February 20, 2009

Is the Lord A Stranger?

Original Thoughts Taken from Robert Murray M'Cheyne

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts. "Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They mourn for the land, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns [and] found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded And covered their heads. Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads. Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But left because there was no grass. And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; They sniffed at the wind like jackals; Their eyes failed because [there was] no grass." O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You. O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler [who] turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should You be like a man astonished, Like a mighty one [who] cannot save? Yet You, O LORD, [are] in our midst, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us! (Jeremiah 14:1-9 NKJV)

There is real evidence that the Lord is a stranger in our midst.  Very few true conversions are seen, there is great deadness among Christians, and great is the boldness of sinners in sin. Truly, these are spiritually dark times. When we ask why, we must consider our ministers, our people, and the resistance of the world.

Our ministers either refuse or lack the ability to preach a pure Gospel to their congregations. The narrow road has become a highway for any who wish to add heaven to their basket of tasty morsels. The flesh is pampered with religion like any other indulgence. Those who do remain faithful to truth pursue men without tender compassions.

We do not yearn over men in the bowels of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote of "the enemies of the cross of Christ," with tears in his eyes! There is little of this weeping among ministers now. "Knowing the terrors of the Lord," Paul persuaded men. There is little of this persuading spirit among ministers now. How can we wonder that the dry bones are very, very dry—that God is a stranger in the land? Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Then there is the deadness of the people. There seems to be little thirst for the hearing and reading of the Word. Many come as judges rather than disciples. Perhaps this is a byproduct of preachers lifting up self more than Christ. Still, we must all learn to sit at the Messiah’s feet, and yearn for the precious truth of the Gospel to pour over us, to expose our sins and yield the fruit of repentance.

How shall this come to pass without pray? Oh, let us fall on our knees in this hour of darkness. Men of prayer are men of power. Where is the power? Surely, we forsake this discipline to our own peril.

This brings us to the exceeding sinfulness of the day. There is great opposition to holiness. The book of Romans teaches that in response to the rejection of God, God gives sinners over to a depraved mind. It appears this is progressive. Three times the Bible says, and God gave them over. Each time the vileness of their affections increased (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

So what must we do? We must begin with ourselves. We must make the Lord welcome in our lives if we are to be His ambassadors. You know what is lacking. Deal with it before God deals with it. Humble yourself and pray. He will not despise your honest plea for help. Return to Him and He will be your hope in this time of trouble.