perspective of this new day that is counseling my heart to what God wants me to see or learn through yesterday's experience:

Yes, Lou, I want you to hear/read and ponder my Word daily. But must it always look your way, dear son? Don't you think my Light was searching the inner recesses of your heart all throughout yesterday? Don't you know the interruptions that crowded your day -- the people, the phone calls, the near catastrophes -- were designed by me to draw you closer to the truths of my Word?

Indeed, Psalm 139 verse 1 re-entered my mind today:

1  O Lord, You have searched and known me.

My Lord has searched and known me.

David could have said it differently. He could have said, "O Lord, You search and know everything." That would have been a true statement. But that is not what the verse says.

The verse says something else, something with an unmistakably personal twist:

You have searched and known me.

Psalm 139:1 takes it home, my friend. It says to you and to me that we cannot keep God's truth at arms' length. There is intimacy to be had with the Lord of heaven and earth. 

He knows me personally.
He knows you personally.
He knows each human personally.

And in that intimate, personal knowledge, there is so much hope.

No wonder the blessed hope of glory, Jesus Himself, became flesh and dwelled among us.
To His name be glory and honor and majesty and praise!

Lent 2015 Day 6: Divine Search

On this 6th day of Lent, I am grateful you and I are alive, awake, and alert. The three blessings aforementioned suggest God's work with us is not yet finished -- you and I have more learning and growing to do on this earth.

His name be praised!

During this season of preparation for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday, we are meditating upon Psalm 139. So far our journey has brought us to reflect upon the psalm heading and the beginning phrase of verse 1, which goes like this:

Psalm 139
To the Choirmaster. A psalm of David.

1  O Lord, You have searched and known me.

In the statement "O Lord," we saw yesterday that the psalmist pointed out our need to esteem and worship the omniscient, all-knowing, great, and mighty God. We learned that David invited us to enter a state of wonderment, awestruck respect or utter amazement as we consider the incomparable Creator who reigns over us.

Today, we get to realize this Creator is the Lord who has already done everything. In Him, all is complete. And that deserves all our praise and honor.

So, when we read, "O Lord, You have . . .," we are invited to pause and wonder and worship and celebrate and express our overflowing gratitude because the Lord of all heaven and earth has already done everything. He sits upon His throne because He has already finished all His work -- a fact that points us directly to the Cross where Jesus exclaimed, "It is finished!"

This God who already has . . . invites us to trust Him, to believe on Him because He knows His creatures so well. 

Charles Spurgeon says it this way, " . . . it is as if he had searched us, as officers search a man for contraband goods, or as pillagers ransack a house for plunder. Yet we must not let the figure run upon all fours, and lead us further than it is meant to do: the Lord knows all things naturally and as a matter of course, and not by any effort on his part. Searching ordinarily implies a measure of ignorance which is removed by observation; of course this is not the case with the Lord; but the meaning of the Psalmist is, that the Lord knows us as thoroughly as if he had examined us minutely, and had pried into the most secret corners of our being."

This idea that the Lord has searched us is not a new one. The idea that the search is thorough and complete tells us an essential character trait of this magnificent Lord we have. And Scripture repeats the news over and over:

Psalm 7:9, "You who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!"

Jeremiah 11:20, "The Lord of hosts . . . tests the heart and the mind."

Jeremiah 17:10, "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind."

Jeremiah 20:12, "The Lord of hosts tests the righteous, sees the heart and the mind."

Revelation 2:23, " . . . and all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart."

This unalterable fact about God is true to His identity. He is identified as "the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire" to the church in Thyatira (Rev 2:18) and consequently, to any who has ears to hear what the angel says to the churches.

My friend, Lenten thought is beckoning you and me to pause and remember this infallible knowledge -- God has searched us. It is done. Yet, it is happening in the present and will continue in the future. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No time in the past, present, or future can find God in a place where you and I are unsearched by God -- we are laid bare before Him.

And that is good.
So very good.

Because that truth enables us to accept His wrath on the cross over human sin and rejoice over His boundless grace. 

Thank You, O Lord!

