I was lent a book this afternoon, A Little Manual for Knowing by Esther Lightcap Meek. “It’s only 100 pages. I can knock that out this evening,” or something similar to that is what I said.
The book is about epistemology: how do we know what we know? I made it through the introduction and the first two chapters, thirty-one pages. I might make it further, but I need to let it soak in a bit first. Not going to make it through the whole book this evening for sure.
The author describes knowing as a journey, a venture, which involves reality, love, and pledge – probably more, but I’ve only made it through the first two chapters, remember?
She also compares it to a relationship between the knower and the known – what happens when we strive to know something. We are the knower and we are trying to know something – the known. What happens in between is the relationship between us and that which we want to know.
Reality – we can’t know something that doesn’t exist. It may be non-material, like passion, anger, or hunger – but it has to be real, or we can’t know it.
Love – we have to love what we are pursuing, or we will learn to love it as we pursue it. Otherwise, we have little purpose in pursuing it, little desire to continue, little reason to let the known change us.
Pledge – we have to commit to knowing. Commit to changing with what we’ve known. Commit to the hard work required, to have our understanding changed, to being laughed at, to being changed. The opposite side of this coin is trust – trust that the known will be known, trusting the guides, trusting ourselves to what we want to know, trusting ourselves to the developments.
The further I read, the more verses popped into my mind about knowing God.
Paul’s life goal included knowing Christ “and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10).
Paul prayed for the Ephesian church for them “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19).
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Okay, that came into my mind via Pandora…
But the Bible is full of verses about knowing God. He can be known and wants to be known.
Are you ready to start a knowing venture, learning to know God?
No. This isn’t a political post. No analysis of the State of the Union speech. No analysis of current political issues.
Hopefully, it will help put all of it into a biblical perspective.
Consider Psalm 2:
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
The first observation is that the nations – all of them – are fighting against God and His Anointed, the Messiah. Notice that it doesn’t say, “Some nations.” or “communist nations” or “all but the United States of America?”
Since the Garden of Eden, we have been fighting against God and His Son – individually and corporately as governments. Sure there are good people and government is established by God to maintain peace, protecting the innocent, and punishing the wicked (Romans 13:1-7). But the general intent of nations is contrary to God.
Notice also it doesn’t say that the nations used to fear God and now have turned against Him. The nations have always been against God because they are made up of people who have always been against God. The people who make up the nations have set their hearts against God, so is it any surprise that the nations are set against God?
What’s God’s response?
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision (v. 4).
Yeah, that’s right. God is laughing at the rulers of the nations as they make their plans and carry out their strategies. Superiority only goes so far. One nation may be greater than others, but God is greater than all.
After God laughs, He speaks in wrath:
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.” (v. 5-6).
Then God addresses His Son, Jesus Christ:
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel (v. 8-9).
The nations might position themselves as world powers, providing solutions to the ills of the world through humanitarian or military means. But they’ve got nothing in comparison to the Creator of the universe.
God’s recommendation concludes the Psalm:
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (v. 10-12).
Submit to the true King. Serve the Lord with fear.
Don’t put your trust in the nations, the politicians, the movers and shakers, the military, the economy – or any other evidence of the nations. Put your trust in God.
The world is a mess. Globally you’ll find wars, crimes, and natural disasters. Governments who are more concerned with lining their pockets than caring for their people lead to corruption, hunger, and unrest. The disparity between poor and wealthy grows exponentially each year. Racism, persecution, prostitution, and drug trafficking plague so many corners of the world.
Maybe your personal world is a mess, too. Broken relationships, disease, and unemployment are unavoidable in each of our lives and families. A son who has chosen the high of meth over everything else, a daughter who ran off, or a spouse who decided marriage was too hard cause immeasurable stress. Aging parents, a disabled child, or a diagnosis of terminal cancer can rock your world for an extended period of time.
Problems, crises, and stress are unavoidable. No one is exempt from them. The question that needs to be addressed is what do you do with the crises? Where do you find answers? Where do you take your grief, your joy, or your emotional rollercoaster? When the bottom falls out of your world, what holds you up?
