Psalm 49 – Threatened by Love

Over the past year and a half (or so) I’ve been approaching the Bible in a different way. I’ve been reading it looking for the answer to the question, “God, in what ways did you love us?” It initially came from Jesus’ command, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

I’m reminded of this search today as I read Psalm 49. I really hope to not only understand the instruction of God’s word but also to hear the utterance of His heart.

“My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; 
with the harp I will expound my riddle” – Psalm 49:3-4

What’s behind this for me? I’ve come to a place where I’ve embraced the reality of struggle in the Christian journey. I'm not talking about the struggle of comprehending doctrine or truth, more so the struggle of not understanding our own flesh and our battle to actually do what’s right. Paul addressed this struggle in detail in his “I do not understand what I do” speech.

As a church leader, there is an added pressure to “have it all together”. Reality: I don’t. None of us do. There are things we are convinced of, but what about the things we’re not? What do we do? How do we act? How do we lead with confidence?

My answer? “Read with love and lead with love”.

What do I mean by that? First, we should always read scripture through the lens of love. I believe it was written with this lens. When we do, it changes everything. If God is love, why wouldn’t we? If we’d do so, we’d see the “why” behind every mandate, recommendation, suggestion, and hope of the Bible.

Second, always lead with love. This should be the motive and the “how” we do all things. Even when we decide something should be done because of love (even tough love or discipline) in our application, we often let our flesh take over, and leave love at the door. Not a good idea.

It’s interesting to me how much this attitude is being criticized even by many believers. I’ve heard others say it sounds too much like the “social gospel”, or some kind of watered down “new age” movement. Honestly, if we find ourselves resisting love as a real, viable, and holistic answer, we need to take a look at ourselves and ask why we’re so threatened by it. What tradition, personal bias, insecurity, or fear do we have? We should ask this if we hesitate to offer love, even more so if we find ourselves criticizing it.

I guess here’s my point. Love never fails. Love casts out fear. Jesus said the greatest command is love. Paul said that even compared with faith and hope, that love was the greatest. When we don’t know what to do, when we’re confused, when we’re threatened, when we’re offended and even hurt… love. And we can’t go wrong.

Psalm 48 – Corporate Church

I’ve come to truly love the “sending” of the Church. I love the opportunity to band together in unity of Spirit when we go out into our workplaces, social circles, schools, and neighborhoods as ambassadors for something greater than ourselves. I’ve grown to love experiencing faith in new and exciting ways. I’m learning more and more each day the joy that comes from intentionally living out the command to “love others” Monday through Saturday. Call it an attempt to be “missional”. Call it an effort to live “incarnationally”, whatever we call it… I love it.

And I still love the corporate gathering of Church. I love the Spirit and energy. I love the momentum. I love teaching as well as hearing the Word of God. I love times of reflection and prayer. I love taking a moment each week to intentionally recall the cross through communion. Corporate worship through song is one of the most powerful things I experience each week. There is something special that happens when we exalt God together. There is something special that happens when you can physically and spiritually sense the Spirit moving among a body of believers.

As much as Austin New Church is a “sent” Church, it is also a body of gathering worshipers. It’s real. It’s thick. And I love it. For those who struggle balancing the role of the sending and the gathering of the church, Psalm 48 is another small reminder that there is every biblical precedent for both:

“Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.” – Psalm 48:10

“Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.” – Psalm 48:9

Psalm 48 is listed as a song of the “Sons of Korah”. In other passages, "the Korahites," are described as expert warriors. More interesting, however, than the fighting Korahites are these “sons of Korah", who were somehow connected with the service of song.

"These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Yahweh, after that the ark had rest. And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerus" – 1 Chronicles 6:32-32

One article I found about these “sons” said,

“In this way we are introduced to David's 3 great leaders in choral and orchestral music. Among them Heman the Korahite has at first the place of primacy, though Asaph, later, comes to the front. The events just referred to are mentioned again, more in detail, in the account of David's bringing the ark to Jerusalem. There it is said that at the suggestion of David "the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel," and also Asaph and Ethan, "and with them" several others, "their brethren of the second degree" (1 Chronicles 15:17,18). The record proceeds to speak of the services of "the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan," and their associates, in the pageantry of the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem. After that, it says, Asaph had charge of the services of thanksgiving and praise before the ark in Jerusalem, while Heman and Jeduthun served in the high place at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:4,37,39-42). Later, the record says (1 Chronicles 25), David made an elaborate organization, under Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, for song and instrumental music.”

Translated: Corporate worship was a big deal to David.

For years I’ve heard people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” In our postmodern world, it’s becoming more and more prevalent of a thought. Theologically, you can indeed receive Christ without a corporate gathering, and many have. But I would argue that the Christian life is incomplete without a time in which we come together to make God our centerpiece.

I think our problem is our posture and perspective. While the law certainly put different requirements on the gathering of God’s people, I don’t believe David saw worship as a mandate. I think He saw it as a privilege. I think He loved it. He saw it as an opportunity to exalt the King. He made much of God, and if we want to be known as a people after the heart of God, so should we.

