I Can See!

(Genesis 1:25) “... And God saw that it was good.”

To be born blind would be tragic, but it would be devastating to lose ones sight, the thought of not being able to see a beautiful sunrise as its rays shimmer off the morning dew, with all its beauty endorsed by God’s signature, would for me be unbearable. We all are similar yet differ in the gifts God has given us through His universal grace. But sight most of us have. I am a photographer by profession and therefore always seem to look for images in and through whatever my eyes behold. A photograph has the opportunity of capturing an image never to be repeated, you may see a similar event, but it will never be exact. How often with camera in hand have I been in the “Great Timbavati” (land stretch that includes the Kruger National Park) and been at a hyena den with its pups playing freely for all to see and thought to myself tomorrow I will come back and get better pictures, and even if on the following day they were still there playing on the same anthill, everything would look different. The sun now on the east with the completion of my surroundings having a different look and feel, there is a window of opportunity for a photographer known as magic hour, it is the best time to take a picture but the window of opportunity does not last long. {So is it for all of God’s children when He speaks, “As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."” (Hebrews 3:15)}

It is imperative to use that time well in order to outshine the opposition. It must not be taken for granted! So was it when I often planned a particular picture in my mind and got up long before sunrise with anticipation only to find the day overcast and the sun blocked by the clouds. This morning I am reminded how privileged I am to see and how thankful I am to God for my sight.

God is pleased with His ability to see and therefore blessed us with sight so that we can see the wonders of His works, which in turn exalts His name. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

This was one of the intentions of creation, us glorifying God in and through His creation, but before long Satan hindered the minds of men. To think that evolution is believed by some is a disaster. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:21-23)

Have you ever really considered the power behind this statement, “and God saw that it was good.” It grips me this morning with freshness, let us consider the goodness of God but before we can understand His thoughtfulness we must have sight in order to see the truth behind this proclamation. We must understand that He created all things and see His brilliance through creation. But before we can do that we must consider the thinking behind His creation. We must see the change that He instituted.

Where we find, to our comfort, the first article of our creed, that God the Father Almighty is the Maker of heaven and earth, and the catalyst of His creation is through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, the Word! “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:3-4)

What amazes me in creation is what God used to create, He created from nothing. We all know that we need material in order to construct. We need a pen and paper to pen our thoughts, we need wood for fire and we need material in order to build a shelter, but not God! He created the heavens and the earth from nothing! Ponder this with me. How brilliant is our God! The world is a great house, consisting of upper and lower stories, the structure stately and magnificent, uniform and convenient, and every room well and wisely furnished. But as the earth has not only its surface adorned with grass and flowers, but also its bowels enriched with metals and precious stones, so the heavens are not only beautified to our eye with glorious lamps which garnish its outside. The Hebrew word of God is Elohim, which tells us that God is the powerful creator. The manner in which God worked His brilliance is He created it, that is, made it out of nothing. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void...” (Genesis 1:1-2)

There was not any pre-existent material out of which the world was produced. The fish and birds were indeed produced out of the waters and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and waters were made out of nothing. By nature we are taught that it is impossible that anything should be made out of nothing; the potter cannot produce a vessel without clay. Yet with the almighty power of God it is not only possible that something should be made of nothing, but in the creation it is impossible to consider any alternative, for nothing is more harmful to the honour of the Eternal Mind than to worship the creature rather than the creator. The power is of God and all the glory is to Him and Him alone must we pay homage.

The majority of mankind has the ability to see, and yet it is often taken for granted. But ask a blind man to paint a sunset, it will be impossible for him to capture it as seen by those who can see. We must be able to see the work of His hands, not only in creation by more importantly in our own lives. We all love the sight of beautiful things. With those thoughts in mind let us now be ever more thankful for our new birth, not only do we see the majestic works of his hands through nature but now we can see spiritual things, we can see heaven in its glory and only because of the work of Calvary! Without His intervention in our lives through regeneration we would still be blind. Salvation is the work of God. Just as he alone was involved with His creation so too is it He alone who quickens the soul “dead in trespasses and sins,” and it is He also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. He is both “Alpha and Omega.” “Salvation is of the Lord.” How great is our God and how greatly to be praised! I thank you Father for sending your son to die in my stead so that I may see, and not only do I thank you for my sight but for the sight for all who echo these word, “I can see”. That day was no different for all who have been born again from that day when a blind man receive his sight. “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.” (John 9:13-14)

May we also fall to our knees today thanking our Father for sending His son, our beloved Saviour for paying the price for our sin so that we can now go free and see!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Harsh Truth!

(John 12:25) “Whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

He that loves his life more than Christ shall lose it but he that hates his life but prefers the favour of God and his interest is in Christ shall keep it unto eternal life. It is Christ’s doctrine and He must insist on it to wean us from this world and to ignite within us a hope that will be everlasting. We must learn to hug Christ at the expense of this overpowering drive to love self and lookout for self. We must seek out grace to accomplish this; it is only for a season that we will have to endure with this body of corruption!

