Many of the Psalms include the invitation to give thanks, or praise God.  In honor of our Thanksgiving holiday, let’s take a brief look at a couple of the lessons we can learn from the Psalms with regard to the “how” and “why” of thanksgiving.

Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright.  Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.  Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.  For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord. (Psalm 33:1-5)

Let’s take a quick look at five “how’s” and five “why’s” of thanksgiving from this passage:

1. Sing – music is a language that connects with our soul on a different level than words alone.  We can all sing or “make a joyful noise” to God.  It may not be a sweet sound to our ears, but a song of thanksgiving is always a sweet sound to God’s ears.
2. Shout – sometimes when we think of what God has done for us we feel an overwhelming sense of joy, and the best way to let it out is with a joyful shout.  We often see this with less important things like sporting matches, so why not practice it with the greater things?  Also, we can choose to shout for joy even when we don’t fee like it, as this shout will often help to repel the enemy and his distractions.
3. Use your talents – the psalmist emphasizes the musical talents, but we can apply this more broadly to our own lives.  Do you have a creative talent (drawing, sculpting, wood-working, building, refurbishing, baking, running a business, balancing budgets, teaching others, writing, cleaning, sports, etc.)?  Be creative and think of ways to express thanksgiving through that.
4. With Excellence – “play skillfully”.  As Christ-followers, we should endeavor towards greatness in all things.  Not only can our excellence – cultivated through ongoing dedication, hard-work and sacrifice – be a form of worship, but also an expression of thanksgiving.
5. Live Righteous – it’s not enough to simply be excellent and express thanksgiving through our songs, shouts and talents, but we ultimately express our thanksgiving to God in the way we live.  Practice righteousness at all times and in all situations – worship God in spirit and in truth.

Because (of):

1. It is Becoming – as God’s righteous ones in the earth, it is appropriate, becoming, and natural for us to regulate our lifestyle to the rhythms of thanksgiving.
2. His Word – “The Word of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Ps. 19:7) See also Psalm 119.  God has chosen to uniquely interact with us, in part through the written witness of His Word.  Here we find the “words of life”, the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God – and that is much to be thankful for.
3. His Faithfulness – “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” (1 Sam. 7:12)  When we recall the Lord’s faithfulness, we should be filled with thanksgiving, joy, and continued hope.
4. His Love – “God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) Never lose the wonder of your salvation.  Never lose the joy of your daily walk with God.  His infinite yet personal agape love provides endless inspiration for our thanksgiving.
5. His Kindness – not only is God good and loving, but He is also personal and kind.  Think of the examples in Jesus’ ministry when we paused in the masses to recognize and engage with an individual in healing or teaching.  Think of His radical messages on inclusion and kingdom living.  Think of when He defended those who were condemned by others.  And think of the many kindnesses He has given to you.

Many of us are altogether too good at compartmentalizing the various aspects of our lives, and as a result we can find ourselves lacking integrity (from the root “integer”, which refers to whole numbers).  I’m not making a moral assessment or judgement when I refer to integrity, so please don’t receive the wrong message.

Integrity refers to the integration – the interconnected whole – of a person.  

Any time we pause to focus on a given aspect or element of our life, it is important to think about how the part factors into the whole.  Not only will this ensure a more profitable and useful introspection, but it will also expand our ability to apply helpful analogous paradigms.

For example, physical fitness evaluations typically assess cardio endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition.  Each of these can be improved or diminished by our habits and discipline in diet and exercise.

Analogous thinking would encourage us to assess/evaluate our mental and spiritual health in much of the same way.

How flexible are you mentally?  How strong are you spiritually?  What is your mental endurance – how much can you manage for a prolonged amount of time before growing weary?  What is your mind composition, or your spirit composition?  

On the surface these can all feel like abstract metaphors, but that probably has more to do with the fact that we’ve developed into a culture that obsesses over matter to the near exclusion of everything else.  It makes sense to make a regular assessment of our physical health and abilities, but it’s less common to make a regular assessment of our mental and spiritual health and abilities.  

