August 11, 2010 The Secret Pavilion

I will share something about the book of Nehemiah that will revolutionize it for you, in case you've never seen it before.  I learned it while doing my degree work in Christian Biblical Psychology.  It's all about restoration, and it is pertinent to the rebuilding of a broken person, as well as the entire Church.  As are all the histories of the Jewish people, they are all written for our instruction.

Today I saw something a little different that I hadn't noticed (maybe I was taught it before, but I don't remember).   All the different people who worked on the wall are like all the different people we come in contact with when we are "under construction."  The Lord will use various people to be His hands in our life when we need help.  A great many people have been devastated emotionally and spiritually, and even physically (often as a result of those) and are in need of being healed and put back together.  God doesn't use any one person (such as a counselor or pastor) to "fix" someone; otherwise I think we would take credit for "building" someone or for making them who they are to become.  God uses teams, and He gets all the glory for it.    The teams are organized by the Holy Spirit, and not necessarily in a way we can see.  I can testify that while I was going through the greatest part of my restoration, that many people had a part to play in different areas in my life.  Sometimes they didn't even realize that God was working through them for the purpose of healing and restoration.  Others didn't realize they were getting in the way.

Notice that first Nehemiah assessed the damage, and then they began to work on the wall.  Most people who have been through life traumas don't have anything in the way of proper defenses.  This might be noticed in the lack of good boundaries, in behavior lacking in any kind of normal sense about what is healthy, and in the tendency to be overrun by harmful agents.  The picture of a war-ravaged city, burned down and with the walls in ruins, is a powerful image to help us understand how damaged people can be.  If you haven't been there yourself, I guarantee you know someone who is.  Likely, you are one of the people who is working on your little section of the wall.  When everyone does their part, a person is able to be restored to functioning more quickly.  The deeper issues of healing then, are dealt with in a safer environment.

While all this work is going on, God nurtures us in the Secret Pavilion.  It's the secret place of His presence, and it's there for all who fear God and trust Him.  It's for the workers and well as those "under construction."  Sometimes it takes a person a while to learn to trust God, as well as have the right kind of reverent awe of the Lord.  When those around them are living in this place, it's a lot easier for them to be led to into it.  No matter who's trying to do you in, or who's speaking evil against you, you're hidden from it in the Secret Pavilion.  Even plaguing inner voices are shut down in this tent of peace, where the love of God surrounds you and protects you.

In the Secret Pavilion, you can also receive a vision of the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem.  "Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!" Psalm 31:21  This vision of  the wholeness, holiness, and oneness of the finished product of God's people-- what Jesus is working on and will finish--  is what gives the workers and the people being restored, hope enough to continue.  It's what gives us courage, strengthening our hearts.  And Satan will be just as surprised about the results as he was when Jesus was resurrected!

Questions to ponder:
Have you ever noticed how many loud and opposing voices there are all around you all the time?  Have you ever experienced the peace and quiet of God's secret pavilion?
Who do you know that is in a broken and ruined condition?  How is God moving through you to help rebuild the wall?
What was your impression of how Nehemiah communicated with the king?  What kind of instruction does this give you for your own life? 

April 23, 2010

As much as I wanted to get into a less weighted topic than yesterday's, I couldn't help honing in on this verse, as it seemed to deserve our focused attention: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21: 34-38
[It is a very good study to look up the words in this verse in the Greek--I did.]

I was brought up believing in the Rapture (the doctrine that says Christians will be taken off of Earth while the unbelievers suffer through the tribulation and God's wrath).  When I began to see that Jesus' exhortations and prophecies were meant to help us "endure until the end," I then had a big question about the above verse-- Jesus telling us to pray we'd be counted worthy to escape.  I've never heard a Rapture doctrine about being worthy, only about being a Christian, and then, of course, about people getting saved afterward, such as in the "Left Behind" series.  As as good friend of mine used to say, "The only way to get out of here is to die."

I wish that there was such a thing as being Christlike enough to get lifted off the world and out of trouble.  I think of Enoch as an example.  But as that leaves little hope for me, and probably for you either, I'm searching for a better answer.  What does Jesus mean-- counted worthy to escape?  Are people like Enoch and Elijah the only ones who get to escape?  I hope not, because "all these things that will come to pass" don't sound too pretty.  I seriously want to escape!  You?

Jesus was well aware of this desire to escape, and addressed it in the above verses. “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life."   Most of us avoid the carousing and drunkenness, don't we?  But most of us are certainly weighed down with the cares of this life.  Negative thoughts swirl about our heads, things like "it was sure nice when life was good."  The temptation of escapism is greater than it has ever been.  And the modes of practicing escapism are grand and varied indeed.  It's hard to resist getting lost in whatever form of entertainment appeals to us at the moment. 

It is easy for me to imagine staying lost in some awesome BluRay movie, cool video game, or fantasy novel for the rest of my life.  Then what:  I couldn't stand before the Lord: I'd be covered in shame, with what excuse-- I didn't have the strength to watch and pray, and to get His help in staying mentally, emotionally and spiritually sober.  No difference whatsoever, from when I was lost in drug-land long ago.  The motivation would have been the same:  I couldn't handle life.  (I still enjoy movies, games, and books in moderation, don't get me wrong.  I still have to be careful I don't use them wrongly.  God ministers to our hearts, each on the things we need to deal with.  I use myself as an example.)

I've come a long way from my drug-using days, and yet, I still feel intense pressure to escape.  Things in the world are hard to face-- I can't fix them.  I sometimes feel at a loss to even deal with things in my own firsthand world.  It would be nice not to think about them.  And yet the Lord challenges us to stay awake, watch for Him, live for Him. The Holy Spirit is our constant helper.

There is a great Harvest of souls to come out of the world and into God's Kingdom, and I want to be here to work in that field.  People are frightened and hurting, dazed and confused.  Jesus Christ Himself is what we have to give them, and if we keep our eyes open in the spirit, we will be able to do "whatever I see my Father doing."  We have to live on the Earth in order to do that.  How will we survive in such a dangerous time as this?  I'm so glad you asked.

Psalm 91 showed up right when I needed it!  This Psalm has been such a comfort for me ever since I was first born-again.  It speaks to me of how we can escape the evil and dangers of the last days and keep our wits about us too.  We are to dwell in God:  "Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways." Psalm 91: 9-11  We can dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High! 

Jesus is our secret place, and we know that we are in Him and He is in us-- we are seated in the heavenlies.  We enter into this reality by faith, by spending time with Him and allowing Him to establish this reality in us, so that we can experience it.  It takes focus on heavenly things, laying aside everything that keeps us weighed down.  Once we realize that we can be empowered to overcome, here on Earth, for His purposes, it makes it a lot easier to watch for Him, trust Him and do His will.
If we're listening, we won't be surprised, or ashamed, at His coming!

For further study-- people and situations in Scripture who escaped the judgments of God without leaving Earth:
Israel in Goshen and at Passover
Lot and his family from Sodom [his wife didn't "stand"]
Noah and his family when God flooded the earth
(There are more, I'm sure, but these are what I thought of right away.)

Jesus is the Refuge we run to. 
Jesus is our Hope for our future. 
Jesus is our Safe Home.