1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalms 22:1-3 (KJV)
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Psalms 22:25-26 (KJV)

Kim and I recently attended a ministry time for pastors at an established and effectively producing church. We got there a little early and had the opportunity to be a part of a prayer time and meet the senior pastor of the church. What made this event particularly significant for me was that several things had occurred on the way to the event that directly challenged our resolve to go on. Because of some very personal and devastating attacks, we were greatly tempted to just turn around and forget the whole thing. There was reason to question the validity of our most precious possession as threats to His presence became magnified, causing a feeling of great solitude and separation. Even with these things heavy upon our minds and hearts, however, we determined to go ahead and make our way to the gathering.

It was the question from the pastor upon our initial greeting that awoke something inside and brought an opening for light once again. He asked us how we were doing. Now, for us at that particular moment, there was a battle of thoughts to determine exactly what a truthful response should be. Right at the front of the mind was a long list of reasons for despair and discouragement, which should have honestly rendered a sorrowful and negative response. Confronted by this question, though, there was this shifting of the mind from those things to the favor side of our circumstances. The question from a brother in Christ brought a return to the answer and provision side of our circumstances. Though we would go on to relate some of our most challenging considerations, there were words of encouragement from him (and from us) that elevated the ever-present solution in Christ above the isolating effect of the fearful thoughts.

We would go on to gain much valuable information from the sessions that would follow, but in that gathering there was something else that took place even though there wasn’t a single song sung or note played- worship. The name of the Lord was raised and His presence was acknowledged above the dominance of circumstances. This was something that took place as a direct result of our coming together with other believers, where we were compelled to abandon the lonely place for the warmth of His loving favor. We weren’t just being hypocrites that were pretending something around others that wasn’t real somewhere else. We were letting what was real in the congregation affect the illusion of defeat the enemy was using to take our victory and make our God seem far away. Together with others He was seen as near once again.

Alone and apart from the body, there will be great opportunities to abandon the vows, to give up on the commitments, and to lose sight of the One who has done so much to be right there next to us and before us. But, in the congregation of those who fear Him, there will be an opportunity for humility to rise with the lifted praise and for the light of His presence to remove the darkness, revealing the good that was there all along. Something that might not have been possible alone will become inevitable in the sanctuary as the song of despair is transformed into the song of triumph and victory.

Psalms 107:31-32 KJV Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (32) Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

How sweet and how wonderful is the place of intimacy that is our personal refuge in the presence of the Lord. Moses must have valued so highly His moments of personal exposure to the glory of God. The burning bush, the mountain encounter, and each personal communication from Almighty God surely made him to feel the need to pursue this relationship to the exclusion of all others. As precious as each of those moments was for Moses, however, there was a purpose in them that went beyond the personal one on one to how that encounter would affect the people. Moses’ relationship with God found its greatest significance when he took it to the congregation, when what He experienced alone with God was made to impact a nation and a world. His solitude with God, while necessary for personal revelation, was in need of people encounters for its continuance. He understood this so much so that when God was ready to destroy the people for their sinning, Moses spoke passionately about their preservation as if it were necessary for his own. His purpose in God had become directly connected to his purpose in the congregation.

David also seemed to have an understanding that his personal relationship was in need of those times in the congregation. Although he was able to acknowledge the involvement of God from the magnitude of creation to each personal conflict, it was those moments in the congregation that brought gladness to his heart and a joyous response. Though he lived one of the greatest examples of personal nearness to God, his fulfilled purpose was always found in the congregation, honoring, together with others, the faithfulness of His God.

There is a great need for the early morning encounters, even those moments before sleep is completely over. The times alone with God in His Word are essential for a life that will represent Him in holiness and wisdom. For every personal moment of intimacy with God, however, there is a congregational purpose. The heart of the Father is in continual pursuit of all those He’s created, and any pursuit of Him will lead to the place where they gather. For anyone determined to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, there will be a mentor in David, the one whose heart was after God. To follow him would mean a frequent arrival in the congregation where His God was magnified in a way his personal encounters could not replace.

