Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 25

The Rock

 

The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

I love that one of the most common names for God in the Bible is “the Rock”. If you think about it, there is something very comforting and reassuring about the image of a rock.

There are rocks—I’m talking about boulders the size of houses—in some of my favorite hiking spots in Colorado. I can give you directions to them today and I know they will be there. They are so big that there is no way they are ever going to move.

I see them every time I do those hikes. They are reliable, predictable and consistent. They simply do not move.

Now, I can’t give you directions to a leaf or a chipmunk or even a person—not with any real certainty. Those things are likely to move.

But rocks? They don’t move. They don’t change. That’s the point.

God is our Rock. He will not move and he will not change. You will always know where to find him. And even though everything around you may be tossed about by the violent winds of change, God won’t be.

God is steady, dependable, reliable and unchanging. And you will always know where to find him. The trail that leads to God today will also lead to him tomorrow.

Your address may change, God’s won’t. Praise his name.

Father, we confess you as our Rock. Thank you for being steady, reliable, dependable and consistent. In Jesus’ name . . .

 

 

The post The Rock appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Only 6570 More Days

 

How old are you? At the time of this writing, I’m fifty-two years old. I’ll be fifty-three in less than three months.

By today’s standards, I’m middle-aged bordering on, well; let’s not go there. I’ll be seventy in only 6570 more days.

How old are you?

Our thinking about age is one of the many areas where what we think is normal isn’t really normal at all. We think living seventy or eighty years is a good, rich long life. And by our cultural standards it may be. But by biblical standards it is short…tragically and insultingly short.

As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away, Psalm 90:10.

Psalm 90 is widely believed to have been authored by Moses. In it, Moses gives us a different take on aging. He suggests that living seventy or eighty years is nothing to boast about, and that even our pride in our supposedly long lives is really nothing more than labor and sorrow.

Moses knew (and probably authored) the accounts in Genesis of men and women living eight and nine centuries, not decades. Kind of puts a new spin on old age, doesn’t it?

Remember that Adam and Eve were created without the ability to die. They were intended to live eternally without having to pass through death. But after their rebellion, sin crept in and began to work its nasty work on humans. And as it did, lives gradually got shorter.

Moses writes, “For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence,” Psalm 90:7-8.

As sin and death began to work their misery on humanity and to shorten our lifespans, the heaviness and difficulty that comes from being out of fellowship with God and actually living under his wrath also worked to shorten our days.

Fast-forward however many millennia that have passed between us and the first humans and you find us living in a world where we think making it to seventy or eighty is a really big deal. We think hearing loss and bad joints and our hair falling out and being confined to wheel chairs and memory loss and dementia are all just part of growing old.

But the sickening reality is that neither growing old nor the horrible and undignified effects of aging are part of what God intended. There’s nothing normal about them.

We stand at the funeral of a septuagenarian and talk about what a good and long life he or she had. But rather than something to celebrate, it should make us all really angry. That septuagenarian was robbed. And so were we.

Death and sin have stolen our lives from us. They’ve all but muted our days, and we don’t even realize it. That’s why a major part of the Gospel is the promise of eternal life, including the physical resurrection and restoration of human bodies. Death ultimately will not win.

We will live and dance and worship and laugh forever. We won’t get hungry or sick or tired or sleepy. The effects of sin and death will be forever undone. That’s our Gospel. That’s our hope.

But in the meantime, we labor on. Moses wisely conceded: For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh, Psalm 90:9.

A few verses later, Moses offered an amazingly and obviously inspired prayer:  So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom, Psalm 90:12.

And what he says in that verse is really the heart of what I want to say to you in this blog.

We need to number our days. We need think about how short and fleeting our lives really are, especially in light of what God intended. And by thinking seriously about the brevity of our days, we will gain a heart of wisdom.

How does numbering our days make us wiser? By refocusing our attentions.

Imagine that you have a dream tonight, and in that dream you are shown a wall filled with tally marks. You know, tally marks have four vertical marks side-by-side and then a fifth diagonal line running through them, thus distinguishing a group of five.

