When I am afraid I will trust in the Lord

Sometimes I stumble,
Thinking how can this be true
As my illusions crumble,
I need something new.

What is there to believe in?
What is there to trust?
Where is there to go when,
Everyone is lost?

I can't even fathom,
The wonder of your name,
I want to cross this chasm,
But that is why you came.

Who is there to believe in?
Who is there to trust?
Where is there to go when,
There's so high a cost?

You are so amazing,
I bow my head in awe,
Your the one who stays me,
When in my love I fall.

I'm thankful I can believe in,
I'm thankful I can trust,
I'm thankful I can go to,
The feet nailed upon the cross.

m

I'm struggling to apprehend,
The Truth and the purity within.
Scripture directs me to Him,
Refinement through theological doctrine.
But I'm still human,
My mind is still brewing,
Desiring to swallow
The knowledge that it's chewing
To what is this alluding?
Other forces are colluding,
Confusion is ensuing,
While I'm praying for renewing.

Purify my understanding, grant me wisdom and truth,
Have I been wrong all along, have I even known You?
I can get so startled when I find out that I've courted
Incorrect understanding from other than Lord, it
Hurts me to think, that I've stepped away.
I hate to contemplate that and that I could die today...

I could die afraid,
I could die wondering if I was saved.
I could die in fear
That I missed even one opportunity for me to get nearer,

Or I could live with joy.

Picture - Fasting (part 1)

Fasting is a picture...it's a reminder...it's a lens through which we can see the spiritual situation at hand...what do I mean by this?

Fasting entails abstinence of some sort...a removing...in the Biblical sense it is often spoken of in conjunction with abstaining from food or drink and even sleep (in the case of Paul). Though, what's the purpose of fasting? Why would one abstain from things like food, drink, and/or sleep? First, this abstinence is usually for only a distinctly established period of time. From the Bible we see such lengths of times ranging from one day to forty days. The purpose for this fasting is generally for to what King David refers to as "humbling oneself."

Therefore, fasting is a way in which we can humble ourselves. But why ought we do that? John the Baptist said about Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Jesus said, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." Thus it seems as though humbling has something to do with following Christ in changing into or being a certain way that we might follow Christ into exaltation...

What is the picture behind all of this though...the deeper spiritual picture that the physical act displays...?

Water and Drink
When the body does not receive liquids it becomes hard for it to move. An intense thirst builds within because water is so vital to the body's processes. Liquids keep the body well-lubricated that it can operate smoothly. Liquids operate the transfer of nutrients in cells, making sure that ingested items are digested and then quickly dispersed throughout the body to enable operative processes which keep you thinking, seeing, walking, listening, tasting, alive...etc... The body, therefore, has an immense craving for liquids, and the thirst with which the body reacts is in proportion to its actual need. THIS PHYSICAL DISPLAY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY A SPIRITUAL TRUTH DEMONSTRATING OUR NEED FOR LIVING WATER. When the living water which refreshes our spirit is not consistently poured into us...we thirst...and if we don't satisfy that thirst...we become spiritually dehydrated...and when that occurs, we become immobile in the faith and ineffective as Christians because our spiritual body is incapable of operating the way God intended. Our hearts are well-springs of life...they are gardens...and they need watering (to reveal another picture which we may tackle later)....without watering the plants wilt and die and are unappealing, and they are like chaff before the wind...Drink deeply in the Spirit of Truth...drink deeply the blood which is poured out for you...


-Next "Food"

HUMAN / Humility - Rest

Sometimes I can't let the Lord lead me in making a good decision without thinking about the praise I received for it afterwards. Today was the 27th, and Proverbs 27:21 is "Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a man is tested by being praised." I've spoken here about this verse before, but it came to heart once again today after the Lord blessed me with a creative idea for noon-day prayer. It wasn't cutting-edge or anything, but it felt Spirit-led. Normally people don't cry when I organize the prayer...but today God drew some people to tears it seems. Not that crying is a symbol of spiritual effectiveness...it's not...In fact, holy people don't cry anymore than unholy people (by this I am comparing Christ followers and non Christ followers - Colossians 1...holy and blameless...). To be honest, I think that Christ followers can sometimes end up crying and mourning a whole lot less because they are expending themselves emotionally on others on a continual basis. When one doesn't take the adequate time to recharge and becomes emotionally drained, they often are too sympathetically spent to cry. So many believers have lives beyond understanding in terms of the immense difficulties which they face, but they can't cry/mourn/grieve for themselves because they aren't self-focused. This is good, most of the time, but it is not always good. When one is never focused on their own welfare...spiritual state...they can often because delusional as to their mortality...that is, they don't recognize the fact that their finite, human, and vulnerable. This is why we are a Body together and not alone. This is why Christ is the head and we are not. Another factor relating to this is that as believers, we can often not take enough time to reflect on our relationship with our Lord in the midst of the world in which He's placed us. We ought to. If we don't, it's hard to be given a "burden" for the lost. If you aren't people oriented because of Christ and then people...then you don't understand the great commission. It's first about loving God through obedience to His command and then out of love for him, loving others through such a mission. This can be distorted, however, when we consider the mission to be about, first, loving God, and then "getting the job done." When people are no longer the focus, and the commission becomes a job...it's no longer a burden of love which compels us.

Anyway, this all came about because someone was teary-eyed while they were engaging in prayer today...and then later on, another of the brethren thanked me for the noon-day prayer...this is all coming on the tail-end of a dream I had last night in which I was praised by a friend to a friend...Please pray for me as I am seeking God's teaching through these events. May they be specific prayers to which the Lord illumines your spirit, and not the vagaries which hinder us from being able to see His responses clearly.

God bless,

("Pictures" coming soon)

Morning

So I had this crazy dream last night...I'd rather not give the specifics, but in it, somehow I came across information that a friend of mine had praised me highly to another friend of mine. Now both of these people I deeply respect....and guess what a theme of prayer has been for my Wednesday night small group in the Suites? Selflessness...humility...

I don't want to look into this completely negatively, because it also speaks to some positive truths, like humble yourself and you will be exalted, or don't sit in the places of honor but sit in the lower places that you might be called up to greater honor....but it also speaks to Proverbs 27:21, "Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised."

We often think - or at least I do - that our tests are times of struggle, when we have to lean on God for sustenance. But, perhaps the test starts when we don't have to....


Anyway...I'm serious about the picture series starting up soon. Maybe tomorrow

I'm going to a synagogue tomorrow (it's the first day of THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES).

BUSY!!!!!!!

I'm extremely busy right now...2 papers due soon, 2 on-going papers...1-2 test coming up...lots of reading all the time (probably average at least 3-400 pages/week of primary source documents)...anyway though....

Pictures about which I'm going to write soon include:

Fasting & Sports

SERIES ON PICTURES - Part 1

Life is filled with pictures...of life...real life...the real life...the real life which is what life is supposed to be.

Pictures are inroads into truths.

Pictures are truths...but they don't explain the truth to you as would a teacher.

Someone must explain the picture to you, but at that point at which you understand the truth of the picture...the picture is now a teaching.

See the pictures, ask for explanation...seek out explanation...never give up...for your seeking will be rewarded with finding, and finding leads to wisdom.