safety resurrected

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Quiet MY Soul A LENTEN DEVOTIONAL WEEK FIVE | SAFETY RESURRECTED

Quiet MY Soul

A L E N T E N D EVOTI O NAL WEEK FIVE | SAFETY RESURRECTED

© 2018 Calvary Memorial Church 931 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Scripture Quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by Permission. All rights reserved.

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HUMILITY AND SUBMISSION Is there ambition in my heart? Search, gracious God, and see; Or do I act a haughty part? Lord, I appeal to thee. I charge my thoughts, be humble still, And all my carriage mild, Content, my Father, with thy will, And quiet as a child. The patient soul, the lowly mind, Shall have a large reward: Let saints in sorrow lie resigned, And trust a faithful Lord.

ISAAC WATTS

PREFACE “God comes all sweetness to your Lenten lips.” Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Easter Communion” The great salvation we celebrate during Holy Week comes with a cost. A cost to God, of course, in the gift of his only Begotten Son. But it also comes at a cost to us. Salvation is a free gift, but it cannot be received with a closed fist. We cannot cling tenaciously to the false hopes of the world while receiving the hope of eternal life. To cling to Christ in faith is to give up on false gods and false hopes. Letting go in anticipation of receiving is what Lent is all about. The season of Lent is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and prepare to celebrate the life changing, history altering events of Holy Week. Lent is a reminder that the gift of Christ is not received with a closed hand, but in openness and humbleness before God. Just as Christ spent forty days in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry, so too, the Christian liturgical calendar invites Christians around the world to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Like our Lord, the season of Lent calls us to a time of preparation, of self-denial, and a renewed recognition of our dependence upon our Heavenly Father for all things. In Lent we are reminded that man does not live on the bread the world gives, but by the Word of God who is for us the true Bread of Life. As Calvary enters into a corporate and personal season of reflection through the Antioch Process, it is fitting that our church’s season of reflection overlaps with the traditional season of Lent. We want to know what God has in store for us. We want to know how he would have us use our talents, our gifts, our passions in this place, at this time. But we can’t hear from God if our ears are overrun by the noise and cluttering sounds of the world. We need to quiet our souls in preparation to hear the word the Lord will speak to us; to hear the word the Lord is perhaps already speaking to us but that we have been too preoccupied to hear. Learning to hear requires learning to rest. And learning to rest requires us to trust in the God who meets all of our needs.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED CREATED TO NEED God has made us to be dependent creatures. (Can creatures be made any other way?) We are fundamentally and inherently needy. Every particularity of human need can be summed up under five core needs: the need for dignity, love, a sense of purpose, hope, and physical safety. These are not negotiable for the human being. We need these things as certainly as we need the air we breathe. God has determined it so. To deny a person love or dignity, or a sense of purpose, is to deny a person an intrinsic aspect of their humanity. But as dependent creatures, we are not able to generate these five core needs. Our ultimate dignity, need for love, sense of purpose, hope, and physical safety must necessarily come from outside of ourselves. Our temptation, of course, is to supply these five needs through the things of the world. We look to sex to meet our deep need to be loved. We look to our careers to meet our deep need for dignity and respect. We rely upon exercise and dieting to meet our need for physical well-being. We look to our children to provide a sense of purpose. We depend upon our retirement account as our hope for the future. All of these are fine as pointers to our ultimate hope. But the things of this world cannot meet the deepest needs of our souls. The stark reality of death is the ultimate reminder that everything in this world will one day slip through our grasp. The desperation we feel when these needs are threatened drives us forward into restless (and often reckless) activity. When our anxieties spur us on in a flurry of activity and noise, we lose the capacity to hear from the Lord. We are no longer led by his voice because our growing panic overwhelms our senses and sets our soul in turmoil. If we would hear from the Lord, we must learn to lay aside our fears and embrace a posture of quiet trust.

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PREFACE QUIET MY SOUL Lent is a reminder that we stand in need of things that the world is unable to supply. It is an invitation to return to the truth that we stand in need of God’s help, and that he has promised to supply it. In Psalm 131, the Psalmist poignantly captures the Lenten posture. “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high I do not occupy myself with things too great for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” Lent is an invitation to cease striving. In the spirit of the psalmist, we must humble ourselves, let go of vain ambition, calm and quiet our souls, and put our hope in the Lord. Lent reminds us that our ultimate hope for our deepest needs can only be found in the covenantal love of God expressed to us in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. It is only when we are in the Lenten posture, trusting in the Lord, “like a weaned child with its mother” that we are able to quiet our souls and open ourselves to hear the voice of God.

