How Long Is Too Long? Part One: A Study of Saul

[Today's devotional is taken from the small-group study "Arrayed in Hope", which I wrote about a year ago.]

In First Samuel 13, we read that Saul had given up hope on Samuel. Saul offers three reasons for his loss of hope (First Samuel 13:11):

• Saul’s army had started to leave.
• Samuel had not arrived at the appointed time.
• The Philistine army had assembled at Micmash (Michmash), ready for battle.

A strong enemy, a dispersing army, and a missing prophet moved Saul into a disobedience fueled by hopelessness. Perhaps we, like Saul, have had moments when we gave up hope and took matters into our own hands. For Saul, his lack of hope led him into doing something that he was not authorized to do. (Although he had authority as ruler of the people, he did not have authority as a spiritual representative.)

How can we be hopeful in moments where we feel like the help we need is “taking too long” to arrive? Perhaps we can take encouragement from Psalm 39:7: “But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!” Yes, it is the Lord who is our hope. It is Jesus who represents us and pleads our case before the Father.

Say Something

I will tell about your justice, and all day long proclaim your salvation, though I cannot fathom its full extent. (Psalm 71:15)

Psalm 71 is a prayer song to God. A key theme of the song is our need of God throughout our lifespan. The writer reflects on how God watched over him in infancy and childhood, and petitions God to continue caring for him through adulthood and old age.

In verse 15, we find a wonderful thought: “I will tell… though I cannot fathom…” The writer admits that he cannot fully understand or explain the ways of God. In the face of his limited knowledge, he testifies anyway.

Sometimes we may feel like we are unqualified to speak because we are not Bible scholars, or we may feel nervous about being asked questions that we might not be able to answer. We need not be nervous! If we have made a decision to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we can speak confidently of our personal experience of salvation. We can speak confidently about the righteousness of God that has brought deliverance to our souls. We can boldly express our gratitude for what God has done in us and for us.

Perhaps we can become intentional about making daily proclamations. What can you and I say, today, about the things God has done for us?

Sing to the LORD, praise his name: proclaim his salvation day after day. (Psalm 96:2)

Stand-In

Yesterday evening, at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Reverend Newton Gabbidon began a three-part teaching series on intercession and intercessory prayer. We have known Reverend Gabbidon for about eight years, and each year he has blessed us with excellent teaching and training.

If you are a person of prayer and missed last night’s session, please join us for the next two Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:00. The teaching will encourage you and move your prayer life to a deeper level! If you are not a person of prayer, you are invited to attend as well. As you learn of the value of prayer, you will doubtless be inspired to develop consistency and growth in your personal prayer life. (Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene is located at 971 East 227 Street, Bronx NY 10466.)

Today, let’s reflect on a few verses that pertain to intercessory prayer:

Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)

First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (First Timothy 2:1-2)

A Prayer For You

My prayer for you today:

Psalm 20:1-5

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

On Patrol

I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” The Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. (Zechariah 1:8-13)

The prophet Zechariah, in his vision, hears a heavenly discourse about the state of the earth. There is a report of peace and quiet, and there is a petition for divine compassion.

Perhaps some of us have experienced a similar plight: there is peace, and yet there is need. In such times, we can be assured that the court of Heaven is aware of our situations. We, like Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, are blessed to have a heavenly Petitioner speaking on our behalf. He is Jesus, the One who lives to intercede for us (see Hebrews 7:25).

We live as beneficiaries of the mystery: from a place not bound by Time, the needs of our time-bound lives are met. The resolution of our problems may not always occur in the way we expect, but we can rest knowing that our Lord has addressed our concerns according to His perfect will. My prayer is that, today, He will pour His reassurance into our hearts and renew in us His peace.

God is in control.

The Shift From Covetousness To Contentment

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Sometimes it is difficult to live in true contentment. We live in a cultural context that thrives on advertisement: we are constantly presented with offerings of products and lifestyles that are deemed ideal. If our current circumstances do not fit the ideal, then we might be tempted to focus our attention on the things we don’t have.