There is a transforming encounter with an incredible God for today. It’s in the secret place where we are preserved, protected, and provided for by the Most High. For every personal exposure to His face and His glory, though, there is a time in the congregation where together with others and their proclaimed victories, Jesus name will be magnified once again. The personal is so precious, but the congregation gives it a purpose of eternal proportions it will never know on its own.

Psalms 111:1 KJV Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Psalms 149:1 KJV Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah. Isaiah 26:8-10 (ASV)

Where there is great mental deftness, there is great potential for production and technical advancement. For all the accumulation of knowledge, however, there is no capacity to actually do what is right where there is no heart after God. Regimes and kingdoms through the ages have attempted governance using various methods from dictator to republic. To win an election or to be born into royalty does not directly result in a person who is capable of right decisions. When it comes to right and wrong, the mind might be helpful, but the heart will be the compass. Where there has been exposure of that heart to the Holy One it will be possible for a right choice to be made, but where evil has been harbored to the exclusion of His face, there will be no opportunity for righteous wisdom to preside. Out of the heart will flow the direction of the mind’s focus and the mouth’s declarations and directives. Try as they may, the administration that separates itself from the acknowledgement of the presence of God, is the one that will be attempting the building of a house on sand. Only the heart can bring the stability that is a foundational requisite and only in a passionate pursuit of God’s face can there be any wisdom displayed from a heart secured in Him.

For some reason there is a persistent determination in men to rise above the archaic ‘simplicity’ of those who have followed in the ways of their Creator. No matter the overall success resulting from founders who established order at the inspiration of the Spirit, minds tend to follow a path that leads away from a God-exposed heart. Somehow philosophies arise that determine it is better to trust in man than in God. It is better to be taken care of by a king, a dictator, or a government than to diligently put your trust in God. Rather than reaching for those God given abilities inside and drawing from the value they will produce, there is great incentive established to rely totally on the benevolence of an establishment that has no counsel from the One who designed us for a righteous end. To validate and somehow cover all the bases, the documentation for their proclamations accumulates to excessive size that makes it beyond comprehension or compliance. The way of the right, however, will require much less clarification and cover-up as His ways go directly to a solution that requires no repairs.

Where there has been a dimming of hearts to the clarity of God’s face, where tenderness to the presence of Jesus has never been or has waned, may there be an exposure that captures the heart. May there be a revelation of glory that surpasses the limitations of mental strategies and brings an introduction of the heart to the only place where right choices can be made. In us and in them may the way be found that leads upward towards the light of righteousness with its ever-fruitful end.

8 I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; My flesh also shall dwell in safety.
Psalms 16:8-9 (ASV)

What an incredibly powerful thing to do- set the Creator of the Universe in a position of constant awareness at the most-used side, the right side. I love the confidence, boldness and almost arrogance that is used in this statement, that he has placed Jehovah, as if this were something he could actually do with someone so powerful and mighty. Yet, in this simple act of intimacy with his God, there is a strength gained against the tendencies and temptations of the flesh that would otherwise lead it to places of failure and danger. Though Jehovah is really there already and without need of physical placement, until this positioning takes place in the heart of the worshiper, the power of His presence is of no effect. Until He, by the psalmist, is given the place of prominence in his sight, there can be no expectation of security and victory, and the heart is made to be vulnerable to threats of sorrow and depression. For every encounter with danger or uncertainty, however, that has Jehovah placed clearly before and to the strong side, there is an overwhelming sense of gladness and rejoicing in the knowledge that the flesh will not be overcome either by the physical threats of outside attacks or the inner failures of its own weaknesses.

As wonderful is this opportunity and as simple is the application of this principle, the overwhelming tendency is to let other personalities and entities slip in between and gain the focus and recognition above that of Jehovah. All too often there is a frustration and dislodged peace due to the simple lack of Jehovah placement. His faithfulness to impact and transform with life changing righteousness is never failing, but for all His ability to be the key ingredient to a rejoicing and glad life, His placement in our hearts will always be left up to us. Although He has abundance of life and peace just waiting for our move, He will never impose Himself over those other temporary and insignificant elements that we may be continually placing in priority over Him.

So many are waiting for the incredible and the miraculous to somehow flood in to overwhelm with imposing power, but in reality everything that could ever fulfill and satisfy is more than available right here and right now in the simple prominent placement of Jehovah. He sets before us life and death and then compels us to choose life in the choice of His face and His heart above all others. It’s all available right here and right now and will be included in the wake of the heart that is set to seek His face.

