Category: Reflections Blog

Women of Advent – Rahab

Justin Hibbard

This year during Advent, New Hope Chapel will be focusing on the women of Jesus’ genealogy and their connection to the life and ministry of the Messiah.  These are from our readings during the worship service.

Imagine that your country is on the brink of war. Your nation’s future looks bleak. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door, and two spies from the opposition ask you for help. What do you do? Do you side with national loyalty or try to save your skin?

That was Rahab’s dilemma, and as a native of Jericho, her city’s future looked grim. Israel, an enormous nomadic nation gathered just miles away, and the whole city of Jericho knew they had no chance against them. Rahab, a prostitute, was no stranger to opening her door to men. This time it was much different. This time, she played host to enemy spies.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, Rahab is referred to as the “Jericho Harlot;” however, she is also noted for her faith. As she told the spies, “I know that God – the Creator of the Heavens and Earth – has given this city to your hand.” How did she know that? Perhaps not only did she see the writing on the wall, but perhaps God Himself revealed something about His nature to her.

Israel owed much to Rahab’s mercy, and in return, they saved her and her family when they conquered Jericho. Rahab, after being incorporated into the people of Israel would later marry a man named Salmon, and they would have a son named Boaz.

Rahab is the second woman listed in Jesus’ genealogy, and it is a reminder to us of the power of God’s mercy. In Luke 7, Jesus explains that the one who is forgiven, loves much, but the one who is forgiven little, loves little. Perhaps this lesson can be applied to Rahab. In mercy, God revealed Himself to her. In mercy, Rahab spared the spies. And in mercy, Israel saved her and her family. Perhaps this lesson of mercy was emphasized in Rahab’s household – so much so, that when her son Boaz looked out his window one day to see a widow named Ruth picking grain in his field, he modeled his mother’s lesson and showed her great compassion.

In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, one of the main characters Portia gives the following monologue about mercy:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d;
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes…
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

As Jesus demonstrates over and over, mercy has a way of defusing hostility. Instead of anger, how often Jesus reaches out, even from the cross, and says, “You are forgiven.” He proves to us over and over never to count out God’s most common yet most amazing miracle – the power to transform hearts and lives through the gift of forgiveness. He is capable of taking an identity like “Jericho Harlot” and in His abundant mercy, offering a new name like “the merciful woman, the woman of faith, or the woman of Messiah’s line.”

Jesus is the God who perfectly demonstrates justice seasoned with mercy. Our salvation – our eternal life as well as the very air that we breathe to keep us physically alive is because of His mercy. May the Lord help us not to embrace the attitude or the position of self-righteousness. But rather, in everything we do, may we acknowledge that it is in Him and in His grace that we live, and move, and have our being.

The Women of Advent – Tamar

Justin Hibbard

This year during Advent, New Hope Chapel will be focusing on the women of Jesus’ genealogy and their connection to the life and ministry of the Messiah.  These are from our readings during the worship service.

Imagine an arranged marriage, where you’re taken far from your country, your people, and your culture, and brought some place new.  Imagine marrying someone you never met, and then becoming a widow shortly after – with no children and no future.

That’s Tamar’s story – a story of sorrow and rejection.  She was a Gentile woman, acquired by Judah (the oldest of Jacob’s sons) as a wife for his son Er.  When Er died, Tamar was not given the opportunity to bear children through the Leverate marriage custom. Her new family rejected her.  Her brother-in-law used her. And Judah considered her to be bad luck, and wouldn’t permit her access to his sons.

In desperation, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced her own father-in-law Judah, while not revealing her true identity.  A few months later, word spread that Tamar had become pregnant because of prostitution, and in a twist of irony and self-righteousness, Judah demanded her execution (not realizing that he was in fact the father).

But when Tamar discreetly revealed to Judah his part in the act, he recanted of his self-righteous position and repented for not allowing her the full benefits of Leverate marriage to which she was entitled.  He confessed saying, “She is more righteous than I,” and because of that, her life was spared.  Judah would never again defile her, and as for Tamar, she would later bear twins – Perez and Zerah.

