Wilderness Wanderings

"How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2).

Jesus once asked the question, "What do you want?" (Luke 18:45 TLB)

Some of you may be looking in the refrigeration to get some breakfast. I'm not interested in what you want for breakfast. When we ask this question, we generally are not interested in trivial things. We desire a deep, profound answer. Sometimes we ask it differently, "What you want written on your tombstone?" or "What you want people to say about you at your funeral?" or "What legacy do you want to leave behind?"

I get irritated with stories in which a character immediately knows the answer to such a question. Most people cannot answer it quickly. Our answer will differ depending on the day and the things happening around us. I'm not always sure if there is one thing that I really want.

But knowing what we want is important. Years ago, when it was still okay to say such things, G. K. Chesterton wrote, "Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God." The only difference between that person and the one who kneels to receive the Lord's Supper is that the former is looking for satisfaction in the wrong place. This person does not know that it is God who is being sought for.

It's the same with all our appetites and longings: a bigger house; a faster car; better make-up; successful children; political positions.

We want many things. But getting these things doesn't satisfy. In fact, they tend to kill us. We humans have an infernal habit of mistaking the things God gives for the God who gives them. We tend to worship the things God gives, rather than God himself. As Paul once wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised! Amen" (Romans 1:25).

God made everything for His glory, to show off His greatness. The things He created all point back to Him. They remind us that He is our true home, our destination. Sin makes creatures our home rather than God to whom they point. Worshipping God's creation will be our death.

The psalmist knew this. He was away from Jerusalem and longed to be home. Not because he worshipped that city but because in Jerusalem was God's temple, God's presence on earth. That is where he encountered God. That was joy.

This is even truer for us, followers of Jesus. We are his temple. God is right here, where we are. But do we want him? Is he our joy?

In the long road through the wilderness of our lives, we can take either of two roads. On the one road, we focus on all the things that we can't enjoy right now. We can feed our longing for them.

The other road is the one the psalmist took. Rather, than feeding his longings for stuff, he fed his longing for God. We can take that road too. We can ask the Spirit to sift our desires so that increasingly we long for God. Then, when someone asks us that irritating question, "What do you want out of life?" we know our answer.

Let us pray that He will always be our joy and that we will always sing His praises and not the praises of the things He made.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).

In our day, it is difficult to gaze into the future. Destructive weather patterns, inflation, political polarization, and corrupt church leaders and politicians give us little hope for a brighter tomorrow. It is easy to give in to despair. Yet, Christians remain people of hope. As the "Contemporary Testimony, Our World belongs to God", says, "God is present in our world by his Word and Spirit. The faithfulness of our great Provider gives sense to our days and hope to our years. The future is secure, for our world belongs to God" (#13, 1978).

Even though, through Christ, we are children of God, none of us can imagine how wonderful our future will be. It will be more magnificent than any of us can imagine since our minds are fixed in this reality. Certainly, it will not be a boring place. There will be an incredible variety of things for us to do and discover. One thing is certain, we will do everything for the glory of God. Everything we do will give him praise.

We should spend time dreaming about this future to fill our hearts with hope. To dream about it, and be filled with hope for it, we must first believe it. The Bible speaks repeatedly about the certainty of this future. Here is something that is more certain than the tax bill.

We must believe that we are headed towards this future. It is guaranteed. Why must this be firmly fixed as part of our faith? Because this hope is frequently given in the context of our suffering for the gospel. Recently, we reflected on Romans 8:17; today 1 Peter 1:6,7. In both passages the apostles tell us about the certainty of our future. They also warn us that the way to that future is not an easy one.

This does not make for good preaching or a morning inspirational. Christianity is not easy. The New Testament has frequent warnings that following Jesus Christ is costly. Did you count the cost before you threw in your lot with Him? In our panic to keep church pews filled with warm bodies, we often neglect to consider the cost of following Jesus.

So how have you suffered for the gospel? For most of us, this is probably a difficult question to answer. We may have given some money and some of our time. This is good. But have we suffered? What did it cost us? Did it mean that we were not able to afford the larger house or car? Did it mean we couldn't go on the vacation we were dreaming of? Have we walked with some of the poorest? Have we persevered in prayer for an unbelieving friend until God answered us? Can we really say that we have suffered for the gospel? Has following Jesus cost us?

