This one is long. It needs to be.

The Bible has a lot to say about how we think, as well as what we think. Passages like – Eph. 4:23 “that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” and Rom. 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” are typical examples.

We can be preoccupied with mere information, and not enough with HOW TO THINK – How to think according to God’s understanding of the universe.

That kind of thinking, the Bible calls – WISDOM!

Enter Proverbs. W.G.T. Shedd wrote: “The Book of Proverbs is the best of all manuals for the formation of a well-balanced mind. The object of Solomon in composing it seems to have been to furnish to the church a summary of rules and maxims by which the Christian character, having been originated by regeneration, should then be educated and made symmetrical.”

It’s one reason why I’ve become a self-confessed Proverbs addict.

If you never had a godly Dad, or even if you did, Proverbs is like God as your Father, mentoring you personally in how to think and reason the way God does.

There’s a problem however. Something Theologians refer to as “the noetic effects of The Fall.”

The word “noetic” comes from a Greek word which means “mind.”

The Fall shows its effects even in our minds.

Al Mohler for instance lists 14 of these effects – here’s 4.

1. Ignorance: The fall has clouded our ability to see these things as they really are, as God sees them.

2. Distractedness: every single human being has theological “attention deficit disorder.”

3. Forgetfulness: Especially of spiritual truth. We do not keep even central Biblical truths static at all times in our thinking.

14. Partial knowledge: we know only in part, and sometimes we do not even know how partial our knowledge is.

And it is why we need to immerse ourselves constantly in the Scriptures. Some things we just do not retain well.

Proverbs 3 is Solomon’s 3rd and longest talk with his son.

We really should treat the chapter as a whole, but for today, I want to focus on just verses 5 & 6.

Before that though, by way of of context, we should note that this chapter, as well as several others, are specifically aimed at Solomon preparing his son to take the throne of Israel one day.

He wants his son to be a successful, good and wise leader. He also knows for certain – his son is going to face all kinds of trials, tribulations and confusing and complex circumstances which he’ll not be equipped for.

Which is what makes this portion so applicable to us – Welcome to your life and mine.

Life throws us curves.

Stability in life is hard sometimes. Even for Christians.

We get hurt.

We suffer loss.

Disappointment comes.

Loved ones die.

Some close to us remain far from Christ.

A particular sin constantly strives to gain control.

The world around us is chaotic.

And even those we love and respect in the Church, fail.

Wisdom escapes us.

Sadness surrounds us.

Joy eludes us.

Seasons of dryness and distance from God frighten and unnerve us.

What are we to do?

Some say – just hold tight.

Grin and bear it.

“Praise the Lord in all things.”

All things we’ve said to others at times. I know I have.

Things which while true, rarely equal real counsel.

Not when you’re the one suffering.

So how DO we remain stable and balanced in such times? What are the anchors for the soul in such storms?

Where do we go for safety and rest?

Fortunately God’s Word is replete with counsel, like what’s in this text before us today.

It’s profound, counsel.

A place of ultimate safety for the heart and mind.

Weary Christian, God is speaking to you here.

He wants you to know there is help.

Not milk-sappy sentiments.

Real, solid, life sustaining, God-prepared, provision.

Help. When there is none to be found in all the advice and inventions of man.

These 2 verses break down into 4 thoughts:

A WORD OF EXHORTATION – Trust in the Lord with all your heart

A WORD OF WARNING – And do not lean on your own understanding

A WORD OF COUNSEL – In all your ways acknowledge Him

A WORD OF PROMISE – And He will make straight your paths

A. A WORD OF EXHORTATION / Trust in the Lord with all your heart – Trusting in the trustworthy One.

And let me warn you at the outset that I am going to develop this point far more than others. So when I’m done with it, don’t panic, the other 3 points will NOT be as long.

2 Things.

1.NOTICE 1st, We are being asked to trust some ONE, not to simply have blind faith or trust in trust.

This is the very starting point of saving faith, and we must remain in it all the days of our lives.

This is NOT mere naked or religious optimism.

It is not the vague hope that everything will just turn out OK.

It is not Bobby McFerrin’s just “don’t worry, be happy.”

It is a personal trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

Trust in WHO He is.

Trust in His atoning sacrifice.

Trust in His Word and Promises.

Trust in God’s own character.

As John wrote in 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

CAREFUL! You can believe every word of the Bible is true…And still perish in a Christ-less eternity.

For it is not merely that we give mental assent to the truthfulness of these things – this, the Devil and all the demons in Hell can and do – James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

It is even more than believing that Christ died for our sins…

It is actually and personally turning away from every other hope in religion, goodness, works, doctrine or anything else – and resting your entire hope on His sacrifice in your stead.

When I ment Jerry Bridges years ago, I asked him what he had been the biggest change he’d seen in evangelism on college campuses?: “We needed to stop asking people if they are Christians or even Believers, we now ask: Is Jesus Christ your sin-bearer?”

