Silence

Inside the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus so they could put him to death....... Finally two men were found who declared, "This man said 'I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"  Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Well, aren't you going to answer these charges?  What do you have to say for yourself?"  But Jesus remained silent.  Matthew 26:59-63

I have read that when an earthquake is imminent there is silence in nature.  The birds stop singing, dogs stop barking and all of nature is still.  We know that when a tsunami is about to happen the surf stops pounding the shore; in fact the ocean recedes far off the shore in as if gathering momentum for its fearful assault.  On the dreadful day in earth's history that these verses speak of we see another kind of silence.  Jesus chose not to defend himself against charges laid against him.  Instead he stood quietly. Isaiah prophesied of this time saying, "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7. What strength it must have taken to stand in the face of twisted truth, words taken out of context, misunderstood. 

Again the prophet explained, "But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants." Isaiah 53:10.  God's plan was good - it was for us, that we might become the children of God with full and free access to his love, forgiveness and grace because of the suffering of Jesus our Saviour, Son of God, Son of man.

Sometimes silence is necessary when we are faced with criticism, accusation and misunderstanding.  Our suffering will never come close to what Jesus faced during his ordeal but it will still involve pain.  It is a difficult and painful thing to stay quiet and let God defend us - and He will if we allow Him to. 

Often the Lord will allow us to experience the pain of a situation in order to grow us into maturity and if we feel we have to defend ourselves our words may just add to the problem.  Perhaps you are facing a situation right now where you are searching for what to say to defend yourself and make right a misunderstanding.  Perhaps silence and prayer is what will cause the breakthrough.  If offence should rise to test you, remember Jesus, who said, "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." Luke 23:34.  When we walk in love and forgiveness towards those who have hurt us our actions speak more clearly than any words that we can utter in our defense.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the amazing gift of love you gave when you allowed yourself to be crucified for me.  Thank you for your example of standing silent in the face of accusation.  When I am tempted to defend myself, help me to remember that you are my great defender, and to trust my case to you.  Amen

Provision

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

We often have Kookaburras visit us and sometimes Colin hand-feeds them. Not a good idea really but we enjoy the experience. The other morning as I looked out our glass doors I noticed a large stick insect on the screen door.... I don't like creepy crawlies!  Soon, however a kookaburra landed on the railing followed closely by a mate.  They hadn't come to visit us but were eyeing up the insect.  No doubt it looked good to them for breakfast.  After deciding how to go about lifting the insect off the screen, one soon had it in his beak and off they went. Breakfast provided!

It can be very easy, in the current economic situation, to look at circumstances in fear and trepidation. There are people losing their jobs with little hope of finding another, youth leaving school and needing to find employment and the cost of living rising with every news broadcast.  But we don't need to fear, Christians, we need to BELIEVE!  We have a God whose name is Jehovah Jireh - the God who provides.  Unless we are put in a situation of need, we don't have opportunity to believe and see God at work.

I have a friend who has recently undergone surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer.  She told me that although this journey has been a difficult one, it has also been a time when she has seen God provide for her and her son more than ever before.  She has also felt the love of God's family in a new way.  She can find reason to thank Him for this difficult experience. 

Psalm 112:7 says that the righteous (that's those who believe in Jesus) "do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them."  And why would he not?  The verse in Matthew says that he feeds the birds, and we are MUCH more valuable to him than they are! The apostle Paul encouraged his readers with these words, "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.  Our part is to be good caretakers of what God gives us; not to hoard up unnecessarily, but not to waste our resources either.

