There is a difference between waiting and waiting on God. T.S. Elliot in West Cocker described it like this:
“I said to my soul wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing. Wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing. Yet there is faith. And the faith, hope, and love are all found in the waiting.”
This is a peculiar waiting. You can wait for "the wrong thing" when you have a misplaced object of your waiting. This kind of waiting is based upon a dream, a desire, or a wish. It could very well be a very good thing, but not God's thing. many times that thing you are waiting for may never happen. But when you wait upon the Lord alone, everything you hope for, long for, and dream of will be found in the Lord and from the Lord.
That is what we have seen that the Jews are doing in Esther. That is what Mordecai is doing. That is what Esther is doing. God was looking for people like them. Desperate, broken, scared, weak, overloaded, overwhelmed, facing impossible odds, and serious threats. Are you? And oh how God is going to work for them and oh how God will work for you!
God’s eagerness to work is astonishing! In fact He is so eager to work that He goes around looking to work for those who trust him 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support (work for, to help) to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” That is what God is going to do for Esther.
WHAT GOD DOES FOR THOSE WHO WAIT Esther does not rush into action. During this time the Jews and Esther are doing what the prophet Isaiah advised about waiting, “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31) From this verse we learn that five things happen when we wait rather than rushing into action:
First, God gives further instructions Esther is stopping her actions and listening for God’s direction. “For God alone my soul waits in silence from him comes my salvation…For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him”(Psalm 62:1,5).
Second, God gives new strength Isn’t that what Esther needed? We may feel weak, even intimidated, when we turn to our Lord. While waiting, amazingly, we exchange our weakness for His strength.
Third, God gives a better perspective It says we "will mount up with wings like eagles." Eagles can spot fish in a lake several miles away on a clear day. By soaring like eagles while waiting, we gain perspective on what we are dealing with.
Fourth, God gives us extra energy "We will run and not get tired." Notice, it's in the future tense. When we do encounter the thing we have been dreading, we will encounter it with new strength-extra energy will be ours to use.
Fifth, God gives us a deeper determination to persevere We "will walk and not become weary" The Lord empowers us to do what we cannot do ourselves. He gives us fresh energy and vitality supernaturally to keep on keeping on.
Undoubtedly that is what Esther found during those three days she waited on the Lord. And as she waited, the Lord does a work in her heart that will empower her to make history! All because of the waiting. It was a silent yet precious and powerful parenthesis in Esther's life. Because Esther waited on a God, He worked a mighty deliverance through her for an entire nation.
This may be one of those "white spaces" in your own life; one of those silent, yet precious and powerful parenthesis. Are you facing an unprecedented event in your life? Are you at a critical juncture where you need to act or speak? Are you at a place where unless God helps things are hopeless? If so, wait on the Lord.
Maybe it's time for you to pray and to fast and to call upon a few close friends to fast and pray with you. “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you" (Psalm 50:15; Isaiah 41:10-13).
Maybe it's time for you to say, "I'm not going to rush into this unpredictable and unprecedented situation. I don't know my way through. I can't find the path to walk. So I'm going to wait. I will not run ahead nor lag behind. I will submit to the place where God has me and follow the pace He is moving. In the meantime, I'm going to give it to God and trust that He loves to work for people who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18, "Oh how happy are all those wait for the Lord." Waiting on the Lord will make you happy. Why? Because no longer will you have to work things out when you know you can’t. No longer will you despair because a problem can’t be solved. No longer will human inability be a hindrance to the destiny that God has purposed for you. God works for those who wait!
Oh let us look up, lift up, and enjoy the God who so happily labors for us. All the things we need most will be achieved for us by the labor of God or not at all. And so I want to end this chapter with this great truth ringing in your ears: "God works for those who wait for him."
A Prayer
Oh Lord, my soul is overwhelmed with so many things. I believe in Your precious promises but I feel like there are so many things working against the fulfilling of Your promises in my life. I will not look to myself or man and think that they can hinder Your work, I will wait for You.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
WAITING ON GOD PART 2
There is a critical lesson for our lives as believers. When things get bad in our lives, when it looks like our world is about to fall apart, don't think for a moment that God is whiling away His time, busy with other things. Remember, He may be invisible, but He is at work. That's the beauty of His invisibility. He can be moving in a thousand places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. "I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). "Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases" (Psalm 115:3).
