Coffee With The Lord

“Regardless” is the word is the word that came to mind as I read Psalm 138 this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord.”

Regardless of the situation… Regardless of the circumstances… regardless of the adversity or adversaries… regardless of how I feel… regardless of who goes with me or supports me… REGARDLESS!

Here’s how David, a guy that faced a lot of challenges and adversaries expressed it in Psalm 138…

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart!  Before the gods I sing your praise!  I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above ALL THINGS your name and your word.  On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased…. Great is the glory of the Lord!  For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.  THE LORD WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSE FOR ME!  Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”  (from Psalm 138 ESV)

David faced all kinds of problems, difficulties and adversaries (some of them of his own making).  But in Psalm 138 with the Lord involved in his life he could say “REGARDLESS!”  The Lord WILL fulfill His purpose for me!”  So today, for me as I follow the Lord I say it to… REGARDLESS!  Or as Apostle Paul put it in the New Testament, “If God be for us who can be against us!” (Romans 8:31)

I don’t know why it happens, but sometimes shortly after a person commits (or recommits) their life to Christ they experience incredible suffering, trials, or persecution… Well, on the other hand and upon second thought, I do know… The “Enemy” – the “Adversary” – Satan would love to see them falter and fail!  He would love to see them abandon their faith in Christ and return to their old way of life, so he attacks them.

When this happens authentic Spiritual leaders, the Christian community and those who have been involved in bringing them to faith in Christ cannot stand idly by and do nothing!

Paul had presented the Gospel in Thessalonica in ancient Macedonia.  Brand new believers had come to faith in Christ!  A church was planted.  (Acts 17:1-9)  But these brand new believers – “Baby Christians” if you please were almost immediately subjected to severe persecution and trials. (1 Thessalonians 1:2 – 2:17)  Apostle Paul was deeply concerned for their welfare and their spiritual stability!  In fact, he sent Timothy, his personal representative to find out how they  were doing!  (1 Thessalonians 3:1-10)

That sets the stage for the passage I read this morning during “coffee with the Lord”- a passage that gives us a pattern for how we should respond when fellow Christians (especially brand new “baby Christians”) are facing incredible trials (even persecution)…  We should 1) express gratitude for what the Lord has done (and is doing) in their lives; 2) we should come alongside them and encourage them to stand firm and not abandon their faith; 3) and finally, we should call down God’s blessing upon their lives as they seek to follow the Lord!

Here it is – all three things – right out of Paul’s second epistle to these believers…

“We can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord! We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.  He called you to salvation when we told you the Gospel [the “Good News” of what Christ has done]; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.  Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.” (from 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17 NLT)

Hey, for this “Coffee with the Lord” post you really need to read Psalm 136… all 26 verses of it!

A key principle of good inductive Bible study is that repetition wins!  Repetition most often is the key determinant of a “key idea” for a passage and provides the lens through which the rest of the passage is to be viewed.

OK, not based upon that principle what is the dominating truth of Psalm 136?  “His steadfast love [i.e. God’s covenant keeping love – the Hebrew word is “Hesed”] endures forever!!!”

So here is a taste of that wonderful, awesome truth in that passage…

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!  Give thanks to the God of gods, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!  To Him who alone does great wonders, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER! …

Then 21 additional times the writer of this Psalm makes the declaration:  “FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!”  His steadfast love endures in and through what God has created (verses 5-9)!  His steadfast love endured toward His people as their redeemer, deliverer and savior (verses 10-16)!  God revealed His steadfast love as faithful promise keeper (verses 17-22)!  And that’s not all, God keeps on demonstrating that His steadfast love endures forever in all kinds of situations and circumstances (verses 23-25)!

Oh, and one more… the final verse of the psalm – an exhortation!  “Give thanks to the God of heaven, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!”

Did you get it?  In all of life… I all of its circumstances… in all that life brings… for those who know and serve the Lord (even in the face of their failures)… “HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!”

Is it any wonder then that Apostle Paul declared in Romans 8… “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (from Romans 8:35–39 ESV)

Just gotta ask one more time… Did you get it?  “HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!”