Though our world is filled with temporal offerings, God is the ultimate fulfillment. He has given the greatest offering, that of His only Son Jesus Christ, so that we can enjoy abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven. The abundant life we enjoy is not based on what we own; rather, it is based on Who owns us. Because we have devoted our lives to Christ, we can live every day by the power of His Spirit. He lives in us, He leads us, and He works through us.

We have a choice: we can choose to find contentment in eternal things, or we can burden ourselves by remaining focused on temporal desires. My prayer for all of us is that we will choose to worship God and embrace His attributes. The Lord knows our needs and our wants, and He will supply according to His will and His timetable. When we keep our focus on Him, our unfulfilled desires lose the power to consume our attention.

Where is your attention focused today?

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires. (Psalm 37:4)

But first be concerned about God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.  (Matthew 6:33)

God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. Furthermore, I am giving you what you did not request—riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, then I will grant you long life.” (First Kings 3:11-14)

The Core Of Fellowship

This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life— and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us). What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ). Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (First John 1:1-4)

Our relationship with God is our source of joy. That relationship is like a wellspring, in which we are able to tap into the goodness of God. But, this delving into the Spirit-filled life is not accomplished by our own effort.

It is God who blesses His people with ears to hear, eyes to see, and mouths to testify. Because the Spirit of the Lord has made us aware of His presence and our need for Him, we are able to speak confidently of His life working in us.

It is God who moves His people to share His love; His love is the core of fellowship. If you have ever been on the receiving end of getting a “gift” shared under compulsion, then you know that charitable acts are not always correlated with love. It is only the presence and power of God's love that makes fellowship a loving, joyful exercise.

Dear God, our Source of joy, help us to deepen our relationship with You so that we can engage authentic fellowship with others. May our wellspring always be filled, Your Spirit overflowing in our lives, so that those who tap into us will encounter You. Bless us to love You; move us to love others. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Prayer From A Thankful, Grateful Heart

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (First Peter 2:24)

Lord God, we thank You today for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the One qualified to accept and absorb the sufferings and injustices of the world into His own body. We rejoice in the mystery: He in His righteousness died for us in our sinfulness, so that we can know forgiveness, peace, and healing. We walk in wholeness today not of our own doing, but because You made it possible. May our lives always reflect our gratitude for this amazing gift from You. Amen.

Good Medicine

A joyful heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? (Proverbs 18:14)

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

My benediction for you today:

May your speech be pleasant, pouring forth words of life for the healing of peoples and nations. May your heart be joyful. May your spirit be strong, a testimony of God's strength in you. May you encourage others, moving them from brokenness to wholeness, for the glory of God.

Honorable Mention

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. (Philemon, 4-6)

It’s not unusual for us to pray for people when they have a need. We often pray for people because we know they long for some sort of deliverance: they might have a sick family member, or they might be in financial straits, or they might be studying for an exam. We learn of the need, and we pray for God to help them.

In Philemon, we see the apostle Paul take a different stance. He prays not because things are difficult for Philemon, but because things are good. Sometimes we leave the ‘Philemon’s of the world off our prayer list because we don’t sense a pressing need to pray on their behalf. But Paul provides us with a prayer template we can model today: Lord, more. Let the faith of the faithful  be more effective. Let them see You in every good thing they do.

As we pray, let’s remember the sick… and let’s remember those who are well.

To Know And Remember

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26)

Some of us are blessed to have appointment books, calendars, family members, or friends who help us stay on track with important data. Others of us rely on electronic resources that sound a tone or present a list of what we are scheduled to do during a given day. In our faith tradition, though, we know of a perfect Reminder: not an external system, but the person of the Holy Spirit working within us.

In John 14:26 we read that the Holy Spirit teaches and reminds. What a blessing! In a world of conflicting opinions, we need to be immersed in God’s instruction. In the face of distractions and challenges, we need God’s word reinforced in our hearts every day. If there are areas of our lives where we really don’t know what God’s perspective is, we can ask Him-- and He will reveal it to us by His Spirit.

Yes, Lord, we need You to teach us and to remind us of everything You have said. Send Your Spirit, in full measure: give us the grace to understand and obey Your word.