8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Psalms 27:8 (KJV)

Psalms 11:7 ASV For Jehovah is righteous; He loveth righteousness: The upright shall behold his face.

Luke 10:21 ASV In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.

If only you could control everyone with whom your child comes in contact. As soon as there is any interaction with others at school, on the playground, or at friends’ houses, there is an opportunity for them to begin seeing things from a different point of view. They may seem to be wonderful little creatures with happy faces and pure motives and actions until, magically, there is some objectionable word used or some errant behavior displayed that was never there until they were around ‘Judy’ or ‘Johnny’. Their perceptions, how they see life, and their ability to do right have everything to do with who they’re seeing. The choice of friends will have everything to do with the choice of right and wrong.

I had this friend who lived in the house right across the alley from us in Castle Rock. He was a charming young man whom I looked up to and from whom I was a given a perspective that was quite different from that which I’d been given in our home. He showed me how to emulate smoking with the smoke from matches. I went with his family to the pool hall on Main Street. (just wasn’t the type of place we would normally frequent) From him I also learned how to fail at putting out a fire in the vacant lot next to the church and how to hide while the Fire Department put the fire out. I’m sure there were additional words, attitudes, and behaviors that were shown to me as a result of the moments spent with the neighbor boy, and I’m sure there were a great many of them that would never have been learned if my Dad had been there with us. Somehow his presence always seemed to make things look much different. It still does.

So what is it about babes that qualifies them to see certain things that cannot be seen by the ‘wise and understanding’, and how is it that Jesus directed in Matthew 18:3 for us to become as little children? It would seem that acquiring wisdom and understanding were the reasons for partaking of the fruit in the garden and the only way Adam and Eve could have come up with this notion was by hanging out with the neighborhood snake. What took them from their childlike innocence and stripped them of their ability to behold God in His glory had everything to do with who they were beholding. Even though God knew what they were up to and could see their actions and the motives of their hearts, somehow their focus on the serpent and his enticing words caused them to lose sight of their Father’s face. Their ability to choose correctly was greatly altered by their newfound maturity and they completely lost sight of the higher ways of God’s heart. If somehow they could have kept His image before them their encounter with temptation would have left them no less innocent and still completely childlike.

I’m so grateful that there is a way back to the innocence, that there is a rebirth that makes the Father’s face and His presence and His ways visible to even those of us who have left physical childhood long ago. In seeking His face early, in keeping it continually before the eyes, there is an awakening of those eyes to those things that will only be seen by those who are His babes, His children. When the neighborhood faces rise with propositions of various considerations, the pure fixation on the face of the Father will preserve the purity and innocence provided in redemption and keep the eyes clear to what He desires to reveal to His children.

Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Ok, the ultimate reality show- To Lose A Life- where everybody, the world over, is playing and the winners are only the ones who successfully lose their life. Maybe a bit like ‘The Truman Show’, where Jim Carry’s character is born into a controlled environment in which he is watched by the world from birth and through all the significant events of his life. Although his life is livable, he never really discovers who he really is until he loses that old life. He gets in a boat to somehow depart from his old life and, to the point of perishing in a manufactured storm, is more willing to die than to continue without knowing whom he really is. Although he was living what many might consider to be an acceptable life, he couldn’t ever really win until he lost that life.

From the time we enter the world there is an environment around us that can define and confine us. Although the whole world isn’t necessarily watching on television, they are watching with every encounter, as the person we present to them is one that has been formed by the influence of family, friends and society. What they see may be suitable and livable. It also may be something that is shameful and with little reason for acceptance. Either way, there is a reality show for every living person that only allows progress to the next round of progress and fulfillment in the loss of life. The infant moves from milk-only to an unending menu of food consumption. He/she then moves from the comfort of all-four-on-the-floor to standing upright and moving with much more agility and speed. There’s the first day at school, where the comforts of home are left for an environment of intellectual and social discovery. With maturity, the home is again left along with its sense of entitlement and protection for the world of independently discovering an occupation, an abode, and relationships.