Just as we can improve or diminish our physical health through our diet and exercise, we can also improve or diminish our mental health and our spiritual health through our diet and exercise.

In the general sense, “diet” simply refers to what we are taking in – what we are feeding ourselves.  As with physical health, we determine our goals and then adjust our diet accordingly.  Our input largely determines our output.

One person may determine to “bulk up” their muscle mass and strength, and so may opt to take in more calories, proteins, fats, etc., while another person may determine to emphasize their body composition and would then opt to take in fewer calories, sugars and fats, etc.  The goal informs the diet.

In the same way, we can determine our mental goals.  Perhaps our goal for a season is to bulk up our logic, puzzle and problem solving skills, or perhaps our goal is to refine our emotional intelligence, or perhaps our goal is to exercise and cultivate our ability to think and act creatively.  Our goal should then inform our mental diet.  What are we taking in?  And is that what’s going to most effectively help us to reach our goals?

The same is true of our spiritual health and goals.  

Observe the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs chapter 2 (verses 1-10):

“My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones.  Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.  For wisdom will enter into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”

If…. Then.   If….. Then.

There is a natural order of events – we don’t start off with good health and then decide to start practicing good disciplines.  The discipline comes first.  The struggle, the challenge, the pain comes first.

In the same way that our goals inform/determine our diet, our goals also inform/determine our exercise.

How are you exercising your mind?  Have you cultivated the skills, knowledge and abilities to achieve your goals?  

How are you exercising your spirit?  Are you already where you want to be?  Or is there work to be done?

Exercise is how we train and what we put out.  

Just like our bodies, our minds/spirits are made to be used, exercised, worked and grown, but also rested intentionally.

No one works out five times and immediately achieves lasting physical health – even if they do “power workouts” for hours on end.  In the same way, no one works out their mind or spirit a few times only to find that they’ve achieved lasting health.  

It’s an ongoing, disciplined process, and the majority of our decisions in diet and exercise over time is going to play the biggest role in our lasting health, be that physical, mental or spiritual. 

Choose well, and choose often.

Ever since the Fall, people have found it much easier to identify and focus on what makes us different rather than on what makes us the same.

Nationality, race, age, gender, ethnicity, experience – these are standard inclusions on most job applications, surveys and tax returns.  Although these classifications do tell a small bit of the story, human nature has a tendency to idolize and elevate these as the whole story.  And anytime we have reduced a people or person to a set of data points, we have greatly erred.

Racism assumes a flawed universal truth based on a flawed and inconclusive set of data points, which is then run through the filters of fear, anger and pride.  Poor logic and faulty assumptions then often result in unnecessary separation.

Ageism assumes irrelevance or ignorance, which again will often result in unnecessary separation.

And of course our history is not lacking for examples of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity or experience resulting in further separation.

To top it off, the idol of Nationalism is the chief cause and source of wars and bloodshed.

Indeed the list of differences that divide humanity is anything but new.

But we’re not content to stop there.

We can take it further and even decree that it’s not enough to simply acknowledge, or even to tolerate our differences, but that we must instead celebrate our differences. 

Isn’t it interesting that what happened at the Fall – the result of sin – was separation.  Separation from God.  Separation from each other.  Separation from living life the way it was meant to be lived – full of joy, love, hope and peace, living life to the max!  

So when we celebrate the things that separate us, we are celebrating the achievement of mediocrity – a life below our potential and purpose, lacking full joy, love, hope and peace.

But what is the cure?

Prior to the Fall, humanity experienced an unbroken relationship with God and with each other.  

“What God has brought together, let no man separate.”  

Jesus added this line after quoting Genesis 2 in response to a question regarding divorce (See Matthew 19).  

As we reflect on it, some of the greatest joys we can experience in life involve the coming together of relationships, while some of the greatest sorrows we can experience in life involve the dividing, or separation of relationships.  

