Fear

Posted on by korgrocker

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”
Psalm 3:5-6 NIVUK

What are we afraid of? David lived in a politically unstable world and there were always enemies of the Jews present in the surrounding nations, looking for an opportunity to destroy them. And he, as the king of Israel, felt the pressure of needing to be ready. But in spite of all of that, David was able to sleep, safe and sound, because “the Lord was watching over [him]”. But back to us pilgrims. In the UK we live in a more politically stable environment, without the overt threat of aggressive and hostile nations willing and able to invade our island and do us harm. However, warfare is different today, with cyber attacks and the threat of a nuclear strike. And as we look back through history, warfare has never been far away from our shores. We are also aware that living in 21st Century societies is fraught with all sorts of “enemies” that impact our ways of life, and we can quickly tumble into a world of “what if’s” ranging from health care through to job security and financial sufficiency. There is much fear and stress around today. Our immediate enemies might be different to David’s but they are still real and can have a marked effect on our future. 

In a sense, we have little to fear because God is with us. I am writing these thoughts this morning, and you might be reading what I have written in a day or two. Like David, we woke up this morning after a night’s sleep. Recently, I said to a man I met during my prayer walk that it was a good morning. The sun was shining and for once it wasn’t raining here in Scotland, but his response was, “All mornings are good if you wake up”. And that is true in a world fearful and lost, but we pilgrims cannot lose. If God sustains us for another day, we still have work to do for His kingdom here on earth. If He doesn’t then we will wake up in His presence. Win-win. 

The go-to Psalm for me is 121. “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 Psalmist continues, “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 for evermore”. Do we believe that or do these words just give us a momentary warm feeling that quickly dissipates in the chill winds of adversity that swamp our souls, as another night time worry raises its head and disturbs our rest? Fellow pilgrims, our Lord and God is constantly with us and we believe that whatever He says is what He does. I cannot count the many occasions when He has been there for me in times of anxiety and stress, and I’m sure that is the same for you as well. Trusting in God will not necessarily remove the enemies around us (although sometimes He will), whatever they are, but it will mean we can sleep at night in the knowledge that He is looking out for us, and will give us the strength and wisdom we need.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You are with us, every minute of every day. Amen.

Many Enemies

Posted on by korgrocker

“O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.”
Psalm 3:1-4 NLT

The introduction to Psalm 3 records that David wrote it while fleeing from his son Absalom. The account of what happened between David and Absalom can be read in 2 Samuel 13-19. But the outcome was that David was forced to flee by an uprising against him engineered by Absalom and supported by many in Israel. And so David ended up in a safe place but thinking that he had many enemies and that they were scornful of God’s ability or willingness to rescue him. In earlier times, David was well used to being on the run, when his predecessor, King Saul, was after him. But once again, David found solace in his relationship with God. He found that in God he had a shield around him, and that as a child of God He had royal status. And, significantly, he found that God answered his prayers for protection. 

Do we pilgrims have enemies, chasing us down and forcing us to flee to safer climes? Probably not, at least not here in the West. But we do have an enemy, the devil and his minions. Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places“. And the verses in Ephesians 6 continue with details of the defensive means that God has provided for our safety, listing pieces of spiritual armour such as the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod by the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the one offensive weapon – the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. The way to resist the devil is also continued in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you“.

The comforting fact for us pilgrims is that God has not left us to fend on our own. If He had, then we would have been overwhelmed long ago. Deuteronomy 31:6 provided much comfort for the Israelites and still does for us today – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you”. So, dear fellow pilgrims, whatever you are facing into today, God is standing right there with you. And me as well. He will surely answer all our prayers “from His holy mountain”.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your presence always in our lives, regardless of our circumstances. And one day we will see You face to face. What a wonderful day that will be. Amen.

Act Wisely

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!”
Psalm 2:10-12 NLT

The Psalmist David gave us a bit of advice that we would all do well to heed – “act wisely”. But it seems to be a human trait to do just the opposite. The Bible is full of advice about wisdom, but why is it that even God’s people seem to lack the ability to “act wisely” as they go about their business? David was focused on world rulers when he wrote Psalm 2 and as we look around we can see a stunning lack of wisdom in the behaviour of national leaders today. We see the actions of heads of nation states who seem to be quite prepared to sacrifice their own people at a whim, causing unnecessary deaths and misery to many innocent people. And this is not just through wars – it can also be through political decisions derived from following a flawed ideology (for example think about the confusion about gender). But where can we find the wisdom that aligns with the wisdom David was warning the “kings of the earth” about?