Just a little longer and the trump of God shall sound. There is a day coming when the trump of God shall bellow through the heavens and the dead in Christ shall be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye men and woman will be going about their daily affairs and the next minute, awestruck as they behold their glorified bodies. A body that is incorruptible, immortal, never subject to the degeneration of death, it shall sure be a sweet day, the sweetest of days. Our abode will no longer be amongst thorns and thistles, we will walk upon streets of Gold with God as our God and Father as His radiance in and through the Godhead in its fullness available for us to enjoy, the Lord’s brilliance radiating light so that no sun is needed there. Nothing that is able to defile is permitted to enter those pearly white gates. The Word of God, our Saviour will be on His throne as we will serve Him as King, He will be magnificent to behold. That will be a glorious day, it is days like these when I feel a little weaker and despondent and somewhat insignificant that I need to be reminded of the hope we have in Christ our Saviour, and we need to consider Calvary and all His accomplishment there. Our eyes need to shift from self and others to Him; the safest place for the child of God is at the feet of Jesus... do you recall the account of Mary where she took a pound of expensive ointment from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She had understood the greatest place she could find herself was at the feet of Jesus; it will be no different in heaven, with our King on His throne with His faithful saints awaiting His instruction. “Have you not seen, have you not heard, have you not understood,” Mary had definitely understood that she needed to wash her master’s feet, no towel needed as she used her hair to wipe off the excess spikenard from her masters feet, no thought given to her own glory (hair) as it was of little importance to her as she beheld His glory! A very good example of how she was willing to lay aside her own life to lay hold of eternal life. She took what was precious to woman of that time, and used it on the Lord Jesus in abundance, it was so pleasant that all within the room enjoyed the agreeable aroma that now filled the space, except of course Judas the one who was a thief. He was so taken up by his own life that he missed her heart in the matter. A good example of one who lost his life! He loved his own life so much that he ended up with thirty pieces of silver, but all it produced was death! “And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5)

What about the woman caught in adultery? The law demanded that she be stoned, it demanded her life! What was she to do? There was nothing she could do within herself to save herself, but she was now at the feet of Jesus and she found life, no sweeter place to be found than at the feet of Jesus? For her, it was sweeter than that of the honeycomb, forgiveness can be found nowhere else but at the feet of Jesus. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:10-12)

Probably amongst the greatest of all accounts was the sinner who needed to find forgiveness at the cost to her own humiliation. When have you ever seen such humility that this sinner finding repentance has shown us such homage washing the Lord’s feet with her own tears and wiping them dry with her hair.

“The great respect which this poor penitent sinner showed him, when he was at meat in the Pharisee's house. It was a woman in the city that was a sinner, a Gentile, a harlot, I doubt, known to be so, and infamous. She knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, and, having been converted from her wicked course of life by his preaching, she came to acknowledge her obligations to him, having no opportunity of doing it in any other way than by washing his feet, and anointing them with some sweet ointment that she brought with her for that purpose. The way of sitting at table then was such that their feet were partly behind them. Now this woman did not look Christ in the face, but came behind him, and did the part of a maid-servant, whose office it was to wash the feet of the guests (1Sa_25:41) and to prepare the ointments.

Now in what this good woman did, we may observe,

1. Her deep humiliation for sin. She stood behind him weeping; her eyes had been the inlets and outlets of sin, and now she makes them fountains of tears. Her face is now foul with weeping, which perhaps used to be covered with paints. Her hair now made a towel of, which before had been plaited and adorned. We have reason to think that she had before sorrowed for sin; but, now that she had an opportunity of coming into the presence of Christ, the wound bled afresh and her sorrow was renewed. Note, It well becomes penitents, upon all their approaches to Christ, to renew their godly sorrow and shame for sin, when he is pacified, Eze_16:63. 2. Her strong affection to the Lord Jesus. This was what our Lord Jesus took special notice of, that she loved much, Luk_7:42, Luk_7:47. She washed his feet, in token of her ready submission to the meanest office in which she might do him honour. Nay, she washed them with her tears, tears of joy; she was in a transport, to find herself so near her Saviour, whom her soul loved. She kissed his feet, as one unworthy of the kisses of his mouth, which the spouse coveted, Son_1:2. It was a kiss of adoration as well as affection. She wiped them with her hair, as one entirely devoted to his honour. Her eyes shall yield water to wash them, and her hair be a towel to wipe them; and she anointed his feet with the ointment, owning him hereby to be the Messiah, the Anointed. She anointed his feet in token of her consent to God's design in anointing his head with the oil of gladness. Note, All true penitents have a dear love to the Lord Jesus.

III. The offence which the Pharisee took at Christ, for admitting the respect which this poor penitent paid him (Luk_7:39): He said within himself (little thinking that Christ knew what he thought), This man, if he were a prophet, would then have so much knowledge as to perceive that this woman is a sinner, is a Gentile, is a woman of ill fame, and so much sanctity as therefore not to suffer her to come so near him; for can one of such a character approach a prophet, and his heart not rise at it? See how apt proud and narrow souls are to think that others should be as haughty and censorious as themselves. Simon, if she had touched him, would have said, Stand by thyself, come not near me, for I am holier than thou (Isa_65:5); and he thought Christ should say so too.” (Matthew Henry)

Sin is such a vicious enemy that it seeks to destroy the saint, it constantly rises its head to try and trip us up, and at times even thought it ought not to be so, we fall by it! How many have fallen in it? We need to be vigilant against the sin that so easily besets the believer; we must be on guard against it. However if we do sin we have a High Priest that when we confess our sin He is just and faithful to forgive us of our sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

I can honestly say there is a part of my character that I hate with such vigilance, I long for the day when I will see my Saviour as He now is, not bruised and crushed hanging on a tree but in all His glory, seated at the right hand of the Father. There is a day coming when His promise will eventually arrive in its fullness and we will be like Him. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Fiery Trials of Life!

(1Peter 4:12) “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Life within its circumstances may force us at times to change gears. Detours to life are evident to all when as we are under construction and therefore detours must be part of our lives. Let us consider that for a moment, why we would need change to our lives is simple; it is only through hardships that one’s character is formed. There is an advert I have recently seen a Johnny Walker commercial with Haile Gebre Selassie (widely considered the greatest distance runner ever – has set a host of world records, won two Olympics gold’s and captured eight world titles in events ranging from the 1,500 metres right up to the marathon.). He explains that as a young boy he had to run 20km to school every day, and that is where he learnt to find, as he puts it, “one big push!” Poverty and the lack of transport with athletic capabilities gifted from God. This man was given the perfect formula to help him find greatness as an athlete.

