Malachi Responses in a Chronicles World

When has our country ever been needier than it is right now, under the situations of these past weeks and months? Probably never in my lifetime. My heart has been heavy this week as I have considered the current rioting, although my ultimate conclusions also include the virus situation.

My primary reaction regarding the protests is that I don't understand. I don't understand how these protests can be productive; they seem only destructive. I don't doubt that there are legitimate concerns or that there are sincere people seeking to address those concerns, but the current methods are doing more harm than good.

This situation may be exactly what is being universally touted - that a racist officer acted with excessive violence, without mercy denying breath to a man calling out for reprieve. In that case, proper justice should be taken based on evidence. But there are also enough questions, in my opinion, to present the possibility that the situation was not as bad as it seems. If that is the case, it will be too late to reverse the loss of lives, businesses, and peace.

Why do I suggest this unpopular possibility? Because I expect police officers to act like police officers, criminals like criminals, and upstanding citizens like upstanding citizens. That's not always true; there are bad cops. There are also good cops who make bad decisions. Rather than stemming from hatred, I think many similar situations are simply due to people (on both sides) making bad decisions in intense situations. I'm not arguing for who is right or wrong in this case or in the broader picture, but just saying that currently imperfect people are hurting and in turmoil.

The underlying problem is sin. Whether that is racism by cops or citizens, or whether that is criminal activity and disregard for the law, it is sin. It is primarily a heart issue. The answer is the gospel. Criminals, police officers, hate groups, and ordinary citizens all need the gospel. Only then can hearts, lives, and behaviors be changed. Only then can healing happen.

I don't understand racism. Maybe that means I'm sheltered. I  do realize there are hateful people, maybe more than I realize, but I don't think most Americans care about skin color. I have had co-workers and students from multiple ethnic backgrounds. I have lived in a foreign country, ministering to and alongside people of other ethnicities. I have loved those people. Racism seems foreign to me because I grew up with Christianity and in Christian circles. That's the point. The answer is God. If others shared my Christian context, there wouldn't be racism.

Here's where my thinking on the riots coincides with my thinking about coronavirus. There are many people in our country who need the gospel. It is the only thing that will change their lives and hearts, the only thing that will provide answers. That is true whether the issue is hatred and racism or whether the issue is fear, anxiety, or depression.

Many have tried during these months to direct people toward God. Just with myself and people in my church, there have been multiple conversations, phone calls, letters, tracts, social media posts and videos, publically-published letters and sermons, and other creative attempts to show God's love and to direct people to the hope and salvation found in God.

But where are the responses? If people are so needy, and if the answer is being shared, why aren't people responding? If these troubling times are not enough to turn people's hearts to God, then what would it take to get people's attention? If not now, when?

Nearly everyone thinks he is ok. People believe in God. Religion is so common in our culture that, without extended and systematic study, people don't realize their belief is insufficient or misguided. The remaining people either don't care or are angry at God. They blame Him for everything, or they deny He exists, and they dismiss all religious talk before they have the chance to hear enough truth to impact them. I am reminded of how God sent His prophets many times to Israel, but they would not hear. (II Chronicles 36:15-16, Jeremiah 35:13-16). People today give Malachi-type responses. They ask questions, sometimes sincere and sometimes belligerent. What's wrong with us? Why would God reject us? Don't we believe in Him? Haven't we gone to church? Don't we try to live right? What do you mean, we aren't good enough?

We believe that people are hurting in these days, but these "hurting" people are nebulous and nameless. Are they your co-workers or neighbors? They don't seem to be. Are they the people in the riots, people who are suffering from injustice and can't find a way out? Do you think they want to hear the gospel? In both groups, people either think they already have religion or they want nothing to do with it.

Truly, Jesus was right when He said, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14). As I pondered a friend's heartfelt Facebook post sharing her beliefs as well as the many efforts of others, my heart was gripped to pray for these gospel efforts to have impact. Yes, many will choose the broad path. They will refuse to get enough Bible knowledge to even understand the truth. But not all. Some will choose the narrow way.

How can we reach those people? Each of us have people in our sphere of influence that others don't have. Who among us knows the protestors, the police, the hurting inner city people? If we don't have contact with them, perhaps the ones who are most needy, how can we reach them? Those cities, neighborhoods, gangs, and groups seem like closed communities. What can we do?

Here are the answers I thought of. Pray for inner cities. Pray for workers to go there. Pray for pastors who are in those cities to be true to the Word and to preach the gospel. Pray for people who are searching to find good churches rather than empty religion. Pray for people's hearts to be touched. Pray for key leaders within their communities and groups to be saved. Pray for people in social services to have real impact, sharing Christ and not social help. Mentor if that possibility is available. For the needy who are in your sphere of influence, pray for God to draw them. Then live like Christians ought to live to show people there is a difference between believing in God and being a Christian. May God have mercy on our land. May He call people to Himself. May He heal the hurting.

Candid Admissions Regarding COVID-19

Most of us have been actively dealing with the COVID-19 situation for nearly two months now, and it often seems there is no end in sight. The hardest thing for me has been isolation. Even though I am working, I have been separated from those who are most special to me. When I have needed them most, I have missed my church family, which is the heart of my support network.