Christians, as the days grow darker and more desperate, and they will, our lights should shine more brightly.  We should be beacons of hope and light in our world.  People who can be generous and help the poor because our God has provided for us. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, my provider, help me to trust you for all my needs and help me to trust you enough to be wise and generous with what you supply.  Amen

Justice

The foundations of law and order have collapsed.  What can the righteous do? But the Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. Psalm 11:3-4

I can't count the number of times we have watched the evening news and been horrified at the increasing rise of violence and corruption in our land.  Added to that is the disappointment we feel with some of the seemingly inadequate sentences meted out to criminals. Worse still, there are those who are obviously guilty but can afford to hire expensive lawyers who then somehow 'prove' their innocence.  Then there is the problem of government being manipulated by the vocal minority to change age-old laws that have kept our society on a firm foundation, to fit our increasingly sin-filled world's demands.  I am so glad I can say with the psalmist - Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

What can the righteous do indeed?   In the 1700s Irish orator, philosopher, and politician Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Firstly we can take comfort from, and hope in the fact that God is in his holy temple and he does indeed still rule from heaven.  We do not have to adopt a position that 'all is lost, there is no hope'.  Secondly we must remember that we have a God, and we have his attention.  'The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.' (Proverbs 15:9). We can and must pray. James 5:16(NLT) says, 'The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.'  (Don't say, "Well I'm not really righteous.  If you are a believer, remember, our righteousness has nothing to do with how good we are but all to do with the righteousness that is given to believers because of our  Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  We are covered over with his righteousness and that's what God sees.) Our earnest prayers will produce results. God promises they will.  It may not be in our timeframe but we must continue to pray in faith and leave the results to God.

Sometimes we have the opportunity to speak up and be counted.  It is easy to ignore opinion polls as being of no consequence or use.  However, they can give ammunition to the enemy.  If good people do or say nothing, the world has all the say and the opinion polls are loaded in their favour, but don't necessarily reflect the true thinking of a nation.  Let us love our nation enough to speak the truth - in love, because 'Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.' Proverbs 14:34

Prayer:  Lord God, thank you that you are still ruling from heaven and you will indeed have the final say.  Help me to know when to speak up for truth and right and help me to be faithful in prayer for my nation.  Thank you that you always hear my prayer.  Amen

Traps

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8

The Venus Fly Trap is a plant that is carnivorous, that is it devours insects because it needs the nutrients from the insects to compensate for the poor soil it generally lives in.  Their claw-like leaves lay open until an unsuspecting insect alights and suddenly the leaf closes and the insect is history.

Today three of my devotional readings referred to 'traps'.  It was significant as there is no theme to the readings and they were from various books; 1 Kings 13, Proverbs 7:22-23 and Matthew 22:23-33 (take time to read them for yourself).  I thought it would be a good topic to look at.  I was reminded afresh that the enemy of our souls, Satan, is always on the lookout for a chance to trap us, and we are never too old to be caught out.

The reading in 1 Kings 13 is particularly sad because an unnamed prophet of God brings a very significant word from God to King Jeroboam and it is confirmed by 2 miraculous signs.  The prophet from Judah was on assignment from God who gave him very specific instructions that he was to go give the word, return home a different way and not to eat or drink anything until he got home. An old local prophet heard about this and went out after the prophet from Judah and enticed him to come home and eat and drink with him saying, "I am a prophet too, just as you are.  And an angel gave me this message from the Lord: 'Bring him home with you, and give him food to eat and water to drink.' But the old man was lying."(vs 18)

Sadly the younger prophet was not alert to the devil's tactics.  This was surely a trap.  How the old prophet could have lied to him is another story, but the enemy can and does use other believers to entrap us sometimes.  In Galatians 1:9 Paul was addressing the fact that the Galatians had been persuaded by believers to again put themselves under the Law from which Christ has set us free.  He told them that even though an angel bring another gospel, they should not believe it.  He did not want to see them fall into the trap of trying to earn their salvation by keeping the Law, when Jesus Christ was the fulfilment of the Law and faith in Him alone is what brings us salvation. 