Father, it's amazing how much we make things about us. Somehow we've even managed to do so in our faith. Help us to have a healthy view of both incarnation and exaltation. Give us a passion to be both a sent and a gathering people. Send us with a desire to love others. Help us gather out of love for you. And show us where the two appropriately intersect. Forgive me when I am selfish with my time and affections. Help me fully worship you in all areas of my life. Amen.

Psalm 47 – Reveille

Guest Post: Mike Kilbane

"The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God." -Psalm 47:9

Reveille is the bugle call that starts the day at military installations around the world. The flag is raised, a cannon is fired, and the troops assemble for roll call. The status, “All present or accounted for” is the expected response provided to the commander. I thought of this after reading this psalm this morning and the image of the nobles, kings, and presidents of all nations in formation, being presented to Christ the King.

Given the things going on today in nations across the world: the corruption, graft, oppression, hypocrisy – what would they report to their commander about the health and morale of their command? What if the leaders of the churches around the world were assembled on a similar field? What would they report?

Some day we’ll all be assembled on a parade ground in Heaven. We’ll all be called to do a “pass and review” for the King. For some it will be a time of glory and celebration. For others, a time of agony and unspeakable regret. The papers make it seem that the world is spinning out of control. It is spinning. It is crazy. But, it is not out of control.

Psalm 46 - Opinions

What’s your opinion of yourself? Seriously.

Like when our mom or dad used to say when we got a little out of line, “Who do you think you are?”, maybe we should take a moment to think that through. We all think something of ourselves. Maybe we view ourselves too lowly. Maybe it’s pretty squared with who we really are (probably not). Or maybe we think too much of ourselves, especially in comparison to other people.

The reality is, how we think about our selves impacts how we respond to and feel about others. It may determine whom we listen to, what opinions we’ll adopt, what our priorities are, how secure or defensive we are, and how much we may need their validation. While who we think we are may determine how we respond to others, who others think we are will determine how they respond to us. And we’re not always starting from the same point.

So let's make the jump, what does our lives (how we respond) tell us about our opinion of God? Seriously. How do we feel and what do we believe about Him?

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

Though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. (Selah)”

-Psalm 46:1-3

"Therefore" is a really big word.

God is our refuge and strength… Therefore… we will not fear. Therefore we can trust that His ways are higher than our ways. Therefore we can lean on His ways and His understanding. Since, what we think about and how we feel about God directly impacts how we respond to God, is God our refuge and strength? Do we really see Him as that?

Honestly, many times we tolerate God. While we may fool ourselves into thinking He’s okay with that, or even fool ourselves into thinking we’re not doing that, “that” is not good. We “allow” Him to exist on the margins of our lives, and as long as He doesn’t get too involved, we’re okay. But then something goes wrong, a trial of life hits, or things spin out of our control. Then what do we do?

While God will not simply be “tolerated” (that's another study), He is still full of amazing Grace. Baffles me really. Why does He put up with us? I’m not going to answer that. Instead, today, I’m going to rest in Him. He is my refuge and my strength. Selah.

Father, it’s simply unreal how we treat you at times. Forgive us for our lack of perspective, faith, perseverance, discipline, effort, and love. Because of Christ, I don’t get what I really deserve. Thank you for your grace. Amen.

Psalm 45 – Sustainability

I had a great conversation yesterday with Dave Ferguson, Pastor of Community Christian Church in Chicago. It’s a large church with 10 campuses. Dave’s an awesome guy and has a heart for church planting. Since Austin New Church has officially entered the journey of helping plant churches (not just be a church plant ourselves), we were talking about the sustainability of some of the modern church planting movements. And he asked me the question, “What do you mean by sustainable?”

Great question. Initially I thought, well, sustainable is when a church can survive on it’s own without outside support. But then my mind flooded with all the things that should be sustainable that are much more important than even financial feasibility. Is our vision sustainable? Are our values sustainable? Our hope is to create a reproducible model, but while it may reproduce, will it sustain? Do our goals have an inherent reality of sustainability? Are our intentional relationships based on a sustainable foundation or do they end after an event is over? The list continues.

The reality is, the only things that are sustainable are the things of God. And today’s scripture struck a chord with me. Psalm 45 is a wedding song. It’s laced with the imagery of Christ as the coming groom and the church as His bride. As the psalmist begins his description of the groom he writes,

“You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.” - Psalm 45:2-4

Christ, and all He represents, is eternal. Verse four tells us that it is in truth, humility, and righteousness that He rides forth victoriously and that in his right hand He displays awesome deeds. Verse two says that His anointing mark is grace. It is in His grace that all things sustain. It is in His grace that we find eternity. It is in His grace that we will find purpose beyond our plans.

I’ve had an interesting day already. After leaving an early morning meeting with a group of men from my neighborhood, I sensed the urge to pull over into the parking lot of a traditional Baptist church that I know has seen some recent ups and downs. I sat in their courtyard for a while and just prayed for them. During that time, God convicted me that while I knew all the church planters in the area, I didn’t even know the name of the Pastor who led that church.

As I sat there reading Psalm 45, a wedding song for the Bride of Christ, He reminded me that His purposes are far greater and more sustainable than my plans could ever be. He reminded me that whatever I do as a leader, it needed to include sustainability for HIS church, and never be about “my” church.