Is suffering so important? Well, Peter says that suffering refines our faith. It strengthens our faith; gets rid of its shallowness. Our faith is of greater worth than gold...now wait a minute. There is something to ponder: our faith is worth more than gold. Do you consider your faith that valuable? God does! He is not content when our faith is small and weak. He wants our faith robust and strong. Suffering often brings that about. Yet, we run away from it. We panic and declare that life is unfair.

God, on the other hand, says, "Come here. Walk with me. Let me show you that I can lead you through the suffering. Let me show you that I am sufficient for your needs." Only when we allow God to lead us through the suffering, will our faith get strengthened. In the suffering, our eyes are turned towards the future and we live "confidently, anticipating his coming, offering him our daily lives-our acts of kindness, our loyalty, and our love-knowing that he will weave even our sins and sorrows into his sovereign purpose. Come, Lord Jesus, come" (CT #57 2008).

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Ezekiel 36:16-38 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection.

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In!

1. What is the context of this passage? How should you/we see ourselves in this chapter?
2. Why is God promising to restore Israel? How can we be sure that it will happen?
3. God promises to cleanse, give his people new hearts, and give his Spirit. Take time this week to reflect on how you have experienced these promises. Ask God to fulfill them in your life.
4. How do these promises impact how we face the realities of sin in our lives and in this world?

Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord (Ezra 8:35).

Ezra 8 records a second group of exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem. On arrival, they have what appears to be an impromptu worship service, Old Testament Israelite style, that is. But, upon closer inspection a story is being told.

The group is led by Ezra who has spent his life studying the law of God. Ezra knows Moses well, very well. This journey from Babylon echoes Israel's journey from Egypt under Moses. Ezra follows the pattern he had laid down.

The most significant is the gathering of the Levities. This tribe had stood for the Lord while Israel prostrated themselves to the golden calf (Exodus 32). In response, they were set apart for special work for the Lord. In his final prayer, Moses says about Levi: "he watched over your word and guarded your covenant. He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar" (Deuteronomy 33:9-10). Knowing this, Ezra will not leave Babylon without an escort of Levites.

Ezra doesn't have the ark or tabernacle for the Levites to care for and carry. But he assigns the temple money and articles to the care of the priests and Levites, appointing twelve of each to this duty, echoing the original 12 tribes. He ensures proper stewardship of God's holy belongings by scrupulously measuring and counting the items at both beginning and end of the journey.

The gathering for sacrifices is also a result of this careful attention to the law of Moses and echoes Israel's original entrance to the land. This careful attention to the number and types of sacrifices indicates Israelites identify as God's covenant people and desire to be faithful to God.

There is another layer in this story. One showing God's provision. He brings them capable Levites (18). He gives them a safe journey (23, 31). All the donated items are accounted for in Jerusalem (34). The king's orders result in assistance from the government officials.

As God redeemed Israel from Egypt, he is now redeeming them from Babylon. As God, through Moses, called Israel to be faithful, he now, through Ezra, calls for faithfulness. These sacrifices indicated Israel's intention to leave behind the ways of Egypt and Babylon and embrace the ways of God.

Both these redemption stories point forward to the greater redemption story in Jesus Christ. Jesus is greater than both Moses and Ezra. He is the greatest and the final Levite. Not only does he teach us God's way, He is God's way. And he gives us His Spirit to lead us in the way of faithfulness.

He does not lead us in sacrifice, He is our sacrifice. He gave his own life that we may live. "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5,6).

Under Moses and Ezra, Israel needed to make the journey to the promised land, with lethal hazards along the way. Jesus makes it for us. By faith in him, we are already citizens of God's kingdom. By faith in him, when we die, we will enter the glory of God's presence. Until that day, we "who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). As Israel left behind Egypt and then Babylon to become God's holy people, the Spirit leads us to leave behind the ways of world, to become God's holy community.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God our Father himself infuse you with strength and purity, filling you with confidence when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers" (1 Thessalonians 3:13). "May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (5:23).

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).