The story of Tamar parallels a familiar one found in the Gospel.  Just as Judah came to Tamar’s rescue,  Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery.  The “righteous” men of the city were prepared to execute adulterous women, but they were unwilling to admit their own guilt.  Jesus, though he was sinless in the matter, didn’t respond with threats of execution like the other self-righteous and religious did.  Instead He responded with words of kindness, forgiveness, and freedom.  “Your sins are forgiven.  Go and sin no more.”  Instead of condemning the woman to death, He liberated the woman to new life.

The story of Tamar – the first woman listed in Jesus’ genealogy is a bizarre story, and one might ask, “Why did God choose to include this woman in Jesus’ genealogy?  Why not include one of the more moral examples from around the time of the Patriarchs– Sarah, Rebekah, or Rachel?”  But there is something about Tamar’s story that speaks to the person of Jesus.  He was despised and rejected much like his ancestor Tamar.  He was denied His own rights.  As Isaiah refers to our Messiah, He indeed was a man of sorrows.

Jesus is the God of the rejected and the broken hearted.  He experienced rejection – no place to be born, and His own people hastened His execution.  In His heart, there is a place for those who have had their rights denied, their dignity refused, and who like Tamar find themselves in a place of hopelessness.  Jesus, welcomes all of our sorrows, all of our burdens, all of our fears, and our rejections. He accepts our brokenness, never denying the contrite spirit or the broken heart.  His words are words of kindness – “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  May we in turn embrace and emulate the Messiah’s spirit of humility and kindness.

Seeing what God Sees in Others

Justin Hibbard

A friend of mine once told me about a time where God was teaching him to see people not merely as they appear but as God sees them.  One day, he was sitting at a table next to a young, attractive girl. Suddenly, his mind began to wander, and he began to entertain lustful thoughts about this young lady.  The Lord said to him, “Stop seeing her as an object of pleasure, and see her as I see her.”  It was easier to just keep daydreaming.

When the event was over, and she left the table, he noticed something horrifying.  This young woman had a horrendous limp, her back was hunched over, as though she had some crippling disease such as spina bifida.  Her entire body jolted with each step.  It was so severe that if we were to see her walking down the street, we wouldn’t notice her beautiful features.  We would only notice her deformity.  My friend admits that upon seeing this, he felt sick to his stomach.  The feelings of lust quickly turned to compassion.  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to the Lord.  “Had I seen her from your eyes, I would have had compassion on her immediately.”

We have spent many weeks on this topic of intimacy with God.  We began by seeing God – meditating on the very person and presence of the Lord.  Then we turned our attention to how that relates to us.  We looked at deep theological principles such as the indwelling presence of God in our lives.  We talked about transforming our mind to not just perceive the physical world around us but the presence of I AM in the present moment.  Now, we take those principles and apply them to seeing what God sees in other people.

How often have we just looked right past people – at a stoplight, at work, at a cash register?  How often have we thought something ill of another person?  “I can’t stand that person because of ___.”  We can’t seem to get past our bias of the person, whether it’s their appearance, mannerisms, or tone.  Satan is a master at distraction.  He gets us to forget that people are image bearers of God and instead focus on that one little thing that annoys us.  Pretty soon, we have reduced a human being into that one tiny aspect.  Without even realizing it, that one little thought blows up into full bitterness… or on the other extreme – total lust.

Often times we struggle to see how God sees others because we have an improper or underdeveloped understanding of the way God sees us.  God’s love doesn’t depend on us being perfect, having perfect theology, having a beautiful appearance, or being free from quirkiness.  God loves me and you unconditionally.  When that becomes our life theology, we are better equipped to love others.

So, how do we see what God sees in others?  First, I think some of the same principles apply in regards to prayer and meditation.  We need to surrender our mind to the Lord.  “Jesus, show me where you are in this person’s life.  Show me how you see them.”  It may be helpful to bring certain verses to mind – “God so loved this person that He gave His one and only Son for them.”  One thing I like to do is to picture Jesus standing over them.  Instead of seeing that person as an object or an obstacle, I begin to see them as a fellow brother or sister.