David had a similar experience, his life was full of blessings and he often would stand boldly declaring the victory he trounced in and through his God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, however his life was also full of tears and suffering, he spent time running from King Saul and lived in caves with a shortage of food. Life wasn’t always a bed of roses and neither should it or will it be any different for the child of God. The more God prepares a man for service the more he seems to be squeezed in order to glorify God. It was like that for the greatest of all examples; yes our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ was squeezed so tightly that in the Garden of Gethsemane He began to sweat drops of blood, God in the flesh having to endure suffering, WHY? The supposition is that Christ had suffered for us in the flesh, or in his human nature. The consequent or implication is, “Arm and fortify yourselves likewise with the same mind, courage, and resolution.” The word flesh in the former part of the verse signifies Christ's human nature, but in the latter part it signifies man's corrupt nature. It is important that we understand the makeup of our flesh, its corruptibility and its tendency to always look for outs! I find it interesting that Peter gives us this teaching, the boldest of all the original Apostles, he was the one to venture out and walked on water, he also cut off the roman centurion’s ear when coming to arrest the Lord but then also denies the Lord three times. “Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." (Matthew 26:34)

I loved the Lords response to Peter’s uncompromising statement, “never me Lord”, how familiar are those words to your ears, I am guilty as charged! The Lord must have looked into Peter’s eyes with his piercing compassionate stare without even a hint of disgust or animosity and said, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32)

It was needful for Peter to be brought down to size and to understand the weakness of his own flesh, as it was part of his process in killing off the old man, we too have to go through a similar process to kill off the lusts and wants of our old man. Many of us may say, like Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." (Luke 22:33)

And yet when he was challenged with that exact test he denied the Lord!

Words and promises flow from our tongues with such ease, but when they are tested they seldom stand up to the test, may God continue to be merciful as He will be to all His children and help us find grace in time of need to stand firm in Him.

Suffering is as much a part of a Christian’s daily life as eating and sleeping.

“Some of the strongest and best arguments against all sorts of sin are taken from the sufferings of Christ. All sympathy and tenderness for Christ as a sufferer are lost of you do not put away sin. He dies to destroy it; and, though he could cheerfully submit to the worst sufferings, yet he could never submit to the least sin. The beginning of all true mortification lies in the mind, not in penances and hardships upon the body. The mind of man is carnal, full of enmity; the understanding is darkened, being alienated from the life of God, Eph_4:18. Man is not a sincere creature, but partial, blind, and wicked, till he be renewed and sanctifies by the regenerating grace of God. How it is further explained, 1Pe_4:2. The apostle explains what he means by being dead to sin, and ceasing from sin, both negatively and positively. Negatively, a Christian ought no longer to live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the sinful lusts and corrupt desires of carnal wicked men; but, positively, he ought to conform himself to the revealed will of the holy God. The lusts of men are the springs of all their wickedness, Jam_1:13, Jam_1:14. Let occasional temptations be what they will, they could not prevail, were it not for men's own corruptions. All good Christians make the will of God, not their own lusts or desires, the rule of their lives and actions. True conversion makes a marvellous change in the heart and life of every one who partakes of it. It brings a man off from all his old, fashionable, and delightful lusts, and from the common ways and vices of the world, to the will of God. It alters the mind, judgment, affections, way, and conversation of every one who has experienced it.” (Matthew Henry)

So the next time we ask, “Why Lord?” let us remember God is preparing His children for greater things to come and it is only through suffering that we will become more like our glorious Saviour in character! “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Signing Off

Tyrone

In Him Must we Trust!

(Hebrews 13:5) “I will never leave thee.”

No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink. When He offers bread all may eat, for whosoever to the Lord may come He will not turn one away. The tragedy of it all we know that many will not come. In which camp do you belong? The Camp where the rivers flow with milk and Honey and you can see an abundance of blessing just waiting to be enjoyed, or are you amongst the sceptics - that believe that this is it, one life and then the end, you will be wrong! There were sceptics amongst the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, those who through generations came from the seed of his lions, there were those who did not believe that the Promised Land was there for the taking and yet two of the spies had a different spirit. They saw a land that had bunches of grapes the size of a man and two men had to carry one bunch. Yet the other ten spies saw giants in the land, what is it you see? Is life a drag, is it a grind and does it seem as if things only get worse! If you have a different Spirit, if you have been born again then you will eventually see the promise even if it now seems a little cloudy. I will remind you in time past, olives were placed between two stones and pressure was then placed onto the olives with a grinding action and through that process, sweet nourishing olive came forth. Let us consider an olive straight from a tree, it is inedible, but with a little bit of work and through time they are delightful to the taste. Olive oil must be the king of oils and olives are enjoyed by many but not all! So is it for the mankind, not all enjoy the sweet promises afforded the child of God. It is only those who see God’s promises that may enjoy what is seen. There is a granary and it is full to the brim, there is a door to give out food, there may be a starving man, a faithful saint in desperate need for its supply, who is the occasion of it being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. The impartiality of God’s love on display, there is a throne room full of grace, is it not also for all, yes it must be for all and we are instructed to approach it with boldness. Whether He gave the word to Abraham or to Moses, matters not, O believer; he has given it to us as one of the covenanted seed. As blessed as they were, we are even the more blessed all because of the finished work of Calvary, because our Saviour, the greatest of the great defeated the devil and all His allies in one final battle. The “Battle of Britain” lasted 114 days where Hitler and his German Luftwaffe came at the British with 2500 military airplanes, Germany however were defeated by the British. Our Saviour had all of hell, not just the air force, but as much as hell could muster was thrown at Him, on that cross and out of His glorious mouth came these sweet words that now ring true to our ears, “IT IS FINISHED” There is not a high blessing too lofty for us, nor a wide mercy too far-reaching for all who would come. Lift up your eyes to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is available to the saint, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. When we are inclined to say, I can go on no longer let us remember, the olive! Let us remember Calvary and our Masters accomplishment there. Climb to Pisgah’s top, and view the utmost limit of the divine promise, for the land is all ours. There is not a brook of living water of which we may not drink. If the land flows with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both belong to the child of God. God has promised it and it is ours to be had! Be bold to believe, for He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” In this promise, God gives to his people everything. “I will never leave thee.” Then all of God’s attribute will we have the right to, not because of who we are or what we may have achieved, but because of what Christ accomplish in obedience to God His Father. Is he mighty? He will show himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him. Is he love? Then with loving-kindness will He have mercy upon us, have we not seen that in our lives, I know I have time and time again I have witnessed the love of God in my life. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side. To understand, there is nothing we can want, there is nothing we can ask for, there is nothing we can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text-”I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

