When is the last time you truly anguished in prayer over something? This brief video is a timely reminder about the need to be an anguished people, praying to the God who hears.
As mentioned in a previous post, I am currently raising ministry support to join the team at Revive Our Hearts. While doing so, I will be living in Louisville, and am in the dead center of the moving process this week and next. Needless to say, I will not be posting regularly in the days to come. Sorry about my absence, but I promise to come up with some extremely riveting and thought-provoking blog topics between now and then. At the very least, I am sure to have some amusing anecdotes to share from my currently chaotic season of transition.
My pastor has been preaching through the book of Judges for the past few months. It has been fascinating. The book of Judges is a great reminder that our sovereign Lord is the only true and righteous Judge. In addition, we see that man is utterly sinful, and that God is capable of redeeming the sin we commit – simply amazing.
A couple key verses from the book:
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. – Judges 2:11
In those days there was no king in Israel. – Judges 18:1
Over and over and over again, Judges tells the story of a people who served false gods and leaders who corruptly ruled. The book records a downward spiral of morals and sin.
Growing up in the church, I often heard the story of Samson and Delilah. Of course, the story was a little scandalous for Sunday School, as Samson’s downfall was beautiful women and Delilah was – after all – a prostitute. The picture to the right is what I usually recall of Samson’s life. In fact, I had a picture-book story Bible when I was little, and it had nearly this exact picture. The only difference is that my picture showed a close up of Samson’s eyes gouged out . . . the editors of that Bible did a good job of scaring me into obedience . . . I certainly didn’t want my eyes to be gouged out like Samson’s.
This past Sunday, the text fell to Judges 16 – the account of Samson and Delilah. I must shamefully admit that I did not walk into the sanctuary Sunday with an expectation of what God would teach me through the sermon. I had the story Bible with the grotesque picture – that told me what I needed to know, right?! I was wrong . . . I learned a lot.
I find that it gets easier and easier to point my finger at people in the Bible over their disobedience than it is to examine my own heart and know what it is that God could teach me through their example. This is true with the story of Samson. This past Sunday, I was challenged to look at the text from a different angle. Here are the key points:
- Being called by God means that there will be conflict, not comfort, in store.
- God’s plans will be fulfilled, even through our sin.
- “God’s glory is His ultimate purpose” [Piper].
Samson was indeed guilty of the sins he committed. However, God’s redemptive purposes are more comprehensive than the most treacherous sin we could commit. Despite his lack of morality, faltered character, haughty spirit and prideful actions, the Lord still used Samson to bring thousands of dagon-worshipping Philistines to their death. In grace, He allowed Samson victory over those who worshipped idols. I love Judges 16:22:
But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Don’t miss that – his hair grew back. Remember what has just happened:
- God commands that Samson’s hair shall never be cut, as a symbol of God’s Spirit upon Him.
- God called Samson to rule as a judge.
- Samson exchanges God’s blessing for a life of debauchery.
- He joins himself to a prostitute – Delilah.
- He reveals the secret of his strength to Delilah.
- He is then taken captive by the enemies of God.
The Lord could have left Samson bald (which was, no doubt, a huge disgrace to Samson). Rather, Scripture is careful to tell us that God allowed his hair to grow back. God granted Samson enough strength to destroy over 3,000 Philistines in one, final act. In order to refute the false god, dagon, the God of Israel reveals his grace to a disobedient judge in allowing him victory over the Philistines. This is no boring story – it is full of drama, emotion and suspense. More importantly, it is full of redemption and grace.
Sunday morning, I was convicted of my need to be less critical and more teachable. It might do me good every now and then to pick up a children’s Bible and turn to the grotesque picture I looked at as a child . . . just as a reminder of what the effects of sin can do in my own life. May we be careful to learn from those who have gone before us. While we can learn much through both their disobedience and devotion, we will hopefully grasp even more about God’s marvelous redemption – even redemption of our sin.
In every situation God is always doing a thousand different things you cannot see and do not know. -John Piper
Simply stated – I agree with Piper. It is true that God is always doing so much more in and around our lives than we think or dream. I think the apostle Paul had this understanding of God’s overwhelming providence when he penned Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” This abundance applies not only to the salvation offered to us, but also to the seemingly mundane details of our lives.
Indeed, we cannot comprehend the magnitude of God’s power or the vastness of His being. In thinking of God’s sovereignty, it is important to 
understand that He is not a Father of confusion, frantically trying to piece together the details of our lives like someone playing Speed Scrabble. He plan is not thrown off by human invention and His providence is more wise than all the wisdom of mortals combined. With that said, I believe it is such a gift when He grants us a small glimpse of how He is working “all things for our good” (Romans 8:28). In the past months, I have seen some pieces of my life come together in a way that only God could have orchestrated, which brings me to the topic at hand.
I am thrilled to be joining the staff at Revive our Hearts ministries. The Lord has been drawing me to this place for quite some time, and I am grateful for the sweet process of growth He has led me through. Revive our Hearts (ROH) is based in Niles, Michigan and is an outreach of Life Action Ministries. The mission statement of Life Action Ministries is “To ignite Christ-centered movements of revival among God’s people that display His glory and advance His kingdom throughout the world.” The staff at Life Action is passionate about seeing individuals trust in Christ and live their lives to His glory within the context of Christian community.