It’s still the question before every one of us this morning: Is Jesus your sin-bearer?

For if you cannot answer that in all honesty and reality – you are not yet a Christian no matter what you may profess.

And the rest of this passage is of no use to you.

Personal Trust in the Person and Cross-work of Jesus Christ.

Nothing else is saving faith.

We must trust in the LORD with all our hearts.

Again, we are being asked to trust some ONE, not simply to have blind faith or trust in trust.

2. 2nd Implicit in this exhortation is: THAT WE NEED TO KNOW THE ONE WE ARE BEING ASKED TO TRUST.

You cannot truly trust anyone you do not know.

And our trust must be in the Christ of the Bible, and not an imaginary one or a fake one.

If you were to need an operation, you’d want a real surgeon to do it, and not someone who plays a surgeon on TV.

It’s vital that we put our trust in the REAL Christ, the Jesus of the Bible, and not the Jesus fabricated by false religions, cults OR, our own imaginations.

The Jesus of Mormonism for instance is the spirit brother of Satan – and was a man who became a god even as God the Father was once a man and became a god.

That is an abominable and soul damning invention.

The Jesus of Jehovah’s Witnesses is an angel – the Archangel Michael and not God. A kind of secondary divine being.

The Jesus of Christian Science is just a man who demonstrated what they call the “Christ ideal.”

In Scientology Jesus is just a human teacher who realized his potential.

In Islam he was merely one of the prophets, superseded by Mohammed, and in Baha’ism He’s just one more manifestation of God but not God.

The old Puritan John Owen wrote: “the ancient Christians told [others] the truth,—namely, that “as they had feigned unto themselves an imaginary Christ, so they should have an imaginary salvation only.” (Owen, John. The works of John Owen. (Ed.) William H. Goold. . Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.)

The one we are to trust in with all our hearts – must be the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible if we are to have a true salvation, and, true help in our time of need.

Running to the wrong Jesus is as helpful as getting the time from a wrist watch tattoo.

It may have the appearance of the real – but in the end, it is an utter fake.

The Jesus we need is the Jesus of the Bible – so magnificently above all the fakes as the heavens are above the earth.

And He is magnificent!

In J.C. Ryle’s incomparable book: “Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots” – Ryle makes the observation that: “It would be well if professing Christians in modern days studied the four Gospels more than they do. No doubt all Scripture is profitable. It is not wise to exalt one part of the Bible at the expense of another. But I think it would be good for some who are very familiar with the Epistles, if they knew a little more about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…

I say it because I want professing Christians to know more about Christ. It is well to be acquainted with all the doctrines and principles of Christianity. It is better to be acquainted with Christ Himself. It is well to be familiar with faith, and grace, and justification, and sanctification. They are all matters “pertaining to the King.” But it is far better to be familiar with Jesus Himself, to see the King’s own face, and to behold His beauty. This is one secret of eminent holiness. He that would be conformed to Christ’s image, and become a Christ-like man, must be constantly studying Christ Himself.

Now the Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Ghost has told us the story of His life and death,—His sayings and His doings, four times over. Four different inspired hands have drawn the picture of the Saviour. His ways, His manners, His feelings, His wisdom, His grace, His patience, His love, His power, are graciously unfolded to us by four different witnesses. Ought not the sheep to be familiar with the Shepherd? Ought not the patient to be familiar with the Physician? Ought not the bride to be familiar with the Bridegroom? Ought not the sinner to be familiar with the Saviour? Beyond doubt it ought to be so. The Gospels were written to make men familiar with Christ, and therefore I wish men to study the Gospels.” Ryle, J. C. Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots. William Hunt and Company, 1889, pp. 278–79.

Spurgeon preached: “Depend upon it, there are countless holy influences which flow from the habitual maintenance of great thoughts of God, as there are incalculable mischiefs which flow from our small thoughts of him. The root of all false theology is belittling God; and the essence of true divinity is greatening God, magnifying him, and enlarging our conceptions of his majesty and his glory to the utmost degree.”

Listen to how old John Flavel writes of the Biblical Christ: We ought dwell often on the glories of His divine nature.

“It is a special consideration to enhance the love of God in giving Christ, that in giving him he gave the richest jewel in his cabinet; a mercy of the greatest worthy, and most inestimable value, Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ is: He is the better half of heaven; and so the saints account him, Ps. 73:25. “Whom have I in heaven but thee?” Ten thousand thousand worlds, saith one,* as many worlds as angels can number, and then as a new world of angels can multiply, would not all be the bulk of a balance, to weigh Christ’s excellency, love, and sweetness. O what a fair One! what an only One!

what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One, is Christ! Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden of Eden, into one; put all trees, all flowers, all smells, all colours, all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness in one; O what a fair and excellent thing would that be? And yet it should be less to that fair and dearest well-beloved Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole seas, rivers, lakes, and fountains of ten thousand earths. Christ is heaven’s wonder, and earth’s wonder.

Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners; and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as his Son was, yet not to account him too good to bestow upon us, what manner of love is this! (Flavel, John. 1820. The Whole Works of the Reverend John Flavel. . Vol. 1. London; Edinburgh; Dublin: W. Baynes and Son; Waugh and Innes; M. Keene.)

In trouble, trial and tribulation, we need the glorious,stupendous, magnificent Christ of the Bible.

Do you remember that great confession of Nebuchadnezzar after God restored him from his humiliation?

Daniel 4:34–35 “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””

This is The Lord we are being exhorted to trust in – and He is worthy of such trust.

You will not read Christ exalting words like these in any religion or cult, and you would certainly never invent them yourself.

THIS, is the Jesus of the Bible.

Trust HIM with your salvation.

Trust HIM in all His promises and that the rewards of Christ are greater than any pleasure of sin.

Trust HIM in His holiness, faithfulness, power, goodness, grace, mercy and love.

Trust the LORD, with all your heart. Trust Him as God eternal – one with the Father.

If you are not a Christian today – this is the one you must trust in order to be saved from the wrath of God for your sin: Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

And Believer – there is no one else you can absolutely trust with every care, burden, need, concern and trial: Psalm 112:6–8 “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

Beloved, this is so vastly important, let me to labor it a bit more. Again, I will make make remaining points very short – but I need to be sure we do not let this need to know Christ in His fullness pass by without pressing it.

Everything hangs on it.

I am reminded of that vision John received on Patmos in Revelation 1:10–19

He saw Jesus in a long robe down to His feet and with with a golden sash or belt around His chest.

1. Long robes with sashes like that were indicative of 3 things in John’s day:

– Royalty: Royalty wore long robes with sashes that showed their high standing. 2 more times in this book Jesus will be referred to as: “Kings and Lord of Lords.”

– Authority: In the Roman army, the longer the robe, the higher the rank. His is full length.

– Priesthood: The robe and sash combination is particularly reminiscent of the High Priest’s clothing in ancient Israel.

Here, Jesus is being pictured as our great High Priest. His Kingship, His authority over The cosmos and High Priesthood to His Church are powerfully imaged – Christ, the royal, supremely authoritative High Priest over all.

2nd. “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow.”

Indicating Christ’s ETERNALITY: That as the Ancient of Days in Da. 7 – This Jesus ALWAYS WAS. The Son of God is eternal, and existed before His incarnation.

He is not less than God. He is not some newcomer. He too, is the ancient of days. “Before Abraham was I AM” He’ll declare in John 8.

3rd. He saw that Jesus’ eyes were like a flame of fire.

Signifying His OMNISCIENCE: How He needs no outside source to see and perceive and know – He knows all from His own light. It is flaming, piercing and powerful. All searching.

As in Hebrews 4:13: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

4th He saw Jesus’ feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace

A bracing symbol of HOLINESS & MORAL PURITY. Historical sources tell us this burnished bronze – was of such exceptional quality, it was considered more valuable than gold.

5. Revelation 1:15b “his voice was like the roar of many waters.”

IMPOSING, INESCAPABLE WONDER: Massive – and all pervading. Inescapable. Think – the cave behind Niagara Falls.

6. Revelation 1:16a He saw that in his right hand he held seven stars

PERSONAL GUARDIANSHIP OF HIS CHURCH AND EVERYONE IN IT:

7th. That from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword

CHRIST AS JUDGE OF ALL: Judgment is rendered at His word. And it cuts both ways. Unsparing and sure.

This is seen again in Revelation 19:15 where we read “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”

One can’t help but think of Jesus’ words in John 12:48 “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

8th. Jesus’ face was like the sun shining in full strength.

CHRIST AS THE OUTSHINING OF GOD’S GLORY: So glorious – so overwhelming, He cannot be directly looked upon.

It should bring Believers back to Isaiah 6:1–3 Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!””

Now it is in the context of this overpowering vision of the resurrected Christ that Jesus then tells John: So write this all down.

“Therefore” – i.e. Based upon what you have just seen of me – WRITE!

Don’t keep this to yourself. Let others know what it is like to encounter Me in all of My unveiled glory.

It is staggering.

Because I am both the King and the High Priest of my people…

Because I am the Ancient of Days…

Because I am the One who sees all by my own light so nothing can be hidden…

Because I am the thrice holy one in all moral purity…

Because it is MY voice which informs, fills and upholds all of creation…

Because the whole of the Church is supernaturally superintended in MY hand…

Because I am the One who will personally utter judgment on everyone in creation in due time…

Because I am so glorious I cannot be fully beheld or comprehended – WRITE WHAT I SAY. And omit NOTHING!

