Our Paschal Lamb: Plea for Restoration of the People and the Land

The Paschal mystery is one of the central concepts of Christian faith relating to the history of salvation. The main subject of this “Paschal mystery” is the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ – the work that God the Father sent His Son to accomplish on earth. Paschal Mystery is a general term to describe the redemptive work of Christ, and we are called to remember this according to His Word. We especially remember the events of the Last Supper and the (crucifixion of Christ) the Passion, reaching their climax on Easter Sunday. Our Paschal Lamb is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God who came to dwell among us through the Virgin birth.

 In a time of great distress like this, “global distress” in singing this Psalm we may be assisted in our prayers to God both for the church in general and for our land and for our people and for the whole world. To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah: Psalm 85.

The pleas are, “Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger” Psa. 85:1-3.

The petition against sin and wrath is seen in “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease” Psa. 85:4. Mercy and grace despite the sins are seen in. Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation” Psa. 85:7.

The present distress and the plea for restoration is worded in, “Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?  Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psa. 85:5-6.

Now we shall see an olive branch, just like in the times of Noah’s flood, the dove returning with an olive branch of peace and good tidings; the psalmist expects her return, “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly” Psa. 85: 8.

The psalmist gave assurance of to others, and by the spirit of faith he took the assurance of to himself, “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.  Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps” Psa. 85:8-13.

Analyzing a bit further, Psa. 85:1-7, speaks about the church in great affliction and distress. Mathew henry writes: “So ready is God to hear and answer the prayers of his people that by his Spirit in the word, and in the heart, he indites their petitions and puts words into their mouths. The people of God, in a very low and weak condition, are here taught how to address themselves to God” It is important the church need to acknowledge the great things God had done for them Psa. 85:1-3. This means the present afflictions and sufferings should not drown the remembrance of former mercies of God. Matthew Henry affirms as below:

"Thou hast been favourable to thy land, as thine, with distinguishing favours.’’ Note, the favour of God is the springhead of all good, and the fountain of happiness, to nations, as well as to persons. It was by the favour of God that Israel got and kept possession of Canaan Psa. 44:3; and, if he had not continued very favourable to them, they would have been ruined many a time.  That he had rescued them out of the hands of their enemies and restored them to their liberty: "Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob, and settled those in their own land again that had been driven out and were strangers in a strange land, prisoners in the land of their oppressors.’’

Throughout Biblical history we see that the vessels of God’s mercy are the heirs of His salvation. God Having covered all their sin, thou hast taken away all thy wrath;’’ For when sin is set aside God’s anger ceases and God is pacified if we are purified. See what the pardon of sin is: Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people.

All good comes from God’s goodness; and when mercy, truth, and righteousness, have a sovereign influence on men’s hearts and lives, all good may be expected. If we thus seek the righteousness of God’s kingdom, other things shall be added, Mat. 6:33. When the glory of the gospel dwells in our land, then it shall yield its increase, for soul-prosperity will either bring outward prosperity along with it or sweeten the want of it, Psa. 67:6.  

Dr. Hammond expounds it as “If truth spring out of the earth, that is (as out of the hearts of men, the proper soil for it to grow in, righteousness (that is, God’s mercy) shall look down from heaven, as the sun does upon the world when it sheds its influences on the productions of the earth and cherishes them.” This will be the answer for our peace. God answers prayer from a pure heart, and He is a covenant keeping God.  

Based on the above contemplation, prayer, plea, petition and cry for humanity and healing of the land, we pray that God have mercy on us and forgive our sins and heal the situation. God is immortal and He alone is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, when all our human efforts continue to fail. Glory and honour belong to Only Wise God.    

Uncharted Territories: fear, pain, anguish and glimmer of hope

What is an uncharted territory? Uncharted territory is a situation or circumstance that is foreign, unclear, or uncharted and which may be dangerous or difficult as a result. It could also mean a situation, where there seem to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Pain, anguish, and fear escalates to the point of hopelessness and we become restless. Hopelessness can deplete joy and energy out of a person and trusting God seem to be harder and the realities of the current situation continues to destroy hope. It could also make one wonder that life seems to be extremely hard, and there is no way of fixing it up, and so many may want to give up.

