In the Midst of Years the Lord’s Plans Progress

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. O Lord, I have heard the report of You, and Your work. O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 1:5; 3:2 (ESV).

Habakkuk is an unusual prophetic book in that it is a dialogue between the prophet and God rather than a message specifically addressed to the nation of Israel. Scholars have not been able to date the writing of the book with accuracy. It hints that the Babylonians are a threat to Israel, but we don’t know how long the prophecy may have been written before the Babylonian captivity occurred in 605, 597 and 586 B. C. In two cycles, chapters 1 and 2, we see first Habakkuk’s complaint, followed by God’s answer. Then comes Habakkuk’s lofty prayer in chapter 3 when he reviews God’s mighty works and rejoices in Him.

Habakkuk laments: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear?” (1:2a). God commands Habakkuk to “look among the nations.” God is already raising up a nation that will be used as an instrument of punishment for Israel, the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Babylon gained independence from Assyria in 626 B. C. They continued to grow in power and actually defeated Assyria in 605 B. C. Nebuchadnezzar became king and cemented the loosely knit Babylonians into an empire. Many in Israel were taken captive to Babylon. The Babylonian nation flourished and conquered many lesser nations until Persia defeated it in 539 B. C.

Realizing that God is using one nation to punish another for its rebellion against God, Habakkuk can express a universal truth: “I have heard a report of You and Your work, Lord, and I fear.”

In Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk declares that he will take his stand on the watchtower and wait to see what else God will say to him. We do not know how many years transpired before Habakkuk knew for a certainty that God was in events. He could declare with assurance that God should, “in the midst of the years revive His work…make it known,” but he prayed sincerely: “in wrath remember mercy.” Like Habakkuk of old we recognize that our nation is not following the ways of the Lord. He cannot withhold His wrath and punishment from us forever, because, as the famed Baptist preacher Dr. Robert G. Lee used to preach, “Pay Day Some Day,” (which sermon you can hear or read online) there will be a day of reckoning.

I was reading recently (with deep concern, consternation and regret, I might add) an economic analysis of our nation’s financial standing with indebtedness in the trillions of dollars. We have been so selfish and uncontrolled in waste and unnecessary spending that the debt seems hopeless. Our excessive greed and our pursuit after easy money to satisfy our temporal pleasures are enough to cast us away from a just and righteous God. We have idolized wealth to the exclusion of tribute and obedience to Almighty God. The Lord’s judgment in the midst of the years as in Habakkuk’s day will come with surety. What do we see from our watch tower, our perspective? Have we not had enough warnings to see the necessity for a drastic change from the downward plunge? 

 

Prayer. Lord, we confess that we have become soft, selfish and seduced by too much luxury. We have departed from Your covenant and gone our own ways. Awaken us in the midst of these trying years. Let us again take joy in the God of our salvation and turn to Thee for help. Amen. 

 -Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.31.2014

A Different Kind of Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27 (ESV)

Recall with me the context in which Jesus gave this wonderful promise of peace to His disciples—and to us. All the disciples were gathered with Jesus in an upper room in Jerusalem.

It was the night of the last supper when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, or Memorial Supper. Judas had already been dismissed by the Lord with the words, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 14:27). He left to betray Jesus to the authorities. Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion were immanent. He was giving his disciples very important information They knew something extremely important was impending, but they could not fathom what it was.

Imagine the feelings of dread and fear the disciples were experiencing. Jesus told them He would go away from them “for a little while.” Amidst the tension, Jesus’ voice was no doubt forceful, firm and comforting. He gave them important concepts that would help them later to live through a most difficult time and regain hope: “Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me…(John 14:2). “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Peace surely must have seemed a distant condition for the troubled disciples. Roman rule was obeyed to the letter. Even though the Jews were allowed to worship in the Temple and in their synagogues, the exacting government spared no cruelties in keeping in bondage a people longing to be free. Peace? Absence of war? Oh! But listen to Jesus’ promise: “not as the world gives give I to you. The peace Jesus promised them was a different kind of peace. It was not dependent on political conditions, humanitarian laws, or even freedom from want. “My peace I give to you. That same peace He promised His disciples then is available to believers now. The peace Jesus offered His disciples that night in the upper room was infinite, consistent, unconditional. It was a peace that emanated from the heart of God the Father and was transferred by the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be kept alive in the hearts of believers through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