John – Send them a vision of me that is so shattering, that it shakes them out of lethargy, compromise and the fear of life’s circumstances, such that the awe-filled fear generated by the vision can only be alleviated by Me personally extending my grace to them – purchased at the cost of my own blood.

And tell them what awaits them in encountering Me! What only the Believer can safely witness and rejoice in.

This is the Lord we are to trust with all our hearts!

This is the Lord we so desperately need in times of trouble.

Let me mention some practical things here.

When we go through seasons of trial, we need to be reminded of the goodness and greatness of God as two giant pillars of support.

Rehearse the history of His provisions in your own life in past days, and that in the lives of other saints.

Read biographies of the Saints, both in Scripture and outside of it.

Listen to how David does it Psalm 42:5–6 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”

Why does he remember Jordan? It was the place where God brought His people over into the Promised Land at last.

And why does he think back to the heights of Hermon? Because it is where God defeated Sihon King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan at the beginning of Israel’s conquest.

But what about Mizar? Interestingly, there is no other mention of Mizar in all of Scripture.

Evidently, this was some place where God met David in a needed time. It was a private time of God meeting him. And he recalls it to support himself in the present trial.

Oh what short memories we have of God’s past blessings to us and our brothers and sisters throughout the ages.

But secondly, recount His promises so you can know for certain what kinds of things you can trust Him for.

Psalm 121:3 “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.”

Hebrews 13:5b “for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

Matthew 28:20b “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Psalm 18:30 “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:22 “The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

Psalm 25:3 “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.”

Psalm 115:11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.”

We can trust both in WHO He is, and WHAT He has promised.

And beyond that, we leave everything in His hands.

There is no assurance of tomorrow, or a better diagnosis, or the salvation of a loved one beyond what His Word says.

But as Paul by the Spirit writes in 2 Timothy 1:12 “which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

B. A WORD OF WARNING / And lean not on your own understanding – Truth vs. Perception

As I mentioned earlier about the noetic effects of the Fall.

1 – Our understanding is always limited, His is not – Isa. 46:10 – He declares the end from the beginning.

2 – Our understanding is often defective, His is perfect – 1 Cor. 13:12– “now we see through a glass darkly”

EXAMPLE: Attraction at Darien Lake

3 – Our understanding is ours, not His – i.e. Centered in ourselves, not Him – Isaiah 55:8–9

Isaiah 55:8–9 (ESV)

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We are not even to lean on our own understanding when it comes to things hard to be understood in His Word.

Trinity

The hypostatic union of Christ – how He was both very God and very man.

Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The resurrection.

The New Heavens and New Earth.

Do not over scrutinize your circumstances as tho you are living in a tit-for-tat universe where everything can be tied together in an immediate cause-effect relationship.

Do not lean on your own understanding – but believe His Word – even where it is hard.

And we need to make something vital clear here – contrary to so many, faith, is NOT exercised apart from logic and reason.

I know that is a popular trope but it is untrue.

I’ve said many times over the years that the single most neglected spiritual gift is the gift of grey matter.

God is a rational God. He is not arbitrary nor random. He is the very foundation of reason – and so we are born to it.

The warning here is not to rely on our own understanding, apart from the divine revelation of His Word.

I know perfectly well that some will not be able to understand our reasoning, because having not been born again, they simply do not know truth the way the Believer does.

In Christ, and informed by His Word – we understand the whole of life in a way those with the key missing piece to reality – the purposes and plans of God in the person and work of Christ – simply cannot have.

Actions can seem illogical to others who are missing certain information.

Comedian Brian Regan has a routine about things that make you look stupid to others. His prime example is walking into a spider’s web.

People who can’t see it but watching you from a distance see you flailing around like a mad-man and wondering if you are insane. You see and feel it, but they have no idea.

So Scripture says: 1 Corinthians 2:14–15 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.”

I am reminded of the great anonymous poem:

When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man, When God wants to mould a man To play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects! How He hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows converts him Into trial shapes of clay which Only God understands; While his tortured heart is crying And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks When his good He undertakes; How He uses whom He chooses, And with every purpose fuses him; By every act induces him To try His splendour out— God knows what He’s about.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And lean not on your own understanding

C. A Word of Counsel / In all your ways acknowledge Him – Totally living before Him

1 – Seeing everything IN Him – Luke 12:6–7 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

He is aware of the smallest aspect of everything which concerns you. And He is with you in it: Hebrews 13:5c “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

2 – Confessing everything TO Him – Fear, Doubt, Failure, Sin, Wrong Attitudes, Grief, Shame, Concern, Weakness, Wrong desire, EVERYTHING!

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah”

3 – Laying every plan BEFORE Him – Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

4 – Casting our whole confidence UPON Him – 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

D. A Word of Promise/ And He Will make straight your paths –

1 – HE – Not “IT”, Not “things” / God Himself promises to direct your steps, even when you can’t see six inches in front of you.

This is something He does personally.

