The cord of three strands

When David stood before Goliath, he knew that God was going to bring deliverance not only for him but also for the people of Israel, and not only that God’s manifest destiny for Israel would be preserved and not destroyed.

What was it that David had that gave him such complete confidence that when he came out to challenge Goliath, he would prevail?

I believe that it was the strength of David’s relationship with God, that he had built up over the lonely years of shepherding, when he was overlooked by his family, as he learned to worship God and to serve Him only, he developed a strong bond with God the Father Almighty, the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts.

In Ecclesiastes 4:12 we read that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. I believe that there were three key aspects to David’s relationship with God that enabled him to stand fast in the face of death.

(1) Faith
(2) Preparation
(3) Keeping it real

Each of those strands is in turn made up of three components. So we have
Faith, the presence of God, the call of God. David not only believed God, he had also been set apart by God, anointed by God (the call of God) and he also had cultivated the presence of God by becoming a worshipper.
Likewise, we have no business standing before Goliath unless we likewise have faith: we believe God; we’ve been called: appointed, anointed; we have cultivated the presence of God around our lives through seeking Him in prayer, through the word, and through worship. If we do that, we have the first strand in our lives intact.

Which brings me to the second strand. We have preparation. This in turn requires the presence of God (the anointing, the call of God, worship), and it requires humility, and it requires us to show up having done the absolute best with what God has given us. Consider the parable of the talents. Jesus has given us gifts, He has given us talents. And we’re to use them. But not the things that He hasn’t given to us. David was not (at the time of facing Goliath) a battle-hardened warrior. That was the problem. He was a shepherd boy, with a lot of time on his hands. Did he sit around thinking “oh dear, poor me, I’m only a poor useless shepherd boy, what can God ever use me for, I’m not a warrior, I’m not particularly talented, I’m not especially clever, oh poor me”. No he did not. He practiced with his slingshot. In the hours and hours of boredom, watching over his “few sheep”, he did not waste what he had. He learned to be a crack shot. God used this to overcome Goliath.

So you’re thinking “Well, I have absolutely nothing, I’m not even any good with a slingshot, I’m a complete unco, God could never have used me”. Wrong. God will use whatever you have. That is where the humility component and the anointing component come in. If David truly had no skills in at all, he would have overcome Goliath with “just” the anointing on his life. Humility required of David that he recognize that Saul’s armour wasn’t going to work. He went in the strength he had, having learned the lessons from the stories of his ancestors, in particular Moses and Gideon. But the preparation strand means that effort was required, and time was required, and waiting on God was required. God knows the timing. Our times are in His hands.
In the meantime we don’t sit twiddling our thumbs, we put our hands to the plow whatever is in front of us and we use the time wisely to prepare.

Finally, we have the component of “keeping it real”. Which is similar to the strand of preparation, yet different. The emphasis of this strand is humility. We understand not just that we can do nothing apart from God but that we can do everything in Him. All things are ours. All things are possible, to those who believe. So this strand is combined with faith. In fact its faith, hope and love wrapped in a cloak of humility.

So we have the three strands of the cord that must tie us to God, and does tie us to God in Christ.

The faith strand, made up of faith, the presence of God and the call of God. In other words, the anointing.
The preparation strand, made up of our talents and effort (preparation), the presence of God and humility.
The “keeping it real” strand: faith, hope and love wrapped up in the cloak of humility.

Remember we are God’s workmanship, and we are created to do good works in Christ.

Colossians chapter 1, the Message:

“The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.”

There is a hope laid up for us in heaven, that God wants to use us to bring to earth. Touching heaven, pulling down the blessing, and changing earth. All things are possible, if we believe.

The Ministry of the Spirit

I wrote yesterday about asking (and keeping on asking), seeking (and keeping on seeking), and keeping on believing…

Today, I was thinking… well, that’s all well and good, but surely there is a human limit to asking, seeking and believing.

Surely there is a point at which the human spirit says “Enough”, like Elijah, and simply can’t take it any more.