How sweet these words should and must ring true in our ears. To Him be glory now and forever more!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Old Man Crucified!

(Romans 6:6) “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin;”

To stand the test of time, to endure, to undergo whatever it may take to stand upon the finished work of Calvary; who will finish, and who will fall by the wayside? All pressing questions I now have probing my brain, so many different stories with so many voices in this world of ours. If it was not for the Spirit of God, how lost and opinionated we would all be. In ourselves we love to explore the hype of Christianity; somehow we have that built into us. Be warned, if it has not be written and then expounded on by the Apostles, we must hear warning bells no matter how appealing and cuddly the story may seem. We must give earnest heed to the apostles teaching, they have been single out by God to bring us His mind on so many issues pertaining to life and godliness. We must fight again the driving temptation to hanker after voices which seem to have more of an appealing story for us to follow. Whether their stories bear relevance or not to our lives, we have what we need and that is the “Canon of Scripture”. It is complete and as it has pleased our heavenly Father, let it also please us! Let us become leaches hungry for God’s word, so hungry in fact that instead of reaching for books written by authors of today, we would begin to instinctively reach for the Bible, books in themselves can teach us a phenomenal amount, so books can be very good for our spiritual wellbeing, however as some may have a positive effect, bad books, those full of opinionated ideas of what the scripture does not teach have been penned to tickle our ears and can unsettle many who are young in the faith. The power of the pen is greater than any fighter jet or atomic bomb, it moulds and shapes peoples understanding, but as good a help as it can be, the opposite is just as true, be cautioned! “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;” (2Timothy 4:3)

Even autobiographies need to be viewed with much caution; I have written my own story and am in the process of deciding whether to correct some wrongs in “my story” or to let it rest, once again that great well balance preacher Charles Spurgeon helps us reason with a sound mind. This is what he has to say about our past lives, prior to us repenting and finding forgiveness; “Our sins must be put to death with every circumstance of shame and self-humiliation. I must confess I am shocked with some people whom I know, who glibly rehearse their past lives up to the time of their supposed conversion, and talk of their sins, which they hope have been forgiven them, with a sort of smack of the lips, as if there was something fine in having been so atrocious an offender. I hate to hear a man speak of his experience in sin as a Greenwich pensioner might talk of Trafalgar and the Nile.
The best thing to do with our past sin, if it be indeed forgiven, is to bury it; yes, and let us bury it as they used to bury suicides. Let us drive a stake through it, in horror and contempt, and never set up a monument to its memory.
If you ever do tell anybody about your youthful wrongdoing, let it be with blushes and tears, with shame and confusion of face; and always speak of it to the honour of the infinite mercy which forgave you. Never let the devil stand behind you and pat you on the back and say, "You did me a good turn in those days."
“Oh, it is a shameful thing to have sinned, a degrading thing to have lived in sin, and it is not to be wrapped up into a telling story and told out as an exploit as some do.”
"The old man is crucified with him." Who boasts of being related to the crucified felon? If any member of your family had been hanged, you would tremble to hear anyone mention the gallows; you would not run about crying, "Do you know a brother of mine was hanged at Newgate?” Your old man of sin is hanged; do not talk about him, but thank God it is so; and as he blots out the remembrance of it, do you the same, except so far as it may make you humble and grateful.”

“EVERY new man is two men—every Believer in Christ is what he was and not what he was—the old nature and the new nature exist at the same time in each regenerate individual. That old nature the Apostle calls a man, because it is a complete manhood after the image of fallen Adam. It has the desires, the judgment, the mind, the thoughts, the language and the action of man as he is in his rebellious estate. He calls it the “old man,” because it is as old as Eden’s first transgression. It is as old as we are. It is the nature born with us, the natural depravity, the fleshly mind which we inherited from our parents. It is tainted by the old serpent and bears within it a dread propensity to his old sin.” (C.H.Spureon)
With those thoughts in mind let us rather leave those things that are behind us, let us not dwell on them where possible and let us run this race with diligence, cleaving onto every word of God, let our focus shift from one another and rather let us be captivated by CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED, let us remember His exploits as they will help us live more godly in Christ!

“The old old story it is ever new, the old old story praise the Lord its true, how Jesus died for me as well as you, the old old story praise the Lord it is true.”

Paul the Apostle teaches us this very clearly; “Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13)

The model we should aspire to is the legacy Paul left us and this is His legacy, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1Corinthians 2:2)

Signing off

Tyrone

Until Then!

