Peter Misselbrook's Blog
May 27 2019 - Proverbs 18 – A strong tower

The church that we attend always includes one song for the children – a song with actions. One of the favourites begins "Blessed be the name of the Lord" and has a chorus, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved."  The chorus is taken directly from Proverbs where it stands in strong contrast with the verse that follows:

 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
   the righteous run to it and are safe.
 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
   they imagine it a wall too high to scale. (Proverbs 18:10-11)

Jesus was once asked by a rich young man what he should do to be saved. Jesus told him to sell what he had, give the money to the poor, and follow him. The rich man went away sad. Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved.

The problem is not with riches themselves – they are a gift from God. The problem lies in what we do with them and what they do to us. Like the fool in Jesus’ parable, riches may seduce us into a sense of self-sufficiency; whatever life throws at us we will be able to buy our way out of it. We imagine that our riches are our security; a wall around our world that nothing can penetrate. But riches cannot buy off disease or death, either in ourselves or in those we love.  Nor can money bring happiness or contentment; we were created for more than passing material pleasures.

It is the Lord himself who is a place of safety and security to all who seek refuge in him. This is a continual theme in the Psalms (see, for instance, Psalms 46:1-3; 59:16-17; 61:1-4). I am reminded also of the lovely words of Boaz to Ruth:

May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. (Ruth 2:12)

God has become our refuge by providing us with a Saviour in the Lord Jesus. He is the one "under whose wings" we "have come to take refuge". He is our security and place of safety, no matter what may happen to us in life or in death.

But what are the practical implications of this contrast between seeking security in possessions and seeking security in Christ? How will these words shape the way we live and the decisions we make?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us that we should not always be worrying about what we will eat or drink or what we will wear. "Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" he says. God cares for the birds we see in our gardens and has clothed wild flowers with more splendour than that of Solomon. Surely we can trust God who is our heavenly Father to care for us.

This chapter is full of pithy sayings that call for careful consideration such as, "To answer before listening – that is folly and shame" (v. 13). We have all come across people like that and they can be infuriating. Or again, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord." (v. 22). We shall pick up that theme in tomorrow's reading. It is well worth reading proverbs like these slowly and thinking carefully about the wisdom each contains and how our lives are to be shaped by such wisdom.

Father God, I echo the lovely words of the psalmist, "you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to … take refuge in the shelter of your wings." (Psalm 61:3-4) I have run to Christ for refuge; may he always be my help, my strength, my hope and my boast. May I encourage others also to find their refuge and salvation in him.

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May 27 2020 - 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 – The sufficiency of grace

Have you ever thought (or said) that if only some particular circumstance of your life were different you would be able to serve the Lord so much more effectively? If only you had a better voice; if only you had been able to secure that job you really wanted; if only you had better health, more time, more money, fewer demands on you from others ...

The apostle Paul suffered with some form of troubling condition which he clearly wished to be rid of. Some think it was a problem with his eyesight. Whatever it may have been, it not only caused him personal pain, he seems to have viewed it as a threat to his ministry, as a “messenger from Satan”. On three occasions Paul asked the Lord to heal him but he was told, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul’s response to what might have seemed a disappointing answer to his prayer was, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (12:10).

Paul discovered that the grace of God is sufficient for every circumstance and that when it comes to serving God, our own “power” or personal abilities may even get in the way; it is God’s power at work in us and through us that is important. Indeed, Paul is now thankful for his disability. He recognises that he has been greatly favoured by God; he received revelations of Christ and of God’s redemptive purposes that are beyond expression. He now also accepts his disability as a gift from God, given to prevent him becoming conceited, given to keep him dependent upon God’s grace day by day. He warns the Christians at Corinth against those who boast in their spiritual attainments. They are living off their own attainments rather than depending upon God's grace.

These are hard lessons for us to learn. We find it far easier to play the “if only” game rather than truly believing, appreciating and experiencing the sufficiency of God’s grace. We find it easier to complain about those things which we view as limitations upon our lives rather than recognising that all of our circumstances are gifts from God – gifts designed to keep us close to him.

In the wonderful and profound film, Fiddler on a Roof, Tevye (Topol) sings, “If I were a rich man…” In the song he cries out God, “Would it spoil some vast, eternal plan, if I were a wealthy man?” The answer is, yes, it probably would. And it would almost certainly spoil you and your relationship with God. “Give me neither poverty nor riches” reads Proverbs 30:8-9, “but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God”. Moses wished that the Lord had given him greater eloquence so that he might be better able to challenge Pharaoh. Instead, God promised that he would go with him. Which was the better gift? We need the Lord to give us the wisdom to live well and thankfully in the context within which he has placed us.

Lord, help me this day to believe and to know that your grace is sufficient to enable me not only to live the life you call me to live, but to serve you in all you call me to do. In every situation I encounter this day, help me to prove your power in my weakness that Christ might be glorified and others may be blessed.

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Peter Misselbrook