As way of update, another sister in Christ and myself have begun praying for revival on a regular basis. All praise, glory, honor, and thanksgiving to God for that! There was no fleshly compulsion, convincing, manipulation, or scheming required on my part, but the LORD alone did this thing, and I am glad! Psalm 118:23. Isaiah 56:7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer.

However, in spite of that great blessing, because I was setting my eyes on the outward appearance and the current state of things, several times as of late, I had found myself lapsing and questioning and seeking God’s assurance in the place He has me –– even though He had given it to me time and again, and yes, I did go back to recall those times. And yet, I still found myself very much in a similar state to that of God’s people in the first part of Haggai 2: they’d seen the former glory (or had heard of it) –– and the current temple looked as NOTHING in comparison, and their hearts were sinking and they were sorely tempted to be distressed and dismayed. They’d lost their vision of the God who was present with them, as well as His covenant promises in the past, and His covenant promises yet to be accomplished in the future (see Haggai 2:1-9).

I was sitting in our worship service last Sunday morning, with questions filling my mind and very little expectation, grieving and fairly distraught at the prospects, even though that really made no logical sense at all in light of all God has been doing as of late and how He has continued to encourage me all along the way. Yet, the devil loves to entangle us and bring us down, doesn’t he, and very often that happens after spiritual victory, e.g. – Elijah in I Kings 19.

But then, my eyes and affections and heart were all lifted above, as we sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” In particular that emphasis on the word “little.” Afterwards, I turned to Micah 5: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little, yet out of you…” Bethlehem = house of bread. Ephrathah = fruitfulness. O, Lord, we are so very far from that! Nevertheless, at the same time, the Scripture WAS such a great encouragement to me… because it continues on: “THOUGH you are LITTLE, YET! …” That’s how God always works: through the little, weak, ignoble, foolish, and unwise in the world’s eyes (I Cor. 1). And then I turned to Isaiah 60:22: “A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I the LORD will hasten it in its time.” So here I am, along with this other sister. We are meeting in the hope that God will be true to His covenant promises and rend the heavens and come down! It seems preposterous, doesn’t it? How can two women praying make any difference? And yet, that’s so often how revivals begin. (More below…)

Later in Micah 5 I read this verse: “THEN the remnant of His brethren SHALL RETURN to the children of Israel…” The remnant shall return. There’s no doubt of that at all! And, on top of that: “AND HE SHALL STAND AND FEED HIS FLOCK in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God…”  And so, from that Scripture from which Phillips Brooks wrote that old carol, there was a little heavenly feeding for my downcast soul that morning! Glory to God! Our Father never fails to satisfy our souls with His mercies! They are new every morning! O! That we might go to His throne in our time of need, to make use of His appointed means of grace, and open our mouths, so the Bread of Heaven might drop down and feed us!

I regret to say, that in spite of that, as there were further things I’d become aware of, instead of my vision continuing to be lifted, I found it being taken down, down, down, and I became further distraught.

On my other blog, in my post “Silent Night – Not! …,” I’d quoted John Piper: “There are sorrows we must pray to feel.” (see Jeremiah  8:21-9:1). The calling to pray includes a calling to sorrow, but not a fleshly, self-absorbed, despairing sorrow, but rather a hopeful sorrow that propels us upward, so we might cry out to God in expectant prayer with thanksgiving, much like the apostle Paul, “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” A few days ago, I found myself listening to a sermon by the Rev. Geoff Thomas on Nehemiah 1, and I had to stop, and weep and rejoice all at the same time –– for it is a grace and blessing to see the ruins and grieve, and at the same time, it is a grace and blessing to be led into importunate prayer for the house of God to be restored, to press on for the joy set before us.

