Would You show me the Way?

One of my favorite Scripture is Psalm 32:8 " I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you."

My everyday prayer essentially includes the line, "God guide me". I keep repeating this quite a lot, that now I'm led to think that I don't mean it at all. Meditating on this verse recently gave me some insight on how God goes about answering my prayer for guidance.

God's guidance reaches us in different levels.

Level 1 - Instruction

Our age of the machines, gives us gadgets to simplify or complicate most of our tasks. Most of these stuff come with an instruction manual, they tell us how to use them, the precautions, and some basic troubleshooting information as well.

Most of us who know nothing about engineering design and other technical jargon can handle most of these paraphernalia by ourselves. These manuals do a great job in helping us skip theoretical details. All we have is an easy sequence of steps to follow, and we can go about operating things like a pro.

In our lives too, sometimes God gives us just instructions and nothing more.

Genesis 12:1

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

Just an instruction!!, no strategy, no explanation and no route map.

If at that point God were to explain to Abraham his rather long journey to Cannan followed by the adventures of his grandson, and then the bondage of his generation and their wanderings in the wilderness, their disobedience and stiff neckness, and then how this small race would help bring Light to an eternally condemned world. Abraham's head would have begun to twirl and would have definitely turned down God's direction to leave Haran and missed his spot in God's perfect Vision.

Maybe that's why God sometimes just gives us instructions and a promise and asks us to get going. When we try to find an explanation, at this level. We wont find it, and even if we do find one, we would still be clueless.

But what we can do is to trust and obey. And follow his directions immaterial of whether we understand it or not. God does not go to the details not because He's the boss, but because we don't have the capacity to understand it. When we continue in this wonderful journey with our Master, slowly but gloriously we will begin to understand the reason for His ways.

Level II - Teaching

For some of us, the only kind of teaching we are exposed to are the never ending, lullaby lectures that we hear in the class room. This kind of teaching is one way traffic, the 'guru's' monologue keeps going non-stop, irrespective of whether the listeners get a hang of it or not.

Well, this is not the way our Master teaches. He actually does not go to the next lesson until we have learnt the previous one completely well. Many of us get stuck in our lives, primarily because we refuse to learn our lessons. The moment we listen to our Master's Voice in every circumstance of our life and learn what He has to teach us, we would be progressing everyday.

But our problem is that we are either too busy to listen to His voice, or too spiritual confessing victory that we fail to learn what God wants to teach.

James 1 : 2-5

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

God asks his children to consider every trial as an opportunity for joy[NLT]. Because He plans a perfect lesson in the midst of each of those tough times. These lessons are taught by 'faith-testing' exercises and completing them require perseverance. On finishing each of these lessons, we attain a new level of maturity, A higher level of relationship with our God.

In order to understand and implement these lessons we need quite a lot of wisdom and understanding, that God promises to give in generous dosage. However we are busy praying for deliverance instead of asking God for wisdom to understand His teaching.

One of the most exciting levels of God's guidance is the part where he teaches us.The more we learn, the more rewarding journey becomes. We begin to see things with more clarity and make decisions with definite direction and discretion.

Level - III - Counsel

We think that if God leads us then our path will be 'fault proof'. I wish it were that way, but God just does not work like that. He does not believe in military discipline, He is a perfectionist but allows us to make our own mistakes and attain perfection in our pace but in His time.

This level of guidance called His Counsel helps us out when we really mess up somewhere. He does not stand there with crossed arms accusing you like the rest of the whole world, but shows you a way out in the place where you least expect.

We are so afraid of making mistakes that we do not step out at all. Mistakes are maybe not part of religion, but they are definitely part of relationship. God knows that, and that is why in His way of guidance He has made provision for counsel. To guide us out of any mess that we may get into.

Job 12:13
To God belong wisdom and power;counsel and understanding are his.

Don't be afraid of taking your messes to God. If we follow His counsel, He can make glorious things come forth out of our mistakes.But if we are going to regret and condemn ourselves living out of guilt and self pity, our life would become a burden.

Level IV - Watches over me

God's way of saying this is "with My eye upon you". What God really means is that, God does not just give guidance and gets done with our life. He is always watching over us. He involves Himself in every small activity of our life, and loves it even more when we acknowledge Him in all our daily routines.

We really are never alone, God never leaves us that way. He is watching over each of our thought, emotion, and action. Not like a policeman, but as someone who wants to make sure that we get nothing lesser than the BEST.

When you are traveling alone, or awake working late hours at night , or in the midst of people among whom you look really small, or in the midst of a crisis all by yourself. Just pause!! BE still, and see WHO's eye is on you.

May God' s guidance be with you throughout your journey!!!

A Happy God for a Happy New Year

(This entry is completely inspired by the New Year 2009 message given by the Senior Pastor of Philadelphia Church Villivakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

The Background

Because the people of Israel continued in sin, God sent them out in 2 exiles from the Promised Land ; Israel and Judah. The former conquered by and deported to Assyria around 721 BC and the latter by Babylon around 586 BC. Babylon was much gentler, in a way that they deported the people in 3 groups at three different times, approximately about 606 BC, 597 BC and 587 BC. By this time Judah was virtually empty and temple totally destroyed.

But the exile ended and there were 3 returns to match with the 3 deportations during 537 BC (50,000 people under the leadership of Zerubbabel), 458 BC (1800 people under the leadership of Ezra a priest). Around 444 BC Nehemiah returned with a few craftsmen.His chief concern was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed, without which the city was vulnerable to attack.

Under the leadership of dynamic Nehemiah, the construction of the entire city wall was completed within 52 days in spite of severe opposition and interferences. Since the people were gripped with the fear of attack they preferred to live outside the cities, so the next task for Nehemiah was to gather the children of Israel to live in the now fortified cities.

