Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls

When I was still at school, we went on a field trip to the Southern Drakensburg. We were to stay in a cave up in the mountains, then climb Rhino Peak the next day. On our way there, it began to snow and by the time we reached the parking lot, it was already an inch deep.

We hiked through the night to reach the cave while it continued to snow. The next morning we awoke to a brilliant white carpet of snow, covering an incredibly beautiful valley.

There was a waterfall near to the cave and some of us went down to fill our water bottles just upstream of it. As always, it was a competition to be first and I raced to the bank but I started to lose my footing on the smooth, icy rock and began to slide down to the water. I desperately tried to grab a hand hold but there was nothing but smooth rock and my friends were too far away to help. I slid into the freezing water and the current caught me and swept me downstream, picking up speed.

As if in slow motion, I swept straight past our teacher further downstream, his mouth hanging open and face wrapped in unbelief…. No sound coming from me, only a desperate plea for help from my eyes... then over the waterfall into roaring darkness…

Perhaps you are in that place, where having put your faith in Jesus you now find yourself in deep waters? Instead of the delightful waters of the river that flows from the throne room of God described in Ezekiel 47 and seemingly enjoyed by all around you, you find the waters you are in to be overwhelming, treacherous and frightening. Just as you find some relief, like a toehold on a slippery bank, you are swept on by the torrent. Your prayers don’t seem to help and your friends seem so far from you. You wonder if its ever going to pass....

If thats where you are right now, then you are in good company. Listen to what David wrote in Psalm 69

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.

Sometimes we can be in this place because of our own folly (like me racing to the stream bank), we have acted without thought or wisdom, not consulting God - or even through deliberate rebellion. But there are times when we go through extreme difficulties while in obedience to God. Remember the disciples who ran into a storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, they were there because Jesus had told them to cross over to the other side! They were in obedience! David goes on to say:

You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from You.

For I endure scorn for Your sake,
and shame covers my face.

In that place it feels as if you have become the invisible person, nobody hears your cries for help, nobody understands the trial you are going through. As Paul Simon wrote "and friends just can't be found..."

I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother’s sons;
for zeal for Your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult You fall on me.

Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none

Above all, this Psalm is a prophecy about the sufferings, scorn and rejection that Jesus would endure for us. He quotes it as being fulfilled by his rejection and persecution (John 15:25) and of what his followers would have to face. We see Him mocked and scorned and offered wine vinegar on the cross (Matthew 27:34), and even the fate of Judas Iscariot revealed (Act 1:20).

When Christ died on the cross for us, He suffered the wrath of God poured out in full strength "the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath" for our sins, so that we would never suffer wrath from His hand, but receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). While that salvation precludes us from ever receiving anything but grace and love from God, it does not preclude us from the sufferings that come as a result of following Jesus Christ. There are powers and principalities, forces of evil and wickedness at war with the saints of God to wear them down and to crush them and to prevent them from being effective in His Kingdom. Satan has asked to sift us like wheat - his boast before the Throne is that we will not stand the test, he accuses us day and night.

We cannot overcome ... it is true, we are weak earthen vessels, subject to fear, doubt and sin... But there is ONE who has overcome on our behalf, there is ONE whose robe is dipped in blood, ONE who rides forth victoriously, whose eyes blaze like fire, whose words from His mouth strike down the nations, who has prevailed, who has conquered death, who has broken the seals and opened the scroll, who has triumphed over the powers and principalities, who has made a public spectacle of them .....

He is the ONE called FAITHFUL and TRUE!!!

He is LORD of LORDS and KING of KINGS ..... His Name is JESUS!

HALLELUJAH!!

In Him and through faith in Him we overcome ....

..... everyone born of God overcomes the world.

This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1John5:4-5)

Practicing the Presence of God

In the winter of 1626, a barren tree stripped of its leaves and fruit so impacted the heart of a young man as he saw in it the hope of the coming spring - when once again leaves and flowers and fruit would appear.

This young man - later to become known as Brother Lawrence, grasped for the first time the extravagant grace of God and the all-surpassing and unfailing sovereignity of His will. This revelation "first flashed in upon my soul the fact of God" and kindled such a love for God that never ceased to burn.