Later that day, I walked quite a long time and poured out my heart to God about these things (to whom could I go?!). I laid out my complaint, went through the promises of God, both general as well as specific, which He has given to me. I came to a point where I was saying something like this: “As my days, so shall my strength be. Would You send me all I need to persevere with joy, a felt assurance to my soul again, even though You have done this so many times. And yet, BECAUSE YOU HAVE done this so many times, I am coming to You again in faith. If You don’t go with me.. If You don’t make Yourself SPECIALLY present…” And not long after that, I did have a sense that my prayers were heard, and knew He would come to refresh me again somehow, some way…

Late that night, as I lay down on my pillow, almost the millisecond I did so, these words came like a fire into my soul to bring a flood of joy and peace in believing: “Let the people praise You! Let ALL the people praise you!” (from Psalm 67.) As Payson said, “Who wants candles when He has the sun!” I HAD THE SON! I felt it as if God were giving me strong consolation (Heb. 6:8), as if He were saying:  “Yes! Yes! You are right to be burdened about these things, Karen, and the end of it all, the end of your prayers is this: MY praise. Though you are little, though it seems I have not heard your prayers, though all looks like a wilderness, I have heard your prayers, so keep on praying without ceasing. One day I will come again, and there will be a fruitful field.”

I know how easy it is to become discouraged, and I only share that as an encouragement to you, to take hold of the horns of the altar, to take hold of the hem of Christ’s garment, to wrestle with Him all night, not to be silent, not to give Him rest until He blesses you individually with His presence, and until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth once again (blesses His Church corporately with His presence). The corporate revival may not happen in our lifetimes, but I pray that you might begin to have the sun to sustain you in this dark and cloudy day, i.e. – to have the LORD shine His face upon you in this day of small things! As I quoted Edward Griffin in my previous post, I want to help you in any way I can so you might press on along with me in “praying for a revival of religion.”

Now, a little more regarding the blessing of God coming out of smallness…

I was reading Psalm 147 last night and again this morning, and then began reading Matthew Henry on it, and came to a wonderful portion regarding the first couple verses, which I’d like to share with you. First off, the Scripture (KJV), followed by Henry’s commentary on it. (Italics, original; boldface, mine.)

Psalm 147:1  Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. 2  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

 II. God is recommended to us as the proper object of our most exalted and enlarged praises, upon several accounts.

      1. The care he takes of his chosen people, 2. Is Jerusalem to be raised out of small beginnings? Is it to be recovered out of its ruins? In both cases, The Lord builds up Jerusalem. The gospel-church, the Jerusalem that is from above, is of this building. He framed the model of it in his own counsels; he founded it by the preaching of his gospel; he adds to it daily such as shall be saved, and so increases it. He will build it up unto perfection, build it up as high as heaven. Are any of his people outcasts? Have they made themselves so by their own folly? He gathers them by giving them repentance and bringing them again into the communion of saints. Have they been forced out by war, famine, or persecution? He opens a door for their return; many that were missing, and thought to be lost, are brought back, and those that were scattered in the cloudy and dark day are gathered together again.

As I read that, those words The Lord builds up Jerusalem really impacted and blessed me. Yes! The Lord builds up Jerusalem! i.e. – not Karen! Jerusalem is to be raised out of small beginnings. Jerusalem is to be recovered out of its ruins. How? The Lord Himself is The Builder of His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her! … So many wonderful associated Scriptures, but one that comes to mind now is Amos 9:11-12:

“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David,
which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuilt it as in the days of old;
That they may possess the remnant of Edom (or, mankind)
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the LORD who does this thing.

(Just a little note here:  there are multiple layers to this prophecy… First off, in the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, but primarily in the Lord Jesus Christ humbling Himself and coming to earth as a babe to born under the law, to live a sinless life, and to suffer and die and be raised again for the sin of the world –– good news of great joy for ALL people, both Jews and Gentiles. The prophecy looks forward to the ingathering of the Gentiles (the verse is quoted by James at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, in explaining the activity of God’s Holy Spirit in the conversion of the Gentiles). But, in addition, I believe it to be a picture of the times of refreshing that come to the Church periodically throughout Church history, according to God’s good pleasure, when the Spirit of God graciously descends in reviving fire.) But my point in sharing it with you here is particularly that last portion:

“Says the LORD who does this thing.”

Like Abraham, let us (let me) not be weak in faith, let us (let me) not waver in unbelief, but be fully convinced that what God has promised He is also able to perform! (Romans 4:13-25) Our Lord Himself told us that He would not leave us as orphans, but He would come to us! That’s a promise not only to the individual Christian, but also a promise to the Church corporate! O! The day will come when He will come again in power and glory! He will awake and arise, and will pluck His hand out of His bosom on behalf of His people for the sake of His name, for there are sheep yet to be gathered into His one fold, and so often that ingathering occurs as the Church herself is revived… So much more I would love to say on that, but just look at Isaiah 60 (among other places in the Scripture). I don’t know if He will come in revival in my lifetime, that is up to Him. But I know that my prayers will continue to ascend to His throne long after I am dust!

