2 Thessalonians 3:17 – “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.”
Some of the verses at the end of Paul’s epistles can seem like mere formalities, sentences and phrases that are absent of any deep theological truth. These words, it seems, do not pack the punch that the body of Paul’s letters do. After all, what’s the big deal that Paul writes this greeting himself as opposed to using a scribe (Romans 16:22)? It doesn’t seem like much spiritual significance can be drawn from such plain language.
But Paul’s words at the end of 2 Thessalonians are not unimportant or spiritually insignificant. In fact, one might argue that they are some of the most relevant verses in the entire letter because they get at whose words ought to be authoritative for God’s people. Whose words ought to influence us and guide our thinking?
Watch as Pastor Conley teaches on this important, if often-overlooked, verse.
Psalm 63:8 – "My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Psalm 63:8 is a perfect summary of this entire Psalm. The first seven verses, in many ways, repeat the first half of verse eight: “my soul clings to you.”
"earnestly I seek you" (v.1)
"my soul thirsts for you" (v.1)
"my flesh faints for you" (v.1)
"I have looked upon you in the sanctuary" (v.2)
"your steadfast love is better than life" (v.3)
"my soul will be satisfied" (v.5)
"I remember you upon my bed" (v.6)
"I meditate on you in the watches of the night" (v.6)
The last five verses, in many ways, repeat the second half of verse eight: “your right hand upholds me.”
"you have been my help" (v.7)
"those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth" (v.9)
"they shall be given over to the power of the sword" (v.10)
"they shall be a portion for jackals" (v.10)
"the mouths of liars will be stopped" (v.11)
This verse (and the whole Psalm) clearly articulates something that we do (“my soul clings to you”) and something that God does (“your right hand upholds me”). And we might be content to rejoice in those two realities and move on with our day. And that would be fine because those two realities are true. But if we take a moment more to meditate on this verse, we might ask these questions, “How do these two lines relate to each other? Are they purposefully put next to each other to teach us something more about how we relate to God?”
A Brief Meditation on Connecting Words
Let’s meditate on this a little more and see if we can determine how they rightly relate to each other. Often, we know how two lines relate to each other by a connecting word between them. We see this in verse 3 of this Psalm. The two lines are (1) "your steadfast love is better than life" and (2) "my lips will praise you." But I left out one word, the connecting word that tells us how the two phrases relate to each other: because. "Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." We could reverse the order of the two lines, and it would say the same thing: "My lips will praise you because your steadfast love is better than life." So, the connecting word in verse three ("because") tells us that the first line ("your steadfast love is better than life") is the ground of the second line ("my lips will praise you"). In other words, God’s steadfast love is the reason or foundation or cause for the praise. God’s steadfast love produces the praise. The praise praises God’s steadfast love.
So, sometimes the relationship between two sentences or phrases or paragraphs or lines is obvious because of connecting words like that. But other times connecting words are not supplied. That does not mean, however, that the two grammatical units do not have a logical connection between them. It simply means that you have to think a little harder about it in order to figure out the connection. Here’s a quick illustration. After working outside on a 95-degree day, I might come inside and say, "I need a drink of water. It’s hot outside." Now, there’s no connecting word between those two sentences, but I don’t think my wife would think, "Hmm. That’s odd. What do those two things have to do with each other?" It ought to be obvious in this instance that you could easily insert the word "because" between the two sentences to clarify the relationship between the two: "I need a drink of water because it is hot outside." The heat is the foundation/ground of my need for water. So, a logical connection between two grammatical units often exists even when no connecting word is present.
An Implied Connecting Word in Psalm 63:8?
Alright, back to Psalm 63:8. Let’s think through this verse a bit more and test out some possible connections between these two lines.
Therefore – Let’s test out this connecting word first: "My soul clings to you; therefore, your right hand upholds me." This could make sense as a logical connection between the two. We cling to God. And as we cling to God, He upholds us by His power. It would make sense that our clinging to God would logically result in Him upholding us.
If/Then – These lines could contain an if/then idea. Let’s test it: "If my soul clings to you, then your right hand [will] uphold me." While similar to the previous, this relationship would emphasize a condition between the two phrases. If you want God to uphold you, then you must cling to Him. And positively, if you cling to God, then His right hand will uphold you.