This is what we see in the story of Esther. Esther, was her Persian name. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah. She was an orphan from the tribe of Benjamin. She lived among the Jewish exiles in Persia. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, who served as a minor government official. A king by the name of Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes, was the leader of the Persian Empire. This most likely places the story approximately 500 years before the birth of Christ.
The story begins simply enough with a king holding a banquet. King Xerxes of Persia has just spent six months parading his wealth before the entire kingdom (it took that long), and now he is throwing a feast for all the men in the capital city for seven days. His queen, Vashti, was giving a banquet for the women at the same time. After seven days of drinking, the king orders the queen to come and parade herself naked before his drunken guests. Queen Vashti refused to come. This made the king furious. Seeing his anger, the king’s personal attendants came up with an idea: They suggested that the king issue a royal decree, declaring that Vashti was never again to come into his presence. They also encouraged him to make someone else queen. They said, “Let’s find as many beautiful young virgins as we can for the king. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the King Xerxes, and the search began. In the city there was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem. Mordecai had a beautiful cousin named Esther, whom he had raised because she had neither father nor mother. When the king’s edict was announced, many girls, including Esther, were brought to the king’s palace. An early version of “Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire”
Esther didn’t tell anyone she was a Jew, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day, Mordecai walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. The king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and he eventually made her queen. While Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, he overheard two of the king’s officers plotting to kill King Xerxes. He told Queen Esther about the plot, who in turn reported it to the king, giving the credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were put to death.
During this time, King Xerxes honored a man named Haman, elevating him to a place of high honor in the kingdom. The king commanded all royal officials to kneel down and pay honor to Haman because of his position. But Mordecai refused to kneel down. Haman was so angry that he looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. Because of Haman’s influence, King Xerxes listened to him, and the order went out to kill all the Jews. Mordecai and the rest of the Jews don sackcloth and ashes to mourn and weep over the decree. He sends word to Esther that it is time for her to reveal her Jewish identity and plead with the king for her life and the lives of her people.
WHERE DO WE TURN IN THE WAITING TIMES?
But now Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews need help. So for three days they are praying and fasting (Esther 4:16-17). Where do they turn? Where do they look? Who are they looking for? What kind of help do they seek? They look to the same help that David did.
David lifted his eyes up to the hills when he was in trouble and said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121)
David was in trouble. He looks all around him for help and finds none. Often times in life we come to these points where human resources, our own talents and abilities, and nothing in this world can get us out of this problem. They can be points of despair or points of faith. David looked out and realized that his help came not from the hills. Instead he looked up and saw that the source of his help is but from the Lord, who made the hills. He reminded himself of two great truths: One, God is a mighty creator over all the problems of life; the other is that God never sleeps. Think of this. God is a tireless worker. During all this time God has been working in Esther and now while they are praying and fasting and a decree has gone out God is still working out His divine purposes.
GOD WORKS FOR THOSE WHO WAIT
God was working in Esther’s life and God is a tireless worker in your life. Isaiah 64:4, " From of old no one has heard, or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." In this text we see three things about this work which God does: 1) its peculiarity; 2) its proficiency; 3) its stipulation.
First, the peculiarity of God’s work. The text suggests that in working for those who wait for him God does something utterly unique. "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." No one has ever heard or seen the likes of this God. What sets Jehovah apart from all the other gods is that He does not need to be worked for. He is self-sufficient. He has no need for help or workers. He will work for those who wait for him. Therefore, no eye has ever seen the likes of such a God; it is without parallel anywhere that the Creator should come down and work for the creature.
Second, the proficiency of this work. We've all had work done for us. We all know what it is like to depend on someone who does a job for us and then to be let down through incompetence in one form or another. But things are altogether different when God works for us. God is not lacking in any of the things that cause humans to let us down in the help we need. They may lack integrity. They may lack sufficient understanding of how to do the job. They may lack sufficient strength or endurance to finish it. In other words, their motivation their knowledge and their power may be inadequate for what needs to be done and so they sometimes let us down. But with God things are utterly different. His motivation to preserve His glory, honor, and avoid the reputation of incompetent is infinite. His knowledge of how everything works and how to meet every need is infinite. And his strength and endurance are infinite. God cannot fail. As he says in Isaiah 46:9,10, I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose." If God undertakes to work for us, he cannot fail. He will succeed in providing all the services we need.
