Life is wearying

One of the undeniable truths here between the garden & heaven is that life is wearying. Through the eons, authors have described this with graphic similes. Here are a few of my favorites:

• His state [from the drain of constant work] was like a flabby orange whose crushed skin is thin with pulling, and all dented in. – Amy Lowell
• I could lie down like a tired child, and weep away the life of care. – Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Weary and exhausted as though I had travelled along an unending road. – Stefan Zweig
• Squeezed out like an old paint-tube. – Lawrence Durrell

Where I live, the summer months bring lots of great activity, but also quite a bit of exhaustion – especially in the Texas heat. Physically, this can lead to great tiredness. Yet even more significant is the spiritual drain that can be a part of this and every season. Such world-weariness engenders reactions akin to my friend’s Face Book post last week: “I hereby renounce my adulthood. I am tired. If anyone wants me, I’ll be in my blanket fort. Coloring.”

Rest

In the face of such exhaustion, Hebrews 4 forms the basis of my regular prayer: that we are each and all deeply comforted by the knowledge that we have the daily opportunity to experience real rest in the Lord. As Isaiah reports in verse 15 of chapter 30, our strength is found in resting in God’s hand.

Comfort…confidence…returning…rest. That is exactly what we need. And God meets that need in His Spirit. He provides genuine rest not to baby us, but rather to empower our pressing on. We rest not only in absence of activity but also in times of great motion. Look at this great summary by Dr. Wiersbe:

Isaiah is the prophet we need to hear today as he cries out God’s message above the din of world upheaval, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (40:1 NKJV) The English word “comfort” comes from two Latin words that together mean “with strength.” When Isaiah says to us, “Be comforted!” it is not a word of pity but of power. God’s comfort does not weaken us; it strengthens us. God is not indulging us but empowering us. “In quietness and comfort shall be your strength.” – Warren Wiersbe, Be Comforted

Except for the personal cards from my family, probably my favorite note from Father’s Day just had this cartoon attached.

Join me in praising God that He is the great and loving Father, developing our lives for our eternal delight and His eternal glory. And join me in another prayer for all of us human fathers – that we would imitate our God and fulfill our role during this limited time on earth.

God bless,

Wayne

Notes from friends

A number of friends sent insightful notes regarding this passage that I recently taught. In my message I focused primarily verses 13-15 and the lack of alignment in both Isaiah’s time and ours. We live like Hell, ignoring all that God tells us to heed, and then expect ritual to smooth everything over. Those who wrote me didn’t disagree, but they emphasized varying aspects of the practical call to good and justice in verses 16-17.

One person, thinking this through, sent a fascinating note from a review of what appears to be a deeply flawed book. He said that defending justice for the needy in the faith community includes – in fact is built upon – the willingness to stand up and fight bad attitudes that threaten Christian freedom and health. He shared an example in the following quote from Dr. Kenneth Minogue’s review of Anthony Pagden’s new book, The Enlightenment:

We are today, it appears, entering a new era of secular triumphalism. … Mr. Pagden thinks that it is the enlightened who have taught us to behave altruistically toward distant people we have never met. He admits thatcaritas is a Christian virtue but then solemnly explains to us that Christians merely practiced it so as to increase their credit with God. On the very same page we learn of Diderot’s complaint that theatergoing Parisians wept over the fate of Phaedra but, as Mr. Pagden puts it, “never gave a single thought to the plight of African slaves.” Mr. Pagden fails to note that William Wilberforce and his Christian supporters got the slave trade eliminated.

Whether it is the truth about reality or not, Christianity has been central to creating a gentle and decent (and philosophically lively) civilization of such power that our problem is accommodating the people who want to join it. “Go thou and sin no more” is way ahead of beheading or stoning sinners and probably ahead of counseling or psychotropic medication as well. – Kenneth Minogue, professor emeritus at the London School of Economics [A version of this article appeared June 8, 2013, on page C6 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: When the Lamps Went On]

On the upside, one person wrote: “Verse 17’s exhortation to help the fatherless and widows is echoed by James at the end of James 1.” This is true, and indicates that even after Jews became Christians, God expected this kind of community engagement. It also ensures that Gentile Christians embrace the same.

Another person added: “‘Plead the widow’s cause’ goes beyond help in the sense of charity. It implies actively advocating for justice on their behalf in the cycles of an unjust system.” Amen! This is especially important when one realizes that both Isaiah and James are talking about people one knows within one’s community of faith. Not that one shouldn’t care for the needy outside the church family! However, these passages are specifically contextualized around the Hebrew and Christian faith communities. [This likely influenced the Apostle Paul’s later call to do good “especially to those who are of the household of faith.”]

Series Notes

If you would like a copy of the introductory material for our current summer series on Isaiah being preached at Frisco Bible Church, click HERE.

Truth to Power

The above example is merely one of many instances where Isaiah the prophet boldly spoke truth to power. Standing up and speaking truth becomes, in fact, one hos hallmark traits. Sometimes Isaiah’s words are comforting, as in this case. He steps up and reminds the leadership and all the people that God is sovereign; that He has a plan; that those who turn to Him will be blessed. Other times, Isaiah’s speeches are confrontational – even with his good friend King Hezekiah. Whether the king is basically a good guy or a stinker, Isaiah will confront him when he’s wrong.

Rage Against God

Peter Hitchens has written an insightful book that exposes how the world desperately needs Christians to stand up and speak truth (in love) to power. He says:

Only one reliable force stands in the way of the power of the strong over the weak.  Only one reliable force forms the foundation of the concept of the rule of law.  Only one reliable force restrains the hand of the man of power.  And, in an age of power-worship, the Christian religion has become the principal obstacle to the desire of earthly utopians for absolute power. – Peter Hitchens, The Rage Against God

Series Notes

If you would like a copy of the introductory material for our summer series on Isaiah being preached at Frisco Bible Church, click HERE.

The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth

Does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary,

And to him who lacks might He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the LORD

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NASB)

During these tumultuous times, the body of Christ is in need of stability and purpose. Wonderfully, the Lord has provided exactly the wisdom and guidance we need – in the book of Isaiah. Thanks to God and His Word, Isaiah thrived through an amazingly roller-coaster-like period of political, religious, military, and economic highs & lows. Studying Isaiah, we can gain the same strength he found. We, too, can mount up with wings like eagles.

To that end, you and I will spend this summer studying parts of the brilliant book of Isaiah. Please prayerfully prepare yourself for the sermons and Bible studies that will flow from Isaiah. In particular, I recommend we start reading the book, pray for open hearts, and prepare ourselves for powerful, raw truth that encourages authentically. As Dr. Gilbert Guffin wrote a generation ago:

“Isaiah is rooted deeply in reality. There was no glossing over the agony, hopelessness, cynicism, political intrigue, religious emptiness, and self-deception of the era in which the prophecy was born. But the winds of God’s mercy were rising. Through rifts they made in the lowering skies, the prophet saw the sunlight of divine assurance and salvation. With inspiration born out of the remarkable vision of the glory and purpose of God, he set down the eternally good news [which] guarantees that there still is hope! God intends to move on toward the fulfillment of his ancient covenant! The repentant may be sure not only that God can but will save.” – Gilbert Guffin, The Gospel in Isaiah

God bless,

Wayne