Lent 2015 Day 5: O Lord

Hello to you!

As I write that familiar greeting to you, fellow traveler, I want to remind you on this 5th day of Lent that, despite what you may have on your plate today, it truly is a good morning because we have a King who is reigning over us, a watchful Eye who never slumbers nor sleeps. He is our light and our salvation -- whom shall we fear indeed?

We are journeying through Psalm 139 this season in preparation for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. Thus far, we have pondered "To the Choirmaster. A psalm of David." And we have already gained much insight from the psalm heading alone.

Today, we get to the psalm proper, beginning in verse 1, which reads in the ESV,

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me!"

So rich a verse could take us forever to unpack but, for today, let us meditate upon the first part of that verse -- "O Lord."

The first word, "O," is an expression that depicts wonderment -- a state of awestruck respect and amazement. This particular opener reveals in David, the psalmist, one who stands in awe of the unfathomable God he addresses. 

In fact, David says elsewhere, "All my bones shall say, 'O Lord, who is like You?'" (Ps 35:10). Again, in Psalm 40:5, he writes, "You have multiplied, O Lord my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told."

In that wonderment David is joined by Isaiah who prophesied, "To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with Him? . . . Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? . . . Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint to grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable." (Isa 40:18, 21, 28)

Lent calls you and me to enter this state of awestruck respect and amazement as we approach the throne of grace. It bids us part company with apathy and nonchalance in deference to a holy God who deserves all our faculties -- all that we have, all that we are, and all that we hope to be -- and all our love.

This wonder-working God, David calls Him "Lord" -- the second word of Psalm 139.
This incomparable Creator is the Lord of heaven and earth, according to Genesis 1:1.

Yet, is He truly our Lord?

Do you and I handle most decisions and only go to Him for the really big ones? When we say "Lord," is it merely intellectual faith or empty confession? Does our conduct back up the all-too-familiar "Lord" statement?

Introspection reveals that we live our lives based on a magnificent obsession lodged deep within our gut, our heart. Until we find that One governing thing, that Rudder, we roam to and fro -- hungry and weary -- with a restless longing to give in. Although many things can govern our hearts, nothing else can fulfill us. No one will satisfy that innermost longing . . .

. . . excepting the Lord

 -  the same One mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 10:17, "For the Lord your God is 'God of gods' and 'Lord of lords,' the great, the mighty, and the awesome God."
-  the same One exulted in Hannah's prayer, "For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." (1 Sam 2:3b)
-  the same One of whom Job asserted, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)
-  the same one heralded by the apostle Paul to the Colossians, ". . . as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." (Col 2:6)
-  the same One of whom day and night the four living creatures never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come!" (Rev 4:8)
-  the same One who will govern on His heavenly throne and on whose robe and thigh has this name written, "King of kings and Lord of lords." (Rev 19:16)

Could it be that in this Lenten season you and I are being invited to join Moses, Hannah, David, Job, Paul, the four living creatures, angels, and heaven and earth in surrendering the reins of our hearts to the Lord -- the One governing thing, the Rudder, the Satisfier of our restless longing?

Friend, let us continue to ponder all of the above and so much more as we think of the opening phrase of Psalm 139, "O Lord."

O Lord,

we are awestruck and amazed

to think of who You are.

None can compare.

You are Lord and apart from You,

we have no good thing.

We confess we have wasted years and seasons

pursuing idols to govern our hearts instead of Your lordship.

Teach our souls, minds, and bodies to be grateful for Your governance

especially when our every yearning is otherwise inclined.

Thank You for pursuing us and for seeking our hearts

in order to bridge the chasm separating us from You.

Amen.

Lent 2015 Day 4: A Psalm of David

I greet you, friend, on this 4th day of Lent!

During this season of preparation for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday, we are slowly journeying through Psalm 139. So far, we have been making our way through the heading of the psalm, which reads, "To the Choirmaster. A Psalm of David."

Yesterday we reflected upon "To the Choirmaster."

Today, let us look at the next fragment -- A Psalm of David. Before we dig in, let us pray for guidance.