Most of us spend the occasional moment dreaming about the future. When we are young, we tend to dream about our futures in this world. Older Christians might dream about the life to come. God would have us dream about this future.

There are various ways in which the Bible speaks about this life to come, the life in the new heavens and earth. Many of these references are astonishing. They often go beyond what we dare to dream. Take for example, Romans 8:17, "Now if we are children [of God], then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..."

Here, the Bible uses very human language to express an astonishing truth. We all understand that an heir receives the material possessions of a person who has died. We are named an heir by someone who loves us and wants to bless us. Some of us have received an inheritance when someone we knew, probably a family member, died. This we understand.

But this verse says that we are heirs of God. It's not that God is going to die, but at some point, everything God has will be given to his children. But what does this mean? Paul elaborates when he writes, "we will be co-heirs with Christ." We know that Christ will receive the glory he had from the beginning of time, the glory of God himself.

Now Jesus, being the Son of God by his nature, has a right to this glory. But we will somehow share this glory with him. Not because we have a right to it, but because of God's grace. He wants us to share it with him. But what is this glory?

Again, it is difficult for us to use human language to adequately describe God's glory. In one sense, we can say that it is his presence. His presence radiates his glory. We could describe it as pure, unblemished, holy. We could imagine a world without anything wrong in it: no death; no physical or mental illness; no earthquakes; no war; no poverty. We also need to imagine it as an existence without selfishness, lust, pride, arrogance, greed, or any other human vice. It is a place of pure goodness.

But it is also a place where all our endeavours turn out. We are successful in everything we do. All new technologies and tools are useful and will do no harm to people or their environment. And all these things will give glory to God. All of us will be artists in our own fields. Our art will be beautiful.

Is all of this going too far? Not at all, Jesus says that "the meek will inherit the earth" and the "poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:5,3). In the end these two places will be one and the same. It is our inheritance.

But Paul does include this: before we inherit, we must join Christ in his sufferings. Not in his salvific suffering on the cross, but his suffering of humility as recently described in Philippians 2. This is the suffering we endure for the sake of the kingdom. This is the cost of discipleship. What might this involve: a smaller vacation so that more can be given to the poor or kingdom causes; giving up a promotion because it demands too much time; offering oneself as a volunteer during retirement; putting aside part of our income as a gift to God; befriending that unliked person.

When you dream about the future, what do you dream about? Do you dream about what probably won't come about, or about what is certainly going to happen? Do you ponder the cost of following Jesus?

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The book of Ezra began with God moving the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to made provision for Israel to return to Jerusalem. Once there, they began rebuilding the temple of God with finances from the royal treasury. Its curious that this book was given the name Ezra, since he doesn't show up till this chapter.

The Bible's main task is to tell us about God. Here, he comes across a bit mischievous, in the best sense of the word. Ezra is introduced this way: "Ezra came up from Babylon" (7:6).

What was Babylon? It was the city of the emperors who tried to eradicate Israel. The story of Esther and the stories in Daniel tell us just how strong the enmity towards the Jews was. It wasn't just Israel, but Israel's God, that was the issue. This God needed to be dethroned.

But now, out of this Babylon comes Ezra, who "had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel". So, while Daniel and his friends were being persecuted by the establishment and while Haman was scheming genocide against the Jews, God had a secret agent studying his law in Babylon. And when the time was right, he emerges and travels to Jerusalem fully prepared to teach this law to the returned exiles.

And the story gets even better. He has a letter from King Artaxerxes in his back pocket which includes, "And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment" (Ezra 7:25-26).

From out of the city that tried to annihilate God's people, thus, dethroning the Lord, the human king sends forth someone who has the capacity to teach the ways of God to this new community. Rather than being defeated, Israel's god is re-establishing a people who will worship him.

What happens when Ezra arrives in Jerusalem? The people have been here for some years already. Will they accept this newcomer? The book of Nehemiah takes up the story.

"All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So, on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law" (Nehemiah 8:1-3).

From daybreak to noon, they stood and listened attentively. Well, that puts perspective to the words of Psalm 119: "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path" (105). The scriptures don't become a lamp and light just because we want them to; we must make the commitment to know them.