A faithful saint of the Lord, 93 years of age, and his wife had morning devotional time together. That morning, he pulled out from their daily scripture card box the verse from John 14:27. He read it, and he and his wife joined hands and thanked the Lord for the peace that passes understanding which Jesus gave them in their hearts. He moved from the table to his recliner. A little later, when his daughter and wife tried to awaken him to go with them to the shopping mall, he could not be roused. He had fallen into the deep sleep of death and peace. He had gone to meet the Lord in person. A. B. Simpson writes, “So precious indeed is peace that it was a legacy left us by our departing Lord.” Whatever situation you or I face now is not too big for our Master and Lord. Hear Him: “My peace I give to you…Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” -Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.24.2014

Seeking God’s Peace

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” –Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV).

I use the King James Version for today’s focus scripture because that version is what I used years ago to memorize these verses. They are from the “Song of Isaiah” to be sung to the nation of Judah. They refer to a future time of judgment and restoration. A hostile power (unnamed by Isaiah) will be overthrown and the people will have “perfect peace” because their minds are “stayed” (centered, focused, fastened, kept continually) on Jehovah and their strength is from Him alone. These verses tell of the corporate peace of the nation, a peace that will be restored in the future. But the peace promised is also personal and individual to anyone whose “mind is stayed upon Jehovah.”

Our entire world and individuals within it are in a state of discord, upheaval and unrest. We are as Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace: when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). I hear friends say that they do not listen to the daily news anymore because there is so much crime, war, poverty, distrust and upheaval in our communities, nation and world today they get too depressed just listening to the bad news. Yet we cannot turn deaf ears to conditions and hope they will go away just because we don’t like to hear about them. How can we be involved with needs and pray for ourselves and others unless we are aware? The Word gives us assurance that peace is possible even in times such as we live. In recent days we have heard of severe persecution of Christians in Iraq. Our hearts bleed for their troubles and displacement; I trust we pray for their safety and peace.

In the promise from the focal verses in Isaiah, the person will be kept in “perfect peace” whose mind is stayed on God. This indicates that peace is not dependent upon outward circumstances but on a solid inner relationship. It begins first as a vertical connection—person to God. The original Hebrew renders “shalom, shalom” (the word peace written twice) for “perfect peace.” Shalom conveys much more than absence of conflict. It carries the idea of wholeness, quietness of spirit, blessings. It is a sense of fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent upon His presence in the individual’s life. Shalom indicates a right relationship with God. “Shalom, shalom” intensifies the meaning to make it, in English, come forth as perfect peace—that which we cannot generate ourselves but which is a gift from God. From Him we receive “every good and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). His peace is one of those ‘perfect’ gifts.

To have a mind “stayed” on God is to “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”(Colossians 3:2, NKJV). Someone has aptly observed that we stay our minds on heaven, but we have to live on earth. The equilibrium of mind and perfect peace God offers the individual prepare the person to handle anxious thoughts and concerns. We focus on Crist and not on crisis; develop dependence on Him, our sure deliverer. And the wonderful reward of this peace-seeking is “everlasting strength.” I like the glorious hymn—words and music—entitled “Like a River Glorious.” Frances Havergal (1836-1879) wrote: “Like a river glorious Is God’s perfect peace,/Over all victorious In its bright increase;/Perfect, yet it floweth Fuller every day;/ Perfect, yet it growth, Deeper all the way. Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blessed; Finding as He promised, Perfect peace and rest.” Please reread Isaiah 26:3-4. Thank God that He, even amidst trials, conflicts and far-from-ideal conditions, can give us “perfect peace” in the storms of life! -  Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.17.2014

How Can the Christian Deal with Worries?

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

-1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV).

If we admit it, most of us would say we are worriers. We have a name for overly-concerned people, and it does not sound complimentary. We call them “worrywarts.” Such a person is unduly concerned, tends to be agitated, fret, agonize and brood over conditions, be troubled, burdened.

I have been guilty in my lifetime of trying to convince worrywarts of the uselessness of being overly concerned to the point of being incapable of making sound decisions or acting on the information one has at hand and anticipating that, upon doing one’s best, things will work out.

While I give this free advice, I myself could have been harboring unexpressed worries of my own, allowing them to fester and make a proverbial mountain out of a molehill in my own deliberations and decisions.