I’ve written about “why, God, why” and “when, God, when”

But I’ve come to realize we’re not talking about human possibilities here. God is disciplining us as sons (and daughters), first of all, by bringing us to our knees, and second of all by keeping us on our knees for what seems like (and probably is) an inhuman length of time.

“Why, God, Why?”, we cry, “When, God, When!”

“To what possible end?” our soul cries out “Show me your glory”

And the glory is coming. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. The big question is, when it comes, will you be ready? Jesus talks about the wise and foolish virgins. Just how much oil are you keeping in your lamp as you await the king? Are you getting tired? Fed up? Or are you keeping your lamps trimmed in time for the Master’s return, no matter what.

By the grace of God, and by grace alone, as we await the glory, through the “Dark night of the soul” (crying “When, God, When?”, and “Why, God, Why?”) we will remember to fill our lamps with oil. For what purpose, we don’t know, but we await the Masters return. Simply because he says he’s coming back. We trim the wicks, prepare our hearts, and we earnestly wait.

Yet there is a point at which it is humanly possible to wait no longer. That is where the ministry of the Spirit (2Cor 3,4) kicks in:

if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious… how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

…we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

…But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

…We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed …that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body…

Hard pressed, but not crushed. God knows our limits. He is sustaining is as we seek him, and remember it is not us who decides when the seasons of our lives begin, and when they end, it is him:

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

Oceans will Part (Part Two)… Hope Will Rise

Hope will Rise

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be opened, that we might know the hope of our calling… to the Romans (and to us) Paul writes:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The thing about hope—true hope—the hope that we wear as a helmet, the helmet of salvation; this hope, which gives us strength to believe (against all hope), can not be crushed by circumstances.  This hope, which overflows by the power of the Holy Spirit, will not stop flowing. This hope will rise, against all odds, against all opposition.  Greater is He that is in you, the power that gives you hope, than He who is in the world. There truly is no devil in hell that can stop the power of hope.

It’s coming: a tsunami of reality, a tsunami of joy, a tsunami of peace, a tsunami of glory…

Glory Shown

“Show me Your glory”, Abraham prayed

Paul prayed “That you may know the glory of his inheritance in the saints”

The last prayer of David “Let the whole earth be filled with your glory.”

As you open my eyes to the work of your hand

It’s not up to us.  We pray; He hears.  We cry out; He answers. We ask; He freely gives.

Call upon the Name of the Lord, and be saved.

Call upon Him in trouble, Call upon Him when things are going well, Call upon him when things are going bad.  Call upon the Mighty Name of Jesus.

Call upon the Lord, and He will answer you and show you great and marvellous things that you do not know (Jer 33:3).

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously and without reproach (James 1), without favour, without preference.  He gives to all.  To as many as receive him, He gives the right to become children of God (John 1)

It is not the healthy who need a Doctor, but the sick.

O Lord heal! O Lord forgive! cries the Psalmist.

Jesus came to give sight to the blind.  Lord, open my eyes to the work of your hand.

Oceans will part at the whisper of Your call

Not the shout, the whisper.  God came to Elijah in the cave… not in the fire, not in the wind but as a still small voice.  God spoke into the darkness, and there was light.  God spoke to Moses, and the Red Sea parted.

God whispers and the Nations tremble.  God whispers through our prayers, and the demons flee.

Only, keep on believing.

A mustard seed of faith, and the mountains fall into the sea.

In my life, Your will be done.

That means my will takes a back seat.  That means seeking God until he shows us the way.  That means asking, seeking, knocking, believing, receiving.  The mustard seed of faith, the word, is the key.

Ask, and keep on asking…

Seek, and keep on seeking…

Knock and keep on knocking…

Have faith in God!  Only believe…

Let it be done, according to your faith.

The just shall live by faith.   Persevere!

Your will be done, O Lord, on earth, as it is in heaven…

Jesus, open my eyes to the work of your hands…

Strength in Weakness

Isaiah 40: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”.

