There was once an American general in the Civil War who was so spectacularly incompetent that it was said that he could be counted on to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And then there was a one-armed burglar who was such an inept bungler that he always ended up getting caught in the act – with the result that one particular judge declared as he sentenced him a rotten burglar and counselled him to do something else with his life.

When we come to review our lives, some of us probably overestimate our achievements, whilst others quite possibly echo at least some of the sentiments of that notorious burglar and the incompetent general, just as Moses quite possibly spent years beating himself up after messing up his attempt to help the Hebrew people, and finding himself thrust out from being a prince in Egypt to serving for decades as a lowly shepherd in a nowhere place.

How the Lord loves to turn things round. From hot head to the meekest man around, God raised Moses up again, just as He can catch up with us one more time than we can ever fail. Jesus’ name is the same as Joshua, which means saviour, and as the Lord wrought great deliverances through Joshua, so we pray He will through and in each one of us in this coming year. Don’t be surprised, though, if He allows us reruns of similar situations that we have been through in the past to see if we will handle them differently and fare better this time round.

Don’t be surprised either if He says to us the equivalent of what he said to Moses to us of ‘go back to Pharaoh and say to him’ (Ex. 4:19) That may be the very last thing we want to expose ourselves to doing, but infinitely better to obey than to hunker down and let our faith turn lukewarm because we lacked either the will or the courage to meet the challenge head on. Jesus misses us when we give in to negative thoughts and fail to seek Him actively. May we work with Him to reshape and reprogram our mind wherever what we are hearing and believing is out of alignment – like a mechanic retracking tyres that have been knocked and dented by hitting a kerb.

It is appointed for man to die once, and after that to face judgment, (Heb. 9:27) but we also recognise that we go through many mini ‘deaths’ over the course of our lifetime. These come to us in many forms, in the shape of the natural changes and stages of life, as well as through more abrupt disappointments, failures and losses. During the most intense of these times, it is not unnatural to feel as though as though we are all ‘taken aback’ to use the old nautical language, with the wind being taken out of our sails. It is then, in particular, that the enmy of our soul seeks to capitalise.

Think again of Moses. He was so exhausted by the task of leading the stubborn Israelites that he cried out to the Lord and asked to die. He felt it would be a sign of God’s favour were He to oblige. (I felt something like that once in the corkscrew motion on the Aberdeen to Shetland ferry!) Moses really had reached the end of himself. But the gracious reality of the Lord’s favour was not to bring His servant’s life to an end, but to expand the blessing on it. The Torah tells us that the Lord came down in a cloud to speak to Moses, and took of the Ruach hakodesh that was upon him, and gave Him to seventy of the elders of Israel. The Lord revealed himself just Moses most needed to see Him and to be encouraged. (Num. 11:15 25)

Or think of Elijah. Exhausted from his battle against Jezebel and spirits of witchcraft (such battles are deeply exhausting), he too cried out for death. And once again, the Lord strengthened His prophet and kept him from slipping away into the desert night. Instead, He restored and prepared him, and gave him Elisha, a partner not only to share the load with, but who would continue the ministry after Elijah was finally caught up into the clouds.

God sees already what will grow out of what has first to die. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn, 12:24) He is able to raise up a harvest that multiplies His power and authority. While these icy seasons are disheartening in the fullest meaning of the word to those undergoing them, He has not lost either sight or care of us. Our being disheartened matters to Him – so much so that He may have strong words to say to those whose actions have brought His people to this point:

Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezek. 13:22-23)

Children are taught not to start or end sentences with conjunctions, such as ‘but’ or ‘however,’ ‘for,’ ‘and,’ or ‘yet’ – and certainly not with a ‘therefore’ or a ‘because.’ Clearly, neither Paul – who frequently begins new sections of his teaching with a ‘therefore’ – nor Ezekiel, who begins the passage below with the word ‘because’ felt any need to conform to that artificial convention!

‘Because,’ says the Lord to the prophet. ‘Because . . . therefore . . .’ There is a cause, and the Lord is going to bring about an effect: ‘Because you have disheartened the righteous . . . therefore you will no longer see nor practise what is untrue.’ The Lord loves the righteous, and He hates to see them disheartened. He hates to see their confidence and hope gone, and their hearts discouraged and dispirited. He is looking forward to the day when His people will receive from Him an undivided heart of flesh, and a new spirit. (Ez. 11:19) That is His cause.

