The God Who Speaks

Exodus 24:12-28.   1 Kings 19:8-13.   Psalm 2.   2 Peter 1:16-21.   Matthew 17:1-9

Listening to the political rhetoric of Christians in the US and here, in South Africa, one could be forgiven for thinking that God has been deposed or has abdicated. If you listen to their negative alarmist talk, it seems as if they believe the darkness has overcome the light…and I am not speaking about load shedding now. 

So the question for us is simply this: Where is our hope? Or better still, in Whom is our hope? 

True, in times of personal or political crises our doubts always bubble up to the surface like some sulphurous eruption. Usually they are based on some seemingly insurmountable problem that appears to threaten our stability, our safety, and our sanctity…problems like financial crises, sickness, violence, crime, lack of law and order, the spread of epidemics, government mismanagement, or the depletion of natural resources, especially water. These are all pervasive problems that are largely out of our control and for that very reason, they tend to rob us of our sense of security.

And unfortunately, there are those who would seek to capitalize on our fear…who would prey on our vulnerability by magnifying the negative until our lives are so saturated with darkness that we are no longer able to see the Light…just listen to or watch the news…or follow some threads on social media.

This week I came across this quotation in a commentary by Davies and Allison. Comparing the Transfiguration with the Crucifixion they write: “In the one, a private epiphany, an exalted Jesus, with garments glistening, stands on a high mountain and is flanked by two religious giants from the past. All is light. In the other, a public spectacle, a humiliated Jesus, whose clothes have been torn from Him and divided, is lifted upon a cross and flanked by two common, convicted criminals. All is darkness.” 

Now, I know this is difficult as we know the whole story, but try for a moment to stand in the sandals of those gathered at the foot of that cross. Only one who had witnessed the Transfiguration was there, namely John. At that moment, all their hopes and dreams, their ambitions, their wishes, their prayers seemed to be eclipsed by this one awful dark moment. The one identified by John the Baptizer as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world hung before them, limp and lifeless on a Roman death machine. Forgotten was the splendor of the transfiguration…all they saw was their present distress. And the future…was there a future for them? They were completely blind to what would take place in two days’ time…all they knew was that at that present moment their world had come to an end. All they could see was shattered hope. There was no light…only darkness. 

This is one of the reasons I wanted us to read the story of Elijah on the mountain as well as the story of Moses on the mountain. Darkness and light. Do you remember the great triumph of Elijah over the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel? All their crying out to Baal from morning until evening amounted to nothing, but when Elijah, after having drenched his sacrifice in buckets and buckets of precious water cried out God, God answered in fire from heaven which consumed the entire sacrifice, altar and all. A wonderful witness to God’s power and might. But the moment the wicked queen Jezebel threatened the great prophet, what did he do? He ran away like a scared rabbit. 

Through the guidance of the Angel of the Lord, Elijah came to Mount Horeb…also called Mount Sinai, the mountain of God…the same place where Moses had been…and there God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

Now obviously God was not geographically challenged. He knew where Elijah was physically…but where was Elijah spiritually? He was in darkness…and he simply could not see the light.

So, God told him to come out of the cave…to emerge from the hole he had entered into…and to stand on the mountain because He was about to reveal Himself to Elijah. Incidentally, God revealed Himself to Moses on that very same mountain. You know the story well. There was great and powerful wind…but God was not in the wind. There was an bolder shattering earthquake…but God was not in the earthquake. There was an all-consuming fire…but God was not in the fire. Then there was silence…and in the silence, Elijah heard the voice of God. 

The presence of God in this sin battered world is not always obvious. His voice is not always clear. It is only when we stop in the midst of the turmoil and wait in silence that we see and hear God. And when we hear the God Who speaks, we must obey Him.

The reason Peter wrote his second letter was because some were being led astray by proud and arrogant people who preyed on those who had neglected to grow in their faith.  Peter warned them to be on their guard and to hold firmly to the faith once delivered so that they might not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and ultimately lose their secure footing in Christ. His solution was simple. Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ then you will not fall. He was writing to them in the shadow of his impending death and so he was at great pains to make sure they remembered the truth they once received through his teaching. 

You must bear in mind that Peter was writing from experience…as a younger believer, he had once failed to watch and pray and had succumbed to temptation because of fear and consequently he had denied his Lord. 

So, in his letter, he warned them to be vigilant too…to watch and pray, if you will. For Peter, the remedy to lapsing into error was the rehearsal of the truth…in short, the way to banish any form of darkness was and still is to turn on the light. He knew what he had experienced…he knew what he had seen…he knew what he had heard on that mountain…and it gave him an even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. And then he said a very interesting thing…in 2 Peter 1:19b-21, he read, “You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place – until the day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

You see, it is the God who speaks that dispels darkness…corrects misperception…exposes falsehood…banishes despair…overturns hopelessness…because it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. It was the voice of God that caused the Israelites to know His presence in the Exodus and in the wilderness. It was the voice of God that caused Elijah to know that no political leader, regardless of how ruthless and powerful, could overturn what God had ordained. It was the voice of God that caused the disciples to know the identity of Jesus: ‘This,’ God said, ‘is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Hear Him!” 

Dearest beloved brethren, we serve a God Who speaks…and He always has the final word. 

As the disciples watched the light of their lives fade away…as they heard him breathe out his last breath…as they watched him being speared by the Roman soldier…they thought their hope had faded and died with him. They wrapped a lifeless body in pounds of spices and linen bands. They buried a lifeless body and they returned to anoint a lifeless body. But God had spoken years before through the prophetic word of David: “You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.” The skewed perspective of his bewildered disciples did not nullify the truth…it may have obscured it for a time, but the truth will always triumph over falsehood.