I don’t think Jesus’ words were meant to be taken as a doctrine to be enforced, but rather as an observation about the nature of Creation.  We were created with a common need for unity, a deep longing for community – communion with God and communion with one another.

This is why each act of separation, each act of division cuts and wounds us so deeply – because we are wired for unity, communion, relationship.  When we separate and divide, we are rebelling against our own nature.

From what we read in the early chapters of Genesis, death didn’t even enter the picture until after the Fall.  It’s as though death came about as the result of our willful separation rather than God’s original creation plan.  Perhaps this is why the separation and loss we feel when loved ones die is so powerful – because it is so unnatural to our design.

So when Jesus encourages us to be a people of unity rather than a people of division, perhaps He’s simply encouraging us to get back in touch with our original and true nature as God’s good creation.

It’s fine to acknowledge and discern our unique traits, attributes and demographics, but let’s make that the footnote rather than the central message.  

May we instead choose to be a people who celebrate what we have in common – our sameness as living, breathing, spiritual creatures.  

May we instead celebrate and elevate our common unity as sons and daughters of the Most High.

This probably doesn’t make the list for the top ten most profound statements you’ve ever heard, but God cares about your body too.

It seems as though we in the Church today have allowed the culture around us to influence us into a compartmentalized mode of thinking wherein we not only allow, but even seek opportunities to outsource discipleship.

Physical health, exercise and nutrition?  Find a good personal trainer.

Fiscal health and stewardship?  Find a good money manager.

Time management skills and goal setting?  Attend a seminar.

Mental health, stress and relationships?  Find a good counselor.

Ah, but Spiritual things, those we’ll still address in the Church.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with seeking advice, training and accountability from skilled professionals, and in many cases a specialist or expert is needed.  So of course the nature of my jest has nothing to do with minimizing the benefits of expertise, but rather to acknowledge that when most of us think of Church, we don’t often think of physical training or financial education.  And if we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves thinking that these things aren’t all that important – or at least not all that important to our spiritual development.

But a thorough read-through of the scriptures will paint an entirely different picture.  The books of poetry offer much wisdom regarding the stewardship of our resources (time, money, health, work, talent), as did Jesus (in the NT).  And of course, who could forget Paul’s charge to the Romans to “Offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”?

It’s not that the body or the mind or the soul are any less important than the others, but it’s rather the acknowledgement that everything is spiritual.  

Your time, your thoughts, your bills, your relationships, your fitness…everything is spiritual.

So get out there and exercise your whole self – body, mind, spirit, resource management.  

Everything is spiritual.

One of the most famous and familiar of Jesus’ parables is The Sower and the Seeds.  Popular for good reason, this parable offers significant insights regarding the nature of God, His Word, and our own selves.

Parables were a common teaching tool for Rabbi’s, but the settings often revolved around palaces, making Jesus’ often agrarian themes somewhat less common.  Due to the large number of agrarian workers (farmers and the like) often present for Jesus’ teachings, He tailored His messages to reach His audience in a way they might understand. 

Thanks to Jesus’ subsequent explanation, and the diligence of His disciples in keeping a comprehensive transcription, we can explore 6 relevant components of this parable:

