Bare Before God

We had just bought a Nokia phone. It was more expensive than the other options we were looking at. But, we decided on this one because of its wonderful camera. Not very impressive now, but at that time it was. We enjoyed clicking pictures of our beautiful baby, the bird that landed in our balcony, and everything we could find. And we loved the pictures. But if we were being honest, the clarity of the pictures wasn't really outstanding. Well, we were not being honest. How could we be, after having spent a lot of money on it, and making a decision which we thought was right? We continued to 'marvel' at the good pictures our new phone was taking. And if a question began to rise in my mind about the quality of the pictures, I quickly managed to brush it aside.

A couple of days went by before we realized there was a plastic sticker covering the lens of the phone's camera. Seriously? We didn't see it for two full days? Embarrassed, we peeled off the sticker and took a picture. And it was significantly better. No wonder, right?

Thankfully, we were able to enjoy the full potential of the phone's camera within two days. But, do we sometimes try to put on a facade even before God? We pretend that everything is fine, but deep in our hearts, we know we are not. We do our routine prayers, and avoid addressing that area that we don't want God to be involved in. And may be, we are scared to even be honest with ourselves. So, we just keep it in, safely locked away. Is there a sin or hurt, a decision or situation you are trying to hide from God? Good luck with that! First, the most obvious reason: We can't hide anything from God! I mean, he is all-knowing. Definitely that one secret -- or a few secrets -- you are trying to keep is no exception to His limitless knowledge. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)

Second, the only one who can actually help is God. "You've messed up again, for the umpteenth time, and it is hard enough for you accept yourself, so you can't expect such a holy God to accept you AGAIN." If that's what you are telling yourself, that is a big lie keeping you from God. We tend to think God wants us to make ourselves clean before coming to Him. The Good News is, He came to us, and He wants to make us clean. Not after we are a little more presentable before Him. Right where we are, mess and all, is where He is willing to come. Like the compassionate father running to his prodigal son, who had wasted all his property, and was probably dressed in filthy clothes and smelling of pig's pods. He even embraced and kissed him. All that mattered to this father was, his son had returned. (Luke 15:20) That's our God! All He wants is for us to go to Him. Cleaning up the mess is His job, not ours. Even if we try hard, we are bound to fail. So, just get honest before Him. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9)

We see in the Bible that Jesus was often hard on the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. He even called them white-washed tombs, because they managed to put on a nice outward appearance (Matthew 23:27-29). On the other hand, Jesus was compassionate to those who were aware of their sinful state, like the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), the 'sinful' woman (Luke 7:36-50), the paralyzed man who had sinned (Luke 5:17-20), and Zacchaeus, the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10). Not only was He merciful to those who did not pretend to be perfect, but He also redeemed and restored them.

Sins and struggles, doubts and questions, fears and worries, too small or too big -- let us bring everything to God. He doesn't condemn our honesty. He is waiting to restore every part of our lives, when we come to Him as we are.

Feel Good Worship

 "The worship at church was so good today. I felt the Presence of God." 

If you are a church-goer, you've probably heard that statement or something like that. Depending on the kind of church you go to, this could even be a common post-service discussion. Or it's quite likely that you have said it yourself. I know that feeling. There are days when a song's lyrics are particularly meaningful to me, and days when I feel God close to me as I sing to Him. I am so grateful that God chooses to reveal Himself to us in ways we understand. But, there are other days when I don't "feel the Presence of God". Who is to be blamed? The worship leader didn't do a good job? Or, was I too distracted to tune into God? Well, God has promised to be with us (Deuteronomy 31:6). So, by faith, I know God is with me, whether I feel it or not.

That makes me wonder if that is even a good way to assess a worship service. What if worship is not about me feeling good? What if worship is our privilege to express our adoration to the great Creator and Savior? If we pause and realize that the object of our worship is God, I think we will be asking God to rate our worship, instead of us doing it. Inspiring music, stimulating moves, and an electric audience may be enough to impress people and draw a crowd, but God is more pleased with how true we are in our worship. (John 4:24) As the lyrics of a famous worship song goes: "You're looking into my heart". We can put up a perfect worship pose for the people around us, but God doesn't even approve if the posture of our heart doesn't match that. 

We don't want to be the ones whom God will look at and say:

"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (Isaiah 29:13)

Besides, worship is not limited to Sunday morning. It is a lifestyle. As Paul writes to the Romans, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1, 2) 

So, may be our focus as we worship God should be how He feels, not how we feel. And a more appropriate way to evaluate might be asking God, "Are you pleased with my worship, Lord?"