Some will rely on the government to bail them out. Others might turn to therapy. Some will cling to friends and family. Doctors might provide support to deal with the issues.
Many people will divert to an escape mode. Drugs, sex, and alcohol get abused to deaden pain or ignore reality. Working more, retreating from others, or going on vacation could also be reactions to the stressors in life.
What happens when those fail? The money runs out, the drugs don’t bring the high, the friends and family turn on you, or the therapy doesn’t work. Then what do you do?
When we realize who God is, we know that He can be trusted. When the other support systems collapse, the Creator of the universe who knows the number of hairs on your head and loves you more than anyone is still in control.
But we shouldn’t wait until all other systems fail before we cling to God. When the crisis comes, reminding ourselves that God is in control from the very beginning gives perspective. We can pull in the other support realizing that they are limited in their scope and effectiveness, but that God is not limited in any way. We can access the resources, knowing that God is sovereign over them as much as He is sovereign over us.
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9)
I was grading essays on American women of the 1910-30s and noticed a frequent pattern. Most of the students lumped all women into the suffragist, turned flapper, turned dust-bowler whose husband abandoned her. Granted, it’s a survey course for undergraduates and the essay was timed. I didn’t expect a fully-developed understanding of these distinct periods of history.
The reality is probably that these women were in the minority, but made an impact on history for the changes they brought about or reflected. What struck me is that it’s pretty easy for us to make generalizations when we study history – and when we observe society.
We are easily swayed to believe that everyone who holds one plank in a political platform agrees 100% with all the other planks. If they’re on our side, we embrace them blindly. If they’re not on our side, we abandon and abuse them. And if they’re professional politicians, they can’t be trusted, because they’re all crooked, like that one guy.
After hearing accounts of police brutality, we can believe that all police are bad and that all those running from the police are innocent. We hear about steroid use in athletics and conclude that all big league athletes just haven’t been caught yet.
When writing and speaking, it’s best to avoid absolutes like “all,” “always,” and “never.” It only takes one exception to prove you wrong.
But sometimes, “all means all and that’s all!”
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).
” Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned“ (Romans 5:12).
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12).
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
Those are not generalizations based on assumptions. They are generalizations from God. We are all guilty before God, but all of us who come to Him, who believe in Him, become children of God forever. And all that God does in our lives is to shape us into the image of His Son.
Those are promises to cling to.
The children of Israel had seen some pretty amazing things. The Ten Plagues that decimated the economy and military of the greatest nation on earth at the time. The parting of the Red Sea. Food and water for 1.5 million people in the desert – every day for about a year. All from the hand of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Yet when they stood at the border of the land which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they choose to not believe that God could keep His word (Numbers 13).
Twelve spies went into the Promised Land and reported of the great things that they had seen. Great crops. Great cities with great walls. Great big soldiers.
Ten said, “We can’t do it.” Two said, “God can do it.”
The people sided with the ten because it was easier. They did a risk assessment and realized the risk was too great. “They’ll eat us alive! We’re like little grasshoppers in their sight! Our children will die!”
The two said that all those things were true, but that God was the one who would deliver the land into their hands.
But it was easier to not trust God. Easier to just say, “No, God. That ain’t gonna work!” and turn back to the way things were. “Take us back to the safety of Egypt!”
How often do we do the same thing? We know that God’s Word promises a way of escape in temptation, yet we chase after our idols (1 Cor. 10:13-14). We know that God promises to meet our needs, but we choose to lie, cheat, steal, or overwork to make ends meet (Phil. 4:19).
Anytime we ignore the promises of God we are telling God, “No, God. That ain’t gonna work!”
The trouble is that it appears to be easier not to trust God. But when we realize who it is that is making the promises and asking us to trust Him, it really doesn’t make much sense to not trust Him.
Does it?
God created man with the ability to think and reason. And that seems to get us into trouble often, doesn’t it?
We can solve problems and create them. We can design devices to make life easier and to take klife more easily. We can connect the dots to understand processes and throw a wrench into the system because we don’t get our way.
It’s great that God gave us this ability, not just to make our lives more bearable, but to be able to understand who God is. We can observe creation and see a creator. We can study history and see His story unfold. We can think about eternity and long for it.