Before I close, one more Scripture on smallness. Once more I’m tapping into Matthew Henry and his commentary on Bildad’s counsel to Job in Job 8:7 (once again italics, original; boldface, mine):

He [Bildad] gives him [Job] good hopes that he shall yet again see good days, secretly suspecting, however, that he was not qualified to see them. He assures him that, if he would be early in seeking God, God would awake for his relief, would remember him and return to him, though now he seemed to forget him and forsake him–that if his habitation were righteous it should be prosperity. When we return to God in a way of duty we have reason to hope that he will return to us in a way of mercy. Let not Job object that he had so little left to being the world with again that it was impossible he should ever prosper as he had done; no, “Though thy beginning should be ever so small, a little meal in the barrel and a little oil in the cruse, God’s blessing shall multiply that to a great increase.” This is God’s way of enriching the souls of his people with graces and comforts, not per saltum–as by a bound, but per gradum–step by step. The beginning is small, but the progress is to perfection. Dawning light grows to noonday, a grain of mustard seed to a great tree. Let us not therefore despise the day of small things, but hope for the day of great things.

So often, I become impatient and expect the bound (or the hop! ~ as google translate renders that phrase)… Help me, Lord Jesus, to be happy with Your ways and Your timing! “You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, will come…” (see Psalm 102). May each one of us bring a little meal and a little oil, i.e. – humbly bring to Him our “small” amount of prayers with thanksgivings, not to despise the day of small things, but to hope for the day of great things, to trust Almighty God to bless and to multiply our prayers to a great increase in His time (consider what our Lord did with those five loaves and two fishes!)

I’ll close by adding to Henry’s own words,

“Let us not therefore despise the day of small things, but hope for the day of great things.”

these of the apostle Paul:

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

“As it is written:

Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
(Romans 9:33)

Contrary to hope, may we, like Abraham, believe! (Romans 4:18) Lord, we believe. Help, Lord, our unbelief! Help, Lord, my unbelief!

May each of you have a very blessed Christmas season and know Christ’s life more abundantly as you seek His face! ~ Psalm 69:32b.

    
From Richard Baxter’s “The Reformed Pastor”:

The great advantage of ministers having a sincere heart, is this, that the glory of God and the salvation of souls are their very end; and where that end is truly intended, no labor or suffering will stop them, or turn them back; for a man must have his end, whatever it cost him. Whatever he forgets, he will still retain this lesson: One thing is needful; seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Hence he says, ‘Necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.’ This is it that will most effectually make easy all our labors, and make light all our burdens, and make tolerable all our sufferings, and cause us to venture on any hazards, if we may only win souls to Christ. That which I once made the motto of my colors in another warfare, I desire may be still before my eyes in this; which yet, according to my intentions, is not altogether another. On one side ‘He that saveth his life shall lose it.” – on the other, ‘Ruin not the cause for the sake of keeping one’s life.’ He who knoweth that he serveth a God that will never suffer any man to be a loser by him, need not fear what hazards he runs in his cause: and he who knows that he seeks a prize, which, if obtained, will infinitely overbalance his cost, may boldly engage his whole estate on it, and sell all to purchase so rich a pearl.

From Andrew Fuller’s sermon, “The Instances, the Evil Nature, and the Dangerous Tendency of Delay, in the Concerns of Religion,” preached at Clipstone, England, April 27, 1791. Fuller’s Scripture text was Haggai 1:2 “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.”

We see many things that should be done; but there are difficulties in the way, and we wait for the removal of these difficulties. We are very apt to indulge a kind of prudent caution, (as we call it,) which foresees and magnifies difficulties beyond what they really are. It is granted there may be such things in the way of an undertaking as may render it impracticable; and, in that case, it is our duty for the present to stand still; but it becomes us to beware lest we account that impracticable which only requires such a degree of exertion as we are not inclined to give it. Perhaps the work requires expense; and Covetousness says, Wait a little longer, till I have gained so and so in trade, till I have rendered my circumstances respectable, and settled my children comfortably in the world. But is not this like ceiling our own houses, while the house of God lies waste? Perhaps it requires concurrence; and we wait for every body to be of a mind, which is never to be expected. He who through a dread of opposition and reproach desists from known duty is in danger of being found among the “fearful, the unbelieving, and the abominable.”

