Swept Away

I recently started a chronological Bible reading program, where you read the Bible in the historical order of events. I've never tried this kind of approach before, so I thought I'd give it a go.

This week's reading plan has focused on the book of Job. It inspired me to write the following . . . poem? . . . song? . . . I'm not entirely sure how to categorize it. Whatever it is, I hope it will encourage you to look to the One Who has all the answers.

Swept Away

 Feels like I’m swimming upstream, I can’t catch my breath

Everything I was holding onto has been swept away

Why have You ignored my cries for help?

Why have I become a burden to You?

Why don’t You take my pain away?

Why do You answer my tears with silence? 

Where did I go wrong?

Don’t You see what’s happening to me?

Remember that my life is a breath

I’m swept away in the blink of an eye

For when a few years have come and gone

I’ll go to where I can’t return

Who will praise You then?

How long will You let them torment me

And tear me to pieces with heartless words?

Can’t You see what they’re doing to me?

Seems like I’m all alone in this battle

Why aren’t You here to protect me?

I can’t keep keeping on like this

It’s too much for me to take

My song has been silenced in the darkness of despair

I will question you, and you will answer Me

Where were you when I made the earth?

Have you commanded the morning since your birth?

Do you know the secret springs of the sea?

Have you walked in the deep places of the earth?

Have you seen the gates of Hell, or touched the windows of Heaven?

Tell me, if you know all this

Where is the way to the dwelling of light?

And where is the house of darkness?

Have you seen where the snow and hail are stored?

Can you send forth rain to nourish the earth?

Answer me, if you can

Do you give the horses their strength?

Is the wild ox your servant?

Do you provide the raven its prey to feed its young ones?

Have you caught Leviathan with a hook, or tamed Behemoth with a leash?

Will you contend with Yahweh, fault-finder?

Will you give an answer, you who argue with God?

I lay my hand on my mouth – how can I answer You? 

I know that You can do all things, and no will of Yours can be thwarted

I’ve spoken about what I don’t understand, things too wonderful for me to comprehend

Now I see You, and I repent in dust and ashes

I’m awe-struck, captivated, swept away by You

Blessed be Your Name!

"Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job 1:21b

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Jehovah Jireh!

God has blessed me with yet another job.

Yes, a second job!

I am more excited and grateful than any words can express. When it rains blessings, it pours!

A few months ago, I had applied to teach at a private Christian school just down the road from our house. My brother, who currently attends there, informed me of their lack of any kind of a performing arts/drama program, so I decided to give it a go and see if they were interested in starting a program of that sort.

Several weeks later, Mom met with the upper school administrator to discuss my brother's upcoming academic schedule. She mentioned my application and expressed interest in discussing employment opportunities with me. We talked the next day, and I was hired(!). "I don't normally hire people without laying eyes on them, but I feel that I can make an exception for you."

The school faculty has been dwindling over the past several weeks. Some have answered the call to full-time mission work outside the U.S. Others have resigned due to various circumstances. There is a real need for additional faculty members, and God has seen fit to bless me with the opportunity to help meet that need.

The school doesn't have the resources or space for a drama/performing arts program, but I will be able to blend my performance training with my interest in teaching, my love of storytelling, and my heart for children all into one job. How exciting is that!

This week is "planning week" for the faculty and staff. We have been meeting every morning to iron out as many kinks as we can before school starts Monday morning. The closer Monday gets, the more excited I become. I can hardly wait to see what the Lord will do during this school year.

Just a few short weeks ago, I was unemployed with an ever-shrinking list of ideas of where to apply for work. Now I have two incredible jobs with tasks the Lord has gifted me in, working in a Christian environment with coworkers and bosses who are strong in the faith. I never imagined my job search would end in such a way. God certainly "is able to do exceedinly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20)!

As I mentioned before, we are working to get all the last-minute details together to prepare for the beginning of the school year next week. Please pray for us as we do so. Pray that the Lord will use us to help these children and teenagers to learn and grow, both spiritually and academically. Pray that we won't lose sight of the big picture as the school year gets underway and things become hectic.

Looking back at how the last few weeks have unfolded, I am reminded that God is Jehovah Jireh, "the Lord Who Provides." It is encouraging and comforting to see how He has manifested that Name through the circumstances He has providentally orchestrated to provide these blessed opportunities for me.

In Matthew 6 and Luke 12, Jesus illustrates the loving provision of Jehovah Jireh and tells us how we are to respond to this loving provision.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
{Matthew 6:25-32}

  

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
{Luke 12:22-30}

 Jehovah Jireh knows His children have needs, and He always provides for them. Always.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

{Philippians 4:19}

Jehovah Jireh has blessed me beyond measure by providing for me in a truly incredible way, and I praise Him for it.

. . . and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:10b

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Hannah's Praise Song

Hannah's praise song (found in I Samuel 2:1-10) is one of my favorite passages of Scripture in the Old Testament. It's such a beautiful expression of Hannah's joy over God having answered her prayers for a son. The emotions she expresses are a step toward glorifying the Lord for His guidance in human affairs. It alternates between the themes of God's sovereignty and the reversal of human fortunes; it ends with the theme of kingship.

Hannah's praise song is a hymn to the God who reverses human fortunes by His mighty power, the Creator beyond all human understanding who protects those who are faithful to Him.

Hannah's Praise Song

My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. 

They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 

The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. 

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. 

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Isaiah 40

{Isaiah 40} 

1  Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2  Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
6  The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9  O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10  Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
12  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13  Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14  With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
15  Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16  And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17  All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
18  To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19  The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20  He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.
21  Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23  That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24  Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25  To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27  Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Have a wonderful Lord's Day!

