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She Gave Him Milk

Because Barak was reluctant to obey God’s commands though God had promised to be with him, Deborah told him that the glory that Barak could have gained from defeating Sisera would go to a woman.  While shrinking back, Barak still tried to regain that glory on his own … but you can’t thwart God.

I. Judges 4:8-23.  Deborah is remembered as the leader of God’s people in the battle with Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army.  While Sisera marched against Israel with 900 chariots, it is Deborah who tells Barak to fight in the battle that the Lord would win for him.  Jesus dying on the cross was part of God’s plan (Acts 2:23), and Gamaliel rightly warned the Sanhedrin that they could find themselves opposing God (Acts 5:39).  You can’t thwart God.

II. Judges 5:7-31.  Though Jael’s husband was a Levite, he was friendly with the Canaanites that had oppressed Israel for twenty years, so Sisera believed he had found rest and safety in his flight after the battle.  Using her wiles to conquer her enemy, Jael gave him milk when he asked for water and curds in a nobleman’s bowl while she waited for him to sleep.  Barak arrived to late to gain the glory as Jael had already “staked” out her victory.

III. Acts 4:23-31.  The account closes with the idea that God’s enemies perish but His friends rise in His might.  It’s not just important to be on God’s side but to be courageously and wholeheartedly serving Him.  Though Peter and John had suffered at the hands of the Sanhedrin, they prayed for boldness and spoke about how futile it was to try to fight against God.  His will will always be done.  If you are cowardly like Barak, you won’t gain glory.

God always finds a way for His will to be done.  You’re either with Him or against Him by your courage or cowardice.

 

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Your Eyes on Earth

2 Chronicles 16.9

In cutting grief, you give me comfort;
In weakness, I have wonderful strength.
When troubles assault me, you bring salvation;
For hurt, you offer hope of heaven.

O Sovereign Lord, I lack for nothing—
When I look up, your hand is full.
Your eyes on earth are eager to help
Those saints whose hearts are wholly devout.

But foolish men refuse your power—
They seek their own success at war.
When armies attack, on you I call;
When trials befall, in you I trust.

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In the Patter of the Rain

In the patter of the rain,
The even morning light,
And the quiet of wet leaves,
I worship you, O God Creator
And Sustainer of all that is.

Before you are my worries,
My cares of life and fears,
My whispered pleas I speak
Only in your gracious ear,
The Receiver of human sighs.

What good I hold in my heart,
Unselfish love unequalled,
Desire to welcome and cherish!
Praise is yours, O Beginner
Of worlds and Lover of man.

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Say Amen

May everyone be able to say amen,
Our goals the same, to glorify your name.
For that, O Lord, I place both life and limb
In your good hands — all that I am, the sum
Of me — do what you must to purify
And make me useful for the News of Christ.
So tear away the dross, tip over the gods,
Rebuild this life of straw, of cheap charades.
Let the Lord Jesus remain, so chip away
At names, traditions, ambitions that betray
The pattern you gave us. Here am I, O God,
The creature in need of your defining touch.

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Inside My Mind

Inside my mind a constant prayer runs,
That drowns the violent voices and beating drums
Of self-destruction and Satan’s half-truth lies.
The prayer’s a plea — my desperate plea —
To not look right or left or down or behind,
But straight ahead in Jesus’ shining path.
The prayer’s a fervent plea for his return,
For the end of trials and time and pain and death,
For the new creation promised by the Lord.
The prayer’s a cry that God will save us all:
Both friend and foe, my house and every house,
The ignorant man in Amazonia’s hut.
The prayer’s a hope — and not the vaguest wish —
To be secure in what the Cross has wrought,
That mine is not the hand in Jesus’ dish.