When we allow our minds to see what God sees in others, we shouldn’t be surprised when He reveals something about that person to us.  So many times someone has come up to me and said, “Justin, I see the Lord doing this or that in your life.  I feel like He wants me to tell you this.”  So often they have been timely words of encouragement.

Today as you walk down the halls of your work, sit in traffic, spend time with your family, or if someone does something that rubs you the wrong way, stop for a minute and say, “God, show me how you see this person.  Show me just how much you love them.”  Watch how quickly your heart changes.  You’ll not only begin to see them as God sees them, you’ll begin to love them as yourself.

Eternally Present

Justin Hibbard

There’s a story about a couple who had been married quite sometime. One afternoon they were driving through the countryside in their antique Buick – the type that have those front bench seats. The wife, who was leaning against the passenger door, turned to her husband, who was driving, and said, “Dear, do you remember when we used to sit together on this front seat and cuddle as you drove?” He turned to her and responded, “In twenty years, I haven’t moved.”

Our relationship with God has its ebbs and flows. There are the mountain tops and the valleys. Sometimes we feel closer to God than at other times. This is the focus of today’s Reflection in continuation with our series on Intimacy with God.

In the previous Reflection, we talked about how we refer to God’s location. We often refer to Him living in eternity, as though eternity were somewhere outside of our time and space. Let me offer you a different idea. Eternity is eternally present.

When God introduced Himself to Moses at the burning bush, He referred to Himself as I AM. Perhaps this is an extraordinary insight into the realm of eternity. You and I base our existence and even talk about our experiences in the context of a timeline. “I did this, I went there, I used to do this.” The past tense is likely the most common verb form used in our language. We also employ the future tense quite a bit as well – “I will do this later” or “I want to do this.”

But what about the present tense? I would venture to say that we often don’t utilize it because it is merely a verbalization of our current action. In other words, we live the present tense rather than talk about it.

However, if you’re like me, you get distracted. I can scan the pages of a book, and before I know it, my mind is elsewhere – thinking about something I did or I’m going to do. Sometimes my mind and my body are totally disconnected. I have to stop myself and refocus. Often times I do this verbally. “Come on Justin! Get your head in the game. Focus!”

My good friend Dr. Bill Smith, whom many know from New Hope Chapel, teaches and counsels people on issues regarding leadership to addictive behavior to sleep deprivation. A recent article of his called “The Sleep Game” caught my attention:

The word “pretend” is made up of two words, “tend” which means “to take care of”, and “pre” which means “ahead of time.” Your system (or sub-conscious mind) has no ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Pretending is done with the conscious mind. The subconscious believes and follows the conscious mind. So, the problem with thinking, “I am going to sleep” is the subconscious will follow that instruction literally. Instead of sleeping the subconscious will keep you awake so you can be in the state of “going”.

While all of us can relate to at least a few nights of restlessness, it isn’t the sleep part that caught my attention (though I will be sure to apply his methods if I have trouble sleeping). What caught my attention is how this brain activity relates to prayer.

Like the wife in the old Buick, we often merely think about our relationship with God. How do we think about it? We often think of it in the past – the awesome experience we had with God; or we think about it in the future – at some point we’ll reconnect with Him (even if it’s later today). But as long as we think about Him this way, we will perceive God to be somewhere along our timeline or spatial scope and never in our present moment. He will always be “I was” or “I will be” but rarely or never I AM.

What ends up happening is a cycle. You think about God in terms of past or future time and space; therefore, you perceive God to be distant from you. If you perceive God to be spatially distant from you, then you feel as if you don’t have a present relationship with Him. If you don’t have a present relationship with Him, then you feel you are failing as a Christian. If you feel you are failing as a Christian, then you think about God in more distant terms. Gradually, our conscious mind pushes God further and further away, and our subconscious mind follows along.