1. The Seed – this is the Word of God.  It is good seed, so the resulting impact of the seed is entirely dependent on the soil and conditions where it is sowed (and not on the quality of the seed itself).
2. The Sower – we’re not told in the parable who this represents, which could indicate the intention for multiple extrapolations and applications.  
   1. In one instance, the sower could represent God, and the way He sowed His Word to Israel throughout the Old Testament.  This would make sense of His reference to Isaiah 6 (in Matthew 13:14-15).  
   2. In another instance, the sower could represent Jesus and His earthly ministry – presenting (and explaining) God’s Word to all sorts of people (Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, farmers, soldiers, pharisees, fishermen, statesmen, politicians, etc.).  This also makes sense of the Isaiah reference – contemporizing the message to His audience(s).  
   3. In a third instance, the sower could represent Jesus’ disciples, both then and now (the Great Commission).  We (Jesus’ disciples) are encouraged to sow, spread, preach, teach the Gospel indiscriminately.
      1. In first century Palestine, it was common to sow seed without first plowing/tilling the soil.  In our own context, by contrast, it is very common to first plow/till the soil.  When it comes time for personal applications, both contexts can offer beneficial and unique insights.  It can be helpful to think from our own context when we’re thinking of God as the Sower.  In our context, to sow without tilling is silly, lavish, and maybe even scandalous – and such is the grace of God – the grace that sows His Word indiscriminately so that all might have the opportunity to receive and respond.  On the other hand, when we place ourselves in the sower’s role, it’s more helpful to think like a first century Palestinian – we don’t need to “plow” or “till” the soil of our audiences prior to sowing the Word.  Trust that the seed is good and that it will find good soil.
3. The Road/Path/Hard Soil – anyone who hears the word, but doesn’t understand it, so the devil snatches away what has been sown in his heart.  This is why follow up and discipleship are so important.  Occasionally another will come along to teach/disciple (such as with Philip and the eunuch), but that’s not guaranteed.  We wouldn’t leave our own babies to fend for themselves in the world, and we shouldn’t leave spiritual babies to fend for themselves in the Word.
4. The Rocky Soil – the one who hears the word and receives it with joy, but has no firm root in himself, so when affliction or persecution arises, he immediately falls away.  Again, discipleship is the answer.  But also, community and fellowship with other Christians can provide encouragement, accountability and resources for growing/maturing.
5. The Thorny Soil – The one who hears the word, but the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.  This is very evident in our modern world and context.  Discipleship, accountability, community, discipline, and serving others are the most surefire cures for thorny soil.  When our chief focus is ourself, we are failing to see with Kingdom eyes.
6. The Good Soil – the one who hears the word, understands it, and puts it into practice.  In first century Palestine, typical yields would range between 10-fold (more common) and 100-fold (less common).  All three yields Jesus mentions in this parable are very good, and more than worth the seed “wasted” on the bad soils, but these yields were not preposterous or miraculous.  I am reminded of another of Jesus’ parables – the parable of the talents/minas.  Three servants were given large sums of money according to their ability.  Each was responsible to work with what they had been given.  It is the same with the good soil – some of us will yield 30-fold, others 60-fold, and others 100-fold.  The point is not to compare yields, but rather to appreciate the exceptionally good harvest that God intends to produce in each of us.

“An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign.” (Matt. 12:39a)

In the Old Testament the hallmark of the supernatural was signs and wonders, but in the New Testament the hallmark of the supernatural is a Holy Spirit-filled life.

Since the creation of humanity it’s clear that God’s desire has always been for intimacy with His people.  Unfortunately, we have a history of turning aside and seeking separation.  

“Then they (the Israelites) said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’… So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached God.” (Ex. 20:19, 21)

The challenge, though, is that we have an instinctive desire to reciprocate intimacy with God, but due to our selfish sin nature (and the all-too-present influence of the enemy) we want to build our “relationship” with God on our own terms, and usually that looks like us doing life alone, while occasionally receiving gifts from our “genie-god”.

While our true heart-cry is for relationship with our Creator, our selfish sin nature recognizes what this will require of us – humility – and that’s not something the selfish sin nature is willing to do.  

And so instead, we find ourselves asking for signs and wonders.  “If God is real, make this desk fly around the room.”  Or, “If God really wants us to come out of Egypt, show us a miracle… Oh, and by the way, the 10 plagues aren’t enough…. and neither is the splitting of the Red Sea…. and neither is manna, or water from a rock, or….(fill in the blank).”

The problem with signs and wonders is that they simply have no lasting impact on us.  They may be “neat” or “cool” in the moment, but we immediately start thinking of ways to explain them away, or start asking for new signs, because “yesterday’s miracle isn’t sufficient for today.”

