Weekly Snippet: Our Eyes Are Upon You

O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.--King Jehoshaphat's prayer, 2 Chronicles 20: 12 NIV

I started out the day a bit discouraged, having discovered that one of my income sources seems to be doomed, based on some new information.  What made the news hurt worse was discovering there is nothing I can do about it.  Surely this is a generalizable problem?

I decided there was no reason to mope around or mourn this news today.  What will happen, will happen, and if something changes, it will be because God intervened on my behalf.  So what now?  When we are left with no alternative but to rely on God, do we stop at accepting this circumstance, or does God require more of us?

I turned on my radio and heard a really old song playing which spoke of praising God, even when there doesn't seem to be a reason to praise him, and it reminded me of 2 Chronicles 20: 4-30.  For those of you with a Bible on hand, please take a moment to turn to this passage and read it.  For the rest, I suggest you follow the link and come back, because I don't have enough time to thoroughly cover this passage today.

To summarize that part of 2 Chronicles 20, Judah (the southern kingdom after Israel's civil war) learned that a large, multi-national invasion force had gathered and was going to dispossess them all.  Under Jehoshaphat's leadership, they assembled at the temple that Solomon had built and prayed to the Lord to intercede for them.  Their desperate, no-win situation was evident in King Jehoshaphat's words, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."  They were sure they were going to lose this battle--the enemy was too numerous and powerful.

Then they did something that doesn't seem to make sense.  As they marched out in battle, they began to sing praises to God.  They thought they were going to their deaths, and yet they sang these bold, brave songs about the greatness of God!

 Suddenly, something miraculous began to happen--the enemy armies began to set ambushes against each other, and fought each other.  As the forces of Judah topped a rise that overlooked the valley that held the enemy camps, I can imagine their songs of praise trailing off mid-sentence as they surveyed the scene below them.  The enemy armies had killed each other before they even arrived--and no one had escaped!  Of course, I can imagine the songs of praise picked up again, this time with more enthusiasm.  God had intervened in an impossible situation!

Now, I know that we have no power to make God intervene on our behalf.  This is not the point of the story.  I do know that God hears our sincere prayers and rewards obedience.  One part of obedience is trust that God's way is the right way, even when it seems that it isn't presently working well for us.

That said, I think the timing of the miracle (at the same time as the songs of praise) is significant here.  God didn't just listen and intervene--He specifically rewarded obedient and sincere hearts.  They praised God because they looked beyond their circumstances and realized that God is always worthy of our praise, even when the road ahead looks too tough for us.  They praised Him because they trusted Him!

If we withhold our praise for only the times when things are going well for us, doesn't that reflect a lack of trust in God?  Maybe keeping "our eyes upon [God]" should not be read as a passive gesture--as if we sat down helplessly in the road and shot God a pleading look.  Maybe we should read that as an active gesture--a willful act of focusing our eyes on God's goodness and His repeated promises of deliverance, which are untouched by our circumstances.

Praising God today, even when my circumstances looked doomed, might not cause my troubles to destroy themselves, but it certainly has lifted my spirits and allowed me to accomplish much more than I would have otherwise.  I believe that God is changing things, and that He always works for my good in every circumstance (Romans 8: 28).  Why shouldn't I trust Him?  Why shouldn't I praise Him?

Until next time, stay savvy!

A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath

Friday I talked about forgiving your enemy as a gesture of friendship, even if that friendship is not returned.  Today I want to talk about the Christian way to argue.

We all know the non-Christian way to argue.  You know, when you get mad, you get even; payback has to be at least as serious as the offense; and when someone offends you, you don't let that person take it back or forget that it happened.  In short, non-Christian argument techniques always escalate and cause maximum damage, and this is not something God desires or intends for us to do.  It can harm our health and blow a hole in even the most "stable" parts of our lives.

On the other hand, sometimes we are given the mistaken impression that Christians don't argue, and that they aren't allowed to disagree or get angry.  The Bible doesn't support this teaching, either.  In fact, neither does real life.  When we give our hearts to Jesus, we don't lose our minds.  There will still be perfectly valid reasons to get angry, and these reasons will almost certainly make us angry at least once.  What then?  How do we properly "Fight like a Christian"?

Words to Argue By

The Bible talks a lot about anger and what we should do about it--even Jesus.  Here are the basics that Christians should know:

• "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent," (Psalm 4: 4 NIV).  What does it mean to be angry but not sin?  It means that when we are angry, we shouldn't add to the harm by coming to blows with someone, saying things that wound the heart, or in any way taking revenge.  We can experience the feeling of being angry, and that feeling is not a sin, but we must not act upon it.  We search our hearts and see that we are not capable of being an unbiased judge, and we hold back. 

• "It is mine to avenge; I [the Lord] will repay.  In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them," (Deuteronomy 32: 35 NIV).  I have hinted at the human propensity to retaliate, but it is no small problem.  Some of us prefer to launch into shouting and blows when we are angry, while others hatch elaborate plots (like The Count of Monte Cristo).  Either way, the revenge is never as complete as justice, and in the end, we get hurt ourselves.  The fact is, justice from an outside party is better than revenge, because it not only supports the victim, but also requires confession and possibly repentance from the wrongdoer.  Justice is more complete than "making them pay" or "making them suffer, too,"  because it deals with the original offense in a complete way.  It is best to wait for God to institute justice.  It may seem that God is "taking too long," but He has given us His word--no one ever escapes Him.  Compared to the suffering of a sinner being punished by God, ours is brief and easy.