In order that – Here’s another option: "My soul clings to you in order that your right hand [might] uphold me." The emphasis on this connection would be that there is a distinct purpose to my clinging to God. My soul is desperately clinging to God for the purpose of demonstrating my complete dependence on Him to uphold me. My soul clings to nothing else because no one else and nothing else can uphold me. My soul desperately clings to God for the purpose of Him upholding me.
For/because – Let me give one final option: "My soul clings to you; for/because your right hand upholds me." This connection would emphasize that God’s powerful right hand which is at work in my life to uphold me is the ground/cause/motivation of my clinging to Him. My soul clings to God because He upholds me, and He has constantly been there to uphold me. God initiates upholding me, and I cling to Him as a response to His faithfulness.
So, which is it? As you looked through those options, which seems most likely? While more than one of the options may be compelling when looking at verse 8 by itself, I think the rest of the Psalm gives us a clue that the logical connection between the two clauses is "for/because." In other words, the idea of verse 8 is that "my soul clings to you; because your right hand upholds me." Why do I say this? Because this same idea is stated in other places in this Psalm close by.
Example 1: Look at verse 7. It begins, "for you have been my help." That starts with our same connecting word ("for"). But where does it connect to? You have to go back up to verse 5 to find the particular phrase it connects to: "my soul will be satisfied…and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips…for you have been my help." Why will my soul be satisfied and my mouth praise? Because God has been my help! See the similarity? God being my help ("your right hand upholds me") is the cause of the satisfaction of my soul ("my soul clings to you").
Example 2: Look at verse 11. It ends, "for the mouths of liars will be stopped." This again starts with the connecting word "for." And what does it connect to? It connects most immediately to the previous line: "all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped." Why will all who swear by Him exult? Because He will stop the mouths of liars. God’s judgment on the enemies of His people (the liars) is the cause of the exultation of those who trust in Him. This, again, is parallel to our reading of verse 8.
The Hope of Every Christian
The two short clauses in verse 8 contain the hope of every Christian. These ten words are filled with gospel hope. No one comes into this world clinging to God in Christian hope. Rather, we come into the world believing the lie that we are the captains of our fate, that we are in control. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child" (Proverbs 22:15). "The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one" (Psalm 14:1-3; cf. Psalm 53:1-3).
This is a bleak situation. Our soul does not by nature cling to God. And yet, despite that, God reached out to us to work out salvation on our behalf. While our souls were not clinging to Him (Romans 5:8), God stepped in to work salvation for us with His strong right hand. "Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him" (Psalm 98:1). "The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: ‘The right hand of the LORD does valiantly, the right hand of the LORD exalts, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly’" (Psalm 118:14-16). "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5).
God’s strong right hand has worked salvation. And when our eyes are opened to the glory of His salvation, our souls cling to Him. "My soul clings to you; [for] your right hand upholds me." The moment of our salvation is the moment when we first cling to God. But God continues to uphold us by His right hand. Each day Jesus upholds the universe (including us!) by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). That means that yesterday, even when you were not thinking about Him, God was sustaining you, giving you breath, keeping you safe, and blessing you with countless good gifts. His right hand was at work upholding you the entire day and throughout the night. Every day is a gift. Every day is a new chance to cling to Him and to watch Him work.
So, if you are discouraged, cling to Him in faith. If you are joyful, cling to Him in thanksgiving. If you are struggling, cling to Him in hope. He’s always at work, upholding us with his powerful right hand. Our clinging to Him brings Him honor and praise and glory because it shows that He is our highest treasure. Our clinging to Him magnifies the glory of His name because it shows those around us that everything else that this life can offer us cannot truly satisfy the deepest longings of our heart. But He has satisfied the deepest longings of our hearts, and His every act towards His children is only of grace (Romans 8:32). So, cling to Him; for His right hand upholds you! Hallelujah!
It’s no wonder the Psalm is filled throughout with praise.
"my lips will praise you" (v.3)
"I will bless you" (v.4)
"in your name I will lift up my hands" (v.4)
"my mouth will praise you with joyful lips" (v.5)
"in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy" (v.7)
We live in a jaded and cynical age, especially in how we view political leaders and those with civil authority. It’s understandable given how often power is misused. Even those who start well often end up corrupted if not crushed by it.
But to think what we are experiencing today is some new development is naïve. Pick up the history of any nation, including what the Bible records, and you will find many examples of corrupt leaders intoxicated with their own importance and harmful to the people they are to protect and to care for. Should we be surprised, given what the Scriptures tell us about the fall of man and the curse of sin? Whether you look at human institutions or the individuals that make them up, no one escapes the poisonous effect of our sin nature—none but Jesus, the God-man.
