(This article was first published on the Revive our Hearts Leader Connection Blog. See original link here.)

In the fall of 2017, a woman at my church who taught a Bible study asked if I would come and share my testimony with her class, composed mostly of young professionals. She had remembered reading in one of my Bible studies that I had battled an addiction to thinness and fitness, and she thought it would benefit the group to hear it. 

​To be honest, I was nervous. I had been serving in women’s ministry for years, but my story of how God had rescued me from an addiction in my teens and early twenties had been relegated to a few short introductions in a book or Bible study I had written. I had never before gone back to my prayer journals from my younger years with the intention of speaking on the topic, much less writing a book about it. Yet as a result of the response I received from sharing my testimony, and after one of my pastor’s wives encouraged me that my testimony was something that needed to be heard in middle schools, high schools, and college campuses, as well as women’s Bible studies, I found myself, in God’s Providence, writing my story (God’s story) to the next generation, telling them about my addiction in order to help them, and those who ministered to them, confront lies about appearance and achievement with gospel hope.

Comforting Others with the Comfort We’ve Received
In some ways my story was easy for me to write. After all, it’s relatively simple to tell your own story. But in another sense the fact that it is my story also made it one of the hardest. I am not proud of the lies my flesh has been so prone to believe. And I’m not proud of the actions I’ve taken because of it. But God’s Word says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3–4).

My Story: Twin Lies About Beauty and Performance
At the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I was sitting around with my cross-country team listening to the older girls compare fat grams in bagel brands. Little did I know how influential that conversation, and many more like it, would become in my life. Add to that the billboards, magazines, and other media that boasted model-thin women all around me, and I bought into the lie “I have to look like ‘her’ in order to be beautiful.” In other words, I believed that my worth was based on my outward appearance.

At the same time I was running cross-country, I was also playing basketball. Unlike the girls on my cross-country team, my teammates on my basketball team were not having conversations about fat grams in bagel brands. They could down a fast-food burger in no time at all and not think twice about it. And my coach certainly thought I could use a few burgers myself in order to put on some weight for my position as forward or center. There was another conversation going on though within basketball that was just as influential and just as damaging as the one on my cross-country team. It really wasn’t a conversation at all. It was a coach with a temper who could fire off a cuss word, stomp his feet, clap his hands, and throw water, attempting to motivate us to play better and harder. Failing to live up to his expectations and thinking my significance was based on success as he defined it led me to believe another lie: “My worth is based on my outward performance.”

Failure to perform well led me to inflict punishment on myself, which matched perfectly with the motivation behind the other lie—if I didn’t live up to my coach’s expectations, then I didn’t deserve to eat. These twin themes of body image and performance are still at the heart of young women’s search for beauty and worth today. But it is not just young women. Women of all ages struggle with defining their significance by their appearance and achievements.

God’s Intervention
By the time I was in college, my addiction to thinness and fitness was raging. But God intervened. I still remember sitting in my Hebrew class during my final exam with tears streaming down my face as I translated the verses in Jonah 2:5–6 from Hebrew to English:

The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 

Deliverance would not come overnight, but this was a turning point for me. If the Lord could radically deliver Jonah from the pit he was in, then He could also deliver me from what seemed like a prison. The hope that I had not found in a secular counselor’s office, a support group for those battling addictions, or a nutritionist’s office I found in the Word of God. It cut through the lies and gave me truth upon which to stand. This would prove critical over the next few years as I fought for freedom from my addiction.

Deliverance Through Battling Lies with Truth
By the time I reached seminary, I really wanted my addiction to thinness and fitness to be over. I had recognized my sin of trying to serve two masters. I realized that fitness and food had become idols in my life. I knew this because I had to exercise and eat healthy every day in order to feel good about myself. I wouldn’t even miss exercise and healthy eating on a vacation because somewhere along the way I started relying on exercise and healthy eating for my hope and happiness, my significance and security.