Finally, the condition of God’s work For whom does God work? In one respect God works for everyone. In His common grace He works to produce life and to provide sun and rain and harvest for all his creatures, even those in rebellion. He gives health and prosperity to millions who ignore him or give him token acknowledgment. All this is meant to lead them to repentance and gratitude and worship. (Rom. 2:4-5). But the work of God referred to in our text is a special grace. It is work done only for those who have a certain disposition. "No eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." The work mentioned here is the investment of all God's energy in every way for our eternal good. This he does only for those who wait for him.
Listen to the promise of God in Jeremiah 32:40-41,
“I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. ‘I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul’.”
Oh dear reader, please take the time to read this. Please don’t only read it but let your mind linger in thought on this for a moment. Don't run your eyes over the promises of God like the wrong pages in a phone book. Listen, the Maker of heaven and earth, has said, "I will not turn away from doing good to them.... I will rejoice in doing them good ... with all my heart and with all my soul." Let all three promises sink in. This is the greatness of our God! God is unique, He is not looking for help; He is joyfully, passionately, and enthusiastically looking to help. He is not looking for great men and woman; He is looking for those who will wait upon Him! WAIT! WAIT ON GOD!
This is what we see in the story of Esther. Esther, was her Persian name. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah. She was an orphan from the tribe of Benjamin. She lived among the Jewish exiles in Persia. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, who served as a minor government official. A king by the name of Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes, was the leader of the Persian Empire. This most likely places the story approximately 500 years before the birth of Christ.
The story begins simply enough with a king holding a banquet. King Xerxes of Persia has just spent six months parading his wealth before the entire kingdom (it took that long), and now he is throwing a feast for all the men in the capital city for seven days. His queen, Vashti, was giving a banquet for the women at the same time. After seven days of drinking, the king orders the queen to come and parade herself naked before his drunken guests. Queen Vashti refused to come. This made the king furious. Seeing his anger, the king’s personal attendants came up with an idea: They suggested that the king issue a royal decree, declaring that Vashti was never again to come into his presence. They also encouraged him to make someone else queen. They said, “Let’s find as many beautiful young virgins as we can for the king. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the King Xerxes, and the search began. In the city there was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem. Mordecai had a beautiful cousin named Esther, whom he had raised because she had neither father nor mother. When the king’s edict was announced, many girls, including Esther, were brought to the king’s palace. An early version of “Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire”
Esther didn’t tell anyone she was a Jew, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day, Mordecai walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. The king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and he eventually made her queen. While Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, he overheard two of the king’s officers plotting to kill King Xerxes. He told Queen Esther about the plot, who in turn reported it to the king, giving the credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were put to death.
During this time, King Xerxes honored a man named Haman, elevating him to a place of high honor in the kingdom. The king commanded all royal officials to kneel down and pay honor to Haman because of his position. But Mordecai refused to kneel down. Haman was so angry that he looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. Because of Haman’s influence, King Xerxes listened to him, and the order went out to kill all the Jews. Mordecai and the rest of the Jews don sackcloth and ashes to mourn and weep over the decree. He sends word to Esther that it is time for her to reveal her Jewish identity and plead with the king for her life and the lives of her people.
WHERE DO WE TURN IN THE WAITING TIMES?
But now Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews need help. So for three days they are praying and fasting (Esther 4:16-17). Where do they turn? Where do they look? Who are they looking for? What kind of help do they seek? They look to the same help that David did.
David lifted his eyes up to the hills when he was in trouble and said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121)
David was in trouble. He looks all around him for help and finds none. Often times in life we come to these points where human resources, our own talents and abilities, and nothing in this world can get us out of this problem. They can be points of despair or points of faith. David looked out and realized that his help came not from the hills. Instead he looked up and saw that the source of his help is but from the Lord, who made the hills. He reminded himself of two great truths: One, God is a mighty creator over all the problems of life; the other is that God never sleeps. Think of this. God is a tireless worker. During all this time God has been working in Esther and now while they are praying and fasting and a decree has gone out God is still working out His divine purposes.
GOD WORKS FOR THOSE WHO WAIT
God was working in Esther’s life and God is a tireless worker in your life. Isaiah 64:4, " From of old no one has heard, or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." In this text we see three things about this work which God does: 1) its peculiarity; 2) its proficiency; 3) its stipulation.
First, the peculiarity of God’s work. The text suggests that in working for those who wait for him God does something utterly unique. "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." No one has ever heard or seen the likes of this God. What sets Jehovah apart from all the other gods is that He does not need to be worked for. He is self-sufficient. He has no need for help or workers. He will work for those who wait for him. Therefore, no eye has ever seen the likes of such a God; it is without parallel anywhere that the Creator should come down and work for the creature.