The wall was divided into two groups: the first group representing the days you have already lived, and the second showing the days you have left to live.

In your dream, you’re shocked at the relatively few marks you have on the left-to-live side of your wall. It’s devastating. I mean, we spend our lives thinking and living like we have all the time in the world left to live. We live like our days are infinite.

But when you see the marks, and specifically, how few of them you have left, it changes your point of view entirely.

Imagine having that dream and then waking up the next day. How would you live differently? How would your priorities change? How would your pursuits look different? How about your relationships?

That’s Moses’ point: He who numbers his days and lives accordingly has a heart of wisdom. Your days matter, and they are painfully brief. Don’t waste them.

Now before you get all depressed and bummed out, remember that Heaven is on the other side of this life. So in one sense, we’re looking at a countdown to the greatest party ever.

But from the earthly side, it does indeed create a sense of urgency. At least it should.

If I live to be seventy—and that’s a big if, as I could die of any number of causes before then—then I have only 6570 days left to live, love, heal, bless, forgive, share the Gospel, serve others and serve God’s Kingdom.

What about you? What will you do with your days?

 

 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Only 6570 More Days appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Our Peace

 

This One will be our peace. Micah 5:5a

The Advent season includes many wishes and prayers for peace. Perhaps that’s because the promise of peace was part of the original Gospel message–Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased, Luke 2:14.

And yet, if you read the headlines, it looks as if many among us missed the memo. Peace often seems hard to find.

So to what peace was the prophet Micah referring, and who is the one who brings it?

The peace of the Gospel meets us on at least two levels:

First, we were in conflict with God. We were His enemies. Our rebellion and sin had not just ended our unity with God, it placed us under His wrath. There is no peace wherever God has spoken his judgment.

Second, we are at odds with the world around us. Jesus even warned us that in the world we would have troubles. And we do: lawsuits, cancer, divorce, racism, violence…there are plenty of opportunities for our war with the world to manifest itself.

Micah’s One who will be our peace dealt with both conflicts. He brought peace between God and us by paying the penalty due for our sins, and he brought peace between the world and us by simply defeating it.

All of the pictures in the Bible of the new world order that God is creating include vivid portrayals of peace. Consider Isaiah 11:6-9:

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Only the One whose  “goings forth are from long ago” and who is “from the days of eternity” could pull off something like that.

Peace was something we all desperately needed, and yet something none of us could produce.

But God was able to accomplish it, and he did it through Jesus.

Father, thank you for making peace with us through your Son, Jesus. It is in His name we pray . . .

 

 

 

 

The post Our Peace appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Meet Jesus

 

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity. Micah 5:2

Meet Jesus—The One without beginning or end.

We typically look at this verse as the prophecy of Jesus’ birth in Jerusalem, and that it is. Seven centuries before Jesus’ birth Micah called his birthplace. Pretty impressive.

But the verse tells us more.

The prophet Micah also gives us an important early glimpse of the true nature of Jesus: His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Those words sound very similar to declarations of Jesus’ deity in John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 1:1-3.

These verses do not tell us that Jesus is old; they tell us that he is timeless. And only God is timeless.

God, how cool that you gave us a view of what you were going to do in the sleepy little hamlet of Bethlehem centuries before the event! How cool that you, O God, had a plan—an eternal plan.

There was nothing spontaneous about Jesus’ arrival on earth. Jesus didn’t grow up and decide he wanted to play Messiah. He didn’t have delusions of grandeur.

When Jesus showed up in Bethlehem, he did so right on schedule. He did so as the ruler of Israel. And, he did so as the eternally existing, eternally reigning God of the universe.

Like I said, meet Jesus.

God, thank you for having a plan. Thank you that your plan was Jesus. In Jesus’ name . . . .

 

The post Meet Jesus appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Forecast: Wind and Rain

I’ve been praying for revival in America since 1985. I know that for many of you the concept of revival or spiritual awakening may be a bit foreign. If you haven’t personally lived through one, or if you don’t know someone who has lived through one, or if you haven’t studied the history of spiritual awakening, it can be hard to get your brain around.