Hebrews 5:14 speaks about believers who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. If we want to avoid the traps of the devil we must fill our hearts and minds with God's word so that we understand, and readily obey His ways, and so that we can discern when a trap is being set for us.  Psalm 119:110 says this, "The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. "  We need to stay with the word of God and not be side-tracked or side-lined.  Train yourself in the word and trust your discernment.  By all means remain open and teachable but not gullible.  Lazy Christians will not make time and effort to check out the word of God for themselves.  The people of Berea were commended because after they listened to Paul and Silas preach they searched the scriptures daily to see if they were teaching the truth (Acts 17:11). Staying strong in God's word will keep us out of Satan's traps. Let's be diligent so that we do not become deceived.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you for your example of quoting the truth of the scriptures to Satan during your temptation in the wilderness and then to those along the way who sought to trap you.  Help me to be diligent in studying your word and being alert to the enemy's schemes. Amen

Wisdom's Way

Solomon loved the LORD and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. 1 Kings 3:3 (Read on to vs 15)

Following this God appeared to him in a dream and said, "What do you want?  Ask, and I will give it to you!"  Gosh, who wouldn't want God to ask us a question like that?  Solomon answered with humility and with wisdom. He admitted that he felt like a little child in his new role as king and was quite overwhelmed by it all.  He asked, therefore, for wisdom so that he could govern well and understand right from wrong.  The Lord was so pleased with this request that he promised Solomon wisdom far greater than had ever been or ever would be known. Not only that, he would also have riches and honour.  To that was added the proviso of a long life IF he obeyed God's commands as his father David had.  Woohoo, what a blessing.

What struck me as I read on in this passage was that when Solomon went home from this place of sacrifice which had been considered the most important of all the local altars (vs 4), he immediately sacrificed again before the Ark of the Lord's covenant.  That's what wisdom did for him.  It changed his place of worship from the ones that were considered acceptable to the place God considered acceptable.  After his encounter with God, he soon received wisdom to begin building the temple.

So what is the lesson?  Doing things in a way that is acceptable to the world is not necessarily the way that is acceptable to the Lord.  Proverbs 14:12 (penned by King Solomon) says, There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. What path would that be?  Probably the one that the world thinks is okay, acceptable, - yet to God it is a path that will lead to trouble and in the end, death.  Today the world offers a 'banquet' of acceptable ways but if we are wise we will seek to know the  right way.  To do that requires that we seek advice from wise people.  Who are they?  Those who fear, reverence and obey the Lord (Psalm 111:10).  Again Solomon says, People who despise advice will find themselves in trouble; those who respect it will succeed. (Proverbs 13:13).

Since my teen years when faced with life decisions I have tried to have people around me who could offer wise counsel.  I honour them for the advice given and I thank God for giving me a heart that was willing to listen which has kept me on a sound path and away from the paths that lead to death.  To this day I love the fact that I can ask God for wisdom in the smallest ways (dealing with the computer or buying clothes) to the biggest decisions (where to live and what house to buy).  He is always ready and willing to give us wisdom and will not 'resent our asking' (James 1:5-7).  What is it that you need wisdom for today?  Go ahead, ask the One who is willing to guide you.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, you know the need for wisdom that I have in so many different ways every day.  Please help me to remember that you are always ready and willing to hear my prayer and  please help me to have a humble heart to seek you so that I walk in the way that is acceptable to you and therefore beneficial to me. Amen

Rough Seas

Immediately after this Jesus made his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home........Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray.  Night fell while he was there alone.  Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from the land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.  About 3 o'clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water.  .......... And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.  Matthew 14:22-32 NLT Selected

Jesus had just fed 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves of bread and 2 fish.  An amazing miracle of multiplication which the disciples took part in.  Then Jesus urged them to head for home and leave him some space for prayer.  Did he know that he was sending them out alone into a lake that would threaten to drown them?  I guess he did!

While he prayed, the disciples began to have a hard time with the wind whipping the waves up.  The going got very tough and then suddenly they see a ghost (they thought), out on the water.  Could this be an omen of coming death?  Grown men started to scream in terror... I can't imagine what they said!  But then comes a reassuring, familiar voice that says, "It's all right. I am here! Don't be afraid."(vs 27).

Peter then calls to Jesus, "If it's really you, call me to come to you walking on the water."  What on earth possessed him do make such a request?  I believe it was the Holy Spirit.  Why?  Because from this story we gather such a fund of information for faith teaching.  This would not be the last time Peter would act so impulsively but I believe God loved it!  He loved Peter's boldness.  Yes he knew he'd have to save him from the waves but he was okay with that.