I remember keeping a journal in which I would write down every lie that came across my mind and counter it with a scriptural truth. For example, if I thought I looked fat, I challenged whether or not that was really true (it wasn’t), and then I moved on to passages that spoke of God looking at the heart instead of the outside of man (1 Sam. 16:7).

At some point, I also stopped weighing myself, recognizing that it could lead me down a pathway of destruction. And I started bouncing my eyes off billboards and magazines, recognizing those could also lead me down a pathway of deceit. So I was striving hard to put this addiction behind me. And since seminary days were an immersion of studying Scripture, in God’s Providence I was at a great place for healing.

Deliverance Through the Community of Believers
But there was another dimension that was just as important as being immersed in truth, and that was being surrounded by the community of believers, some of whom I confided in regarding my addiction. This was helpful in numerous ways. First, I wasn’t fighting alone. Individuals make terrible armies. But I had a group of sisters fighting with me. Their prayers, accountability, and encouragement meant a great deal to me. Second, when I confessed my sin to the Lord and to my sisters, it didn’t seem to hold as much power over me. My sin was exposed. People knew. And in the publicity of it I began to see it for what it really was—lies I had believed. My worth isn’t based on my outward appearance. It is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ. And my worth isn’t based on my outward performance. It is based on the perfect performance of Christ on my behalf. 

The Truth Will Set You Free
It is the gospel that set me free—and continues to set me free when I’m once again tempted to believe the lies. The Lord ingrained deeply in me the Truth that Christ is enough for me. In a culture where we often compliment external beauty, even in the Church, I needed someone to remind me that I’m not pretty apart from Christ, and no amount of makeovers or designer dresses will fix that. Apart from Christ, I am ugly and dead in my sins. 
I also needed someone to tell me that I will never perform perfectly and to seek perfection is futile. Christ alone is perfect. Knowing the truths that I didn’t have to be thin and fit to be loved; that I didn’t have to perform perfectly to be accepted; and that I am beautiful, loved, and accepted in Christ because Christ has performed perfectly and died for me was tremendously freeing.

Women all around us are ensnared in lies about appearance and achievement. As we share our stories and struggles with them with the intent of magnifying God’s larger redemptive story, they often feel comfortable to share their own story. As they do, we can help them understand their story in light of God’s story, helping them see His providential hand in their life, and pointing them to the hope of the gospel. 
This can be intimidating for us, especially as leaders, but creating a culture within our ministry spheres that intentionally invites women to share their stories to magnify God’s story is crucial. Instead of disqualifying us from ministry, God’s grace and forgiveness in our lives is a door of opportunity for women to see the power of the gospel of Christ.

*This article is adapted from the Introduction of Sarah Ivill’s book, Never Enough: Confronting Lies About Appearance and Achievement with Gospel Hope (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2019). 

(This article was first posted on enCourage. See original link here). 