FACING OUR FEARS This Lenten devotional invites us to face our fears and to quiet our souls with respect to the five core human needs: our need for dignity, love, purpose, hope, and safety. Each week of the devotional will challenge us to think about how we are made for these things, how we lost them in the garden, how we strive in human effort to reclaim them, and how the promises of God through Christ calms our fears and allows us to quiet our souls. Each week of the devotional guide will follow the same pattern:

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SUNDAY | WHAT WE NEED MONDAY | WHAT WE LOST TUESDAY | HOW WE TRY TO COPE WEDNESDAY | THE FUTILITY OF HUMAN STRIVING THURSDAY | FASTING & REPENTANCE FRIDAY | EMBRACING THE SALVATION OF GOD SATURDAY | RESTING IN THE PROMISE OF GOD Do not rush quickly through the reflection questions. Take time to prayerfully consider what you truly believe about yourself, your world, and your God—not what you know you are supposed to believe, but what you truly do believe. As we learn to trust in God for meeting our every need, we are able to quiet our souls and prepare ourselves to hear from our Lord. May this season of Lent be an occasion for Calvary Memorial Church, and for each of us who call Calvary home, to lay aside our fears and anxieties, to trust in the provision of our Lord, and to quiet our souls. Bleating, panicking sheep cannot hear the voice of the shepherd. Crying, restless children cannot hear the soothing voice of the mother. May we come to hear in the quietness of rest the voice of our Heavenly father, and so come to find what God has in store for us.

FASTING Throughout Lent we are inviting the congregation to fast each Thursday. Following Jesus’ example during his forty days of fasting in the wilderness, fasting is a recognition of our innate dependence upon God, a way of reminding ourselves that what we ultimately need comes from the Lord. Indeed, what we need is God himself. Each person can determine for themselves how to fast (or if to fast at all). Fasting can be as basic as skipping a single meal, or can encompass the whole day. If fasting is not realistic for you because of health reasons, perhaps there is something else basic to your daily needs that you can forgo as a way of reminding yourself that your ultimate needs are met in God.

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WEEK FIVE | SAFETY RESURRECTED

WEEK FIVE | INTRODUCTION SAFETY RESURRECTED

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uman beings are embodied creatures. Contrary to ancient pagan philosophies and contemporary cultural perspectives, our bodies are not merely outer shells, just throw-away husks. Our bodies are an essential aspect of what it means to be created in the image of the eternally incarnate Son of God. As such, our bodies are an essential aspect of who we are. Yet as embodied creatures, our needs are not so very different from the other living creatures that God has made. We must sleep and eat and drink. We bleed when we are cut; our bodies fail as we age, and eventually even the healthiest among us must die. This inherent frailty, and the consequent need to maintain our physical health and safety, is a basic driver behind much of our motivation and activity. In many respects, this is both understandable and proper. But in a deeper, faith-filled sense, the gospel calls us to look beyond the temporal concerns of the body and to trust in God’s provisions. Jesus calls us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, rather than living lives that are primarily concerned with providing for our own material needs—all with an expectation that God is presently taking care of our physical needs in the here and now, and will ultimately take care of our physical needs at the great renewal of all things. This week’s devotional invites you to consider your deep need to be physically safe, to reflect on and repent of the faithless ways that you strive to meet this need, and to hope in the promise of God that you are eternally provided for in Christ.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE

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nd God said to them, “ . . . Fill the earth and subdue it . . . ”

GENESIS 1:28

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nd the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden . . .

GENESIS 2:8-9

EXPOSITION

T

he task of humanity was to “subdue the earth.” Whatever way we are to understand the goodness of the earth at the time of creation, the earth nonetheless required “subduing.” Yet not the whole earth needed subduing; the land of Eden had already been subdued by God. And the Garden of God, set within the land of Eden, was a perfect paradise—a refuge of physical safety and provision. It had abundant water and food, and most importantly, the tree of life was there. Adam and Eve were material, embodied creatures; yet through God’s gracious provision they had everything they needed to maintain their physical wellbeing as they pursued God’s call upon their lives.

WISDOM

“N

ow, since man is a living being compounded of soul and flesh, he must needs exist by both of these.

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IRENAEUS, THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING, 2 2

SUNDAY | WHAT WE NEED REFLECTION

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e were made as embodied creatures, and as such, have bodily needs. But all of our needs are ultimately provided for us by our benevolent Creator.

Do you find it difficult to embrace your need for physical safety? Why or why not? How does knowing that you were made by God, to be cared for by God, influence the way you think about your sense of safety and security?

PRAYER

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od my provider, perhaps my most basic need is a safe place to lay my head at night. You graciously provided this need for Adam and Eve in Eden, and with it they knew no physical want. Security is not a gift to take for granted. There are many who will rest tonight without this guarantee. Help me to have a mindfulness to extend my hand to those who do not have this guarantee, and fill me with a profound gratitude for your kindness in providing for my vital need of safety. Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE

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hen the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

GENESIS 3:22-24

EXPOSITION

W

hen Adam and Eve sinned, they became less than God intended for human beings. They turned inward upon themselves and were corrupted by sin. The only remedy for their sinful condition was death. God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden. They were now deprived of the safety of Eden and the tree of life, cast out into a world that still required subduing. Without the divine protection of the Garden of God, a world of fear and harm, and ultimately death, stretched before them.