The real crux of the matter comes down to this, signs and wonders are external, but what really changes a life – where we actually find intimacy with God – is internal.

We pick up an insightful interaction in Matthew 12:22-50.  After healing many people of diseases, Jesus has a demon-possessed man brought to Him, and He casts the demon out.

Just prior to these events, Jesus had been invited to a banquet at the home of Simon the Pharisee, and in the midst of several Pharisees Jesus had revealed His authority to forgive sins on behalf of God.  Such a bold claim would have been polarizing – the people could either believe Jesus and His claims, or else they would have to try and falsify His claims, and this is precisely how the gospel accounts record history – the people became polarized.

So when Jesus finishes casting out the demon, some of the Scribes and Pharisees try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Jesus’ ministry.  After proving their logic to be flawed, Jesus encouraged the people to think before they speak (avoid careless words).

At this point, his audience demands signs and wonders.  Apparently casting out demons and healing diseases didn’t count (haha!).

Jesus took this opportunity to explain the New Covenant/Testament in a unique way.  The people were awaiting Immanuel (God with us), and in a very real sense Immanuel was now in their midst.  “Something greater than Jonah…and Solomon is here.”

But in verses 43-45, Jesus explains the fulness of the New Covenant – that is, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It’s not enough for us to simply cast out demons (or to “do right things”, or even to perform signs and wonders), we must replace them (the demons) with the Holy Spirit.

John Wesley’s commentary on verse 44 is insightful: “He finds it empty – of God, of Christ, of His Spirit; swept – from love, lowliness, meekness and all the fruits of the Spirit; and garnished – with levity and security; so that there is nothing to keep him out, and much to invite him in.”

The description Jesus provides here for the man void of God’s Spirit (and consequently a host to hostile spirits) is the same description of the man seeking signs and wonders rather than seeking life in Christ.

God does still work through external signs and wonders today, but these are secondary to the primary, internal work of the Holy Spirit.  To coin the familiar expression, “Seek the Giver, not the gifts.”  Or as Jesus put it, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33)

Isn’t it interesting how even a good thing, when lacking its balance, can become a bad thing.  A piece of chocolate cake can make a happy statement after a satisfying meal, but eating the entire cake in place of the meal can make us feel like we’re dying.  I suppose that’s what they meant when coining the popular expression “Too much of a good thing.”

In an attempt to rebel against the pernicious human proclivity toward judgmentalism, well-meaning Christians have, for centuries, raced to the defense of the poor, the marginalized, the “tax-collectors and sinners,” rightly noting that these are the very people Jesus often ministered to.  And this is a good thing.

But for all the good that has been accomplished, I fear we may have erred in another way.  

Timothy Keller addresses what he calls “different forms of pharisee-ism” in his book The Reason for God.  The first form is what typically comes to mind – those who feel it is their duty to identify and judge the sin in others.  But the second group is those who strictly judge and condemn the first group.  On the surface, it appears that these are the champions of the oppressed – the ones bold enough to call out the prudes and righteously “stiff”.  But inevitably neither group is acting in love, or following in the example of Christ, and so both groups are in the wrong.

But Jesus hated the Pharisees and religious leaders, didn’t he?

Not at all.

In fact, quite the contrary!

Jesus loves the Pharisees and the Scribes and Religious leaders!  In fact He even loved them enough to die for their freedom and salvation – that they may have victory in their lives over the powers of death, sin and satan; that they may have life abundant – to the max!

There is a horribly sad quip surrounding modern seminaries to the effect that pastoral students would first need to “get a testimony” (presumably by engaging in wild living) before they would be qualified to pastor a local community – in order to “relate” to their congregation.

The underlying message, I dare say, echoes what many in the Church believe today, that God can only use the broken, the marginalized, the weak and poor and tax-collectors and sinners… or at least that’s who He prefers to use to further His kingdom.  

Really?

So what about Nicodemus?  What about Simon?  What about the Apostle Paul?  

These three Pharisees are mentioned by name in the gospels (including Luke-Acts) as having had significant personal, life-altering encounters with Jesus.  