You know how to break the cycle of feeling distant from God? Be present with Him. On Sunday, Bill did a tremendously powerful yet simple prayer exercise with us during communion. Together we said, “Father, I am here. Father, I am listening.” When I said those words, something inside my brain started firing. My conscience told my subconscious that I am here in the presence of God, and that I am listening. My subconscious showed me God and alerted me to His speaking. Suddenly, my heart was at peace. I was present with God.

Remember, if we ever feel distant from God, it is not because He has moved away. God is always present with us. We don’t need to invite God into our presence; we need to invite ourselves into His – “Father, I am here.”

Let me invite you to do this right now. I want you to pray, but as you pray verbalize it in the present, avoiding past or future tense verbs. It might go something like this. “Father, I am here. I am listening to you. I am being clothed in Christ. You are making me new. I see you. I am experiencing your glory, your peace, your joy…”

Where is God?

Justin Hibbard

About ten years ago, I attended The Call D.C.  On the National Mall, among tens of thousands of Believers, we prayed for God to bring a revival.  As we prayed and cried out for God, I remember feeling so confused.  “How do I pray for revival?  How do I pray for God’s Spirit to come down and sweep through our Nation and the hearts of our lawmakers?  Where is God, and how to I convince Him to come here?”

These are not only questions we ask when we’re praying for revival; these are questions that float in our minds anytime we pray.  Throughout these Reflections on Intimacy with God, we’ve talked about how you picture God in your prayer life, but let’s talk about where you picture God.  This is extremely important.  When you’re praying, where is God?  Don’t give me the theological answer.  Give me what you’re sensing or seeing.  If you don’t know, close your eyes right now and pray, and as you pray, think about the location where you’re envisioning or sensing God.

For many people, God is distant.  He’s in heaven, looking down, listening to us.  Our prayers have to travel a long way.  In fact, I think sometimes we feel like we have to ask a little harder to give it that extra push to get it to God’s desk.  It’s sort of like that exclamation point we put on our emails to mark it “urgent.”

This even comes out in the way we talk, pray, or sing.  How about that Newsboys song – “As we lift up our hands, will you meet us here?  As we call on your Name, will you meet us here?”  So, lifting up our hands or calling on His Name might bring Him to where we are?  How high do we have to stretch, or how loud do we have to yell? Have you ever prayed, “God, we invite you here to this place?”

I grew up with the idea of the sanctuary.  It’s the place you go to in order to worship God.  Most people associate sanctuary with the church building where the worship service occurs.  Whenever I ran inside our church, an adult would stop me and say, “You’re in God’s house… the sanctuary.  There’s no running or horse playing in here.”  Were they right?  Was I running on hallowed ground, and was it God’s perpetual presence there in the sanctuary what made it holy?

Let me share with you a different idea (and no this isn’t an excuse to run inside the church building).  We are told on a number of occasions that our bodies are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14).  In other words, God dwells within us.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in a sermon on Yom Kippur, the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and later the Temple was the most haunted and sacred place in the world because God met with the High Priest on top of the Mercy Seat.  Following the crucifixion where the Temple Curtain tore from top to bottom, Paul tells us that God dwells inside the hearts of believers.  The profound implication of that verse is that you, as a believer filled with the Holy Ghost, are the most haunted and sacred place in the world because God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, dwells within you.

In a nutshell, God is here.  You don’t need to invite God into a place or a time of worship, as though it’s “now time to do something spiritual.”  The invitation is for you and for me.  God invites us – our entire being – not into just a spiritual experience but a spiritual life.  I wonder if all those times I said, “God, I invite you here,” has God replied, “actually, I’ve been here the whole time inviting you.”

Entering into the presence of God isn’t so much a place we go physically as it is mentally.  When we realize that we’re in the presence of God, something within us changes.  Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Right now, you are in the amazing presence of God.  Say it.  “I am in the amazing presence of God.”  Don’t use the past tenses; don’t use the future tenses.  Don’t say, “Last week I had an amazing encounter with God,” or “At that place I met with God” or “This Sunday, I’m looking forward to meeting with God at church.”  Rather, right here, right now, you are with God, and God is within you.