Heart Matters

When you commit wrong, what is more at stake -- your reputation or your relationship with God? The proper Christian answer, we know, is "our relationship with God". But let's dig a little deeper. When I tell a lie, am I more concerned about being found out or that I have hurt God's heart? When I lose my temper, am I worried about the consequences or do I quickly repent in the Lord's presence? What about my sinful thoughts and intentions that no one even knows about? When I do something that people applaud, but grieves God, whose opinion matters to me?

David had a heart that was sensitive to God, and his relationship with God held higher priority than his reputation. His "undignified" dancing upset his wife, but he was more focussed on praising the Lord with all his might. When he had committed adultery and murder, and he was convicted by prophet Nathan, his heart's cry was, "do not cast me away from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit away from me" (Psalm 51:11). He didn't pray that he would be able to keep his throne or that his reputation wouldn't suffer. He got to keep those, but that wasn't where his eyes were, or his heart was. He fully realized he had sinned against God.

But, not so with King Saul. He was more of the people pleaser. He wanted to look good in front of others. He had terribly broken God's heart; he was rejected by God, the Holy Spirit was taken away from him. Did it concern him? Not at all! His only request was to be honored before his people (1 Samuel 15:30).

No wonder David is called "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). May we, be like David, people after the Lord's own heart. Let us be focussed on pleasing Him and be quick to return to Him, even when we sin. Let us make it right with those we have wronged, even if it costs our reputation.

Not Feeling Christmassy?

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but that’s nothing close to how you are feeling? The tree is decked, the décor and lights are up, Christmas music is playing in the background, but those are not enough to lift your mood? Or worse, you don’t even feel like decorating for Christmas? You see everyone being so excited and looking festive, but you just can’t join the merriment. Or, you just pretend to blend in? There could be many reasons why. May be, you are mourning the passing on of a loved one, caring for a sick family member, recovering from sickness yourself, trying to keep up with a Christmas to-do list, or just dealing with the chaos and busyness of life in general.

If that describes you, you are in good company! Guess what? The very first Christmas wasn’t very jolly either. While young Mary and Joseph had just been processing the newly-bestowed, immense responsibility of becoming parents of the Messiah, Joseph had to take his very pregnant wife on a long journey to Bethlehem, far from home, well before the days of airplanes or trains. And, after arriving at their destination, they could find no guest room! They had to wrap their divine baby in cloths and place Him in a manger. No fancy clothes, not even a bed or a crib. That doesn’t sound very Christmassy, does it? No background music playing or no angels singing 'Gloria' as the young couple held newborn Jesus. Only a smelly stable and shepherds who had hurried to see the Savior. This was indeed a grand moment, as the Almighty became a baby, so He could open the doors of salvation to humankind. We would expect a path free of inconveniences for the King of Kings. Yet, He identified with us, even in His birth, and chose to live our kind of life.

So, that’s it? Nothing special about Christmas? Should we just return to the mundane and forget all about the celebration? No, wait! The angel announced to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) Yes, great joy! Because Jesus was born, you and I, who put our trust in Him, can have eternal life. We can enjoy joy and peace when we have a relationship with God. This kind of joy that comes from Him is deeper and long-lasting than the Christmas feeling that comes from lights and music. Even when don’t feel ‘Christmassy’ we can have Christ’s joy and peace. The kind that, I believe, Mary and Joseph had. Now, that’s so much better, because we can experience it even in the midst of the hardships of life, and all the time, not just every December.

On the other hand, if you are in a phase of dancing to Christmas music and enjoying everything about the celebration, go on! There is surely a time for festivities. Just remember the Christ of Christmas and enjoy this and every season.

The Best Time to Pray

 At times, when I listen to a sermon, I drift into resolution mode. Not on New Years’, no special occasion, and most often the preacher is not asking for a commitment, but I start thinking to myself, I need to spend more time in prayer and Bible reading. So, the sermon has really done what it is supposed to, hasn’t it? And then I also resolve to wake up early in the morning, so I can spend uninterrupted time in prayer and meditating on the Word of God. Some preachers even spell it out: early mornings are the best times to pray. Wake up early in the morning and spend a couple of hours praying. Woo! I love the idea. And here I am, all pumped up, ready to wake up at 5:30 the next morning. The night before, I set my alarm to 5:30, and I try to get to bed early, so I would get enough rest. Some days I succeed, other days, not so much. Even if I manage to get to bed on time, I am turning and tossing on the bed, because I am not used to sleeping at that hour. The alarm rings the next morning, and my body doesn’t quite like the idea of getting out of bed yet. I try again the next day, and the next, and then I give up. If I do manage to do some early mornings, I get distracted easily or doze off in prayer.

This cycle has repeated more times than I can count. I do pray, at least once a day, but my best times with God have not usually been in the wee hours of the day. Some days, I have been foolish enough to think, if I miss one morning, the next best time to come before God is the next morning. I am not denying the value of early morning quiet or an intentional time. As a stay-at-home mom, I know the demands of my day can easily pull my attention from one thing to another, before I realize I haven’t sat with God. So setting aside an intentional time is definitely valuable.