In fact, in Luke 7:36-50 we see that while the forgiven woman remained unnamed in this narrative, Simon (the Pharisee) is called by name.  Outside of high appointments in political and religious offices, it seems that the only times specific names are recorded in the gospels are for members of the early Church – followers of ‘The Way’ – followers of Christ.  

From what little we have to go on, it seems perfectly reasonable that Simon (the Pharisee) went on to support and build the Church, playing the role that he could.

Several years back I was having a conversation with an agnostic friend of mine, and he reflected on an “extreme testimony” he had heard (something to the effect of the worst of the worst sinner… drugs… prison… etc… found Christ – life radically transformed).  I will never forget the honesty and candor as my friend said, “I just can’t relate to that kind of story/testimony.”

It hit me then, and has stayed with me ever since, that God doesn’t need for us to “get a testimony” before He can use us.  

God doesn’t only use the worst of the worst – although He certainly can, and often does.  

God can also use the faithful, the righteous, the holy ones.  

God can use the smart ones, the artistic ones and the steadfast ones – and He often does.

Perhaps we are too quick to assume God’s power and creativity is limited.

Perhaps we can stop assuming we’re unqualified because we’re “too bad” or “not bad enough.”

Perhaps we can stop thinking more of ourselves or less of ourselves than we should, and start thinking of ourselves less.

Perhaps we can simply embrace God’s love, and acknowledge that He can use any of us to manifest the kingdom of heaven here on earth – even you.

Much of our Biblical confusion comes from a lack of contextual understanding.  As a result, we can find ourselves confusing God’s descriptive voice as prescription.

Description provides an account of the way a thing is, while prescription provides an account of the way a thing should be.  

“Then He (Jesus) began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.  ‘Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre or Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you?  You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.  Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement, than for you.’” (Matthew 11:20-24)

It’s helpful to remember that this text directly follows Jesus’ observation of the people’s apathy (see verses 16-19).  In spite of John’s (the Baptist) explosive ministry (not to mention Jesus’ explosive ministry as well), the people were content to just sit on the sidelines and provide commentary – the sort of people who can find something to complain about even when there’s nothing to complain about.

“For John came neither either eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘he has a demon!’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard…’”

So when we get to verses 20-24, Jesus is continuing this address by reflecting on some of the cities where His ministry had been concentrated up to that point.  Despite obvious (and numerous) miraculous signs and Jesus’ teaching, these cities were relatively unchanged by Jesus’ ministry.

Concerning the “woes” that Jesus mentions, John Wesley offers some clarity:

“These declarations of ‘woe’ are not curses or imprecations as has commonly been supposed, but rather a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing upon themselves.  ‘Woe to you’ effectively means ‘miserable art thou.’

It is an observed description, and not a prescription.

They are miserable because they have failed to realize (or have forgotten) that Jesus came so that we might have life abundant.

They are miserable because they have instead clung to a hollow shadow of a “survival” life – just barely getting by.

They will be sad on the day of judgement, when the true nature of reality is again revealed, when they realize how many years and generations were wasted on mere survival that could have been spent living life to the max.  

The same realization will be there for Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, but to a lesser degree, because they didn’t have Jesus’ direct ministry to reference.

“The righteous will thrive in uncertain times.” – unknown

We were in prayer last Sunday and this line kept coming back to me.  

In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call unto Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”  I’ll never forget the conviction with which Dawson Trotman quoted this verse and challenged the prayer habits of his audience.  “Are we asking God for great and mighty things?  Or are we asking God for peanuts?” 

Perhaps we find ourselves ‘falling asleep at the wheel’ of our prayer lives and setting our sights too low.  Or worse, perhaps we don’t even engage in regular intentional prayer with our Creator, and as a result we fail to recognize the potential power in prayer.  