It doesn’t take much to make the jump and apply these truths to our personal lives as well. Whether it’s in our family or our career (hopefully both) there are sustainable pursuits and those that are fleeting. Somewhere in there we’ll find contributing factors to the difference between what our reputations are and what our legacy becomes.

Father, your Son taught us to pray for your Kingdom to come and your will to be done. May we see your Kingdom break through in our churches, our lives, our families, and in our priorities. We know this will happen when we submit our will to yours. Give us the desire, the wisdom, the hope, the courage, and the will that it will take. Amen.

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” - Psalm 51:12


“Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.” - Psalm 119:116


“Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.” - Psalm 119:175

“The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.” - Psalm 147:6


“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” -Isaiah 46:4


“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” -Isaiah 50:4


Psalm 44 - Helper

Yesterday at Austin New Church, we discussed the journey of Peter. We started at the unusual place in John 18 where he denied Jesus three times and worked our way back to the day he was called. He has quite an amazing story. When discussing the moment Peter walked on water, I paused for a moment and thought to myself, wow… I wish I were there. I wish I were able to see Jesus literally walk on water. Whether he called me to do the same or not, I just wish I could have seen this amazing thing.

I couldn’t help but think about the personal and spiritual fruit that would come from experiencing that type of revelation. While I feel I’ve had some amazingly direct revelation in my life, it just doesn’t seem to compare to these stories of old. According to how he opened Psalm 44, I think David could relate.

“We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.

With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.

It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” – Psalm 44:1-3

Why is it that we always seem to covet an encounter with God that is different than the one He’s offering? David craved an encounter with God like he had heard about. He wanted a different kind experience than he found himself in. He wanted to see the God who drove out nations with his hand, not their sword. Why?

David acknowledged that it was God who gave his armies victory over their enemy. It was always with sword. Yet now God was not going before them in granting military victory. Since that had been the sign of God’s presence, it would make any reasonable leader doubt God’s favor. Yet David responded, “I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not give me victory”.

It’s a true reminder. I wonder today if this was an “ah ha” moment for David. The moment where he realized, “Maybe I do trust in my leadership and brut force a little bit too much.” Either way, he made the right call as he closed out the Psalm, “Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.” – Psalm 44:26

Here’s a pattern I’ve seen in my life. God uses things for His glory. He gives us abilities, He gives us relationships, He even gives us successes to show His greatness. Our temptation is to slowly lean too much on the tools of that experience instead of the God of that experience. When we do, God can quickly take them away and make sure our affections remain on Him.

So where does our help come from? Does it come from horses and chariots? Does it come from bows and swords? Where do we gain victory?

“I lift up my eyes to the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
The Maker of heaven and earth.” - Psalm 121

Psalm 43 – Talking to Yourself

Psalm 43 seems to end a bit strangely. It starts as a prayer of David for the return of God’s hand. Then at the end, he turns the conversation to himself, and reminds his very own soul where to place it’s hope.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” – Psalm 43:5

Matthew Henry said, “Let us pray earnestly, that the Lord would send forth the truth of his word, and the light of his Spirit, to guide us into the way of holiness, peace, and salvation. The desire of the Christian, like that of the prophet in distress, is to be saved from sin as well as sorrow; to be taught in the way of righteousness by the light of heavenly wisdom, shining in Jesus Christ, and to be led by this light and truth to the New Jerusalem.”

That’s a fancy way to say, “It should bother us when our spirit is down, and we should pray to end it”. As believers our hunger should not only be for salvation, but also for the peace and joy that should accompany it. When we’re missing one or the other, something’s off. And we should give all we have to find out what’s wrong.

Sometimes we need to remind even ourselves.

Psalm 42 – Religiosity

I gotta be honest with you. Every time I read this scripture I have bad thoughts. Why? Several years ago I was visiting a church where the pastor began to pray… in King James version… “Oh Lord, as the deer panteth for the water, so my soul panteth for you.”

I almost threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Did he mean it? Probably. But as I sat there I just thought, man, no wonder people feel like outsiders. No wonder people who are new to the church feel a disconnect, feel intimidated, confused, almost scared by what they see and hear.

But I need to get over it.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God"

“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving 
among the festive throng.”

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.” – Psalm 42:1-5

Today I’ve rediscovered chapter 42. This is deep waters. It's about a returning. It’s an expression of a man desperately hungry to experience the hand of His God. If we would remember the great things of God, we’d be this hungry too. While the sad thing is that he feels so far away from God, the good thing is that he knows it. And he wants it back.

"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." - Jeremiah 24:7

Father, I've always thought that the most miserable place for a Christian to be is out of your will. Today I see that for the gift that it really is. Draw us back when we are far. Make us thirsty. Amen

Psalm 41 - Same but Different

As we jump back into Psalms today, I wanted to share this quick thought that my good friend Mike Kilbane emailed me this morning on chapter 41. I thought it both simple and profound:

"The consistency of the themes in the bible continues to amaze me; especially after growing up thinking there was an Old Testament and a New Testament God. The more I read and understand, the more I see that age to age He is the same. What a great comfort it is to not have to reconcile or explain that God suddenly became “nice” after He sent Jesus to die for our sins."