Lord GOD, 

please open our minds 

and deposit in our hearts 

precious nuggets of Your wisdom 

as we look at this segment of this most notable hymn 

that sings of your omnipresence and omniscience. 

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!

Building upon yesterday's concept that everything emanating from us is dedicated and offered to the ultimate choirmaster or life master (God Himself), "A Psalm of David" suggests to us that David wrote this psalm. Buttressing this point, the prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon penned:

     "It [Psalm 139] bears the image and superscription of King David, and could have come from no other mint than that of the son of Jesse. Of course the critics take this composition away from David, on account of certain Aramaic expressions in it. We believe that upon the principles of criticism now in vogue it would be extremely easy to prove that Milton did not write Paradise Lost. We have yet to learn that David could not have used expressions belonging to the 'language of the patriarchal ancestral house.' Who knows how much of the antique speech may have been purposely retained among those nobler minds who rejoiced in remembering the descent of their race? Knowing to what wild inferences the critics have run in other matters, we have lost nearly all faith in them, and prefer to believe David to be the author of this Psalm, from internal evidences of style and matter, rather than to accept the determination of men whose modes of judgment are manifestly unreliable."

Another writer, John Jebb, further remarked:

     "How any critic can assign this Psalm to other than David I cannot understand. Every line, every thought, every turn of expression and transition, is his, and his only. As for the arguments drawn from the Chaldaisms which occur, this is really nugatory. These Chaldaisms consist merely in the substitution of one letter for another, very like in shape, and easily to be mistaken by a transcriber, particularly by one who had been used to the Chaldee idiom; but the moral arguments for David's authorship are so strong as to overwhelm any such verbal, or rather literal criticism, were even the objections more formidable than they actually are."

If it is indeed King David who wrote this majestic psalm, "A Psalm of David" implies to us that the King of kings empowered the writer to take his time and to work assiduously in order to produce yet a new, pleasing, and fragrant offering to the Lord for the advancement of the Father's Kingdom. It tells us that David graciously labored to prepare and present a royal gift, a beautiful crown befitting the feet of Christ. And in the process, he was able to write a literary work, a poem, a song that is dubbed "one of the most sublime compositions in the world" by George Rogers.  

If it is indeed the former shepherd boy who wrote Psalm 139, it implies to us that the One who calls Himself the Good Shepherd saw fit to let His Spirit fill and move a lowly shepherd to speak of sublime themes such as omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, infinity, immutability, eternity, etc. It further states that no status of ours is too low for the Holy Spirit of God to set our hearts ablaze and use us for His much higher purposes.

"A psalm of David" invites us to ponder:

When was the last time you or I composed a song, penned a poem, prepared a tribute of any kind to the Father as a result of parking ourselves before the presence of our King, regardless of our status in life? 

We tend to come up with all kinds of reasons discrediting ourselves: 

"I'm not musically or artistically inclined"
"I'm not influential enough" 
"I don't have the goods" 

Might we remember that God chose David not because of external reasons? Might we remember that God calls us all, whether king or servant, to practice being in His presence just like David? Might we realize that, as a result of our intimate pondering in God's greatness, His Holy Spirit will fill and move us to prepare and present a royal gift to our King involving our areas of giftedness? 

See, when we lay our hearts bare before the throne of God above, we attach ourselves to the Vine of Christ. The ensuing clarity and intimacy that cover us do nothing less than unleashing productivity, creativity, and fruitfulness for the advancement of God's kingdom.

Is there any trace of hiding left in your heart, in my heart? Lent calls you and me to come and attach ourselves to the Vine of Christ. Lenten thought invites us to rend our innermost selves and allow God's clarity and intimacy to cover us and render us productive, creative, and fruitful for His Kingdom.

Thank You, Lord, for using David! 
Thank You, Lord, for using us! 
O, thank You, Lord!

Lent 2015 Day 3: To the Choirmaster

Lord GOD, we thank You for the gift of this day. As we approach Your precious Word, we thank You in advance for Your instruction. May Your people be attentive and responsive to Your life-giving truths! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I love Scripture.

I look forward to pondering its truths.

