Sanctuary

Reclaiming the Truth 

“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…And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4.6-7, 9.

Redeeming the Time 

Our God is the God of peace. Scripture says our God has a monopoly on three things. He is the God of all grace, the God of all comfort and He is the God of peace. And Paul reminds us again of the central promise of the Bible, “the God of all peace will be with you.” 

Is it possible not to be anxious? Forget counter initiative, this seems impossible. Yet a closer examination of the text helps us see that anxiousness will come, and yet in God’s great love for us, He gives us direction on how to deal with it. 

God does not condemn us for getting anxious. He doesn’t kick us off the team because we get anxious. He doesn’t even say we are unspiritual because we get anxious, rather He teaches us how to deal with all of life, not just things that make us anxious.  “In every situation….” Not just in the things that make us anxious, or the things that make us worry, or make us weary, or make us lonely, or make us empty, or make us wonder, or make us wander, but in every situation, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” 

We have a loving Father who wants to hear the cries of our hearts. He wants us to come to Him with every situation, never wanting us to deal with life alone. He invites us to bring all of our heaviness and our hope to Him, and notice what He says, “His peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The action of bringing our whole hearts to God actually protects and shields our hearts and minds. As we bring our hearts to God, His Presence brings us peace. 

Notice what this passage doesn’t say. It doesn’t say all of the things that make us anxious will be banished. It doesn’t say we won’t worry again or fear again. It says the God of peace will be with us – He will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He will do it. We can trust Him. He will do it. He is our God of peace and He is with us. 

Reflection

• When have you most recently experienced the God of peace? 
• What in the last week has caused you to be anxious? How did you entrust this situation to God through prayer?
• In your own words, describe God’s peace. With whom could you share His peace today.

Resting in His Redemption

Jesus is preparing His disciples for the cross, for His resurrection, and ultimately for His ascension. He reminds them of His peace. Rest and receive – take heart – today. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16.33

Reclaiming the Truth

“This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,


hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,


your will be done,
    

on earth as it is in heaven.

            Give us today our daily bread.

            And forgive us our debts,
         

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

            And lead us not into temptation,
           

but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6.9-13

Redeeming the Time

What do we pray for in a season like the one we are living in? How do we know what to pray or what to say? When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He taught them to pray communally. Notice the plurality in His prayer.

‘Our Father in heaven,


hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,


your will be done,
    

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts,         

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,           

but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Our relationship with Jesus is personal; it’s never private. Love is never self-seeking, self-protecting, or self-serving. Love is always for the sake of others. In this season of scarcity and individualism, the Church intercedes communally. We pray together for each other. We pray “on earth as it is in heaven.” Not just for me and my family, but for us and His Family.

One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture that describes the early church is Acts 4.34. “… there were no needy persons among them.” Let’s be a church that is, “in Christ for the sake of the world.” Let’s engage the people around us, seeking out places where we can bless those who feel cursed, touching the wounds of the sick and inviting in the stranger.

Paul writes to the little church in Galatia, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 6.5)

Reflection

• When thinking about the Lord’s prayer, how often do you view it communally?
• What is your greatest temptation to make/keep your faith private?
• Love is never self-seeking. What’s one way you can fully love another today?

Resting in His Redemption

Today we’ll pray along with Ted Loder. Rest and receive – His presence is with us.

Lord,


plunge me deep into a sense of sadness


at the pain of my sisters and brothers
      

inflicted by war,
             

prejudice,
                  

injustice,
                         

indifference,


that I may learn again to cry as a child


until my tears baptize me


into a person who touches with care


those I now touch in prayer:
     

victims of violence
           

of greed,
                  

of addictions;
     

prisoners in ghettos,
           

in old age,
                 

in sexism;
     

people with broken bodies,
           

with broken hearts,
                  

with broken lives,


whom I remember now in silence before you


because I have too often forgotten them in the shuffle of my fretful busy-ness.

Reclaiming the Truth

“God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in our time of trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

though it’s waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble its tumult. Selah” Psalm 46.1-3 (NSRV)

Redeeming the Time

There was no fear in the Garden. There was only peace. Fear happens because of brokenness. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid. It happened like this.

            But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Fear is a primary response in our world. Fear comes. It happens, and it’s okay. What’s not okay is to be motivated by fear or paralyzed by fear. We “fear not” because our God is “with us.” The central promise of the Bible is that God is with us. When fear comes, and it will come, let’s remind ourselves and each other our God is with us. Our God is here.

Jesus said “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6.25-34

Just before Jesus ascends to heaven to be with His Father, He encourages His little band of world changers with one last truth, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18)

Let’s fear not and worry not. Our God is with us.

Reflection

• How are you really feeling about all that is going on in our world?
• If you feel fear, what are you afraid of?
• How do you need God to be your refuge and strength today?

Resting in His Redemption

Today we’ll pray along with Mark Roberts. Rest and receive – His presence is with you.

Gracious God, today I am profoundly aware of how much I need you. And I am profoundly grateful for the fact that you are there for me. You are not just available, but very present, a very present help in trouble. Thank you!

Fear seems to be everywhere right now, Lord: fear of disease, fear of death, fear of other people, fear of disruption, fear of economic ruin, fear of the loss of life as we know it. Without you, fear may well make sense. But if you are our refuge and strength, if you are our very present help, then we will not let fear overwhelm us. O Lord, may the truth of who you are keep our hearts from fear.

Today, Lord, we pray for leaders in business and government, in schools and churches, in families and neighborhoods. May they turn to you for strength and wisdom. May they have the courage to make difficult decisions for the sake of those they serve.

I pray especially for those who will read this devotion, that you might make yourself known to them right now. May they be reassured that you are their refuge and strength, that you are with them in this time of crisis, and forever. Guide them in their decisions. Help them to see what they need to see and bless them with your peace. Amen.

Reclaiming the Truth

“The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” – Revelation 8.4-5

Redeeming the Time

Something happens when God’s people pray. Something happens that wouldn’t happen if we didn’t pray. When John the Revelator is transported to heaven, he is stunned by what he witnesses. There, together on the altar, are heavenly incense and the prayers of all God’s people. Check this out: “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”

When the COVID-19 hit Singapore, the Church responded immediately. The Church called on all Christians to pray. The created a prayer initiative called COVID – 19:00. The Church in Singapore believed their prayers mattered so deeply to the heart of God, that every day at 19:00 they would pause and pray. The Church in Singapore believed their prayers would go up before God and be interlaced with the fragrance of God; mixed with the fire from the altar and then thrown down to earth. The Church in Singapore believed the spiritual nature of their prayers are brought before the throne of God, mixed into the will of God, and then hurled back to the earth. They believe their prayers matter.  They believe their prayers make a difference in the heavenly realm and ultimately work themselves out in our material world. 

We want to invite you to participate in this same kind of prayer. We want to invite you and your family to pause and pray daily at 19:00 (7:00 p.m.). And then as long as we are able, walk through your neighborhood and pray for your neighbors and the nations. Pray for healing, wholeness and holiness. 

As you pray, know you are being joined by churches all across the country and in our world. At this writing, churches from Kenya, Ethiopia, North Africa, England, New Zealand, Cambodia, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Spain, Peru, Australia and the Middle East have agreed to join us as we pray. 

Let it begin in me. Right here, Jesus. Right now, Jesus. 

Reflection

• What do you really believe about prayer? Does it really make a difference? 
• When have you seen God at work through the prayers of His people?
• When have you been disappointed by not receiving what you asked?

Resting in His Redemption

Rest and receive the prayer of Jesus as recorded in John 17. 

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[ that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

 ‘I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

‘Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.’”