Are we experiencing a famine of sorts?
I was reading one of my favourite blogs today and Carla had quoted from A. W. Tozer, the quote was about trying the spirits.
This quote interested me.
Why? Because of my dad’s position on whether or not there is a God. He said to me the following… that he has not experienced Him (meaning God) in any way, and just wants God to show him that He exists by some supernatural/spiritual means. He also said that he has given over 40 years of his life in doing this, and now he has given up.
Yet Jesus said that no sign will be given except that of Jonah and that it is an evil and adulterous generation that seeks signs other than the risen Lord!
Mat 12:39-41 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
It makes me realise that we are in a famine of sorts, a famine for the hearing of God’s Word. Amos prophesied…
Amo 8:10-12 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, and shall not find it.
The word “hearing” interestingly means…
shâma‛
shaw-mah’
A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.)
Another thing that interested me is that before this famine begins to happen; the day is actually turned into darkness…
Amo 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day
After reading this I have many questions…have we entered into and are we living in the darkened day of which Amos speaks? Is this day just prior to the night of tribulation? Are we living in times where the light of the Word is becoming harder to find and are we fast approaching the tribulation of the night? Have some of the virgins run out of oil to light their lamps, so therefore cannot see the Truth or even the times in which we live? Are we approaching a time when it is going to be harder to find the Lord…?
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near.
While he may be found - It is implied here:
1. That God may now be found.
2. That the time will come when it will be impossible to obtain his favor.
The leading thought is, that under the Messiah the offer of salvation will be made to people fully and freely. But the period will come when it will be withdrawn. If God forsakes human beings; if he wholly withdraws his Spirit; if they have committed the sin which hath never forgiveness; or if they neglect or despise the provisions of mercy and die in their sins, it will be too late, and mercy cannot then be found. How unspeakably important, then, is it to seek for mercy at once - lest, slighted now, the offer should be withdrawn. Or lest death should Overtake us, and we be removed to a world where mercy is unknown! How important is the present moment - for another moment may place us beyond the reach of pardon and of grace! (Albert Barnes)
Isa 55:7-9 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
How amazing the stupidity of men who suffer their present moments to pass away unimproved, and who, amidst the gaieties and the business of life, permit the day of salvation to pass by, and lose their souls! And how just is the condemnation of the sinner! If a man will not do so simple a thing as to ask for pardon, he ought to perish. The universe will approve the condemnation of such a man; and the voice of complaint can never be raised against that Holy Being who consigns such a sinner to hell. (Albert Barnes)
We currently live in an age of Grace, though at some point the bible says this will end. The Holy Spirit who is our promised comforter and who points to the Truth and the Word manifest will be taken away. And “A Great Delusion” is sent by God Himself so that those who do not love the Truth will love the lie instead.
Is it little wonder that Christ says to the seven churches…
Rev 3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
If the church doesn’t hear and repent just as those living in Nineveh did during the days of Jonah, judgment will come to the house of God. They have been warned that their light can actually be removed.
Rev 2:5 Then remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works. And if not, I am coming to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick from its place, unless you repent.
And will remove your candlestick - Take away my ordinances, remove your ministers, and send you a famine of the word. As there is here an allusion to the candlestick in the tabernacle and temple, which could not be removed without suspending the whole Levitical service, so the threatening here intimates that, if they did not repent, etc., he would unchurch them; they should no longer have a pastor, no longer have the word and sacraments, and no longer have the presence of the Lord Jesus. (Adam Clarke)
What testing times we live in. Times in which we are suppose to persevere in His Word. Only then are we allowed to sit with Him on His Throne (Rev 3:21). I will continue to pray for the Church and obviously I will always pray for my dad and my loved ones without ceasing. We may think that the Lord tarries, but he only does because he is longsuffering…
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So, as much as we say “Marantha, come Lord Jesus” another day passes which gives us another day and another opportunity to pray for the salvation of those we love.
These are questions I have had as well. If we are not at this point, then I believe we must be close. It comes back to this word “love” and what it means to God and what it has come to mean to the culture. Word meaning in the culture of relativism is seeking to distort even the word of God. I think about the rise of Jezebel. (Rev.2:20) with the tolerances immorality that goes on even within the church (I won’t name the church in recent news who was actively encourging its members in this fashion but it is only an example of what is an increasing lack of repentance). Isn’t it interesting how the language of scripture always leads back to relationship and intimacy with God and how the opposite gets “acted out” in the physical at the same time that a spiritual famine is going on? I have been going back to Luke 12:35 not only in my own personal circumstances but it is intersting to read you make reference to virgins being ready for the Master’s return as well. Of course here it refers to the servants of the house waiting for the Master to return from the wedding banquet. At this point, I feel my prayers are being directed to ask that the Lord help us be ready as I have been praying and asking the same for myself. This is very difficult. That state of always looking, in readiness. That’s the place that it is easiest to get weary. I would give a personal illustration about how God has shown me that in my life but it involves someone else and would not honor them. Neverthe less, the Lord used it to get the point across to me. Its about running the race till it seems like your body is going to give out and your heart is going to burst and your mind is numb but then realizing that God still has the “kick” for the finish line.
