A Break from Lawrence for Isaiah 58

'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please..."

We are good at that question. Why? Why Why Why? Why can't I get a better job? Why can't I afford a better apartment? Why am I stuck with this car? Why did I get stuck with a hairy chest? Why am I so blah blah blah blah blah. I do it all the time. "Why am I so undisciplined?" "Why don't you help me with this God?" Why?

What does Isaiah 58 say? Well, you are good at asking why... but what are you doing after those words leave your mouth? Well, its not my fault, its too hard, that's why I'm praying!

If we just look at this in perspective it all makes sense. If I asked my dad for $1,000 to get some books for school, I think he would first ask how my job was going. If I said, "well, I quit my job because I needed more time to play basketball, but if I just had some more money I could finish school and then I can work more." Thats not even a good illustration, but its enough to show how ridiculous we are when dealing with God. Really, this is more for me than anyone else. The point is, if we want God to listen to our prayers we must back up our prayers, our faith, with action that proves our faith, our prayers. Got is NOT a divine gumball machine and prayers are NOT quarters. He is a father and we are his children by GRACE. He will discipline us in love and he will give us good gifts in love, but he will not simply give us whatever we ask for whenever we want it. Thank God for that.

Thank God that he didn't stop with Isaiah 58 as well. Thank God that he also inspired Isaiah 59. When God saw that his people were incabaple of doing good, in capable of saving themselves, totally inadequate, he did not sit idly. He does not sit idly. This is the Word of the Lord:

The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the LORD drives along.[a]

20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the LORD.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.

It was by his own hand that Jesus came. He comes both in wrath and in love to punish and to cherish so that his Spirit might never depart from his people and he may wipe every tear from their eye and JUSTICE might truly reign. By the LORD'S OWN HAND will this be accomplished. Thanks be to God.

D.A. Carson Inspired Blog on Devils as Angels of Light

Sometimes the devil will attack us via suffering and trial. It is quite unlikely that he will approach us clearly and say, “this is a big lie, believe it.” More often, he will do whatever he can to take a “good” thing and have it take you away from the sufficiency of Christ. 2 Cor 11:14 – “Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. 15 So it doesn't surprise us that those who serve Satan pretend to be serving God.” This is not to accuse anyone reading this that they may be serving Satan, but it is to open their eyes to the methods of Satan. In his book The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis makes the following comment:

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."

2 Cor. 11 points to the truth of the former, namely, that the devil may not be involved in my choosing to spend my afternoon relaxing since I need it or reading that great book by so and so to further my Christian experience, but when it takes me away from the centrality and sufficiency of the Gospel, it is nothing but a trick, a trap into weakness and the pathway to sin. Does that mean that all things but the gospel are evil? Hardly, but we can never lose sight of the centrality and sufficiency of the Gospel. Paul counted all things as loss of the sake of the Gospel. We must only turn to good things in light of the sufficiency of the Gospel. In light of the words of Brother Lawrence I mentioned in my last post, we must keep the love of God at the forefront of our minds at all times in all occasions, so that we might not be tricked when Satan dresses himself as an angel of light. It is easy to become distracted with arguments about social justice, predestination, arguments for this or that, things that are good, but are not the heart of the Gospel.

1 Tim. 1:15 – “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all.” This is the heart of the Gospel.

John 3:16-18 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

So listen to the words of 2 Tim 2:20-21 – “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”

Beware of what is good being used for Evil (Remember Peter in Mark 8). Turn to the Gospel, to the love of God, to Jesus Christ, and make him the center, and take up the shield of faith (Eph 6) so that the Evil one, dressed as himself or as an angel of light will not be able to stand against the Gospel of the Lord.

In Him, D.P.S.

Brother Lawrence and Practicing the Presence of God

What is it called when you just start typing and let whatever comes out come out without editing or any mind to what you are writing? Free verse, or free thought, or poor writing? Something like that. Anyway, that is what I am setting out to do today - mostly because its 80 degrees outside and I wanna see the weather/run/get strings for my guitar before I meet with Luke and Andy (and Emily) over lunch.

So what is the topic of this disjointed spam of words? Well, I've been devotionally reading The Practice of the Presence of God, a collection of thoughts and writings and conversations from a monk named Brother Lawrence. I’m going slow so as not to waste it, but I wanted to put forth a bit of insight that I have gleaned thus far.

Brother Lawrence had one basic premise: that God is with us everywhere so we should learn to realize that and bask in his presence (my paraphrase, of course). Anyway, there is one quote from the opening pages of the first conversation that I thought I would share. “[A]t any moment and in any circumstance, the soul that seeks the companionship of God may find him.” Now, being a philosophy major, a host of unhelpful questions immediately arises in my mind. “How do we seek the companionship of God? Are there prerequisites? Do we always know when we have achieved said companionship?” Well, I don’t think Brother Lawrence would care about any of those questions, so I’m going to do something very unlike myself and not try to answer them. Rather, I will simply say that if we do anything at all with the devout desire and purpose of seeking the companionship of God, we are going to get somewhere. Good old B. L. sought God even as he did the dishes and served meals, and he found him. So whatever you’re doing today, do it will all your heart as to the Lord, but also see if you can find him in the midst of what you’re doing. I know I’ll be doing my best to do the same (should be an interesting day at the mall in any case).

In him,

D. P. Swartz