Forget not all His benefits

I’m told that a new way of life is developing in some suburbs of Harare. Since the electricity comes on between midnight and four in the morning, people go to bed early, wake up at midnight to cook, wash and iron, and then go back to sleep again. Some friends of ours, however, haven’t received a single electron for more than three days.

This morning, I was up early taking Matthew to a Saturday athletics meet. I could hardly get out of my driveway there were so many water tankers buzzing around my neighbourhood making water deliveries. Our area hasn’t had a drop of municipal water for ... ten days? I think it’s been about ten days. Actually, I can’t remember. But, hey, we’ve had it easy; some people haven’t had municipal water for years.

Anyway, what with one thing or another, some people I know have had a belly full of it. And from time to time they get that stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off feeling. I don’t blame them. But our experiences do show that there is truth in Jesus’ statement that “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Our fallen world will never be a place of comfort or safety. And at least our Zimbabwean experience denies us the illusion that life is stable. We are so frail. And our fragile lives depend on so many things that we have absolutely no control over.

It is no wonder that the psalmist wrote:

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more (Psalm 103:15-16)

However, he then goes on to say:

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. (Psalm 103:17-18)

God has an everlasting love for you. His love endures from this life to the next. In fact, without His love, you won’t make it to heaven. Continue to respect and honour God, walking daily in His ways and everything will turn out ok in the end. Yes, you may not have water today, but “forget not all his benefits” (Ps. 103:2). Perhaps you should remind yourself of them by reading Psalm 103. I did, it was like drinking from a mountain stream on a hot day.

Cheers for now - Ian

Keep it real!

“Testimonies” at Christian meetings have great entertainment value. They can be better than reality TV ... by a long way. One testimony I heard years ago started with the words: “Six weeks ago, my parachute didn’t open. So I fell to my death. But praise the Lord, God raised me from the dead.”

I kid you not. That got our attention I can tell you. As one, we pastors stiffened, waiting for the young man to claim that his resurrection had happened on the third day! We would have taken him down quicker than you could say “schizophrenic” let alone “illusions of grandeur”.

Then there are those people who use testimonies to confess the sins of others whilst making themselves look good. “We had a bad day yesterday. It began with a puncture on the school run. My husband got out to the change the wheel, but before long he was swearing and throwing his tools out of the cot. Fortunately, with God’s help, I was able to calm him down and point out where he was going wrong. Isn’t God good?” Indeed He is, but you have a problem with spiritual pride, madam. In fact, I am surprised you don’t have a problem with loose teeth!

Occasionally, one experiences the jaw-dropping wonder of listening to someone who has learnt completely the wrong lesson from a close shave. “Last weekend, I joined the bikers’ weekend run to the Vumba. As I was coming into Marondera doing about 160 km/h, I was shocked to see a policeman step into the road. I was in an 80 km/h zone which meant I would be liable for a jail sentence. Immediately, I started praying in tongues under my breath. To cut a long story short, I got off with a stiff fine – Praise the Lord! Then, by the grace of God, I was able to catch up with the rest of the guys by sitting at 220 km/h – hallelujah!” 

Stunned silence!

God’s grace for other road users should have had this lunatic locked up with his own helmet for a chamber pot.

The last men’s breakfast I attended, however, had testimonies of a different nature. One elderly gentleman stood up to tell us that he had recently been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour in his neck. He had decided against chemo therapy and would let the illness take its terminal course. He was at peace with his decision. Would we pray for him till the end?

Another man admitted to having a problem with fear. He had been a Christian for close on thirty years, but he had only recently realised just how frightened he really was. All sorts of things made him afraid. Things like border crossings and his work.

What struck me about this man’s testimony was that he didn’t say, “I used to have a problem with fear, but God has helped me to get over it.” He admitted to being a work in progress. He confessed to weakness. You don’t hear that in too many testimonies. In fact, I think he is the first man I’ve ever heard confess to being afraid and anxious. Men just do not get afraid or anxious. That is for women and children. Men might get “stressed” or they might be “under pressure”, but they never get scared. Or do they?

All I can say is well done, sir, for keeping it real. After all, isn’t that what real men are supposed to do?

Cheers for now - Ian

Your kingdom come

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (from the Lord’s Prayer – Luke 11:2-4 and Matt. 6:9-13) .

How often have I prayed these words without reflecting on their true meaning? Come to think of it, what do they mean?

Let’s take the first phrase, “your kingdom come”. The word kingdom refers to the kingly rule of God. This kingly rule is both a present and a future reality. At present, God’s kingly rule has been established in every believer. Those that believe and follow Christ have God ruling in their hearts.  In this sense, then, much of the world does not belong to the kingdom of God.

One day, however, "the kingdom of the world [will] become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). This will happen when Christ comes for the second time. Bring it on, I say!

 Therefore, when we pray “your kingdom come” we pray that God’s kingdom will spread one heart at a time until its full and final consummation at the return of Christ. This is not to say that every person will believe before Christ returns but rather that the harvest will have been completed.

The prayer “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is very similar to “your kingdom come”. In heaven, the heavenly beings carry out the will of God with complete obedience. We want the same thing to be true on earth. We want people on earth to follow the will of God in the same way as the heavenly beings do: with complete obedience.

It is significant that the Lord’s Prayer begins with an upward focus - “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” – followed by an outward focus: “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. The inward focus of provision, forgiveness and protection comes last. Focusing upwards to God and then outward to a dying world brings my personal needs into perspective.

So lately, I have been spending more time than I used to praying for the lost amongst my family and friends. I pray that God’s rule would be established in their hearts through conversion. I pray that they would start following God with complete obedience. And I pray for organisations like Alpha Zimbabwe, Foundations for Farming and Harvest church, for they are building the kingdom of God. Lastly, just as Jesus taught us, I try to make these prayers near to the beginning of my prayer time, before I get too bogged down with my own needs.

Cheers for now - Ian