The Word Is Not Imprisoned

Psalm 70 has the feel of what it’s often like to be a pastor among conflict. Indeed, I have and can often see the need to pray this Psalm just as it was written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So let me sight it before saying more about it.

1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!

2 Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!

3 Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!”

4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! – Psalms 70

Southeastern MediaDarrin Patrick – Lessons Learned in Losing My Church – Numbers 20:1-13 – Southeastern Media
— Read on multimedia.sebts.edu/

As a pastor I am often encouraged and discouraged by the ministries out there like #PracticalShepherding and #9Marks when they drop their conclusions (or where they have finally arrived in their ministry) on us pastors without the encouragement and groundwork between.

You do not often consider our context in your instructions. You are not there when the church throws his family out and his kids are questioning the goodness of God and the beauty of the Bride of Christ when he took your conclusions without someone to walk him through it.

You don’t always fill holes in pastoral ministry, you make holes, too. You often talk in ways that do not acknowledge your own growth in these things and the need for your continued growth. It often sounds like you have arrived and we need to catch up.

The trolls and naysayers have hardened your hearts and silenced genuine comments and questions from those who need help understanding what to do with what you have said. Some things are better not said when you cannot explain them fully.

I listened to Brian Croft tell pastors not to begin other ministries the other day. The podcast at 9Marks talked about sermon scheduling. Both were encouraging and discouraging to me. Brian told some pastors not to start a ministry that should.

Mark described a type of sermon scheduling that is unattainable for some pastors that are drowning in the difficulties of ministry life but now feel worse because they cannot meet certain expectations. Your comments ought to be broader and/or qualified…seasoned.

Just know you have helped and damaged many pastors. Please be careful. Please have mercy on us. Please do not over expect of us. We are trying. We are grinding. We are hurting. We are lonely. We do not have the support we need. Please, please be careful with your platform.

We hear you but we may never get where you are. Some of us will lose our ministry. Some of us will lose our kids because they watched their dad get ousted for moving too fast. Some of us will lose our spouse because we are immature leaders and weight of the demands have crushed him.

God is able to do amazing things with clay pot pasotors like us. He has given us the Holy Spirit and His Word. Daily he is enabling us by His grace to do what we cannot do on our own. I am certain I will make it by His grace!

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.

8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. – Psalm 130

Ponder the watchman how he had kept watch through the darkness of night and how he longed for morning to dawn. Then hear the psalmist say that his souls waits on the Lord more than that. What a beautiful image!

Indeed, why would one wait if there is no forgiveness. The psalmist cries OUT OF THE DEPTHS. The night can be long and cold. It can be lonely and frightening. But there is hope in the darkness. His mercies will dawn like the morning sun!

Wait for him. You will not be disappointed.

Dear Eternal Father, Creator of all things

I come this day, Your creation, in the Name of Jesus Christ my Savior and King to give you praise and thanksgiving for Your tender mercies on America.

We don’t deserve to live in such a land but you have given us good gifts of freedoms. Men and women have fought and given their lives for the liberties we enjoy this day. The armed forces of this nation guard them even now.

We pray for the leaders of this country to lead us in righteousness. We know the endurance of a nation exists under Your divine power and providence. May we seek justice always and stand against evil.

We know that absolute power is Yours alone. You, O Lord, are good and holy. We know that only Your Kingdom is ultimate and eternal. And in Christ Jesus our King through repentance and faith do we have complete rest and peace forever.

May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Until it does, may we live as good citizens of the United States in submission to that which is good but resist that which violates Your holy Word.

To the Only true and living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit may You protect us. May we use this great gift of freedom to do good in this world. Thank You for 242 years. May this country live for Your glory until Jesus Christ comes again.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Psalm 125:1 A Song of Ascents.

Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous, So that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong. 4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good And to those who are upright in their hearts. 5 But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD will lead them away with the doers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.

The simple promise is that those who trust in the LORD cannot be moved. To trust in the LORD is to be protected by the LORD. He is like mountains surrounding Jerusalem–the city of peace. And He will do this forever!

King Jesus holds the scepter. He leads us in righteousness and he will lead us forever! Those who trust the Lord Jesus are in an immovable Kingdom!