WISDOM

“T

he death of the body, the separation of the soul from the body, is not good for anyone . . . This violent sundering of the two elements, which are conjoined and interwoven in a living being, is bound to be a harsh and unnatural experience.

”

AUGUSTINE, CITY OF GOD, 13.6 4

MONDAY | WHAT WE LOST REFLECTION

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e were made to be safe and cared for, to have our physical needs provided for by God. This need remains, even after sin. Yet our fall into sin and our expulsion from paradise has left us vulnerable and without sure protection. Cut off from God, we are tempted to latch on to any earthly thing that promises safety and security. We have traded out God for lesser means.

In what areas of your life do you feel a lack of safety? In what circumstances have you felt frustrated or fearful in your efforts to achieve a sense of safety and security?

PRAYER

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overeign One, as with Adam and Eve, the circumstances of my safety are no guarantee. Circumstances change, and I have to prepare myself to accept the unexpected and embrace the turns in my story—turns I neither anticipated nor desired. I fear the unexpected. The very idea of living outside a place of security fills me with angst. I envy your unchanging circumstances. Your home never lacks security and there is no change with your safety. Thus, I long to be restored to a home like yours, to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty in comfort and security. How do I regain this that I have lost? Would you guide me back to your home? Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

GENESIS 4:23-24

EXPOSITION

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he early chapters of Genesis record many “firsts”—the first musician, the first city, the first nomad, the first metal worker. It also records the first revenge-seeker. Lamech understood the perils of life, and he knew of Abel’s murder at the hands of Cain. In order to protect his own life, he threatened harsh violence against any and all who would harm him.

WISDOM

“T

he desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.

TACITUS, ANNALS, 15.50 6

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TUESDAY | HOW WE TRY TO COPE REFLECTION

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uman beings cannot live without physical safety. We need food, shelter, clothing, and protection. Yet like Lamech, we intuitively know that harm awaits us at any moment. Many things in this life offer themselves as viable means of defense: a good job, a large savings account, access to good health care, regular exercise, a firearm, a self-defense class. Yet none of these things can ultimately provide the safety we so desperately seek. Too often we are like Lamech, allowing our fear to cause us to grasp at means of safety that run contrary to God’s purposes. As Christians, we know that our ultimate safety is in the Lord; but knowing this truth and trusting in it are two different things.

Take time to reflect on what you rely upon to keep you safe in this life—and what this says about how you truly conceive of God as your ultimate sustainer. In what ways are you tempted to pursue something other than God as your ultimate source of refuge and safety. What people or earthly means do you look to as the primary defenses of your life?

PRAYER

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ord God, I cannot function without safety and security. I know this all too well. Thus, I try to fabricate it every day. Yet, what I have fashioned is a thin veil of protection rather than the kind of armor I really need. These defenses may be torn down at a moment’s notice. I admit I am tempted to take what is meant as a defense and turn it into a weapon just as Lamech did. I pray for the wisdom to discern what defenses run contrary to your purposes. Would you give me the strength to not leverage those defenses but to live with integrity? Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE

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o the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!” So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.”

1 KINGS 22:29-37

EXPOSITION

T

he kings of Israel and Judah went together into battle. The king of Israel, in a desire to protect himself, dressed in the attire of a regular soldier, while the king of Judah wore his royal robes. In a twist of great irony, the King of Israel was randomly struck between the fold of his armor by an arrow and mortally wounded.

WISDOM

“P

ale death kicks with impartial foot at the hovels of the poor and the towers of kings…. the brief sum of life does not allow us to start on long hopes.

”

HORACE, ODES, 1.4 8

WEDNESDAY | THE FUTILITY OF HUMAN STRIVING REFLECTION

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o many things in this world promise protection and safety. But all earthly means of protection will ultimately fail us. No human fortress can withstand the ravages and violence of time and happenstance.

In what ways have you set your hope for safety in earthly objects that can never, in the end, keep you safe? In what ways are you striving anxiously to protect yourself? How have your efforts failed you, or how will they ultimately fail you?

PRAYER

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ord god, I can devise and scheme all I wish, but I cannot orchestrate my own salvation. Salvation and deliverance from enemies, adversity, and suffering rests in your hands. I may use deception and subterfuge to get ahead in life or around obstacles to my plans, but my plot will catch up to me in the end. My schemes are a hollow substitute for the safety and security found under your shelter. Would you prepare my heart to seek shelter from you and not by my own machinations? Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE

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tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

LUKE 12:4-5

EXPOSITION

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esus insists that the fear of man is not a reliable guide for life. God alone has power over both the body and the soul. Jesus calls all people to repent over lesser earthly fears, and to properly fear the One who holds all things eternally in his hands.

