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from the “Heart of Flesh” series

Today will be the last installation of the “Heart of Flesh” series. The Trembling Heart.

The Lord seeks those who tremble at His word. There do not seem to be many people talking about that. God is good, all the time. That means He is happy with me all the time, right? Only wants to give me good things! I KNOW I hear THAT all the time! But just this morning  I read Psalm 7. Start at verse eleven, “ God is a righteous judge, and a God who shows indignation every day. 12 If one does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and taken aim.13 He has also prepared deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”

Some, I know, would respond, “Oh yes but that is the Old Testament God. We are under a new covenant now. God satisfied His wrath on the cross. BUT what about the book of Revelation? God, the one true God who never changes is THAT God. He will cause destruction to come on all who have refused Him along with the demonic hordes. He will command the birds of the air to come and feast on the flesh and blood of humanity. The blood of humanity which reaches the bridle of the horse He rides.

That is the thing about biblical illiteracy. Especially in the west, we cherry pick our theology based on our cultural preferences and paradigms. A vengeful judging God does not fit with contemporary culture. We dispense with that. Anything I do not agree with, anything outside of what I perceive God to be according to my desire of how I WANT to view Him,  can be put to the side. That is not MY God we say, that is not the God I know. If God has become subjective to your perception, I suggest you do not worship God, but you have made an idol in your own image and named Him God. Theology just might be the shrubs you use to hide from God in the middle of the garden. We must repent of anything we believe that does not line up with the wholistic message of both old and new testaments. That is why we are told to constantly be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If we never re-examine, change our minds about our beliefs, this is a sign that we are not growing.

We often discover we have believed a lie about God when things do not go according to plan. When the decrees and declarations did not work. The good thing that was promised does not happen. What then? Is God a liar? May it never be said! We bought a lie that God was not speaking. He allowed us to be deluded by the pride of hearts and the imaginings of our minds. Why would He do that? I cannot pretend to know. I can only investigate what the word of God says. What HE outlines to be the truth. And we can only understand it by biblical exegesis. Not cutting parts out and overemphasizing others without interpreting chapter and verse through the lens of context, audience, and entirety of scripture.

Another leader in the Christian community has left the ministry because of a moral failure in his marriage. Everyone and their dog, if you will forgive the expression is weighing in with their dismay, discouraged disillusioned commentary. Why should we expect any different when none of us uphold biblical standards based on its objective truth. When we are all allowed to choose what we believe whether true to the bible or not? How can we expect others to walk uprightly when our own posture is to resist allowing anyone to judge us?

We cry out for leaders to have accountability but are we accountable? Do you have someone in your life who can challenge what you believe? Or do you seek out echo chambers where everyone in your circle agrees with you?

For many years one of my favourite worship songs has been “Resting Place” by Brian Doerksen. It is based on Isaiah 66: “Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house, you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? It’s refrain, “Here o Lord, have I prepared a place for you” has been the plaintiff cry of my heart. It has been an anthem for many seeking the “house of prayer” model of  encounter in worship.

I invite you to read the whole chapter of Isaiah 66. You will read there of a loving Father God who will restore His people and create a new heaven and earth. You will also find a God who abhors self seeking hypocritical sacrifices of people whose hearts are far from Him and only seek His blessing. Verse 5 starts, “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word”

Where is this trembling, this awe and fear and reverence for God and His word today? Who is afraid to misrepresent even malign the scriptures for their own purposes? It seems to be the general rule and not the exception that the bible is only used to support my own beliefs not to challenge them.

Then read the whole book of Isaiah. Please, read the bible in its entirety, seeking to learn and understand not to confirm your own biases. The main message of the prophets in the bible was a call to repentance. Today all I hear is God wants to bless you! Your breakthrough is on its way! This sounds like the prophets of Baal to me. As a friend recently commented, even Nathan fell into the trap when David asked him what God had to say about his desire to build a house for God. Nathan replied let the king do as he pleases for God is with you. Then God spoke to Nathan and he had to go back and call David out on his sin with Bathsheba and for arranging the death of her husband Uriah. We do tend to think God is just as interested in rubberstamping His approval on our projects as we are.

Psalm 33: 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His faithfulness.

Psalm 86: 11 Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.12 I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forever. 13 For Your graciousness toward me is great, And You have saved my soul from the depths of Sheol.

How does God “unite my heart to fear your name”? Not one of us has a wholly united heart entirely committed to one purpose. We are on a journey, in a process of sanctification. A major part of the process takes place by submission to the word of God. We absolutely need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The renewal takes place when we accept God’s word as the truth and allow it to correct us. Transformation happens when we repent of trying to make God fit our opinions and culture. Or even our theological or denominational paradigm can prevent us from growing if we do not adopt the posture of one who has an attentive ear. Isaiah 50: 4 The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. Knowledge and interpretation of the scriptures is like knowing the ingredients listed on the bottle at the pharmacist’s counter. I must take the medicine, in other words apply the bible to myself for it to have an affect on me.

I long to see this humble listening for correction among my brothers and sisters. It seems confident declarative dare I say strident statements of our faith are the norm. Even amidst such devastation among our ranks. It rings like the 1Corinthians description of a clanging cymbal. This is not the time for business as usual. His ways are past finding out, His wisdom much higher than our own. He does not exist to rubber stamp approved on our prayers. Oh, for the wonder and awe of a God much bigger than the paradigms of our understanding to visit us!

I hope this does not come across as a rant without purpose or love. Because it comes out of a place of intercession not judgment.  The best description of intercession I have heard is the standing in the gap between what is, and what “could be in God”  There is a gap, a chasm that cannot be crossed by human intention but only by the Holy Spirit. It can only be birthed in prayer. It is a travail that can only happen through identification of sin and owning it. Crying out to our God, “we have sinned” and calling on His mercy, for Him to do what only He can do.

I suggest you take a few minutes ask God to forgive any way you have resisted His right to correct you through scripture. For placing your interpretation of the bible above its content. If you have used it as a crutch to support what you already believe instead of using it to correct your path. It was given as a plumbline: like a compass, it points to the path of life. Ask Him to give you a heart that trembles at His word. Ask Him to show you how to allow His word to change you.

Unite our hearts to fear Your Name.

All the love friends.