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Here was a man that lived life by pleasing God, he so please Jehovah the great “I AM” that after 365 years God took him from earth to heaven, just like that, one day he was walking on earth and the next instant he was in heaven no longer in a flesh and blood body but with God in spirit. He had walked and talked with God and he had pleased God and therefore God decided that he would be more useful to Him in heaven, why? Does God need to explain Himself to anyone, God forbid we would reason as if he did? But we have eyes to see the hidden mysteries of God, if we have been born again, then God the Holy Spirit is merciful to teach us from scripture the hidden truths of scripture according to the measure of the gift of God. “Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:8)

It is now up to the individual to take that gift, the gift that God has imparted to that person, it cannot be bought or earned, it must however be honed. Have you ever seen a gifted professional tennis player not practising by putting in long hours and still becoming the very best? It won’t happen! Charles Spurgeon is an example in point; He was given too much study, but never obtained a theological degree. God had gifted him with a great teaching gift, he put in long hours through prayer and study, and he depended upon the help of God the Holy Spirit, which can be clearly seen when we study what he had to say. He was not a man wise in his own eyes and yet although he is dead or rather sleeps; the name he has been given which still rings true today, the “Prince of Preachers”. Did you know that before he opened his academy to help equip wannabe preachers, to teach them to wield their sword with precision and skill, they had to already have fruit to their ministry. They didn’t need a university exemption; they had to be able to read, but they needn’t have been great scholars, with a proviso that their ministry must have lead new converts to Christ. He understood the gifting of God! They all had been born again; they had received the spirit of God and they were God’s children, each with a measure of Christ! Boasting is to be excluded and God alone must be exalted! However he compiled a list of “must have books” in ones library, where and when they could be afforded, the purpose behind this list was to help equip the preacher to hone his gifting and to glorify God in bringing a balanced message to their congregation. But, prior to this list, he read 3000-4000 books, this would not have been a skim read but rather a study when warranted before complying his list. I am not sure if the man ever slept! He had at least 1000 men through those doors.

“I say some of the modes, since I suppose that as the Lord Jesus left his disciples free from rubrics and liturgies, each church worshipped according to the working of the free Spirit among them; one with the open meeting of the Corinthians, and another with a presiding minister, and a third with a mixture of the two methods.” (Charles Spurgeon)

As I was saved in a Pentecostal church similar to that of the church of Corinth in application. Although I saw a great freedom in purpose amongst the believers in the body of Christ, even if much of what I was taught I can no longer hold too. I still see great benefit in many areas to their application. A question in point, would be the misappropriation of scripture taken out of context. Let me explain or rather let Spurgeon explain! “We cannot expect to deliver much of the teaching of Holy Scripture by picking out verse by verse, and holding these up at random. The process resembles that of showing a house by exhibiting separate bricks. It would be an astounding absurdity if our friends used our private letters in this fashion, and interpreted them by short sentences disconnected and taken away from the context. Nowadays since expository preaching is not so common as it ought to be. They must get that instruction from us, or nowhere else; nor do I see how we are to give them such spiritual assistance except through the regular practice of exposition.”

However their application in giving an opportunity to all individuals within the body of Christ, from the greatest to the least of the congregation to freely impart their gifting I am yet to see elsewhere. It may have been very loose at times and this would allow for error, but then it should be up to the leading brethren to put that right. On the other hand the reformed churches I have witnessed or been a part of in some small measure lack this application in allowing each member to bring their gifting to the body of Christ within the same capacity. They lack the understanding that Paul endeavoured to teach the church at Corinth. God has designed a pattern to help conform his children into the image of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, Paul give us teaching on the subject. He explains how we need one another in the body of Christ, it is not about social circles for the sake of conformity as people huddle within groups within the church, but about our place individually in the church even in ministry, because you have a doctorate in theology does not necessarily mean you have been given the gift of teaching. It may, but not certainly! That is why Paul speaks to the church at Corinth explaining how and why we need each other in the body of Christ (church), we are a member of the body of Christ in as much as we supply. As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." (Corinthians12:20-21)

We need one another to get to understand our Saviour with a fuller measure and to help equip us to become more like Him. How ridiculous it would be to for us to blindfold ourselves and then expect our ears to see! However what I do love about reformed theology or at least the church I now fellowship with, is the seriousness they take on expository preaching (verse for verse through a chapter), it helps us get a clearer understanding of the bible and how we should live our lives. There are fewer margins for error in this methodology of teaching.

I am yet to find a church that has a mixture of both, Spurgeon must have witness it otherwise he would not have mentioned it. How I would love to find a congregation with that balance. It is like what was said and I quote, “I say some of the modes, since I suppose that as the Lord Jesus left his disciples free from rubrics and liturgies, each church worshipped according to the working of the free Spirit among them.”

Having said all of this, who am I? I have hashed so many opportunities in my life, how could I ever expect people to take what I say with any seriousness, I may be heard to some degree, but the likely hood of changing the minds of those who lead would be futile.

Regardless of where we find ourselves in fellowship, let us look to our great God and Saviour seeking out His will for our lives and let us remember to supply in whatever measure it is afforded us for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the equipping of the saints, until we come into the full unity of Christ. Until like Enoch, we no long have to walk and talk with God veiled from His awesome presents, until the day that our ship finally arrives in the “Port of Heaven” and we will commune with God our Father. No longer having to veil our conversation as they veiled theirs, but conversing in humility eyeball to eyeball with the only true God. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” What a pleasant thought!

Signing off

Tyrone

Typology!

(Act 8:9) “But there was a man named Simon,”

 

As my thoughts penned yesterday were on the warnings we receive from the Lord Jesus on deceiving men and all those that lie against the truth, I thought it may be good to look to the bible as it could give us some warnings and what those types of men and woman may look like. The bible is full of typology and we will often see the same pattern throughout time and through passing generations. The events of the Old Testament often depict similar events in the New Testament; you could say it is the silent voice of God giving us clues on what will happen in the future. In other words Typology (a.k.a. figura in Latin) in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis (a critical explanation or interpretation of a text) is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. If we look closely enough we will see repeat patterns throughout the bible, let us use an example to amplify the coming of the Lord Jesus; the Lord teaches us that in the days of Noah. “They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:27)

 

In like manner, people will be doing exactly the same things in the days of the coming of the Lord; we must pray for strength and grace not to be those who would be deceived into believing lies and  chasing false doctrine.