And that is why I love the Eucharist. Through these elements of bread and wine, God speaks to us again and again and again. Here at His Table we see light. Here the darkness is dispelled as it shows us that Christ has defeated all our enemies…while in this world we may have tribulation, He has overcome the world. No politician…no matter how bad…no fear for today or worry for tomorrow, no violence, no crime, lack of law and order, or instability…no trouble or calamity, no persecution, no angel or demon, no power of hell itself, no hunger, poverty, danger, threat, sickness…not even death itself can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Eucharist confirms this…here God speaks loudest. Christ is risen from the dead…He has defeated death…He has crushed the head of the serpent…He has freed us from the shackles of sin…and He has opened the doorway to Heaven for those who believe in Him and walk in His way.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl III 2020

Soul Searching

Difficult. Hard. Trying. These are words that come to mind as I think back over December, January, and the first half of February.

In December I missed my family...my children, my grandchildren, my brothers, my cousins...and my long deceased parents. Often what I missed was never reality anyway, but that just made it worse! I was in a funk. It is not strange to hear missionaries go through periods like this, but I struggled. However, we did have the Queen and we are grateful for her presence with us.

But then in late December, I began to slow down...a fatigue came over me and I found myself having to rest a lot more. I had gone through this in October and the doctors had thought I had Celiac Disease...and staying on a strict diet had appeared to help for a while. Be that as it may, we managed to keep up with our usual schedule, but we both knew something was not right. I used to be way ahead of Louise, but now I couldn't keep up...I was dragging.

In January we made an appointment with my regular cardiologist who told me why...my pacemaker battery was running down fast and I needed to have it replaced as soon as possible. In her words, "If your battery dies, you will not remain conscious for much longer." Can't beat her sense of humour.

The surgeon was going on leave early February, so we had to rush into securing a date. We notified our Medical Insurance and they gave us the green light, but just wanted a definite date. Two days later, their system went down...everything...website, emails, and telephones. Someone had attempted to hack into their system and in order to prevent this from happening, they shut everything down. This left in a quandary. I could not delay the surgery...time...or more to the point, my battery was running out.

SAMS told us to move forward. They would help cover the initial deductible and would help us along until the insurance was functioning again. Thankfully our credit card allowed us to overextend our limit...not something I like to do...but we had no choice. The medical bills wiped us out. We were too afraid to buy groceries that week as we had maxed it out completely.

The day after the surgery, the technician who replaced the pacemaker told me, rather nonchalantly, that my atria were now completely dependent on the device. Without it...if the battery malfunctions, or a lead is somehow detached...well...you fill in the blanks. With the risk of sounding morbid, it really made me think about my mortality...how much time do I have left to make a difference in the lives of folks who do not know the Lord Jesus?

Then the Sunday after the surgery, my pulse raced (between 125 and 148) and my blood pressure dropped and Louise thought I needed to go to the emergency room. But how could we? Our credit card was maxed out. So we waited for another three hours, until it got so bad that we decided to go anyway...let the chips fall where they may. Just as we were about to leave, it all stopped and everything returned to normal. Go figure.

We knew many people were standing with us and praying for us. If not, I am sure the stress would have buried us. Several of us engaged in spiritual warfare as we knew the evil one never rests.

But then we received our SAMS giving report. January was low. Usually this wouldn't bother me that much as our giving does tend to fluctuate as some folks give every now and again, and I know our supporters are so faithful month after month, but after all we had been through this pulled the rug out from under me. You can imagine the questions that ran through my mind. Are we doing what the Lord wants us to do? Are we in the right place? Did we offend someone? Have we done something wrong? Deep soul searching ensued.

Thankfully I have a Texan Barnabas in my life who regularly contacts me via WhatsApp and Zoom and helps me get over myself...puts me back on track and corrects my perspective. I am deeply grateful to him and for his ministry to me. He has also helped me see the importance of the book I am writing on disciple making, encouraging me to see it as a main focal part of my missionary calling. Im not sure how much longer we will be able to keep up the hectic pace of the past few years...but I can pass along the knowledge and experience we have gained over these years to others through my writing.

I have passed on the rough drafts of the first two chapters to a few folks I respect and whose opinion I value (one in particular can be brutally honest) and so far we have only received positive feedback and encouragement. The book is about the development of Simon Peter as a disciple...it has been in my head for three years now and is beginning to become reality as I write.

To be honest, I'm not sure where this is going. This may not be many people's idea of mission work. But my dear Texan Barnabas has helped me to understand that my mission is to do that for which God has called me to do and that He would not give me the talent, the gifts, and the passion to write this book if He was not going to care for us.

We still continue to work in the local church here and with various small groups in the area. Last evening I spoke about the period between the Testaments to an interdenominational, interracial group, showing them how the 'silent years' were not that silent. That even though it seemed as if God was not speaking, He was working out His purposes through people who often were not even believers, preparing the way for the Gospel to go into the known world. This group will continue every second Sunday evening and we will be working through the Gospels chronologically.

There is also a very strong possibility of us going to Cambodia for about a month to stand in for another SAMS Missionary who needs to return to the US for an extended period of time.

So, in one sense the ministry will continue in spite of my need to slow down and spend more time writing...and recovering.

Please pray with us. As I said in the beginning of the letter, these past few months have been difficult. I know we will climb out of the financial hole we are in at present in due course...I know there is alway a positive end to these sorts of trials...and the renewed dependency on God is always a great reward.

We are grateful for every email, every letter, every card, every Facebook post, every thought and every prayer.

We love you, pray for you, and are grateful that you are part of our lives and ministry.

Many blessings and hugs and love.

Johann and Louise