That drives me deeper to God. He is the best source of comfort, help, and strength, and He has been dear to me. I wish I could say I have spent precious hours in His Word. I am finding verses to help me, for sure, but in general the added pressures of work and living have limited my energy for extended reading and study. I'm spending more time talking to God, working through things, letting Him know about my day and my thoughts and struggles. I have thrived most on music, listening to and playing hymns. There is something about music that is soothing and comforting, and it helps me find the words that my heart wants to say. Sometimes I just sit and listen to hymn after hymn, allowing the truths they express to envelop me.

The isolation from church has in some ways contributed to increasing closeness. I have talked with church friends almost daily, sometimes praying, sometimes crying, sometimes sharing, sometimes listening. I have had cards, texts, emails, and Facebook interaction. I've had more face-to-face contacts than I would have expected. I've had people bring me food, acquire and deliver medical supplies, and offer help. When I talk with church members, they often mention others who have also ministered to them. Seeing the multiple ways in which we have been able to care, support, and interact with each other even while separated makes me love and appreciate my church even more.

My early response to the virus was disbelief. The far-away situation seemed like it never would affect us. The initial responses seemed extreme, even shocking, an extreme overreaction. I still pretty much feel that way, but I also see the difficult position leaders are in when the American public has the unreasonable expectation that leaders should prevent all deaths. The attempt to accomplish that has been tumultuous and damaging.

When things got crazy, I quickly realized that my primary challenge is figuring out how to live life as it currently exists. I don't mean the practical things like grocery shopping; I mean responding mentally, emotionally, spiritually. In order not to be completely overwhelmed, I need God desperately, and I need His Word desperately. My primary focus in life has become seeking inner stability. Sometimes I do okay with that, but lots of times I feel overwhelmed - stabilized enough to continue on with life, but certainly not comfortable.

I have sometimes seen the need for humor or for something ordinary to temporarily distract from the constant impact of the virus. Sometimes there is the need to commiserate with friends, hearing their frustrations and fears and sharing my own. And yes, sometimes there is frustration with leaders and restrictions.

People respond differently. Sometimes that is based on their situation in life. For example, some people are home right now with their families and with extra time to relax. As far as life goes, they are surrounded by love and even having special times that are helping them to get through the difficulties. Since I don't have that, it is the primary focus of my interactions with others. Whether by phone or Facebook, I am primarily seeking to support and be supported because those are my only venues to do that.

Those who already have those basic needs met often come to the phone or to Facebook with other needs and responses. If they have time off, they also have plenty of time to be exposed to and consider other aspects of this difficult time. May I refer to these as verbal barrages, political arguments, and conspiracy theories? Frankly, those things are outside my capacity to deal with and provide more overwhelming pressure. To me, it doesn't matter how this started; it did start. My focus is on dealing with it.

Sometimes I call people to check on them or just to chat, but it is likely that if I call, it is either because I am overwhelmed or because I know I soon will be without interaction. I can't handle being more overwhelmed by the content of the phone call. Same with Facebook. I want to see friends' posts because they provide some level of connection with people, but the rants and conspiracy theories drag me down.

I know people are on Facebook for various reasons. Some use it primarily as a political platform. I usually don't follow those people, because I am there primarily for connections with people. Lately, political-type posts have been increasing, and I'm not saying no one should share those things, but it does make it harder for me to have a support network that doesn't overwhelm me. I want to have what I described earlier in this post - a drawing closer rather than a pushing apart. Sadly, I feel like I'm temporarily losing some of my friends when I need them most.

We all have to deal with pressures and frustrations. Some people are responding with shootings and public threats - people who wouldn't normally do such things, but they are currently pushed by overwhelming pressures that cloud their responses. I understand that my friends also have the same pressures; rather than shooting people, they are speaking or posting frustration. So I cut them some slack, but God has taught me hard lessons that make me prefer hurt and tears over frustration and anger. I realize this world is not perfect, and that can be upsetting, but I'm a stranger here, trying to reflect God during my earthly sojourn. I need support in doing that.

God Doesn't Run Out

"They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights" (Psalm 36:8).

There are things God never runs out of. Even after many centuries, His supplies are more than sufficient. In spite of the millions who have drawn from His storehouses, He still has plenty to spare.

One reason for the unending supply is that God Himself lasts forever. "Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" (Psalm 90:2). Because God always has existed and always will exist, He can always provide.

Since God never changes, the resources and character that He had in time past continue in the present and will continue in the future. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17).

So what does God never run out of? What supplies of God are always sufficient?

God never runs out of love. "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).

God never runs out of goodness. "How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You" (Psalm 31:19).

God never runs out of comfort or hope. "Who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope" (II Thessalonians 2:16).

God never runs out of compassion. "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

God never runs out of grace. "So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7).

God never runs of lovingkindness (tender mercies). "Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old" (Psalm 25:6).

God never runs out of truth. "The truth of the LORD is everlasting" (Psalm 117:2).

God never runs out of faithfulness. "Great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23).

God never runs out of righteousness. "My righteousness will be forever" (Isaiah 51:8).