Further, an accurate picture of those in positions of political power and influence is not all pessimism and doom. The Bible records any number of standouts. Though flawed human beings, there are men and women who brought major positive blessings to bear on their people: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, the reformer kings like Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah, to name only a few. During the captivity years we read of the stellar career of Daniel, along with the bold self-sacrifice of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And who can forget the godly leaders of Ezra and Nehemiah, or the timely courage of Mordecai and Esther? In the New Testament we see Christ and the apostles interacting boldly with community leaders—some were “vipers,” and others were sincerely trying to do the right thing however imperfectly. Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager, provided for Christ and His apostles out of her means. Paul had many encounters with those who wielded political power. Although he suffered at the hands of many of them, several came to his aid, and he intentionally engaged them for the gospel. Until Nero came along, the Roman Empire’s commitment to law and order resulted in the protection of Christianity, in contrast to the religious elites, who hated and hounded the apostles.
Our attitude regarding politics tends to swing toward one extreme or the other. Either we hate (I use the word on purpose) and demonize those in public service, as if they are really any different from ourselves, all of us sinners by birth and by choice; or we idolize them as if they will achieve the ideal world for which we long, again forgetting that they are sinful, finite human beings serving in a broken world. If we choose to enter this area of work so full of both opportunity and treachery, we often do so with unjustified idealism regarding all we will be able to accomplish and leave with wounded cynicism about how messed up the system is, along with the people in it.
The Scriptures do not leave us without direction about how we ought to be interacting with those who carry authority. It is striking how much help the Bible actually offers, but how often even Christians seem to ignore it, drifting instead into what amounts to worldly attitudes about politics.
First, we need to be faithful in praying for them.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Praying with this kind of breadth displays the compassionate heart of God for all people. It expresses a gospel attitude even in the difficult arena of politics. It is striking what happens to our own heart for other people when we start praying for them. We watched an attitude transformation in our own church when, in response to this passage, we started praying for other gospel-preaching churches, along with government officials, gospel partners, and a particular country in the world.
Gospel truth shapes our entire attitude toward those in authority and all people, even those who mistreat us. And it shifts our focus to how we can help those in need, in part because we understand how needy we ourselves are and how desperately we needed God to rescue us from ourselves.
Titus 3:1-8, 14 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.
Paul’s words remind us of the direction Jeremiah gave to those living in captivity in Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
If God would call His people conquered and deported to a pagan country to seek and pray for the welfare of the city of their foreign captors, to put down roots and rear families while they made the most of their sojourn, how much more should we be seeking welfare of our own city and our own people, Christian or non-Christian alike? Perfect courtesy toward all people, with obedience and respect toward those in authority is Christianity 101. We aren’t supposed to be the rabble rousers and proudly defiant. Such a spirit shows rebellion toward God not just men and does significant harm to other people in the community where we live as well as to the reputation of the gospel we say we believe.
Romans 13:1-10 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
2 Peter 2:12-17 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
When we go back to the greatest commands to love God supremely and love our neighbor as ourselves, we find a fruitful foundation for how we treat those in public office as well. The responsibilities they carry do not remove them from being a human neighbor in need of genuine love, and how we treat them expresses whether we actually love God, who has in fact given them the responsibilities they have for a season.
Why were persons like Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther put in places of power and influence? For the good of God’s people in particular and all people in general. The connections they made touched the lives of literally thousands of people for good. That is the value of the relationships God providentially gives us with public servants. Even if we never serve in public civil service ourselves, our connection with such leaders can bring blessing not just to them, but to the entire community they serve. If we remain unknown to them and convey a spirit of smug isolation or critical nitpicking, what kind of influence for good and for God can we expect to have? Accountability requires relationship, and the more difficult the issue, the more important credible relationship is.
As Americans we’ve enjoyed many freedoms and kind blessings from the hand of God for many years. We can feel entitled to them and become selfish and ungrateful in how we steward the opportunities they give us. Nations rise and fall, and people come and go—as will we. Will it make any difference to those who live in our community and our nation that we were here? Not if we never engage with them in godly ways. What could happen for good if we did redeem the time here the way Christ and His apostles did? God gives the increase, but we reap what we sow.