In Psalm 2:11a we read, “Serve the Lord with reverent fear …”. If we turn to Proverbs 1:7 we read, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline“. This isn’t the sort of fear that comes from expecting a lightning bolt from Heaven if we do wrong. This is a reverent awe, acknowledging all who God is, realising that He created the earth and all that is in it, and therefore ensuring that we include Him in all that we are about. So where do we find the wisdom so essential to living a life God’s way? Turn to James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking”. Simple really – God has all the answers we need to live a life impregnated by wisdom. We might protest that we are not world rulers so the need for wisdom is perhaps not quite so important. But God’s ways are for everyone, no matter how insignificant we might think we are. 

Father God. You are the Source of all wisdom. Please forgive us for our errant ways and we pray for Your wisdom to infuse all we think, say, and do, day by day. Amen.

Father and Son

Posted on by korgrocker

“The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”” 
Psalm 2:7-9 NLT

A decree is a sign of ruling. We read about one in Luke 2:1, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world“. The king, emperor, or any other political ruler in an autocracy has the authority to issue an instruction or command. In a democracy this is the function of the elected government. And the civic authorities, if necessary supported by a loyal armed force, will ensure the decree is carried out. In these verses today, we see a decree that is twofold in its meaning – it applied to David and his kingdom but it also has a prophetic meaning, foretelling that Jesus, the Son of God, will one day inherit a much larger Kingdom. In Isaiah 9:7 we can see the extent of it, “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this”. But what about the “iron rod” and “clay pots”? If we turn to Revelation 19:15 we can see snippet of the end time vision John received about the victorious Jesus, ruling and reigning in His Kingdom, “From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress”. To be in an unbelieving nation in those days will be a terrible place to be.

One day the risen Jesus will be the theocratic divine and anointed Leader in the ultimate Kingdom of Heaven that is established here on earth. We pilgrims have read the last page in the book and we know how the End Times will come about. And the penultimate verse on the last page says, “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). Jesus declared another decree – “I am coming soon”. And we reply in eager anticipation, “Come Lord Jesus”. In a dark, wicked and sinful world riven by wars and disasters, we receive comfort that it will all end well for God’s children.

Dear Lord Jesus. We look forward to Your second coming. We don’t know when it will happen, but happen it will. “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

The Chosen King

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.””
Psalm 2:5-6 NLT

On the one hand we have a picture from this Psalm of rebellious and unbelieving nations warring against God, and then, on the other, we find that God has installed His “chosen king” in Jerusalem. Who is this “chosen king”? At the time this Psalm was written the king was David. He was the king chosen by God to replace Saul – the details are in 1 Samuel 16, 1, 13, “Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” … So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah”. David eventually took up residence in Jerusalem as the king of Israel and the “holy mountain” was the Temple Mount, still there in Jerusalem today. 

But there was also a prophetic message about the King to come, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Although Jerusalem, up to now, has always been a minor city compared with the sprawling metropolises of the world capitals such as Paris, Tokyo, London, etc., it has always had huge implications for the global religious and political communities, in a time yet to come. In Isaiah 2:2 the verse starts,”In the last days …” and it will be there that Jesus will govern His global kingdom. In Acts 1:11 we read, ““Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” One day Jesus will return again to the very place He left this world, Jerusalem.

We pilgrims are a people of vision, and we look forward in anticipation to the time when Jesus, our Lord, returns. We know where Jesus will return to from Acts 1:11. Jesus gave us dome information about the manner of His coming in Matthew 24:30, “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory”. We will have no doubts about how Jesus will return to Planet Earth. But are we ready?

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo the words in Revelation – “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

The One Who Rules

Posted on by korgrocker

“The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. … But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury.”
Psalm 2:2, 4-5 NLT

Thinking about it, I’m not aware of a war being overtly waged today against God. Plenty of other wars but not one that is anti-Christ. But then, my thoughts continue to explore the reasons for why one nation battles against another, and then I wonder that wars being fought today are against God purely because their origins are in the wickedness and evil promoted by the devil. Wars fought through reasons of hate, greed, lust and any other attributes of devilish wickedness are anti-Christ.

