Is your help in the name of the Lord?

Psalm 124:1–8 (ESV):  

1  If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— 

let Israel now say— 

 2  if it had not been the Lord who was on our side 

when people rose up against us, 

 3  then they would have swallowed us up alive, 

when their anger was kindled against us; 

 4  then the flood would have swept us away, 

the torrent would have gone over us; 

 5  then over us would have gone 

the raging waters. 

 6  Blessed be the Lord, 

who has not given us 

as prey to their teeth! 

 7  We have escaped like a bird 

from the snare of the fowlers; 

  the snare is broken, 

and we have escaped! 

 8  Our help is in the name of the Lord, 

who made heaven and earth. 

You wouldn’t be where you are right now if it were not for God’s intervention. You wouldn’t have; survived, been as successful, as peaceful, as whole, or as strong as you are right now, if it were not for God’s hand upon your life. 

You may not feel strong, whole, mighty, free or at peace, but can you imagine what your life would be like if God wasn’t looking after you? Imagine what a mess you’d be in. You could be defeated, destroyed, in greater pain and distress, encompassed by sin, bound and swallowed up by anger. What kind of life would that be? Yet, ‘the snare has been broken’ and you have not been ‘swallowed up alive’! Not because of luck, your own quick thinking or actions, but because The Lord has been on your side. He has saved you from the ‘raging waters’, the full force of people’s anger, and you have escaped being prey ‘like a bird’ because your ‘help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’

Therefore, thank God! Thank Him that He is on your side, and that He helps you, and all of His followers. He has not allowed you to be overcome or defeated, He has facilitated your escape from trouble on this Earth, as well as rescuing you from the wages of sin for eternity - ‘the snare is broken and we have escaped’! What an incredible promise! It is God who has done this, all of it! It is not your own ideas or capability, strength or knowledge that has helped you out of trouble, but God has saved you. God has healed you, protected you, recused you, intervened for you and saved you from the wages of sin! He has helped you in more ways than you can count. 

So, simply and honestly, all you need to do is thank Him. Show your gratitude, sing praise, give to him, tell stories, shout and cry in triumph if you want to! Store up the stories. remember and tell others of the times you have ‘escaped like a bird’.  Acknowledge that God is the greatest help you have. You wouldn’t be the person you are today, having accomplished and survived what you have ‘if it had not been the Lord who was on our side’. Hallelujah!

Battles and Victories

Psalms 20 and 21 are linked in their structure and content, with psalm 20 being a call for God’s help for the king, and psalm 21 a response of gratitude for the victory God has granted him. Both psalms have similar styles and even phrases, but the intent of each is different. Psalm 20 was a song prayed over the king by the nation asking God to provide and succeed on his behalf, and psalm 21 although also a national response, is one of gratitude and worship to God. Having these psalms back to back highlights their similarities and the importance of prayer, both personal and corporate, whatever the circumstances. One was written for a time of preparation for difficulty and battle, and the next for the time of success that followed. It shows that it is important to pray both when things are tough, and times of success as it reminds us who really is in charge. It is also important to encourage one another in prayer and worship as these psalms inspire the king and the nation with the goodness and trustworthiness of God.

Psalm 21:1–13 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, 

and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 

2  You have given him his heart’s desire 

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 

3  For you meet him with rich blessings; 

you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 

4  He asked life of you; you gave it to him, 

length of days forever and ever. 

5  His glory is great through your salvation; 

splendour and majesty you bestow on him. 

6  For you make him most blessed forever; 

you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 

7  For the king trusts in the Lord, 

and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 

8  Your hand will find out all your enemies; 

your right hand will find out those who hate you. 

9  You will make them as a blazing oven 

when you appear. 

The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, 

and fire will consume them. 

10  You will destroy their descendants from the earth, 

and their offspring from among the children of man. 

11  Though they plan evil against you, 

though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 

12  For you will put them to flight; 

you will aim at their faces with your bows. 

13  Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! 

We will sing and praise your power. 

David is likely to be the king referred to in this psalm. If it is him, we know was not a private individual as he was open and honest about his emotions - we see this through the psalms and through the recorded history of his life in the Bible. He exuberantly praises God without hindrance, he mourns and implores God to intervene in prayer and fasting - he is a passionate man who is not afraid to express his emotions or call upon God. So it is no surprise that this psalm sung by the nation tells us, ‘the king rejoices’, ‘how greatly he exults’! The king is not afraid to show his happiness, to exuberantly and abundantly praise God because of God’s goodness, protection, love, blessings and presence. Can you imagine how he would have responded after a battle victory and a song such as this? 