One of the greatest gifts that God has given us in this life is music, particularly music that pairs biblical truth with powerful melody, harmony, and instrumentation. The pairing of truth to music has the unique capacity to stir our emotions and affections in a Godward direction. Certainly, music has at times been used to wrongly manipulate people’s emotions apart from truth. But music that is powerfully and fittingly linked to biblical truth ought to encourage us and influence our emotions. This is why one of the largest books of the Bible is a song book: Psalms. It is a book of the Bible that was intended to be sung. Why? Because biblical truth that is sung influences our hearts and affections in a uniquely powerful way and makes the truth more memorable.
Many of you who have been through significant trials know how helpful truth-filled music is in directing your thoughts to who God is and to the hope we have in our relationship with Him through Jesus. This has certainly been the case for me as I’ve worked through my current trial with a voice disorder. Both the songs we sing on Sunday and the songs I listen to throughout the week (which are often the same!) direct my mind and heart to trust in the unwavering character and kind providence of our faithful God.
So, I wanted to share some of the songs that have been most meaningful to me over the past year. This list started with 10 songs and then quickly moved to 15 songs. It could easily be 30 or 50 or more! But I decided to stop at 15. The vast majority on the list below are songs that we’ve sung (or heard the choir sing) in our corporate worship services. I’ve listed them below with the portions of the text that have been particularly encouraging to me. Next to the title of each song, I’ve linked to a YouTube version of the song (and for the songs that are public domain, I’ve also included a video of our congregation singing the song). I’ve also linked to YouTube, YouTube Music, and Spotify playlists that I made which include all 15 songs. My hope is that these songs will move your heart and affections to trust God in the middle of whatever circumstances you find yourself.
Note: The versions of the songs that I’ve chosen may not be your preference. That’s totally fine. Take what you find helpful. Leave what you don’t. Feel free to search for other versions of the song if you want. Or create your own playlist. I’d be happy to help you with either of these things. So, feel free to reach out if you want. And please share other songs with me that have been encouraging to you when you’ve gone through trials. I’d love to expand my playlist beyond these!
This song was the first that came to my mind when I thought of helpful songs during times of discouragement. It has stood the test of time, and each stanza is packed with helpful truths. While I’ve only included excerpts of most of the songs below, this one is simply too good to exclude any part.
Day by day and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure Gives unto each day what he deems best– Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Ev’ry day the Lord himself is near me With a special mercy for each hour; All my cares he gladly bears and cheers me, He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r. The protection of his child and treasure Is a charge that on himself he laid: “As your days, your strength shall be in measure,” This the pledge to me he made.
Help me then in ev’ry tribulation So to trust your promises, O Lord, That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation Offered me within your holy Word. Help me, Lord, when, toil and trouble meeting, E’er to take, as from a father’s hand, One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till I reach the promised land.1
Questions are natural when we serve a good, faithful God in a broken, fallen world. This song encourages us that “one day every question [will be] resolved.” It’s a glorious pairing of new lyrics with the chorus of the old hymn “When We All Get to Heaven.” I love Matt Redman’s musical meditation on the new heavens and new earth at the end of this song (“…no depression, no cancer…”).
One day You’ll make everything new, Jesus One day You will bind every wound The former things shall all pass away No more tears
One day You’ll make sense of it all, Jesus One day every question resolved Every anxious thought left behind No more fear2
Our church has enjoyed hearing the choir sing this song for the past ten years, and we’ve sung it in more recent years. Jesus is our shelter in times of storm.
O Jesus, I will hide in You My place of peace and solace. No trial is deeper than Your love That comforts all my sorrows.
I have a shelter in the storm When constant winds would break me. For in my weakness, I have learned Your strength will not forsake me.3
This is another song our church has enjoyed singing congregationally since it was published in 2015.
Christ, the sure and steady Anchor In the fury of the storm; When the winds of doubt blow through me, And my sails have all been torn. In the suffering, in the sorrow, When my sinking hopes are few, I will hold fast to the Anchor; It shall never be removed.
Christ, the sure and steady Anchor As we face the wave of death; When these trials give way to glory, As we draw our final breath. We will cross that great horizon, Clouds behind and life secure. And the calm will be the better For the storms that we endure.4
In more recent days, we’ve sung this as a congregation after hearing the choir sing it for a couple years. The second stanza particularly zooms in on our hope in Christ in the midst of trials. This song has one of the greatest choruses of any song I’ve ever sung.