But, my view of prayer changes when I look at it as not a mere religious duty that I would either feel proud of fulfilling or feel guilty of missing. At some of my low moments, I have wondered if my entire relationship with the Lord hinges on my ability to wake up early in the morning. And then I remember His invitation is open, even to me, at any time of the day or night! "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Jesus clarifies (in v30) that He is referring to rest for our souls. And I think the 'heavy burden' mentioned here represents the man-made religious duties we so struggle to check off the list. Let me explain how I got that. When Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees at a different time, He says: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders." (Matthew 23:4). From the context of Matthew 23, it is clear that Jesus was talking about religious obligations that are imposed by religious leaders, not by God's Word.

Of course, prayer is not imposed by people, but a beautiful privilege God has opened up for all His people to talk to Him. In fact, Paul exhorts believers to pray continually (I Thess. 5:17)! But, when our good desire for an intentional time becomes a burden, prayer turns out to be a dull duty rather than a relationship-refresher. So when is the best time to pray? Morning? Evening? Late night? And my answer is, right now! Pray to him right now, as you are reading, as you are working, as you are convicted of that sin, as you realize you need His help. His ears are always open to our call. What a privilege!

Finally, a couple of practical tips for those of you like me, who have a hard time staying focussed while praying: I keep my eyes open while praying. Sounds contrary to what we've been told, but when I close my eyes, I find the chances are higher for my mind to stray elsewhere or even doze off. Another thing I have found helpful is writing down what I pray for. It is usually a list, but sometimes it could spin off to a poem of praise or a paragraph of prayer. What are some practical tips you would like to share? Please mention in the Comments section.

Towards Dependence

When I teach my children new skills, I intend for them to learn it and be able to do it themselves. When they were babies, I had to do every single thing for them, but as they grow older, my job as a parent is to teach them to do things independently. My 8-year old doesn't ask me for a cup of water every single time he is thirsty, my 6-year old doesn't ask for help to get dressed, and my 3-year old knows where to find his shoes. We appreciate this kind of independence, but this is not the way it works in our relationship with God.

Does God want us to be independent as we get confident in our new-found skills? I don't think so. As we take up that task we are not so confident in, those of us who know God would probably pray and ask for his help. But what happens as days go by? We probably get used to doing this task, we're getting better at it, and we don't have that same reliance on the Lord as we first did.

My kids and I are going through the part about the Israelites' journey through the Promised Land in our morning Bible time. As I narrate the Bible stories to my sons, I am amazed by the ability of this one man to lead the huge bunch of grumbling, complaning Israelites through an unpredictable wilderness. While it is no simple task to be a leader in any capacity, what stands out to me most at this time is Moses' dependence on God.

He seems to have mastered the habit of taking every situation to the Lord. Pharaoh's heart hardened? He called out to God. The Israelites grumbling against him? He cried out to God (Exodus 17:4). Feeling disappointed? He went to the Lord (Exodus 5:22). Did he have a request? He asked the Lord (Exodus 8:12). Faced by a problem? He took it to the Lord (Exodus 15:25). He even interceded on behalf of the very people who kept complaining against him (Exodus 32:11). What a great response! He didn't think of himself as a great and experienced leader, able to handle things himself. Instead, he recognized he was out there just doing what his Master has called him out to do. And Moses knew, the best way to do it is God's way.

As we experience more of the Lord, may we grow in our dependence on Him. Like Moses, let us go to Him in every situation -- joy, sorrow, fear, disappointment, shame, anger, embarassment, pain, guilt, everything! There is nothing He cannot handle. Yes, He loves to listen to us, and He is only a thought away.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

God, Look What I've Done For You!

Have you had moments when you thought God should be proud of you? May be when you made a great sacrifice to help another person. Or you took a stance for what was right. Perhaps you felt God’s delight for your diligence in obeying Him. King Solomon had at least one such moment. He had built something grand – a temple for God, like never before. It was an exciting time for the Israelites. God doesn’t have to dwell in a tent anymore; He would live among them in this magnificent building. At least that’s what Solomon thought. Standing before this great structure which God had chosen Solomon to build, He proclaimed, “I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever” (2 Chronicles 9:2). Perhaps he was thinking to himself, “You must be proud of me, God!”

Well, he didn’t dwell on that thought for too long. As his proclamation progressed, his attitude changed. This wise king knelt in front of all his subjects. He knew he was talking to the God of heaven. He even changed his mind about God living in the temple he built. “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” (2 Chronicles 9:18)

Ah, how true! As we come before God and look at Him more, we discover that our best efforts don’t measure up to His greatness and majesty. May we say like John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)