One final thought as we close.  When Moses was first introduced to God at the burning bush, God told him His Name – I AM.  Right here, right now, you are with I AM.  The question is not: where is God?  The question is: where are you?

See the Unseen Realm

Justin Hibbard

An exodus out of Egypt, a dramatic crossing of the Red Sea, forty years of wandering, leading the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land – finally Joshua’s wait was over. However, standing between him and a new life in Canaan was the walled city of Jericho.

One afternoon, the Lord paid Joshua a special visit. Dressed in uniform, He introduced Himself as Commander of the Lord’s Army, and He came with special instructions for victory. But before He revealed the strategy to Joshua, the Lord first asks Joshua to see something – “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands.”

Wait a second. Isn’t the Lord counting the chickens before they hatch? Isn’t this a bit of overconfidence? Does the Lord actually want or expect Joshua to see something that hasn’t come to fruition? Is that even something that Joshua can do? And if it is, how does one even do this?

What God is asking Joshua to see is victory. It’s as if he’s saying, “Don’t look at the obstacles – the walled city and the impending battle, look at the victory. It is not a victory that you will achieve by your own means. It is a victory I have already achieved. I’m giving the city to you.” It reminds me of an old hymn – “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.”

In Hebrews 11 we read, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see… and without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Last week we talked about the power of our minds and how we can surrender to God by inviting Him into our senses, thoughts, and imaginations. We saw how powerful it can be to not only pray vocally but to picture ourselves in His presence. Let me suggest to you that when you do that, you are committing an act of faith.

Faith doesn’t merely mean that you have to say, “Ok God, I can’t possibly imagine this, but I’ll do it.” Nor does faith necessarily mean that you say “yes” to God without any planning. In Joshua’s case, God asks Joshua to participate in this vision with Him. “Joshua, see what I’m going to do. See that it’s already done. Now, here’s the plan. Here’s how we’re going to do it. Here’s how the temporal is going to line up with the eternal.” For Joshua, faith meant participating with God in eternity through vision, planning, and obedient execution.

In 2 Kings 6, we read of Elisha and his servant surrounded by the Arameans. When Elisha’s servant became afraid, Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes would be opened, and suddenly the servant saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.

Hebrews 11:1 said that “faith is confidence.” If faith is confidence, then we are asked to be confident. How can we be confident? Well, we sure can’t be confident if we’re staring at the surrounding armies or the walled city. We can’t be confident when we’re staring at the giant monster of a problem. Peter looked at the wind and waves, and the realization of reality (that human beings are not buoyant) caused him to sink.

So if looking at reality caused Peter to sink, then what caused Peter to successfully take those few steps toward Jesus atop the water? He saw Jesus, and he heard Jesus invite him to get out of the boat and come to him.

Brothers and sisters, you can see now how vital it is to see and hear God. Our reality, what we perceive with our external senses is so incomplete. There is another realm – not just in heaven – but all around us. Faith means seeing and participating in that realm. Brother Lawrence called it “practicing the presence of God.” I call it “letting God show your brain what your eyes can’t see.” In time what happens is that we become like Elisha. Our eyes catch up to our brain. We see with the eyes of our heart. We see the realm of God, and in turn, we run with confidence.

Now you can see why the writer of Hebrews follows up a chapter about faith with these words from Hebrews 12:1-2. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Transformative Prayer

Justin Hibbard

One evening I talked with my daughter Annalia about hearing God’s voice. Just before I put her to bed, I instructed her, “Just listen with your heart Annalia, and you’ll hear Him talk to you.”

A little while later, I heard Annalia crying hysterically in her bed. I ran upstairs to see what was wrong. “I can’t hear God talking to me,” she said amidst the tears.

In my eagerness for her to hear what God was saying, I forgot to teach her how to hear Him. It made me think of my own prayer life and ask, “How did I learn to hear God? When did that begin in my own life? Do only a few people have that gift, and if so, why does the Bible emphasize heading to God’s instruction? If it is for everyone, how do I teach others not only the importance of hearing God but how to hear Him?”

