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How Low Can You Go?

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Jonah 2:1, 5-6 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly,…The waters compassed me about, even to [the extinction of] life; the abyss surrounded me, the seaweed was wrapped about my head.6 I went down to the bottoms and the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God.

You don’t get much lower than being surrounded by the abyss and traveling to the bottoms of the mountains. But that’s how low Jonah was lodged in the fish’s belly. How many of you have been there? Isolated, alone, and feeling like the only thing you have left is God (and even that doesn’t feel like enough). The interesting paradox is you are not alone. Others are feeling alone, and that God has abandoned them to their circumstances. Yet Scripture says that is precisely the place He can be found: Isaiah 57:15 “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

What does it mean to be contrite? It means that you feel like you have been crushed, broken, cast down, and made to feel very small. The word lowly implies you have gone as low as you can go, or to humble yourself. Interestingly the Hebrew word for lowly finds it reference to a mountain. How does a mountain become low? The implication is, physically speaking, from an earth bound perspective a mountain is about as high as you can get. For that mountain to be humbled it would have to be leveled, scraped from the earth, sifted, and its debris leveled.

How do you get delivered from the belly of this world system that seeks to chew, devour, and spit you out? Seek for and meet with God. Not in the heights of Heaven but in the depths of your earth. You see you are a son or daughter of Adam. In other words you are but dust. The good news is this is the very place Jesus kneels to make you new. The Hebrew word for bless implies kneeling before, or bending low in order to impart favor, grace, and prosperity. Picture that: The Creator of the Universe kneels before you to impart Grace. What does this mean? If you want to meet with the Godhead you have to join Him in the dust of that which is out of alignment, and harmony with His Holiness (otherness, uniqueness, separateness from all that is average, normal, and expected) In other words you have to acknowledge where you have sinned, or broken agreement with Who He is and God’s original design.

Susanah Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, was once asked to define sin. She defined it as: anything that weakens one’s reason, impairs their conscience, obscures their sense of God, or diminishes their interest in spiritual things. Essentially, anything that gives the body undue influence over the mind, even if seemingly innocent, is considered sin. Interestingly enough you can actually find a list of things to confess simply by reading the book of Jonah. If you want to seek Jesus in order to meet with Him you have to meet Him in the dust of confession, agreeing with Him about where you have broken agreement.

May I encourage you that during this season of repentance and seeking God that you commit to pray daily the prayer of Jonah for forty days, identifying with Jonah, and his many sins? Here are a few of Jonah’s sins you may need to confess:

Similarities Between Jonah and Us:

  1. Jnh.1:1-3 – Jonah Seeks to run in disobedience from the Word of the Lord – ignoring it. Are you presently obeying all you know from the Word of God, or from His revealed will? Was there something preached yesterday you experienced conviction and correction that you need to put into practice today?
  2. Jnh. 1:3 – Seeks to pay a price to flee from God’s Presence , serving God, and others. Are you seeking God’s Manifested Presence and if so do seek to remain, or to abide? Are you currently, and actively seeking to serve God in personal worship, praise, thanksgiving and prayer on a daily basis? Are you currently serving others in your church or have you been more consumer oriented, centered in yourself, your wants, likes, and dislikes?

Falling to Rise

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 Friday, October 4, 2019

James 4:7-10So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins]. Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

When Jesus presented the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, He placed the people of the Last Days, in two groups. Those two groups are compared to wheat and tares. Wheat and tares look almost identical. In fact the only person who can detect the subtle differences is an expert farmer. One interesting fact about wheat and tares is that during the summer heat of dry conditions, and scarce rain the wheat begins to grow fruit. The tares remain fruitless. In fact, as the wheat ripens, in the heat of the sun, it begins to grow heavy and bows down. The tares? They simply remain upright, and fruitless. What’s really interesting is that if you were to ingest the tares you would quickly discover that they are noxious and will kill you. Isn’t that appropriate? As new, spiritual beings we are constantly being surrounded by those who are poisonous, and noxious. What does one do?

James has the answer. First be subject to God. In other words, surrender and submit to Him. This is actually the first step towards humility. The second step requires resisting the devil, followed by the third step of coming close to God to purify your heart from divided interests, and spiritual adultery. Finally, grieve over your sin, weeping over your disloyalty. These steps will insure humility and entering the Presence of the Lord. 

Isaiah 57:15 promises: For thus says the high and lofty One—He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin].

The lower we go the higher He stands to stoop down to revive us. How powerful is that? The “3 For 10” Fasting Menu doesn’t include desert but may I say that encountering Him is the Desert? Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

Psalm 25:14 The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.