It was my sophomore year of high school, and I was sitting around with my cross-country team listening to the older girls compare fat grams in bagel brands. If you have ever looked at bagel labels, you know that there is not any difference worth noting—unless you are obsessed with your weight.
The Lies of Appearance and Achievement
Little did I know how influential that conversation, and many more like it, would become in my life. Add to that the billboards, magazines, and other media that boasted model-thin women all around me, and I bought into the lie “I have to look like ‘her’ in order to be beautiful.”
At the same time I was running cross-country, I was also playing basketball. Unlike the girls on my cross-country team, my teammates could down a fast-food burger in no time at all and not think twice about it. And my coach certainly thought I could use a few burgers myself in order to put on some weight for my position as forward or center. Add to that the fact he could fire off a cuss word, stomp his feet, clap his hands, and throw water, attempting to motivate us to play better and harder and I began to believe another lie: “My worth is based on my outward performance.” Failure to perform well led me to inflict punishment on myself—if I didn’t live up to my coach’s expectations, then I didn’t deserve to eat.
These twin themes of body image and performance are still at the heart of young women’s search for beauty and worth today. But it is not just young women. Women of all ages struggle with defining their significance by their appearance and achievements.
Confronting the Lies
By the time I reached seminary at the age of twenty-one, I really wanted my addiction to thinness and fitness to be over. I recognized my sin of trying to serve two masters. I realized that fitness and food had become idols in my life. I knew this because I had to exercise and eat healthy every day in order to feel good about myself. Somewhere along the way, I started relying on exercise and healthy eating for my hope and happiness, my significance and security.
Since seminary days were filled with an immersion of studying Scripture, I was at a great place for healing. The hope that I had not found in a secular counselor’s office, a support group for those battling addictions, or a nutritionist’s office, I found in the Word of God. It cut through the lies and gave me truth upon which to stand.
But there was another dimension that was just as important as being immersed in truth, and that was being surrounded by the community of believers, some of whom I confided in regarding my addiction. This was helpful in numerous ways. First, I wasn’t fighting alone. My sisters’ prayers, accountability, and encouragement were of great benefit to me. Second, when I confessed my sin to the Lord and to my sisters, it didn’t seem to hold as much power over me. My sin was exposed and I began to see it for what it really was—lies I had believed. My worth isn’t based on my outward appearance. It is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ. And my worth isn’t based on my outward performance. It is based on the perfect performance of Christ on my behalf.
The Hope of the Gospel
It is the gospel that set me free—and continues to set me free whenever I am again tempted to believe the lies. In a culture where we often compliment external beauty, even in the church, I needed someone to remind me that I’m not pretty apart from Christ, and no number of makeovers or designer dresses will fix that.
Apart from Christ, I am ugly and dead in my sins. I also needed someone to tell me that I will never perform perfectly and to seek perfection is futile. Christ alone is perfect. Knowing the truths that I didn’t have to be thin and fit to be loved; that I didn’t have to perform perfectly to be accepted; and that I am beautiful, loved, and accepted in Christ because Christ has performed perfectly and died for me was tremendously freeing.
Perhaps you are ensnared in an addiction today. The book of Proverbs tells us that addictions are like having a feast in a grave (see 9:13–18). We think we are in the midst of a feast when we are actually in the midst of a famine. Through my newest book, Never Enough: Confronting Lies About Appearance and Achievement with Gospel Hope, I want to invite you to exchange the lies for the truth and to rest in Jesus Christ. He is our hope and happiness, our security and significance.
Editor’s Note: *This is adapted from the “Introduction” in Sarah Ivill’s newest book, Never Enough: Confronting Lies About Appearance and Achievement with Gospel Hope. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2019.

This article was first posted on enCourage. See original link here.

“My feet aren’t going to know what to do with someone handling them so gently. Usually the aides are in such a hurry, they just shove the shoes and socks on my feet.” As I slid knee-highs on Doris, an elderly woman who lived at the same retirement center I lived and worked at for free rent as a seminary student, I was overwhelmed that she’d allow me to look at her feet and get so close to them. They smelled awful and her toenails were a dark yellow from age, but she wasn’t embarrassed. As I cared for her, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet in John 13.

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:12-17).

Washing feet was a job for servants, not the Savior. The disciples’ feet would have been dirty after walking in sandals all day. But Jesus wanted them to understand that if He washed their feet, then they certainly needed to wash one another’s feet. He gave them an example of what it means to live the cross-centered life, and then gave them the means to do so by accomplishing the redemption of God’s people on the cross.
John 13 teaches us many things. It teaches us about God’s love. Jesus loves His own to the end (even Peter who denied Him), and Jesus loves His enemies (even Judas who betrayed Him). His love is tangibly expressed by humbly washing His disciples’ feet, which was a foreshadowing of what He was about to do on the cross—cleanse them of their sins.