Had Luther and his contemporaries acted upon this principle, they had never gone about the glorious work of the Reformation. When he saw the abominations of popery, he might have said, These things ought not to be; but what can I do? If the chief priests and rulers in different nations would but unite, something might be effected; but what can I do, an individual, and a poor man? I may render myself an object of persecution, or, which is worse, of universal contempt; and what good end will be answered by it? Had Luther reasoned thus — had he fancied that, because princes and prelates were not the first to engage in the good work, therefore the time was not come to build the house of the Lord — the house of the Lord, for any thing he had done, might have lain waste to this day.

Instead of waiting for the removal of difficulties, we ought, in many cases, to consider them as purposely laid in our way, in order to try the sincerity of our religion. He who had all power in heaven and earth could not only have sent forth his apostles into all the world, but have so ordered it that all the world should treat them with kindness, and aid them in their mission; but, instead of that, he told them to lay their accounts with persecution and the loss of all things. This was no doubt to try their sincerity; and the difficulties laid in our way are equally designed to try ours.

Let it be considered whether it is not owing to this principle that so few and so feeble efforts have been made for the propagation of the gospel in the world. When the Lord Jesus commissioned his apostles, he commanded them to go and teach “all nations,” to preach the gospel to “every creature;” and that notwithstanding the difficulties and oppositions that would he in the way. The apostles executed their commission with assiduity and fidelity; but, since their days, we seem to sit down half contented that the greater part of the world should still remain in ignorance and idolatry. Some noble efforts have indeed been made; but they are small in number, when compared with the magnitude of the object. And why is it so? Are the souls of men of less value than heretofore? No. Is Christianity less true or less important than in former ages? This will not be pretended. Are there no opportunities for societies, or individuals, in Christian nations, to convey the gospel to the heathens? This cannot be pleaded so long as opportunities are found to trade with them, yea, and (what is a disgrace to the name of Christians) to buy them, and sell them, and treat them with worse than savage barbarity! We have opportunities in abundance: the improvement of navigation, and the maritime and commercial turn of this country, furnish us with these; and it deserves to be considered whether this is not a circumstance that renders it a duty peculiarly binding on us.

From Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on Exodus 14…

They thought they must have been directed either to the right hand or to the left. “No,” says God, “speak to them to go forward, directly to the sea-side;” as if there had lain a fleet of transport-ships ready for them to embark in. Note, When we are in the way of our duty, though we met with difficulties, we must go forward, and not stand in mute astonishment; we must mind present work and then leave the even to God, use means and trust him with the issue.

Hans Jordaens (III) – Le passage de la Mer Rouge (Crossing of the Red Sea)

Forward! Be Our Watchword
(Henry Alford, 1871)

Forward! be our watchword, steps and voices joined;
Seek the things before us, not a look behind;
Burns the fiery pillar at our army’s head;
Who shall dream of shrinking, by our Captain led?
Forward through the desert, through the toil and fight;
Jordan flows before us; Zion beams with light.

Forward! When in childhood buds the infant mind;
All through youth and manhood not a thought behind;
Speed through realms of nature, climb the steps of grace;
Faint not, till in glory, gleams our Father’s face.
Forward, all the lifetime, climb from height to height,
Till the head be hoary, till the eve be light.

Forward! flock of Jesus, salt of all the earth,
Till each yearning purpose spring to glorious birth:
Sick, they ask for healing; blind, they grope for day;
Pour upon the nations wisdom’s loving ray.
Forward, out of error, leave behind the night;
Forward through the darkness, forward into light!

Glories upon glories hath our God prepared,
By the souls that love Him one day to be shared;
Eye hath not beheld them, ear hath never heard;
Nor of these hath uttered thought or speech a word;
Forward, marching eastward, where the heaven is bright,
Till the veil be lifted, till our faith be sight.

Far o’er yon horizon rise the city towers
Where our God abideth; that fair home is ours:
Flash the streets with jasper, shine the gates with gold;
Flows the gladdening river shedding joys untold.
Thither, onward, thither, in the Spirit’s might;
Pilgrims to your country, forward into light!