Historians have noted that revival in the church includes a renewed commitment to studying the scriptures. Paul tells us that "these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did (1 Corinthians 10:6). He was referring to Israel's wanderings in the wilderness with Moses, but I think the Babylonian exile counts as well. Summer is as good a time as any to renew our commitment to knowing the Word of God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

The Spirit you received doesn't make you slaves. Otherwise, you would live in fear again. Instead, the Holy Spirit you received made you God's adopted child. By the Spirit's power we call God Abba. Abba means Father. The Spirit himself joins with our spirits. Together they tell us that we are God's children. (Romans 8:15,16).

In the beginning, before there was anything wrong in this world, our first parents lived without fear or shame in the Garden God had made for them. When they sinned, both shame and fear came crashing down upon them. It invaded their souls and shaped they lives. They were ashamed of their nakedness and attempted to cloth themselves. They were afraid of God when he approached them, so they attempted to hide from him.

Human history has been a sorry tale of fear and shame and hiding ever since. We ourselves are subject to the same fears and shames that afflicted Adam and Eve. Like Adam and Eve, we try to cover ourselves up. We try to pretend that we are not afraid, we can conquer everything. We pretend we are "pretty good" people, so we have nothing to be ashamed of.

But we know this is not true. We are afraid; afraid of failing; afraid of rejection. We are ashamed; ashamed of what we have done; ashamed of whom we are. But why do we try to cover up? Why do we pretend we are not afraid? Pretend we have nothing to be ashamed of? We pretend because we want to be liked. We want people to think well of us. We do not want to be left alone, friendless. We want to be accepted.

We believe that we must earn the right to be in relationship with others. Even when it comes to family, we fear we will be rejected. After all, how many people have not had that experience? There is ample evidence that the fear in our hearts is legitimate. If we only try harder, it may not happen.

For this reason, Jesus came into the world. He came to remove our shame and our fear. John wrote that to everyone who believes in Jesus, he gives "the right to become children of God" (John 1:12, 13). When Adam and Eve sinned, they were banished from the garden. This was also symbolic of their banishment from the presence of God.

Jesus came to remove that banishment. He came to make us children of God once again. This is who we are. This fact has tremendous import for us. In a world with very little security, not even in families, the fear of rejection is real. But here, says the Bible, is one thing that is guaranteed. By faith, we are children of God. Period! End of story! Nothing can take that away. Here in lies our security. God declares that we are his children. He does not go back on his word.

This is the single focus of Romans 8. The Spirit testifies to us, lest we forget, that we are God's children (16). God knows that we are forgetful. Not only forgetful, but doubters. He knew we would not act like his children ought to, and fear of rejection would muddle our heats again. And so, the Father said to the Spirit, "Go. Live in the hearts of my children and remind them who they are." God does not want us to forget.

God would have us live with this confidence: through faith in Jesus, we belong to Him. When ever fear enters our hearts, the Holy Spirit whispers, "Remember who you are. You will not be abandoned. You will not be left alone."

And the church is called to be the community where this is lived out. It is the one fellowship on earth to which we belong only by faith in Christ. Nothing else matters. Do you know someone who needs reminding that in Christ they belong? Who knows, your reaching out may be the words of the Spirit for that person.

Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy (Ezra 6:16).

Let's focus on the last phrase of this text, 'with joy'. The Israelites celebrated the completion of the new temple of God with joy. To fully appreciate this phrase, we need to recall how the nation got here and how they almost missed out on this joy.

In Ezra 1, we are told that God moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, to bring an end to Israel's Babylonian captivity. He allowed them to go home. More than that, he made provision for them to rebuild the temple of God. Not only could Israel return to the land God had given them, but they were enabled to begin worshipping him again properly. God was clearly on the move.

However, once they started rebuilding, their neighbours recognized that if this temple rebuilding project succeeded, it would not be good for said neighbours: Israel would increase and the neighbours would decrease. These neighbours recognized that Israel's success was in the hands of her God. The temple's rebuilding and the re-establishment of proper worship would mean that God was present among these Israelites. That would be a problem.

So, the neighbours set out to ensure that God stayed away. Several attempts failed. They were finally successful when they sent a letter to the new Persian king, highlighting that Jerusalem had been a difficult and rebellious city. If the temple and city were rebuilt, it was bound to rebel again. An order was issued to halt the project.