Second, the proficiency of this work. We've all had work done for us. We all know what it is like to depend on someone who does a job for us and then to be let down through incompetence in one form or another. But things are altogether different when God works for us. God is not lacking in any of the things that cause humans to let us down in the help we need. They may lack integrity. They may lack sufficient understanding of how to do the job. They may lack sufficient strength or endurance to finish it. In other words, their motivation their knowledge and their power may be inadequate for what needs to be done and so they sometimes let us down. But with God things are utterly different. His motivation to preserve His glory, honor, and avoid the reputation of incompetent is infinite. His knowledge of how everything works and how to meet every need is infinite. And his strength and endurance are infinite. God cannot fail. As he says in Isaiah 46:9,10, I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose." If God undertakes to work for us, he cannot fail. He will succeed in providing all the services we need.
Finally, the condition of God’s work For whom does God work? In one respect God works for everyone. In His common grace He works to produce life and to provide sun and rain and harvest for all his creatures, even those in rebellion. He gives health and prosperity to millions who ignore him or give him token acknowledgment. All this is meant to lead them to repentance and gratitude and worship. (Rom. 2:4-5). But the work of God referred to in our text is a special grace. It is work done only for those who have a certain disposition. "No eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him." The work mentioned here is the investment of all God's energy in every way for our eternal good. This he does only for those who wait for him.
Listen to the promise of God in Jeremiah 32:40-41,
“I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. ‘I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul’.”
Oh dear reader, please take the time to read this. Please don’t only read it but let your mind linger in thought on this for a moment. Don't run your eyes over the promises of God like the wrong pages in a phone book. Listen, the Maker of heaven and earth, has said, "I will not turn away from doing good to them.... I will rejoice in doing them good ... with all my heart and with all my soul." Let all three promises sink in. This is the greatness of our God! God is unique, He is not looking for help; He is joyfully, passionately, and enthusiastically looking to help. He is not looking for great men and woman; He is looking for those who will wait upon Him! WAIT! WAIT ON GOD!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
WAITING ON THE LORD
“For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.”
Genesis 49:18
“Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed”
Psalm 25:3
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:13-14
“I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6
Genesis 49:18
“Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed”
Psalm 25:3
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:13-14
“I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6
“There may be a reason for the delay and the waiting may bring a blessing. You will learn that the delay in answer is one of the most precious ways God gives you his grace." Andrew Murray
"When you are waiting you are not doing nothing. You're doing something. You're allowing your soul to grow up. If you can't be still and wait, you can't become what God created you to be." A monk to Sue Monk Kidd from When the Heart Waits
A group of tourists were visiting a picturesque village. As they walked by an old man sitting beside a fence, one tourist asked him in a patronizing way, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man relied, “Nope only babies.” In every age there comes a time when God raises up people to meet the needs of the hour. Not great men and women, just ordinary people. Every one of you readers have been born in the providence of God and He has sovereignely placed you right here right now as Mordecai told Queen Esther, “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
You may not feel that you are great or that your life is great but you are all destined for greatness because of you are children of a great God with great purposes for this generation through ordinary people like you and me. “When David fulfilled God’s purpose for his generation, he died…I consider my life of no consequence except to complete the purpose of God set before me; to testify to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 13:38; 20:28).
The nature of the Christian life could be describe as “living on God alone”. We have seen how awareness of our neediness and of God’s sufficiency leads us to the precious place of prayer to God. Prayer primarily involves asking God for help. Psalm 50:15 says, “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." After prayer is often times the most difficult aspect of living on God, we must wait on the Lord.
One of the ways that God prepares us for the great things of destiny are the times during which we must wait on the Lord. Waiting for the Lord" is an Old Testament way of describing a willingness to neither run ahead of the Lord nor bail out on the Lord. John Piper describes it as staying at your appointed place while he says stay, and it's going at his appointed pace while he says go.
A great illustration of this is seen in the book of Esther. Between chapters 4and 5 of this ancient book, I find nothing but white space in my Bible, as I'm sure there is in yours. It's a break in time. It's a space of suspense when we don't know what is happening. Nothing is recorded for us to read. All we know is that Mordecai has prophetically and boldly challenged Esther who initially chose comfort, ease, and security over the glory of God and the need of a nation.
"Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
God uses Mordecai to encourage and empower Esther to step into God’s purposes and her destiny. Upon Mordecai’s challenge Esther does not immediately race into the king’s presence. Esther’s response: “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16).
So Esther has sent word to Mordecai that she was going to enter the king's presence uninvited, which could mean her instant death. So for three days all of the Jews are fasting and praying calming their emotions, gaining perspective, and placing their problem in the hands of God. There is absolutely nothing else anyone can do but wait. The king has issued an edict influenced by the evil scheming of Haman that all Jews are to be killed. All are waiting, waiting for Esther to try to approach the king, but more so, waiting on God. Esther is waiting and fasting and praying for three days as well. Esther is preparing but even more so, being prepared “for such a time as this” to walk in three days into the presence of the king, not knowing what the future holds except that God holds the future.
To continued...
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
AMAZED BY COMMON GRACE!
Hudson Taylor once said that he was immortal until his work on earth was done. He understood how the strong hand of God was in protecting and preserving him to complete his God-ordained task. I wonder what would happen if evil was allowed to run rampant on this earth? What if every intention the devil had against you would happen? What if you had made that left turn instead of the right turn? What if that burglar hadn’t passed by your home and chosen another to rob? Why have we not seen weapons of mass destruction unleashed in all their horror upon our nation? It is a part of what I spoke of as “God’s common grace”. Part of common grace is as Sam Storms writes, “that God holds in check the destructive tendencies that are part of the curse of sin upon nature.”
The second aspect of common grace is more positive in thrust. Storms writes, “God not only restrains the sinful operations and effects of the human heart, he also bestows upon both nature and humanity manifold blessings both physical and spiritual. Although these blessings fall short of redemption itself, the grace of God displayed throughout the created order is marvelous indeed."
Think about all the ways God’s grace blesses mankind. If you look at the world around you and contrasts it with the judgments it deserves we can see all around us abundant evidence of God’s common grace in thousands of examples in daily life. Look at what David said about God’s preserving and sustaining grace in Psalm 65:5-13,
“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.”
(Psalm 65:9-13; similar descriptions may be found in Psalm 104:10-30; 145:1-16; and 136:25).
Storms writes, “God endows unsaved men and women with gifts, talents, and aptitudes; he stimulates them with interest and purpose to the practice of moral virtues, the pursuance of worthy tasks, and the cultivation of arts and sciences that occupy the time, activity and energy of men and that make for the benefit and civilization of the human race. He ordains institutions for the protection and promotion of right, the preservation of liberty, the advance of knowledge and the improvement of physical and moral conditions.”
God’s common grace is manifested in the physical realm, the intellectual realm, the moral realm, the creative and artistic realm, and the societal realm of life. We read about this manifestation of common grace in Genesis 39:5; Matthew 5:44-45; Luke 6:35-36; 16:25; Acts 14:16-17. It is because of such operations of common grace that the unregenerate may be said to perform "good" (cf. 2 Kings 10:30; 12:2; Matt. 5:46; Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14-15).
However, John Murray reminds us that "the good attributed to unregenerate men is after all only relative good. It is not good in the sense of meeting in motivation, principle and aim the requirements of God's law and the demands of his holiness" and thus can in no way commend them to the righteousness of the Father.
This really helps to understand the radical corruption or total depravity of man. Man in his corrupt, wrath inducing, damnation leading sinfulness does not always manifest itself the same way or same magnitude at all times. What this means in terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that, if left to him-self, a person will invariably, inevitably, and without pause reject the truth. Total depravity means that no matter how "civil" or "compassionate" or "industrious" or "law-abiding" a person might otherwise be in his dealings with other people, he is utterly and willfully indisposed to all that Christ is and says.
In spite of all the manifestations of common grace we must realize that common grace is different from saving grace. We must never lose sight of the fact that all such operations of common grace (Remember, it is called grace because it is given freely by God to undeserved sinners) are non-saving. None of these manifestations of grace are not able nor intended in themselves to produce new life in Christ. It does not change the heart or bring people to genuine repentance and faith. Common grace restrains sin but it does not change mankind’s disposition to sin.
Sometimes we will see unbelievers receive more common grace than believers. They may be brighter, harder working, more skillful, more creative, and enjoy more material benefits of this life to enjoy. This in no way signifies that God loves them more or that they are saved. It simply reveals that God chooses to bless in different degrees and in various ways, often times to unbelievers. In all of this, unbelievers should acknowledge God’s goodness (Acts 14:17) and recognize that God’s gracious goodness and kindness should eventually lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).
