Bottom line up front: The Faithfulness of God

Questions: Have you ever felt like you prayed lead balloon prayers? Have you ever felt like your prayers went no farther than the nearest ceiling? Have you ever felt like your petitions fell on deaf ears? Because of pride, many folks would be reluctant to admit they have felt that way, but I’d wager that many people have experienced those emotions, sometimes profoundly.

Take Comfort in Fellow Believers from History: In the 94th psalm, the writer laments the seeming triumphs of wicked people. The speaker in the poem cries out in verse 3, “O LORD, how long shall the wicked,/how long shall the wicked exult?” That’s a cry of anguish at an existential level. The speaker is in anguish because things seem upside down from the way they ought to be. The innocent are seemingly forsaken and the guilty people prosper.

It reminds one of the 73rd psalm where Asaph writes, “For I was envious of the arrogant/when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps 73:4) and later that “pride is their necklace” (Ps 73:6a) and again, “And they [the wicked] say, “How can God know?/Is there knowledge in the Most High?” (Ps 73:11). Short answer: Yes. There is perfect, 100% knowledge with the Most High. Omniscience. That’s an eternal attribute of the true and living God.

So, if you and I have ever battled those seasons where it seems the wicked prosper and the godly suffer; if we battle seeing duplicity rewarded and integrity banished; if we feel like our prayers to the Lord bounce back to us unheard and unheeded, we need only turn to Scripture to see that we’re not to live via our feelings but to live according to the Word of God. We’re not to look unto ourselves but to God. We’re to trust the Lord, knowing that He does what is best. Don’t we remember the words God spoke to the father of the faith, Abraham: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen 18:25).

Encouragement: Through this continuing government shutdown, I am learning—once again—that God will provide. He is faithful. He allows suffering and scarcity at times, yes. He allows the wicked to prosper for seasons, yes. He allows the crafty to slither their ways into positions, yes. But we need to focus on how those stories ended: Herod was eaten by worms; Nebuchadnezzar was turned into a bestial bovine-like man; and Satan was crushed by the risen Christ. God is indeed faithful, and He sees you and sees me, and He (unlike His adversaries) is altogether good.

Bottom line up front: Implied and Specifics

Intro: It was a long time ago now, but it was my first semester in seminary. One of my first classes was Spiritual Disciplines. After class began the first day, the professor who was to become a mentor to me, spoke some of many words that I still carry with me. “I teach several other courses, but this is my favorite one. ‘Why?’ you might ask. Because you can learn a great deal of theology but lose your first love, why you’re here, and why God called you to serve.” Bam! It was a mic drop moment for me. He then assigned us the 6-7 books we had to read for that term—some great stuff from John Owen, Richard Baxter, J.I. Packer, and more. I devoured that stuff. It’s still on my shelves in my library at home today.

That professor has since gone on to be with the Lord, but I want to share a story about the first exam he gave us in that course. He told us how he memorized Scripture and walked us through his method. One of first pieces he memorized was Psalm 19. So, here’s how this relates to the exam: “I want you to use the English translation of your choice, memorize Psalm 19, then write it out word-for-word on a piece of paper. Then, grade yourself via the honor code by opening your copy of the actual text, and mark down any/all errors. The point is not to be pedantic; the point is for us all to remember the lessons of Psalm 19. Theologically speaking, it’s about general and special revelation. But in plain terms, it’s about why I’ve designed this course. Because you can learn a great deal of theology but lose your first love—about why you’re here, and why God called you to serve.”

Until that term, I had not memorized Psalm 19, but I did then. And it’s still with me today. Sometimes when I don’t know how to pray as I ought, or when I’ve blown it spiritually, or if I’m angry, sad, or depressed, Psalm 19 washes over me. I see God’s general revelation in nature but then His special revelation in Scripture. In Army parlance, we might term them implied and specified tasks. That is, there’s the big picture evidence of what to do vis-à-vis the mission. And then there are all the associated tasks that are linked to that to be successful. Here’s Psalm 19 (ESV):

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Encouragement/takeaway: Those first (6) verses are what we call in theology general revelation. They say, in short, that God has revealed Himself to all men, everywhere. There is no “innocent man on a remote island,” etc. And then the following verses are special revelation; they unpack the specifics of Scripture, God’s revealed will, the posture of humility before the holy, what discipleship looks like, the requirements of the gospel, etc. Specified tasks and implied tasks, in other words.

My professor was teaching me and those other men all those many nights ago in the lecture hall, about how to keep the main thing the main thing, how to not lose focus, how to persevere in the faith, but it all goes back to maintaining that first love, that call to love God and those He puts in our path. I miss you, Dr. C. I truly do. And one of my goals is to see you again one day, and say, “Thank you.”

Introduction: Perhaps what I love most about the Psalms is their visceral honesty. When David wrote, he laid it all out on the line. With gut-wrenching honesty that goes right to the heart of the matter, David and the other psalmists wrote about times of joy, times of lamentation, times on the mountain, times in the valley, and myriad poems and songs about times that felt like evil was winning, that light and truth were being eclipsed by the machinations of evil.

This morning, for example, I was reading Psalm 4 over and over. It is a short prayer, so I have included it here for you to follow along:

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴ Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4, ESV)

Questions for Reflection: First, do we notice how David begins his prayer in verse 1 by remembering God’s faithfulness to him in the past? That’s crucial.

Second, do we notice how in verse 2 David tells God (it’s not as if God is anything less than omniscient) that sinful men “love vain words and seek after lies”? That is the pattern of unregenrate people; they love lies rather than the truth.

Third, will you notice how in verses 3-8, David again returns to his confidence in the Lord? His confidence is not in man. That is double-edged in its implications. Why? Because it is not good for man to be alone (Gen 2:18). People need others. Godly people need co-laborers and friends in the faith. But ultimately, the Christian must love his Redeemer above all, because crowds are notoriously fickle and faithless.

Fourth, the Lord is sovereign through it all. Verse 8 reminds us via David’s pen: God alone makes His people dwell in safety. Through it all God is there–constant, steadfast, and sure.

This morning I was up earlier than usual and was reading Psalms 1 and 2. They are bookends for the Book of Psalms. Plsalm 1 opens with the unforgettable contrast between the two types of people. One man is blessed because he delights in the law of Lord; he is God’s man. The other man is cursed by God because he is the wicked man, a scoffer, a self-absorbed man.

Then comes Psalm 2. It is a foretelling of the Lord’s Anointed, the Christ. David writes of how the wicked rage and plot in vain (v. 1). David writes of how kings of the earth “take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed” (v. 2).

If you did not continue reading, you might think that all is lost, that evil wins, that darkness prevails.

But the turn comes in verse 4: “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” Please don’t miss that turn. That’s the key.

God has His Anointed. That’s what Christ means.

Encouragement: Satan does, let us freely admit, win some battles. But the ultimate war is won by God and His Anointed. God dashes evil like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2:9b, ESV). Evil men go on and on plotting and scheming for now, but their destruction was written long ago, and their end is active wrath, unless and until they are reconciled unto God via the Anointed.

I do not know where you are today spiritually, but let me encourage you with this from sacred Scripture: God sees the nations raging; God sees how the wicked set themselves up as kings who shake their fists at the Holy One, and care only about themselves; God sees and God laughs (Psalm 2:4). Let us do good, trust the Lord, and be found faithful. God will set all things to rights. We need only have courage and trust the Lord.