This passage also teaches us about our loves. Apart from God’s grace, we will love the things of this world, and deny our need for Christ’s cleansing. As Peter learned, if Jesus doesn’t wash us, we aren’t saved. But if we believe in Jesus, then we are united to Christ. We have been given new hearts that can recognize and rejoice that Jesus loves us and saves us. In response, we can lean into Him with affection, like John, whom Jesus loved. Yet, on this side of glory, we won’t live the cross-centered life perfectly. Even after we’re saved, we will underestimate the power of sin and our desperate need for Christ’s intercession—like Peter who denied Christ three times.

Finally, John 13 teaches us how we are to love God and others. Because Jesus loves us, and because He gave Himself up for us, we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ by humbly helping them. Christ’s love, most fully displayed on the cross, deepens the meaning of what it means to love our family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as our enemies. Our loving service must flow from His sacrifice. He is far more than our example; He is exalted far above every other name. We should help others recognize how prone we are to wander from Christ’s salvation, saying with Peter, “You’ll never wash me,” as well as from His lordship, betraying Him like Judas. We should pray for those we know who are in darkness, asking the Lord to save them. Outward rites don’t guarantee inward regeneration. There are many in our churches today who are not saved.

As you reflect on Christ’s life, death and resurrection during this season, remember the four postures in John 13—the posture of Jesus, bent over in service, washing His disciples’ feet; the posture of Peter, at first resisting Jesus’s offer to wash Him and then embracing it; the posture of John, embracing Christ and leaning into Him with great affection; and the posture of Judas, rejecting Christ altogether. As believers, we are to serve others because Christ first served us, and we need to lean into Jesus, learning more about Him as we spend time with Him in prayer and the Word in the midst of His people.

​The cross-centered life is always thinking about what Christ has done, is doing and will do, and serving others from those truths. He has lived a life of perfect obedience on our behalf, and suffered God’s wrath in our place. He is interceding for us and reigning over us as King. And He is coming again to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him, as well as to judge those who refuse to bow their knee to Him. Indeed, He is coming again to make all things new. Whether we have the opportunity to tenderly slide shoes and socks on the elderly’s feet, take a meal to someone in need, serve our covenant children by teaching Sunday school, disciple a younger woman in our church, weep with a woman who has just lost a child, or rejoice with a young lady who just got engaged, our love for Christ is seen in how we love and serve each other, and it is this loving service that causes the world to know we are His.

This article was first posted on enCourage. See original link here.