"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble." - Psalm 41:1

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." -Matthew 5:7

"God has always been concerned about the weak, the poor, and the needy. He has always opposed the proud and oppressive. His character didn’t change, just our contract with Him. He renegotiated the terms of our eternity and we got the benefit."

God, thank you for your consistency and your faithfulness. Thank you for revealing your never changing love and compassion repeatedly in scripture. Thank you for opening my eyes, through your Spirit, to your truth. Amen

Esther 10 – Hero

Chapter ten caught me off guard today. At first with how short it was. Then second in how inappropriate it seemed that the closing chapter doesn’t even mention the true hero of the story – Esther. But then I thought, wow, who was the one who offered wisdom and great counsel to Esther? Who was the one who raised her as his own child? And who was the one who stood against Haman knowing the inherent harm that would come with it? It was Mordecai. There was more than one hero in this story.

“Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” – Esther 10:3

This book was not named Mordecai. Yet his effort and faithfulness was not only noticed, it was credited. We like getting credit. Our nature is to desire our name to be on the title line. Especially when we do something notable. Yet that rarely happens. There is always someone doing more, a seemingly greater task, a more noteworthy effort, and on a larger scale. That can easily become discouraging. But I’m reminded today that while some of the greatest things we do, we may do in secret and may remain unnoticed, that there is a King far greater than Xerxes who is most certainly taking note.

Our greatest battle may be to realign our pursuits to please only the King. Not ourselves. Not our contemporaries. Not our adversaries. But God alone. And trust that all else will fall in line. We don't have the ability to do this on our own. It is only possible through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Just one more reason to abide in Christ.

God, give us this passion. Amen

Esther 9 – Influence

This is quite a remarkable story of influence. Influence is defined as being, “The capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.” Esther, had influence. And at the right time, with the right words, in the right way, she used her influence. The result? She was given more favor and even more influence:

“The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa… Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted." – Esther 9:12

Each of us has influence, some more than others, but none-the-less, we all influence someone. Whether it’s a sibling, spouse, or child, eyes are watching us. That seems obvious to most. What I find as ironic is that the more authority we have, the less we may understand the impact of our influence on others.

In the definition of influence, we see it as being the power to be a compelling force on the obvious: the actions and behaviors, but also the not so obvious: opinions, belief, etc…

We can easily… how should I put it… “Drink the cool aid”. What I mean by that is that we are easily swayed on our opinions by those we look up to. Not just our actions, our literal opinions. That can be dangerous. Especially when they are human, just like us, and are not always right. Many white-collar crimes are committed because of the lacking moral compass and influence of those in charge. Much racism, biasness, and bigotry is passed on from generation to generation, even among “God-fearing” Christians.

So if someone is always listening and following our lead, we should be careful in choosing our words. We should take note of how much we throw our opinion around as if it is fact. When we want others to believe in us and follow us, we can often make generalizations that are damaging and come with limited perspective. We easily forget how we impact not only the actions, but also the opinion of those we influence.

Here is an example: My kid’s elementary school did a mock election around the recent presidential election. In order for them to learn from it, there was much discussion on the issues. My kids don’t know how I voted, but we discussed at length what was great about both candidates. Sydney (my 8 year old) really grabbed on to the fact that Obama could possibly be the first African-American president. Just the idea of that, shortly after learning all about Martin Luther King, captivated her. She also liked the idea that Obama seemed to talk often about helping the poor.

There were days she would come home from school crying. Literally crying because other kids were picking on her for her political beliefs. Seriously? Listen, my 8 year old doesn’t quite have the capacity to understand fully the politics that go into a presidency, yet when another kid is yelling out the window of the bus, “Get off my bus, I hate you, you like Obama!” something is wrong. Listen, kids will be kids. I know that, but for a kid that age to have such aggression towards someone on the other side of a political issue, influence has turned into brainwashing. This gives us just a glimpse to how much influence we really have.

So whether we’re a parent struggling to lead, a CEO of a major company, manager of a carwash, or find our selves as a Pastor of a church, how do we make sure our motives, our actions, and our ways are right? Well, for today’s purposes, and if we were to just look at the example of Esther, We would see at least three major concepts that we… honestly… often neglect:

o She came on behalf of others not herself. (always)
o She waited on God’s timing. (always)
o She listened to Godly counsel. (always)
o She was humble even in success. (always)

Translated: More of God and others, and less of us. It’s a simple thought, but profoundly indicting. As a leader, especially a church leader, I hope and pray that this is always my posture. But I know it won’t be. I’m constantly amazed by how much my flesh can get in the way (you’d think it’d be easier). So I pray I can see when it’s not, confess it, repent, and grow from it.

God, as we lead, whoever we lead, help us to lead in your ways. Help us to love you and love others with all we’ve got. Help us to see the benefit of that posture. Help us to see through our own selfish ambition and biasness to see only your truth. Help us to pass it along as we lead. And help us to identify when it is and when it’s not there when we follow. Give us courage and wisdom when it’s not. Make us better leaders, followers, parents, husbands and wives. Make us better people, God. Make us better Christ-followers. Amen.

