Tag: Bible

in Jesus’ Name!

Reading Andrew Murray’s “With Christ in the School of Prayer,” has been such a great companion on my sabbatical. The book is organized conveniently into 31 chapters so I can read a chapter a day. This is my second month of doing so and it has been transformational!

“You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”  John 14:13-14

Murray writes, “He (Jesus) wanted to teach them and us that His name is our only, but also our completely sufficient, plea. The power of prayer and its answer depend on the right use of the name.” I read that and thought about all the times I prayed, “In Jesus’ name.” I thought about why I did so. Well, Jesus did say so here in John 14 as well as in John 16. But being totally honest, so often, I say those words automatically, in a very rote, end-of-a-prayer kind of way. I even rush through those words, especially when I’m hungry!

But Murray reminded me and challenged me that it is far more than a way to end a prayer. Far more! He writes,

“What does it mean to do a thing in the name of another? It is to come with his power and authority, as his representative and substitute…What does it mean when Jesus gives us power over His name–the free use of it–with the assurance that whatever we ask in it will be given to us? Jesus solemnly gives to all His disciples a general and unlimited power to use His name at all times for everything they desire. He could not do this if He did not know that He could trust us with His interests and that His honor would be safe in our hands.”

Wow! Closing my eyes, I thought about the truth of what Murray was writing. Suddenly, a relatively recent event came to mind. Last December, Jo and I were blessed with a trip to Arizona to join up with very close family friends to watch their son play in a football game. We have known this family for years, watching our kids grow up into adults. I can’t tell you what I thrill it was to finally get to see him play in person. We prayed consistently all through college and now as he plays in the NFL. As we walked with our friends to the stadium, I get a text from their son. He tells me to go to the will call window to pick up some passes for after the game. There were passes for the families to greet players following the game before they headed out. I showed the text to my friend and said, “Isn’t this just for the families of the players? Am I now His asian uncle?” He laughed and said, “Yup, that’s what you are. You are family.” So I said okay and went to pick up the passes.

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Our instructions were to go down after the game, show the pass and give the security the name of the player we were family with. For some silly reason, I was a bit nervous going down after the game. After all, I was not aware of any Asians on that team. But we followed along, got to the area, gave his name, and lo and behold, they let us in! I guess I am his Asian uncle!

Anyway, as I meditated on the truth of praying in the name of Jesus, I thought, “If giving a name of a professional football player could get me access where the general public was not allowed, that is nothing compared to the power of the name of Jesus! It’s not even close. It’s not even in the same universe!” And if I was so thrilled to give a name of a person, to say, “Yes, I know that player. He’s family,” how much more thrilled should I be to give the name of Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Really, that should be the thrill of all thrills!

The profundity of that truth and personalizing it, brought me to my knees. This was no small thing. This was far more than an end-of-a-prayer thing I say.  This is something powerful. This is something to be held with much reverence, awe, honor and respect at the power of God and His trust in us. It was also another breathtaking example of God’s great love for me. That God would entrust me with His name! To think that He loves me enough to trust me with His interests and that His honor would be safe in my hand. This was God saying, “You are family!” 

That truth leads me and draws me closer to Him. I want to be worthy of that trust and honor. It doesn’t lead me to be flippant but to more passionately seek to bring glory to Him in all that I do. It motivates me to seek Him in greater ways so that I would be in totally alignment with His will.  And from out of that alignment, I can pray with confidence, asking in the name of Jesus. What an amazing thing! May I never again just say those precious and powerful words, “In Jesus’ name!”

another step…

 

selah

One of the real blessings of this sabbatical is being able to read more books. I love books. In fact, I would tell the kids, when they were younger, that books are our friends. I’m glad they still think so.

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Over the past few days, I have been reading, “Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation” by Robert J. Morgan. It has been good to reclaim and be reminded of the value of biblical meditation.

This past few weeks have been wonderful and also faith-stretching for me. God has been drawing me to Him and away from my fears. In the midst of this time of stretching, I read this in Morgan’s book. “One of the best biblical illustrations of using meditation to gain insight into God’s Word comes from Asaph, the author of Psalms 77 and 78. We find him in Psalm 77 terribly anxious, so distraught that he couldn’t sleep.” He goes on to write words that are right where I live too often.