The beginning of a new year often brings reflection and resolutions, and rightly so. Worthy, Christ-centered goals can be helpful as we reflect on last year and resolve to do things differently this year. As you make your list, I want to challenge you to include the fear of the Lord.
To fear the Lord means to know the Holy God, and to respond to Him in love, trust, obedience, and joy. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov. 9:10). To live wisely in the midst of the whirlwinds thrown at us, or the mundane moments of life, we need to understand that we live in the presence of the holy God. This becomes most apparent as we read and study Scripture. The book of Proverbs is a good place to start. It is filled with counsel we need to live our daily lives, but it’s not a book of moral maxims we have to achieve on our own. In Christ we have everything we need to live a life of godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
To fear the Lord means we are so enamored with the holiness and love of God that we flee sin.Whether others persuade us to sin, or offer us material pleasures to tempt us to sin, or whether our lust for acceptance drives us to sin, temptation will come this year. We must run toward Christ, the One who “became to us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Those who fear the Lord are in union with Christ, and His people, the Church. When we identify with the people of God through baptism, sit underneath the preaching of the Word, partake of the Lord’s Supper and fellowship together on a regular basis, we will be encouraged to fear the Lord. Community is God’s idea, and it’s in community that we are best able to know the love of God and respond to Him in love, trust, obedience, and joy.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom calls to us, not in a whisper but in a whirlwind, not in calmness, but in commotion (Proverbs 1:20-33). She’s like a mother banging pots and pans in the kitchen, trying to get her children’s attention. She wants simple scoffers to turn from sin to her stretched out hand that will lead them to eternal life. I want to be more like Lady Wisdom, making a clamorous noise for Christ. Instead, I’m often too scared to speak boldly to those who scoff at the mention of Christ. And yet, in the midst of many scoffers, Christ shed His blood to accomplish the salvation of God’s people. We need to pray that the Lord will give us opportunities and boldness this year to share the hope of Christ with those who don’t know Him.
Wisdom does not just call to us; we are also to call out for her (Proverbs 2:1-15). When we cry out for wisdom, the Lord gives it to us. As we abide in Christ, we will find over time that wisdom and knowledge replace foolishness and ignorance. Impulsiveness will give way to discretion, confusion to understanding, perverted speech to gracious words, ways of darkness to paths of uprightness, perverseness of evil to perseverance of the saints. Not perfectly of course, not on this side of glory, but we will grow in sanctification until Christ comes again and perfects us.
If you’re reading this today and you fear man more than God, flee to sin instead of away from it, and forsake wisdom instead of follow her, I want to encourage you.  It is not too late to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. The One who walked in paths of righteousness for God’s people and bore God’s wrath in His people’s place, is the only One who can save sinners from paths of unrighteousness. It doesn’t matter how far down the road of sin you’ve been, if you turn to Christ in repentant faith, His arms are open wide for you, and so are the arms of His people. Together we will learn to fear the Lord. And together we need to teach the next generation to do the same. The world, the devil and our own flesh never stop enticing us to fear man, love sin, and follow worldly wisdom. We must learn to savor our Savior more than we savor the sin by which we’re so easily ensnared, and we need God’s grace to do this. Thankfully we have it. Christ offers us His Spirit to uphold us and make us strong.
So, as you finish writing your New Year’s resolutions, add one more--fear the Lord. Together, by God’s grace, we will walk wisely in 2019.

Many of us will begin leading or teaching Bible studies this fall. It might be our first time or fiftieth time, but one thing is certain—we all need to step into our teaching or leadership role with prepared heads, hearts, and hands, so that our teaching, by God’s grace, will be fruitful and effective for the gospel. Here are ten suggestions to help you better prepare for your leadership or teaching role.

(1) Recognize God has given you this opportunity to proclaim Christ. Oftentimes women are either overly confident or under confident in their leading or teaching role. The overconfident woman oftentimes relies on her gifts and abilities to teach and the under confident woman is often focused on her lack of gifts and abilities to teach. In both cases, the remedy is to recognize the Lord has given you this opportunity and will equip you for the job. You can go into class confident that the Christ who called you is the same Christ who has given you the spiritual gifts for the task. And He alone is the Christ you must proclaim.

(2) Repent of your own sins. Make sure that your heart is right before the Lord before you go in to lead a group of women. This doesn’t mean you will have a perfect heart. None of us do. But it does mean that we have a repentant heart that has sought reconciliation with God and with those we’ve sinned against.

(3) Rejoice in the Lord. We need to have a private life filled with prayer and praise before we can lead our women to pray and praise.

(4) Read and study the Word of God, as well as other applicable resources. This means we have to say “no” to things we might really want to do in order to say “yes” to preparing our lesson. As you study, it’s helpful to have a good study Bible and concordance, as well as several good Reformed commentaries on the book of Scripture you’ll be teaching.

(5) Recognize your audience. Know the age of women you’re teaching, their seasons of life, as well as what suffering they are experiencing, what sins they are battling, and what service they are engaged in to edify the church. This will help you better apply what you’re teaching to their lives.

(6) Write your outline and notes. This will help give form to your teaching and further prepare you. It will help you see gaps in your teaching and help you think through things more comprehensively.

(7) Read it out loud. This will help you catch editorial mistakes and will be a good practice run before class.

(8) Rest well. Don’t toss and turn worrying about teaching the next day. Instead, ask the Lord to prepare your heart and the heart of the women, and to bring edification and encouragement to them through the lesson. Pray that Christ will be preeminent in your teaching and that the gospel will be clearly proclaimed. Then get a good night’s sleep.