Esther 8 – Signet Ring

Today's post is a guest post from a friend of mine, Alex Shootman. Though I'd share:

" Now write another decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king's signet ring—for no document written in the king's name and sealed with his ring can be revoked." - Esther 8:8

What is a signet ring? The Oxford English Reference Dictionary says that a signet is a seal used instead of or with a signature as authentication and a signet ring is a ring with a seal set in it. The earliest existing rings are those found in the tombs of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians primarily used signet, or seal, rings, in which a seal engraved on the bezel can be used to authenticate documents by the wearer. A signet ring was traditionally destroyed when the owner of the ring died – it never left his or her hand. It was the way the owner conveyed authenticity of a document. If the document contained the seal, you knew it was authentic.

What is God’s signet ring for you? What exists in your life that makes you absolutely sure He exists? For all of us we go through seasons where we wonder if God is there. Even Mother Theresa struggled, writing,

“Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ... If there be God—please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul ... How painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal, ... What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true”

This time of questioning has been called the Dark Night of the Soul from a treatise written by Spanish poet and Roman Catholic Saint John of the Cross. It has become an expression used to describe a phase in a person's spiritual life, a metaphor for a certain loneliness and desolation. It is referenced by spiritual traditions throughout the world.

In the Christian tradition, one who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God suddenly finds traditional prayer extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time during this "dark night." The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them or that his or her prayer life has collapsed.

Rather than resulting in devastation, however, the dark night is a blessing in disguise, whereby the individual is stripped of the spiritual ecstasy associated with acts of virtue. Although the individual may for a time seem to outwardly decline in their practices of virtue, they in reality become more virtuous, as they are being virtuous less for the spiritual rewards obtained and more out of a true love for God. It is this purgatory, a purgation of the soul, which brings purity and union with God.

In these dark periods we need to pull out all of our ‘documents’ that have been sealed with God’s signet ring. We need to recall the moments where we felt His presence. We need to review the miracles in our life, the coincidences that just might not be coincidences, the events that cannot be explained with logic and the serenity of seeing His majesty.

He is there, His seal is evident if we look, His signet ring is never to be destroyed.

Esther 7 – Small Problems

Yesterday a homeless man cut in front of me in line at a restaurant. I was in a hurry, so initially I was “disturbed”. That emotion was quickly released as I heard him ordering a water and a small item from the junior menu. The total was a $1.07. As he exchanged his three wadded up dollar bills for the .93 cents in change, I saw him reading the box on the counter asking for donations to help local foster children. And without hesitation, he stuffed all .93 cents in the box, and walked away.

Our problems are so small.

“Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I, and my people, have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” – Esther 7:3-4

I guess what hits me today is how big I make my problems when they’re really not big at all. Esther went so far as to say, “Hey, if I were just being sold into slavery I wouldn’t bug you with such a small issue.”

Are you kidding me? “Merely” slavery?

Man, I’ve got a long way to go. Esther speaks of “such” a distress. Reality: Any distress to me is major distress. Any discomfort to me is major discomfort. Yet literally the worse thing that happened to me yesterday was getting cut in front of in line. Seriously.

As Rob Bell puts it, “We are so rich.”

I would add, and spoiled, and entitled, and we’ve lost perspective, and it’s saturated our faith. And this is our starting point. It’s our reality. It’s our place we must acknowledge before we’re going to change.

I think a lot of us avoid those who are without. We avoid considering what we have and what others don’t have. We avoid it to avoid the guilt. It makes us very uncomfortable. But, what I’m amazed by is how when we start at this place, the emotion is not condemnation, more guilt, feeling sorry for myself, etc… it truly sparks hope. I’m literally encouraged, excited, and want to make a difference. It slowly changes the way we feel about our “stuff”, and slowly changes our priorities. I believe with all my heart, that this is at least one of the reasons that Jesus told us to consider the least of these.

Esther 6 – Deceit to Conceit

This chapter reads like a familiar novel. The irony is so thick it’s humorous. The bad guy gets what he deserves. And the good guy wins.

"Go at once," the king commanded Haman. "Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended."

So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!" – Esther 6:10-11

Lesson learned. Or was it? I feel like I’m warned. Yet if we don’t take note, truly take note, any one of us could find ourselves in a similar position as Haman. Each of us has enough blinding pride to set ourselves up for some major disappointment.

Matthew Henry wrote: “See how men's pride deceives them. The deceitfulness of our own hearts appears in nothing more than in the conceit we have of ourselves and our own performances: against which we should constantly watch and pray. Haman thought the king loved and valued no one but himself, but he was deceived. We should suspect that the esteem which others profess for us, is not so great as it seems to be, that we may not think too well of ourselves, nor trust too much in others. How Haman is struck, when the king bids him do honour to Mordecai the Jew, the very man whom he hated above all men, whose ruin he was now designing!”

Father, don’t let us think more highly of ourselves than we should. Protect us from ourselves. It’s always a scary prayer to ask for you to keep our pride in check, but that’s what we need. Not only do we take credit for things others have done, we mostly take credit for things you have done. Forgive us. Amen.

Esther 5 – Attitude is Everything

If you were to read chapter five alone, it may seem to be a pleasant scenario. There is no mention of fear or concern. There is no reminder of the fact that anyone who comes to the king uninvited could be put to death. There is only a vision of favor and protection. Surely the favor was granted from God, not just from king Xerxes. It was most certainly because of God’s sovereign plan, possibly in response to the three days of fasting and prayer that preceded this moment. Either way, Esther found the ear of the one she sought to gain.