That’s my focus for today in continuation of these reflections on intimacy with God, and I want to begin this discussion by talking about your mind. Our minds are powerful circuit boards. There’s so much that goes on in our brain that affects what we perceive and how we act. In fact, our minds are so powerful that Jesus tells us that we could commit adultery or murder within the confines of our thoughts. So my question is, if our minds are that powerful to make us guilty of heinous crimes (even though we physically didn’t commit them), how powerful must they be to help transform us to be more like Jesus?

Have you ever had a day where you were really wrestling with your mind? Maybe lustful thoughts popped into your head all day, or you struggled with guilt and self-esteem. At the end of the day, how did you feel? If you’re like me, you felt worn out and spiritually maimed. You may have never said a word or committed an action, but your brain took a beating from the forces of darkness.

Is it any wonder why out of all the armor of God, we’re told that our salvation is best represented by a helmet. In Romans 12, we’re instructed to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If we want to act differently, we have to think differently. Last week we saw this with Isaiah when we studied his encounter with the Lord in chapter 6. Once Isaiah saw himself atoned with the blazing coal, he thought differently. He no longer cowered in the shadows of his own fallen state; he raised his hand and said, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”

As I began to learn how integral the mind is to our lives as Believers, it helped me to give some instruction to my daughter. “Annalía,” I said, “I want you to close your eyes and picture and sense Jesus. Do you see Him? What does He look like? Now, what’s He saying to you.”

As I left the room that night, I said, “Whenever you get scared, I want you to close your eyes and see Jesus.” Annalía interjected, “You mean, you want me to imagine Him?”

Ooh… imagination. Is this what I’m talking about? And when I say “imagination” do all sorts of red flags go up in your mind? When people start talking in terms of thinking, sensing, feeling, perceiving, imagining many people sum it up to either psycho-babble or some eastern religion type of therapy.

If that’s the case, then what did David mean when he wrote, “Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night?” What does it mean to meditate? Might it be similar to what Paul instructs in Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we’re told, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Take every thought captive? What about Satan? When do we take him captive? Perhaps taking control of our mind is one way we take control of Satan and his stronghold. Maybe Paul is giving us a clue that many of the battles of spiritual warfare are fought on the fields of our mind.

In Colossians 3, we read, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” When you incorporate your imagination, your mind, your senses in prayer, you are doing just that. Instead of letting your mind drift to all sorts of dark places, you are controlling your mind and surrendering it to the Lord.

Can you see now how Isaiah 6 can be a reality for your life? You too can see the Lord. You can ask Him to show you His glory. You can close your eyes, even right now, and meditate – imagine, sense, see, perceive, and be washed by visions of glory. This is where prayer becomes transformative.

I Saw the Lord

Justin Hibbard

In Isaiah 6, the prophet writes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…”

Let’s stop for a moment and focus on the first words of this chapter where Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord.” Last week I mentioned how we often focus on the past (the problem) or the future (what the solution may look like) in our prayer life, before we let ourselves be consumed by the Person of God. In continuation of our series on Intimacy with the Lord, let’s see what we can expect from our prayer life when we begin by seeing the Lord.

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple,” Isaiah writes. What Isaiah saw in those moments, for however long, must have been a sensory overload, too powerful and breathtaking for his pen. He quickly begins describing the angels soaring around the Throne, covering their faces, talking to each other. What are they saying? They’re saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The picture I get in my mind is like two buddies watching a sports game. They see an amazing play, and even though they both were there, they can’t stop talking about it. In a much more profound way, the magnificent holiness of God is so compelling that these angels can’t stop talking about It, even when they’re experiencing it.

Isaiah continues with the marvelous descriptions until he suddenly stops. “Woe is me!” he says, “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

Have you ever been to a social gathering, where you felt like you were too insignificant and didn’t belong? I imagine that if I was ever invited to a White House social event, I wouldn’t stop thinking, “How is it that I get to be here with all of these important people?” And at the same time, I’d be paralyzed with the fear that I might accidentally open the wrong door and be tackled by a dozen Secret Service Agents.