Why does God bestow common grace on undeserving sinners who will never come to salvation?
Wayne Grudem suggests four reasons:
1. To Redeem Those Who Will Be Saved- 2 Peter 3:9-10, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
2. To Demonstrate God’s Goodness and Mercy- Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Psalm 145:9, “T he LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
3. To Demonstrate God’s Justice- Romans 2:4-6, “do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works.” Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”
4. To Demonstrate God’s Glory- Every good, beautiful, creative, moral wise, skillful act of unregenerate men and women reflect in spite of their sinful motives the beauty and excellence of their creator, and therefore bring glory to God.
May God open our eyes to see all around us the evidences of God’s common grace. Oh, that God has graciously granted us all so much more than we ever deserve. May our hearts be overwhelmed with gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise for such amazing common grace in every aspect of life!
Standing in awe and amazement of grace,
Pastor Bill
The second aspect of common grace is more positive in thrust. Storms writes, “God not only restrains the sinful operations and effects of the human heart, he also bestows upon both nature and humanity manifold blessings both physical and spiritual. Although these blessings fall short of redemption itself, the grace of God displayed throughout the created order is marvelous indeed."
Think about all the ways God’s grace blesses mankind. If you look at the world around you and contrasts it with the judgments it deserves we can see all around us abundant evidence of God’s common grace in thousands of examples in daily life. Look at what David said about God’s preserving and sustaining grace in Psalm 65:5-13,
“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.”
(Psalm 65:9-13; similar descriptions may be found in Psalm 104:10-30; 145:1-16; and 136:25).
Storms writes, “God endows unsaved men and women with gifts, talents, and aptitudes; he stimulates them with interest and purpose to the practice of moral virtues, the pursuance of worthy tasks, and the cultivation of arts and sciences that occupy the time, activity and energy of men and that make for the benefit and civilization of the human race. He ordains institutions for the protection and promotion of right, the preservation of liberty, the advance of knowledge and the improvement of physical and moral conditions.”
God’s common grace is manifested in the physical realm, the intellectual realm, the moral realm, the creative and artistic realm, and the societal realm of life. We read about this manifestation of common grace in Genesis 39:5; Matthew 5:44-45; Luke 6:35-36; 16:25; Acts 14:16-17. It is because of such operations of common grace that the unregenerate may be said to perform "good" (cf. 2 Kings 10:30; 12:2; Matt. 5:46; Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14-15).
However, John Murray reminds us that "the good attributed to unregenerate men is after all only relative good. It is not good in the sense of meeting in motivation, principle and aim the requirements of God's law and the demands of his holiness" and thus can in no way commend them to the righteousness of the Father.
This really helps to understand the radical corruption or total depravity of man. Man in his corrupt, wrath inducing, damnation leading sinfulness does not always manifest itself the same way or same magnitude at all times. What this means in terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that, if left to him-self, a person will invariably, inevitably, and without pause reject the truth. Total depravity means that no matter how "civil" or "compassionate" or "industrious" or "law-abiding" a person might otherwise be in his dealings with other people, he is utterly and willfully indisposed to all that Christ is and says.
In spite of all the manifestations of common grace we must realize that common grace is different from saving grace. We must never lose sight of the fact that all such operations of common grace (Remember, it is called grace because it is given freely by God to undeserved sinners) are non-saving. None of these manifestations of grace are not able nor intended in themselves to produce new life in Christ. It does not change the heart or bring people to genuine repentance and faith. Common grace restrains sin but it does not change mankind’s disposition to sin.
Sometimes we will see unbelievers receive more common grace than believers. They may be brighter, harder working, more skillful, more creative, and enjoy more material benefits of this life to enjoy. This in no way signifies that God loves them more or that they are saved. It simply reveals that God chooses to bless in different degrees and in various ways, often times to unbelievers. In all of this, unbelievers should acknowledge God’s goodness (Acts 14:17) and recognize that God’s gracious goodness and kindness should eventually lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).
Why does God bestow common grace on undeserving sinners who will never come to salvation?