So why should God laugh at them and not just leave them to their evil ways? No doubt they will find out soon enough. But the psalmist puts his finger on the human attribute of arrogance. As we look around the world today, we find that the rulers of despotic states have one thing in common – an bloated sense of their own importance, displaying breathtaking arrogance. On their way up the political greasy pole they manage to get to a point where they become a leader, and then set about removing their opponents. Of course, we can look back in history and see that not many of these rulers died peacefully in their sleep. 

God doesn’t sit on His throne in Heaven laughing with malice though. Because He is love and righteousness, these two qualities combine with a firm but gentle humour; to think that human beings should set themselves up as effective gods in opposition to Him is a laughable matter indeed. And then there will be the day when the “kings of the earth” will stand before Him to give an account of their lives. A video of their life will roll before them, but it will be a video seen through God’s eyes and at the end of it, God’s righteous anger will initiate  a terrifying rebuke. Then there will be that awful moment when the Judge pronounces His verdict – Guilty! And the door to hell will open before them.

Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. We pilgrims are of course aware of the future set before us, and we respond to God with love and obedience. Not for us the trappings of political power, of arrogant leadership. We stand with the psalmist when he wrote, “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10). The “kings of the earth”may live in splendid luxury. They may have servants who run at their beck and call. But one day they will be terrified in God’s presence, all their plotting having come to nothing. 

Dear Father God. Your patience with the arrogance of the nations is breathtaking. But we live in a moral universe and You will administer justice one day to balance the scales. Thank You that we can rest secure that You have all under control. Amen.

Angry Nations

Posted on by korgrocker

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.””
Psalm 2:1-3 NLT

The first three verses of Psalm 2 shows us a picture of rebellious and jingoistic nations, with leaders who have discarded God to the point that they want to be totally atheistic with no mention of God and His Son allowed their societies. Such examples are communist nations, particularly in the Far East, with China, for example, having a largely atheistic population. Instead they promote Marxist ideologies that they say replaces any need for a belief in a god. In fact, the state has become the “god” for the people. North Korea is a country where leaders are deemed to be divine. But why are such nations so angry, angry to the extent that they want to battle any other nation to fulfil their “futile plans“. Such a geopolitical scene dominated the politics of the psalmist’s day and nothing has changed in the 21st Century. National names may have changed but the sentiments are still there.

The Jews are God’s chosen people. They were before David’s day and nothing has changed since, but this may explain why nations are so angry. Nations intent on living wicked and evil lives are anti-God and anti-Jew, even to the point of irrationality. And they get angry and make plans to get back at God and His people in any way that they can, as any follower of Middle East events can see. So, in a sense, the anger and plotting becomes an obsession, binding them with chains of hatred and effectively enslaving them in their fight against God. Mistakenly they think that if they can eliminate God’s people, then they would have eliminated God Himself.

So how do we pilgrims respond? One prayer I have been praying is from Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure“. And we pray this prayer about Jerusalem because God’s people, the Jews, live there, and we want God to show them mercy and forgiveness, security and their ultimate salvation. We also bear in mind that Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives, now subsumed within Jerusalem, when He comes again. Acts 1:11, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven'”. And it will be there that Jesus will rule and reign, from His throne in Jerusalem. Exciting times ahead. We don’t know when Jesus will return but we must be ready. It could happen at any time.

Dear Lord Jesus. We pray today for peace in Jerusalem, and we also pray for your return soon. In Your precious name. Amen.

Worthless Chaff

Posted on by korgrocker

“But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”
Psalm 1:4-6 NLT

The Psalmist pulls no punches when he considers the behaviour of all those who have no access to the river of life. He defines them as being wicked, like “worthless chaff, scattered by the wind“. For those unaware, chaff is the husk that grows around grain and it is discarded during the winnowing process. It has no human food value and is really of no value at all. In the farming culture of Israel in those days, chaff would have been a well known nuisance to be disposed of. But having defined the status of those who are like trees cut off from the life-giving river, the psalmist goes on to set out their fate. There is a time of judgement coming, he says, and the wicked will be condemned. A stark end for those who have rejected the opportunity to believe in God and follow Him. And to complete the picture, he writes that there will be a time when the sinners will have to be separated from the godly.