“On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.” – Esther 5:1-2

While she was not summoned, Esther came with the appropriate posture of humility. She did not take this moment lightly. She prayed. She prepared. And she invited others to play a role as well.

As believers, I can’t help but think about those who we approach today. In our culture, most of those who are far from faith want very little to do with it, mostly because of the perception of our posture of judgment instead of genuine concern or acceptance. I see the tension that rises on an airplane when the person next to me finds out I’m a pastor. The attitude of most change the moment the topic of church arises. The demeanor of most quickly shifts when they think they are at risk of being judged.

We have a lot to learn from Esther. Not only did she spend time in prayer and fasting before she approached the king, she considered heavily the cost of her actions. She begged God to go before her and was willing to sacrifice it all. Even her life.

The key lies in the fact that she was going on behalf of others, to literally save their lives. Her motivation wasn’t prideful or self-serving at all. She came out of a genuine concern for others.

We have the greatest message to share on the planet. As believers we have the hope the world needs in Christ. We have nothing to offer in and of ourselves, only love. With that in mind, we should be more committed to praying for others around us. I think that during the process, not only will God go before us… I bet He’ll also soften our hearts. I think He’ll break our heart for the needs in our community. I think He’ll give us the right posture and perspective. And along the way, I think He’ll change us as well.

Esther 4 – Famous One Liner

There it is. The most famous of all the Esther lines:

“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" - Esther 4:14

Great question. Typically rhetorical questions aren’t of this magnitude. But wait. Is it rhetorical? Great question again.

I think the heart of it, and for our purposes, it most certainly is. Especially when we take a moment to think about God’s sovereignty and his movement. We know that while our plans are many, it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails, so why would any of us be placed in the situation we are in for no reason? Why would God give us the influence, the authority, the leadership, and the position to impact others for His good if we were not to do so?

Who knows? But maybe each of us has come to this position, for such as time as this (too).

Father, in error we often look beyond today, and miss today. We wonder what’s next. We wonder what our purpose is for tomorrow. We wonder why we are where we are. Regardless of our circumstances, help us to see how we can use our current stage in life for your glory. Help us to understand how your hand has guided us to this place, that others might see you, and that our faith might be strengthened. More than anything God, don’t let us neglect even looking. Amen.

Esther 3 – Awful Action

Sometimes we don’t see the awfulness of our own ways. Such was the case with King Xerxes’ decree to kill all the Jews. Even if Haman was on the up-and-up it was an awful thing to do just at the word of another.

“Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.” – Esther 3:13-14

It’s hard for me to even comprehend the making of such a decree. While certainly it was another time, a barbaric one for sure, my mind simply cannot absorb such destruction. But it can absorb a lesson or two.

When our actions involve our authority over other people, it’s almost impossible for us to understand the impact it may have on that person. We can easily move on with our regular lives thinking all is well. The old saying “Out of sight. Out of mind.” certainly can ring true, at least for us. All the while leaving others more devastated than we ever imagined.

Not too long ago I went through a season of conviction in areas of my neglect of others. Mostly related to my leadership deficiencies and how I handled tough decisions with those under my authority. I'm not proud of it, but what I realized is that I failed to carry the burden that was due in understanding the gravity of the situation for the other person. And while the “what” may have been right, the “how” often fell short. The reality is that not dealing with the “messiness” of leadership is easier, especially when the “what” seems right. When we can justify our end actions we can easily reason away any means.

So I made some phone calls and had some conversations to try and make right what I felt I had done wrong. And here’s what I found: the wound of neglect was far greater than I imagined. And the apologies came with great victory… for both of us.

So the lessons for me are these:

• Whenever we see something in scripture that seems so terrible that we can’t relate with it, look deeper into the root of that action, and see if there’s something we can relate to.

• While to us the end (the what) might seem justified, make sure the means (the how) is justified as well. “Way” is God’s expertise.

• Just because we’ve moved on, doesn’t mean we’ve moved forward.

• It’s never too late to try and turn a “done wrong” into a “done right”. It might not be received, but an honest attempt is a Christ-like effort.

Esther 2 – Special Plans

I love to remind my kids that God has special plans for their lives and that I can’t wait to see what they are. There are a couple of reasons I do this: (1) I hope it’s an encouraging word to them. (2) I hope they begin to believe it themselves and it can play just a small role in their desire to discover God’s best for their lives. (3) I hope they become visionary thinkers. But more than anything, (4) I just really believe He does.

Mordecai felt this way about Esther. We see it in chapter two and we’ll continue to see it more and more as the story unfolds.

“But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.” – Esther 2:20

I think one of the greatest tragedies is realized when we feel as a child of God, that we have nothing to offer the Kingdom of God. This is simply not true. Each one of us has a place and an opportunity to be a part of His mission. It’s sad when we settle for less. It’s unfulfilling when we think we are only to be receivers of God’s movement. There’s a void when we sit on the sideline of faith and watch others get in the game, and then wonder why we feel like there’s got to be something more.