“How often does fear steal our sleep? Fear is like a skeletal hand that reaches into our chests, squeezing our hearts. This bony hand has many sharp fingers–anxiety, worry, anger, depression, obsession, compulsion, discouragement, jealousy, foreboding, phobia, timidity, mistrust, and that nagging sense of unease.” Robert Morgan, Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation

“Truer words were never spoken (or written).” So I began to meditate and ponder the Asaph’s words in Psalm 77. I read and reread the psalm over and over. I listened to it while eating, while showering, while … never mind. Let’s just say I asked God to speak to me through His Word in Psalm 77.

Then I began to write some of my thoughts. What was the trouble that Asaph was going through that caused him to cry out to God? How long was he going through his challenge? What do you do when fear overwhelms you so much that you declare, “My soul refuses to be comforted.”

Maybe my situation wasn’t exactly the same as with Asaph, but I could relate to his feelings and thoughts. I continued to ponder this Psalm. I wrote it out and rewrote it. I circled words. I underlined phrases. I continued to ask the Holy Spirit to illumine the Word.

Slowly I began to see. I began to see a clear, yet not easy, way through the fog of fear I so easily get stuck in. Yes, I can and need to cry out to God, especially in the day of my trouble, because He will hear me. It’s so clear that when I am overwhelmed by fear, I look inward. I focus on my fear, my trouble, and on myself. I begin, like Asaph, to look back at better days. “Oh why can’t things be like how they were? How good things were back then. Why does my life have to be so complicated now?” But I am meditating on the wrong thing, me, which leads to questions Asaph records in verses 7-9: “Will the Lord spurn forever and never be favorable again?” “Has His steadfast love forever cease?” “Are Hi promises at an end for all time?” “Has God forgot to be gracious?” “Has He in anger shut up His compassions?”

Then at the end of verse 9, Asaph writes a word, “selah.” It’s a word that many scholars far smarter than me are unsure of its exact meaning. But one of the things it can mean seems to make sense here in Psalm 77. It could mean “pause, or take time to consider.” I think that is what Asaph does here. He pauses. He ponders. He considers. For the rest of the Psalm, he chooses to remember, ponder and meditate on the goodness and faithfulness of God.

In times of fear and uncertainty, I need to be like my new buddy, Asaph. Yes, I will have trouble and fear and all kinds of challenges. Yes, I need to cry out to God. Yes, I will be tempted to focus on my troubles and wallow in my fear. But yes, I need to remember “selah” and pause. I need to pause long enough to remember, ponder, and meditate on the goodness and faithfulness of God. Because when I do, I will see that throughout my life, God has been there and His love has never failed. It makes a lot more sense to me now when John writes in 1 John 4:18:

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

Yes, indeed, God’s perfect love expels all fear. May I learn where to focus in times of fear and trouble. May I remember, not I will remember, by God’s grace:

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;  yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. Ps. 77:11-14

Thanks, Asaph!

another step…

keep going!

I was at a bookstore the other day and my eyes were drawn to a very interesting quote on a card. It read: “When you are going through hell, keep going.”

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At first I smiled as I saw the card. Then I began to think about it, ponder it. Thoughts filled my mind. The quote is attributed to Winston Churchill. Now there is some question whether he actually said this but it doesn’t really matter to me because I can see why it is believed he said it. From the little I know about Churchill and all the challenges he faced as a leader, I could imagine the hell he went through.

Thinking about the quote, I thought, “Hmm, that’s true, if I’m going through hell, why would I want to stay there? Instead of wallowing in a hellish situation or trial, doesn’t it make sense to keep on going! That’s not a destination the that is not appealing at all to me.” Wasn’t the message of that quote the exhortation of Scripture? Didn’t Paul go through hell? What did he do? He pressed on. He kept going.