We pilgrims know of course about the “White Throne” judgement. Revelation 20:11, “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide“. A time of judgement is coming for all people and the remainder of Revelation 20 is sobering reading. It was William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, who said, “Most Christians would like to send their recruits to Bible college for five years. I would like to send them to hell for five minutes. That would do more than anything else to prepare them for a lifetime of compassionate ministry”. 

We pilgrims have the opportunity to warn those around us of the coming judgement. We have what William Booth called a “compassionate ministry”, as we reach out with the message of hope to a dying generation of people, who will otherwise end up as “worthless chaff” in a place where they don’t want to be. 

Dear Father, we pray today for our friends and families who are heading for a lost eternity. Please open doors for us, and lead us to whoever You wish, for us to share Your Good News. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Fruit Bearers

Posted on by korgrocker

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
Psalm 1:2-3 NLT

A very good morning today to all you trees. Well, that was the analogy the psalmist used, to compare those who spend their time in God’s Word and in following Him and His ways, and the trees we find next to rivers, trees vigorous in their growth and in their fruit bearing. In our wetter Western climes, the spectre of fruit bearing trees next to rivers is not so unusual, but in hot and dusty lands the healthiness of trees adjacent to a water source is very visible. 

The challenge to us pilgrims is about the choices we make. Are we satisfied in camping in desert places, where we don’t bear any fruit, where our leaves whither in dry periods, where our seasons are without the delights and joys the psalmist has experienced? Are we just going through the motions of following God, perhaps attending the occasional Sunday service, but not really enjoying the Christian life? Finding ourselves lacking the prosperity we should be enjoying in God’s kingdom? 

The Apostle Paul gave us examples of the fruit that we should be producing as we plant our spiritual roots deep into the Holy-Spirit-watered ground that is God’s Word. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Jesus too gave us great advice. He said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). 

Living next to the life source that is the river of God is a great place to be for us pilgrims. But there are many who live close to the same river but have rejected its life-giving power. Sad but true, and we pilgrims have the mission and opportunity to encourage them to drink deeply from the well of life, God Himself.

Dear Lord Jesus. You are the way to eternal life. Through the power of Your Spirit we have access to the Living Water that supplies all that we need to sustain us, day by day. We are so grateful. Amen.

Sinners and Mockers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2 NLT

The Holy Spirit has led me back to the Psalms, the Bible’s prayer and hymn book. A rich source of living with God, communicating with Him, learning from Him and providing a framework for our whole lives, not just the spiritual.

Psalm 1 starts with a contrast between the people who are worldly, and those who follow God and all His ways. Worldly people do not believe in God, in the life-changing redemptive work of Jesus at Calvary. Hedonism, seeking pleasure, is their goal, accomplished by whatever means are possible. Worldliness also includes the thoughts and actions of those who think that they are “good” people, but who fall far short of God’s standard. And that is really the problem – worldly people do not have a compass to guide them in God’s ways because His ways of righteousness do not fit in with their chosen lifestyle. 

The psalmist starts with a selection of the way worldly people behave, starting with those who are wicked. We do not have to go far before we find a wicked person. Open a media report and one will soon be found. But there are those in this category living far closer to home. Wickedness and sinning, the second category, go hand in hand and both have the same root – evil. Simplistically, God is good, and the devil is evil, and this dichotomy is exposed as the psalmist warns God’s people to avoid the wicked and any advice they might offer, to avoid hanging about in sinful company, and to avoid being a mocker or scoffer. Anyone who has spent time in the workplace will know what these things are.

Instead of getting involved with worldly people, the psalmist advised a God-follower to “delight in the law of the Lord”. That is not just the reading of a list of rules and regulations, but acting out what they read in their daily lives. God’s people must not, however, cut themselves off from all contact with the world. We pilgrims have to work in the office, visit the marketplace, be in contact with the people around us, whether they are good or bad. But through our conduct we exemplify a different way of life – God’s way. A way of righteousness and holiness, an alternative lifestyle sourced in God Himself. 

Where better a place to start than with the Psalms, as we delight ourselves in God. He is the Source of our joy. Only He has message, through Jesus, of eternal life with Him. 

Dear Father God. Good advice from the Holy-Spirit-inspired psalmist today. We pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples, asking for deliverance from the evil round us. Thank You. Amen.