Excitement readily flows in my veins when, led by the Spirit, I dwell in a particular passage in hopes of digesting divine nuggets of wisdom. So, I am overjoyed to have this opportunity to dig into Psalm 139 throughout this Lenten season. It is with great anticipation I am parking myself in this passage until Easter Sunday, God willing, to receive the wisdom the Father has in store for His children.

As He instructs, I pray for the grace to follow in Isaiah's footsteps in living and declaring,

"The Lord GOD has given me 
the tongue of those who are taught,

that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.

Morning by morning he awakens;

he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious;

I turned not backward."

Isaiah 50:4-5, ESV

Thus far, my meditating upon Psalm 139 has revealed a need for me to consider its heading.

It reads, "To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David."

Today, I would like to ponder the first fragment -- "To the choirmaster."

Lord, please give us the tongue of those who are taught as we ponder this first fragment of the psalm heading. Instruct our minds that we may know a word that will sustain weary souls in need of Your rest. Awaken our ears to hear as those who are taught by You. And as You do so, help us to neither rebel nor turn backward; instead, draw us close to You as You direct our paths in Your Word. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

"To the choirmaster."

How might the Lord lead us to unpack the above phrase?

The word "to" is used as an identifier of the recipient or intended recipient of something, or it may be used to express function, purpose, or intended goal. It brings to mind the notion that everything that follows in the psalm can be used as the intended recipient sees fit. 

"The" is a determiner -- a word that denotes a specific entity or one that dismisses any opportunity to misidentify said entity.

"Choirmaster" stands for the conductor, maestro, or minister of music in charge of leading the people of God in singing the Lord's praises.

So, are we to understand that this intimate prayer was not a hidden or closeted matter? Does it mean that this psalm was intended to be used by the specific conductor or maestro or minister of music of David's time to lead the Israelites in the worship of God? Does it further imply that Christ-followers do not get to conceal their innermost thoughts, but that they are invited to offer them to the Lord for His glory and for the benefit of the saints in Christ Jesus?

Indeed, the Spirit of God is opening my mind to grasp that "To the choirmaster" is consistent with the lenten thought of our having zero ownership of who we are, where we are, what we are, what we have, what we hope to be, what we produce and/or create. 

"We lift our voices, we lift our hands,

We lift our lives up to You;

We are an offering.

Lord, use our voices; Lord, use our hands;

Lord, use our lives, they are Yours;

We are an offering.

All that we have, all that we are, all that we hope to be,

We give to You."

Dwight Liles (1984)

"To the choirmaster" sketches a portrait of the Cross for us, in terms of relationships. The vertical beam represents our relationship with the God-head and the horizontal beam depicts our relationships with other individuals.

Firstly, it implies that everything deriving from each one of us belongs to God who is the ultimate choirmaster or lifemaster. The good and the bad emanating from us are but pitches, rhythmic patterns, chords, and lyrics in the hands of the Master Artist who orchestrates it all for His glory. Therefore, we cannot presume to hide anything from Him (He knows all of it anyway). God is my vertical support, the pillar of my foundation.

Secondly, the thoughts and words and deeds that come out of us are also available to other "choirmasters" in our lives -- individuals placed in authority over us or in intimate relationships with us. God provides such people in our lives as a reminder of the horizontal support we receive when the rusty nails of our lives -- the ugly sores of our scores of sins, or the innermost thoughts of our inmost places -- pierce our hands through and through.

First and foremost, in our living -- fruitfulness or productivity -- we are graciously invited to be mindful of our position vis-à-vis our ultimate Choirmaster or Lifemaster:

We are God's blessed servants.

We are privileged vessels at God's disposal.

Next, God is awakening our ears to hear that we are providing fodder for the mind, heart, and spirit of our neighbor. In our living, we are merely preparing a musical score for the throng of "musicians" in God's orchestra of life. In word and deed, we are simply sketching life applications to be used by the Holy Spirit, our family, our friends, our foes, our pastors, our employers, our co-workers, our students, etc. It is God's prerogative to use any one of our deeds -- whether good or bad -- for His ultimate glory, for the edification of other believers, and for witnessing to non-believers in Christ.