There is for everyone a discovery waiting for the one who will resolutely set sail for that place completely beyond the shores of this life’s contrived culture. While there is a wonderful introduction to the Lord of that new realm, to really make it to the revelation of who we are in Him, it will require braving a life-threatening storm with an attitude of, “I’ll let that old man die in order to really find out who I am in Him”. Every time that old life is lost, however, there is a victory won in the reality show of ‘To Lose A Life’, and Christ’s life is presented to the world in a vessel that has become available to Him. Where He is seen there is then an opportunity for another one to realize that this life on earth isn’t all there is. There’s something of great significance waiting beyond this old life. In Him, the old passes a way and all things are new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Luke 7:15-17 (ESV)

It’s almost magical what can be done with multi-media, lights, sound and action. That’s pretty much what we’re looking for these days, too – or so we’re told. The best use of all these will surely make the best impression and fulfill the great commission most effectively. Our culture is geared to the high tech and will never show up to a place where this appetite is not met.

Ok, they show up, but for what? What happens when there is another need other than that entertainment hunger, like healing, deliverance, restored relationships, or finances? For this woman that Jesus met she might have been impressed with a band they could have put together or maybe a nice banner show, but the real heart starter and belief transformer was the demonstration of a power beyond any earthly planning or human creativity. There was a display of His power to meet her right at the point of her heart’s breaking with a remedy. You might wonder how many brainstorming sessions Jesus had with His disciples about ministry growth and how to keep them coming back, but it would seem that these supernatural manifestations of His power alone provided the necessary drawing power of a heart connection to someone who could meet them at their greatest needs.

There are marketing firms and training sessions, along with books of ‘fishing’ methods and organizational leadership, but for all the preparation of man there is but one presentation that will truly turn a heart from a path to destruction. Only when there is an encounter with a superior power that exists specifically for their good and for their salvation, will there be a true conversion of the heart. Mental agreement and gratified flesh may produce a popular social gathering, but all the ‘successful’ plans for expansion and exposure will ultimately be rendered superfluous and insignificant if, upon arrival at the gathering there is never a life-transforming encounter with the Worker of Miracles.

Each gift is so precious and useful in bringing relevance of the Gospel’s message to a tech culture in need of an eternal heavenly impression. In all who have experienced the breath of life and its supernatural transformation there is great potential to reveal to a needy world just how real and pertinent our God truly is. There is an anointing and flow of the same power that raised Jesus Himself from the grave that is residing in all who have embraced His offer of life. Through gifts of music, art, governance and proclamation, there will be a wide variety of means for His power to be demonstrated, but when these gifts are utilized and when the people show, may they encounter the One who provided those gifts and may much more than just their minds and flesh be impressed by each gift’s display. It will be Jesus’ glory and His touch that bring the changes each heart is longing for. Through all that is said and all that is done, may what He did be the subject of conversations. Where He is exposed in His power and might, there will be an irresistible draw to His love and His light.

Genesis 4:26… At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.

A bit random, coming at the end of a chapter and in the same paragraph where it talks about the birth of Adam’s son, Seth. It’s sort of like- ‘and, uh, I forgot to mention that men began calling on the name of the Lord.’ What is very interesting, though, is that this is the last statement before one of those favorite parts of the Bible for all of us- some of the ‘begats’. But, these ‘begats’ have a little different form to them- they state the age of the participants, how long they lived before they begat their son, the years after that before they died, and their total age. My quick research shows that this is the only set of ‘begats’ that reveal this information for all involved. The reason, though, might be that all of these guys lived to be more than 700 years old, all except for Enoch, who didn’t really die, just went on up. Though the correlation isn’t actually declared, the placement of the ‘called’ statement right before the genealogy could very well be seen as a demonstration of what happened to those men who began calling on the name of the Lord.

The other element of this that inspires another ‘hmmmmm?’ is that they were calling, but I’m sure without the great volume of worship resources that are available to us today. They didn’t have hymns and the latest worship cds. They couldn’t go online and stream sermons from the most eloquent and inspiring ministers around the world. They didn’t even have scriptures that they could hide in their heart and keep them from going the way of Cain. All they must have known was to simply call, without scriptural correctness and musical preparation. All of that stuff must not have been necessary, though, for their calling to be effective and powerful. Theirs was a relationship with God that was pure and without pretense, but filled with an awareness of what happens to those who, like Adam and Cain, choose to fall out of worship and act as if God isn’t there. Theirs was a direct one-on- one that touched every part of their body with significance and longevity.

