Devotions

It is not a sin for a believer to ask why; even our Lord asked this question as he hung in pain on the cross (see Matthew 27:46). We may sometimes cry out, “Lord, why are you putting me through this? I know it does not come from your hand, but still you are allowing the devil to harass me. When will it ever end?”

The secular demands an explanation for all the pain and suffering in life. They say, “I simply can’t believe in your God; I must have more love than he does because if I had the power, I would stop all this suffering.” I am not going to attempt to answer why there is famine, flooding, disease and destruction but I do know that as the world questions, I can respond, “He is weeping over what humankind has done.”

In my opinion, no person other than Jesus has suffered so much as Paul, in so many ways at the hands of so many people. At the very point of his conversion, Paul was forewarned of the sufferings he would face: “But the Lord said … ‘I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’” (Acts 9:15-16). Jesus himself was declaring here, “I’m going to show Paul how greatly he will suffer for my name’s sake.” Likewise, if you have set your heart wholly on Christ, determined to know him intimately, you will experience hard times and afflictions that cold, carnal Christians know nothing about.  

David writes, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

While God did not bother to explain anything to Paul or bring an end to his sufferings, he revealed to him how he would make it through each trial with victory: “[Jesus] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9). You don’t need to understand it all — God’s grace is all you will ever need.

The prophet Isaiah said of Israel: “‘Woe to the rebellious children,’ says the Lord, ‘who take counsel but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin’” (Isaiah 30:1). The Hebrew word for woe here signifies a deep sorrow and grief over what God describes as rebellion, meaning backsliding, stubbornness, a turning away.

Simply put, God said, “My people no longer consult me. They don’t look to me for guidance and counsel. Instead, they lean on the arm of flesh and every time they act without seeking me, turning to the world for help, they pile sin upon sin. They have forsaken their trust in the strong arm of the Lord.”

Today, we think of rebellion as refusing to obey God’s Word and turning to drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality and other gross sins. But the rebellion God refers to here is far more grievous than these things. The Lord’s own people were saying, “Let’s not bother God with this; we have the wisdom and we’ll do it on our own.”

God’s people knew full well that they were to trust the Lord in every situation, no matter how insignificant. The Psalms constantly reminded them of this: “My soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge” (Psalm 57:1). “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice” (Psalm 63:7).

The Lord is grieved when you take steps to make your plans work without waiting for him to act. You really want to pray about everything and let God have control but too often when a crisis arises and things seem to be progressing slowly, you end up taking matters into your own hands. You may grow impatient with the Lord’s timetable but it is vital to remember that your own reasoning will not bring about God’s best plan. And the Word promises a place of refuge and rejoicing when you trust in him.

The Lord is preparing to pour out his Spirit on his people in these last days and I know you want to have a part in it. In order for this to happen, we must move ever closer to him — in our worship, obedience and diligence. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Multitudes of Christians allot hours for indulging in sports, movies, shopping, pleasures of all kinds, but they devote to God an ever-diminishing amount of time, resulting in laziness of spirit. But God’s grace toward us is boundless. Jesus assures us, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The message here is clear: Devote more of yourself to him and he will pour out his glory on you.

God longs to do for us “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). This is why he wants a people who have a ravenous appetite for him. He wants to fill you with his awesome presence, beyond anything you have experienced in your lifetime.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

“We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God” (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The Greek word for abound means to exceed, excel — to have enough and to spare, over and above, excessive, exceedingly abundantly above, beyond measure. Paul is saying, “God’s glory in your life is going to exceed the little moments you have had up until now. Your prayers are no longer going to be just asking a blessing over your meals. You are going to pray morning, noon and night.”

Some believers only pray when they are being disciplined by God. They are convicted and feel bad and begin to pray, and then gradually forget to pray again. The Bible says, “My people have forgotten me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32).

In your case, it may not be that you do not pray, it’s just that you don’t have a formal prayer time. It is not that you don’t bow your knee to the Lord, but that you forget him. You don’t forget to pray, you forget the Lord.  When you remember the Lord, you pray. You cannot think about him without addressing him and adoring him. You cannot adore him without seeking him and you cannot seek him without praying.

Prayer comes naturally to people who remember the Lord. When we forget him for a few days, he brings subtle, loving reminders. When we forget him for longer periods of time, he begins to stir us. When we forget him for “days without number,” he brings his discipline into our personal lives and also into our nation. When a nation begins to forget about God, he stirs up that nation in a way that causes it to come back to him and seek his face.

What God wants is very simple. He wants devoted, single-minded worshipers, and intercessors who seek his face day and night. He wants people who will go all-out for him.

Let’s consider what God does to get people in right standing with him during times like we are living in right now. He not only brings judgment on a nation but he raises up a small group of people called “remnant intercessors” and shines his glory on them. He reveals his heart to them and empowers them with his grace and authority. And then he causes them to model what he wants for that nation.

I encourage you to become a part of this fellowship of believers — those who worship God, who seek his face, and who discern his heart for his people.

The apostle Peter gave a word of warning to the people of God: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

This kind of message can be especially hard to embrace in times of peace. God’s people may easily grow complacent and forget that they live in the midst of a society that can suddenly, even violently, become opposed to Christ and his followers.

“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14).

In other words, if the world accepts you, it means that you are one of its own. But when you make the choice to leave a fallen world and embrace the value system of God’s holy Word, your life, your conversation, your heart, and your motives all change.

After speaking of the fiery trial, Peter went on to say, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15).

Before you consider yourself exempt from this warning, remember that we must put away all forms of racism and other cultural issues that are bitterly dividing our society today. We must learn to forgive and not allow this spirit of murder and hatred to get hold of us. Second, we are to be givers instead of takers. Next, we must separate ourselves from evil. Get out of that relationship, leave that club, put that book down, get off that Internet site! It is time to separate ourselves from the things that are weakening and blinding us. And, lastly, we must not live as a busybody in other people’s matters — and that includes gossiping and being critical.

Let us live in a way that the love of Christ might be known through us.  

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001.