Let me tell you what I mean and for what I’m praying:

Revivals are periods in history when God powerfully makes his presence known in villages, cities and even countries. In revival, believers are convicted to live holy and sacrificial lives and unbelievers find themselves terrified and deeply convicted by the sheer, raw presence of God. A common feature of revival is unbelievers seeking out pastors and preachers so they can ask them how to be saved.

Revivals can last for days, weeks, months or even years, but their impact typically lasts for decades. Sometimes longer.

In revival it’s not unusual for:

Crime rates to drop dramatically
Bars and strip clubs to shut down
Church services to last for hours and even days
Mission movements to be birthed
People of all walks of life and levels of influence to publicly confess their sins
Business and banks to close during the day so employees can attend prayer meetings
Significant numbers of people to embrace Christ and be baptized
And, for the spiritual and moral trajectory of entire nations to be changed. Many historians believe that the British were spared a bloody revolution like France experienced because of the revival that swept through England in the 18th Century.

That’s what I’m praying for, and I know that countless others are as well.

I’ve been slowly reading through a book by Art Wallis on revival called, In the Day of Thy Power. I’ve read several of Wallis’ books, and this is by far (in my opinion) his most important. It is thorough, well-written and well-researched. Wallis covers the history of revival around the world, examines the nature and causes of revival, and repeatedly calls believers to pursue revival for their respective cities and nations.

In a closing chapter, Wallis talks about the signs that revival is on its way. The chapter really encouraged me. I see several of these signs all around me today. Do you? Here is a brief list of the signs and some of what Wallis says about them. His words are italicized.

Sign 1–A Spirit of Lawlessness and Deadness

It is strange but true that the prevalence of lawlessness in the world and of deadness in the church is often an indication of impending revival. 

Sign 2–A Spirit of Dissatisfaction

But a sure mark of impending revival is where this spirit of dissatisfaction becomes apparent among believers. It may not be widespread, but here and there among different groups there is a growing thirst for a fuller, richer and deeper experience of God than they have known.

Sign 3–A Spirit of Sin-consciousness

A spirit of contrition among the saints is therefore a strong indication that revival is coming. Where this happens, and there is a deep desire on the part of the saints to walk in the light with God and in love one with another, it is evident that the Spirit of God is working and hearts are being prepared for the outpouring of the Spirit.

Sign 4–A Spirit of Tender Concern

When the harsh, unfeeling criticism with which believers often speak of the state of the church or the sin of the world gives place to a deep solicitude and tender concern which manifests the strong compassion of the Son of God, then we may be sure that the hour of revival is near. When the saints mourn before the Lord as did Hannah, Nehemiah and Daniel, the answer of heaven will be as near to them as it was to those of a bygone age when they wept in the secret place.

Sign 5–A Spirit of Expectancy

To find groups of Christians in different places—meeting independently of one another, with no denominational or other connection and yet possessing the same spirit of desire and expectancy throbbing in their hearts—is presumptive evidence that it has been created by the sovereign Spirit, that out of the fullness of His loving heart God may abundantly satisfy it.

Sign 6–A Spirit of Unity

“With one accord” marked the preparation of those early believers for the first outpouring of the Spirit, and so it has been in every subsequent outpouring.

When, however, such (traditional religious) barriers are thrown down and believers come together in true humility and on the common ground of their love for Christ and desire for souls; when denominational pride and jealousy are slain and there is a willingness, without compromising personal convictions, to learn in meekness one of another, to receive light and impart light, then there is evidence indeed that revival is coming. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! . . . For there the LORD commanded the blessing” (Ps. 133:1, 3).

Sign 7–A Spirit of Prayer

Finally, the infallible sign of impending revival is a spirit of prayer for it.

Therefore, we may be confident that where a true spirit of prayer for revival exists, it does not proceed from the devil.