How do you respond when God has overcome for you? David and the whole nation have seen how God has had His hand in every victory. They acknowledge the kings joyous response and the answer to their previous prayer and song (psalm 20). It is with excitement that psalm 21 is written, an overflow of prayer and praise to the God that will overcome and destroy every enemy of the people of God! Does this not inspire you to pray and sing to God?! I wonder if this will inspire you to get to the next prayer meeting or next time of corporate worship. Powerful breakthroughs occur when God’s people come to Him in prayer and worship - are you getting caught up in that excitement? It is ok and actually good to allow yourself an emotional response to situations. You are allowed to cry, smile, laugh, dance and sing with feeling as you accept what God has done in your life. This psalm was written because the people of Israel and their king were excited and grateful for what God had done. There would probably have been music and dancing, tears and laughter as this psalm was sung - do you respond to God's influence in your life in joyous gratitude or is your response muted? The reason that Israel were so excited was because they realised that God had done several specific things that they had asked for and so they express their gratitude (V1-6):

God’s strength has brought victory

He answered prayer

Blessings have been received 

God preserved life

Glory, splendour and majesty have been given to their king

God’s presence is known

Of the above list, I am sure that you have experienced at least a few of these. When you have, what has been your response? Have your experiences inspired you to worship God and acknowledge His goodness amongst others or has your thankfulness been dulled? The nation of Israel did not keep quiet about what they had seen of God’s victories, they shouted, cried, danced and sang about it. This time they even responded by writing and singing this psalm together in recognition and gratitude to God. Do you allow your gratitude to overflow like David and the nation of Israel? It is not mature to deny emotions or fail to express them although it may be more socially acceptable. God did not design robots. He made humans. Humans with minds, hearts and emotions and He expects you to worship Him, 'with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength' (Mark 12:30-31). Do you? Do you get caught up in the excitement of what God has got you through in order to encourage and inspire others in their faith? Why would others want to follow God unless they see He has a very real, tangible impact in your life that is genuinely expressed through the battles and successes?

As a result of the battles Israel faced and overcame due to their trust in God alone, they say with full confidence, 'through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved’! You can have a story, a testimony and an assurance like that too! Remember what God has already done and so trust Him in every circumstance. Don’t forget to invite God into all of your current and future battles and successes, as when you do, you will know and experience the presence of God and his never-ending, enduring love. You will see greater victories than you already have. What a privilege to live a life like that! Secure in the knowledge that although battles will come, victories will follow when you depend upon God. Why not take some time to day to remember in prayer and praise God's victories in your life and think about how you share this with others to encourage them through their battles into victory.

Days of Remembrance

Do you have special days of remembrance?

The Jews, in Esther, created a new day of remembrance. They decide to set aside the day, every year, to recall the wondrous deliverance that God had brought about for them. A day to celebrate, give gifts and remember the poor. A day to remember that they had been delivered from death and given a new opportunity for life.

The Jews deliberately made an effort from this time forth to celebrate their deliverance from annihilation. Mordecai and Esther even established this holiday through a written letter of encouragement to all the Jews officially dedicating this day as one of celebration known as Purim. This day is an annual recollection, it is still a celebrated feast today. The nation has upheld it’s identity and continues to mark the day of deliverance.
This isn’t the Jews only day of remembrance either, they also have Passover, Hannukah and Yom Kippur to name a few, they have other important times of celebration too. The Jews are very good at celebrating. They are good at remembering, setting aside time to recall major triumphs in faith. They purposefully put dates in their diary to recall the times they have seen God at work in their lives. Do you?

Do you set aside any time in your year when you celebrate what God has done in your life? An annual commemoration? No wonder the Jews are fervent in their faith when they make time to rejoice in the breakthroughs of times past and can relate this to their own lives. They take time out of their busy lives to celebrate, not just what God has done for them personally, but they look wider and further to see what God has always been up to. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. By looking back and commemorating what God has done before brings confidence in what God is doing now and will do in the future.

Do you celebrate? Do you have significant highlights in your life, your town, your church, your nation that you should be commemorating?
How can you set aside time to recollect God’s hand in your life and the life of the church?

As a family, we have a couple of specific days that we celebrate. We set aside time to recall the days when our children became part of our family. We always make a point of doing something different and make sure we; share memories, reflect on how things have changed, discuss the highlights, the adventures, funny things that have happened and even how we ourselves have changed. I love hearing our kids stories and their memories. They are so precious. It helps me know our children better, what they value. It is an important opportunity for us all to talk to each other and acknowledge what we have and how far we have come. It does something to build relationship, and it puts extra joy in our hearts, it raises our hopes and expectations and helps us to see the work God has been doing. As a parent, it does my heart good to all get together and celebrate, as a child don’t you think it raises their hopes? Think about how God feels when we set aside to celebrate Him. As an imperfect parent I value the memories of my children, the strengths and aspirations they share, how much more so would God value the time we choose to spend commemorating Him and all the work He has been up to? Then imagine the faith it will build in yourself.