"When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. - Nehemiah 8:1"

At the Feast of the Tabernacle Ezra reads the law publicly from his wooden pulpit from the daybreak till noon.

With this much of background information we can now proceed further to understand the specific counsel God wants to give His children for the new year.

"Then [Ezra] told them,...And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." -Nehemiah 8:10

When God is happy we are Happy

We want 2009 to be easy, comfortable and packed with pleasant surprises. We want it to be happy and successful. Since our God does not raise spoilt children, he gives us victory only if we labor and work.To work through hardships, exhaustion, hard taskmasters and high levels of perfection; and for this we need strength; tremendous strength and energy.

And from where are we going to get this energy??

A joyful heart can produce a lot of strength to enable us to finish the tasks set before us,but ordinary joy is short lived and based on circumstances.That is why God gives us a share of His own joy. For that to occur, He expects us to satisfy the yearning of His heart so that He could channel His joy in our life,and let loose the fountain of everlasting energy to empower and enable us throughout the year.

• 1) We have to participate in His holiness.

"The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status" - Nehemiah 7:65(The Message Bible)

We cannot partake in a communion with God, in a thriving fellowship with the Most Holy God without holiness. We need to constantly evaluate ourselves with Jesus Christ as our High Priest to check if we fulfill the standards of God.

God longs for the holiness gene to be seen in His children. It is my personal conviction that Christians are devoid of power and success today because we fail to meet the standards of Holiness that God wants us to keep.

• 2) We need to be eager to seek His will in all our decisions.

"And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim."-Nehemiah 7:65(NKJV)

The breastplate of the garment of the priesthood held the mysterious stones called the Urim and the Thummim.These transliterated Hebrew words mean "Lights" and "Perfection". Together their names mean "perfect knowledge". These stones were meant to assure the priest that God would reveal His true judgment to him. Hence the Urim and Thumim is a sign that the priest can confidently expect the Lord to resolve the issue.

We all need to make important decisions this year in our different ventures. God is happy when we wait in His presence to receive His counsel. When we completely depend on God's strategy to bring us success; God is glorified.He is happy and rewards us more than our efforts in all our endeavors.

• 3) We should worship Him in spirit and truth.(John 4:24)
  

"And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground."- Nehemiah 8:6(NKJV)

How many times have we 'brushed' our way through worship? Do we consciously enjoy and surrender yourself every moment that we spend in worship? Does our worship depend on the style of music and the worship leader or does it depend on a heart overflowing with gratitude? How many times have we just carelessly used the profound "Hallelujah"? True worship is not dependent on any person or the musical arrangements, it is birthed out of a continuous connection to the heart of God.

Worship is not an act that lasts for 45 minutes every Sunday morning rather it is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that honors God and brings pleasure to His heart.

• 4) We must be attentive to His voice that can be heard in His Word.

"Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law." - Nehemiah 8:3

We all have mental blocks in our life. These things stop us from achieving our true potential. God's Word teaches us more than just the obvious. He who has ears let Him hear. It is not just a Book of Law but a manual that can be used to maneuver our life. However few of us have learnt how to use this Book for more than just a 15 minutes skimming in the morning. Not just reading the Word, but understanding and consuming the Word helps us break our mental blocks and pushes us forward.

(I don't know the source of this)

God's word

1. Determines our thinking.
2. Thinking determines our emotion.
3. Emotions determine our decisions.
4. Decisions defines our action.
5. Action determines our habit.
6. Habits determine our character.
7. Character determines our success.

The question is, how many of us pay close attention to the Word that it can help us think??

• 5) We must take steps to protect ourselves

"And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.” -Nehemiah 7:3

Gates were critical to the defense of an ancient city. The gates of a city normally opened at sunrise, but Nehemiah ordered Jerusalem's gates to be closed until the sun was high.This extra precaution would have discouraged the enemies from mounting a surprise attack at sunrise.

Nehemiah also ordered the citizens of Jerusalem to organize a civil defense, with people taking turns standing guard at night outside their own homes. This was a clever strategy indeed as people would have been more alert to guard their own homes instead of guarding a general part of the city.

Though God watches over us, He expects us to be responsible children so that we can protect ourselves. People would complain less about fractured families and dysfunctional homes if only the family as a whole would participate in protecting themselves.Family prayer, Family devotions, accepting each others' mistakes; all go a long way in helping achieve this. If a consistent family prayer operative is powerful in a house, no deception, no evil scheme can prevail over them.

A family that stays together and prays together delights God greatly and His rewards to every member of such a family is overwhelming.

• 6) We need to realize every moment that our life on earth is transitory in nature.
  

"Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast for seven days; the eighth day was a [closing] solemn assembly, according to the ordinance." - Nehemiah 8:18(Amplified Bible)

The feast of the tabernacle is a representation of the believer's tabernacle state in the world. True Christianity will render us strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

It is important to be successful so that we can be contagious Christians. Happiness and success helps us to reach out to others effectively. If a successful entrepreneur speaks about the Jesus, people will listen. If a successful student calls Jesus his best friend, many will want to know more. If a successful manager speaks out his faith, then a great harvest can be reaped in the workplace. If an effective teacher manifests Jesus in his counseling, many troubled young people would be on the right track.

When we seek success not just to make our life more comfortable instead we passionately labor for success so that we can transform our environment into mission fields; God's heart overflows with joy and rewards us hundred times more than what we can ever imagine.

To make our Master happy we need to live a life that considers all the wealth and fame earned on earth trivial compared to the enormous glory kept in store for eternity.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous 2009!!

References:

Nelson's Study Bible
Unlocking Bible Omnibus - David Pawson
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary of the Bible
Ilumina Bible study tools.
The Amplified Bible
New King James Bible
The Message Bible