Consider Hannah: Almost everyone has heard of Hannah, but whoever heard of Penninah? Yet in Hannah’s day, it was the other way round.

Hannah’s fame was such that when God through the prophet Isaiah, that “more are the children of the desolate woman” (referring to God’s blessing to the barren woman), God’s people would have immediately thought of the story of Hannah.

Hannah was a barren woman, without children. More than that, she was persecuted by her husband’s other (we’ll save discussion of polygamy for another day) wife, the not-so-barren, childbearing (and don’t you forget it) Penninah. She was not only barren, she was desolate, hurting and pained. Constantly reminded of her failure, aggravated by the success of her peer, she bore the reproach of her barrenness and it was killing her. Her sadness showed on her face.

Hannah, however, sought the face of God. She went to the tabernacle to make her sacrifice. She would not let go until God blessed her. She did not give in when the clueless High Priest of the day, Eli, mistook her grieving and crying out to the Lord for drunkenness, and rebuked her. Almost to get rid of her, Eli announces to her “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

Immediately, Hannah’s countenance changed. God imparted strength to her, in her weakness, and with the strength came miraculous grace to change the situation and to change the world.

Incredibly, especially given the apostacy of the priesthood of the day, God does indeed grant Hannah’s petition. It wouldn’t be the last Eli would hear from Hannah either.

Hannah’s pain and weakness became her strength. Her song celebrates this:

I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.

The barren has borne seven, God’s number for completeness. The barren’s faithfulness results in the birth of Samuel, a true prophet after God’s own heart… and she who has many children? Penninah? Panini? Pa… who?

Not that there should be a cause for gloating. No, there is never cause for that. There is, however, always cause to celebrate God’s faithfulness.

Today is the day of God’s favour. Today is the day of salvation.

Receive the strength of God, recall Hannah’s words today, even as you stumble:

“Those who stumbled are girded with strength”

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

So you’ve failed? So you’re weak? So those mountains keep looking bigger? So what?

Have faith in God. Only keep on believing.

God himself will restore you.

Have a look at the video:

Strengthen your bedraggled hands and feeble knees…

…and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed.

God wants to strengthen us, lift us up so that we can shine in these days in which we live.

From the strengthening flows healing, from the healing salvation, from the salvation praise.

God himself will do the strengthening, God himself will do the healing.  We simply need to call upon his name.

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

Isaiah 40:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
“ Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended…

“ Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;

Psalm 28:

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

The LORD is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.

For You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Psalm 18:

For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
And sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

The Key of David

God spoke to Isaiah:

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

and to John the Revelator:

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

What exactly is this “Key of David”?

What is that David had that somehow unlocks the heart of God, so that God can work so mightily in Davids life?

What was the preparation that David went through that enabled him to stand before the giant Goliath and win?

Yes, it was faith, but it was more than faith.  “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God“

How do we get the word of God, that gives us faith, of which a mustard seeds worth is sufficient to move mountains?

How will be able to stand in the coming days, should the worlds financial systems fail, should World War III break out, should our leaders fail, should men and women’s hearts melt with fear?

What will make the difference in our lives?

The Key of David is intimacy with God.  The same intimacy that God had with Moses

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

Jesus came to give us eternal life, that is that we would know him:

“this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.“

We are called to know him.  We are called to enter his throne room daily and to converse before the throne of grace, a two-way intimate conversation.   From this place of intimacy comes faith, and with faith comes power to move mountains, overcome giants, break free into the perfect will of God, see lives transformed, broken hearts healed.  This is the kingdom of God.

David knew that Goliath didn’t stand a chance, because he knew God.  Nothing and more and nothing less is required.  Without Faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  And the word of God comes from a heart of intimacy with the Father.

Jesus Christ has made a way, He has come to give us eternal life that we may know the Father, His blood has redeemed us, he is the propitiation, the curtain is torn in two.  Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Amen!