I think the Jewish customs of celebration, of marking key events in their history is important. It causes them to remember, to realign their vision, to reassess their values and regard the greatness of God, not just in theory, but in reality. How would your faith, your life change if you too set important dates of remembrance in your calendar?

 We all have stories, we all have adventures of faith, we all have breakthroughs. How can you commemorate the successes of your life?

Who is like the wise?

Who is like the wise? 
And who knows the interpretation of a thing? 
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, 
and the hardness of his face is changed. 
Ecclesiastes 8:1.

Who is like the wise? 

Being wise is more than being intelligent, it’s the application of things learnt and experienced, the ability to see the long-term consequences. In this world there are many intelligent people, but are there many who are wise?

I don’t believe I have met many wise people, I have met a few, but I am sure we would all benefit from there being more wise people around, why aren't there many? In reality wisdom is not something that we are encouraged to pursue; intelligence or knowledge, yes, but wisdom? Fame, riches, understanding, better living conditions, promotion - these things we pursue, but wisdom?
Why don’t many pursue wisdom?

What would you think if someone said to you today that what they wanted from life was to be wise? You would probably think it a bit odd, but admirable, it is not something I have ever heard someone say they seek.
When Solomon was asked by God for whatever he wanted, Solomon said he wanted wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:7-12). He could of had absolutely anything, yet he asked for wisdom. As a result of this humble response, God gave him much more - he gave him wisdom, as well as; possessions, riches and honour. Solomon desired wisdom in order to do his job well. It was not a selfish ambition, but a yearning to be good at what he had to do for the benefit of others. Interesting. Solomon sought after something that others rarely do, and he ended up with what others usually seek!

What would you ask God for if you were in the same position as Solomon?

If we are honest with ourselves, I doubt that many of us would ask to be wise. Yet, wouldn’t wisdom help us most?; in our struggles? breakthroughs? relationships? Achievements?

So why don’t we ask for it? I think we are too short-term minded. We look at our immediate situation and see what would help us now. Instead of seeking the qualities of character that can be developed in difficulty, we seek escape and resolution as quick as possible. We like a quick fix, not a long-drawn out solution that could take days, weeks, months or even years! Whereas wisdom will wait.
Those who are wise gain it through knowledge and experience. Wisdom takes time to become manifest, it is developed through trial and success and takes years to mature. Those who are wise are usually those who take the time to understand. They consider, wait patiently, contemplate their responsibility and accept it when they realise they have reached their limits. They are willing to involve others and acknowledge that they are not always in control. A wise person understands when the gifts, time, resources and capabilities they have are not enough. They are able to defer to others with greater capacity and can acknowledge their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Being wise is not having all the answers, or knowing an encyclopaedic amount of facts but, wisdom is realising we have limits. Wisdom is accepting this and still being able to hold your head high.

Maybe wisdom is recognising that we in ourselves are not the all powerful beings that we have come to believe we are, or the world expects us to be. The wise accept that they cannot be responsible for or in control of everything. They consider different solutions and ponder a better way. The wise do not solely depend on themselves or even others for the solutions of life. Those who are wise acknowledge their capabilities and limitations and humbly accept that they are not all-powerful and wholly responsible for the outcomes in life. They also see that their identity is not effected by success or disappointment, they are content with who they are and are willing for their character to be refined. The wise are not stalwarts, they realise that things need to change, and that can even mean themselves. They also know that they themselves will sometimes fail, and so they do not depend on their own wisdom too much.
Maybe the wise are such because they acknowledge their limitations (which is not a weakness). They realise that there are more knowledgeable and powerful beings around. Maybe the beginning to becoming wise is depending upon someone who has no limitations, and who has greater capacity and character than any of us. Could it be that the birth of wisdom originates in dependence on God? 

Maybe this is why, ‘A man’s wisdom makes his face shine’. A shining face, to me denotes a peaceful acceptance of life and circumstance, and an acknowledgement that they are not responsible for all the outcomes. A wise person knows that they are not the ultimate authority, that they must trust less in themselves and more in God. Worries, sadness, misunderstanding, they all cause us to exhibit a dull expression, yet a person who experiences contentment, joy and peace in their own capabilities can know rest and enjoyment in life and so their face shines. These are the fruits of being wise as they do not have to rely on their own understanding or strive to make situations better because they know they are not ultimately responsible. The freedom from these concerns would rightly lift the worry from their face and cause them to shine so that, ‘the hardness of his face is changed’. A wise person lacks hardness, they are gracious and accepting, they can appreciate others and their situations, and have learned not to judge others. They know the mistakes they themselves have made and know the fulness of God's forgiveness. A wise person is not perfect, in fact, as was said earlier, they acknowledge their own weaknesses. They have a fair balance and assessment of themselves. They consider their own lives and make every effort to live right.

