It has been over two months since I posted on “First Light.” There are several reasons for this, but “having nothing to say” is not one of them.

A good piece of advice is to “go back to the place where you went off the track.” As I remember, Ric and I were reading the “minor prophets,” and I was overwhelmed by what I was reading. I found myself highlighting entire passages like Habakkuk 3!!! I sent out Zephaniah 3:17 to my “Moms in Prayer” group: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty One Who will save! He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His Love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” It is one of my favorite verses and it was received with enthusiasm.

However, I had a growing sense that the LORD was not pleased with me. Why? I had done what many of us are prone to do (pastors and laypersons alike): we love to pull verses out of context that make us feel good, encouraged, hopeful… I mean, who can blame us? Well, actually, God can. When we take someone’s words out of the context in which they were said, we can completely alter the meaning. Many of us have watched with growing distress as individuals have been maligned by this very practice. We have seen and heard the original statements, and then we have heard the edited versions sent out completely misrepresenting what was actually said.

Now, after all these weeks, I am being required to send out a correction. I have sent out a promise without “full disclosure” that it comes with a price. The grace that God offers us is not what has come to be identified as “cheap grace.” It was purchased for us at extraordinary cost to God Himself in the requiring of His Son’s shed blood. Now it is available to us upon the meeting of certain conditions. So here now is the context of the wonderful promises of Zephaniah 3:17:

“Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted…She did not listen to and heed the voice of God; she accepted no correction or instruction; she trusted not in the Lord [nor leaned on or was confident in Him, but was confident in her own wealth]; she drew not near to her God…her officials in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are ravening wolves;…Her prophets are light [lacking truth, gravity, and steadiness] and men of treachery; her priests have profaned the sanctuary; defrauding God and man by pretending their own word is God’s Word] they have done violence to the law. [Jer. 23:11] The Lord in the midst of her is [uncompromisingly] righteous;…every morning He brings His justice to light; He fails not, but the unjust [person] knows no shame….”

“...THEREFORE, earnestly wait for Me, says the LORD, waiting for the day when I rise up to the attack [as a witness, accuser, or judge, and a testimony]. For My decision and determination and right it is to gather the nations together, to assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation even all the heat of My fierce anger; for in that day all the earth shall be consumed with the fire of My zeal and jealousy….“

“For then [changing their impure language] I will give to the people a clear and pure speech from pure lips, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with unanimous consent…

“I will take away out of your midst those who exult in pride and you shall no more be haughty and carry yourselves arrogantly because of My holy mountain….Sing O Daughter of Zion, be in high spirits and glory with all your heart…[for then it will be that] the Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cast out your enemy….[and after He has come to you] you shall not experience or fear evil any more….Fear not…Let not your hands sink down or be slow and listless.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty One Who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His Love; He will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn… so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors.’“

We cannot “earn our salvation,” but we must carefully search the Word to find what He actually requires of us. Look at II Chronicles 7:14. In order for Him to hear our prayers, forgive our sin, and heal our land, we are required to first humble ourselves, pray, turn from our wicked ways, (repent) and seek His face. IF we do these things, THEN He promises to hear us, to forgive us, and to heal our land!!!

I hear myself and others bemoan that God is not following through on His promises for our nation. However, do we actually think –as we read the Old Testament, the New Testament, and history for the last 2000 years– that there were not righteous, repentant people that suffered and lost their lives in every nation and time period because of the “sins of the nation.” This takes us to the deepest and darkest place where the laments of the Psalms echo: “Where are you, God?” “Why have you not answered our prayers?!” “Whey do evil men prosper?” Read Psalm 43. It sums up the lament and the answer in five verses.

A favorite book of mine is “Answering God: Psalms as Tools for Prayer” by Eugene Peterson. As we focus on the Psalms we see that a precedent is laid down by David and others, we find permission and a pattern for pouring out our feelings of betrayal, anger, grief, and hopelessness: some call this a “lament.”. We read these Psalms and are freed to join in. Then we find ourselves broken and limp before God, emptied of “all that” has distracted us from the essence of Him Who “is near to the broken hearted”…and “binds up our wounds.” As we surrender into His Healing Presence we experience the Truth: “In His Presence is fullness of joy” and “joy of the LORD is our strength.”

If there is one thing that many unbelievers do not seem to understand about true believers is that surrender is what we are primarily required to do: to surrender our “rights” to Him, and give Him the “controls.” Our own “opinions” and “feelings” are not what rule a true believer, but they have to be felt and surrendered into the heart of God so that He can use them for good. Often we hold them in our hearts, nursing them until a root of bitterness grows. “Looking diligently lest…any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” (Hebrews12:15) The enemy whispers to us to hold onto these “legitimate” complaints; but we are required to submit (all) to God, not to the enemy of our souls (who unceasingly works to appeal to our baser, earthly, fleshly, human nature.

God calls to us: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

You can google the beloved hymn “I Surrender All.” No wonder God instructs us to “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs.”

“All to Thee, Lord, I surrender, all to Thee I freely give.

I will ever love and trust Thee in Thy Presence daily live.

I surrender all……all to Thee my precious Savior: I surrender all.”

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