To put it simply, ROH is the women’s ministry outreach of Life Action Ministries. You may be familiar with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, whose ministry at Revive our Hearts is clearly evident through daily radio, speaking events and publications. A new and exciting ministry outreach at Revive our Hearts is the True Woman movement. The first True Woman Conference was held in October of 2008, and has had a far-reaching impact. I encourage you to listen to the messages from the True Woman ‘08 conference, available here. Truly, exciting times are ahead!
The Lord has been very gracious to order my steps towards Revive Our Hearts. ROH is a support-based ministry, and as such, I will be spending the following few months raising my financial support to join the team in Michigan. If you would like to learn more about Revive our Hearts and my work there, I would love to talk with you. Feel free to email me at liz.lockwood@gmail.com.
Every now and then, I am reminded of my adulthood by the things I say:
- “You betcha.”
- “I remember when gas was $1.00 a gallon.”
- “If I only had his/her energy.”
- “If I sit down, I might not be able to get up again.”
- “I’m going to take a nap.”
- “Time sure flies, doesn’t it?!”
When I was young, I simply thought the above statements would never come out of my mouth – especially that last one. “Time flies.” I don’t know that there is a kid on earth who believes this to be true. I certainly didn’t. Christmas morning seemed like ages away every year, even if I was sitting on the church pew on Christmas Eve. The countdown to my birthday each year was agonizing – I believed that March 30th simply had to be the most elusive day on the entire calendar – it just had to be! But then as quickly as it would come, it would go. Every March 31st, I would find myself in the midst of wrapping paper and disappointment. My birthday had come and gone, and now I had to wait another 364 days for it to happen again. Sigh.
On the other end of childhood, I am realizing that there are not enough hours in the day. Rather than eluding me, important dates on the calendar seem to enter my life more quickly than I can enter them on my calendar. I will often repeat the Nationwide slogan under my breath when I realize how busy things are getting: “Life comes at you fast.” My friend Beth and I were talking about this the other day and she said “when you were a kid, you waited and waited and waited for something and it just never seemed to get here quick enough. Now, I can hardly remember what happened last month because I have so many other things going on. It’s like time just moves quicker when you’re grown up.” I had to agree with her.
Perhaps, though, time moves at light year speed because we are not eager enough. Children are often impatient because they cannot see anything besides that one thing on their mind. If little Jonathan wants a cookie, he will ask you for a cookie a thousand and five times in twelve minutes. Children persist. They persist and they hope for those things they know are coming . . . even if that thing is eleven months away.
The apostle Paul reminds us that we, too, long for that which is yet to come:
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. -Romans 8:22-25
Thinking about these verses the other day, I was struck by the fact that excitement and joy should be a non-negotiable characteristic of those found in Christ. While the Lord certainly blesses us in this life and provides us with 
mercies unending and thousands of reasons to rejoice, it is simply a taste of what’s to come. If life is difficult, we do not despair, because of the hope we have. If life is “easy,” we do not become boastful, because of our recognition of God’s grace to us. All the while, we hope. We hope in Christ for what He has promised, and what He has promised is beyond the best that we could possibly come up with.
Paul’s words in Romans remind us of the longing that we are to have and the immense redemption that awaits us. We are to be an eager people, excited about what we know is coming. But just like every kid on earth, we have to wait for it . . . and we will discover that what’s to come is going to be better than a thousand birthdays.
Yes – I just used the term “diggin’.” Anyhow, here are a few things that I love at the moment:
- Pandora Radio: I somehow just discovered Pandora – where have I been!?!
My new ESV Study Bible- Fresh Blueberries
- Daylight at 6:00 a.m.
- The sound of crickets and frogs when the sun goes down
Sometimes it is the seemingly insignificant things that remind me of how blessed I am.
I recently read in World Magazine of the imprisonment of Shi Weihan:
SENTENCED: A Chinese court found house church leader and Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan, 38, guilty June 10 of “illegal business operation,” sentencing him to three years in prison and fining him nearly $22,000. According to Compass Direct News, although Shi had printed Bibles and other Christian materials without government approval, he operated his business legally by only selling items for which he had permission to sell. — The Editors
Growing up in the American Christian church, I often heard stories about the persecuted, and was even encouraged to pray often for those suffering for the sake of Christ. As an adult, I now realize on a much more realistic level what some are giving up for the sake of the Gospel. Reading this brief snippet about Shi Weihan draws my heart to praise God for his desire to see the Good News spread. His example also serves as a timely reminder that true freedom is only found in submission to Christ. Although this sounds bizarre in the midst of a culture full of individual rights and independence, those in Christ will only be as free as their submission to Christ is deep. I do not mean to treat persecution as a light matter, or to assume that obedience in these situations is easy. However, for those in Christ, bondage comes in the form of independence from Christ’s commands. This is why God has graciously left us the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth and convict us of our sin.