Isaiah demonstrates an important truth. When we see God, we realize our depravity in the midst of such holiness. I remember one afternoon after a prayer time, my friend asked me, “What did God reveal to you?” My answer was, “I realize how messed up I am.” Many people can relate. Maybe you walk away from church like you just took a stroll down Guilt-Trip Lane. You’re bogged down with feeling so inadequate and unable to change. If that’s how you feel, then the really Good News is what happens next.

If we miss the next part of Isaiah’s vision, then we’ve missed the entire Gospel. While Isaiah entertains thoughts about how he doesn’t belong in the presence of God, one of the seraphim, with a hot coal from the altar in hand, flies over to him. With the coal, he touches Isaiah’s mouth and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

This is a breathtaking moment of identity. In the story of the prodigal son, the father restores his son with a robe, a ring, and a party. Here, God does it with a burning coal. The realization of our sin leads us to guilt and depression. But God’s desire is not for us to find our identity in our fallenness; He longs for us to find our identity in the atonement that He provides. Our sin enslaves us to a lifelessness, but God gives us the gift of true living – the atoned, redeemed, and resurrected life (Romans 6:23).

Isaiah’s soul is awakened. In fact, God asks, “Whom shall I send?” and guess who responds. Yes, it’s Isaiah – the very man who felt so unclean and unworthy just moments before. Once he sees who God says he is, he anxiously raises his hand and volunteers, “Here am I Lord, send me!” Isaiah is no longer a man cowering in the shadow of his depravity. No, he has seen something. He has seen the forgiveness of the Lord. His soul has been stirred. Now we know why Paul, a man who committed horrific persecution, could see the Lord, be transformed, and say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

How did this transformation begin? It began with seeing the Lord.

We will continue learning not only what it means to enter the presence of God in our prayer life but also how to do it. In the meantime, let me encourage you to do this. As you pray today, close your eyes, and begin by verbalizing the angelic words found in Isaiah 6 – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.” As you keep repeating those words, try to picture or sense yourself in Isaiah’s shoes, standing and worshipping before the magnificent Throne of God. You may have burning issues you long to bring to the Lord. First exalt Him, worship Him. Let this heavenly vision speak to your heart. In the process, you might find the answers you’re looking for, but chances are, you’re going to find so much more.

Praying with Expectations

Justin Hibbard

When I went to Colorado this past spring, I went with a lot of questions. “God, what do you want me to do? Am I supposed to quit my day job to focus on ministry at New Hope Chapel? And if I do, how can I make sure I have the money to support my family? Am I supposed to start my own business and do that along with ministry? What do you have for our church down the road?” I went to Colorado, hoping that God would answer those questions.

As I shared with you before, what I got was a very different answer. “Love me, Justin. Just love me.” The Lord didn’t answer the questions like I thought He would, but He did answer some deep needs burning in my soul.

How the Lord answered me and what He has been teaching me since has given me a lot of insight about praying with expectations. And that, friends, is where I want to begin in this series on intimacy with God.

What do you expect when you pray or when you worship? What do you think will happen? Do you have a picture in your mind about what’s going to happen when you turn your countenance towards God’s?

Maybe you feel like your prayers are sort of a shot-in-the-dark. Maybe it’s more like a Hail Mary (no pun intended). Maybe deep within your mind, if you were honest with yourself, you come to prayer like the skeptic – “I don’t think this will work, but it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

My advice to you is to expect nothing and to expect everything.

That might sound like a contradiction, so let me explain what I mean. First, when I say expect everything, I mean to say – expect that you are about to interact with the Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth. You are about to address a God who spoke and worlds were formed. He has no limit of wealth, of intellect, of power, of time, of space, and most importantly of love.

Do you believe that? Is your prayer life a testimony of that? We say things like God speaks to people, but then sometimes we qualify that with, “well, at least He used to.” Christian, the Bible is not merely a history book; it is a testimony to the Person of God. He has not changed. It’s not like 2000 years after amazing stories of healing and freedom, we are addressing a God, who is rather tired, worn out, and who has used all of His miracle magic.

James tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:3). In Matthew 13 and Mark 6, we read of Jesus not doing many miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief. The people didn’t realize who Jesus was. They thought they knew him – the little kid they watched grow up. Their unbelief centered around their limited understanding of the Person and Power of Jesus the Divine. Are we guilty of the same?

This is why I also say come to God with no expectations. By that, I mean limitations. Like Jesus’ hometown, we can easily put a box around what we think God will do. This has convicted me. I pray sometimes struggling to expect God to intervene. Sometimes, I try to picture what His intervening will look like. Either way, I’m focusing on the seemingly insurmountable problem or the image I’ve conjured up as to what God will do. Instead I ought to be focused on One thing… coming before the all-powerful Creator and King of the Universe. I’m trying to imagine God doing something before I’ve even begun to see Who He is.

As we begin this series on intimacy with God, we will begin with inviting God into our senses… or perhaps I should say inviting our senses into the presence of God. But before we get to that, let me leave you with this. Today, spend some time with the Lord. Turn the cell phones, the iPads, and the TV off. Get alone with God, and as you begin to pray, see yourself, get in the mindset, visualize, or sense yourself walking into the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Focus and concentrate on you coming into and being in the very presence of God. I guarantee that beginning with this step will transform your prayer life.

Why They Walk Away

Justin Hibbard2 Comments

The other day, a coworker shared with me how her daughter has walked away from the faith. This woman is not alone. Many people walk away from the faith, and it seems to happen especially during college years. Certainly the college experience – peer pressure, social liberalism, and the classroom evangelist – contributes to the epidemic of children leaving Christianity. But the problem is much deeper than college.

We the church are great at teaching people how to act like Christians, but so often we don’t show people how to have a relationship with God. We emphasize things like church attendance, ministry, service (which are all good), but we don’t always model intimacy with Jesus Himself.

Perhaps we struggle with modeling it because we ourselves don’t know how to do it. Or we think that a spiritual relationship comes naturally. We talk about the importance of prayer, but has anyone showed you how to pray and meditate? We say things like, “Listen to what God is telling you,” but when’s the last time you heard teaching or attended a workshop on “how to hear and discern the voice of God.”

It’s much easier to teach people how to act like a Believer than how to be intimate with Jesus. But we must remember that acting like a Believer is not the same as being a Believer. This is one main reason why people walk away from the faith.

When the stage disappears, and suddenly an individual finds themselves without those externals that defined their Christian experience – their church, friends, youth group, adult leaders, they don’t know how to act. The Christianity that they’ve practiced is public, but there is no private intimacy with Jesus Himself. Young people aren’t the only ones at risk. Adults, especially pastors, have walked away for the same reason.

This is nothing new. This was an epidemic that plagued God’s people throughout their history. The Lord said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Then some 700 years later, Jesus echoed the same words when referring to the Jewish leaders (Matthew 15:8).

Christian, there is something you need, like you need water. There is something you crave deep within your soul. It is intimacy with the Lord Jesus. And until we taste it, we never know quite what it is. But when we taste it, we know it is everything we’ve ever wanted, and nothing can be its substitute ever again. It is as the poet writes in Psalm 42, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

Jesus is the constant. Our life experiences may change. We may end up at different places with different churches and different peers. But the Holy Spirit never leaves us. He is the one constant, and if we have a relationship with Him, then our faith will not falter when the seasons of life change. A prayer relationship with Him must be what defines your Christian life, or I dare say that your Christianity is not really alive.

This is the message that the Lord has been laying heavily on my heart. There’s a need in the church today. The need isn’t how to behave better or how to be more involved in the church. The need is to teach the church how to have intimacy with Jesus. Over the next few months, these Reflections will focus on just that. I’ll be giving biblical and practical instruction on prayer and intimacy with Jesus, and I pray that this will be helpful in your own life.

But today let me leave you with this thought: your prayer life is your lifeblood. It is your umbilical cord. Jesus demonstrates how essential prayer was to His existence. How often we read of Him leaving the crowds to get alone with His Father. If Jesus – God Himself – could not neglect communion with the Father, then certainly, neither can we.