He does not even leave it to His highest trusted angels.

The text says HE will make your paths straight.

2 – He WILL – Not “He can”; Not “He might” / God Himself promises to do this.

3 – He will MAKE – Not just watch; Not hope you’ll walk the right way / He actually performs.

4 – He will make straight YOUR paths – This is not a generic. “one size fits all.”

He knows you. Your strengths. Your weaknesses. Your particular needs.

He knows your unique circumstances and needs.

5 – He will make your PATHS – Not just this one thing; Not just this one time / He promises and performs in bringing your whole course of life under His watchful, wise and loving care.

And He promises and performs this so that having walked, you can look back later and know that the way He took you was right.

So Isaac Watts penned:

Firm as the earth thy gospel stands,

My Lord, my hope, my trust;

If I am found in Jesus’ hands,

My soul can ne’er be lost.

His honor is engaged to save

The meanest of his sheep;

All that his heav’nly Father gave

His hands securely keep.

Nor death nor hell shall e’er remove

His favorites from his breast;

In the dear bosom of his love

They must for ever rest.

_{Watts, Isaac. 1998. The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.}

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.”

19-20 / Get rich schemes are anything but. They are contrary to God’s normative means of giving us prosperity WITH character. To want to be rich by means of a shortcut, is to reveal our greed. To want to waste our time in things which hold no true value – is to prevent our own selves from the very things we need and desire. These two always go hand in hand.

But this is not restricted to material things. It is just as true in spiritual matters. The one who will not apply him or herself to know the Word and seek God’s face will have a lean soul – period. We cannot ignore spiritual disciplines, and then hope to walk in the benefits of such as though they are somehow just dropped upon us from the sky. If we work hard at it, we’ll enjoy the fruit. If not, we will be impoverished.

Now the caution here against worthless pursuits can apply equally to those simply in pursuit of earthly riches, security, fame etc., and those who even as Christians pursue doctrine and spiritual experiences like hobbies.

I once knew a man, a good and earnest man, who loved the Lord and longed to teach His Word, but who also gave himself to countless hours trying to connect the Great Pyramid of Egypt to Biblical truth. Endlessly looking for hidden signs and symbols. Fascinated with arcane and supposed prophetic tie-ins. And in the meantime, paying less attention to understanding The Word better, and seeking to grow in the image of Christ. It all had the veneer of “spiritual” pursuit, but it ended in nothing of true value for the soul. In the end it was fruitless curiosity.

How many Believers today are immersed in seeking out secret conspiracies, shadow governments and hidden, nearly all-powerful cabals? Looking for secret prophetic knowledge. Investing all sorts of time, energy and angst prying out information they can ultimately do nothing about, and have no eternal, spiritual reward whatever.

How we need to re-calibrate our hearts and minds to be fixed on the truth of God’s Word, and anchored in His plans and purposes. Investing ourselves in the pursuit and building of His Kingdom. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Once we’ve mastered that, then maybe we can move on to curiosities of all sorts. But until then, let us be about knowing and pursuing the Father’s business.

Work with what God HAS given to you, rather than pining after and chasing what He hasn’t. There is fruitfulness in His appointments.

And there is unfathomable fruit and blessing in pursuits that have eternal benefits.

Seek Christ! Col. 2:1-3 “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

        The plans of ethe diligent lead surely to abundance, 
  but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 

Let me share a painful truth with you: There is no shortcut to spiritual maturity.

None.

I know I want it to be otherwise. But this is the plain truth.

As is so often the case in Proverbs, some axioms are repeated over and over, and in different ways. So with this one. And in this case, there is an added dimension.

In the natural, I was what was termed in my day “a late bloomer.” And this brought problems with it.

Although I was somewhat bright (simply “precocious” might be a better word – I’m sure I thought I was brighter than I was) I was also emotionally very immature, even for my age.

Because I was a bit snappy, I started school what was probably a year too early. My parents should have kept me back a year. Though I think I was enrolled early to save my Mother’s sanity at home. One more year of me in the house would have driven her up the wall!

But I was bored. I didn’t see the relevance of anything I was being taught. And my report cards regularly bore the comment: “Reid is not working up to his potential.”

Yeah. My grey matter was sufficient. But my emotional maturity was too far behind to make a good mix.

School wasn’t fun.

I always wanted to be – or at least treated – older than I actually was. Which led me to inserting myself into conversations and situations above my paygrade. It made me a Grade A pain in the neck to my friends and family. Not to mention my teachers.

Maybe you too can remember back to when you wanted to be older than you were? Wanting to be big enough to ride certain rides at the amusement park. Anxious to get that driver’s license. Being old enough to stay home alone without a baby-sitter. Wanting to make your own decisions, etc.

Well that same phenomena replicates itself in the life of the Believer too.

We come into the spiritual life when we are born again, and we look around at those who were saints before us, and we want their experiences, their insights, their impact on others, and their seeming grasp of God, the Word and spiritual matters.

