Focus on Him and He will bring cleansing, living water and full restoration.
Do you read the Bible as a duty or only as an assignment to be completed in a specified time or casually and superficially? If so you probably find the Bible quite boring. Years ago that was my habitual method of Scripture reading. Back then I didn’t know what it meant to (Isaiah 66:2) tremble at God’s Word, to so revere the Lord’s commands and be filled with reverential awe, that I trembled at the very thought of disobeying the holy God of the Word. As an example I have picked 2 verses out of many which will have very little meaning for you and impact on you (2 Timothy 4:13 2 Timothy 4:21) if you casually skim over them. Bring the cloak I left at Troas – and – Do your best to come before winter. Did those 2 requests mean anything to you or did you just think Paul forgot his coat and would like to have a visitor? Did you ever stop to consider why Paul said what he said and where he was when he said it? (Dr. Swindoll) gave some details of Paul’s condition and surroundings. Nero was the Roman Emperor then and Paul had been arrested again, this time for the last time.
He was in a dark, damp, cold stone dungeon. The only light he had was from a hole above him which was covered by an iron grate. It was through this hole he had been lowered into the dungeon. Whatever food he got was dropped down through that hole. The continually increasing rat population ran free in the dungeon and the rats fought fiercely for the food. There was an open pail for a toilet and the stench was sickening. He needed his cloak because he was so cold already and the increasing cold would be intense in that damp dungeon when winter came. Added to his suffering and loneliness was the grief of (2 Timothy 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:16) having been forsaken and deserted.
Two things stand out to me with the shining like that of brilliant stars and these many years later, I am still being taught and blessed by their shining wisdom. First, in the midst of all that misery, we don’t hear one word of complaint or bitterness. Second, Paul had many needs, he was old, cold and lonely, but the greatest desire of his heart was (2 Timothy 4:13) for the holy Scriptures, the Word of God. Paul never read these Scrolls casually. A short time later he heard the boots of a squad of soldiers. They dropped a rope for him to put under his arms and then hauled him up through the hole in the dungeon ceiling. It is believed that he was taken to another prison and put in a cell overnight for execution the next morning. The squad came for him and one of the soldiers carried an axe. As Paul was marched to his death, he was filthy, foul-smelling and ragged. But nothing could obliterate the victorious truth that for Paul (Philippians 1:21) to live was Christ and to die was gain. His walk to the execution site was a victory march. He was stripped so his neck would be bare and then beaten again. He was forced to kneel and put his head on the chopping block. The soldier raised the axe high and then brought it down on the back of Paul’s neck with a dull thud. As his head rolled off the block Paul was making his grand entrance into heaven, into the Presence of the Saviour he loved, lived and died for. Then he was acknowledged and (Luke 12:8) honoured by God, the holy angels and the entire population of heaven. What a glorious welcome and then Jesus said, “Well done, welcome home”, I don’t know for sure what Paul is doing now but I believe he is a member of (Revelation 5:5) the heavenly Sanhedrin Council.
Do we realize that our lives have been touched by Paul? He preached the Gospel to the Gentiles throughout the known world in his day. It was passed down from generation to generation so that a Gentile like me in my day would hear, believe and receive the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. The manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10) is beyond telling and I am awe-struck and filled with wonder.
When you read your Bible put yourself there in that place and time. Ask the Holy Spirit to turn the light on that particular scripture. Was it written to a free, dominated or enslaved people? Try to pick up on the speaker’s facial expression, tone of voice and underlying motive. Look for the principles you can apply to your own life.
The grass withers, the flower fades but (Isaiah 40:8) the Word of our God stands forever. If we will dig into the bottomless treasure chest, the multi-shaft gold mine of the Bible, we will discover some wonderful and amazing things. The Word of God is alive with the breath of God and when it’s hidden in our heart (Psalms 119:11) it will keep us from sin. God’s Word becomes sweeter and sweeter, (Psalms 119:103) more desirable to our taste than (Daniel 1:8) the rich delicacies of Babylon. The Living Word of the Eternal God will become (Psalms 119:11) the rejoicing of our hearts. Paul declared to us how urgently we need God’s Word when he said (2 Timothy 3:16-17), every Scripture has been given to us to profit us in every aspect of our lives. Fulfilled prophecy makes it impossible for us to doubt the Word of God or to miss the fact that we are to live by its authority. The changing world culture never changes God’s Word and His commandments. A true Christian is a student of the Word, a disciple of Jesus.
God’s everlasting love for you (Jeremiah 31:3) has not changed or diminished. God still (Psalms 40:17) has a plan for your life. We all (James 3:2) stumble and fall but I can assure you on the authority of God’s Word and by personal experience that if you will (James 4:8) draw near, come close to God, He will draw near and come close to you. Here is an example of God’s undeserved grace in forgiveness and restoration. David was known as a man in tune with the heart of God and yet he messed up so badly (2 Samuel 11:1-4, 2 Samuel 11:15) with sexual sin, deceit and murder. To make it even worse (Pastor McBride) Bathsheba’s husband and father were mighty men in David’s army and her grandfather was David’s friend. When Nathan told David about a rich man stealing and killing a poor man’s one sheep, David said that he must repay 4 times as much. When confronted David confessed and truly repented. The consequences were that he lost 4 sons, the baby, Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah.
How do we know that David was forgiven and fully restored? Bathsheba had another son to David and his name was Solomon. When he was born (2 Samuel 12:24-25) the Lord gave him a name which was never given to any other person. That name was Jedidiah and it means “Beloved of the Lord”. God also promised David (2 Samuel 7:12) that his kingdom would be established and his descendants would continue on his throne. Whatever you have done, however far you have strayed, you can come home right now to your loving heavenly Father.
You can’t turn back the universe and regain yesterday but you can experience a fresh outpouring of God’s amazing grace to-day. Jesus will not reach down deep (John 4:11) into your well of trouble to get help for you because there is no help or comfort within you. Jesus does not bring them from the wells of human nature, He brings them from above, from entirely outside of you. (Oswald Chambers) “It is hopeless if you struggle down to the deeps and try to get water for yourself. You must come to Jesus as Almighty, look not at your circumstances but focus on Him” and He will bring cleansing, living water and full restoration.
If there is anything too hard for Jesus then prayer is a waste of time. But the truth is that nothing exists (John 1:3) which He did not create and there is nothing that He cannot do. Never forget that He is Almighty. Prayer (Romans 12:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:17) is a wise and richly rewarding investment in communication with the Living God. Not prayer for fleshly indulgences and selfish desires but prayer for the perfection of God’s will, God’s way and God’s timing for every request we make with full confidence that every request will result in God’s glory. As I pursue growing oneness with God, He shares His heart with me and my prayer requests are formed to reflect the very heart of God.
I was struck to-day with fresh wonder that I, a redeemed sinner, through privilege, the beauty and the mystery of prayer, can present my requests to the Majesty on high, right in the Holy of Holies and everything I ask will be granted in order to bring glory to the Almighty, Transcendent, Sovereign God ! !