Finding Rest: The Reliable Ones
The crisis is here. Oswald Chambers said, “When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to have such confidence in him that they will be the reliable ones.” Where do we find courage? In whom do we rely? In whom do we trust?
According
to Psalm 91, “HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge
and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt
thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt
not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness…”
Pestilence
is a virulent epidemic or pandemic that is extremely contagious and spreads
without resistance through human populations. Individuals and
populations have no defenses against its virulent attack. The crisis is
here. Amid the pestilence of the Corona Virus, our bodies may be
defenseless, but Isaiah 40 says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength. They shall mount upon wings as eagles. They shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Jesus
Christ drew a stark contrast between the enemy’s purpose and the Lord’s
purpose. In John 10:10 he said, “The thief cometh not but for to steal,
to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it
more abundantly.” God will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it
to our good. 1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children and have
overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the
world.”
The
authorities have said that we should “shelter in place.” Our shelter is
under the shadow of the Almighty. He alone is our refuge and strength.
Because
the lord is our refuge and strength, Oswald Chambers said, he will break up the
private lives of His saints so that they will become a thoroughfare for others
to walk on. In our own strength, we cannot bear up under the stress
unless he is our firm foundation. We’re called into the fellowship of
Christ’s suffering when we abide with him and within him.
God
prepares our hearts through his discipleship training. A disciple is a
disciplined follower. We will become disciples when we abide with him and
walk with him through the trials of life. The storms of life are our
training exercises to discipline us to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart
and lean not unto thine own understanding.” When we acknowledge Him in
all our ways, he will direct our paths. God disciplines his disciples as
they follow Christ. In contrast, Men of this world follow after the things
of this world and the wisdom of the world. According to James, the wisdom
of this world is full of strife and contention against God and his word.
It is earthly, sensual, and devilish. In contrast, the wisdom from
above results in righteousness sown in peace by those who make peace.
Men
of this world who are dedicated to politics follow after political correctness,
however their particular political persuasion defines correctness. Some
say that the word “politics” is made up of two words, “poly” meaning many, and
“ticks” meaning blood sucking insects. However, the word “politics”
biblically speaking is derived from the Greek word “polis” from which we get
our English word “police.” In Greek, “polis” is the wall that surrounded
the city-state. The “metropolis” was the area inside the the city walls.
The citizens were the people who lived inside the walls of the
city-state. Citizens have a common set of rules that governs their hearts
and minds. Some rules are formal laws and other rules are defined by
“mores,” commonly accepted customs that define a citizen’s “morality.”
The Apostle Paul said, bad company corrupts good morals. You’re
most like the ones with whom you surround yourself. The Bible says that
we are citizens of heaven. According to Philippians 3:20, For our
conversation (citizenship) is in heaven, from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” He is the one who defines our political
correctness.
Some
are men identify as political socialists. They believing that “sharing the
wealth” is for the common good. However this concept of “commonwealth” is
characterized by a strong central government where the leaders entitle
themselves to uncommon wealth earned on the backs of the hard working people.
The working citizens are do not share the common wealth. Instead
they share common poverty.
Some
men of this world are narcissists. These are men who worship themselves.
As our friend Orlando prayed, “Help me overcome myself Lord, I may not be
much, but I’m all I think about.” This world has indoctrinated us to
think that we don’t need God. …That we’re sufficient in our own power.
Narcissists prescribe to the Devil’s original lie to Eve in the Garden of
Eden: “Don’t worship God. Worship yourself. When you disobey
God, you shall be as God knowing good from evil.”
Some
men identify as businessmen. Their behavior and their heart’s desire are
governed by the pursuit of profit and the accumulation of worldly riches.
However, Jesus said, “lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth
and rust dost corrupt and thieves break through and steal. Instead lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is there will your
heart be also.”
Some
men identify as addicts. Addiction is rooted in the worship of self.
My addiction whether drugs, alcohol, sex, food, work, or sports is to
satisfy my craving for more. Enough is never enough. I need a
continuous fix in order to function in this world. Addictions result from
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Lust,
the Greek word “epithumia” means over desire. Lust is anything we desire
over our desire for God. This is why the first of the Ten Commandments
says, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. In other words, God said
you shall have no other gods between your face and my face. According to
the words of the old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his
wonderful face. Then the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the
light of his glory and grace.”
Regardless
of how men identify themselves, God will use trials and tribulations to show
the world that we are not in control. That which can be shaken will be
shaken. Recently, the word “unprecedented” has become part of our common
vocabulary. The worldwide pandemic of the Corona Virus has caused
“unprecedented” disruption in the affairs of this world. Although the
world is scrambling for solutions, the experts say the the pandemic must run
its course. Many will die and people everywhere must take precautions to
mitigate the spread of this virulent pandemic. These unprecedented
measures include banning of all social interactions at schools, work places,
churches, parks, gyms, and even extended family gatherings. The
unprecedented “social distancing” orders have caused disruptions in industry
and commerce resulting in the crash of financial markets as workers everywhere
“shelter in place.”
Men
say, this pandemic is unprecedented. We had no warning of this “silent
invisible enemy” and we have no defenses against it. Our national leaders
have declared that we are now on a wartime footing. The resources of our
nation have been mobilized to fight this invisible enemy. The Bible says
that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness
from on high. Even though we have been blind sided by this virulent
pandemic, God was not surprised. He knows the end from the beginning.
From God’s perspective, this too shall pass.
In
Matthew 11:27-30 Jesus said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father:
and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.”
What
we all need is rest. Jesus said, come unto me all ye who are weary and
are leafy laden and I will give you rest. When we rest in him through his
power we will be the reliable ones in this time of crisis. We have to
voluntarily yoke ourselves together with him. He says take my yoke upon
you and learn from me….fixing our eyes upon Jesus the author and perfector of
faith. For Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
The
Bible says we should walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.
Redeeming the times because the days are evil. We should walk
precisely according to the path God sets before each of us. A wise man
said, “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Sometimes discretion is
the better part of valor. Martin Luther said during the pestilence of the
Black Plague, “I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall
fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall
avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become
contaminated. And thus perchance pollute others and so cause their death
as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will
surely know where to find me. And I have done what he has expected of me.
And I am not responsible for my own death or the death of others.
If my neighbor needs me I shall avoid neither place nor person but will
go freely as stated above.”
After
a long and grueling day of ministry, Jesus said to his disciples, “Get in the
boat, we’re going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” Jesus was
asleep in the back of the boat. Suddenly a great storm arose and the rain
and hail pelted their boat. The waves crashed over them and their boat
filled with water. Even though they were seasoned fishermen, they were
terrified and thought they would all drown. In a panic they woke Jesus
said, “don’t you care if we all perish?” Jesus said, “Peace be still!”
Immediately the wind and the waves ceased. The disciples marveled and
said to themselves, “Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him?”
This is similar to today’s crisis. The waves are crashing and
circumstances and situations look dire. The storms are out of our
control. Many people are fearful of dying. We can look at the wind
and waves and torrential rain and thunder and lightning that’s flooding our
boat. The question is not “What’s in your boat?” The real question
is “Who’s in your boat?” In the midst of the storm we look to Jesus
Christ….he is the captain of our salvation. He is the author and
finisher of our faith.
In
the midst of the storm, he will teach us that our prayer is not, “Lord, deliver
me from the storm.” Rather our prayer is, “Lord, deliver me through the
storm.” Through the crisis of the storms of life he will teach us the
meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he
shall direct thy paths.”
Through
the trial he will teach us that our purpose is that we should be to the praise
of the glory of His grace!
Your
brother in Christ,
Michael
