John Paton and Prayer

I recently started a book by missionary John Paton called Thirty Years Among South Seas Cannibals.  I am only a few chapters into it, but already, its story is captivating, while at the same time, an example to learn from.
Paton describes a particular event during his growing-up years in which there was practically no food in the house.  His mother’s actions in response to  God’s direct provision left a lasting impression on John's young mind, as well as his spiritual life.  He says:

“My mother, seeing our surprise at such an answer to her prayers, took us around her knees, thanked God for His goodness, and said to us: ‘O my children, love your Heavenly Father, tell Him in faith and prayer all your needs, and He will supply your wants so far as it shall be for your good and His glory.”  (pg. 50-51)

And it really is true.  Praying with those two things in mind—that God will answer according to what is best for us and that He will do it according to His glory—very much affects our perspective when we see God answer prayer in ways that may not be quite what we expected!

So often, we like to think that God acts identically, given identical situations.  But He does not.  Case in point, in discussing the very courage that Paton had in trusting God’s promises and His sovereignty,

“How do you claim the promises of God for protection when your wife was equally faithful but, rather than being protected, died; and when the Gordons on Erromana were equally trusting in those promises and were martyred?  Paton had learned the answer to this question from listening to his mother pray…. This is what Paton trusted God for in claiming the promises: that  God would do what was for Paton’s good and for His own glory.” (pg. 24-25)

That moment when...

...your mental concoction of a recipe for lunch turns out!

Let me explain:

Isaac made a pretty yummy dish of stir-fried rice today.

While I've had stir-fried rice dozens of times, I've never thought to try sweet-and-sour sauce on it (at least not when I've eaten it at home.)  This time however, it just "smelled" like it needed some sauce to go with it!  But...where is the sauce?

"I think I can come up with something" I thought.

I scooped some brown sugar into a small saucepan, and poured in about the same amount of vinegar.
It seemed like it should have some mustard in it as well, so I squirted some in.

The vinegar smell coming from the pan was a little strong, so I dumped some water in to water it down a little.

As it began to heat, I had the wild idea of putting several drops of red Tabasco sauce in it.

"Now, for it to all dissolve and come to a boil. Then I'll add some cornstarch and soy sauce."  

Once it came to a boil, I added the cornstarch and soy sauce and stirred it until it thickened.

Guess what?  It turned out pretty good!

At times I don't know how to adequately express myself.  Sincere longing, yearning, and seeking hard after the Lord often get stifled by my circumstances. This song, based on Psalm 84, has been a recent reminder of what I desire to be a reality in my life right now. 

How sweet the place where You dwell, O Lord, 

My soul longs and faints for You

My heart sings out a loud song of joy 

For I have known the living God.

I want to be where You are, O Lord

I want to be where You are, O Lord

I'd rather have just one day with You

Than be anywhere else

There's no good thing that You will withhold

From those who live to follow You 

I'd rather be Your servant, O God

Than have the riches of this world

Those who follow You go from strength to strength

Those who trust in You are filled with joy.

(c) Stephen Altrogge, 2008, Sovereign Grace Praise

Describe Him: Doctor

If you doubt whether such description should be given, take a look at the Gospel of Mark.  The very first chapter produces at least three accounts in which Christ exercises His power over physical illnesses. During His ministry, Christ healed countless people with infirmities ranging from leprosy, to fevers, to blindness and lameness.  It is in the story of Lazarus, where Christ raised him from the dead that we see a glimpse of why Christ many times healed those who were sick, or had already died: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4)

Mark 2:1-12 declares the event of the crippled man with his friends who let him down through the roof of the house.  While this story is often told with the culmination of Christ telling the man to “Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house” (Mark 2:11), in reality, that is only a side-note.  The verse immediately preceding Christ’s command to get up and walk reveals a greater reason for why He would heal the crippled man: “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” Christ proved that He does indeed have power to forgive sins—that He is God!--by the very visible act of making to walk he who could not walk.

Today, God does not necessarily heal physical illnesses in the same way that Christ did during His ministry on earth.  However, we can be certain that He still acts in such a way that it is His best for that person…even if sometimes we do not understand His ways.  Keep trusting in His goodness!

Describe Him: Comfort

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”   

 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Just over two weeks ago, a fellow-student with me and Isaac our freshman year here at Cornerstone Bible Institute became one of the 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell, Arizona fire.  Isaac and I were privileged to attend the funeral service for Dustin DeFord last Saturday. The testimony for the Lord that Dustin left is being spread throughout this nation, perhaps even in different parts of the world.  The witness that his family is now having in their response to his death is an incredible testimony to the Lord.  Even so, the DeFord family and close friends of Dustin are, without a doubt, having to claim the comfort that only God can.

A quick look at a dictionary aid for Greek expands our English definition of comfort from simply being “relief from pain or anxiety” to that which is “an encouragement towards virtue” or an “exhortation, admonition or encouragement for the purpose of strengthening and establishing the believer’s possession of redemption.” ^{(The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, page 1745.)}

Somehow, in a way that I do not fully understand, this comfort that God gives to us to is then be passed on to others. First Thessalonians 4:17-18 ties together this comfort with the believer’s hope: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words." A few verses later, in chapter 5:11, the believer is again reminded to “…comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

From the testimony of the DeFord family, I believe their comfort truly does lie in their confident expectation that Dustin is at this very moment in God’s presence, rejoicing with other saints and praising the God who saved him.

Describe Him: Beginning

Perhaps one of the unique characteristic of the Godhead is that He always WAS.  At the beginning of time, He existed.  At the end of time, He will exist.  Today, He exists.  God had no beginning and He will have no end. 

Genesis 1:1—”In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  When time, history, creation began, God was there.  He is the One who created it all.

John 1:1-2—”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God."  Again…the beginning.   Verse 14 interprets “The Word” for us: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Christ, the Word, was at the beginning, with God.” Just think: where would we be if Christ had not been made flesh and dwelt among man?

1 John 1:1-2—”That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.)  This verse ties together Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, with John 1:1-2 "God made flesh, walking among mankind, who is now the One declared to be the bearer of eternal life, with such truths being declared to result in fellowship and joy for the believer: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:3-4)

Rejoice, for “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

Describe Him: Advocate

1 John 2:1 declares “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

As I read this verse this morning, I knew I had to write on Jesus Christ, our Advocate. I am not a deep theological thinker, so simply put, Christ is the One who stands before the Father on our behalf.  We are the ones who have sinned, and He is our "substitutionary, intercessory advocate.”   Christ has not only finished the work necessary for the believing sinner to be called righteous before the Father, but He now pleads our cause after we become righteous.  While Christ has conquered the penalty of sin, the presence of sin in the believer’s life is never completely gone while we are alive here on earth. Such a state of sinlessness will only take place when the believer is in heaven.

Because of the continual presence of sin, the believer still sins. The believer still needs One to stand before the Father to declare that He has paid the price of His blood to make this poor sinner righteous in the sight of God.  This is a marvelous truth.  Praise God for a salvation that remains secure, despite sin in the believer’s life.  Praise God for a Savior “that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)  He does not condemn the sinner who believes on Him.  Rather, He “ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

The holiness of God demands justice be paid for sin.  The blood of Christ paid the one-time price of redemption and righteousness.  The advocacy of the Son before the Father pleads the positional righteousness of the believer.  Praise God.