What truth can calm the troubled soul? God is good, God is good. Where is his grace and goodness known? In our great Redeemer’s blood. Who holds our faith when fears arise? Who stands above the stormy trial? Who sends the waves that bring us nigh Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?5
The choir has sung this song a couple times in the past six years. The text is very real-to-life and encourages you to ponder this question: “What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You’re near? And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
What if my greatest disappointments, Or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy? And what if trials of this life, The rain, the storms, the hardest nights, Are Your mercies in disguise?6
One of the hardest parts of trials in this life is knowing that God is sovereign in the midst of them. And yet, that is our hope as well. This song leads us to that sometimes hard but hopeful truth.
There is strength within the sorrow. There is beauty in our tears. And you meet us in our mourning With a love that casts out fear. You are working in our waiting. You’re sanctifying us. When beyond our understanding, You’re teaching us to trust.7
This song was written to be a companion to the book Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God, a book by Tim Challies after his college-aged son unexpectedly passed away.
When the path that I feared Is the way He has set And I long to give in and retreat Still to Jesus I hold As I face every step For the Lord he will give me His peace
When the road that I tread Fills my heart with despair And it seems like my grief has no end Still to Jesus I hold Who will walk with me there And the Lord he will give me His strength.8
“Still My Soul, Be Still” has been a regular for us at Hampton Park. Often in the Psalms, David speaks to his soul and tells himself how he ought to be responding to his external circumstances. This song helps us to do that well.
Still, my soul be still, and do not fear Though winds of change may rage tomorrow. God is at your side; No longer dread the fires of unexpected sorrow.
God, You are my God, And I will trust in You and not be shaken. Lord of peace, renew a steadfast spirit within me To rest in You alone.9
Similar to the previous song, this song encourages us to speak truth to ourselves when we face discouragement and pain in this life. Similar to “Day by Day,” I couldn’t decide which lyrics to leave out because they are all so good and helpful. This also includes a third stanza that may be unknown to some.
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to thy God to order and provide; In ev’ry change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heav’nly friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past; Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he lived below.
Be still, my soul; when dearest friends depart And all is darkened in the vale of tears, Then shalt thou better know his love, his heart, Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears. Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay From his own fullness all he takes away.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hast’ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still my soul; when change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.10
These really helpful words have been paired to many tunes. However, this seems to me to be the most “singable” of them all. The text is another one that is especially helpful in its entirety, one worth memorizing.
Whate’er my God ordains is right, His holy will abideth; I will be still whate’er He does, And follow where He guideth. He is my God, though dark my road; He holds me that I shall not fall; And so to Him I leave it all, And so to Him I leave it all.
Whate’er my God ordains is right, He never will deceive me; He leads me by the proper path, I know He will not leave me. I take, content, what He has sent; His hand can turn my griefs away; And patiently I wait His day, And patiently I wait His day.
Whate’er my God ordains is right, Though now this cup in drinking May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all, unshrinking. My God is true, each morn anew Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart; And pain and sorrow shall depart, And pain and sorrow shall depart.
Whate’er my God ordains is right, Here shall my stand be taken; Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken. My Father’s care is round me there; He holds me that I shall not fall; And so to Him, I leave it all, And so to Him I leave it all.11
The gospel is the reason that we can say that it is well with our souls no matter what we are facing in this life. This song is rich with gospel truth, gospel hope.
When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea-billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And has shed His own blood for my soul.12
Waiting. This theme is prevalent in the Psalms. A friend recently told me that he thinks the biblical idea of “waiting” is kind of like a spiritual discipline. God calls us to wait on His perfect timing. That is the theme of this song.
Out of the depths I cry to You, In darkest places I will call. Incline Your ear to me anew, And hear my cry for mercy, Lord.
I will wait for You, I will wait for You, On Your word, I will rely. I will wait for You, Surely wait for You, Till my soul is satisfied.13
I read these old lyrics before I sang them. And I remember distinctly the first time I read through them. I got to the sixth stanza and stopped. This song is like a story from beginning to end. And the final two stanzas drive us to consider the fact that the trials of this life are often God’s answer to our prayers to grow closer to him.
I asked the Lord that I might grow In faith and love and ev’ry grace, Might more of His salvation know, And seek more earnestly His face.
‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray, And He, I trust, has answered prayer, But it has been in such a way As almost drove me to despair.
