Coffee With The Lord

There is an exercise in empty shouting recorded in the Bible… 1 Samuel 4:5–11 (ESV)

“As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, ALL ISRAEL GAVE A MIGHTY SHOUT, SO THAT THE EARTH RESOUNDED! And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, ‘What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?’ And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘A god has come into the camp.’ And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.’ SO THE PHILISTINES FOUGHT, AND ISRAEL WAS DEFEATED, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. AND THE ARK OF GOD WAS CAPTURED, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

So a loud, enthusiastic shout – an earth-shaking battle cry – can actually mean nothing! But on the other it’s different when God shouts! His shout means victory! Here’s what I read during my time of “Coffee with the Lord”…

“Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela sing for joy, LET THEM SHOUT FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS! Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare His praise in the coastlands. THE LORD GOES OUT LIKE A MIGHTY MAN, LIKE A MAN OF WAR HE STIRS UP HIS ZEAL; HE CRIES OUT, HE SHOUTS ALOUD, HE SHOWS HIMSELF MIGHTY AGAINST HIS FOES!” (From Isaiah 42:10–13 ESV)

Just let me say, I want my shout to be His shout! I want my shout to join His shout! I want my victory to be initiated and led by His victory! I’m not into empty shouting!

What He does… His response!

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

What He will do!

“Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” … You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

And the recommended course of action in light of that?

“Now therefore, O kings, be wise! Be warned, O rulers of the earth! Serve the LORD with fear [reverence], and rejoice with trembling! Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. BUT BLESSED ARE ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM”

(Taken right out of Psalm 2:1–12 ESV)

I’m praying for our nation and “the nations!” How about you?

Just a reminder that there are faithful servants of the Lord working in very difficult, dangerous and challenging places today! Many of them are risking their lives to share the Gospel and minister to the needs of others in Jesus’ name. They need protection, strength and courage! Others face daunting challenges and resistance doing the will of God and sharing the “good news” – the Gospel – right here in our homeland! They need our prayers – passionate intercession on their behalf is in order! The Holy Spirit may prompt you to pray – the Holy Spirit may even pray through you when you don’t know how to pray “with groaning to deep for words.” May we just pray – they’re depending on us! Just like Paul, their appeal comes “by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit!”

So let’s pray – not just today, but in an ongoing, continual way… “Pray without ceasing!” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)