'this one was born here'

 Psalm 87:1–7 (ESV):  

1  On the holy mount stands the city he founded; 

 2  the Lord loves the gates of Zion 

more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. 

 3  Glorious things of you are spoken, 

O city of God. Selah 

 4  Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; 

behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— 

“This one was born there,” they say. 

 5  And of Zion it shall be said, 

“This one and that one were born in her”; 

for the Most High himself will establish her. 

 6  The Lord records as he registers the peoples, 

“This one was born there.” Selah 

 7  Singers and dancers alike say, 

“All my springs are in you.” 

This psalm tells of the significance and beauty of Jerusalem as not only favoured by God, but founded by Him. A place where there is great protection and access to those who enter, for the ‘Lord loves the gates of Zion’. This gives a sense of openness and welcome from God Himself, a place where people can come and enjoy the kingdom that God has founded and loves so anyone can find a place there. Who wouldn’t want to be in this city where ‘Glorious things’ are spoken?! It is not only a place God has founded, built and delights in, but is the place that God has chosen to dwell, ‘the city of God’.

Although this psalm refers to Jerusalem, the physical place that has known the favour of God through the ages, it is also a prophetic picture of the city of God to come where ALL people are welcome if they choose to enter into God’s presence. in verses 4-5 the non-Jewish surrounding nations are mentioned as knowing God and even being born there. Therefore we can see that this is a glimpse of what was to come through Jesus - all people, even if not physically of the nation of Israel, can be born again into the kingdom of God. What a promise! Any person that believes and follows God is born into His kingdom, a place of knowing and dwelling with God. 

The phrase ‘this one was born here’ is repeated in this short psalm to demonstrate the call, connection and establishment of each person who is born into God’s kingdom. You do not need to be Jewish, from Israel or even have been to Jerusalem to be recorded as one who knows God and has been born into His kingdom. Every person from every nation has that opportunity no matter what. God himself establishes each believer in His family (v5), He even ‘records as he registers the peoples’. Just as seriously and solemnly as a child’s earthly birth is recorded in legal documents, so too does God do so for all who choose to enter His kingdom. He changes their citizenship and their birth right as they decide to belong to the city of God. 

Yet this sense of belonging doesn't stop there, but God also counts believers as, ‘those that know me’. The Hebrew word in v4 translated as ‘know’ actually means to have intimate knowledge, experience, and understanding of. God has allowed himself to be revealed in such a way through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that you and i, and every other individual on Earth can have this depth of understanding of who God is. You can know Him intimately as He has invited you into the gates of His dwelling place - you can literally get to know Him as you get up each morning, experience God throughout your day and can understand something of His glorious might, love and creativity! That is pretty epic! You get to understand things about God that those outside the kingdom do not because you live with Him, in His presence and in His home. Maybe you have an assurance, certainty, peace in situations that others don’t because you understand the goodness and love of God. How privileged are we who are ‘born there’! 

The gates are open for you to enter and enjoy the presence of God if you choose to. You can be adopted into God’s family, legally made His own through accepting the truth that Jesus died for your sins. Are you counted as one who has been 'born there'?

Ask God for wisdom

Do you realise that you can ask God for what you don’t have? 

It might be that you’re short of cash, that you are struggling academically, suffering physically, lack patience, peace or understanding. For any of these things, and many more, you can ask God to provide. When we have lack, we seek to gain more, and asking our loving Father in heaven to provide is a natural thing to do if you believe there is a God. 

There is one thing that we all lack, but I wonder if you ever ask God for it, and that is wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.*6*But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.*7*For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;*8*he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

James 1:5–8.

James encourages us in these verses to earnestly ask God for wisdom. Not to be smart, clever or knowledgeable, but wise. This is because wisdom is not just about knowing and recalling information, but is about having knowledge, experience and good judgement. A wise person understands and is able to apply what they know. They have the ability to understand how to respond to situations and they do it. Wisdom effects behaviour because the wise apply what they know to what they do. Do you think you're wise? Do you ever think to ask God to help you become wiser? 

If you and I had greater wisdom, then surely some of the things we struggle with in life might be a bit easier to manage, or we may even find solutions to them. With increased wisdom some of the things we already ask God to provide like patience and peace would surely follow if we understood and were able to apply that understanding to our lives.

Compared to God, our lack of wisdom is outstanding, He is after all, omniscient (all knowing!) and we are not, yet do you ever ask Him for it? Not just insight for a particular time or situation, but, like Solomon did, do you ask for wisdom so that you can lead life well and do the best with what you have got? 

I think we can be fooled into thinking that as the world is full of information and knowledge, we believe that we already have insight and capability. At no time in the world's existence has there been so much information so readily available, so we can mistakenly believe that knowing stuff is wisdom. However wisdom is not just about knowing things or being able to relay facts and statistics. There's a difference between being clever and wise. Wisdom is applied knowledge, applying understanding to what you do and say. You cannot get that from the internet or even from professors. God is the best one to provide it. He after all, has existed through every age and kept humanity and creation going so He has the applied understanding and knowledge to sustain life and relationships. Do you want some of the wisdom He has? 

God can so easily and readily supply and fulfil any desire for wisdom, yet when you do seek Him for it, consider how you ask, ‘‘ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord’. When you ask God, do you really believe God can and will do it? There's quite a stark warning here about how you approach God. James is making it very clear that God is not to be doubted. It is ok to acknowledge that you do not deserve what you ask God for, but you cannot doubt God’s goodness, capacity or wisdom. God is a loving, capable and generous father, and He wants you to have wisdom, as well as so many other things therefore you can be confident that He will provide. 

