O Church Arise

Sixty-five is the age to be.  I stand by that.  Life has slowed a bit and stress comes in droplets rather than rivers.  I do not feel old; nor do I envy the young in any way.  But I do love them.  My age group of most comfort is 15-35.  Which is why I found great joy in being surrounded this past weekend by thousands of Word-hungry young women at the conference I attended.  Most of them were under 30; many of them were pregnant and some of them had little new babies with them.  

 

TGCW (The Gospel Coalition’s national conference for women) was a study-intensive, Word-rich environment and there was no “casual listening.”  We studied the book of Nehemiah, all 13 chapters, in one weekend with the help of speakers including Timothy and Kathy Keller, Don Carson and John Piper.  

 

There were no fancy swag bags, bright-colored T shirts or warm and fuzzy break-out sessions where we discussed our feelings.  There are wonderful women’s conferences where those are available; but this one was strictly about praising God with Keith and Kristyn Getty and then digging deep into God’s Word.

 

I experienced many emotional moments listening to over 4000 women praising God in song.  But I also watched in hope and amazement as young women leaned forward with interest and took notes during study sessions. 

 

I remind myself often, because I need to, that God is working a plan for our country and that He is in complete control.  I remind myself of Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  But as I looked around me this weekend, I saw that He is moving in our youth.  These were not just women from the Bible belt…they came from all 50 states and many foreign countries.  The services were translated into 4 languages including French and Mandarin. 

 

Jesus continues to establish His kingdom in and through His church, in and through all ages. 

O church, arise and put your armor on; hear the call of Christ our captain;

For now the weak can say that they are strong in the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth we'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!" reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul, but to rage against the captor;

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole we will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev'ry side, we know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—an inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet, as the Son of God is stricken;

Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, for the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away, and Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict'ry march continues till the day ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride give grace for ev'ry hurdle,

That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way, retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day when, with Christ, we stand in glory.

"O Church, Arise", Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

He Loves to Be Reminded

Sometimes I sit on my couch and plead with God to answer a request.  I forget to thank Him that He is in control and already has the answer.  But more importantly, I forget who He is. 

When I think of some of the most dramatic answers to prayer, especially in the Old Testament,  I think of the pleas of Abraham (Genesis 18:25), Moses (Exodus 33:13;  Numbers 14:11-23)  and, now, Nehemiah whom I’m studying.  I always thought it was a little presumptuous of these men who were so close to God to remind Him of His promises and His character and attributes.  Surely He doesn't need reminding! But God responds to those kinds of prayers!  How many Psalms tell of His mighty works and His love and compassion?  

In chapter 1 of Nehemiah, he is confronted with the truth of what has happened to God’s remnant and His city of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah is devastated and weeps and mourns, fasting and praying for days. 

His prayer is recorded in 1:4-11 and it contains these three elements:  he reminds God of His greatness (“the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”); he confesses sin for the nation of Israel and for himself and his house; and He reminds God of His promise (“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.”)  In chapter two, God answers Nehemiah’s prayer by touching King Artaxerxes’ heart to let Nehemiah, a servant, go to inspect Jerusalem and begin plans to rebuild the city’s walls.

Do these kinds of prayers bring God glory?  Absolutely!  If someone asks  for advice about a situation they have pretty much given up on, the most effective thing we can do for them is to remind them of times they have persevered.  Those reminders accomplish two things:  they remember what they have done and who they are and they know that we remember, and that we know and care about them.  When we remind God of His promises and His greatness of character, He knows that we have been in His Word…we know what He has said and we are familiar with who He is.  This brings Him glory!