God never runs out of light. "You will have the LORD for an everlasting light" (Isaiah 60:20).

God never runs out of the ability to bear burdens. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden" (Psalm 68:19).

God never runs out of the capacity to be a refuge. "The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).

God never runs out of counsel. "The counsel of the LORD stands forever" (Psalm 33:11).

God never runs out of His status as King. "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" (Psalm 45:6).

God never runs out of His dominion over the entire earth. "His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him" (Daniel 7:27).

God never runs out of power. "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Ephesians 1:19).

God never runs out of strength. "In GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock" (Isaiah 26:4).

Christ's redemptive sacrifice for us never runs out. "But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12).

God's salvation never runs out. "He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (John 5:24).

Christ's priesthood never runs out. "The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, 'You are a priest forever'" (Psalm 110:4).

Christ's intercession for believers never runs out. "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

The Holy Spirit's ministry never runs out. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever" (John 14:16).

God's Word never runs out. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

God's promises never run out. "So that by two unchangeable things [a promise and an oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18).

Is there something you need? God can take care of daily provision. "If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?" (Matthew 6:30). Do you need something deeper than daily provision? "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).

God has everything He needs to supply everything you need!

How Deep to Hunker

"Hunker down." "Stay at home." These are the instructions we keep hearing. How deeply should we hunker?

1) Hunker deeply enough to decompress. Whether serving on the front lines, working an essential job, homeschooling, or being constantly confined, almost everyone is experiencing extra pressure.

It is important to deal appropriately with those pressures. For most people, that means a certain amount of solitude to devote to activities (or inactivity) that relieve pressure. Don't remain so constantly busy that there is no time to rest. "And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while'" (Mark 6:31).

2) Hunker deeply enough to profit with God. Challenging times are especially suited for spiritual growth. "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:3-4). God wants us to draw near to Him, to grow in Him, and to seek Him as our source of help.

These goals require time with God in prayer and in His Word. Some people have plenty of time available for this. Others, who have limited time, still need it and must find times alone with God. It would be a tragedy if Christians went through this time of trial without learning and growing. "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You" (Psalm 63:1).

3) Hunker deeply enough to profit with family. Time with children is limited and quickly fleeting. There is so much to teach them and so many ways to influence them. Soon they will be going out on their own. They will need a firm foundation of love and of Biblical training.

For many families, these days provide a priceless gift of unexpected time together. Because of their difficulty, they are especially suited for teaching important life lessons. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7). Don't let this God-given opportunity pass without profit for your family.

In hunkering down for personal well-being, spiritual pursuits, and family enrichment, it is possible to hunker too deeply. It is possible to forget those outside your small circle. These days cannot be total isolation from anyone outside the walls of your home.

4) Don't hunker so deeply that you neglect fellow church members. Even though you are temporarily apart, you still need each other. God gave the church as a place where all believers can be part of a family. The New Testament is packed with "one another" instructions, and those instructions are still important. "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (I Thessalonians 5:11).

A few churches have unusual accommodations for services that allow members to see each other distantly, and some make it possible digitally, but many churches have no visual contact. There must then be contact through other ways - Facebook, emails, phone calls, texts, video calls, regular mail, and meeting physical needs where necessary. Those who are most alone especially need support. Those who are elderly, perhaps technologically challenged and with fewer contacts, need the support of their church. For some people, church is their most important social interaction, and they have already gone weeks without it.

5) Don't hunker so deeply that you forget your pastor. Pastors are faithfully supporting and encouraging their people. They are continuing to bring the Word in very appropriate sermons. They are probably making more phone calls than just about anyone else in the church, trying to check on people. They are working to meet needs of which they are aware. They are praying for their congregations.

Pastors are doing all of this without the benefit of interaction or communication. Many are preaching via video to an empty room. (Some, whose churches lack technology, are not even able to do that.) Pastors are not seeing facial responses, they aren't hearing "amens," they aren't getting feedback as people leave, they aren't hearing people share their needs or tell how a sermon impacted them. The pastor has a solemn duty to meet spiritual needs. "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account" (Hebrews 13:17). God can direct pastors even when feedback is limited, but interactions with their congregations provide helpful insights. Help your pastor do his job effectively by letting him know how things are going and what needs and burdens you have. Show him proper esteem by finding ways to let him know of his effective ministry to you.

6) Don't hunker so deeply that you forget the needy. People around the world are hurting, scared, confused, and have many other issues. These are great days for the gospel. The means of interacting with people are severely curtailed, but there are some opportunities, and those will increase as restrictions gradually lift.

Pray for missionaries (and reach out to them). They have unprecedented opportunities in many places around the world. Instead of being part of the chaos that confronts your co-workers, neighbors, families, and friends, be a source of peace. Show Christian love by meeting practical needs where possible. More importantly, display a testimony that shows you have something different in your life - something real - that can help in difficulty. "Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (I Peter 3:15).

In some aspects, the hunkering down is a blessing, as it provides opportunities for rest, communion with God, and increased interaction with family. Enjoy the blessings, but don't forget about those outside your circle. Interact and be a blessing for the good of the church and the gospel. Hunker, but don't disappear.