I hoped that in some favored hour At once He’d answer my request And, by His love’s constraining pow’r, Subdue my sins and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel The hidden evils of my heart And let the angry pow’rs of hell Assault my soul in ev’ry part.
Yea, more with His own hand He seemed Intent to aggravate my woe, Crossed all the fair designs I schemed, Humbled my heart and laid me low.
“Lord, why is this,” I trembling cried; “Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?” “’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied, “I answer prayer for grace and faith.”
“These inward trials I employ From self and pride to set thee free And break thy schemes of earthly joy That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”14
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." – Jesus
If someone were to ask you, “What’s the document that most reveals Hampton Park’s heartbeat as a church?” How would you answer that? You might first think of the mission statement. Or maybe the Statement of Faith. The mission statement reveals what the church is headed towards. A Statement of Faith reveals what a church believes. It’s hard to go much deeper than those. Maybe you thought of the Member Covenant. A good case could be made for the Member Covenant as well. It reveals how a church wants to live in light of its beliefs. The Member Covenant “fleshes out” the Statement of Faith in real life.
But I think there’s a really good argument to be made for yet another document being the most heart-revealing document of a local church. The document I’m thinking of is the church’s budget. Maybe this is surprising to you. But Jesus said something in the Sermon on the Mount that could make a strong argument for the Hampton Park budget being the document that most accurately displays what our church’s heartbeat is. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). More accurately, he said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That word “for” means that he’s using this sentence as the ground or foundation of what he just said in verses 19-20. Jesus said not to lay up treasures on earth but rather to lay up treasure1 in heaven becauseyour heart is going to follow your treasure.
Jesus grounds his command (vv.19-20) in a reality (v.21). The reality is that money and possessions are really powerful. So powerful, in fact, that your heart will follow where your money/possessions go. Ordinarily, we might be tempted to think that our money will go where our heart goes. Scripture often speaks in this way. For example, elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says that our words follow our heart (Matthew 12:34). And certainly, it is true that what we treasure reveals the state of our heart. But here, somewhat surprisingly, Jesus says that the opposite is also true: our heart follows our treasure. And this makes sense, doesn’t it? If you invest significant percentages of your money into a particular hobby/possession(s)/dream, it makes sense that over time that thing would begin to become your treasure. Therefore, if your heart is captured by your money/possessions, the answer isn’t simply to change your heart; the answer is to begin investing differently, to begin investing in heavenly treasure. And that very act—investing differently—will impact your heart.
While Jesus applies this principle personally, it seems to follow that it would also be true for a local church. Not only does our church budget reveal our church’s collective heartbeat, but our yearly investment in the church budget shows the direction in which our church’s collective heartbeat is headed. It shows what we see as valuable, what we deem important, what we treasure. In other words, this document should be very important to us as church members! We ought to be interested in where our church’s collective heartbeat is headed.
So, what’s your part in this? How can you help our church invest well in what matters the most? Let me give you three simple ways.
Pray. Much wisdom is needed in the planning of the church budget but also in the implementation of the budget. We don’t take this responsibility lightly. Because we view this document as a spiritual document, the responsibility increases. So, pray for us throughout the year. A couple years ago I heard of one church member who keeps a copy of the church budget tucked in his Bible and uses it in his daily prayer time, praying through the various lines and sections of the budget on different days. What an awesome idea!
Participate in the Process. During the budget process, look through the proposed budget, noting changes. Read the corresponding document with explanations for those changes. Read through the annual explanation document of changes to the Missions and Outreach section. Ask questions when you have them. Make suggestions, too. While every suggestion will not result in a tangible change, the conversations will help us to make wise decisions about what to prioritize. Additionally, prioritize our bi-monthly Members’ Meetings where we give regular updates on the budget and vote on the budget each May.
Give Faithfully. If God has blessed us with income, then we believe from God’s Word that our responsibility is to give faithfully to our local church (the place where we receive our normal courses of spiritual food, the place where we hear God’s Word taught most regularly). It can be potentially unhelpful to name a percentage, because God has blessed some of us in such a way that giving 10% of our income would not be giving generously or faithfully. And God has blessed others of us in such a way that giving 5% of our income would be giving generously and faithfully. But for the majority of members in our church, giving at least 10% is probably a good initial goal. If you’re not there yet, perhaps you could work to increase a percentage point each year until you get to that number or another one that you and your family believe to be generous and faithful.
As we invest individually and as a church in what God is doing both here and around the world, may our hearts be drawn to him and amazed by his work. For where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.
