Very Present Help

Have you ever felt like God wasn't there when you needed Him?  It is not true, of course, but our feelings may still go that direction.  Psalm 46:1 declares that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

However, many times we don't realize the next step depends upon us.  Let examine this truth in a couple of Scriptures.  In Exodus 3 Moses saw a burning bush and decided to "turn aside and see this great sight."  The next verse states, "when God saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush."  God waited to see if Moses chose to respond before communicating with him.

A similar characteristic of God appeared in Mark 6 when the disciples were in the middle of a storm on the sea of Galilee.  Mark 6:48 states that Jesus "saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking of the sea, and He would have passed them by."  Clearly Jesus was aware of their struggle and came out on the sea, but notice that He would have passed them by.  It was only when they cried out to Him that He intervened by calming the storm and getting them safely to the other side.

One more example is after the resurrection when Jesus approached the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, and amazed them by opening the Scriptures about the Messiah.  Luke 24:28-29 explains "Then they drew near to the village where they were gong, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them."  He would have continued on if they had not asked Him to stay with them. 

The point of these Scriptures is this, just as Isaiah 30:18 points out, God waits to be gracious to us.  He is a very present help in trouble, but He won't intervene unless we call on Him.  God desires us to ask, seek, and knock.  He delights in showing mercy.  Yet He waits for us to ask, to invite Him in, because God honors man's authority and freedom.    

Psalm 115:16 states this amazing truth.  "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men."  God's plan and purpose for man was to have dominion and rule the earth.  Even though Adam and Eve sold out to the devil and fell into disobedience, the man Jesus defeated the devil and completely paid the price for sin. thus restoring all authority back into the hands of man. God respects our authority and won't do things without our permission.  

We overcome through faith in what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf.  1 John 5:1-5 declares whatever is born of God overcomes the world, through our faith.   All of Jesus' power and help are available, since we are joint-heirs of the inheritance Jesus earned through His death and resurrection.  God commands us to pray always, to ask in faith, and He will respond.  So even though Jesus is with us in every situation, He waits for us to turn to Him and call for His help.  The Lord is always with us, but we need to deliberately have an attitude like David, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." Then we will realize His very present help and not be shaken.  

Realize that this very present help is as close as a simple prayer.  "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being here with me right now in what I am going through.  I call on You, Lord Jesus, to be that very present help to deliver me and cause me to overcome.  I trust Your mercy and praise You for your faithfulness and goodness to rescue me.  In the name of Jesus, let it be so. "        

Feel Close to God?

Are you feeling close to God?  That actually is Not the question.  Our relationship with God flows from our spirit to affect our thinking and feelings, not the other way around.  If you have accepted Jesus' death and resurrection for your sins, you are close to God.

Everyone knows that feelings are fickle. We can be high and excited one moment and depressed the next.  Feelings change in a heartbeat, but reality always remains the same and does not change.  True reality is found in the Word of God, which even though heaven and earth may pass away, Jesus assures us His truth endures forever. 

The primary question of every person who has ever lived on the planet is "how do I stand in God's eyes?"  In other words, am I right with God and will I go to heaven?  There are many religions that give a set of rules to live by, but the problem is that in the heart of every man we know that we have missed the mark and done things wrong.  We have all broken the rules to live by.  Scripture says it this way, all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  There is only one way to get free of sin, and that is to have someone pay for them who is able to do so.  Jesus as the Son of God not only qualifies as able, but He willingly as a man took the punishment that all of our sins deserved, death.  There is only one faith that has a God who paid the price for sin so we can stand right with God.

Many people think that they are trying to live pretty good lives and therefore, God will surely accept them.  Others know about God's mercy but still feel that their efforts to do what is right AND God's mercy will grant them eternal life.  Both are wrong.  All our righteousness, our attempts to do right, are still as dirty rags according to Isaiah 54:6  This is actually good news because it takes away our fear of am I good enough.  Instead, all we have to do is say yes, I am not good enough but I receive the gift of Your righteousness.  Thank You for paying completely for my offences and for the rebellious sin nature of my flesh.  It has nothing to do with our performance, but rather realizing Jesus has said, "you are righteous because I AM."

The principle that Jesus taught is that the humble will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.  God honors those humble enough to be like the publican in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican going to pray, "Have mercy on me, a sinner."  

What about doing good?  Everyone knows that love is stronger than fear, and perfect love casts out all fear.  We do good because we seek to please Him.  We keep His commandments because we love Him and all He has done for us, not because we fear rejection from heaven.  As being born from death to life and given the righteousness of God, we can set our minds on the Spirit and actually delight to do His will.  We may still blow it, but the Spirit checks us and we quickly repent, knowing He loves and forgives.  Nothing can separate us from the wonderful love of God. 

So the point is, we are more than close to God, we are actually a temple for God to live in.  He makes His home in us, not because we feel like we have been good, but because He is good and and has done it all to make it possible.  So we know we are "close to God" because of the revelation of our relationship in His Word and the witness of the Spirit, whether or not we feel our performance has been great today.  God desires us to know we are "His beloved in whom He is well pleased," now and forever.  

Work

We should be regarded, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, according to 1 Corinthians 4:1.  Our true respnse to Christ's infinite love is to choose to willingly serve Him and obey Him.  Servants work.    

Very few things in life challenge our flesh like choosing to work.  In the spirit, we know the truth expressed in Ephesians 2:10, that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."   On the other hand, our flesh tends to be lazy and we don't feel like doing anything.  Our flesh isn't just the body, it is the fallen nature of the rebellious soul, simply defined as the "I think, I feel, and I want."  Flesh seeks the easiest path.  The flesh is opposed to the spirit and hates anything God or our spirit desires.  Therefore, when we let our spirit rule and override the fleshly resistance, we show who is master and please God.

In the spirit and according to the Word, which is spirit and life, work is an opportunity to share in the creative power of God to produce fruit.  We are told in Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ."  

A friend of mine, worked on the assembly line of a car manufacturing plant, and his job was to put on the right front door of the vehicle.  He had 22 seconds to pick up the door, place the piece on its hinges, and put the pins in so the door could shut properly.  It just so happened that he was a worship leader in our fellowship, so one day he was seeking God on how to grow in worship.  The Lord said to him, "If you put the door on the car with the same carefulness and thoroughness that you would if you were putting it on My car, that is worship.  He saw his work as a new opportunity to worship God.

The Holy Spirit shows us our call, our assignment of what we are to do, then He enables us "to willl and to work" for His pleasure. .It is our spirit that must rule over the soul, just as the soul rules over the body.  I delight to do the will of God is the truth on which the spirit operates.  The spirit then overrides the desires of the flesh, and our soul must submit.  The soul directs our bodies to get to work.  The result is we are able to produce some fruit, maybe a job done, a chore accomplished, or a "to do" list item completed.  We can enjoy the satisfaction and peace of "Well done, good and a faithful servant" from the Lord.

Today may be Labor Day for a variety of reaons, but it is also an opportunity to praise God for the work He has given you and for the enabling power He has provided to do it.  Our work, everything from giving a glass of water to a little one to helping a neighbor do something, glorifies God and has His promise of a  reward.  All things, even work, are from Him, through Him, and for Him. Praise God forever! for His perfect ways.