Why it Matters - Chaos

Readings for today: Psalms 81, 88, 92, 93

Human beings have always hated chaos. Some of our earliest mythologies present the gods as bringing order to chaos. Typically, order comes about through a cosmic conflict whereby “chaos” is defeated and dismembered thus bringing the universe into being. When the ancient Hebrews looked out on the Mediterranean Sea, all they saw was chaos. It’s why they often depict chaos using water imagery. The waters of creation over which the Spirit of God hovered. The waters that covered the earth during Noah’s flood. And the waters that roar and surge in Psalms 93. “The waves roar, O Lord, the waves roar, the waves roar and crash. Above the sound of the surging water, and the mighty waves of the sea, the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.” (Psalms 93:3-4 NET) This is one of the many things that sets the Hebrews apart from their ancient near east neighbors. They don’t believe God has to fight some cosmic war to bring chaos to heel. He already sits enthroned above the flood. The waters can roar and foam and surge all they want but they present no threat to God. He simply speaks and order is brought to chaos.

I find this thought extremely comforting as did the Psalmist. The world often feels chaotic. Humanity is almost always at war. The pain and suffering we experience is real and overwhelming. Armies march. Economies crash. Pandemics rage. Storm systems spin. Drought and famine create a harvest of death. But the Psalmist lifts his eyes above it all to see the Lord enthroned on high. He knows God reigns and His throne cannot be moved. The Lord is robed in strength and majesty. His will is sovereign and reliable. No matter what we experience in this world, we can trust Him for He has always been and always will be king.

When you experience chaos in your life, where do you turn? Do you turn, like the Psalmist to God? Do you place your trust in His sovereign will and strength? Do you look to Him to bring order to the chaos of your life?

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Chronicles 7-9

Why it Matters - Honesty

Readings for today: Psalms 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 21

I love the Psalms. One of the main reasons is how honest they are about real life. The Psalmist expresses the full range of human emotion. Anger and despair. Grief and sorrow. Frustration and the desire for revenge. He is not afraid to lay his troubles before the Lord. He is honest about his fears and failures. He even wonders at times if God is present or if He even cares. At the same time, he clings to his faith. He calls on God for deliverance. He trusts God’s righteous character. He knows God will hear his prayers even if it doesn’t feel like it at times. He continues to seek the Lord with all his heart. “Lord, you give me stability and prosperity; you make my future secure. I constantly trust in the Lord; because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.” (Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭5‬, ‭8‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Recently, I was counseling an individual who has experienced significant loss and betrayal in her life. She comes from a country with an oppressive regime where women are systematically mistreated. She had a son who died tragically of cancer when he was seven years old. Immediately after her son died, her husband had an affair and left her for the other woman. Rather than support her, her mother blamed her for the breakup of her marriage. Her new husband cares for her but recently declared bankruptcy, putting them in significant financial straits. She is not yet a believer but is open to the faith. As she and I talked, I asked her what she thought about forgiveness. She immediately rejected the idea but as we talked more, she kept coming back to the concept. She asked me what it would take and why I felt it important. We talked about forgiving the different people in her life and than I suggested she may need to forgive God. This really took her by surprise. I encouraged her to share with God how betrayed she felt when He didn’t answer her prayers to heal her son. I encouraged her to share her anger with God and her deep grief and disappointment. I assured her God could handle her emotions. It was a new thought for her and I took her to the Psalms to give her some examples.

It’s hard for us to be completely honest with God. We often feel like we’re sinning if we express our frustrations or disappointments or even anger with Him. But the Psalmist shows us how to wrestle with God honestly in faith. It’s okay to share anything and everything we’re feeling with God as long as it leads us to a deeper faith and trust in Him. Through the Psalms, God invites us to share our deepest emotions with Him and He proves He is not afraid to hear our heart’s cries. This is what I love about our God and it is what it means to have an authentic relationship with Him.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalms 43-44

Great Friendships

I was talking with a friend the other day who is not a Christian and he asked me a question about prayer.  "How do you know prayer is real?  Or that the God you pray to is real?"  It's a great question.  And one I can find myself struggling with at times.  I am not a man who takes much on faith.  I have always been a skeptic.  I have always been someone who needs to see the proof.  I need to feel it, touch it, hold it in my hands.  Because of the life experiences I have had, I am deeply cynical at times as well and that only makes things harder for me in terms of my faith.  So without knowing it, my friend had pressed into a sensitive area for me.  But in this particular instance, I found myself responding almost automatically, "I know prayer is real and I know God is real because he often tells me "No."  Now I have to say that these words could not be my own.  I had never had this thought before in my life.  Somehow, someway, in this moment, in this conversation, this deep and profound truth crystallized for me and God made himself real to me (and my friend) yet again. 

The people who share my faith talk a lot about having a personal relationship with God.  We believe that God came to earth literally in the person of Jesus Christ in order to establish that relationship with us once and for all.  We talk about how Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with the living Lord of the universe.  But I am not altogether convinced that we really understand the depth of the friendship God desires to have with us.  God isn't interested in being our sugar daddy.  God isn't interested in being our therapist.  God isn't interested in being our jury, judge, and executioner.  God desires to be our father and God desires to be our friend.  I think of Moses who spoke to God face to face.  I think of Abraham whom God literally called a friend.  Both of these men, among many other men and women throughout the Bible, truly understood what it meant to have a deep relationship, a great friendship with God.  You see it in how they interact.  They aren't afraid to argue, to fight, to talk, to share, to be vulnerable.  They don't treat God like some cosmic bellhop here to meet their every whim and desire.  They endure God's silences.  They respect God when he tells them "No."  They fall down in fear and humble submission when he confronts them on their sin.  Most of all, they trust God has their back and their best in mind. 

This is the essence of a truly great friendship and I shared all this with my friend.  It was rather eye-opening for him as he had always judged the efficacy of prayer on the basis of the results it achieved.  If God came through in the way my friend desired, then prayer must work.  If God didn't come through then maybe God didn't exist.  But this is not true friendship.  True friends are able to say "No" to one another.  They don't demand.  They don't force.  They don't require the other person to live life on their terms.  It is give and take.  It is honest.  Real. Messy.  Authentic.  And that's the kind of friendship God wants with us. 

We cannot "intellectualize what is at bottom the exchange of life with life." (Paul Scherer) The heart of the Christian faith is not a list of rules or set of demands nor is it a cheap and easy and superficial grace. It is the intersection of our lives with God.  It is that deeply intimate space where God and I stand face to face in the mutual give and take of friend with friend. This is where we hash out how we will live together, walk together, serve together, love together.  Like any great friendship, it takes time. Lots of time. And an investment of ourselves from the deepest resources of our souls.  We can hold nothing back if we wish this friendship to grow.  Faith that is strong and deep is not argumentative or intellectual or philosophical or academic.  It is built on the love of a great friendship with God himself.