(9) Rest in Christ who promises His Word will not return void. We cannot change hearts; salvation is of the Lord (Jon. 2:9). Renewal of the mind is His Work. Transformed hearts is His business. Our responsibility is to pray, prepare, show up, faithfully teach Christ, proclaim the kingdom of God, and love the women.

(10) Regularly pray for the women in your class each week by name. Invite them to share prayer requests with you and commit to praying for them. To have women share their suffering and sin with us, or the suffering and sin of their loved ones, and join them in prayer, is a beautiful way to extend our hearts and hands to our sisters in need.

Also, join their small group discussion times so that they get to know you and you get to know them. If you have multiple groups, rotate through them. You don’t want to show up, teach, and then leave. You want to shepherd them. And a shepherdess gets to know her sheep so that she can feed them well. Finally, fellowship with them before and after class, asking them how they are doing, what they are learning through the study, and about their prayer requests.

Teaching God’s Word is a great responsibility that we should not take lightly. We need to ask the Lord to prepare our head, heart, and hands so that we might be fruitful and effective for the gospel. May all of us who have the privilege to teach the Word of God be faithful to lift high the name of Jesus, for it is “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me” (Col. 1:28-29).

(This article was first posted on MarkInc Ministries. Please click here to see original post.)

Have you ever come through a difficulty and thought, “Phew! I barely made it.” When chronic pain seems overwhelming and you make it through an intensely painful week. When money is extremely tight and you manage to pay that month’s bills. When a marriage seems strained beyond relief and you come through on the other side fully reconciled. When a prodigal son or daughter seem so far away they’ll never return and then they do. When the job seems intensely stressful and you’re close to throwing in the towel and then things get better. When the chemotherapy is over and you hear that the cancer is in remission. It’s easy to look back at times and think, “I barely made it.” Psalm 124, one of the Songs of Ascents (120-134), helps us add an important perspective, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” we wouldn’t have made it.
   
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side--
let Israel now say--
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124

Our Hurdles (124:1-5). David had felt the hot breath of his enemies and heard the frightening whoosh of arrows flying past him. He was too wise to think it was his swift maneuvering or his strategic location that had saved him. He knew with confidence that the Lord was on his side! You’ve known that too, haven’t you? When the raging roar of addiction, anger, relational difficulty, financial ruin, and the like surround you, you don’t really think you can outmaneuver it do you? We need the Lord on our side! And He is.

Our Help (124:6-8). David had also seen the white teeth of those seeking to defeat him and experienced the snare in enemy territory. And he was too wise to think it was his stinky breath or steady steps that had saved him. He knew with confidence that the Lord was his help! The Creator of the world, and the Creator of David, delivered him time and again from those who wanted to steal, kill and destroy him.
  
Think of the pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual feast, raising their eyes to the city of David, the one to whom God had promised a position, place, peace and progeny. Like David, they too had known the threat of defeat, but their hope was in the Lord. Or think of the pilgrims returning to Jerusalem after the exile. They had been tempted to believe they were defeated, but their hope was in the One who made heaven and earth.

​If it had not been Jesus who was on our side, the wrath of God would rage against us and we would be separated from Him forever. But Jesus has been our help by living a life of perfect obedience on our behalf, by atoning for our sin and turning God’s wrath away from us, bringing reconciliation between God and man.

As Christ’s ambassadors, we have the amazing privilege to be messengers of reconciliation. When others rise up against us in anger, we can move toward them in love. When floodwaters of suffering threaten to sweep us away, we can stand steadfast in the faith. When sin threatens to undo us, we can put on the full armor of God. And when addiction threatens to ensnare us, we can cry out to our Helper in time of need.