Even then we can get ourselves into trouble. We think that because we can think about God that we know all there is to know about him.
Consider Job. He and his friends attempted to figure out why all the calamities had happened to this godly man. Chapter after chapter they whine and opine.
Then God steps in. Does He answer Job’s question? No. He talks about Himself. He reveals His power over creation. He talks about His supremacy over Job. But He doesn’t answer the burning question.
What’s Job’s response?
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6).
Even when we think we have God figured out, when we think that we understand His plan, we don’t. How do you propose to understand the mind of God who knows all things at the same time? He’s never learned anything. Never changed His mind. Never re-vamped a plan.
Our answer needs to be like Job’s: “I know that you are in control. I have no reason to question. All I need is to know You.”
Have you noticed that people generally complain about their work? Too much to get done. Not enough pay. Meaningless tasks. Difficult co-workers. Long hours. Little recognition. Dreaming of a better job. Dreaming of vacation. Dreaming of retirement. Working for the weekend.
If nothing else, that’s evidence of a deeper issue: we are generally discontent due to our own selfishness. We like to complain when we don’t get what we want…even if we’ve passed the terrible two’s a few decades ago.
But does it matter? Is God interested in the drudgery of your work? Can God use your monotonous, meaningless, meager-paying, and motivation-draining job for His glory?
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:17)
Yes. There is a connection between God and our work. That doesn’t mean we won’t have long, hard days in a miserable working environment. But what it does mean is that we can dignify work as redeemed people by remembering that God is in it.
God is concerned about your job and how you do it. God has given you the ability to do what you do. God gives you the strength to accomplish it. God has placed you there at this time for some reason. God has given you skills which set you apart from the animals. And there are more.
We can elevate the value of work by remembering who God is and how He is seen in the work that we do.
So, maybe the next time someone asks you about your work, you could talk about how you’ve seen God in your work.
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. I will sing. I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
With my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness.
With my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.”
How many of you were singing those words? It’s an old-time youth group favorite. Does anyone even sing it anymore? It’s been a long time since I was in youth group! It’s taken from Psalm 89 and is quite the peppy song – especially in comparison to the entire Psalm.
I listened to a sermon today from this passage which you can listen to here.
The first 37 verses of the Psalm are about the greatness, majesty, sovereignty, faithfulness, and power of God. Starting in verse 38, the song turns to a lamentation of all that has gone wrong.
God has rejected, been angry with, renounced, and defiled His people. The city is in ruins and the surrounding peoples are ridiculing them.
“How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? O, LORD, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” (vs. 46 and 49).
The singers were not singing the first 37 verses in a joyful time. Everything had collapsed around them and the future looked pretty bleak. It was not a joyful recounting of God and His attributes. It sounds more like they were forcing themselves to remember God and His attributes, because it looked like they had been abandoned.
That’s exactly when we need to remember to sing. Not to lift our spirits with the melody and rhythm. Not to inebriate ourselves in the music so we don’t feel the pain.
But we can sing to rehearse the truths about God in the midst of the trials. We have no guarantee of a trial-free life. But we do have a guarantee of a sovereign, loving, all-powerful who is still in control of everything around us.
That’s what singing of the mercies of the Lord forever looks like.
Happiness seems to be a big selling point. Happy faces come from Happy Meals, right? But even in setting goals and planning a career, happiness seems to creep into the equation. When things go wrong, people are encouraged that they’ll find happiness again.
While there’s nothing wrong with being happy, should it be used as a standard for deciding between good and bad? Between obedience and disobedience? As long as it makes you happy, isn’t that enough?
Many are chasing happiness through sex – with anyone at any time.
Emotionally, promiscuity generates a mocking twist: pursuing intimacy through sexual transactions defeats the very thing most people say they’re after, which is someone to love and be loved by for a lifetime. Engaging in sex prior to marriage is closely connected to increased depression, sexual unfaithfulness, and marital disruption. (Jeff Myers, The Secret Battle of Ideas about God, p. 55).