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Themes from Lamentations

The book of Lamentations describes the results of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem (c. 587 B.C.). It is composed of five interconnected poems which describe a shift from horrible loss and personal shame to restored hope and prayer for God's renewing power.

The central passage in this book is 3:19-26.

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 

This passage affirms that belief in God's mercy and faithfulness is the key to a restored relationship with God. This is true even for those who deserve (and have perhaps already received) God's judgment. Hope is the byword in Lamentations.

Lamentations seems to have been written to be prayed aloud or sung in worship services in a spirit of repentance, asking God's forgiveness, and seeking restoration with Him.

Sadly, Lamentations is an often-neglected book. It presents several key concepts in a creative way during an important time in Israel's history.

These concepts are still applicable today. They include, but are not limited to:


1. It offers beautiful prayers that confess sin, express renewed hope, and declare total dependence on God's grace.

2. It is the only book of the Bible written by someone who endured a manifestation of "the day of the LORD" (see Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:14-16). This "day" is the day God comes to judge sin. It can occur in historical contexts, such as the fall of Jerusalem, or it can occur at the end of time (the final "day of the LORD"). Regardless, such "days" do occur, and warnings in the Bible about such days need to be taken seriously.

3. The book's authorship, setting, contents, and theology underline its value for understanding the nature of pain, sin, and redemption.

4. It affirms that Jerusalem fell
      a. because of the people's sins (1:18)
      b. because they rejected God's word sent through the prophets (2:8; 14, 17)
      c. because their leaders led them astray (4:13)
      d. because they did not heed God's warning (2:17).

5. It affirms God's faithful, unending mercy. God is not finished with His people, even when they sin greatly.

6. It affirms that prayers of confession, repentance, and petition are the means for restoring a broken relationship with God. Their honest expressions of pain and their dismay over what God has allowed to happen coincide with the prayers found in the Psalms. They also share the Psalms' emphasis on God's sovereignty as King of creation (Psalm 103:19).

Do you have any thoughts or additional themes from Lamentations that you would like to add? Don't hesitate to leave a comment!

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"Save Me"

{Psalm 69}

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David. 

1  Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2  I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3  I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4  They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

5  O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
6  Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
7  Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8  I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9  For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
10  When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
11  I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
12  They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
13  But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

14  Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15  Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16  Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17  And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
18  Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

19  Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
20  Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
21  They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22  Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 
23  Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
24  Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
25  Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
26  For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
27  Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.
28  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
29  But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30  I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31  This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
32  The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
33  For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
34  Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
35  For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
36  The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

God sweetens outward pain with inward peace.

                                                                Thomas Watson

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Praise: A Sacrifice Well-Pleasing

A missionary in China was living a defeated life. Everything about him seemed to be touched with sadness. Although he prayed many months for victory over depression and discouragement, no answer came. He determined to leave his post and go to an interior station where he could be quiet and spend long hours in prayer. Upon reaching the place, he was brought into the home of a fellow missionary. On the wall of his bedroom hung this motto: "Try Praising." He took that motto to heart and began praising. His discouragement and depression vanished almost immediately.

David was forced to hide from his enemies in the barren wilderness of Judah. He cried out to God to help him with his loneliness and discouragement.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. {Psalm 63:1-7}

Paul and Silas were humiliated, falsely accused, stripped, beaten, and placed in stocks in a filthy cell. Despite the circumstances, they prayed and sang praises to God.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. {Acts 16:25}

You may not be able to praise the Lord for your circumstances, but you can praise Him for who He is. 

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. {Psalm 9:1}

 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. {Psalm 145:1-3}

Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. {Psalm 146:1-2}

Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. {Psalm 150}

Your praise is a sacrifice well-pleasing to God. 

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. {Psalm 147:1}

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. {Hebrews 13:15} 

Are you depressed or discouraged about difficulties you are facing? Try praising.

Praise unlocks heaven's portals;

Praise causes doubts to cease;

Praise brings precious blessings;

Praise leaves the sweetest peace.

Praise breaks all bonds asunder;

Praise sets the captives free;

Praise lightens every burden;

Praise is the master key.

Praise changes circumstances;

Praise establishes the heart;

When praise becomes perpetual,

Praise is a Holy Art.

                           Frances Metcalf

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Hoping in God

Life is hard. A loved one dies unexpectedly. A friendship turns sour. A job opportunity falls through. Finances are tighter than expected. It is easy (and normal) for difficult circumstances like these to cause us to lose hope in God, His plans, and His promises. When the future looks bleak, how are we to keep hope alive when life hurts?

A dear friend shared Psalm 42 with me during a very difficult time in my life when my hope in God was failing. In this passage, David records how he dealt with the same feeling of hopelessness. I would like to share it with you.

Psalm 42

{As the hart [deer] panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, o God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?} David uses the picture of a thirsty deer longing for water to illustrate how his soul was yearning for fellowship with God.

{My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.} Tears are a natural response to adversity and difficult circumstances. David is baffled to the point of emotional distress at why he is experiencing the difficulties he is relating in this passage; he is also distraught at the cruel taunting of those asking him "where is your God now, David?"

{Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.} David gives himself a bit of a spiritual pep talk in this verse. He reminds himself that God is worth putting his hope in, and he exhorts himself to praise God through the adversity and difficulty, even though he doesn't understand.

{O my God, my soul is cast down within me...Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.} David continues to express his normal feelings of distress and hopelessness.

{Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.} David reminds himself again of God's changeless, loving care for him as His child.

{I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God} Once again, David releases a natural, human response to adverse circumstances while his enemies continue to taunt him.

{Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.} David closes this psalm with the same spiritual pep talk found earlier in the passage.

Life is hard; life hurts, but God is bigger than any circumstance we will ever face. Keep your hope firmly rooted in Him. His light breaks the darkness of hopelessness.

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