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Phil. 3:14

Wasn’t it a huge transition for the Jews to leave their traditions behind to follow Jesus?They experienced the challenges that sin presents just like we do. What was the exhortation to them, keep going? And Jesus went through hell, enduring the cross. He endured and kept going.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Heb. 12:1-2

“When you are going through hell, keep going…” I thought about that all day. I thought about Winston Churchill. I wondered, “What was Churchill’s motivation? What would inspire him to keep going, despite all he encounters, all the weight on his shoulders?” As I pondered that, I found a book, “God and Churchill.” On a whim, I purchased it.  Reading the story of this interesting man, I found his motivation.

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Churchill had a very memorable conversation with a close friend at the age of 16, about destiny, more specifically, their own. His friend asked, “Will you go into the army?” Churchill replied, “I don’t know. It is probable; but I shall have great adventures soon after I leave here.” As the conversation continued, his friend said quizzically, “You do not seem at all clear about your intentions or desires.” Churchill being Churchill shot back, “That may be but I have a wonderful idea of where I shall be eventually. I have dreams about it.” Then he said something incredible. He shared what I believe became his motivation, what inspired him to keep going. He had a dream, which I would say, was a prophetic dream from the Lord. A dream that would, very soon, come to past.

At the young age of 16, Churchill said of that dream,

“Well, I can see vast changes coming over a now peaceful world; great upheavals, terrible struggles; wars such as one cannot imagine; and I tell you London will be attacked and I shall be very prominent in the defense of London…This country will be subjected somehow, to a tremendous invasion, by what means I do not know, but I tell you I shall be in command of the defenses of London, and I shall save London and England from disaster.”

“Will you be a general, then, in command of the troops?”asked his friend. Churchill continued,

“I don’t know. Dreams of the future are blurred, but the main objective is clear…I repeat–London will be in danger and in the high position I shall occupy, it will fall to me to save the Capitol and save the Empire.”

That was absolutely astounding to me! The incredible dream. Seeing from history the incredible fruition of that dream. The seemingly unsurmountable challenges Churchill faced. That is where that quote finds its origin. “When you are going through hell, keep going…” Winston Churchill went through hell and kept going. An author of another book about Churchill wrote, “Without Churchill the world today would be unrecognizable–dark, impoverished, tortured. … Above all, victory required one man without whom the fight would have been lost at the beginning. It required Winston Churchill.”

Abiding and following Jesus brings all kinds of challenges, sometimes hellish troubles and trials. What will be my motivation to keep going? It must be the same with Churchill, God’s call on my life. Heading into this new decade of my life, I asked God if this could be the most significant, most fruitful, decade of my life. A decade that would bring Him much glory. I sensed God’s affirmation and encouragement. I felt God say, “Yes, it will be. You have and are being prepared. Keep abiding in My Son. And watch what I will do.” That is my motivation. What specifically does that mean? Churchill’s words resonate with me. “I don’t know. Dreams of the future are blurred, but the main objective is clear.” I don’t know but may this next 10 years bring God much glory. May I be so focused and motivated that I can say, “When you are going through hell, keep going.”

another step..going to to keep going!

yes, Jesus loves me

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”  Romans 5:5

I struggled with the truth that God loved me for a long time. Questions like, “How could God love a person like me?” “Why would God love a person like me?” had no answers. Even as a child, there was a false belief that the one true God, the God of the Bible, loved white kids, black kids, but not Asian kids like me. Why believe such a crazy thing? But as silly as this sounds, every picture, every book, everywhere I saw a picture of Jesus surrounded by children, none of the them looked like me. That’s crazy, I know. But as a little guy, I just made that nutty assumption.

Then later when I placed my faith in Jesus, I knew in my mind that Jesus loved me. It said so in black and white in the Scriptures. I mentally believed that. I had to. But within my heart, there was more hope than faith. I hoped He loved me. I hoped He accepted me and died for me. I hoped, but I didn’t necessarily believe that in my heart.

In fact, I felt I needed to earn God’s love. I had to show Him that I was worthy of His love. I had to repay God for all He had done for me. Alas, it’s a debt that is impossible to repay, but for years I tried. I tried really hard.