He entered the monastery and having little education, was assigned the most menial of tasks - working in the kitchen and later repairing sandals. His profound daily insights and wisdom from this humble position were captured in letters and conversations that after his death were compiled into a book called "The Practice Of The Presence Of God".

Take time to hear God teaching you in your everyday activities, through everyday events. He is always teaching , always revealing Himself to us. We need to be constantly practicing the Presence of God, every moment of every day, this is what Paul meant when he said "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit".

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
(Ps 19:1-4)

As I sat polishing my sandals this morning, I said "Lord, what are you teaching me now .... "

When we are first saved, it is like putting on a new pair of shoes - our first ever! We are so excited and wear them everywhere we go, cleaning them daily and putting them neatly in place at night, always looking like new. After a while, they become a little scuffed and dirty, but also softer, more familiar - like an old friend that we are most comfortable with.

We need to be sure to take time to sit down and polish them. Its there that we notice the scuffs, the dry patches and the cracks. We can wipe off the dust and apply polish to those areas and buff the leather to a good shine.

As we take time with our Father every day, there is a cleansing away of the dust of the world that clings to us. As he applies His balm to our hearts, bringing healing to those scuff marks, the cracks and dry areas. Where we've suffered catasrophic pain or slipped and fallen into sin that has dislodged our souls; He is the One who is able to resoul, repair and restore. Above all as we gaze upon Him, He gently buffs and shines our lives until He sees in us the reflection of His Son.

"we should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of God; which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him " (Brother Lawrence, 1614-1691)

GRACE IN YOUR TIME OF NEED

Ange and the girls are enjoying a well deserved rest in South Africa at the moment, with Ange's folks on the farm. They have endured some huge battles here and I am in constant amazement at God's grace in them, revealing strength and resilience in the face of the onslaught. We cannot deny the pain and hardship we are facing, as Paul said:

 2Co 1:8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

Right now our future is uncertain, knowing God's call for us is to be here, yet finding every door closed. Trying to understand the contradiction of that can become oppressive as the Psalmist found out (Ps 73:16) .... when we look at it from our perspective it becomes overwhelming! Yet God calls us into His Presence into the Holy of Holies, the throne room of heaven, where we can be OVERWHELMED BY THE GREATNESS AND GLORY AND MAJESTY OF OUR GOD! There, we REgain the proper perspective, the eternal perspective, where we can declare with confidence:

^{Ps 73:25} Whom have I in heaven but YOU? And earth has NOTHING I desire besides you.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I shared at prayer meeting and also emailed the church a copy of Dudley Daniel's message "Kill The Baby, The Birthing Of A New Church", satan's strategy to stop or hinder the advance of God's Kingdom. We cannot afford to underestimate the scale of the warfare we are involved in, we cannot sleep in this hour. Last week it was brought to painful reality as a wonderful young missionary couple that we know, who are working with unchurched youth in schools here, suffered a devastating loss. Pregnant with their first child, an infection brought about premature labour and birth, and the child died shortly after birth. One cannot comprehend the depth of the grief and sorrow.

 

Inevitably the questions will come: "God how could this have happened to a couple dedicated to serving You?", "God how could You allow this?", questions for which there are no glib easy answers - certainly none that will bring comfort in the now. Only as the Spirit of God comes, comforting and drawing into His presence, causing the heart to cry out: "Seek His face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Ps 27:8). There in the Presence is comfort, compassion and the balm for our souls.

 

Recently Ange & I were praying and crying out to God, singing the refrain "...help me know You are near ..." over and over again. The very moment we had finished, an sms came through on my cellphone from Liz with the scripture:

^{Zep 3:17} The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

God's timing is incredible! Just the encouragement that we needed at a critical time. Sometime later, I wrote in my journal: "how can I find the strength to stand? In Christ Alone!" The next day, I had an incredibly encouraging email from Lydia and I looked at what I had written just the day before with a fresh appreciation of the Body of Christ standing together -

In Christ Alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

My Comforter, my All in All, .... here in the love of Christ I stand.

(In Christ Alone, Stuart Townsend)