This spirit of prayer need not be widespread before it constitutes a sign of impending blessing. It may be but a small group of earnest souls; it may be but a single intercessor who has caught the vision of what God is about to do and refuses to let Him go until He does it.

Like a said, I see many of these signs being lived out in significant ways all around me. Is God on the verge of answering our prayers? I believe so. Are you ready for it? Will God’s sudden movement in our land miss you because you’re distracted or spiritually lazy?

The Scriptures urge us to prepare the way of the Lord. Friends, no words could be more relevant for us today. It’s time.

Two metaphors in the Bible symbolize the presence and blessing of God, respectively–wind and rain. Based on all that is happening in the Church and in our world, I believe both are in the forecast. Yea God.

*Besides Wallis’ book, I also recommend Trey Kent’s Revival Cry.

The post Forecast: Wind and Rain appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Pay Attention

 

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1

Following Jesus is serious business. It isn’t a pastime, a hobby or a social engagement. It requires our best efforts and serious focus.

This verse in Hebrews has always haunted me. The writer basically says to his readers, “Pay attention”! I can imagine a parent saying the exact same thing to a text-distracted teen driver.

Much like that distracted driver, it is possible for us to lose focus and drift away from Jesus:

We can drift away from community with other believers
We can drift away from serving
We can drift away from worshipping and giving
We can drift into sin
We can drift into spiritual doubt
And, we can drift into full rebellion against God

Friends, don’t take lightly the effort required to follow Jesus. It isn’t a part-time gig. And don’t miss what the Devil wants to do. He isn’t trying to just make you less effective; he’s trying to take you out of the game entirely. He’s trying to destroy your faith.

So pay attention!

Father, help us to be very serious in our daily efforts to stay faithful to you. In Jesus’ name . . .

The post Pay Attention appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Mighty to Save

 

“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Isaiah 63:1

 If what this verse says were easy to do, everyone would be doing it.

Saving a lost soul is no easy task:

It requires a complete reversing of the spiritual laws of sin and death.
It requires the undoing of a curse.
It requires the regeneration of a dead spirit.
It requires the death of a truly innocent man on behalf of the guilty, and then the resurrection of the innocent man from death so that sin, Satan and the grave won’t have the last word.

Like I said: If this were easy, everyone would be doing it.

There was nothing any of us could to do reverse the course of our rebellious spirits before God. We were all doomed to an eternity of justice in Hell, and we were powerless to stop it.

But God, the one who speaks righteousness, is more than mighty enough to pull it off.

Seven hundred years before Jesus walked the earth Isaiah gave us a promise:

God is mighty to save.

Mighty to overcome sin and Satan.

Mighty to beat death.

Mighty to save you and me. Praise his name!

Lord God, we thank you and praise you that you are mighty enough to do for us all that we cannot do for ourselves. Thank you Father. We bless your name.

 

 

The post Mighty to Save appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Mornings with Howie

 

My wife and I are babysitting my daughter’s rabbit while she is on her honeymoon. He’s a happy guy that she named William Howard Taft (Taft stands for Totally Awesome Fun Times). She calls him Howie.

Howie is used to lots of attention. He likes to be groomed, fed twice a day and let out every morning for his daily romp. So in an effort to be good pet grandparents, Susie and I are doing our best to keep up the routine.

Every morning for the last several days I’ve been going outside with Howie. I put him out in our fenced-in backyard and let him run and romp and jump while I drink my coffee. It has become a favorite part of my day.

Sometimes I’ll journal or pray or read my Bible. Sometimes I’ll just sit back, watch Howie and listen to the assortment of birds in our yard talk to each other. But these slow starts to my days have been really good for me.

In case you don’t know, a few months ago I took some time off from work because of fatigue and depression. I am doing much better. I’ve started preaching again and am slowly trying to step back into my responsibilities. But I’m not 100% yet. This healing is a long process.

I’m not used to slow mornings. Six months ago I was out of the door every day by six. I’d head over to my office for prayer, then usually a breakfast meeting, then back to my office for more meetings and other work.

SLOW wasn’t part of my vocabulary. That’s why I think my mornings with Howie mean so much to me.