Wayne Grudem suggests four reasons:
1. To Redeem Those Who Will Be Saved- 2 Peter 3:9-10, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
2. To Demonstrate God’s Goodness and Mercy- Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Psalm 145:9, “T he LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
3. To Demonstrate God’s Justice- Romans 2:4-6, “do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works.” Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”
4. To Demonstrate God’s Glory- Every good, beautiful, creative, moral wise, skillful act of unregenerate men and women reflect in spite of their sinful motives the beauty and excellence of their creator, and therefore bring glory to God.
May God open our eyes to see all around us the evidences of God’s common grace. Oh, that God has graciously granted us all so much more than we ever deserve. May our hearts be overwhelmed with gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise for such amazing common grace in every aspect of life!
Standing in awe and amazement of grace,
Pastor Bill
Friday, September 7, 2007
AMAZED BY COMMON GRACE Part 1
Have you ever thought about the fact that the sun is shining today? That there is food on the table? That you and I are alive? That your non-Christian neighbor just won the lottery? That some of the nicest people you have ever met are non-Christians?
Sam Storms asks the question: "How is it that men who still lie under the wrath and curse of God and are heirs of hell enjoy so many good gifts at the hand of God? How is it that men who are not savingly renewed by the Spirit of God nevertheless exhibit so many qualities, gifts and accomplishments that promote the preservation, temporal happiness, cultural progress, social and economic improvement of themselves and of others? How is it that races and peoples that have been apparently untouched by the redemptive and regenerative influences of the gospel con-tribute so much to what we call human civilization? To put the question most comprehensively: how is it that this sin-cursed world enjoys so much favour and kindness at the hand of its holy and ever-blessed Creator?'
The answer to these questions is to be found in the distinction the Bible draws between God's common, or non-saving, grace and his special, or redemptive, grace. The common grace of God has been variously defined. What is common grace?
John Murray the late great 20th century Reformed theologian defines common grace as, "every favor of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God." Common grace to put it in simple terms then is the undeserved grace of God given to all mankind to live on this earth from breathing air to traveling to Hawaii to surviving a terrorist act to living a safe, secure, comfortable life.
How does God’s common grace manifest itself in the world and in the people of the world; all whom have been created by God? The first aspect of common grace is the restraint that God places upon sin and its effects in this world. We could call this the negative aspect of common grace. Here God does not allow all the sinful nature of man to be fully expressed s and it effects are not permitted to reach the maximum height of which they are capable.
Sam Storms gives an illustration of this from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. Why was it that looting was so rampant in New Orleans in the aftermath of that disaster? Was it because people who were otherwise good and law-abiding suddenly decided to become evil and criminal? No. Human nature hasn't changed. The reason for the looting is obvious. All the normal impediments to thievery in New Orleans were no longer in place. There was no electricity, so there were no alarms or lights or other manifestations of electronic protection on personal property. Security guards had fled. The police could not gain access to certain areas of the city. Surveillance cameras that otherwise would have photographed burglars were no longer operative. In other words, virtually all the restraints and obstacles to criminal behavior had disappeared. What could have kept the sinful and criminal inclination of the human heart from expressing itself was gone. (Needless to say, there was, before Katrina, a considerable amount of criminal behavior in spite of such restraints.)
He goes on to say that Electricity and light and alarms and the police are analogous to the common grace of God. They function as something of a barrier to criminal behavior or a deterrent that hinders the full expression of human wickedness. Whenever these natural restraints disappear, the full extent and expression of evil and criminal inclination begin to emerge. What electricity and light and alarms and police do to restrain wickedness in one American city is analogous to what the Holy Spirit does to restrain human sin on a more global scale.
So God’s common grace serves to impede or inhibit or curb the outward expression of the inward propensities of the sinful heart. Think about this. If God did not restrain, inhibit, abandon, or stop certain activities could you imagine what life in your neighborhood, your city, our nation, and the world would be like? The fact is that our world would eventually be uninhabitable. The wickedness of mankind would engulf the world and bring it to the verge of utter chaos and corruption.
God’s common grace in restraining human sin is called "grace" because it is utterly undeserved! What mercy it is that God restrains sin from those who deserve wrath and judgment. God shows His common grace to all of mankind, from the drug dealer to the philanthroper; to the saved and unsaved, regenerate and unregenerate. All are the benefactors of this amazing grace. It is not restricted to any one group of people nor any religious preference. But, we must remember that it does not necessarily lead to salvation. Most recipients of God’s common grace don’t even recognize it nor are they grateful for it. (Romans 1:19-32)
God’s common grace not only restrains the sinful desires of man, also God's grace freely holds back from pouring out today at this moment the well deserved manifestation of his divine wrath in response to sin. In other words, common grace both restrains man from the full uninhibited exercise of sin in this world but also the full outpouring of His settled wrath as the that sin demands. (Read Genesis 6:3; Acts 17:30; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 3:20; and 2 Peter 3:9).
