Last post I talked about what other Pastors were sharing during this time of the year. That’s when we found out that, in a nutshell, Andrew Farley was talking about the New that we already have in Christ, while Joseph Prince talked about this year being the Year of the Upper Room – that is, we follow the Holy Spirit for refreshing, and when we find ourselves in the Upper Room (which is already furnished, by the way), let’s not be surprised if we encounter and experience revivals, among other supernatural, spiritual breakthroughs.
New, and fresh. This was on top of our diving into Psalm 20 yet again, where we inadvertently started talking, not just about the Name of the Lord protecting us, but the ‘Name of the God of Jacob’, to be precise. We found out that in at least one verse in Genesis, Jacob intentionally had an altar constructed, dedicated to God, who not only answered him in his day of trouble, but was with him through it all.
We also talked about Jehoshaphat, King of Israel who also called upon the name of the Lord, as the generations before him did, before Him in His sanctuary. Four things that I think we picked up in the discussion that ensued:
- Jacob not only thanked God for His response, but His presence with him wherever he went; And this presence stayed firm, considering all the craftiness of Jacob (re: deceiving Esau and Isaac)
- Jacob was aware and appreciative of God answering him in the day of trouble;
- While Jacob was aware of God’s faithfulness firsthand, Jehoshaphat’s approach was to bring God’s honor, authority, and character (His name) to his personal remembrance. When we ourselves have trouble remembering the goodness of God, we can remember His name… and when we remember His name, let’s not be surprised if we remember Jesus Christ in the process.
- Jehoshaphat was pretty straightforward, and I suppose we should be as well: ‘We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.’; Consequently, we definitely don’t know everything about anything, which is why we keep our eyes on the Lord, ESPECIALLY during our own days of trouble.
Yes, I know I’ve been doing a lot of summarizing and callbacks lately but I guess I just want to, to keep myself in line. As I admitted on the pulpit, I’m saying now that a lot is going on, and I’m still in the process of, well, processing all of it. There’s so much more I want to write about, so much more I want to read on, a whole bunch of things I should get started on, but what needs to be done oft overwrites what I want to do… and there’s just time for the basic working out, and this, writing for clarity.
I’m not saying this isn’t productive. I suppose I’m just concerned the few of you who actually make it this far into my ramblings (thank you, by the way, as usual) might find all of this a tad redundant. It’s not for the word count, I promise – I just want this welded into my being THAT much.
But before I go any further in possibly repeating what I’ve been saying all along, well, here’s one or a couple of things I’m sure I didn’t share anywhere else before.
Right after the actual service, and right after the sound system was turned off and the live broadcast was finished, the congregation is asked to pray for each other, and then fellowship follows. This Sunday in particular, I was blessed with the testimony of our good friends in the ministry – Brother Juan and Sister Helen. Long story short, they were telling me about how they themselves were brought through trial and trouble; they were sustained and well taken care of through the pandemic, despite their afflictions.
Sister Helen then proceeded to share Psalm 46 as a revelation to her during these times. And, by the way, she quoted the entire Psalm off the top of her head:
God Is Our Fortress
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Now I’m pretty sure I’m going to go deeper into this Psalm… but off the top of my head, one thing stuck to me as she was reciting the Psalm – that is, when she mentioned ‘Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling’.
I told them before then, that I had a clear idea of what famines looked like in this day and age (we talked about it being a shortage of nutrition, and a shortage of the Truth)… But I was still getting a grasp of the earthquakes that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24. I mean, yes, I’m sure He meant literal earthquakes, but I suppose there was also some way of seeing it from the spiritual.
Looking at it now, with the consideration of what Joseph Prince mentioned regarding thirst and water… the verses sister Helen shared from this side of Psalms just tells me that when the earth does shake, the waters roar and foam as well. In other words, the ‘earth’ in earthquakes doesn’t comprise of just soil and land, but, just as they produce tsunamis, they impact the waters as well.
I assume waterways are altered. Lands once lush are turned to swamps when water is redirected, as a result of the earth shaking. And it’s like I’m back to square one, only this time I’m a lot sure of what I say – that when it comes to earthquakes, a lot of redirection happens. People and things are repositioned. Foundations of stone and of thought are broken, if not thoroughly tested.
Looking back, I was pretty sure things were happening in and around me, enough again for me to call these times we’re in a season of rearranging… but as the New Year thoughts came and went, famines took the forefront of my awareness, and then times like today, I suppose I’m reminded of earthquakes from all angles.
Well, again, no matter what we do see – whether it be famine or earthquake – what Christ follows it up with was, is, and will happen:
…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:7-14
Putting all of this together:
In this time and season, we find ourselves in the Upper Room… if we aren’t seeing our overwhelming revivals happening, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit wastes no time in refreshing us as water… if not, reminding us.
Of what? That Christ has already saved us. Through His birth, death, resurrection and ascension, we have been born again into a New Covenant as New Creations, with a New Heart and Spirit, New Wineskins filled with New Wine, projecting our Newfound Freedom, New Thinking, New Service, New Forgiveness, and New Hope, as our way of fulfilling our New Commandment.
In this observation of the New Year the Spirit has refreshed us of all that’s been made New by way of the salvation we have through Christ, and it is through this that I believe we do not just endure, but we thrive to the end; Our literal lives and beings made new so as to not just be temples of the Holy Spirit, but also living proclamations of the Gospel of the Kingdom, breathing testimonies to all nations.
Indeed, we are refreshed in the Upper Room… but I feel as if it’s not a matter of our being well provided for, or our being in good circumstances. No, I feel as if the Holy Spirit is reminding us also, that the endurance that we have goes deeper than being dependent on said circumstances; I dare say that even in the famines and the earthquakes, no matter what form they choose to take, we endure.
We may be delivered up to tribulation and put to death. We may be hated by all nations for His’ name’s sake… But we still praise the Lord, as Jacob did – For the Lord answers US in our day of trouble, and is with us at all times.
We may see many fall away, and even ourselves succumb to betraying and hating one another. We may be bothered by the false prophets that do arise, even impacted significantly by the lawlessness that increases… But we still call upon the Name of the Lord, as Jehoshaphat did – For we know that He hears us and He responds; We may not know what to do, but our eyes will ever be upon Him.
Death abounds, and Life is being silenced, if not snuffed out.
Things, people, and ideas are being moved.
But let us take heart, for Christ has overcome the world. How? One way for us to see this is through the rest of Psalm 20. Trusting in Christ, we proclaim that:
Christ is our heart’s desire, granted. Christ is the fulfilment of all our plans. Christ is the fulfilment of all our petitions.
We shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners.
Christ is our salvation and our anointing; He is God’s answer from His holy heaven, and the saving might of His right hand.
(I feel I’ll be writing about this again very soon, in line with all that I want to do this year)
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
The call remains for us to trust in the Lord, in all that’s going on. This remains to be a Year of Trusting in Christ.
David’s words being mine: O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call.
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