Into God’s high temple, onward as we press,
Beauty spreads around us, born of holiness;
Arch, and vault, and carving, lights of varied tone,
Softened words and holy, prayer and praise alone.
Every thought upraising to our city bright,
Where the tribes assemble round the throne of light.

Naught that city needeth of these aisles of stone;
Where the Godhead dwelleth, temple there is none;
All the saints that ever in these courts have stood,
Are but babes, and feeding on the children’s food.
On through sign and token, stars amidst the night,
Forward through the darkness, forward into light.

To th’eternal Father loudest anthems raise;
To the Son and Spirit echo songs of praise;
To the Lord of glory, blessed Three in One,
Be by men and angels endless honor done.
Weak are earthly praises, dull the songs of night:
Forward into triumph, forward into light!

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.

(Psalm 84:5-7)

Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Over the past couple years, God has on me on a journey to prayer. I described it in this post:

Along with that, I’ve been seeking out like-minded believers locally with a heart for prayer, and I wrote this challenge to you (and myself) on May 14, 2010:

I know I won’t do it justice at all, but a few Scriptures come to mind to describe the work God has been doing as of late:

In His wonderful workings, God has been raising up a handful of like-minded men and women in our local church with a burden to pray.

Another Scripture that has continued to come to mind is Psalm 110:

Yes, the LORD will subdue His enemies, but by His electing and persevering love, He also subdues His friends! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power! God transforms and conforms His children into the image of Christ, so we might walk in the works He’s ordained for us. That we might do things we once had no desire at all for! It is God who works in us through His Holy Spirit so we might desire and do His good pleasure, so we might say along with our Lord, “Not my will, but Yours, be done.” Through the working of His power, we are made willing to do His will! Paul wrote about that constraining love in II Corinthians 5, God’s love compelling and impelling us and pressing in upon us. He changes our desires – and first and foremost God becomes our chief desire, the pearl of great price, the all-surpassing treasure for which we would really sell all. We are His friends if we do what He commands, but His commandments are not burdensome to us for we are given His Spirit – as Augustine wrote, “Give, O Lord, what Thou commandest, and then command what Thou wilt.” Amen. Buried with Christ and raised by the power of God to walk in newness of life!

Our flesh does continue to fight God each and every step of the way, there’s a constant battle, but in His grace, God’s Spirit continues to strive with us. Nothing good dwells in our own flesh. Therefore, left to our own devices and our own abilities, we can’t make ourselves willing, we can’t make ourselves do anything – no matter how much we might try. We know the many resolutions we’ve made to do things, and we fail time and time again, but in the day of Christ’s resurrection power, God works in us to make us willing! God gives sufficient grace so we might turn away from our selfish, worldly desires and turn to God and bow to Him as Lord, so that the mighty scepter is not an oppressive, heavy burden, not a loveless dictatorship, but a light and easy yoke, a welcome Lordship and absolute sovereign rule. We serve a loving and gracious and wonderful Master! He opens our eyes to see that anytime we revolt and removing ourself from His Kingship and His Kingdom authority and go back to our own way is the way of death, misery, heaviness, and vanity – a trip back to the pig sty –– while in contrast, Christ’s way of obedience is the way of life and joy and peace and fruitfulness and fulfillment – truly a feast in our Father’s house! All that He has IS ours! First and foremost, all that He is IS ours! Hallelujah!

I keep saying I am delighted at what I’m seeing God doing (and I am trusting this is just the firstfruits we are privileged to be tasting!), but delighted is really an understatement. I’m trying to express that which is all but inexpressible…

I am delighted because…

(I know most of those things do overlap. )

I feel very much in a dream, much like the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 126:

And yet with all I have been seeing as of late, though I am certainly delighted with all of this, as I’ve reflected on God’s goodnesses to our congregation and to me in His workings that have now become evident over the past few weeks (and to note here: His workings at this church which have gone back years  and years before I got there!), nothing at all compares with the delight God Himself brings me! May I never become an adulterer and enjoy God’s gifts and enjoy ministry for God more than God Himself!

We are in a spiritual battle. I know the little foxes have been afoot and the lion is prowling; I have felt this keenly over the past couple weeks, but I am trusting that the God who has begun this work in us, the God who has made us willing in the day of His power, will bring it to completion to His praise, honor and glory!