Throughout the Biblical history both in the Old and New Testaments, the giants of God faced uncharted territories. To name few of them from the Old Testament: Moses struggling with Egyptian Pharaoh and with the Nation of Israel, Joseph rejected by the brothers, the sun and moon stood still when Joshua was leading the people of God, Daniel in the lion’s den, Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace, the Old Testament prophets facing major death sentences and criticism from National leaders.

In the New testament: the water was turned to wine, the dead was raised, Lazarus was raised up after he died for three days, calming the storm at the sea of Galilee when the disciples were tormented, Jesus appearing to the disciples when the doors were shut,  cleansing the leper, healing the sick, and raising up Jairus’ daughter are few examples.

The climax of the uncharted territory was faced by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, buried and rose again on the third day. Matthew 26: 36-45 talks about the Garden of Gethsemane experience of Jesus. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” Matt. 26:38-39. “He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” Matt. 26: 42.

Indeed, the finale was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the ultimate hope we all have because of the second Adam Jesus Christ who gave His life for us. This is our ultimate hope despite our pain and anguish, and Jesus Christ is alive today. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father interceding for His beloved adopted heirs, and for the perishing world. Because God has given us the Holy Spirit, we can live for Him, and fight the battles against the enemy without despair.

The question remains on how we trust God in our current uncertainties? In our uncharted territories we can Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and leaning not on your own understanding; in all our ways we can acknowledge Him, and He is able to make our paths straight. Dearly beloved and readers of my blog would you please join with me in prayer?  

Giver of life, thou didst raise Lazarus from death, raise up our souls from the death and darkness of sin. Thou didst gave to the Apostles, power over unclean spirits, give us power over our own heart which is beyond deceitful according to Your Word. Thou didst appear to the disciples when the doors were shut, please appear to us at the secret apartment of our heart. Thou didst cleanse the leper, heal the sick and gave sight to the blind, heal our hearts, heal the disorders of our soul, and continue to strengthen us by Your convicting, confronting, comforting power of the Holy Spirit. May our hearts be knitted together in love of the Father and of Christ, attaining to the riches of the knowledge of the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  

Thou hast known each one of us intimately according to Your Word written in Psalm 139. We express our known and unknown thoughts of fear, pain, anguish, worry, anxiety and panic in our uncharted territories to You. Jesus our healer, the Brazen Serpent, which was lifted up in the desert, we acknowledge that Only Thou can heal us and calm us. We acknowledge that, Thou art high above all thrones, and principalities, make intercession for the whole world so that none should perish, the judge of the dead and the living, and we anticipate Your coming quickly in Your Father’s glory. We acknowledge that we are mortal and Thou art immortal and we ascribe glory and honor to Your Name. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit we pray; Amen.

Different kinds of fear….

We see fear around the globe and there are different kinds of fear. People react to fear differently and that is called “fear reactions.” Fear is an “endemic” which we see around the world and it does affect all humanity. The word “endemic” means (of a disease or condition) regularly found among  people. Fear seem to be the “governing emotion” for humanity and has to be checked regularly. What are the different kinds of fear that affects people?

For example: fear of death, fear of man, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of sickness, fear of God, and fear of lack which includes famine, fear of pestilence,  fear of drought,  fear of losing something precious, fear and loss of business, fear of the financial wealth, fear of losing the job, and the list has no end.

Let us try to understand how our body responds to fear. A rapidly beating heart is a fear reaction. This means there is generally fear, worry and anxiety within a person continuously. The person may be depressed and feels as if a load is crushing him/her down. The person has no peace in his body, and that is the body feels as if it is in constant distress.

Fear is part of the effect of the fallen world. Let us see where the fear originated. It started back in the Garden of Eden, and the Scripture affirms as follows: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself;” Gen. 3:5-10.

Let us see how to address some kinds of the above-mentioned fears.

Fear of death (Psalm 23), “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me;” Psa. 23:4.

Fear of man, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” Prov. 29: 25. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee;” Heb. 13:5.

Fear of failure, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” Rom. 8:37. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” 1 John 4:15.

Fear of rejection, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out"  John 6:37(KJV). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1.

Fear of sickness, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” Acts 10:38. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” 3 John:2.  

Fear of lack, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Rom. 8:32.