 

Now if we look at this man Simon the sorcerer, we see a pattern that people from that time admired him and they gravitated toward him. So why did they admire him and call him a man of God.

“They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.” (Act 8:10-11) - Let us not confuse false signs and wonders as the work of the Spirit.

 

To him they had regard (and perhaps the more because the time fixed for the coming of the Messiah had now expired, which had raised a general expectation of the appearing of some great one about this time. Probably he was a native of their country, and therefore they embraced him the more cheerfully, that by giving honour to him they might reflect it upon themselves. 2. They said of him, This man is the great power of God - the power of God, that great power (so it might be read), that power which made the world. See how ignorant inconsiderate people mistake that which is done by the power of Satan, as if it were done by the power of God. Thus, in the Gentile world, devils pass for deities; and in the antichristian kingdom all the world wonders after a beast, to whom the dragon gives his power, and who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, Rev_13:2-5. (Matthew Henry)

 

The anti-christ will have the same effect on the world; he will appear as an angel of light and deceive the nations. Simon was a type of the anti-christ! His luring tool was the magic he was able to perform, but the anti-christ will have false religious people backing him all the way. People had expected the return of the Lord, they may have been growing impatient, and it will be the same in the days of the Lord if He chooses to delay to his return; “But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.” (Matthew 24:48-50)

 

People will be looking to advance His return then they will say he is the christ! Remember the Lord’s warning to his children; “Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:23-24)

 

He will use signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if possible! That will not happen as God’s children have understood as He has given them eyes to see and they know their masters voice. But this lure will be so great that it will rock the world as they bow done and worship him as God.

 

In the city of Samaria Simon Magus had been busy there, and had gained a great interest among the people, and yet they believed the things that Philip spoke. Phillip had just declared the wonderful truth of the gospel and people had believed his message and people had been saved. The same people that once were taken up by Simon’s magic and been bewitched by him.

 

“We are told how strong the delusion of Satan was by which they were brought into the interests of this great deceiver. He had been for some time, nay, for a long time, in this city, using sorceries; perhaps he came there by the instigation of the devil, soon after our Saviour had been there, to undo what he had been doing there; for it was always Satan's way to crush a good work in its bud and infancy, 2Co_11:3; 1Th_3:5. Now, First, Simon assumed to himself that which was considerable: He gave out that he himself was some great one, and would have all people to believe so and to pay him respect accordingly; and then, as to everything else, they might do as they pleased. He had no design to reform their lives, nor improve their worship and devotion, only to make them believe that he was, tis megas - some divine person. Justin Martyr says that he would be worshipped as prōton theon - the chief god. He gave out himself to be the Son of God, the Messiah, so some think; or to be an angel, or a prophet. Perhaps he was uncertain within himself what title of honour to pretend to; but he would be thought some great one. Pride, ambition, and an affectation of grandeur, have always been the cause of abundance of mischief both to the world and to the church.” (Matthew Henry)

 

What amazes me with this account is how much emphasis is placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit; He offered to pay for its power! Money and the Holy Ghost when accompanying one another should get us to at least sit up and pay attention. It should at the very least get us to examine what is being preached! I am thankful for the strength and the power of Divine grace, by which these new converts were brought to Christ, who is truth and will unarm the works of the devil. Grace works in the lives of those who were once captivated by the power of Satan but now is brought into obedience to Christ. Where Satan, as a strong man armed, kept possession of the palace, and thought himself safe, Christ was stronger than him and freed the captive, praise His name! He led captivity captive, and made those the trophies of his victory that the devil had once triumphed over. Let us not despair of the worst, when even those whom Simon Magus had bewitched were brought to believe. If we have been hoodwinked into believing the lies of the false prophets and the false teachers lets us repent from the errors of our ways and cleave to the finished work of Calvary.

We must remember Noah’s example; by faith Noah was warned of the upcoming judgment, we in turn must find grace in time of need to mimic him; “By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

We have not yet seen the “Rapture” but it will happen, God has declared it to us through his Word. Therefore let us not look to this event with intrigue but rather heed the voice of our great Saviour as we attentively heed His warnings on these upcoming events and be on guard against the error of our times.

Even so, we cry to you our God as we beckon your return, come quickly Lord Jesus, we long to behold your glory and bow down and worship you, our great Redeemer and High Priest, Jehovah God we will worship you and you alone, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

 

Christ Has Spoken!

(Matthew 24:11) “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”

It is a terrible thing when we try and shift gears with a car that has a slipping clutch, it makes a grating noise and trouble will soon be paying us a visit if drastic measures are not taken and soon. The vehicle will no longer serve its purpose, and another mode of transportation will soon be sort out as the original mode of transport would have run its course and need repairs, more specifically a new clutch and possibly a new gear box. We (Christians) must be on guard against apathy in our daily walks. Life tends to fly-by and before long we are asking ourselves, “When last did I fall on my knees and have a soul searching session with my Saviour”? Have I regularly serviced my soul with His Spirit and with His Word to steer the rudder of life, have I gazed with earnestly under the “bonnet” of my life to ensure that I do not get caught sleeping when I should clearly be awake. For many years I have heard Christians of all shapes and sizes tell me that the Lord is coming soon, even I have been amongst that number. The truth, no matter how you choose to reason it out, the return of the Lord Jesus to earth is sooner now than it has ever been; tomorrow will be sooner still, if God would tarry just a day longer. The only reason he has not yet returned is there are still those to be saved. That is the pinnacle of God’s reasoning as His mercy continues to tarry and give mankind an opportunity to turn to Him, for them to repent and believe on the finished work of the Lord Jesus. But there is a day coming when the archangel will blow a trumpet. Then it will be as it was in the days of Noah. Did you know that it had never rain up until then; the ground was water from below; “and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—“ (Genesis 2:6)