1 While laying up treasure in heaven certainly includes more than investing money/possessions in eternal pursuits, it at least includes these things, which is the focus of this article.
Almost everyone has some thoughts about who Jesus is. If someone were to ask you who Jesus is, how would you go about answering that? Many people explain who Jesus is based on what they want him to be like, a Jesus of their own invention. Others go to current scholars teaching at prestigious universities or seminaries to find out who Jesus is. But isn’t there a much simpler way? Why not listen to those who spent thousands of hours with Jesus while he was on the earth? Why not hear what his close friends have to say?
In this sermon clip, Pastor Conley makes this exact point. Watch and be strengthened in your commitment to search out what Jesus’ friends say about him. And share this video with your friends who are searching.
What are some things you love to receive, but you don’t do so well giving those same things out? It might be praise, congratulating someone on a job well done. This can especially be hard if we or one of our kids lost a competition, but the winner played really well and deserved a compliment. Maybe it’s being thoughtful and getting a friend or loved one a gift just because. We all appreciate being praised and we definitely enjoy receiving surprise gifts.
Did encouragement come to mind? We like being on the receiving end of encouragement. But how well do you do at encouraging others? Encouragement comes in many shapes and sizes, not the least of which is simply showing someone you care for them. Encouragement also includes drawing someone’s focus back to the truth, crying with them in their loss, praying with them, and rejoicing with them over their blessings.
Consider Barnabas from the book of Acts. We first meet him at the end of chapter four where Luke gives us the meaning of his name—son of encouragement. We find that Barnabas encouraged many saints in Jerusalem by selling a field and donating the money to be used for the needs of the rapidly growing group of Christ-followers. We also know that Barnabas encouraged the disciples living in Jerusalem when Paul was just starting out in his gospel ministry (Acts 9:26-27). Just like Ananias earlier in the chapter, the disciples also needed reassurance that Paul wasn’t going to haul them off to prison or kill them.
Ask yourself this question: Should I be an encourager like Barnabas? You don’t have to be in full-time ministry to encourage others. Neither must you possess the Spirit-given gift of exhortation (means encouragement or comfort; see Rom. 12:6-8), to encourage others.
What follows are three encouragements from Scripture to encourage all of us as members of Hampton Park Baptist Church to be encouragers.
All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22), who is the master Helper/Comforter (John 14:16-17; 16:7). All believers are enabled to encourage others with the encouragement they receive.
We find the simple command to “encourage one another” twice in Scripture (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11). The content of the encouragement, in this context, is building one another up in the realities of salvation in Christ and the future resurrection of all the saints.
Encouraging others includes exhortation which is a loving plea to a brother or sister to put away a specific sin and to replace it with righteous obedience to God (Heb. 3:13; 10:24-25). We don’t encourage one another to remain in sin or to continue bad habits. Encouragement lovingly steers a brother or sister back into the light.
And below are a few practical tips for encouraging one another.
When you learn of a need (health issues, financial difficulties, a death in the family, a crisis of faith), reach out with an encouraging word and/or pray with them.
When you learn of a particular blessing (birth of a child or grandchild, a graduation, a marriage, a job promotion, an answer to prayer, any blessing worth celebrating), reach out with an encouraging word and/or pray with them.
Encouraging ways to reach out: converse with a church member before or after a service, invite them to your home for coffee or a meal, meet up somewhere in town for coffee or lunch, text, call, email, or write them a letter.
Follow up with the church member a few days or weeks after your initial encouragement to check up on them and figure out how to better pray for them. Doing this encourages them a second time and it might be that the follow up means more to the individual than the original contact.
May God grow our love and care for one another as we strive to encourage, comfort, and exhort one another regularly.
Matthew 27:51-53 – “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
Read those last two sentences of the above passage again! Do you remember reading that before? Does it seem random to you? Unexpected? Confusing? If you believe in the inspiration of the Bible (and you should!), then these words are true and really happened in history: “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
This means that Jesus was not the only person raised on Resurrection Sunday. There were many other saints raised. Now, there are some things we do not know about this particular episode. We don’t know who they were. Though, they did appear to people who knew that they had previously been dead (see the final words of v.53). We don’t know if they were raised in their original bodies (to die again, like Lazarus) or in glorified bodies (and taken/transferred to heaven at some point). We don’t know if they appeared to only a limited/select number of people. And we don’t know how long they remained in Jerusalem after they were raised.