If we look at situations squarely, we then realize that worry seldom leads us to solve problems, but that it certainly lowers our capacity to deal with them. Paul had some very sound advice for how we can handle worry: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” How is it possible for us to give thanks in all circumstances? I had a painful fall more than two months ago: no broken bones but a wound incurred that has been both painful and slow to heal. Do I worry about the incapacity from this wound, or do I thank God that I didn’t sustain a broken leg or hip? I chose to do the latter, and I have tried very hard to follow medical and wound center instructions for care of the wound. I thank God that I was not hurt much worse. I thank God for adequate medical attention to help me through this period of inconvenience.

I recently saw this wise saying circulated on one of the postings received on Facebook: “One act of thanksgiving made when things go wrong is worth a thousand when things go well.” This seems akin to Paul’s teaching us, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

How, then, can I go about “giving thanks in all circumstances?” First, it takes a positive mind-set. Begin by listing all the possible good that can come out of a situation about which you are worried. Thank God for the circumstance no matter how oppressive it seems to you. Two benefits can come from this action. You have thought about the possible good and you have turned to God to thank Him. Both of these bolster faith. Even with these two actions, you will grow stronger from the experience.

Think about the wonderful passage penned by Paul in Ephesians 6 when he urges the Christian to “put on the whole armor of God.” In Ephesians 6:13 he states, “and having done all, stand…” Oftentimes, after thanking God for whatever circumstance befalls us, we just have to stand and wait. Arthur Gordon, a notable devotional writer of the last century stated, “If you have a problem, do the best you can with it. Then leave it in God’s hands.” Instead of worrying, pray: “Father, thank You for this problem. I know You will work it out for my good and for Your glory.” Amen. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.10.2014

Under the Good Shepherd’s Care

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.” – Isaiah 40:11 (NKJV).

Isaiah 40 and to the end of the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 66, are messianic passages but also the proclamation that the people of Zion (the Israelites) will be delivered from bondage and restored again to their beloved land from exile.  Furthermore, Israel had a mission to the world and that was to bring the knowledge of the true and living God to the Gentiles and be a means of universal blessing.  This is clearly foretold in Isaiah 42:1:  “Behold, My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”

The restored people are referred to as “:the flock,”—sheep—and the one who leads them as the good and gentle Shepherd (Isaiah 40:11).  In teaching about Himself, Jesus declared:  “I am the good Shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known  by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15, NKJV). After His resurrection, ane He had fulfilled what He came to earth to do—laying down His life for all people (the sheep, the flock of His pastures), He was eating with His disciples at the Sea of Galilee.  He commanded Peter three times, “Feed my sheep” (see John 21: 15-21).

Paul the Apostle likened the church and its leaders to a flock with a shepherd:  “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood: (Acts 20:28). 

A clear distinction of Shepherd to sheep and the responsibility of sheep is given in Hebrews 13:20-21:  “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

Isaiah centuries before Christ’s appearance on the earth prophesied that the Good and Gentle Shepherd would come and lead His flock to victory.  David sang about the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23.  Artists have sought to put the concept into paintings.  Perhaps the most famous is German artist Bernhard Plockhorst (1825-1907) of the “Nazarine Movement” of art who showed a gentle shepherd Jesus carrying a newborn lamb, the sheep’s mother looking gratefully at the shepherd and her sheep, and the flock following behind the shepherd.  Serene and confident, the flock and the little lamb are cared for by the Good Shepherd.  Today the Gentle Shepherd desires and stands ready to guide us.  Let us rest in the confidence of Who He is and what He wants to do for us. 
     –Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.3.2014.

How Am I As a Shepherd?

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with his own blood.” –Acts 20:28 (ESV).  “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight; not under compulsion , but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.  And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” -1 Peter 5:2-5 (ESV).

I’ve been reading a thought-provoking book by Mary Foxwell Loeks entitled Named by God:  Discovering the Power of God’s Names for You (Grand Rapids: Revell, c2010).  I feel a kinship with Ms. Loeks and her writings, for she, likes (as I) to pursue ideas and give devotionals on a word or a thought.  And her Named by God has a meditation  about us as both “sheep” and “shepherd”.  To be named as “sheep” shows our dependence on God, as the sheep is dependent on the shepherd.  But what we seldom think about is the more responsible name God also gives us—that of shepherd.  Because sheep are so prone to be helpless, hapless and hard-headed, they need a leader, a shepherd, who can guide, provide and held them be secure.  It’s like the poet has said, we may be “the only Bible the careless world will read.”  We, as Christians, are a shepherd to some. 