Fear of God, is another fear which is not mentioned above. The fear of God is the one fear that removes all others. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10.

J.E. Adams. The Christian Counselor’s Manual, The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, writes: Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love, 1 John 4:17-18.

Mathew Henry Study Bible, writes: “The psychosomatic effects of sin are more readily seen in, “I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. LORD, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee” Psa. 38:8-9. David said that he felt as though he was benumbed and thoroughly bruised.

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” Psalm 33:18-19. “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” Luke 12:7. We can also listen to this old gospel song called “His eye is on the Sparrow.”

Fear, Worry, Anxiety: The One Who Conquered!

A rapidly beating heart is a fear reaction. This means there is generally fear, worry and anxiety in a person continuously. The person may be depressed and feels as if a load is crushing him/her down. The person has no peace in his body, that is the body feels as if it is in constant distress. This is painful emotion and life seem to have no light at the end of the tunnel and without hope.

Theologian Loui Berkhof writes: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, …. full of truth,” Jn. 1:14. The grace of God works in the redemption of any sinner and has several distinctions which must be borne in mind. For the church, the teachings of Scripture respect the grace of God stress the fact that God distributes His blessings to men in a free and sovereign manner, and not in consideration of any inherent merit of men.[1]

J. E Adams, on “Helping those who fear” writes, “Why contrast love and fear as you have? Why not fear and peace, or fear and security, or fear and serenity?” The answer to that question is found in 1 John 4: 17, 18, where John himself sets fear and love over against each other as mutually exclusive. The enemy of fear is love; the way to put off fear then is to put on love.[2]

In one of the conferences I have attended, the professor (name kept confidential) mentioned the following strategy for the control of fear. 

[Disorders for fear dysregulation: current treatment

Pharmacological: Serotonergic agents-SSRI’s- increase serotonin functioning- increase tolerance to aversion, decrease stress/fear response, tropic action, e.g. fluoxetine, (es)-citalopram, sertraline, paroxetine.

Noradrenergic and mixed SSRI/SNRI agents- corrected dysregulated NE system, with similar changes as above, e.g. reboxetine, duloxetine, venlafaxine.

Benzodiazepines- possibly helpful short-term, poor long-term likely due to worsening extinction, e.g. clonazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam.

CBT/exposure therapy

Fist line treatment. These disorders all share resistance to extinction. Significantly complicated by avoidance phenomena.

Principles of exposure therapy are affective regulation (relaxation, training, coping with stress techniques), while being progressively exposed to the fearful stimulus (phobic stimulus, PTSD memories, agoraphobic situations]. 

Scripture points us to God who took on human flesh as the One who conquered fear, worry and anxiety. God’s Word says, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:15-18.

Matthew Henry asserts our dependency on God in prayer and thanksgiving as “We must join thanksgiving with our prayers and supplications and not only seek supplies of good but acknowledge the receipts of mercy. Grateful acknowledgement of what we received shows a right disposition of the mind and are prevailing motives for further blessings. Prayer is the offering up of our desires to God or making them known to Him,” (Phil. 4:6).[3]

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[1] Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996. p. 426-428.

This redemptive grace is the most fundamental sense of the word. It’s the ultimate cause of God’s elective purpose, of the sinner’s justification, and of his spiritual renewal; and the prolific source of all spiritual and eternal blessings.

That men owe all the blessings of life to a beneficent, forbearing, and longsuffering God; especially all the blessings of the work of salvation are freely given of God and are in no way determined by supposed merits of men.  

[2] J.E. Adams. The Christian Counselor’s Manual. The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.p. 413-414.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love, 1 John 4:17-18.

The fear of God is the one fear that removes all others. Counselors who recognize this basic fact are on their way toward reaching Biblical solution to many problems connected with fear, including what have been called the phobias.   

[3] Mathew Henry Study Bible., p. 2017.

  Not that God needs to be told either our wants or desires, for He knows them better than we can tell Him. But He desires to know them from us, and have us show our regards and concern, express our value of the mercy and our sense of dependence on Him. 

The psychosomatic effects of sin are more readily seen in, “I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. LORD, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee” (Psa. 38:8-9). David said that he felt as though he was benumbed and thoroughly bruised. These symptoms all can be the effects of anxiety upon the body.