The problem is, there is only one way to get “older.” Time.

But, as I said above, there are no spiritual shortcuts to growth. Only time and the natural process will avail – and only these are desirable. So it is with our souls.

In fact, spiritual growth spurts are not even something to be desired – to grow in sudden, huge leaps.

Time with God, time letting the soul in Christ mature and let every aspect fully develop in balance and harmony. Time to learn God’s Word so as to handle it responsibly. Time to analyze your own heart in the light of the Scripture by the illumination of The Spirit. Time to reflect on past decisions. To consider what makes for spiritual maturity. Time to learn how to begin to master oneself in the power of the Spirit. Time to walk with God consistently so as to know His ways and providence. To cultivate spiritual habits and disciplines that lend themselves to solid growth.

Time.

If you are running from ministry to ministry and seminar to seminar hoping to have some instant miraculous experience which catapults you into spiritual maturity – stop! There is no such thing. You must walk the entire path with Him, you cannot simply be conformed to His image in a moment.

By the age of 12, Jesus Himself, the very Son of God, was more than able to hold His own with the teachers and the rabbi’s in the Temple. But He still remain under His parent’s authority, and didn’t enter into any kind of “ministry” until around 30.

So as Luke 2:52 reminds us: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

Yet how many new-Born Believers want instant ministry? And how many of us who have walked with the Lord, as still discouraged at our slow rate of growth?

One does not gain spiritual maturity by bestowal – it is by growth. One learns the Word by study, not osmosis. Faith grows in testing, not ease. Age, even in Christ comes by way of time, not sudden leaps forward. Diligence is what leads to abundance. Faithfulness is what perseveres long enough to reap the harvest. Yearning for Heaven makes a man order his steps to get there. Those who imagine they have it all now, or can get it all in a flash are fooling themselves. Such hastiness will only come to poverty.

Yes, it is true the writer to the Hebrews can chide some of his readers for not contributing to their own growth, and needing to get on the stick. At the same time, we are reminded of how patient Jesus was with His own disciples and their slow growth.

How much more with you and me?

Walk WITH Christ, do not try to cross the finish line while you are still in the starting gate.

In due time, you too will fully bear that image. You will “grow up into Him.” (Eph. 4:15)

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Prov. 4:25-27)

When contemplating any course of action, it only makes sense to ask: “Where will this take me? What is the end of what I am contemplating?” In either word or deed.

But of course, this also begs the question of whether or not I am on my way to anywhere at all? 

If one were to pursue a career as a lawyer – they would plot out a course that would take them there. The right undergraduate courses in college, and then Law School. Then setting their sights on passing the Bar, and then – only then – the practice of Law itself.

It is the same with anything in life. To be a teacher, a race car driver, an electrician – name it.

But, as the old saying goes, if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it – too.

Setting a course in the natural is one thing – but how many actually contemplate setting a course toward Heaven?

Do we imagine we will just stumble in there someday? That “being” a Christian is the end game, the goal itself? Do we forget Jesus words: Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV) — “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Nobody just wakes up in Heaven someday and says “whew! I made it.”

Why do so few find it? Why do so few enter in? Because so few are actually looking for it and seeking to enter in.  

If you are aiming at entering heaven, keep your eyes on that destination, and make the decisions which coincide with going there. Keep looking for the door of that Great City. Keep your eyes fixed on what you intend to do and be there – and who you are longing to spend eternity with.

No one will get there by accident. Only those who inquire as to The Way – Jesus – and who order their lives to go there to be with Him and the Father. 

Where are you headed?

In this case, Siri can’t help you. Only Jesus can. For as He told us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Where was He going? To the Father. By way of the Cross.

What is the way so we can go too? Through Him. Only through Him.

Matt. 16:24: “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

And by grace, He is still issuing that call today.

We’ve been examining the Lord’s Prayer of Matthew 6, under the picture of tuning a six stringed instrument – the heart. And we’ve seen how these all resonate with one another so that the whole man is brought into harmony with God’s glorious nature, plans and purposes. Nothing is of greater use in this regard. It is the epitome of being “godly minded”. As Romans 8:6 tells us – “to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” This is the most wonderful means of setting the mind on the Spirit, leading to life and peace.

In this last installment – let me play off of the tuning metaphor just a bit more. For at the very beginning of the prayer are 2 words, that act (if you will) as the two prongs of the tuning fork to serve as our key reference point. 2 words of such power, grace and wonder, that sometimes, having prayed just these – one has prayed astonishingly: “Our Father.”

Our Father.

Can there be anything more amazing to the Believer (and make no mistake, these words can only be uttered in truth by one who has been born again by the power of the Spirit) than these two realities in framing prayer?

First, “Our.”