I remembered back to my childhood when my father, a good farmer, went through a period of raising sheep.  My grandfather, Bud Collins, also raised sheep.  From the flocks the wool was gathered, cleaned, carded, spun and woven into warm blankets and knitted into socks, sweaters, scarves and other clothing items to protect us.  During the time of my father’s sheep-raising, he gave me a newborn lamb and told me that it was mine to feed and nourish.  Like the familiar nursery rhyme, “And everywhere that Mary went, that lamb was sure to go!” held true of my pet lamb, Fluffy.  I loved that lamb and she loved me.  I could hardly wait to get home from Choestoe School, a mile walk, to cuddle my little lamb and care for it.  As it grew older, it grew more mischievous, probably because I had spoiled it so.  Eventually, when Fluffy was grown up, she was sold along with other sheep from  my father’s flock.  I missed her.  But maybe that early care of a lamb—my job as a shepherd to her—helped prepare me for some of the later experiences of my life.

I had a wonderful husband, the Rev. Grover Jones, who was what Peter writes about in 1 Peter 5 as a “shepherd of the flock.”  And I, likewise, felt a God-calling to be a caring, loving, teaching member of our shepherding team.  What a privilege!  We are under-shepherds because the Chief Shepherd has given us our own to care for, and called us to the task of spiritual mentors.  We read in Hebrews 13:20-21, that we are to “equip ourselves with everything good for doing His will…be pleasing to Him…and give Him glory forever and ever.” 

How is our shepherding of those to whom we are spiritual mentors?  Peter emphasizes in the focal passage that one who shepherds another is to be an example and is to lead humbly.  These admonitions give us pause for thought, and call for self-examination.  -Ethelene Dyer Jones  07.27.2014

Thinking Positively

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ..Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of  knowledge.  Hear my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way” –Proverbs 23:7a, 12, 19 (NKJV).

“As he thinks in his heart, so is he.”  Positive thinking is a must for one’s own well-being and to get along in the world.  We hear negativism on every hand today, and indeed, we do live in a time of chaos, mistrust and faltering and falling government.  Values we have long held are being replaced by modern trends in thinking.  Tried and true principles of living have been and are being discarded by those in authority.  Is there a way to latch onto and practice positive thinking in such an atmosphere of “dog eat dog” and “anything goes”?

How important to our well-being and sense of self-worth that we think positively.  Despite trends and philosophies we see displayed so blatantly, is there any way we can latch onto what is good and positive?  I have just read Proverbs 23 in its entirety.  That particular chapter of wisdom literature has a series of “Do not” instructions, warnings of pitfalls in life that can be sorely detrimental if keen attention is not given to right conduct and living.  The “do nots’ are worth attention, and pertain to avoiding bad lifestyles such as greed, gluttony, drunkenness and lack of discipline in general.  Within the “do nots” are positive gems to heed,  pinpointed in our focal verses for today:  “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (7)  “Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge” (12) “Hear…and be wise, and guide your heart in the way” (19).  So much in our lives depends on how we think, our attitude toward situations.  My friend Gene Crawford wrote:  “Sometimes you must make your own sunshine; positive thinking people do it every day in the confines of their mind."  (in THOUGHTS FROM MY LIFE'S EXPERIENCES. Walden, Tn: Walden Publishers, 2013, p.26).

I like Irish blessings.  Here is one a little less known than the one that begins, "May the road rise to meet you."  These gems of wisdom are anonymous, probably dating back a long way into collections of Irish literature.  Consider this one:

     "May there always be work for your hands to do;

     May your purse always hold a coin or two;

     May the sun always shine on your windowpane;

     May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

     May a hand of a friend be always near you;

     May God fill your hear with gladness and cheer."

So much of what we do in life depends upon how we think and the positive attitude we place toward accomplishing our goals.  The Irish in their well-stated blessing and the wisdom expressed by the writer of Proverbs give us a good handle on positive thinking.  Poet Mary Oliver poses a serious question:  "Listen. Are you breathing just a little and calling it life?"  Prayer:  Today, Lord, let me examine my own attitude and see if it is aligned with Your positive plans and purpose for my life. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 07.13.2014