Be encouraged. But also be challenged. God has something for you to do. There’s a role for you to play. It’s an important role. And it’s not “for” Him, it’s “with” Him and “of” Him. You’re simply not alone.

So I’m pondering this. For those of us who believe in God… the God who created the universe… how could we think it logical to live anything but a life fully committed to pursuing His plan for our lives? It makes sense that the only place we’ll find the fulfillment, contentment, and wholeness He promises is in the place of His purpose. It may not be easy, but it certainly makes logical sense.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” – Psalm 33:11

God has a really big plan. He has a plan to reconcile and renew the world through His Son. Do we take the time to ponder how our once broken relationship with a sovereign God can now be restored? Do we consider the role we might play in pointing others towards realizing the same?

God has a plan for us to be a part of His work. Just as I can’t wait to see what that looks like in my kids, I think God values seeing us realize the same in ourselves. As a pastor, it’s amazing to watch it happen.

Esther 1 – Lesson Learned

Many lessons and reminders are found in the story of Esther. In just the first chapter, we see the theme of pride and excess, the impairing nature of too much wine, the story of consequence, insight to the sovereignty of God shown in how Esther was used to displace the evil plans of Haman… the list goes on and on.

I want to key in on a very small lesson in this chapter that I feel has big impact; King Xerxes had what we might call, “a situation”. Some commentaries suggest he caused it himself by making such an easily disobey-able decree at such a wine altering moment. No matter the circumstance, a dilemma was at hand, and he needed to make a decision regarding Queen Vashti. If he ignored her blatant disobedience, he feared there would be “no end of disrespect and discord” (vs.18).

So what did he do? He sought counsel, as he often did:

“Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times and were closest to the king—Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.” – Esther 1:13-14

Seeking counsel is a tricky thing. I think we trick ourselves. Sometimes we seek counsel only from those who we know will tell us what we want to hear. Sometimes we seek counsel, not to get a new answer, but to get people on our side. Most of the time, we don’t seek counsel at all. Instead, we settle in our own minds what we need or want to do and seek affirmation. That’s not counsel, that’s validation. If we look hard enough, we can always find someone who will agree with us.

But not only is seeking counsel necessary, it’s a biblical precedent.

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.” – Proverbs 27:9

There are a ton of other scriptures I prefer to use when referencing seeking counsel. But this one stands out to me today. Why? I think there is an additional wisdom revealed within this verse: The concept of a friend who is earnest. King Xerxes sought counsel, not only from those who were “wise”, but also those who were “closest” to him (vs.13) This brings light to a list of questions we should ask ourselves when seeking counsel. While this list is not exhaustive, and the answers might not disqualify certain advice, they should certainly be considered in how much weight we give each word of counsel:

1.Does this person really know me?

Many of our accountability relationships are full of people who “think” they know us, but really only know what we’ve told them. So they may not really know us. They may know about us and this relationship might serve a very safe and real purpose in our lives, but for one reason or another (maybe our own pride or insecurity) we have not been fully vulnerable with them. I think a great example of this might be a professional mentor or peer. We might find ourselves being very open about professional issues or even leadership strategies, but that relationship can often be void of personal transparency. Especially when and if we are concerned about protecting our reputation with that person.

2.Does this person really care about and love me?

This is an obvious mandate when speaking of important issues and probably the most natural to identify and trust. These people are not going to just throw out advice from the hip, they are going to seriously consider its impact on your life. They will be just as concerned about giving you bad counsel as they are in giving you good counsel.

3.Does this person seek “God’s best” or “My best”?

Here’s a dangerously difficult question. When we are close to someone and really want them to succeed, we tend to offer advice that would suit them. Godly counsel comes from someone who has the ability to love us, yet would still choose God’s best for us over what they think we might prefer. Even if they thought that advice wouldn’t be received well. I think we know who those people are in our life. Unfortunately, these are the people we often stay away from in certain areas… red flag, yo!

4.Does this person’s life reflect a life that I respect?

I’m not just talking about success. How about the fruit of joy, peace, contentment? How about a strong marriage and a home that at least appears to be in order? Things always seem a little better than they really are. If these are major issues in someone’s life, even if they love you deeply, it should be a spiritual red flag in the realm of advice giving. This doesn’t make this person a bad person, it may just help us see which areas we should seek advice from them in, and which areas we should stay away from.

5.Am I really seeking counsel or validation?

This is a self-examination question. If we’ve already made up our mind, we’re not seeking counsel. We’re politicians. If this is a pattern for us, we may even need to search our hearts in the area of manipulation and insecurity, especially as leaders. We need to make sure we haven’t fooled ourselves into thinking we are seeking counsel when we’re not. Why? As a believer, we are then neglecting biblical wisdom. This is not a good sign that we are going in the right direction.

6.Am I seeking different perspectives?

Many times we hang out and do life with people who are like us. They look like us. They think like us. They’d probably answer most questions like us. We might already know what they’d say before we even ask. This is not good either. We need to intentionally put different personalities in our “inner-circle” of advice giving. This might feel like a bit of therapeutic “Russian Roulette”, but if they are people who really know, love, and care about us, at least we’ll find some honest answers.