The Lord knows how quickly discouragement can spread. You will remember how He instructed Moses to tell his army officers to send fearful or fainthearted soldiers home, so that their fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too. (Deut. 20:8) Fathers are likewise commanded not to provoke their children lest they become disheartened. (Col. 3:21) All of us should be concerned for the morale of others, encouraging those whose hearts are giving way to hopelessness, for in Jesus Christ, the ‘peace of God, which transcends all understanding,’ is able to guard our hearts and minds. (Phil. 4:7)

‘But,’ says the writer to Hebrews, stoutly resisting the advice above with reagrd to conjunctions(!) ‘continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication as the Amplified Bible puts it in Hebrews 3:13.

But each year countless numbers of people fall away from active discipleship, perhaps most commonly for one of two reasons: on the other hand being caught up in an attraction to somebody or something that is not fully Christ-centred, or because we fail failure to distinguish between Jesus, who is perfect, and His people that’s us folks!) who are so often anything but perfect, and who allow the hurts we have suffered to drive a huge wedge in our heart against God Himself.

It sounds so obvious to say that the two are not the same, but when somebody has been hurt deeply enough, the damage done by unfortunate examples can have devastating consequences.

Pray, pray, pray for the multitudes (and the individuals who make up those great multitudes) who have become weary of seeking God. So many voices glibly reassure that there is no need to ‘turn from our evil ways,’ and to seek to ‘save our lives’ for eternity. Even in the Church there are those who dismiss all talk of God’s final judgement as the stuff of myth and cartoon, and who tell us that our own version of truth will be more than good enough in God’s eyes and to qualify us to join the ’great party in the sky.’ But Jesus repeatedly taught otherwise, and told of the sobering truth that we need to embark on, and then remain on, the narrow path that leads to life.

Pray for those who trifle with the matter of salvation. We are wise to heed the warnings of watchmen such as RT Kendall. https://www.premierchristianity.com/features/god-is-revealing-the-secret-sins-of-christian-leaders/17793.article

God sent His Son so that we will not perish, but rather share in His everlasting abundant life. He is the only gate through which we enter into life, and the only foundation on which anything that will last in eternity is to be built. Of course it is easier to build with wood than with stone, but the word of God is crystal clear: ‘If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.’ (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

The fire of God is no myth; there is a judgement seat before which every one of us will stand, and be judged according to what we have done. (Rom. 14:10; Rev. 20:13) Along with the literal return of Jesus Christ to Earth, it is the most certain and the most real event of all.

Who among us would want to hear Him say when we stand before Him, ‘You have disheartened the righteous?’ and see large parts of our work burned up as so much straw and stubble? Ask the Lord to show you any way in which you have disheartened others – and then trust Him to lift you up as you cry out to Him. Even if we had committed the very worst of sins, we can go to Him ‘my heart broken with sorrow,’ as Therese of Lisiuex puts it, and ‘throw myself into Jesus’ arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him.’

There is nothing we can possibly do that will stop God from loving us, and from welcoming us back into a relationship with Him, if only we are willing to humble ourselves and seek Him. As Therese wrote to an abbot who was feeling dispirited because of His failings, “Ah! how little known are the goodness, the merciful love of Jesus, Brother! . . . It is true that to enjoy these treasures one must humble oneself, recognise one’s nothingness, and that is what many souls do not want to do; but, little Brother, this is not the way you act, so the way of simple and loving confidence is really made for you.”

Ask Him to make you one who is so confident of having received mercy yourself that you can impart spiritual gifts that strengthen others, so that we may all be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. (Rom. 12:1) May it be said of us as of Philemon, to whom Paul dictated these precious words: ‘Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.’ (Philemon 1:7) Philemon had encouraged Paul – and Paul has encourage the hearts of millions, billions even of Christians through the centuries! That is building something that lasts! May the Lord find ways to multiply the anointing that He has placed on our lives.

Pray, too, for those who have seen their hopes and visions apparently fall into the ground and die. May they know and trust that the Lord’s very best so often comes as a result of the vision dying first. (1 Cor. 15:36) Thank God for the accommodating soil that receives the seed, and which nourishes such astonishing growth!

Thank You, Jesus, that You take the little that we have and that we offer You, and find ways to multiply it remarkably! You are coming soon. Your reward will be with You, and You will give to each one of us according to what we have done. (Rev. 22:12)

Photo by Alexis Fauvet on Unsplash