The footnote to the above quote gives sources, documenting the statement. Additionally, a source found that “sexually active girls are more than three times as likely to report depressive symptoms as those who abstain, and sexually active boys are more than twice as likely to report depressive symptoms. In fact, these two groups report a higher incidence of suicide attempts; boys, in particular, are at eight times the risk for a suicide attempt if they are sexually active.” (Myers, footnote 22, p. 210).
The connection makes sense. If you’re trying to find satisfaction in sex, trying to find a purpose for your life, trying to find love, you’ll be disappointed. The more frequent the disappointment, the more intense the despair. The media pounds into our minds that people who are happy have sex with that attractive person. People who aren’t having sex when and with whom they want aren’t happy.
The Bible teaches a consistent picture that sex can be satisfying, but only in the framework of marriage, one man and one woman. Read Song of Solomon if you’re in doubt. Any other attempts at finding happiness through sex are doomed to bring disappointment.
Today I picked up a booklet that was lying on a bench. Apparently someone was hoping to recruit new followers to this new religious group. I’m not going to even mention the name of the group to avoid giving them extra publicity.
What are the tenets of their new religion?
“You are god.” That’s nothing new. Lucifer wanted to sit on God’s throne (Ezekiel 14). When he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, that was the main thrust of his argument. “You will be like God” (Genesis 3).
Their teaching expands that: you are eternal, you are immortal, you are infinite – all characteristics belonging to God alone.
“Don’t deny yourself.” Also nothing new. Back in Genesis 3 Satan questioned God’s rule over Adam and Eve. “Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree of the garden?” Essentially, Satan was planting in Eve’s mind that God had no authority to deny her any of her pleasures. “God knows you won’t die. You’ll become like Him. Go ahead. Explore the possibilities!”
The key tenets of their agenda: legalize psychedelic drugs, explore all sexual passions, give everyone whatever they want to explore their desires.
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible illustrates that this teaching is nothing new. It’s what we all have been doing since the day we were born and will continue to do until we die. We think that we are God, in control of our lives, able to demand what we want, and worship ourselves. We don’t deny ourselves, chasing after our desires, creating an imaginary world where we have everything we want, and living as if there were no boundaries or rules.
But when we live to please ourselves, or even to please others, we are disappointed. We never live up to our own expectations. We’ll never reach our goals. We’ll never find satisfaction in drugs, sex, entertainment, sports, education, or anything else that we long after.
It’s only when we live a life worshipping God, adoring and obeying Him that we’ll find satisfaction. That is a goal worth striving after. That will change our world.
Which is also nothing new. God promised that from the beginning.
When someone makes a promise to us, we want some proof that they’ll keep their word. If it’s a new colleague, we may assume that they’ll do what they promised, because they got hired by someone. When it’s a spouse, we are reminded of the vows to be faithful to each other. If it’s a complete stranger, we might be pretty skeptical until they prove themselves.
Maybe it’s because we know our own hearts and our tendency to overcommit, to lie, or to manipulate that makes us so skeptical. Whatever the reason, we are generally skeptical. And the more often we’ve been deceived the more skeptical we become.
But what about God? Is He someone we can trust? Will He keep His promises?
God made a promise to Abraham, then to his son Isaac, and to his son Jacob, and every generation after that: I will make a great nation as numerous as the stars and the sand. I will give you this land, wherever you set the sole of your foot.
Jump ahead in the account to Deuteronomy, Moses’ last sermon before the people cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan.
“See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them. At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven” (Deuteronomy 1:8-10).
The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were fulfilled. Their descendents had grown in number to an estimated 1.5 million people. The land where their forefathers had been nomadic shepherds was theirs for the taking.
“But I don’t have 400+ years to wait!” might be your desperate response. God does.
Could it be that the lack of seeing God’s promises fulfilled is not because of God, but because of us? We twist and misinterpret God’s promises to make them fit what we want them to say. Isn’t that making God in our own image?
For example, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Does that mean that we’ll never have any troubles? That the car will never break down? That we’ll never get cancer? No. What it means is that God will never leave you nor forsake you – no matter what happens in your life.
If you can’t see the proof of God’s faithfulness in your life right now, start reading the Old Testament. Those accounts are full of God’s faithfulness. Since He was faithful then, He’ll be faithful today. That’s the proof you need.
Daily in the Word 