Fasting Can Be Useful, But . . .

This past week marked the beginning of the annual 40-day journey we Christians make with our Lord to the cross of Calvary. It is a most serious time for all of us, because it reminds us how much we rely upon His grace and mercy. Unfortunately it was a rocky start for me this year. I found myself confined to my home, unable to lead in worship or even to join in worship with my fellow believers. For reasons best known to my Lord, He allowed me to be afflicted with strep throat. Not only did this infection bring great pain to my throat, it also affected my eyes and caused a cough in my lungs. The doctors I consulted told me they needed to know if it could be best treated with antibiotic drugs or not. They made me wait—in misery—for four days before assigning any meds. They tell me they have no way to fight viral infections like colds and had to wait to be certain the drugs would work against the strep throat.

So I suffered through (and that included Ash Weds.) at home, unable to read or write on my computer, forced to stay away from the fellowship of the saints (other than my wife). Finally the meds arrived and with their help I am now on the mend, writing again as you can tell. And as I return to writing I am reminded of something I wrote about earlier in my studies of the book of Hebrews.

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. - Hebrews 12:4-8 ESV

This is a very difficult lesson for any of us to learn. And learn it we must for sin continues both in this world and in our hearts, even after Christ's Spirit has entered to grant us new life in Christ. So we return to the value and importance of the Lenten season. In our catechisms we are reminded that setting aside times like the 40-day Lenten season to deny ourselves can be good training in the exercise of will power, but it does not gain us any good will before God. We are ever at His mercy.

At the same time the Lord Himself will put us to the test by removing something from our lives. In my own case this past week He removed my good health for a time. And I thank Him for it, because it reminds me very strongly that I am a grave sinner and yet also a beloved son. As His son He continues to train and discipline me so that I may become an even better servant of His. And how grateful I am for this, for sin continues to attack and trouble me daily. And I have much to learn about prayer, patience, long-suffering, moderation and many other things of that sort.

If you are choosing this Lenten season as a time to fast and deny yourself I can only encourage you to continue, as the Apostle does when he says,

. . . for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. - 1Ti 4:8 ESV

The godliness Paul refers to is faith in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and all the teaching that derives from and is in accord with that teaching (1 Tim. 6:3-6). Not only must our physical bodies be trained, but also our spirits. Using this analogy, the Apostle further writes,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Cor 9:24-27 ESV

 We are ever a whole person, body, mind and heart. So use this season to train yourself in all ways. Deny some bodily pleasure if you will. And joyfully accept any discipline that the Lord Himself places upon you. Then do not fail to spend time with the Word of our Lord and in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. This is why we set aside special times of worship during the Lenten season.

All this is so that you may rejoice when you come to His Table to receive His Body and His Blood, knowing that your sins are indeed forgiven. At the end of these 40 days you will be better prepared to rejoice in the great Sign of forgiveness He has given to us.

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. - Luk 11:29-30 ESV

As Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and nights, so the Son of Man was in the embrace of the grave (Matt.12:40-41). But now is He risen and we know for certain we have forgiveness for all our sins. This is why we continue to celebrate His resurrection each Sunday, also during Lent. We do not include the Sundays as part of the 40 days for they are ever our reminder that Christ is risen. The Father has accepted His sacrifice and in Him we have full and complete forgiveness. Praise be to Him forever!

CIA—Christians in Action: Your Will Be Done

Just days after the horrific attacks of 9/11, a team of seven CIA agents snuck into northern Afghanistan and began to lay the groundwork for war. Dubbed operation "Jawbreaker," their goal was to take out al Qaeda, break the Taliban, find Osama bin Laden, and kill him. National Geographic Channel has a show about this, CIA Undercover. 

The program is both fascinating and frightening. And I certainly admire the courage and commitment of those in the CIA for the work that they have been doing. Actually I don't want to know what they are doing much of the time. Their work was part of what finally led to the killing of bin Laden as now documented in the 2012 movie, Zero Dark Thirty. 

All this reminds me that we Christians are also in the business of overthrowing an alien and unwanted government. The second petition of the LORD's prayer points to that as we pray, Your Kingdom come! And now in the third petition we repeat the prayer, committing ourselves to carrying out our King's complete overthrow of the god of this world (John 12:31; 16:7-11). "Your will be done!" we pray. 

The will of God is sharply set against the ruler of this world. War is on! And has been on since the Garden of Eden. But the true and rightful Ruler has come among us to make clear that His will was to pay the ransom that has set all of us free. So the Apostle urges his protege, the young pastor Timothy, 

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1Ti 2:1-6 ESV

Keep in touch with headquarters. God will teach you what next to do on the road to a peaceful and quiet life for all mankind. But know also what we are up against. We're winning; that is certain. Satan has lost his power, but the war isn't over—yet. In his second letter Paul writes,

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. - 2Ti 3:1-9 ESV

Pretty scary stuff indeed, but they will not get very far!

Hang in there. Keep in touch with headquarters each and every day. Do the work assigned to you as God's CIA—Christian in action. Total victory is just around the corner. Meekly and confidently put your trust in the LORD and together we shall inherit the land.

But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 

The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. - Psa 37:11-15 ESV 

Teach Me To Do Your Will, O LORD!

So far in our study of our LORD's prayer we've looked at how He guides us to pray each day that His holy and precious NAME be honored by us and that His kingdom and reign prevail among us. Yet as we pray, we are also aware that we live in a world set against the will of God and under the control of the god of this world. In this regard King David instructs us to pray.

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! - Psa 143:9-10 ESV

David made many enemies on his road to serving as Israel's greatest king. His enemies came at him from without and from within his kingdom. He never had a time of rest. That's why he said to his son  that it was inappropriate for him to build the proposed temple. David had been a man of war. His son, whose very name means peace, could build it in a time of true peace. David had a will to build, but he had to submit his plan to the will of the LORD.

David said to Solomon, "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon (peace), and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.' - 1Ch 22:7-10 ESV

As you pray the prayer our Lord Jesus has taught us, follow David's example. Pray that the LORD teach you to do His will not your own. It is pleasing to Him that you desire to do great things for Him and His kingdom. It is most pleasing that you desire to honor His Name and all that He has revealed to us through His Word. Now what does that mean for you specifically? Just as God had a plan for both David and for his son Solomon, so He has a plan for you. So each day pray David's prayer,

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!"

 Here are a few guidelines for praying that prayer and for learning the will of God.

• Focus on today. It is useful to map out the future as far as you can see. It is appropriate to make plans, but we never have more than today. So Jesus teaches us to ". . . seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Mat 6:33-34 ESV

• Never stop praying to God. So the Apostle teaches, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."- 1Th 5:16-18 ESV

• Keep the eyes of your faith open to what God is doing in your life. When Jesus gave you new birth in Holy Baptism, He also gave you eyes to see, as He taught Nicodemus, Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." - Jhn 3:3 ESV. But now you can see. See Him at work sustaining your faith and others. See Him at work sending His Spirit into the hearts of many. See Him at work expanding His kingdom. See what He is doing through you. 

• Join then in God's work on this day. Following Jesus' example learn to say, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." - John 5:17 ESV. Look about you. You have specific gifts and specific opportunities today. They are before you. Get to work. He will bless you as you submit to His will. 

• And so be at peace. As Jesus teaches, "Tomorrow will be anxious for itself."