A Steady Advance

  

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.”—Psalm 108:1

It's true that God continually cheers us on to go higher and deeper in knowing Him, but it's also good to know that He never holds the bar too high to jump over. And on "those" days (and weeks) when we feel that being steadfast is all we can muster—when we're too fried or distracted to be "feelin' it"—maybe that is what He's looking for anyway.

Because to be unwavering in the storm, firm, settled in Trust, to quietly lean on the One who is “constant in the trial and the change,” and who remains worthy of praise from the inside out, probably takes us higher and deeper in our Walk than any sunny, cruise-control kind of day ever could.

Being There

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."—1 Thessalonians 5:11

The guys and their friend on the stretcher (Luke 5:17-26) were commended by Jesus for their faith. Not just the one guy, nor any old definition of faith, but the one-another kind Francis Chan describes as “holding nothing back; it bets everything on the hope of eternity.” Against all odds and obstructions, it believes, it perseveres, it never gives up.

Perhaps in this scene Jesus was already beginning to reveal the blueprint for His Church — one that would make no sense to most people on the outside looking in, and one He knew would surely be filled with imperfection (because, hey, we just walked in the door), but despite all of that, the gates of hell would never have the final say against it.

It's a blueprint not dependent on programs, meetings, org charts, and committees, helpful as those may be. Instead, the One who liked sending disciples out in twos, who surrounded Himself with multiples, who coined the phrase "and where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them," laid out an unexplainable, mysterious, wonderful, supernaturally powerful plan never to be  found in any club or civic organization.

Because at one time or another, we are all the guy on the mat — at the end of our rope and feeling paralyzed to do anything about it. At other times, we are to be the friend(s) who comes alongside and won't let another give up. And when that happens, and when the Hope of eternity is our pursuit, as this story reveals, who knows what miraculous thing might result, and the witness it might fuel before a desperate world, to the glory of God...

"And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

Lord, thank You for the people in our lives who have been there on those days when we've been on that stretcher. And even today, help us to put down our cell phones for one second and be that kind of Church to someone else.

Assurance in the Midst

“The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.”—Deuteronomy 33:27

On most days, the testing of our faith seems to show up in the form of little pop quizzes concerning an issue-of-the-moment—a conversation choice, a motive, a temptation to do/think/say [whatever]. But then there are those unannounced exams that broadside you, and “Hey, You didn’t tell me this was coming!,” when it seems the Teacher has left the room to let you figure it out on your own. They’re unwanted, un-fun, and what Spurgeon has called “depths of affliction where waves of trouble follow each other in quick succession.” 

But it is uniquely here where you begin to understand what blessed assurance looks like, even if you can't define it: 

The reality of the storm may rage on the surface, but something wonderful happens each time we choose to say with the demon-possessed boy's dad, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” Deep down, far below those waves of trouble, comes a quiet assurance so still, so strong, it almost smiles. You can’t put your finger on it, put it in writing, or explain why or how, but you know that you know that, even if little makes sense at the moment, God’s still got you firmly and lovingly in the grip of His everlasting arms. Just like He promised.

Good to know, since unlike those daily muscle-toning pop quizzes, God seems to lovingly use the "unwanted, un-fun" exams of our lives to push our roots deeper through rock and rubble into the good soil that strengthens faithfulness, and hope, and love, and perseverance—in the end, the only things that will really matter anyway.