There are these little commercials that are used at the beginning of movies to impress the power of a telephone call and how important it is to silence your phone. I believe this section of ‘begats’ is like those, but with a reverse purpose. There is power in the call to bring a long, long life of abundant fellowship with God. Too many lines of communication have lost signal (or never found it) and reduced the impact of the call’s incredible power to bring life. Rather than silencing our phones, there is a great need to have them charged, on the high level, and filled with God’s ids for quick calling. Might not make it past 100, but there is promise of greatly enhanced and extended life of salvation and wholeness for all who will, like those early men, begin simply calling on the name of the Lord.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers: 2 But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; And on his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.4 The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall perish.
Psalms 1:1-6 (ASV)
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold. 13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 24:12-13 (ASV)

With the popularity and increased usage of community websites there have been reconnections with many people from the past. An integral part of participation on the sites is the exposure of feelings, activities, and photos. While it has been great to reconnect and renew relationships with those that are still so dear to the heart, there have also been disappointments as many who once appeared to have been close to the Father in their conversation and lifestyle are apparently in a state of separation from Him in their chosen behaviors. We are most certainly all in need of the grace and mercy of God on a daily basis, and it is not given to us to judge any. But, from the passages above there is an understanding that there is a long, fruitful life of abundance that is promised to those who choose the way of righteousness, while the way of the wicked has an undesirable result.

Somewhere through the passage of life, the challenges of relationships and the enticements of the world, there seems to be a natural tendency for ‘iniquity’ to increase along with a decreased love and passion for the presence of God. Considering how wonderful is His provision of life and how faithful He is to gratify every time His way is chosen, it brings great sadness to the heart to discover that there has been a lack of endurance in so many and a choice of temporal worldly gratification over the eternal significance of a God relationship. Although His grace is more than sufficient to restore and salvation is an ever present opportunity, the simple choices of life that may not appear to be all that wrong in themselves, have a power to lead a heart away from the only place of safety from the inevitable consequence of wickedness. It’s at the Father’s side that real living is known with a joy and happiness that carries no eventual regret and sorrow. With every yielding to His holiness is a reception of peace and confidence that no other choice can bring.

For so many that have been drawn away may there be an awakening this day to their misdirection, and may the goodness of God be seen as the clearly superior choice with the far greater reward and promise of fulfillment. And, let those who have found their place in Christ endure the deception of every lure of the flesh that would loosen the embrace of the only One who is true life and peace.

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Genesis 22:8

There was something quite prophetic and profound in the personal understanding of God that Abraham was imparting to his son in this statement. In the middle of moving in obedience towards something that had to be tearing at his heart, there was an understanding that the very son he was willing to sacrifice before his God was a son that had been provided to him by that very same God. If God needed Abraham’s son to be offered up to Him it was an offering that had already been provided and Abraham’s understanding of this made it possible to be a part of his own son’s salvation with his proclamation that God would Himself yet provide a lamb.

In all of the perceived sacrifices we’re led to make in an obedient progress towards God’s purpose in our lives, there is a wonderful understanding to be had that He doesn’t ask us to give up anything He hasn’t already provided. When He is in need of a sacrifice the substance of that sacrifice will be something that He has Himself provided and if it has been given by Him, its replacement and even greater will be no problem for Him. Instead of allowing an apparent upcoming loss to shift a focus towards vacancy, there can, instead, be a creative proclamation made declaring the nature of a God who is ever faithful in His abundant provision. If He requires a sacrifice, He will Himself provide the lamb. If He asks a financial sacrifice, He will Himself provide the funds Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of a dream, He will Himself provide the dream Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of a relationship, He will provide that relationship Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of an occupation, He will provide that occupation Himself. There may a be a heart-wrenching trip up a mountain, but when there is a proclamation of God’s provision kept in the mouth there will be loss, but never one that He doesn’t Himself provide.

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide;[d] as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”