As you’ve no doubt noted, every pronoun but those specific to the Father in this prayer is in the plural. Our, Father, not just “my” Father. Give “us” this day. Forgive “us” our debts as “we” forgive. Lead “us” not into temptation. Deliver “us” from evil.

Prayer is never a wholly solitary thing, because we have been joined together with all those in Christ by faith into one body. We are a mystically unified whole. I cannot sin without it impacting the whole, nor can you. And I cannot pray or grow in Christ’s likeness without it impacting the whole. We are part of one another, and what affects and impacts us singly, reverberates throughout. It is why we pray with one another in mind: Romans 12:5 “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

When we pray these things beloved, we are entering into ministry to all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Never alone. This is a most sweet and wonderful reality. It will change all of your praying forever.

But secondly in this first word, is not only that we are one with each other in Christ – the “our” here includes Jesus Himself! Think on this for a moment. By virtue of the new birth, and the wonder of adoption into the family of God, Jesus teaches us to pray “Our Father” – His and mine. His and yours. His and ours. We pray as true children of the living God, with as much right of access and guaranteed as much a hearing as the very Son of God Himself.

Prayer isn’t some mere earthly religious activity – it is cosmic glory!

O that we could just soak in that for a while, but I must press to finish.

The second prong of the tuning fork then, as already hinted at is bound up in the word “Father.”

Our – Father.

There is no need to heap up multiple adjectives to try and butter up a distant deity. In Romans 8, Paul tells us that we have been given the Spirit of sonship. Romans 8:12–21 “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

When we pray, we come to a loving, gentle, kind, merciful, patient, perfect Father. Creator God indeed, but also our true Father.

As Sinclair Ferguson writes in his book “The Holy Spirit”: “The fact is that the Christian’s own spirit does display an awareness of sonship, as the rest of the New Testament makes clear (e.g. 1 Jn. 3:1ff.), amazing though this is. The problem is that this awareness is often weakened, and God’s children may even find themselves doubting their gracious status and privileges. What Paul is saying, however, is that even in the darkest hour there is a co-operative and affirmative testimony given by the Spirit. It is found in the very fact that, although he may be broken and bruised, tossed about with fears and doubts, the child of God nevertheless in his need cries out, ‘Father!’ as instinctively as a child who has fallen and been hurt calls out in similar language, ‘Daddy, help me!’ Assurance of sonship is not reserved for the highly sanctified Christian; it is the birthright of even the weakest and most oppressed believer. This is its glory.”

Our, Father.

This is the bedrock of all true prayer. Children coming to the one they know loves them best, who cannot err in judgement, who binds up all their wounds, who gave His own Son to die in their place that He might purchase them back from their slavery to sin, whose compassion and patience and love are beyond all knowing.

Just sit and meditate on those two words for a minute or two before seeking Him for anything else, and see if your heart is not melted, and if you are not assured that He already knows you deepest cares and concerns – and has designed to meet them with infallible wisdom and in perfect time.

If, as a true believer, the only thing you can gasp out is “Our Father” – you have prayed well, in that you have looked to Him and trusted Him with all, in true relationship – because of Christ.

The Lord’s Prayer. It is no mere side-note that Jesus includes this section in His “sermon on the mount.” The entire sermon is built around the essentials, the foundations of The Kingdom. We could outline it one way like this:

1 – 5:1-12 / The Citizens of the Kingdom – Blessed

2 – 5:13-16 / The Role of the Citizens of the Kingdom in this present age – Salt and Light

3 – 5:17-48 / The Character of the Kingdom and its Citizens – The Righteousness of God (not their own)

4 – 6:1-24 / The Life of Service in the Kingdom – Living unto the Father, not men

Alms / Fasting / Prayer / Treasure in Heaven

5 – 6:25-34 / The Sufficiency of the Kingdom – Delivered from the anxiety of this present age

6 – 7: 1-5 / The Humility of the Kingdom – Uncritically, Brother with brother

7 – 7:6 / The Otherness of the Kingdom – Preciousness and Contrariness

8 – 7:7-12 / The Privilege of the Kingdom – Access to the Father

9 – 7:13, 14 / The Entrance to the Kingdom – The Narrow Way & Gate – Christ

10 – 7:15-27 / The Integrity of the Kingdom – Doers and Hearers

Prayer then is an integral and necessary part of living the Christian life as unto God – while in the World. We are to be people of compassion regarding the needs of those around us (alms); seeking the Lord in our being burdened over sin’s destructive impact, and exercising the self-control of The Spirit (fasting); and bringing the whole of our hearts and minds into harmony with the purposes and plans of God – prayer.