Or another way, is to remember that scene in LOTR where Frodo has confronted just about all the evil he can: he can’t remember what grass feels like or even what water tastes like and its Sam who carries him the rest of the way. Frodo has to get to that point so he can stop depending on himself and on the very thing that sets him on the journey: his love of the physical shire (which includes his family and friends). The metaphor here is: the love of our family may be the reason we begin the stand and press on, but it must change to the sole and pure love of God as to why we succeed in that stand. God is teaching us by these trials to put right the hierarchy of love: God first, then everyone else after in their proper place. This is what Adam and Eve failed to do.
As the the sign…. It’s not waiting for the sign, its already having seen it because we’re not looking at the physical anymore but at Jesus, the goal. The law of opposites works here as Jesus always makes so many references to through out scripture: losing our life finds it. Dying to self, gains the blessings that seem to elude us. Taking our eyes off earthly things and putting them on the heavenly, gets the earthly things taken care of. Storing treasures in heaven, makes what we have on earth more abundant to fill our needs than we thought it would. We must keep praying that minds will be unblinded and hearts touched and softened and the same for our own hearts and minds. Once that happens, then a revived seeker will see the sign they ask for that has already been given. Thanks for posting this!
I just came across this post from Veritas Rex which adds some tangenital points to the discussion.
Ladies,
I ran across this article last night anf thought you might be as encouraged by it as I was. Larry Norman, in case you were unaware, was a force in early Christian rock music and while I don’t agree with everything he said or did, I believe he had some great insights into God’s will and our duty to die to ourselves.
Read the second article in his “As I See It” section, from December 2007. I was very moved and impressed by what he had to say:
http://larrynorman.com/see.html
I especially appreciated that he understood, too, that God has to prepare the ground of someone’s heart before we can even hope to plant seed there. I’m thankful that you realize your dad may have squandered his day of visitation, but sad that these things do happen. I pray that this is not the case and that God will do whatever is necessary to wake up your dad, my loved ones and all the other “too busy for God” folks out there. I pray God will bring people to their knees by tragedy or financial ruin…whatever it takes, to get people’s minds off the passing glories of this world and into the knowledge of God and eternal matters. I truly believe we should stop asking for blessings and peace for those who do not know or believe God. We’re just padding their graves otherwise.
God bless you Vee and Melly!
Steve
Thanks, Prodigal. It seems like it really is the time for sincere fasting and praying and repentence and never giving up.
Vee, if there is a “bruised reed or smoking flax” with your dad, Jesus will find it! That’s a promise. I like to think of an older song I have that God gave me at a time that I needed all the hope I could get (and still do. I am fighting an “impossible” battle of my own). It pops up on occassion on TV when I most need to hear it. But it goes something like this:
“Sent by the Father.
Jesus, go and call my children.
A trumpet sounds and the angels sing
like never before.
With shepherd and wisemen
we humbly bow
And every tongue confess that He is Lord.”
Jesus will keep “calling” every bruised reed, every smoking flax, will bind up all the broken-hearted (which your dad may be), will set the captives free, IF we don’t give up on them. It is true that many will choose not to listen, BUT God is saying we’re not there yet. It is getting darker but we have the light with us. And until we are there, our strongest weapons are faith, hope, and love. It sometimes helps me to think of that grand scene in the Two Towers where they have been fighting impossible odds all night long in the rain, and then Aragorn looks to the east at dawn, the fourth watch, and sees Gandalf and the King’s nephew coming with their forces from the high ground in bright light to help them. We are promised spiritual forces in a very real way but similar to that illustration: “…those that are with [us] are greater than he that is in the world.” Extending the movie metaphor, recall the Battle for Minas Tireth? Sauron was defeated by those he couldn’t see. So many more real examples of defeating impossible odds in the Bible, 185 thousand assyrians defeated by one Angel of the Lord for one. Our spiritual battles are no less temendous engagements. And so Jesus (and no less our angels as Paul brings out) has a hallmark of showing up at the “fourth watch” (remember the disciples and the storm?) Keep praying and fasting for your dad and we will join you in the battle as the Holy Spirit gives us utterance to pray.
P.S. As I was re-reading the essay “To See Truly through a Glass Darkly” by Mills, I was reminded about this responsiblity we have to be able to recognize truth when we hear it. Mills explicates “The Last Battle” as a pre-apologetic for what goes on with postmodernism’s corruptive influence on true Christianity with the introduction of the false “Aslan” in the story. Even though this “new Aslan” “…does evil, only a few protest, most think that he is angy with them and suffering is their own fault. Their understanding has been corrupted, but not their heart. but this leads them to serve the ape, Shift, who is behind it all.” Others in the story act out of cowardice because they do not love the truth enough to resist evil and others because their own sins affect their vision of truth.
This is the same argument about being given enough information to exercise faith and know the truth that Shakespeare discusses in The Winter’s Tale when he has the “3 gentleman” come in and relay their reports about what has taken place with King Leontes and his daughter’s return. The “gentlemen” serve to reflect the parts of the argument for faith: the observer, the doubter, and the believer. So there is an assurance here that God will supply “all our needs” even the evidence we need to make our choice based on an informed credulity: “Credulity is the crux of Lim’s argument. But if credulity is simply an eagerness to believe, and Lim is allowed to qualify it with the attribute of ignorance, then more rightly its opposite should be an informed credulity, and not that of the less than equal attribute “positive” that Lim uses and which I believe is the hole in his argument against one being able to know for certain that one’s faith is valid and true. (p.317) — Knowledge and Belief Aided by Time: The Winter’s Tale and Shakespeare’s New World of Faith. M. S. Reed, 2005