A people walking and living only in their own strength are settling for peanuts.  Their focus is either tragically inward (me me me) or distractedly outward (I’m powerless to do anything).  When attempting to encourage one another, they’ll say “There there” and “Life is hard.”  They may pray “help us just get through this.”  They may even pray “Lord, give me strength,” but they end it there.  

Strength for what?

Strength to do what?

Survive?

Merely exist?

Shouldn’t there be more to it than that?  Would we find more specific answers to prayer if we prayed with more specific requests?  “Lord, give me strength to grieve and mourn properly, and the will to move forward and minister to others when the time is right.”

But I’m not even so sure that meaningless ambiguity in our prayers is the biggest problem (although it certainly is A problem).

I think our biggest problem is focus.

“In the fourth watch of the night, He (Jesus) came to them, walking on the sea.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘it is a ghost!’  And they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’  And He said, ‘Come!’  And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.  And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!’”

There are so many rich insights bound up in this passage, but I just want to emphasize two right now.  

The first is focus.  When the disciples first saw Jesus, they were viewing Him through the lens of culturally conditioned mysticism “it is a ghost!”.  When Peter saw Jesus properly, he was able to walk on water!  When Peter took his eyes off Jesus to focus on the wind (ie – storms), he began to sink.

The application to our own lives is clear.  When we focus too much on the storms of life and their uncertainty, or when we view/treat God as an amorphous blob of spooky mysticism, we will invariably fail to live and walk in power, and the most we can hope for is to merely survive – to merely “weather the storm”.  

But when our focus is on Jesus, and we walk faithfully with Him, we will see and experience what would otherwise be impossible.  We may just find ourselves walking on water in the midst of a storm.

The second insight I want to briefly emphasize is that Jesus was walking in the storm long before Peter ever did.  When we’re in a tough season, or even an impossible season, we can be tempted to believe we’re all alone in the storm when in fact Jesus is already there, offering to save you from sinking.  Salvation is about so much more than just having hope for the next life/afterlife – salvation is so much about us finding life, hope and power in this life.  “Today is the day of salvation.”

And it wasn’t until after Peter had joined Jesus in the storm, and experienced the impossible, that they got in the boat and storm subsided.

Jesus didn’t cause the storm, but He wanted Peter to experience a miracle in the storm before it ended.  And I wonder if perhaps He wants the same for us in our own storms – for us to focus less on the storm and how much we want it to end; for us to focus on Jesus, to call unto Him and see great and mighty things which we do not know; for us to thrive in uncertain times, and not just survive.

The year 2020 has been marked by unprecedented changes and uncharted waters that few could have anticipated.  Global pandemic, social injustice and economic uncertainty have had an impact across the planet, and we will likely be feeling the ripples for the foreseeable future.  

And beyond these global and local concerns, life goes on presenting its own unique opportunities and challenges from new jobs to layoffs, weddings to divorces, and funerals to new life in childbirth.  

To say that we all face challenging “storms” in life would be an understatement.

In fact, Jesus affirms this reality in John 16:33 when he famously states that “In this life you will have tribulation.”  Some translations tone it down to “trouble,” but I think “tribulation” captures it better.  The Greek word is “thlipsis,” which can also mean “pressure,” “affliction,” “anguish,” “burden,” or “persecution.”  

So if we can’t escape the storm(s), we are left with the options to either weather the storm(s) or to get swept away and overcome by the storm(s).

Fortunately, Jesus provided some life-saving insights on this very topic.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and great was its fall.” (Matt. 7:24-27)

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  Everyone who comes to me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against the house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like the man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)

This applies to us as well:

1. Are we “hearing” God’s Word? (through Scripture, prayer, worship, etc.)
2. Are we acting on God’s Word?

This is the foundation on which we build our entire life.

It is worth the reminder that Jesus mentioned the rain, the floods and the winds in both cases.  The application seems obvious – we are guaranteed to face storms and struggles in this life, so that does not change by hearing and acting on God’s Word.  What does change is our ability to weather the storms – to bend and not break.

Anchor your life on the solid foundation, and not on the fleeting, shifting sands!