But we do know this. The resurrection of these saints clearly demonstrates that Jesus’ death was not a normal, everyday crucifixion. God intervened when Jesus died on the cross. The temple curtain to the most holy place was literally, physically split in two. The physical earth shook and real rocks split in two. And many of the dead saints were physically, bodily raised from the dead and appeared to people that they knew. And in this way, God’s message couldn’t be any clearer: in the death and resurrection of Jesus, He is making it possible to be raised from the dead.
Listen to Pastor Conley talk about these verses in a 3-minute clip from a 2013 sermon.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 – “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.”
Do the final five words of this verse make you uncomfortable? They probably should to some extent. When you think of shame, perhaps you imagine someone intentionally belittling/mocking others in order to embarrass or silence them. This kind of vindictive spirit is not godly and ought to make us uncomfortable.
But Paul speaks in this text of a kind of shame that is actually helpful in someone’s life, a kind of shame that wakes someone up to the truth, to what really matters. We live in a culture where it is nearly unthinkable to take an action in order for someone else to feel a sense of shame. But if truth indeed exists and if sin indeed is a destructive reality, then shame might be used by God to wake someone up to the truth or to the reality of sin.
Notice that in this verse, the action taken is not shaming. Rather, shame is the result of the action (or even the intended goal of the action). The actions in this verse are (1) noting someone who has rejected the truth or by extension who has given themselves to sin and (2) stopping Christian fellowship with that person. We ought not act as if we have unified Christian fellowship with those who reject the truth or who live in open, unrepentant sin. That does significant harm to the gospel and confuses the world about what the true gospel is and does in someone’s life.
To try to make this a bit more tangible, if you were to catch some people shoplifting in real-time and yelled after them, “Stop! Bring those clothes back! You didn’t pay for those!” would you not be intending to cause them to feel a bit of shame for their wrong actions? To wake them up to the reality of what they were doing? In this instance of shoplifting, truth-telling is the action, and shame might be a powerful motivator as a result. Any shame felt shows that the God-given conscience is working. If the shoplifters stop, it is likely because their conscience kicked in and caused them to feel ashamed. And this is a good thing.
As Pastor Conley said in a recent sermon, “We need to be more afraid of sin than we are of shame.” Listen to the rest of his explanation of this verse below.
Have you ever thought of missions as primarily a New Testament concept? I know I have. After all, the Great Commission is found in the Gospels and Acts. Also, much of the book of Acts and the following Epistles highlight and are connected to the missionary exploits of the Apostle Paul. The problem is that if our understanding of missions is confined primarily to the New Testament, we miss out on so much of what is truly at the heart of missions – namely, the missionary heart of the God of the Bible.
The missionary heart of God is evident all throughout the storyline of the Old Testament. The limits of a brief article do not allow us to trace this theme thoroughly. One place this theme appears multiple times is in the book of Psalms. Psalm 46 and 96 are two of the Psalms that provide us a window into the missionary heart of God.
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 96:1-3 – “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
In Psalm 46, God declares that His name will be exalted among all the peoples of the earth. Then in Psalm 96, the psalmist David boldly proclaims that God is worthy to have His name declared among the nations. Because this is true about God, in verse 3 David calls God’s people to proclaim His glory and marvelous works to all the peoples of the earth. David Wells, in A Visions for Missions, summarizes David’s words in Psalm 96 this way, “God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is.”
God is a missionary God. He desires to have His name proclaimed among all peoples. To that end He sent His Son into the world, and in turn, His Son sends all who would follow Him to the same end. Our hearts long for the day when we will gather with people from every tribe and tongue and nation and lift our voices worshipping our God, but between now and then, He has called each of us to live out His missionary heart. As the Father sent Jesus, Jesus is sending us (John 20:21) to go into all the world (Mark 16:1) to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) through teaching repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:44-49) by means of the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8).
During our upcoming Missions Emphasis from March 26 – April 2, we will consider some of what it might look like for each of us to live out the missionary heart of God with the theme My Part in Missions: Praying, Giving, Sending, Going. Paul Campbell (church planter in Utah) will be with us the first weekend. Ronny Marmol (Director of Church Relations at Frontline Missions) will be with us the second weekend. David and Maribel Bell (church planters in Spain) will be with us both Sundays.
I pray that God would use this focused time to grow His missionary heart in each of us.