Are you amazed even more by God's "common grace"? Do you realize what this world would look like without it?
"To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)
To be continued...
Sam Storms asks the question: "How is it that men who still lie under the wrath and curse of God and are heirs of hell enjoy so many good gifts at the hand of God? How is it that men who are not savingly renewed by the Spirit of God nevertheless exhibit so many qualities, gifts and accomplishments that promote the preservation, temporal happiness, cultural progress, social and economic improvement of themselves and of others? How is it that races and peoples that have been apparently untouched by the redemptive and regenerative influences of the gospel con-tribute so much to what we call human civilization? To put the question most comprehensively: how is it that this sin-cursed world enjoys so much favour and kindness at the hand of its holy and ever-blessed Creator?'
The answer to these questions is to be found in the distinction the Bible draws between God's common, or non-saving, grace and his special, or redemptive, grace. The common grace of God has been variously defined. What is common grace?
John Murray the late great 20th century Reformed theologian defines common grace as, "every favor of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God." Common grace to put it in simple terms then is the undeserved grace of God given to all mankind to live on this earth from breathing air to traveling to Hawaii to surviving a terrorist act to living a safe, secure, comfortable life.
How does God’s common grace manifest itself in the world and in the people of the world; all whom have been created by God? The first aspect of common grace is the restraint that God places upon sin and its effects in this world. We could call this the negative aspect of common grace. Here God does not allow all the sinful nature of man to be fully expressed s and it effects are not permitted to reach the maximum height of which they are capable.
Sam Storms gives an illustration of this from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. Why was it that looting was so rampant in New Orleans in the aftermath of that disaster? Was it because people who were otherwise good and law-abiding suddenly decided to become evil and criminal? No. Human nature hasn't changed. The reason for the looting is obvious. All the normal impediments to thievery in New Orleans were no longer in place. There was no electricity, so there were no alarms or lights or other manifestations of electronic protection on personal property. Security guards had fled. The police could not gain access to certain areas of the city. Surveillance cameras that otherwise would have photographed burglars were no longer operative. In other words, virtually all the restraints and obstacles to criminal behavior had disappeared. What could have kept the sinful and criminal inclination of the human heart from expressing itself was gone. (Needless to say, there was, before Katrina, a considerable amount of criminal behavior in spite of such restraints.)
He goes on to say that Electricity and light and alarms and the police are analogous to the common grace of God. They function as something of a barrier to criminal behavior or a deterrent that hinders the full expression of human wickedness. Whenever these natural restraints disappear, the full extent and expression of evil and criminal inclination begin to emerge. What electricity and light and alarms and police do to restrain wickedness in one American city is analogous to what the Holy Spirit does to restrain human sin on a more global scale.
So God’s common grace serves to impede or inhibit or curb the outward expression of the inward propensities of the sinful heart. Think about this. If God did not restrain, inhibit, abandon, or stop certain activities could you imagine what life in your neighborhood, your city, our nation, and the world would be like? The fact is that our world would eventually be uninhabitable. The wickedness of mankind would engulf the world and bring it to the verge of utter chaos and corruption.
God’s common grace in restraining human sin is called "grace" because it is utterly undeserved! What mercy it is that God restrains sin from those who deserve wrath and judgment. God shows His common grace to all of mankind, from the drug dealer to the philanthroper; to the saved and unsaved, regenerate and unregenerate. All are the benefactors of this amazing grace. It is not restricted to any one group of people nor any religious preference. But, we must remember that it does not necessarily lead to salvation. Most recipients of God’s common grace don’t even recognize it nor are they grateful for it. (Romans 1:19-32)
God’s common grace not only restrains the sinful desires of man, also God's grace freely holds back from pouring out today at this moment the well deserved manifestation of his divine wrath in response to sin. In other words, common grace both restrains man from the full uninhibited exercise of sin in this world but also the full outpouring of His settled wrath as the that sin demands. (Read Genesis 6:3; Acts 17:30; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 3:20; and 2 Peter 3:9).
Are you amazed even more by God's "common grace"? Do you realize what this world would look like without it?
"To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)
To be continued...
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