• "'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold,"(Ephesians 4: 26, 27 NIV).  Here Paul cited the first verse again, but he also added that we should do something when we are angry--we should attempt to quickly resolve a fight.  When we allow ourselves to stew and think about the anger we are feeling, we are more likely to follow up with sinful retaliation.  The division between us and the one we are at odds with may also become more permanent, the longer we wait.  Ending the standoff prevents Satan from gaining an entrance.

• "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison," (Matthew 5: 25 NIV).  It may seem to be a dramatic verse to put here--I mean, the average argument doesn't lead to prison time--but the generalizable point is that we must be quick to seek a resolution when we argue, perhaps even by giving up our "right" to win the argument.  A parallel verse, in which God is the judge and eternal death is the prison, really brings out the meaning here: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins," (Matthew 6: 14-15 NIV).  It is best to resolve a dispute before God has to step in and make a judgment, especially if we are the ones who started the argument, or the ones who have dragged it out by refusing to forgive.  Is the matter serious enough to take it up in God's court?  At what cost are we demanding our "right" to be right?

• "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic," (Luke 6: 28, 29 NIV).  Was Jesus instructing us here to roll over and play dead?  Some interpret this verse to mean it, and from that, get the idea that disagreeing with someone is a sin.  However, what I see is strategy, here.  When people are cruel, they expect cruelty in return.  When cruelty is withheld, it knocks them off-balance and works feverishly on their conscience.  Many cruel people may fool themselves into thinking this is a naive move by a "patsy" and come back again to do more harm, but for the rest, this is a chance for God to use us to gain entrance into the life of a sinner.  Arguments are a given, but how we handle them might just benefit our opponent and give God glory.  This verse also calls us to look closer at the situation.  It is not up to us, in our own strength, to defend ourselves and our own.  God will defend.  Those who keep swinging are only making it worse for themselves, because they are messing with God.
• "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you," (Proverbs 25: 21, 22 NIV). This is a similar concept to "turning the other cheek," but here, we are instructed to go farther than just putting up with an offense without retaliating.  Christians "get back" at their enemies by being exceptionally kind!  If a lack of retaliation sets a wicked person off-balance, open kindness might just win the person over--or, if not, it might stop the wicked person from continuing.  When I was small, I loved the image of burning coals; I imagined God taking His revenge on my behalf by methodically singeing hair and eyebrows with invisible coals.  That is exactly what a conscience feels like when God gets to work on it.  "Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone," (Proverbs 25: 15 NIV).  We Christians, of all people, should not question God's way of dealing with our enemies.

There are more examples in the Bible about how to handle anger and to "fight like a Christian," but these are pretty much the core teachings.  If you want to make some further points, feel free to quote Scripture in the comments section below!

Thanks in advance for your comments.  Until next time, stay savvy!

Weekly Tidbit: True Love is a Cross

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.--Proverbs 17: 17

 Today I am reminded of a conversation I had with a friend a few years back, about a mutual friend who had done something to offend us both the day before.  My ears were still stinging over the matter, but she was near tears, even in a crowded public lunch room.  I still remember her saying, "I know Christians are supposed to forgive, but what can I do?  My heart is breaking. I'm not sure I can forgive.  Not for this."

I was troubled.  I was still angry, too, and it was true, that wasn't a very Christian way to behave.  I looked down at my plate and begged God to give me a reply.  Suddenly Proverbs 17: 17 came to mind and I shared it with her.  If "a friend loves at all times," shouldn't that include all the times the other person doesn't seem to "deserve" that love?  If we call ourselves friends, it is a requirement to love, and forgiveness is a key part of that love.  If we are a friend, we go on being a friend, even when our friend becomes our enemy (Matthew 5: 43-45).  Didn't Jesus love us at all times, even when it wasn't returned in kind?  How about that moment when those He loved were nailing Him to a cross?

The implications of this still shake me to my foundations from time to time.  I have seen the end of many friendships, and yet I feel God calling me to remain a friend in my heart, even to those who have done great harm to me and who have written me off long ago.  I must start by forgiving the wrong--that is, not holding it against that person, no matter how it hurt. You see, Jesus said, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins," (Matthew 6: 14-15 NIV).  Unforgiveness makes the other person something less-worthy of love or compassion than I am. By forgiving, I put that person above myself by counting that person as worthy of favor, just as I would hope for forgiveness for my own transgressions.

This is not as the world sees love, friendship, and forgiveness.  Outside of the Bible, I see little support in this world for the idea of being a friend, even to an enemy.  My "Quotationary" added a quote under Forgiveness that I thought I'd quote here:

Who pardons easily invites offense. --Pierre Corneille (1606-1684). Cinna, 4.1, 1639, tr. Noel Clark, 1993

 In effect, Corneille seems to be saying that we should not be quick to forgive, because that only invites more trouble for ourselves.  That is true!  However, this is what God has called us to do.  We are not here to advance ourselves, or protect our own interests.  We are here to follow God's example, and He carried out that example, all the way to the cross.  You see, love, friendship, and forgiveness are not real in our hearts if they vanish on a whim.  If they are real, they do not fail or change with the situation.  This is how Jesus demonstrated that what He felt for us was real--He stuck with it, even to death.

Today we must ask ourselves this question: Is our love real?  Can we be real friends and brothers to our neighbor, even at great personal cost?

Just a thought.  Until next time, stay savvy!