PRAYER

Oh Lord, not only do You equip us as peacemakers, You call us to the privilege of being messengers of reconciliation. We cannot be peacemakers or messengers of reconciliation unless You transform our hearts to be fully Yours. Today, when faced with hostility, anger, suffering, temptation to give in to the call of sin, we remember that You are our help. You are our only hope.

(This article was originally posted on MarkInc Ministries. To see the original post, click here.)

To You I lift up my eyes, to You who are enthroned in the heavens! 
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, 
As the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, 
​So our eyes look to the Lord our God, till He has mercy on us.
Psalm 123:1-2

Upward-focused (123:1-2). In his distress the psalmist lifts his eyes to the King enthroned in the heavens.  Thankfully, he is not alone; he suffers in the midst of the covenant community and with the covenant community. There’s no greater gift during suffering than Christ and His people. Their servant eyes will remain fixed on their Master until mercy comes. Such trust and hope is rooted in God’s covenant love for them. The Lord commanded the priesthood to bless the people of Israel with these words, “the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Num. 6:25). Their eyes are turned in hope to the One who has declared grace to them.
​      
Downward-pressed (123:3-4). Their trust and hope is ridiculed. Contempt closes in on them, scorn slithers toward them, and the proud prowl around them. You’ve been there too, haven’t you? Placing our faith in Christ and planting ourselves in the midst of His people seems foolish to some people. These scorners don’t have the final word though. The pilgrims pray their way through the suffering, crying out to the Lord for mercy and trusting He will make good on His promises.

(This article was originally posted on MarkInc Ministries. To see the original article, click here.)

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
​Psalm 122:1

​Weariness can suck the life out of us like nothing else. In the midst of long seasons of suffering, or battling particular sins, weariness often sets in and threatens our joy, peace, patience, and faithfulness. We wonder whether it will ever end. We try to just endure. We accept another day of pain or failure. We barely recognize ourselves sometimes. We might become introverted, numb to relationships and circumstances, eager for night to fall again so we can climb back into bed, and be silent in our suffering, sin or shame. What does Scripture teach us to do when we find ourselves weary? Psalm 122 gives us a good answer. It is one of the Songs of Ascents (120-134), which the people of God used to sing on their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts, and as such are appropriate for Christians of all ages to sing as God’s pilgrim people (1 Pet. 1:1).  ​

Procession (122:1-5). The weary pilgrim has finally made his way to the city of God—what joy fills his heart! The pilgrim finds a community there characterized by unity, praise and justice. These three things bring gladness to his heart.

The weary Christian today finds unity, praise and justice in the church. We gather together each Sunday with gladness in our hearts, praising the God who has saved us and seeking to bring forth righteousness and justice in our interactions with one another. It is Christ who builds the church and we are members of one another, each one given spiritual gifts to use to build up the body of Christ and serve one another (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:11-16).

As we live together as the covenant community, we live in hope of the New Jerusalem where there will be no more pain or sorrow, and no more temple because Christ Himself will be the temple in the new heaven and earth. The latter should be our greatest hope and joy, especially when we’re weary—we will be with Christ!  

Peace (122:6-9).  Not only is there gladness in the pilgrim’s heart, there is a prayer for peace and security on his lips. This desire for peace is reflected in the priestly blessing, “the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:26). Because the pilgrim is aware of his communion with God and his communion with his brothers, he desires peace within Jerusalem (“city of peace”).
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It is Christ who has brought peace between Jews and Gentiles and made us one new man in place of the two, reconciling us to God through the cross (Eph. 2:14-16). As those who are in union with Christ and are members of one another, we are to pursue peace in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as with unbelievers we know. This is hard to do, especially when you’re weary with suffering, but Christ promises, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).

Lord, because of Your presence in us, we have the privilege to be peacemakers. We live in such a conflicted and hostile world. You equip us to build a place of peace for those in our own circles of influence. We know that peace can spread, one person at a time if it is rooted in You. Today, Lord, make me Your peacemaker.  ​

(This article was originally published on MarkInc Ministries. To view the original article, please click here.)

