connect the dots

Psalm 84:11

"The Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does He withhold
from those whose walk is blameless."

As I first direct my thoughts to this truth, I think, "Sweet nectar, sun and shield, favor and honor! No good thing withheld!! Sign me up for that!"

But then "blameless" shifts my train of thought.

Blameless = Jesus

Jesus's walk was blameless. No good thing was withheld from Jesus? Jesus endured the cross, ultimate humility, suffering and shame. He was utterly forsaken on the cross.

I can see that this brought Jesus honor.

"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:9-11

Favor though? When I think favor, I think favorite and how I would treat someone that is one of my favorites or one whom I looked on with favor. I am sure that because of God's love and goodness His favor is perfect, where as mine is so not.

So Jesus suffering on the cross was God's favor for Him. It was Christ at the center of His Father's will. His ministry on earth with the disciples had been completed and it was time for Him to be offered as the perfect, atoning sacrifice.

Jesus must be a special case! After all He is Jesus, God in the flesh! Right?!

Well, Jesus definitely is special, the only one to ever walk a blameless life, the High Priest who could make atonement once for all. But we by faith are seen as righteous and with that blamelessness comes the Lord's favor and honor. The Lord in His providence sees fit at time to discipline us, or let endure hardships and let us suffer so that we may be more firmly rooted in Him and sanctified. In the Lord's favor suffering is something that we can rejoice in.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." -Romans 5:3-5

I confess that I have completely failed to do this today and yesterday too, and for me to even look at my life and think that I am suffering...oh my, it is an affront to the Lord, it is prideful, and self-entitlement at its ugly best. Lord, help me to see favor as You do and with Your truth at the forefront of my mind, as the greatest treasure of my heart.

Help me to be like my persecuted brother who wrote this in chains to his wife:

My dearest wife:

God, by His holy will, has prolonged my prison sentence to five years and four month. I very much long for the day that I will be reunited with you my dear wife, our children and God's people in the church.

My dear, listen to me; not only as a wife, but also as a Christian woman who has come to understand who God is and how deep and mysterious His ways are. Yes! I love you, I love the children and I would love to be free in order to serve God. But, in here, God has made me not only a sufferer for His Name's sake in a prison of this world over which Christ has won victory, but also a prisoner of His indescribable love and grace.

I am testing and experiencing the love and care of our Lord every day. When they first brought me to this prison, I had thoughts which were contrary to what the Bible says. I thought the devil had prevailed over the church and over me. I thought the work of the gospel in Eritrea was over. But it did not take one day for the Lord to show me that He is a sovereign God and that He is in control of all things - even here in prison.

The moment I entered my cell, one of the prisoners called me and said, ‘Pastor, come over here. Everyone in this cell is unsaved. You are very much needed here.’ So, on the same day I was put in prison, I carried on my spiritual work.

My dear, the longer I stay in here, the more I love my Savior and tell the people here about His goodness. His grace is enabling me to overcome the coldness and the longing that I feel for you and for our children. Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Am I out of my mind? Am I a fool?’ Well, isn't that what the apostle had said, ‘Whether I am of sound mind or out of my mind, it is for the sake of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 5:13)

My most respected wife, I love you more than I can say. Please help the children understand that I am here as a prisoner of Christ for the greater cause of the gospel.

-- From a pastor in bonds in Eritrea