Try and picture the reactions from those upon the earth as they saw in their minds eye a madman building a boat and warning people that the judgement of God was coming and on top of that water would fall from the sky. People must have jeered mocking them and calling them simple, but ultimately who had the last laugh, not that anyone would have laughed it was a serious encounter, God judged the world and sinner for their sin by water and only eight souls where saved in the days of Noah. That thought should rock us to the core, yes God is long suffering and full of mercy but He also has a side to Him that says enough is enough and when that time is up He will give a command to the archangel to blow the trumpet; “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1Corinthians 15:52)

Trumpets depict salvation for some and judgment for others, the archangel blows a trumpet that ultimately culminates the entire hope of the Christian faith, and hope will no longer be hope as she would have arrived for the believer. What a day that will be!

As strange as that may sound to some, this is the hope of every true believer; the Lord Jesus is coming back to earth to fetch His church and then God will pour out His judgement on the earth like never before and this time fire will be one of His weapons of choice. We may have to endure some hardship, some struggles and some ridicule but it will be worth it all, one day we will see our Saviour’s soon return and it may be sooner than you think!

I will now show you why God loves His children so! He has given us so much of Himself, we Have His Spirit that lives within us, we have the gifts that He has freely given to us individually and they do differ one from another, all will have a part to play in one form or another in the church, this is His design!

However there are many voices that have already put up their hand to be noticed, they have much to say and want to be heard. How do we know if they speak on behalf of God or not, in fact how do you know I am not a fraud? We have been given the greatness of safeguards, the glorious Word of God. If I had to say that God has spoken directly to me and what He has had to say goes against what has been written, then He would be a liar and we know that it is impossible for God to lie; “so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie,” (Hebrews 6:18)

It would then make me a liar and in turn a false prophet, it is not hard to reason out. God has spoken through His Son and His words have been penned for all to use as a road map, if skilfully used we will not get lost along the way. Remember to “KISS”, keep it simple stupid! This is an old selling slogan, but apt when used wisely if we can view the bible with a childlike simplicity. We must become like little children and begin to believe what is written with childlike faith. Have you ever watched a son with his father as they play and the father puts him on a ledge as says jump, the danger of being hurt is real, if his father had to move out the way and or fumbled in the catch, the child would suffer injury. But no thought is given to the potential danger, only trust form child to father is on display, in fact the kid often ends up saying, “more!” with absolute glee written all over his face as the sunlight glints off his teeth. Why do we then look outside of what has already been written to find extra confirmation, we should not and must not look beyond the bounds of scripture, be warned, for when we do we will enter into error.

What does the Word tell us about this upcoming event, “the rapture”, the return of our Saviour to earth? Let us look at but a few warning to help us remain alert... lastly, the gospel will and must be preached throughout the whole world before the end will come. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Has the gospel reached the entire globe, has every nation heard about the Lord Jesus? My answer would be if not every nation it must be just about there. It does not say every person but every nation. The bushman have heard and I know this as I was amongst a team that paid some of them a visit in Botswana and some confess Jesus as Lord. I am not to sure how much they understand, but God knows! The mercy of God extending His hand to the most primitive of people as they to could say, I believe! Ghumtai is the brother’s name, pray for him and his family. You then make a decision on where you think we stand with regard to the gospel message being preached worldwide.

We are warned that the day and time of His return is not for us to know, but the sign of the times we must be on the lookout for and understand. Only a fool does not set up sentinels to be on the lookout for the enemy in hostile territory. Likewise if we ignore the sign of the times we will be caught offgaurd. So what must we be on the lookout for? It is observable, that what Christ said to his disciples tends to be a warning more than to satisfy their curiosity; and in like fashion we should also look to be warned rather than to be intrigued by the subject. It must more prepare us for the events that should happen than to give a distinct idea of the events themselves. Keeping that in mind let us look at some warnings; “And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray.” (Matthew 24:4)

Deception is the Lords first and main concern, this then must mean that many will try and distort this message. There will be wars and rumours of wars, but we must not let that alarms us, it has happen and will continue to happen. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places; do you see any of that happening? Obviously you do as God cannot lie and He had told us that it will take place and it is taking place. I love the analogy the Lord Jesus gives; He uses a pregnant woman and the contractions she has prior to birth which warns her that her time is near. “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:8)

With what we see happening around us in the world, is the time near?

As we lack time to discuss all these warnings in detail let me highlight the Lords greatest concern, He warns against deception more than once.

Deception against what we should ask? Many will lie, tricking believers for their own gain. In other words they have another agenda and that is to make money out of the gospel, they preach Christ for their bellies sake. Nevertheless they will stand as we all will stand and have to give God an account of our lives.

The Lord is deeply concerned about these liars, not that he gives them much thought their days we soon be numbered, but he has an unfathomable concern for His sheep; these men and woman will scatter the fold and cause some panic.

“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:11)

It says many not a couple, be sober be vigilant for your adversary goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Yes they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. How will you tell the counterfeit from those that are real, simply, THE WORD OF GOD!

Now many say we will have already be rapture by the time of the great tribulation, it may well be true, but then again I cannot say that with any certainty, but God knows. All I know is we must heed the warning as our Saviour has given them to us...

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:21-27)

We have been warned and told what to lookout for, if we ignore our saviour warning, it will be to our detriment.