In our day-to-day American lives, we are not faced with the same situations of some brothers and sisters around the world. The battle for obedience is ever-present, though, and we are called to fully submit to the Lord’s instructives, persecuted or not. An unrepentant spirit or insubordinate will to the God’s directives makes us miserable. The conviction of the Spirit is no light thing . . . and I thank God for that. I need conviction more than I know, and often pray that I will have the same distaste for my sin that God does.
I cannot imagine that sitting in prison is a joy. In fact, I am sure it is terrible on many levels. Only in the Lord’s economy, though, could a prison cell provide a freedom like no other. Shi Weihan is suffering for distributing the Word of God. The apostle Paul knew this same suffering and was quick to remind us that our lives are a vapor and our earthly struggles are incomparable to the joy we will experience in the life to come.
In light of the death of Michael Jackson yesterday, someone told me that he was her idol, and so she refused to believe the news of his death. Huh. I took a minute to think through my personal list of heroes, and why I would name them so. On that list are mainly those who have gone before me in the faith and continue to teach me from their example. Individuals like Jim Elliott, Corrie Ten Boom and Marie Durant. While these names will be left off of most lists as significant individuals in world history, they are some of the most faithful in God’s economy. Today, the name Shi Weihan is added to my list of heroes, as I am encouraged by his faith and challenged by His desire to spread the Word of God.
May we be obedient to pray for our brothers and sisters around the globe and strive to find the sweet freedom that comes only through submission.
I’m headed out of town for the next several days, but want to quickly direct your attention to the Father’s Day Special that Desiring God Ministries is currently offering. It’s quite the bargain, and would be $40 well spent on your dad.
“You came all the way to Wal-Mart for ONE APPLE!?!”
That was the less-than-friendly greeting I received while waiting to checkout last weekend. Although I was in the “20 items or less” line, I nervously felt as if I needed to give an excuse for braving Wal-Mart traffic on a Saturday for one Granny Smith apple. “Well” I began to ramble, “I had to return a couple movies to the Redbox, and I wanted an apple, so I figured while I was here . . .” The young girl at the register looked at me like I was crazy – going all the way to Wal-Mart to purchase something that would cost less than a dollar. People don’t do that, I guess. After all, Wal-Mart is for big shopping trips – not for just eggs and milk and such.
Spurgeon has rightly said that “true prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.” I have found this to be true – although the lesson took a while to get through my thick head. Growing up in the church (as a pastor’s kid, nonetheless) brought with it an attitude of pride in my prayer life for such a long time. I always felt like I had to say the right words, use the correct terms or pray for just the right length of time, because – well, that’s what people expected from Liz Lockwood. Add to that four and a half years of seminary and I have at times been crippled by my need to sound as spiritual as I possibly could. I recall so often when I would be asked to pray because “well, you go to seminary . . . so you should pray.” No pressure, right?! Taking requests before the Lord would regularly become an exercise in oration more than it would a means of supplication.
Over the past few years, I have grown to love and appreciate the book of Psalms in a way like never before. The combination of David’s honest supplication before the Lord and clear dependence upon Him has served as a how-to guide in my own prayer life. The biggest lesson I have learned from the Psalms? It is alright to be honest with God. Now, I realize that might sound like something you were taught in a second grade class at Vacation Bible School. I am sure I was even told this in the second grade. Nonetheless, this truth didn’t really take deep root in my heart until my late twenties. It wasn’t until I was brought to points of desperation in my own life that I recognized the need for honesty before the Lord. For many years, I believed that I needed to approach the Lord with neatly-packaged prayers that sounded really good (after all, God knows that I went seminary, too). All the while, I was really avoiding the true issues in my heart that needed to be vulnerably taken to the Lord.
We are not supposed to be honest with God in order to inform Him of what’s going on in our lives – He ordains what goes on in our lives. It is not news to Him. Rather, we are to be honest with Him about our fears, struggles, failures and joys because that is a means of our dependence upon Him. When I humbly take my requests to the Lord, it is a recognition of my trust in His providence rather than my own plans. There are certainly times when it is more difficult to pray and harder to trust in God’s plan. However, I have found that those seasons of difficulty bring me to a sweet place of honesty before Him in a way that “easy” seasons do not. Are you finding yourself scared or worried or anxious or alone? God already knows all these things, and I believe He wants us to know the sweet freedom that comes in being vulnerable with Him.
I believe Isaiah 30:18 to be one of the most affirming verses in all of Scripture when it comes to the issue of prayer:
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
Re-read that verse . . . “the Lord waits to be gracious to you.” When you put prayer into its proper perspective as a means of fellowship with the Lord, this passage provides us with a beautiful picture of our Cr
eator God desiring to hear us – desiring to listen to our requests poured out before Him. The requests we bring to Him today are needs He knew we would have from before the world was made. With that in mind, let us realize that He has had a solution to our current requests from before the beginning of time as well. Why pray, then? Because in so doing, we affirm our trust in Him and His purposes – even if that differs from our current desires.
Contrary to my experience at Wal-Mart, our gracious Father is never going to look at me in frustration if I bring just one thing to Him. He will not grow weary of listening if I bring a thousand things before Him, and He will not cast me off if I admit my doubts and fears. So, let’s be honest . . . because God already knows if we’re not.
