O Come O Come Emmanuel

I have ignored this blog far too long.  Sometimes we have to go through a spiritual dry spell in order to recognize what we are missing.  I have been on a journey back into a deeper relationship with the Lord for the past few months and now feel like perhaps I once more have something worth writing about.

For some time, I have been thinking about the hymns and how accurately they project the Christian life we should be experiencing, so I have decided that next year I will blog daily on a specific hymn.  I'm hoping that it will not be like most New Years resolutions and trickle down until the inspiration stops completely.

In the meantime, since it is the Christmas season, I am going to start by looking at Christmas carols.

The first one that comes to mind is O Come, O come, Emmanuel.  It has such a mournful tune and words and speaks volume to the situation we find ourselves in today.  The tune we are most familiar with is from 15th century France while the words are thought to have first appeared in the 18th century.  There are many different versions of the text, but all of them speak to the travails of the mortal life and the promise of the Messiah, both his birth as man on earth and his long-awaited coming as our future King.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

We are mourning, even in this season of celebration.  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

All of creation, especially those that are heir to the promise are longing for His coming.  O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Gen. 1-7 Walking With God

After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Gen. 5:22

This is how I want to begin the New Year....walking with God!  Not worrying about the weather, not wondering about the future, not caught up in all the controversy or activities that surround us, but walking with God. Spending time with him in solitude.  Spending time with him in the midst of all that is going on around me.  I want to be like Enoch, walking faithfully with God until I am no more.  Can I do it?  Can I be faithful?  I don't know, but perhaps my desire to know God will overwhelm my desire for all earthly things if I just put one foot in front of the other and walk.

Luke 21: It's About Time

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
In your patience possess ye your souls.
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. - Luke 21: 1-28 KJV

We're living in a time when the hearts of even the strongest of men grow faint.  Catastrophic events are occurring all around us and there is no man or no solution to any ot the chaos.  We do know, that someone is going to come along to fill the great leadership void with promises of personal and financial security.  We know that many will welcome him as the new messiah and savior.  We know that those of us who do not accept his offering will be rejected.  There are perilous times ahead, we all feel it, we all know it.  What are we supposed to do?  There is only one answer:  Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Psalms 73: A Time of Repentance

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.  And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?  Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.  For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.   If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.  When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.  Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.  As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. 

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.   So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee -Psalms 73:2-22 KJV

Most of us know exactly how the Psalmist felt.  We look around and wickedness seems to increase, the darkness seems to be overtaking the light, it feels like we are suddenly on the losing side.  But, that is not the truth of the situation.  God is still in charge, just as he always has been.  The world may mock God, they may try to destroy what is his, but they cannot touch Him.  He is still the creator of the universe and he still holds the world in his hands.  We are the ones at fault.  We are the ones that have taken our eyes off of our God.  We are the ones who have become judge and jury. We are the ones who have forgotten to be salt and light. We are the ones who have lost compassion.  We are the ones who have forgotten the fate that awaits those who don't trust in God.  Like the Psalmist, our hearts should be grieving for the world that is lost.  Our conscience should be pricked, we should be crying out for forgiveness and offering compassion.  We should be drawing near to the source and pleading for a world that is lost and dying.  It is a time of repentance.

Psalms 3: The Lifter of My Head

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.  
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.   I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.   I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.  
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.  
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.  
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. - Ps 3:1-8 NIV

This may well be the cry of God's people today.  I know it is my cry many times.  'Many are they that rise up against me!'  It's not just those who openly oppose the gospel and all it stands for.  Many of us could fight that off if that were the only case.  But, it's the internal warring that gets me down.  It's all of the ways that I have compromised.  It's all of the ways I have been trapped in idolizing what the world idolizes: my independence, my security, my prosperity.

I am so afraid sometimes, that I am being overcome by the world, of succumbing to its lure, of being caught in the lies until there is no way back to the Father.  But, David says, we are not to have those fears.  That God hears us, that he sustains us, that he smites our enemies, that he saves. He is not just interested in saving us, but he plants our feet on solid ground, he says to us, you don't need to fear that your actions are inadequate.  He reaches out and lifts our downcast face up.  He tells us we are his children.  We have nothing to fear and nothing to be ashamed of.  It's not my pride, but his glory that is the lifter of my head.

Job 20-31: The Words of Job Are Ended

(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown.
I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him.)—
“if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended. -Job 31:35-40 NIV

Sooner or later, we all tire of defending ourselves, of defending our position, our righteousness.

You see, we have none.  We have no defense and just like Job, we have no accuser except for our own heart.  We may all cry out, 'it is not my fault', and it is only a partial truth.  It is not solely our fault that these calamities come upon us, it goes back to Eve in the garden.  That is the point at which we lost our relationship with God.  But, God did not abandon Adam and Eve.  He did not abandon Job and he has not abandoned us.  Like Job, we still bear some responsibility.  All we like sheep have gone astray.  Even Job.

God did not say that Job was perfect, only that he was blameless and upright.
Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8 NIV).

Eventually we all come to the end, even those who are upright: the end of ourselves and our words.  We have no more defense, nothing more to prove.  The words are ended.

Job 1-19: I Will See Him

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! -Job 19:25-27

Poor Job.  Not only has he lost his family and his health, but his so-called friends are no help or comfort to him as well.  In spite of all of his protests, they assert that Job must have done something wrong and is now suffering the consequences that he deserves.  Job, meanwhile is convinced that he is blameless and if he could only reason it out with God, everything would be all right.

We may not have such unreliable friends, but how many times is our response the same.  Woe is me!  Why is God not hearing me?  What have I done wrong.  In the end, the only consolation is as Job expressed it.  I know that my Redeemer lives and one day I shall see him face to face.  What marvelous words!  I will see Him face to face.  I will see Him and all the confusion, problems and suffering of this finite world will no longer matter.  I will see  Him!

On a side note...I have not abandoned my daily bible reading, but I find that a lot of my devotions are taking on a more personal note or are not necessarily applicable to the scripture I am reading on any given day.  I'm not sure I want to share all of them, so my postings may be more erratic than I intended initially when I started this year.