WISDOM

“I

beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

PAUL, 1 CORINTHIANS 9

”

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THURSDAY | FASTING & REPENTANCE REFLECTION

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t is natural and normal to fear those who can harm the body. Yet Jesus reminds us that it is vain to seek our physical safety apart from God. God alone has the power to both give and take away life. What’s more, God alone has the power to cast the whole person—body and spirit—into hell. The death of our bodies, if God is for us, is only temporary. The death of our bodies, if God is against us, is forever.

In what ways have you looked to the things of this world to give you a sense of ultimate safety? Name these things. Do you recognize that even the best of these things will ultimately fail you? Confess your vain refuges to God. Let your fasting be a reminder that God alone is the only worthy and ultimate path to safety, both in this life and the life to come.

PRAYER

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bba father, I have looked to relationships, dwellings, wealth, and so many other things peddled to me by Madison Avenue, promising peace of mind and security. I confess that I have sought safety and security in phony pledges. Much of the driving force behind my desperation has been fear. Sadly, in none of these may my true refuge be found. Only you may soothe my fear and offer the sanctuary I require. You are my high place, my stronghold, my security. Under the protection of your wing, I fly. Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE

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herefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

MATTHEW 6:25-33

EXPOSITION

J

esus does not discount the necessity of physical provision. God knows we need the thing of earth—food, shelter, clothing—in order to live. But Jesus reorders our priorities by insisting that we trust God to provide. We are to pursue the things of God as our highest aims, trusting that God will take care of our needs. Jesus himself shows us the way, trusting his heavenly Father to provide for his physical safety all the way to, and through, and out the other side, of the cross.

WISDOM

“T

hrough days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you. When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

”

CIVILLA D. MARTIN, “GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU”, (1904)

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FRIDAY | EMBRACING THE SALVATION OF GOD REFLECTION

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esus’ words reminds us that God has promised to supply all our needs. This does not mean that no harm will come to us. But it does mean that God watches every step of our way, and that he is providing us with everything needed to do his will.

In what ways and circumstances do you most need to surrender yourself to God’s care, trusting that he will guard your steps and watch over you? In what ways is God asking you to trust in him for your earthly needs, rather than solely relying on earthly means of safety? In what ways do you need to start pursuing the Kingdom of God as your highest calling?

PRAYER

A

lmighty God, you know what I need. You know best how to make provision for those needs. I trust your lot for me. Not just for the current circumstances I fret over, but for all subsequent events that befall me. I seek your kingdom, and I yearn to do kingdom work. Would you show me the opportunities that lie before me, the opportunities to seek first your kingdom? These I will make my highest aim, and I pray that they will be used for the great and ultimate end of making your glory known and spreading your fame. Amen.

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SAFETY RESURRECTED SCRIPTURE For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.” Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. “I, I am he who comforts you . . . ” ISAIAH 51:3,5, 6-8, 9, 11-12

EXPOSITION

T

he Lord comforted wayward Israel by promising her that she would one day be restored to Eden. Though all the earth wear away, and all hope for physical safety be lost, still God will one day restore his people to a place of permanent physical safety. Every provision that was lost to humanity through the subtle cunning of the dragon will be resurrected when the dragon is pierced at last.

WISDOM

“A

nd so the flesh shall rise again, wholly in every man, in its own identity, in its absolute integrity. Wherever it may be, it is in safe keeping in God’s presence, through that most faithful Mediator between God and man, (the man) Jesus Christ.

TERTULLIAN, ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH, 53. 14

”

SATURDAY | RESTING IN THE PROMISE OF GOD REFLECTION

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t present we do not live in perfect safety. As the example of our Lord himself shows, even the innocent and blameless must pass through the shadowed valley of death. Yet God promises a return to Eden, the hope of a world full of unending safety and protection. Our world, like our bodies, will one day be perfectly resurrected.

In what ways do you need to rest in the promise that the coming Kingdom of God is full of unending safety? How does this knowledge give you peace and contentment in the present? How does knowledge of the world to come, and your place in it, enable you to persevere in obedience in the present?

PRAYER

H

eavenly Father, your future promise of permanent safety founded upon Christ, my king, is the grounds on which I hope only in you. Help me withstand the temptations of that dragon of old, who wishes to ensnare me with a false sense of security. O Lord, only if you would slay leviathan now and secure my safety today. Come, Lord Jesus. While I wait, would you give me the endurance and the wherewithal to be loyal to you alone? May steadfastness, peace, and contentment characterize my disposition as I yearn for your coming. Amen.

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