This is really hard for us, more so than we probably know. In his book “Taking Advice”, Dan Ciampa exposes the reality that good leaders often fail at advice taking. It doesn’t take much effort to see that’s probably true. This exposes what I think is revealing about King Xerxes: He doesn’t just seek advice with an answer already in his mind, he sought advice, received good counsel, and followed it:

“The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memucan proposed.” – Esther 1:21

Father, search our hearts. Help us to consider how we can really encourage each other towards love and good deeds. Help us to see our own agendas in respect to yours. Help us to not only be good advice givers, but to be great at taking advice as well. The hard truth is that this will take a real humility and concern for others. We’ll have to swallow our pride and our agendas. Soften our hearts and put us in that place. Amen.

Psalm 40 – Mud and Mire

Just a quick and encouraging word from Matthew Henry on Psalm 40:

“Doubts and fears about the eternal state, are a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so too many a dear child of God. There is power enough in God to help the weakest, and grace enough to help the un-worthiest of all that trust in him. The psalmist waited patiently; he continued believing, hoping, and praying. This is applicable to Christ. His agony, in the garden and on the cross, was a horrible pit and miry clay. But those that wait patiently for God do not wait in vain. Those that have been under religious melancholy, and by the grace of God have been relieved, may apply verse 2 very feelingly to themselves; they are brought up out of a horrible pit.”

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” – Psalm 40:1-2

“Christ is the Rock on which a poor soul can alone stand fast. Where God has given steadfast hope, he expects there should be a steady, regular walk and conduct. God filled the psalmist with joy, as well as peace in believing. Multitudes, by faith beholding the sufferings and glory of Christ, have learned to fear the justice and trust in the mercy of God through Him. Many are the benefits with which we are daily loaded, both by the providence and by the grace of God.”

Psalm 39 – Speak no Evil

My six year old recently informed us that he would rather be homeless than have to learn how to make “right decisions”. He was having a bad day (translated: he was getting picked on by older kids in the neighborhood and I was “reminding” him not to throw gut-punches in response). This is the same kid who told us he wanted to be a professional honey taster when he grows up and has asked three times if he could have Jen’s laptop for “decoration” in his room. We’ve learned to take his comments in context. He’s constantly giving Jen writing material and me sermon illustrations.

This reminds me of something: We need to be careful with our words. When we're six, it's funny. When we're adults, it's sad. We’ve all heard that if we don’t have anything good to say, then it’s best to say nothing at all. We learned that as children, but it applies to us as adults even more. When we don’t bridal our tongue, we end up doing much damage, sounding foolish, and sometimes even hurting our own credibility. This is a difficult task. James put it this way:

“…no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:8

So this is a struggle. David put it this way in Psalm 39:

“I said, ‘I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.’

But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.” – Psalm 39:1-2

What’s interesting to me is how as adults, it seems like it’s those who are arrogant, selfish, and prideful who are always the ones who are talking, making a scene, and gaining a platform. That can be frustrating. Meanwhile, many of the wisest people I know are remaining silent. There is a time to speak in power and truth, but there is also a time to remain silent. We need to realize that we may be at risk of either speaking out of selfish anger or frustration, or possibly even be at risk of “casting our pearls to swine” (wasting our words). In both of these scenarios, it’s better not to speak.

In Psalm 39, David was expressing how hard this struggle is. He was watching his words, he was holding back, and he was frustrated by the process. But he found the strength to take the high road. He found this desire through the urgency of perspective. He found it through asking God to show him how temporary and insignificant that moment of talk might really be.

“My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” – Psalm 39:3-4

Taking the “high road” doesn’t always mean to remain silent. But there is a time and place for everything. Sometimes it includes speaking out against injustice or just bad things. But it’s a slippery slope in making sure it comes from the right place (from God and not us). And when we know the difference, we must not be afraid to speak truth, in love, when truth should be shared.

But when we do, we should remember David’s heart request:

“Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this.” – Psalm 39:8-9

And we should remember Solomon’s counsel:

“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:11

So I'm learning to do this. I would imagine it's a life long journey for most of us. But just the understanding and desire to say what is right, and at the right time, is a good start. I think we'll find great benefit from applying this truth. We'll cause less damage, we'll eat our foot less often, and maybe people will take the words we do say more seriously. More than anything, maybe our words will be more edifying than are idle or negative.

Father, I echo David's prayer in verse 8 and 9, "Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this". So help me to be silent when I should be silent. In the same way, Father, give me wisdom to speak words of truth with power and confidence. And at the right time. Amen.

Psalm 38 – Mercy

They were dumb games really. Whether it was “mercy”, “uncle”, or “bloody knuckles”, they were all fairly worthless. Except, of course, for the building of our pride and establishing the pecking order. Middle School pretty much was an exercise of figuring out who was weak and who was tough. It was a strange land of adolescent tribal sifting.

We’re taught from the beginning that calling for mercy is a sign of weakness. But once again we see the paradox in David’s life, a pattern that is completed through Christ.

“O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.

Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” – Psalm 38:1-4

David calls for mercy and replaces pride with humility in the form of a request, a request that acknowledges God as the one who is capable. I’m reminded today how much we need to “de-program” our brains and remember how much more the ways of God are higher than ours.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9