The simple warning is that those who turn aside to THEIR crooked way, the LORD will move them away with the doers of iniquity. To distrust the LORD is to be movable and unprotected. To distrust Him is to do things your way and not God’s way. To distrust the LORD is to have no peace.

Songs of Ascents

(Ps. 121) They are traveling to Jerusalem. Mountains stand between them. They long for help on their hard journey. They know the dangers but they also know that their foot will not slip on the mountainous journey because God will not allow it. He will protect them always for He does not sleep!

(Ps. 122) They arrive and they are glad! Their feet are standing within the city because the Lord did not let them slip. He was their help. He was their shade. He was the Keeper of their soul. He guarded their going out and their coming in.

This is what it will look like for those who travel to that great city, the heavenly Jerusalem where there is peace forevermore and God reigns upon the throne. We are sojourners in a foreign land. The journey is hard. But we have a faithful and powerful and holy King! We will arrive because of Him!

Might cannot make right.

In light of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, it seems that one central issue is being missed. The media – and people on both sides of the political spectrum – are making this a state issue when it is first a domestic issue. Of course, legal measures can be taken to combat such tragedies, and if laws are broken, then the state must get involved. However, President Trump is not the first line of defense on this issue – nor is the military or the police department. The front line in dealing with this issue – and those with the most power to change things – are PARENTS.

Parents, your children are not in charge. They do not know what is best – which is one reason they have parents. Recognize your responsibility to provide for, lead and protect your children from others as well as your responsibility to protect others from your children.

Take steps TODAY to try to prevent such disasters. Sit down today and read your children’s social media posts and messages. Look in their closets and under their beds. If you find something disturbing, deal with it NOW. If my mom had ANY idea I was going to do something like this (and trust me…she would have known because she loved me and got in my business) it would have only happened over her dead body. If you have young children, be involved like this early. If you already have teenagers, get involved now. Love your children…be nosy…sit down and talk to them…know what is going on in their life.

Ultimately, those with the most power and responsibility to stop this are parents and not government officials. I do not mean to say I have it all figured out, and parental responsibility is not the only answer. But it is an important and immediate response to the crisis we have in this country.

Mr. President, do not try to “help” by continuing to take rights from parents. The government does not know what is best for children, so it should stop trying to brainwash them and push its agenda on them.

At the end of the day, the root issue is sin. We are sinners in need of salvation. This world wasn’t meant to have school shootings. These things scream for answers. The ultimate answer is Jesus Christ. He has a new Kingdom that will not have school shootings. You might ask why doesn’t He stop them now? He will. Right now your response needs to be repentance and faith in Jesus.

The world turned their back on God and God loved the world by sending His Son into this world to save it. If you will believe He will save you NOW. Come to Jesus. He is your only hope.

Jesus will make it right!

I often listen to sermons by other pastors and benefit greatly from them. My soul is stirred and my mind challenged. I thank the Lord for the good gifts of these pastors to preach the word clearly and powerfully. 

However, sometimes the clarity causes me frustration. Some that I listen to are so good at word-smithing, their phrases are precise and memorable that it causes me to get down that I’m not as clear as I would like to be. 

Yet, many who I listen to are in a setting that allows them lots of time to prepare…and rightly so. They should be given to the word and prayer. With that said, not all situations are the same, hence the title. 

Furthermore, some of these pastors have researchers and assistants to aid them in their preparation. And it is this group that I probably listen to most. 

I have to remind myself that this is not my situation and that God can use the sermon prepared as he so chooses. But I have a suggestion to make for the pastor who feels frustrated like me. If you are married and have a family you do have researchers and aids. 

Every week I talk through the text with my wife and kids. Their questions and observations are so helpful. Just minutes ago my wife stopped where I was preparing to ask a question about the text. I’ve tried to create a culture of conversation about the Bible in our home for everyone’s benefit. 

Dear small church pastor, be content with your situation and use the means God has given you. Prepare in the strength that he provides and know that his grace is sufficient. Blessings my friend! Press on! He is worthy. To God alone be the glory! 

The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! – Psalm 118:27

Connection: 

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

Result:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7