The rebuilding Israelites all went to their homes, focussed on their own well being and God stayed away. Well, sort of. You see, God was at work, moving the hearts of kings. And now he needed to move the hearts of his people. So, he sent them two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. Both of them have books included in the Bible, which give details about how God moved his people back to the rebuilding project.

Two things are worth highlighting from those books. First, from Haggai. The people have gone about the business of rebuilding their economy. Despite their best efforts and their hard work, it isn't going so well. When Haggai comes along and says its time to start rebuilding the temple again, the people say, "Look, we are working really hard, barely making it, so we really don't have time or money for the temple."

To which Haggai responds, "Don't you think that if you put God first, he will take care of your needs?" Zechariah adds this, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you" (Zechariah 4:9).

Essentially, God puts a fleece before Israel: "Put me first and I will take care of you." Sounds like something Jesus echoed, "seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

The Israelites send a letter to the new Persian king, letting him know that the previous one had sent them home to rebuild the temple. And they start rebuilding. Soon a reply comes from Persia giving permission for the rebuilding. But there is more in the royal letter. In it, the neighbours who interfered are instructed to give daily provisions for the rebuilding and for the workers.

Now we understand the joy of the people celebrating the completion of the temple. They had seen what God does. God had kept his word.

I wonder how much joy we miss out on because we don't heed Jesus' words, "seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Ezekiel 34:11-24 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

• How is your life an ongoing act of worship to Jesus?
• How would you describe his glory? What five words would you choose?
• Who would be considered the 'outsiders' in your community? How can you reach out to them as an individual? As a community?
• Identify two ways that you can more intentionally worship Jesus with your everyday life.
• Identify one person (or group) that needs to experience the love of Jesus. Follow the pattern of Jesus and reach beyond yourself to the outcasts in your community.

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up'" (Daniel 3:17-18).

Nine-year-old Danny came bursting out of Sunday school like a wild stallion. His eyes were darting in every direction as he tried to locate either mom or dad. After a quick search, he grabbed his dad by the pant leg and yelled, "Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!" His father looked down, smiled, and asked his son to tell him about it.

"Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. So, the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army was gettin' closer and closer. So, Moses got on his walkie-talkie and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!

By now dad was shocked. "Is THAT the way they taught you the story?" "Well, no, not exactly," Danny admitted, "but if I told you the way they told it to us, you'd never believe it, Dad." The Bible is full of such stories: stories difficult to believe. There is the story of David facing down Goliath with a few stones (1 Samuel 17); of Daniel's three friends surviving a roaring furnace (Daniel 3); of Jonah living in a big fish for 3 days (Jonah 1); of the Israelites escaping from Egypt (Exodus 13-14); and various people getting raised from the dead.

From a human perspective each is as impossible as the next. However, each story has a very non-human element in them. God is at work. When God is involved in the story things rarely turn out as expected. Romans 8 reminds us that when God is at work in the story, things turn out for good (Romans 8:28). That is, for those who love God!

The good that God brings about might not be what we want. In the story of Daniel's three friends, they tell the king of Babylon that even if God doesn't rescue them, they will not worship any other god. Their love for God was so deep that He was worth worshipping even if He let them die in the fire. How do we develop a love like that?

Let me suggest two things to get started with. First, worship. Not just the public worship of a local congregation. For Christians, worship is always more than that. Worship is putting God first in our lives. This is why communal worship with others who desire to put God first has such value for us. Often, as we live our lives putting God first, we discover that he is worthy of our adoration. As we worship, we learn of God's character: his holiness and his love; his grandeur and his kindness. He does bring good for those who love Him.

Second, we need to pray for it. Jesus says that God gives his Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). I suspect that many of us give up too easily. Jesus insists that we pray with urgency while Paul insists that we pray continually. Our culture knows little of this perseverance. Many Christians have discovered that while we wait for an answer our longing for the kingdom increases. As we pray, our eyes move away from the concerns of this world; we begin to look up, to see God on his throne and Christ right beside him. The world will be alright because God is on the throne.

As you fix your eyes on him, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you.

May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.

May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.

May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.