I remember the fear I felt as the force of the wave overwhelmed me and I went under the salty water of the Pacific Ocean. I couldn’t get my bearings or my footing, but suddenly a strong arm pulled me back into light and fresh air. That strong arm was my mother’s arm, and for me, in elementary school at the time, it was the strongest arm I knew (besides my father’s). Relief flooded over me as I realized I was safe; I had received help at just the right moment. Isn’t that how it is with our heavenly Father? We lose our bearings and our footing, feel swept away by the strong current of our emotions, relationships, circumstances, etc., and then all of a sudden, we realize His strong arm is there to help us?

Yesterday we looked at the first of the fifteen Songs of Ascents (120-134).
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They are songs that teach us where to turn for peace, help, unity, forgiveness, restoration, strength, blessing, hope, humility, contentment, and a life of prayer and praise. These songs are pictures of our journey to the heavenly city we look toward with hope. More importantly, they anticipate the One who left His home in glory to fulfill His Father’s plan.

Helper (121:3-8). “But I can’t sleep,” you say. You think the waves too large, the current too strong, but this song reminds us we can sleep because our Keeper doesn’t. And because He doesn’t sleep, He is able to stabilize His saints’ steps, keeping them and protecting them from dangers by day or by night.

It is easy to visualize the weary pilgrim lifting his eyes to the hills surrounding Jerusalem and getting a second wind for the next stretch of the journey. Whether it was the pre-exilic pilgrim making his way to Solomon’s temple or the post-exilic Jew making his way back to the restored temple, both were difficult journeys. This psalm, a fine exposition of the priestly prayer in Numbers 6:24, “The LORD bless you and keep you,” anticipate the One who not only keeps our life but gave up His life to do so. Now that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand, He has also sent another Helper to us. The Spirit of truth will guide us into truth as we seek to serve our triune God as worshipers, workers and witnesses in this world (John 16:13).
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So remember Psalm 121 the next time the wave of suffering, sin, or difficult service threatens to undo you. “He will not let your foot be moved” (v3).  

(This article was originally published on MarkInc Ministries. To view the original article, click here.)

Distress from Deceit (120:1-4). Oftentimes we don’t know where to take our distress, but the psalmist knew where to take his. He turned to the Lord, and he was not disappointed. The Lord answered his cry for deliverance from deceitful lips that surrounded him. Perhaps you have felt the pain of deceitful lips around you. What do we do? The psalmist knew God’s judgment would ultimately come to his enemies. Vengeance is the Lord’s; He will repay (Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19). Recognizing this is the road to freedom from anger, bitterness, depression, and a host of other emotions that come with holding onto wrongs others have done to us. Christ was surrounded by deceitful lips, and yet He willingly took our place in the judgment seat. We can forgive others because God has forgiven us in Christ, and we can leave judgment to the Judge, Jesus Christ.

Desire for Peace (120:5-7). Have you ever dwelt among people who seem to constantly stir the pot, try to get the final word, and often look for the next fight? The psalmist dwells among those who hate peace. This is hard for someone who desires peace. The Israelites returning from exile would have identified well with the words of the psalmist. They too faced deceit from without and the desire for peace from within, but peace would not come for four hundred more years.
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When Jesus was born, there was a righteous man living in Jerusalem awaiting the peace of Israel. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit he went to the temple at the same time Mary and Joseph arrived to present Jesus. So he took the Christ child in his arms and blessed God, recognizing He was letting him depart this earth in peace because he had seen the salvation of the Lord (Luke 2:25-32). Before Jesus was crucified He extended His peace to His disciples making it very clear to them that His peace was completely different than what the world offered (John 14:27). Paul tells us that Christ Himself is our peace because He has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body through the cross (Eph. 2:14-17). Since Christ is our peace and proclaimed peace, we are to extend peace to others and proclaim the gospel of peace. To whom in your life do you need to extend peace today, and who needs to hear you proclaim the gospel of peace?