When I ask my earthly Dad something, I expect him to reply, I don’t doubt that he will. He is a good Dad, and wants good things for me. I do not always know how he will respond, what he will do or say, but I do expect to get some kind of response when I speak to him. Therefore, as imperfectly wonderful as earthly Dads can be, can we not expect our Heavenly Father to do the same? 

God may not respond in a way that you can predict or even want, but He loves to hear how He can help you. He likes to hear what you are yearning for and stretching for, and He wants to give you things including wisdom. So, when you approach God and ask, do so confidently. Do not doubt God's capacity, desire or love for you. You may not be confident in yourself, but you can be confident in the One you are asking. So, today, do you desire wisdom? If so, go ahead and ask, and expect to receive.

Why spend time with God?

This week, as a collection of believers in Hope Church, we are enjoying a week of prayer. As part of this I had the privilege of commencing it by producing a short video (1-2mins) encouraging people to enter into the presence of God, so i thought i would share my thoughts and reflections here with you. The inspiration came from the following Psalm;

 *God Is My Strength and Portion Forever*

# 73

A Psalm of Asaph. 

*1* Truly God is good to Israel, 

to those who are pure in heart. 

*2* But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, 

my steps had nearly slipped. 

*3* For I was envious of the arrogant 

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

*4* For they have no pangs until death; 

their bodies are fat and sleek. 

*5* They are not in trouble as others are; 

they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 

*6* Therefore pride is their necklace; 

violence covers them as a garment. 

*7* Their eyes swell out through fatness; 

their hearts overflow with follies. 

*8* They scoff and speak with malice; 

loftily they threaten oppression. 

*9* They set their mouths against the heavens, 

and their tongue struts through the earth. 

*10* Therefore his people turn back to them, 

and find no fault in them. 

*11* And they say, “How can God know? 

Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 

*12* Behold, these are the wicked; 

always at ease, they increase in riches. 

*13* All in vain have I kept my heart clean 

and washed my hands in innocence. 

*14* For all the day long I have been stricken 

and rebuked every morning. 

*15* If I had said, “I will speak thus,” 

I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 

*16* But when I thought how to understand this, 

it seemed to me a wearisome task, 

*17* until I went into the sanctuary of God; 

then I discerned their end. 

*18* Truly you set them in slippery places; 

you make them fall to ruin. 

*19* How they are destroyed in a moment, 

swept away utterly by terrors! 

*20* Like a dream when one awakes, 

O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 

*21* When my soul was embittered, 

when I was pricked in heart, 

*22* I was brutish and ignorant; 

I was like a beast toward you. 

*23* Nevertheless, I am continually with you; 

you hold my right hand. 

*24* You guide me with your counsel, 

and afterward you will receive me to glory. 

*25* Whom have I in heaven but you? 

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 

*26* My flesh and my heart may fail, 

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

*27* For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; 

you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 

*28* But for me it is good to be near God; 

I have made the Lord God my refuge, 

that I may tell of all your works. 

We can see how the psalmist has been on a journey of discovery. He has realised that he doesn’t understand how the world works, and it concerns him; the good suffer, the wicked prosper, and he himself is diligently following God, but coming under attack and he is feeling jealous and annoyed about these things - It doesn’t make sense, it is hard to understand. Do you ever have the same kind of thoughts? 

You may have questions over; why there is suffering, why do some get healed, others don’t, why don’t things seem to go the way you expect/want them to yet you see other people of questionable character seeming to get whatever they desire? As humans, it is natural for us to question as we want to know and understand. Yet being consumed by these questions can be overwhelming, confusing and tiresome as this writer admits in verses 16-17, ‘But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, *17*until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.‘ Trying to understand the world and figure out solutions to all the problems is wearisome and burdensome, even when you have the best worldly knowledge to hand and even then you probably will not find the answers you seek anyway! 

The only thing that helped this psalmist was going into the sanctuary of God. 

Getting into God’s presence helps. It does not mean that by spending time with God the world will change, but being in the presence of God will change you. The psalmist recognises that God is continually with him, that he is held by God, guided and strengthened. You too can receive; peace, hope, guidance, reassurance, companionship, help, love and strength when you spend time with God. You may not get the answers you seek, but you will get what you need. Life can be hard and overwhelming at times, like this psalmist found, but do you notice that when he stopped and went to God he stopped fretting about the issues of the world and he was able to manage what he was facing? Nothing else seems to have outwardly changed, but his mindset did. This led to him appreciating that, 'for me it is good to be near God'. The same can be true for you too. If you are struggling to understand things and life is becoming overwhelming and wearisome, i encourage you to take some time to consider this psalm and spend some time with God. It doesn't matter how you do that or when, it could be; through being still, whilst gazing at nature, listening to music, praying with others, or quietly contemplating who God is. The psalmist's viewpoint and thoughts are transformed by being with God - notice how what he speaks of has changed after verse 17. I am sure that the things he was noticing and getting annoyed at previously are still going on, but spending time with God helped him see what he really has, and what is really worthwhile considering in life. Then he felt equipped to continue to face the difficulties because he remembered who God really is, and the value of what he has through that relationship. You can have the same experience too because spending time with God may not change the world, but it will change you. Then maybe you will also be able to say, ’but for me it is good to be near God’ (v28)?

Here is the short video i made on this topic, if you wish to watch it.