No, it’s not about time with the rabbit. He tends to ignore me and run from me when I try to take him inside. I typically have to chase him until he’s exhausted and forced to let me pick him up.

It’s about the quiet. It’s about the fresh morning air. It’s about savoring good coffee, the birds singing, and a few extra minutes with Susie.

Something in my spirit is telling me that God likes my new routine. I think he likes the extra time I’m taking to write out my prayers, to sit quietly before him and to enjoy his creation.

Which leaves me, of course, with a decision to make. As I step back into my work, do I resume my busy morning pace? Or, do I keep my mornings open and make these slow starts to my days a long-term practice?

What about you? When was the last time you sat and enjoyed the early morning? When was the last time when drank coffee when you weren’t in your car? How would your life look different if the word HURRY wasn’t written over your door and the last thing you saw as you left your house each day? What if you made the radical decision to adjust your life so that slow mornings–and thus, slower days—were normal for you?

Ultimately, hurry is a choice we all make. It might be driven by our standard of living or financial goals or commitments we’ve made. But no one has to hurry. It’s a choice. And so is slowing down.

For me, I think I’m going to keep my new pace.

My daughter gets back on Thursday and Howie will go to his new home. Hmmmm . . . . . Maybe Susie and I will have to make to trip to the pet store.

 

The post Mornings with Howie appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

God Has Your Back

 

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. Psalm 140:12

You are never alone. You are not alone now. You never have been and never will be. God has your back.

David knew what it was like to feel alone. There were multiple times in his life when the armies of Israel were commanded to kill him on sight. On another occasion his own army turned against him and threated to stone him. He had fled for his life more times than he could remember.

David knew what it was like for no one on earth to have his back.

But he wasn’t alone.

In this great verse, David confessed that God has the back of the afflicted, the oppressed and the poor. He knew it firsthand, because at one time or another he too had been afflicted, oppressed and poor.

Do you feel alone? Do you feel forsaken? Do you feel that no one has your back?

The same God that David confessed his faith in, the God who had his back and the backs of all the poor and afflicted, has yours.

You are not alone. You have not been forsaken. Your earthly desperation makes you the perfect candidate for God’s great deliverance.

Confess God’s protection today, then arise and face your day with great confidence.

You are never alone. You are not alone now. You never have been and never will be. God has your back.

Father, thank you for protecting the lives of the poor and afflicted. Give us confidence in your covering today. In Jesus’ name . . .

The post God Has Your Back appeared first on Will Davis Jr.

Gather Your Courage

Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Mark 15:43

Joseph took a real risk by asking for the body of Jesus. In a sense, he was instantly “outed” as a Jesus-follower, albeit a new one.

When Joseph identified himself with Jesus and his followers, he took several hits. He faced immediate rejection from other Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, the ruling body that had ordered Jesus’ arrest. He faced the criticism and hatred of other Jews. He probably lost business partners and even friends.

Bottom line…this was no small risk for Joseph. That’s why Mark says that he gathered up his courage.

Look what happened when he did. God used Joseph’s tomb as the temporary resting place for Jesus’ body. God offered immediate encouragement and support to Mary (Jesus’ mother), the other Mary (Jesus’ friend), Jesus’ disciples and the few others who were grief-stricken over his death.

Joseph’s sudden appearance must have been a great relief to them. Had he not offered his tomb, Jesus’ body would have been thrown into a common burial pit for criminals.

Look at how much God used Joseph when he mustered his courage.

So I ask you, for what cause do you need to gather up your courage? What opportunities do you have? What platform has God given you? What access do you enjoy? What leaders seek your counsel? What political pull do you have? What financial resources has God entrusted to you?

What would happen if you gathered up your courage and, like Joseph, took the risk of a lifetime? The Kingdom of God has been built throughout history by such risk-takers. It’s time for you to be one of them.

Lord God, help us to gather up our courage and step up for your Kingdom, your name and your Church. In Jesus’ name . . .

The post Gather Your Courage appeared first on Will Davis Jr.