Sunday, February 25, 2007

Unsolvable?

I must admit...some problems appear unsolvable. There have been times when certain problems, no matter how hard you pray, or how much counsel you seek, remain stubbornly unsolvable. Even the internet yields no solution! [imagine that...tough on some who give almost sovereign status to the modern technology of the super information source].
Of course this unsolvable-ness of some problems appears on the earthly plane. I am not suggesting God does not have the answer or could not reveal the answer should He so choose. What I am suggesting is the possibility that some problems may be allowed to remain frustratingly unsolvable by God. The word of God will give us help in coping with the unsolvable problem, but may not give the answer to the problem itself. I am not saying the Word of God is not sufficient. Just the opposite. It is totally sufficient for coping with any issue. BUT...those unsolvable problems...they seem to hang around to bug us.
As I think about these kinds of problems, I am wondering if God is not deliberately reminding us that we will always need Him...that our confidence and faith in Him is an ongoing necessity, and that...were it not for some of those unsolvable problems, our prayer life would debiliate into something resembling an anemic and pathetic whimper, instead of a robust cry for help.
Think about it...man with all his genius and inventive prowess is allowed to hit a brick wall quite regularly in unsolvable problems [The Iraq war may be one of those unsolvable problems or that difficult human circumstance for which you cannot seem to get an answer]. Just maybe we need God Himself more than we need the answer to that problem. God may allow that problem to hang around for awhile unsolved. Maybe even until we get to heaven. Can we live with that?...I don't know. I must admit...I don't like living with unsolvable problems. But then...I am not calling the life shots, am I? And my friend, neither are you! I am learning to pray for grace to live with some things that just don't seem to get solved.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Can you roll your burden...really?

When someone you love...when someone you care for departs from a righteous life style...and leaves you disappointed...sorrowful...can you roll that kind of burden? Can you REALLY get out from under that crushing weight and go on with life? What if your best friend has an affair? What if you child departs from the truth? What if your spouse leaves? Is the rolling off the burden possible? Can we follow the advice of the Psalmist in Ps. 55:22 when he counsels us to "Roll your burden on the Lord, and he will support you; He will not allow the righteous to be moved."
John Piper makes this insightful comment in his book Taste & See: "God does not put the strings of our hearts in the hands of sinners. He puts them in the hands of Jesus, who loves sinners." Who can forget that scene in the Gospels where Jesus broken-heartedly wept over the sins of Jerusalem. We can all recall that scene when the rich man walked away from Jesus and chose his riches. Jesus looked on him with love and a broken heart. Yet Jesus spoke of giving us his joy.
Perhaps the answer to rolling off the burden on the Lord lies in absolute trust. Piper went on to say that "No one can blackmail the saints of God with bad behavior and threaten to nullify our love if we will not pay up with the sacrifice of our joy." We must come to the realization that we can weep and grieve over the sins of others and yet at the same time place absolute trust and confidence in the One who does all things well and works all things for good after the counsel of His own will [Mark 7:37; Rom. 8:28; Eph. 1:11; Ps. 110:5]
Piper concludes with the idea that we should never be content with sins, but always content with God in relation to sinners. Can we be content IN circumstances and yet not be content WITH circumstances?
Think about it...

Thursday, February 1, 2007

"Bless me," said Pharaoh?

The tenth plague was a disaster! Every family in Egypt was touched by the death angel. Finally, after many confrontations, Pharaoh released the children of Israel. You remember the story set in Exodus 7-12. Through the hardening of his heart to the regular meetings with Moses and Aaron, this man was learning about the true God of Israel. F i n a l l y, after all the plagues, but especially after this last, devastating blow he says, be gone [get out of here...we have had enough]. But there is an intriguing request that Pharaoh presents to Moses as a parting shot. "BLESS ME ALSO." There it is leaping out of the page of Biblical text [Exodus 13:32, ESV]. What is that all about?
Why would a pagan, unbelieving, idol worshipping political ruler ask for a blessing from the Hebrew leadership? Did he not understand what a blessing from God entailed?
I do not think Pharaoh was converted to the Hebrew God. There is no indication in the text of this. Later, in fact, he pursues the Israelites to recapture them and bring them back.
I cannot find that Moses ever gave that blessing. I believe that he could not. Pharaoh's little concession speech is a sad commentary on someone who repeatedly resists God's will. I believe in the end, when the dust settled, he found that he had to accept everything on God's terms.
Earlier Pharaoh had asked Moses to pray for him. Now he wanted a blessing. Is it possible to pass up "blessing" opportunity? The answer is yes for you cannot get God's favor without ever turning to him in faith and repentance.
Almost everyone wants God's blessing. Even people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not believe God will give his blessing to those who have not come to Christ, repenting of their sin and placing all of their trust in his finished work on the cross.
One final note: Phil Ryken wrote these tellings words in his book on Exodus: "He [Pharaoh] gave no recognition of any personal responsibility--he wanted the blessing without the liability, the shame, or the consequences." Then it seems to be a biblical fact that God will not bless a man who will not repent of his sin. Pharaoh received not a blessing from God. And neither can we unless we come to Chist for salvation.