What struck me afresh as I read this story was the fact that although Jesus came to them in the midst of their storm. He let them struggle for awhile, he didn't just appear in the boat and the storm was stilled. He allowed Peter to step into a storm that was far bigger than he could handle Jesus didn't still the waves for him as he stepped out of the boat and he didn't rescue them all until they called to him. But he was there, nearby, ready to come into the boat when invited.

When we go through 'rough seas' in our lives, Jesus is always nearby, watching, monitoring the circumstances.  He says to us, "It's all right. It's me."  I believe He allows the rough seas to come up in our lives to test us, to prove us and to make us stronger.  Sometimes the things that happen are so painful and we think we can't go on again, but he says, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."  It is up to us to invite him into our rocking boat and it's then that the waves are stilled. 

Does this mean that the storm in our life disappears? Often not, but the very presence of the One who stills the storm, calms the inner storm that takes place and the situation takes on a new perspective.  James tells us "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." (James 1:1-3)This is not an easy thing to do but the secret to being able to let it be an opportunity for joy is in allowing yourself to see that it is an opportunity for growth, and inviting Jesus into your situation and 'ride' along with you.   

Our children have to take some falls in life as they learn to walk.  They have to take knocks throughout their growing up but, handled correctly, these cause a strength of character to arise.  It is often a great temptation for parents to rescue their children from difficulties so they don't have to feel the pain, but it is good if we can take our cue from Jesus and stand by and pray that they learn the lessons that will equip them to handle life when we are not around.  If we rescue them they won't learn to cry out to Jesus and invite him into their 'boat'.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you that you are always nearby in the storms of our life.  Some storms are the consequences of our own poor choices, but other storms are permitted by you to do a work of grace in our lives.  No matter what the cause, please help me to learn the lesson, see the purpose and walk through the storm with you close to me.  Amen

Now is the time....... To Listen

When you hear the sound like marching feet in the tops of the balsam trees, attack!  That will be the signal that God is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistines. 1 Chronicles 14:15

Are you waiting to make a move of some sort but are not sure of the timing?  As I read this chapter today I was again impressed at David's wisdom in going to the Lord for direction.  On one occasion at the beginning of his reign when the Philistines came against him the Lord told David to go and he would win the battle.  Next time when the Philistines came against him David did not just go ahead and run right into battle assuming that God would deliver him the same way again.  Instead he again prayed and asked the Lord, "What do I do?"  This time God's answer was a little different, "Do not attack them straight on, circle round and wait for the sound...." (vs 14 & 15). 

When we are making a move of any kind we should always be asking God for his wisdom and way of doing it, and his timing.  That is the secret of success and the protection from great frustration or failure.  It seems easy and obvious but very often we just barge ahead and think that because it has worked one way for us at one time, then it will work the same way the next time.  Not so! 

The reason for this can be because God wants to grow and mature us and show us new ways of doing things, or he wants us to learn to wait and listen for his way of doing it and the right timing.  It is so easy for us to depend upon our own past experiences but when we rely on 'old methods', we are missing out on God's best.  It is also important when God shows us that it's time to move, that we move, and don't miss the right timing. In being slow to act we can miss out of the full blessing or benefit of what God planned for us.

There is another aspect to listening that is important.  I find that in our fast changing world that it's easy to feel a bit out of touch with things, but, if we remain tuned into God, it will not be an issue, because our God is an eternal and wise God.  That means he is a NOW God; there is no time with him and his wisdom is always there for today.  He sees the world as it was at the beginning of creation and he sees it today - all in the present tense; and he is not phased by it at all.  He is still at the helm overall.  It doesn't mean that he likes all that he sees. Neither does it mean that we have to feel we need to be 'up with everything' in technology to remain useful in the body of Christ.  The secret to remaining relevant in today's society and in his church is to remain tuned into 'the sound in the treetops'...... his Spirit speaking today's word for us and those whose lives we are to influence.  His wisdom is never out-dated, we just have to keep our 'downloads' from him current.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you that you are a TODAY God.  Help me to stay tuned into you today for the wisdom I need to live life in the fullness of your blessing and obedience.  Amen