If you, my friend, are heavy-laden by a burdensome notion about yourself, there is rest at the foot of the Cross. If you feel weary, O traveler, by sin and shame, do not keep it to yourself. There is joy to be had at Calvary. Come and dare to write your own intimate prayer to the Choirmaster, the Maestro, the Conductor of your life. The Holy Spirit is poised to receive your penitential psalm and is ready to use your intimate prayers as He directs the saints in the worship of our Lord Jesus.

May you and I live unto "the Choirmaster"!

Grant, O precious Father, that we will be utterly open, broken, and spilled out. Guide us to rely on the grace and finished work of Christ on the Cross as we live lives that are unquestionably "to the Choirmaster" in every way. Use us completely in Your service, O Lord! In Christ's glorious name, we pray. Amen!

Lent 2015 Day 2: Psalm 139

Hello to you, friend!

You and I are alive. 
Great news!
You and I are still breathing.
What grace!
It is the day after Ash Wednesday.
How does that affect anything?

Perhaps you did or did not grow up in a tradition that promoted the observance of Lent. You may remember receiving or seeing or reading about ashes yesterday. In case you haven't, I invite you to read my reflections from yesterday entitled ashes. 

Gone are the ashes now. 
A shower took care of that (or, for some, the ashes were never there to begin with).

Gone is the worship gathering enabling you to feed on the wonder and fervor of fellow Christ-followers. Gone is the hype of "giving up" on social media. You are now alone, going about your day packed with mundane tasks. As the excitement of the beginning of Lent wanes, may I remind you that the Father's invitation still stands:

"Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

. . . Give ear and come to me;

hear me, that your soul may live."

Isaiah 55:1, 3a

This morning, as you and I read God's invitation, I pray our hearts might be singularly pricked. May we acknowledge that the Father has everything we need:

-  living water for our thirsty souls

-  living bread for our famished hearts

-  living refreshment for our fainting spirits

And as we come to Him this Lent, lacking "money" or virtue of our own, may we sit at the banqueting table of His Word and feast upon Psalm 139 for the remaining days of this season of fasting and surrender!

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1  O Lord, You have searched me 

and You know me.

2  You know when I sit and when I rise;

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

3  You discern my going out and my lying down;

You are familiar with all my ways.

4  Before a word is on my tongue

You know it completely, O Lord.

5  You hem me in--behind and before;

You have laid Your hand upon me.

6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7  Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

8  If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

9  If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10  even there Your hand will guide me,

Your right hand will hold me fast.

11  If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

12  even the darkness will not be dark to You;

the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

13  For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

14  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15  My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16  Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in Your book

before one of them came to be.

17  How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18  Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with You.

19  If only You would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you blood-thirsty men!

20  They speak of You with evil intent;

Your adversaries misuse Your name.

21  Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord,

and abhor those who rise up against You?

22  I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24  See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

What a vulnerable and open perspective!
What a wonderful opportunity to accept God's probing light!
What a beautiful psalm that speaks of the omnipresence and omniscience of the Father!

LORD, we repented in dust and ashes yesterday but we forget so easily . . . and repeat the same mistakes . . . over and over . . . again and again. But You know that; You knew it already before we even brought it up. We thank You so much for David whose inspired words of vulnerability stir our hearts with renewed passion and focus. O ever-present and all-knowing Father, the heart of Psalm 139 unveils the blessed intimacy available to us through You and in You -- no one will ever know us as well as You. You see the confusion and darkness of our hearts and You love us all the same.  Thank You for using this psalm in this season to point us to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Amen!

Lent 2015 Day 1: Ashes

". . . I repent 
in dust and ashes."

Job 42:6, NIV

The first day of Lent 2015 is here, my friend!
Please join me on this journey. 

From time to time, you may find yourself unable or unwilling to bring these daily devotionals into contact with your busy eyes, your overly crowded mind, or your restless heart. 

Please know I get it.
This is exactly where I find myself today.

And for that reason, I am humbly suggesting there is much value in pausing and giving this journey a chance.  This trek longs to hearten one and all to become purposeful or intentional about turning our focus to the reality of Christ and the splendor of His Passion and Resurrection. 