And in fleshing out a fully orbed prayer life, we consider the greatest of cosmic needs – the restoration of the Father’s name and dignity; the desire for His rule and reign in Christ over all to be manifest; His will to be done as the sweetest of all possible outcomes; utter dependency upon Him; continual cleansing from the defilements of sin so as to maintain the closest, unimpeded fellowship with Him and others in our own forgiveness; and seeking to be led only in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

It is this last petition we consider today: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

While some have read this as a guard against the possibility that He might lead us into sin if we do not pray so – that is certainly not the thought here. We know this due to passages like James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

What then is this petition about? It is about mistrust of self. Of recognizing that we are weak, and that we stumble so easily into sin, that we need His constant watchfulness and deliverance, or we will be given over to our sins in a moment. For as Proverbs 21:2 reminds us – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.”

Even Believers tend to trust our own impulses and judgments. We seldom are very thoughtful in examining our own motives and perspectives. We tend to always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. The benefit we tend to deny others.

Unfortunately, in present day American Evangelicalism, the “God wants you to achieve your dreams” mentality has crept in so that He has almost become an assistant to us, and not we His servants. If I have a dream, a desire, an aspiration, it is automatically baptized as good and right, and it is only fitting that God should help me get there. Whether or not that dream is best for me, more – best for His Kingdom, plans and purposes – seems at best, incidental. What it might have to do with conforming me to the image of Christ is not even considered.

But here, at the end of this majestic and glorious way of praying, Christ enjoins us to stop and consider our weaknesses, shortsightedness and sin-impacted reasoning. To submit all to Him that we might walk only in what is in perfect harmony with His own righteousness. To come again to the foot of the Cross, boasting in nothing but His mercy and grace, and recognizing the tendency so aptly put in the 3rd stanza of Come Thou Fount:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;

Prone to leave the God I love:

Take my heart, oh, take and seal it

With Thy Spirit from above.

Rescued thus from sin and danger,

Purchased by the Savior’s blood,

May I walk on earth a stranger,

As a son and heir of God.

For we are never more in tune with our God, than when we live in the reality of: “Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.”

O what a Savior!

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matt. 6:7-13.

We have been considering “The Lord’s Prayer” under the idea of using it to regularly re-tune the heart, not as a mere rote religious exercise. To go to this prayer and consider the massive implications of each phrase, as a means each time to re-tune the soul to God’s priorities; to those things He knows are best for us. So that we think with this scheme always in our minds – framing how we see reality.

It begins by calling us to consider how holy, glorious and magnificent He is first, so that we have some sense of who it is we are praying to, before we even begin. And that in recognizing Him as He is afresh, seeing that the greatest cosmic need of all is that every knee bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord – to the praise and glory of the Father (Phil. 2″11). That His glory and reputation be restored among all sentient beings. And indeed, can we truly pray until WE are seeing Him as He is first?

Secondly, Jesus tells us that the final answer to all the prayers of the saints culminate in this one grand petition – that His Kingdom would at last come. That all human and angelic rebellion against His perfect rule would at last be vanquished, and that Christ would rule unopposed both in our hearts and minds, and manifestly on earth – globally and cosmically.

And thirdly, reframing our desires to coincide with His will in all things. For we so often do not even know what to pray for. So, the Believer, humbly submits his or her requests to Him for the review of His perfect wisdom and love. We trust Him to veto foolish things, grant better than we ask, answer when it is most advantageous and base His answers on what is best for our souls and growth in Christ – long term.

Fourth, Jesus shows us that we need to look to the Father both for our simplest, basic needs, but above all that Christ would be the ultimately satisfying Bread of Life for our souls. That Christ would be broken afresh to us. That we would be satisfied in Him, above all earthly things.

And it isn’t until this point – that He leads to treat the ideas of sin and forgiveness. I find that both curious and glorious.

How often do our prayer lives begin with the confession of sin? That our starting point is far from His? That as Believers, justified by faith in Christ and His atoning work on our behalf, He is not as fixated on the sin problem as we still tend to be. We are this side of the Cross. Christ has died. He has paid the price for our sins. We come to The Father as children already, and not as groveling beggars. Not to do so is to come to Him as though Jesus’ work hasn’t already made the way. As though by obsequious shamefacedness, we now pave a new way to Him ourselves. It is as if having fallen, WE now have to do the re-set. Jesus made an initial way, but it is up to us to keep it or restore it. It is the opposite of grace, wherein we trust Christ’s righteousness as imputed to us, even as our sin was imputed to Him at Calvary.

What does this do then? It frees us to confess freely and without having to deny any of our wickedness, nor to come to Him sheepishly. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:15 & 16) We can fully agree with Him regarding our failures and guilt, while at the same time pleading for a repentant heart, and all with the confidence that we are already fully accepted in Christ and face repentance, not man-crafted penance. We cast all of it on Him.

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” tunes us most keenly to the Gospel wherein we stand. And, it fills us with the wherewithal to forgive others out of the abundance of what we’ve already received. It reminds us that no one has ever sinned against us as greatly as we have sinned against Him – and gives us a bottomless reservoir out of which to draw our own forgiveness for others.

Of what a glorious salvation is ours in Christ Jesus – the Lamb slain for sin.