A wise person is one who’s advice you should seek. They may not give you the answers you expect or you want them to, but they know how to speak truth into others’ lives. They can be trusted to accept you as you are, and see the long-term aim of your short-term problem. If you follow wise counsel you will benefit from it. It may be hard to follow, but the wise have the ability to see how your momentary trouble may lead you into greater things. So, if you are struggling with anything, if it is a part of your character that you don't like, a situation you do not understand or do not know how to handle, then seek out someone whom you consider wise. Let their knowledge and experience do you good. For, Who is like the wise?

If you wish to be a man or woman of wisdom, then:
- seek out the wise around you
- realise that wisdom will wait
- assess your character - does it need refining?
- accept your limitations and strengths
- depend not on yourself but on God

Prosperity and Adversity

'In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.' 
Ecclesiastes 7:14.

Solomon seems to like to make comparisons with opposing ideas. We have had death and life, mourning and celebration, now we have prosperity and adversity. Times of celebration and success versus times of trouble and struggle.

Solomon points out that prosperity and adversity BOTH come from God. We don’t really like to think of it like that do we? We quite happily accept that prosperity - all the good things, come from God, but adversity, all the bad things, too? God is good, right? So why would He allow the struggle and strife?

How do you feel about the fact that God brings success and calamity? Prosperity AND adversity?

We can see this demonstrated in the book of Job. Job, a faithful follower of God, devoted to Him even, suffers great calamity as his whole family dies, he loses all of his material possessions and then suffers physically too.
We see a conversation occurring about Job where the devil and God chat about him, and God gives permission for the devil to carry out these adverse times for Job. God has given authority for these things to happen. Why?
Why does God do that?

God ordains success and failure. He allows adversity as well as prosperity.
How does that fit with your perception of who God is?

Does your perception of God change whether you are in times of adversity or prosperity?
We tend to thank God for one and pray to get out of the other. We all want a relatively easy, happy and successful life.  We don’t want to suffer like Job, we don’t want to be alone, abandoned by friends, poor and hurting.
Yet, if you are, does it mean you have any less faith than anyone else? Does it mean that God has abandoned you? Doesn’t love or care for you?

The road to prosperity can often come through adversity.

How do we become prosperous? Is it by receiving the good things all the time? Getting our own way? Living the dream? Isn’t there some suffering that usually comes along before a breakthrough?

Well, let’s go back to Job, he had more than his fair share of adversity don’t you think? Yet, he held on, he kept his faith, I don’t know if I would of come through as assured of my own integrity and God’s existence as Job did. He truly held on to faith through the most appalling times. We can read the whole book in a matter of hours, but the whole season of life must of spanned years. Maybe you read this today and can relate to Job - years of strife and struggle with you holding on. If that is you - WELL DONE. You have achieved faith in greater measures than some of us will ever know. Like Job, you have endured and overcome great trials, and you have stuck with it.
Your time of prosperity will come - Job had all things restored in greater measure than he had before. God increased Job and his ministry because of his faithfulness. Yes, Job had a wobble and questioned God - he had a moan - who wouldn’t in that situation?! I admire Job. He endured, he questioned himself and his faith, yet he always knew the goodness of God was a reality. He grew in his understanding of who he was and who God is through it all. We know the end story of Job, but we don’t now the end story of our adversity. So, how will you handle it?
Will you hold on even if suffering lasts for years and you lose all you have? Will you trust in God even when He doesn’t seem to answer? Will you continue to believe in Him if God makes you go through it rather than escape it?

Times of prosperity are great, they are enjoyable and feel fulfilling, yet it’s the times of adversity that show the true colours of our character. There are areas in which we all need to grow and we know it, adversity is a great time to be stretched and grown even if we don’t like it. Adversity teaches us things, and can develop our faith if we set our heart to depend on God no matter what. Job did. He did not give up believing, he held firm and he was rewarded. Times of adversity can strengthen our faith, yes we have to persevere, we have to trust, we have to make the difficult decisions sometimes, but the end will be worth it for we DO serve a good God. He does want what s best for you, and sometimes that’s not having everything that you want. Sometimes that’s you being stretched, torn apart and rebuilt again. It’s painful, yet it is also a time of great richness. A richness of growth and dependence not on our own self, but on the One who sees the beginning and the end.

God brings prosperity and adversity, He knows what He is doing. We need prosperity, times of success, achievement and joy - we can turn our happiness into praise and gratitude, and we also need times of dependence and being at the end of ourselves otherwise what is our faith?

So in, ‘prosperity be joyful’ - appreciate the goodness, success, wealth given to you, be grateful for it and acknowledge it. It is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is to be enjoyed.
In, ‘adversity consider’ - contemplate the purpose of this time, your responsibility in it, what you should do. What part of your character is being reshaped right now? Is there something you are learning about yourself or God?