Then on a fateful day in 1984, my father suffered a massive heart attack. Upon hearing the news, we rushed over to the hospital, praying the entire time. Praying for healing. Praying for mercy. And for 5 minutes. 5 minutes. I asked God that even if this was time for my dad, I wanted just 5 minutes to tell him how much I loved and appreciated him. Just 5 minutes. We arrived at the ER and was told that despite all their efforts, my dad didn’t pull through. All I felt was numbness. Numbness and the reinforced false belief that God didn’t truly love me. I couldn’t even get 5 minutes so I needed to do more.

Paul tells us in Romans 5:3-4, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” And God is true to His Word! Even in the toughest situations in our lives, God is doing something. He is strengthening the hope we have in Jesus. He’s doing so whether I believe it or not, whether I feel it or not. But the best part, the game changer for me is what Paul writes in verse 5. In light of all that I go through, all the lies I believed, the hurts, the pain, the confusion, anything and everything, He’s been at work in my life. The truth is, God has always been there. God has always loved me. Yes, God does love even Asian kids! 

On a very, very special day, the Holy Spirit filled my heart with His love. On that unforgettable day, God made it very clear to me that despite my crazy ideas, He indeed did love me. and began to fill my heart with His love. Despite the confusion I felt when my dad passed away. Despite all the times I felt God wasn’t there or all the times I felt my prayers didn’t make His ears. It was 27 years ago today God showed me clearly how much He really did love me.

You see, since high school, my biggest dream was not being rich or famous or successful. It wasn’t even to have a comfortable life. My biggest dream was having a wonderful family. That was it. A wonderful, close knit family. A loving wife and children to love. And I wanted a daughter, at least one. I did want sons. Every dad wants sons. But for some reason, I always wanted my firstborn to be a girl. Well, 27 years ago today, God, the Holy Spirit, filled my heart with His love. It was 27 years ago today, August 18, 1990, that we welcomed our firstborn,  our precious daughter, Michelle, into our family! With all the lies in my mind, I just couldn’t believe that she was real. I couldn’t believe that God would love me enough to make my dream come true. I remember just staring at her, with wonder and a love I had never experienced before, the love of a father! I remember carrying her from the birthing room to the nursery. Never in my life did I carry something so precious in my arms.

That was the beginning of God filling my heart with His love and dusting away all the lies I had believed. It was the beginning of truly experiencing God’s love in my heart and not just my head. It was the beginning of experiencing the amazing love of my Father, who loved me for who I was and not what I did. It has been a process. I am still under construction. But that was the beginning. Happy Birthday, dear daughter. Thank you for being a living reminder of God’s love to me. Thank you for being you. May the Holy Spirit fill you to overflow, God’s love for you. Happy Birthday!

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a look back, and another step…

 

abiding is investing

A professor once said, “You will invest your life in something, or you will throw it away on nothing.” Funny how that makes so much more sense to me today than it did, now over 30 years ago! Crazy how time flies.

I think about that often these days. What am I truly investing my life in? It’s not what I say I am investing my life in. No, no, no. That’s too easy and so often not true. If I want to know what I am investing my life in, I must look at what I spend my time in. What I spend my resources on. What I think about throughout the day. If I am to be painfully honest with myself, that is where I will find my investment of my life. And being painfully honest with myself, I sure throw a lot of it away on nothing.

As I journey to draw closer to God and learn how to truly abide in Him, I must honestly look within. Jesus said something in John 5:37-40 that causes me to again pause, think, and assess where I am. Am I investing my life in a pursuit to love God and love others? Am I taking steps in abiding in Him?

Jesus said, “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” 

I love how Jesus gets to the heart of things. As I read this over and over,  I hear Him saying to me, “Mark, do you see how fear really hinders you from truly abiding in Me? And fear is really a lack of faith and trust. You can search the Bible from cover to cover but understand that the Bible points you to me. Isn’t it time to come to Me? Isn’t it time to come to your Father in heaven? Isn’t that what you felt when you felt you were home? Come and experience life. That’s at the heart of abiding.” 

Yes it it. Yes it is. Father, help me to come to you. To come to you, even in the midst of my fears. To come to you, in the midst of times of great joy and happiness. Draw me to you, that I might abide in You. Yes, that’s my prayer. Abiding in investing my life in You.

Another step…