Give us eyes to see Father as we want you’re name to be glorified in and through whatever it is you have in store for your children, if it is grace we need help in time of need, let us be bold to ask for it.

Signing off

Tyrone

When We find No Rest!

(Psalms 22:2) “O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”

Amazingly in this verse we see David in distress and in anguish, but although we see Him crying by day with the turmoil of his newly born son, a son through deceit and trickery, an act of sin, in his moment of weakness as lust drove him to act unwisely where he summoned Bathsheba to his quarters, a married woman. In fact, a married woman whose husband (Uriah) was fighting for David and Israel, so committed was he that he was willing to die for the cause, he was a loyal man, but David was drawn so deep into the error of his way that he eventually had the man killed to cover up his sin. No matter where we go or how we try and hide our sin, it will be exposed either in this life or the next. Unless we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus and we find forgiveness for our sin, then we will no longer be accountable for all our sin. To think of where my sin began and where would it end outside of Christ, is far too over bearing for me to even contemplate. O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death? “Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!” With such an amazing offer of free grace, why will people not cry out to Him? And yet so many reject this salvation message! “Can you hear my cry my great God?” I know I am heard and only because of my great Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank you my sweet King for dying in my stead, I am so unworthy of salvation and yet you chose to die on a cross for me, thank you my great Shepherd. Whenever I was lost and rebellious in my wondering in the wilderness of deceit and treachery, you found me, for this I will be forever thankful, you have done more for me than most, I have been unruly and disobedient so often in my life and yet you never discarded me on the rubbish dump. My fate should be hell and yet my hope is heaven. I challenge all outside of Christ, who can say they serve a God like I serve, He is righteous, He is always faithful even when I was not, He is slow to anger and full of mercy and He lovingly teaches obedience even if it has been very painful at times throughout life’s journey, He cares for me and for all who cry out to Him. David felt much pain for his wrong doing with a woman many years ago, he lost a son and had a man killed all because of his passion and lust for what his eyes had to have, the “lust of the eyes” rampant and on a charge like a bull without any thought given to who will be hurt along the way. With sin there are always causalities! Here again we see a typical example of God’s grace and mercy merited out on David, yet there where consequences to His sin. That good old cliché rings true, with every action there must be a reaction. We will find forgiveness for sin if we earnestly seek it from God above, in and through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. There will however still be consequences, we see that in the story of David, in fact the sword did not leave his house as result of his sin and His own son ended up dead while trying to overthrow him and his kingdom. Stephen you can read the full account of what took place in and through that incident in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

I wonder, when I find no peaceful rest during sleep is it a consequence of the sin in my life and a reaction to all my disobedience through life? When I dream of lions on the prowl looking to hunt me down, is it a result of folly and bad pronouncements in times past? It may well be! David fasted for seven days on account of His wrong-doing and for seven nights lay on the ground as torment and sleep eluded him as he look for healing for his dying son. Forgiveness was never in question for Him as it will never be in question for all who truly repent and believe on the Lord Jesus, but we must never take sin lightly as it is an offence to God. Such an offence that He had to deal with it once and for all by sending His own Son to die for it. God himself died for man’s sin! Let us never undermine our sin; sin is a serious offence before God. Sin must force us to repent and find forgiveness; we must never take it lightly in our lives!

The Lord Jesus hung upon a tree for my sin and for yours, even despite the fact that He knew no sin, not once in His life did He ever break one of God’s laws, a man without sin and yet he cried out; “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34)

David suffered the consequence of His sin, I suffer the consequence of my sin but the Lord had no sin and yet He suffered on our behalf for sin, may this thought grip your hearts as it now grips mine, it was a phenomenal feat the work of Calvary, how will one escape judgement if we neglect so great a salvation, we will not escape! Fire and brimstone will be our end for all eternity, but the grace of God is still available to all who will repent, there is a day coming when this offer will no longer be on the table, but today it is still on offer for all who would turn to Him in repentance. I plead with you, repent and be saved while the daylight still shines.

We see a withdrawal of God’s favour because of sin in the life of David; I must however emphasis forgiveness is ours to be had for sin because of what the Lord Jesus accomplished on Calvary, but consequences are real and evident in the lives of believers throughout history, David lost his son’s, Samson lost his eyes and I am HIV positive... please do not think for a minute that I would want to compare myself with these two great men of God, there is no comparison, all I have venture to do is highlight the consequence of sin in my life and our lives. We must learn not to grumble because of our bad choices along life journey.

Matthew Henry has this to say on the topic; “A sad complaint of God's withdrawings, this may be applied to David, or any other child of God, in the want of the tokens of his favour, pressed with the burden of his displeasure, roaring under it, as one overwhelmed with grief and terror, crying earnestly for relief, and, in this case, apprehending himself forsaken of God, unhelped, unheard, yet calling him, again and again, “My God,” and continuing to cry day and night to him and earnestly desiring his gracious returns. Note, (1.) Spiritual desertions are the saints' sorest afflictions; when their evidences are clouded, divine consolations suspended, their communion with God interrupted, and the terrors of God set in array against them, how sad are their spirits, and how sapless all their comforts! (2.) Even their complaint of these burdens is a good sign of spiritual life and spiritual senses exercised. To cry out, “My God, why am I sick? Why am I poor?” would give cause to suspect discontent and worldliness. But, Why has though forsaken me? is the language of a heart binding up its happiness in God's favour. (3.) When we are lamenting God's withdrawings, yet still we must call him our God, and continue to call upon him as ours. When we want the faith of assurance we must live by a faith of adherence. “However it be, yet God is good, and he is mine; though he slay me, yet I trust in him; though he do not answer me immediately, I will continue praying and waiting; though he be silent, I will not be silent.”

May his teaching help us in time of need...!

Signing off

Tyrone