And let me gently nudge you to not simply spectate. Please, participate. And as you do, I pray you and I will "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

It is all about Christ!

*******

Today is Ash Wednesday in the liturgical calendar. It marks the onset of the Lenten season, a period of preparation for the celebration of Easter. In certain traditions, ashes will be used and applied on the foreheads of myriad Christians today as a sign of mourning over sins and a gesture of humbling oneself in the sight of the Lord.

Traditionally, the ashes come from palm fronds or branches used by congregants on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. Those very palms are burned, consecrated, and collected as ashes for the first day of Lent. Christ-followers from religious traditions that celebrate Ash Wednesday usually leave ashes on their foreheads for the whole day as a genuine and vulnerable expression of their faith in the humble Christ.

Yet not all Christians agree with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. And even among those who do, not all Christians use ashes. Nonetheless, the ashes can point to an invitation Christ sends to all of His followers -- to come to Him in humble repentance because our best waving palms, our righteous acts, are nothing but filthy rags next to the radiance of His glory.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

Isaiah 64:6, NIV

What are our best waving palms?

A good Christian witness.
A meal for the hungry.
A good friendship.
A respectful tone.
A 'get well' card.
A gentle answer.
A patient response.
A faithful contribution.
A good singing rendition.
A joyful prayer in afflictions.

What a formidable portrait!

Yet it all comes crashing down as more and more people perpetuate, "You are the most thoughtful, best friend, most respectful, most patient . . . person that I know" and as our hearts grow more and more accustomed and reliant upon such recognition. 

How easily the very items we aim to surrender to the Father become instruments that puff us up! How quickly the Christian virtues we seek to practice turn into forceful gusts of wind that threaten to sweep us away!

We are ever learning yet never quite reaching true wisdom.
We are ever reading holy writings yet never quite living in holiness.
We are ever memorizing verses yet never quite retaining the lessons learned.
We are ever drawing from the well of grace yet never quite holding the water of freedom.

Indeed, in accumulating knowledge and religiosity, we become overly stuffed -- stuffed with too much pride, too much esteem, too much recognition, too much adulation, too much plunder . . . much too much of anything and everything. Human praise keeps us so full of the 'self' and so full of oozing sin that there is very little (if any) room left in the heart or mind for the worship of Christ.

In His mercy, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that accumulating does not equate retaining. In the economy of God's grace, we can only retain one thing and one thing only -- that is, the person of Christ Himself. And in order to retain Him, He graciously invites us to rend ourselves -- allowing Him to empty our hearts of all the odious filth that repels God's holiness. Our Savior is so pure that He will not share His place with any other entity. He wants to be the only occupant of our hearts.

Hence, Ash Wednesday reminds us that Jesus beckons us, "Come!"

-  Would you and I come to Jesus today "with all [our hearts], with fasting and weeping and mourning" (Joel 2:12) rending our hearts and not our garments? 
-  Would we present our 'waving palms' to Him, letting Him burn them, consecrate them, collect them, and place them not merely on our foreheads but on our very hearts? 
-  Would we come to Him as an act of willingness and readiness to receive the Holy Spirit's guidance and wisdom? 
-  Would we offer Him our fasting as an invitation for the Holy Spirit to sweep our hearts clean and make room for Christ, the sole occupant of our ever so lowly hearts? 
-  Would we come to Him not just during this lenten season but for the remainder of our lives on earth, exposing our hearts to Christ's X-radiating power to excise entangling sins and relying on His grace alone?

I invite you to join me in prayer.

Even coming to You, O Christ, is a gracious wonder. Had it not been for Your grace, we would not even know how to take the first step. Had it not been for Your cords of loving-kindness, we would instead be drowning in sinking sand and shame. Thank You for claiming and reclaiming our souls in Your mercy. O Lamb of God, we come to You with our 'waving palms' and areas of giftedness. Burn them before they forge their way into our hearts. Please, place the ashes on our hearts and prepare us to be Your living sanctuary for all to see. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!