September 23, 2011

• the time of life, the time of reviving ~ Genesis 18:10, 14

  In my last post, "At the appointed time I will return to you,"  I looked back to God's promises to Abraham and Sarah, that He would visit her and she would bear the child of promise, as an encouragement to us that God's hand is sovereign in returning to His people, and yet His promises are always true.

  Genesis 17:21 “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

  Genesis 18:9 Then they said to him [Abraham], “Where is Sarah your wife?”
  So he said, “Here, in the tent.”

  10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

  (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

  13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

  15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.

  Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

  Today I'd like to pick up with another phrase from that same account: according to the time of life, which is found in verses 10 and 14.

  
  Genesis 18:9 Then they said to him [Abraham], “Where is Sarah your wife?”
  So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
  
  10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
  
  (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
  
  13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
  
  15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.

  The word life can also be thought of as reviving (see Genesius' lexicon here), which I loved since a desire for the Church's revival continues to burn in my heart.

  LORD God of Abraham and Sarah,

  We confess too often we become prideful, and we look to our own ingenuity and human means, much like Abraham and Sarah who resorted to fleshly means to produce an heir in Ishmael. We confess that we can become enamored with worldly means, and we can begin to compare ourselves to human organizations rather than looking to Your Word as our guide. We confess that we forget the Church is a living organism, the Body of Christ, birthed by and sustained day by day and moment by moment by Your resurrection power imparted to us through Your Holy Spirit. We confess our impatience as we look around at the state of the Church today, and rather than trusting in You and relying upon Your divine means and awaiting Your timing, we jump ahead in our own fleshly efforts to do what Your Spirit alone can do in and through us. We confess we forget that Your work can never be done in our human strength. Forgive us, Lord God, and cleanse us from our sin.

  We confess our sinfulness of making ourselves gods, believing that in and of ourselves we can breathe life and reviving into the Church. How far from the truth that is! Nothing good at all dwells in us. We too easily forget that we are in the exact position as Abraham and Sarah were: barren and helpless and lifeless! We forget that apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from abiding in the Vine, apart from Your blessed Holy Spirit, we can do absolutely nothing. Apart from You, we have no life. Apart from You, we have no power to reform and revive ourselves, much less Your Church! In You, Lord Jesus, was life and that life was the light of men. You have given us eternal life and that life is in You, God's only begotten Son. We only have life because we have You. We only have life because of God's merciful kindness, that Your Holy Spirit quickened us while we were dead in trespasses and made us alive together with You. We only have life because You chose us first. By grace we have been saved. Holy Father, we only have life because You loved us first and showed Your love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die for us, so we might live. We only have life because You continue to be gracious to us and sustain us. Forgive us, Living God, for discounting and forsaking the only true means to reforming and reviving Your Church: Your blessed Holy Spirit, Your life in us, the life of God in the souls of men! Apart from Your Spirit's work, we would have no hope of any time of life or time of reviving.

  God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we see how the promised blessing was not  to come to Abraham and Sarah according to their fleshly efforts and schemes, for no time of life, no time of reviving can ever be wrought through the fleshly efforts and schemes of mortal men, but only through Your mighty hand and Your strong arm, eternal God. You are alone are God. You alone are from everlasting to everlasting. You are the great I AM. Help us to cast out the bondwoman and her son, so we might walk by the Spirit and not resort to and rely on our flesh. We who have been born of Your Spirit only truly live by Your indwelling Spirit. O, grant us great grace so we might continually look to You, to live by You, to hope in You, to abide in You, to work by You, for nothing is too hard for You, O LORD. We confess we are tempted at times to laugh like Sarah. We confess as we look at the sorry state of the Church today and the ruins, and we can begin to question, "Is the Lord among us or not?" We confess we can begin to doubt Your power. Forgive us for doubting You, Lord God, for You are the God with whom all things are possible. You are the God for which nothing is too hard! You are the God who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm! Help us to fix our eyes on You, Lord, the author and finisher of our faith. Surely You who breathed life into us, will sustain that life. Surely You will continue to carry us to the glory everlasting. The seed which birthed us into You Kingdom and dwells in us is Your incorruptible and imperishable seed. Give us grace to continue to trust in You, to trust that at the appointed time, You will return, at the time of life, at the time of reviving – O, Lord, grant it: breathe on Your people once again to reform and revive us. Guard us so we will not resort to earthly means, but that we might continually rely on and rest in and work through Your perfect provision, Christ in us, who is the hope of glory. May we boast only in what Christ alone works in and through us, so You alone get all the praise, honor and glory due Your Mighty Name.

  O, merciful God, grant us faith which continues to look to You and Your promises in the midst of our barrenness. Protect us from discouragement. Feed and fill us with Your daily strength. As our days, so shall our strength be. While we are in the midst of Baca, help us to ask, seek and knock, knowing You are good and Your mercies endure forever. Help us to continue to ask You for fresh supplies of Your blessed Spirit to come and fill us to work in us to will and to do of Your good pleasure. Surely You are our Father who wants to give us good gifts, and You will not withhold anything good from those who walk uprightly. Provide streams for us in the desert and refreshments to sustain us in drought and in the valley of dry bones. Grant us enduring and persevering faith that rejoices in You at all times, faith that looks to Your lovingkindness and goodness and Your promises, faith that prays without ceasing. O, help us to taste and see You are good, and be blessed as we continue to trust in You. Surely there is no want to those who fear You.

  Almighty God, grant us faith that looks with boldness and confidence to that appointed time, to the time of life, the time of reviving. We are Your people. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, have concern for Your Holy Name, so Your Name might no longer be profaned among the nations as it has been in this day and age, as we have become a shell of what You have intended, having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof, where there are few valiant for the truth. We are truly a reproach and a ruin. O, Holy Spirit, fall fresh upon us not for our own sake, but for the sake of Your Name, Your honor and Your glory, and for the sake of the elect whom You have yet to gather from all the nations from the ends of the earth. Grant us faith that continues to ask for and seeks Your power and life. Fill us with Your fullness. Work immeasurably above all we can ask or imagine. Grant us faith that looks to that blessed time of life, that time of reviving which You will not fail to impart to Your Church in Your time, at the appointed time. Just when it seems Your Church can go no lower, just when we think the bones can become no drier, You will surely return to us, the heavens will rent and for the sake of Your Name, You will pour down life and reviving upon us again. O, come, Lord Jesus! Be kind to us, relent and leave a blessing behind, a blessing of life and reviving! To You alone, O God, be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

  * Please add your PRAYERS as the Holy Spirit leads you. *

  • 3:19 PM
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