Today is Martin Luther King Day and a perfect day to talk about justice as it relates to the pursuit of God. Dr. King wasn’t the perfect example of a Christian but in certain regards, he was a burning and shining light in his generation. He showed us what it means to love in the face of hate. He was no mere talker but put his life on the line for what he believed. He faced constant death threats—and even had the C.I.A. hounding him!—but he did not waver from his cause to promote racial justice. White pastors called him a dangerous extremist but he sustained an attitude of kindness and respect toward them always.
I’ve met a lot of people through the years and there’s one sort of person that has always perplexed me. It’s the person who is all about prayer and fasting but doesn’t seem to have a lot of compassion for people. Their pursuit of God is self-seeking. They are the ones who love conferences and worship events. They are always active in the church scene. They are the “revival chasers” who bounce from church to church, wherever the most excitement seems to be.
Talking with them is always a little strange as they talk about revival and seeking God and new realms and shifts in the atmosphere and outpourings and the fire of God and baptisms of power. I love all this, don’t get me wrong. But there’s something missing in their whole Christianity. The whole focus seems to be the pursuit of an experience of ecstasy. It reminds me a little of people I ran with as a young adult who were obsessed with getting high. No high was high enough.
I believe we are not only free but encouraged to find our satisfaction in God. The psalmist said, “In His presence is fullness of joy.” But our pursuit of God must lead to a deeper love for neighbor or we are missing it. If we are supposedly encountering God but it’s not resulting in love and compassion then it may not be God we are encountering.
Seducing spirits
What? Not God? Am I really saying that? Yes, I am. When people are getting jacked up on revival excitement but then treat their spouse terribly—they are missing it. If they are praying and prophesying but have no concern for the poor—they are missing it. If they are doing serious fasting but are cantankerous and unteachable—they are missing it.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. — 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If it’s not God they are experiencing what is it then? Good question. I don’t know. It could be a hyped up psychological experience. It could be a demon. People involved in cult religions experience getting caught up in spiritual ecstasy, trances, social euphoria and revelations. Not all spiritual experiences are the Holy Spirit. And just because a person calls himself a Christian doesn’t mean he is protected from these seducing demonic spirits or the hypnotic abilities of cult leaders.
I hope this is making sense. Some of you may know exactly what I’m talking about but others might be shocked by my words. Why am I saying all this? In our pursuit of God, we must make sure that we are walking in genuine love.
Love in action
I’m writing this on Sunday evening. In the afternoon I went with my friend Peter to meet a man named George he has been trying to help. George has been homeless for a long time but finally was able to get a small place in Pawtucket. All he had in the apartment was an air mattress, a skillet and a few other items. Peter was bringing me to see what we could do together to help him. George was really sweet. You would have thought the queen of England was visiting him. He greeted us so warmly and said, “Thanks for being the first ones to visit me!” Since Peter and George know each other I didn’t say too much. I just watched Peter listen and show love. Then we left.
Talking with Peter afterward the love for George wasn’t a mere feeling that dissipated into the air. Peter was determined to do whatever he had to do to get furniture for George. I think what strikes me most is that Peter doesn’t really think he’s doing anything extraordinary. He pursues God, God fills Him with love and he naturally wants to share it.
Pay attention
Sometimes though, devoted Christians gradually get away from caring for the poor. It happens when we have little contact with people in need. If we are in our comfortable homes and surrounded by people who have a lot, the cries of the poor can become very faint. This is something we have to pay attention to. Because if we neglect the poor, we will find ourselves hitting a brick wall in our pursuit of God. Consider this verse:
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. — Proverbs 21:13
Wow, right? Does the Lord really mean that? He does. If our pursuit of God isn’t leading to love and kindness toward people, then God will not let us ascend into the heights with Him.
Isaiah 58
That’s what Isaiah 58 is really all about. Let me give you a little context. The Lord described the people like this:
Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. — Isaiah 58:2
In other words, they were devoted to prayer. These weren’t “Sunday Christians.” They were seeking God daily. They were into God! But check out what they were saying:
Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it? — Isaiah 58:3
They were putting in a lot of time and energy in the pursuit of God but it wasn’t getting them anywhere. They were like a car spinning their wheels in the mud. They were confused and genuinely didn’t get why God wasn’t totally blessing their devotion. The Lord tells them the problem:
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? — Isaiah 58:3-7
Engaging the poor
The reason I’m sharing this with you is that I don’t want you to make the mistake these well-intentioned God seekers made. I know in my own life that I have to work at loving people in my circle. It starts with being kind to my wife. And to other family members. Being a servant. Being a good listener. Being fully present. Making sacrifices. But we also need to be intentional about caring for those Jesus called the “least of these,” the poor. When the poor are “out of sight” they can easily become “out of mind.” So we need to find ways to engage.
Prayer wings
I know during the pandemic it’s not easy. Normally we can volunteer at soup kitchens or shelters. We can volunteer with organizations serving refugees. We can do ministry in prisons and nursing homes. Those who are receiving these daily letters from me are scattered around the states so Covid numbers vary. In Rhode Island we are in a second wave worse than the first. If your region is still experiencing high Covid numbers, and organizations aren’t welcoming volunteers, there are still ways to engage. Start praying and asking God what He wants you to do. Ask Him who needs help.
I hope you take to heart what I’m saying and realize it is one of the great secrets to experiencing the fullness of God. When we begin to really care and serve people in need—something happens! I know what I’m talking about because I’ve had seasons when I’ve poured out much for the poor and I’ve had seasons when the poor were “out of sight, out of mind.” The pursuit of God develops wings when we step out and do the works of Jesus. What happens is (don’t miss this, this is deep) … when we serve the poor, the love of Christ flows through us, and as it flows through us to others, we experience it too. Selah.
Back to Isaiah 58, the Lord gives one of the most spectacular promises in the whole entire Bible. In so many words He says that if we spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry and clothe the naked, and promote justice for the poor and oppressed, then God will burst in our lives in ways we never imagined were possible.
It doesn’t mean that prayer isn’t important. It’s both. Think of it as the two wings of a bird. One wing is prayer, fasting and reading the Word. The other wing is love, mercy, compassion and justice toward people. Have you ever seen a bird with a broken wing? It’s sad. It wants to fly but can’t.
Promise !!!
Here’s part of the promise from Isaiah 58 and a few comments here and there. By the way, this promise in Isaiah 58 would be perfect to pray through. Try taking each sentence of the promise and praying it back to the Lord and watch how it affects your heart.
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
Light in Scripture is a metaphor for understanding and knowledge. It’s not a promise of a slight increase but is likened to the sun coming up over the horizon and dispelling darkness! Do you want to know the glory of God? Serve people.
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
Healing encompasses physical afflictions, mental and spiritual ills. Sometimes we pray and pray and pray but our prayers are so focused on ourselves that nothing happens. When we shift focus to caring for others … bam!
your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'
Okay, I can’t expound too much on all this because some of you need to get ready for work :) But did you catch that promise? This one is especially relevant to our 100 Day Pursuit of God. When we are concerned about the things God is concerned about we will call out and He will answer. I love the next part that says, "You shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Have you ever started calling out maybe to your mom in a dimly lit house wondering where she went and suddenly she says, “I’m right behind you”? God is promising to reveal His nearness!
If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
C’mon saints! Do you hear this promise? Do you feel like you are in a tunnel of spiritual darkness and gloom? God says He will bring a flood of light upon you!
And the LORD will guide you continually
And it gets better! Who wants to be guided by the Lord? Christians struggle so badly with this. They are often in anguish trying to figure out God’s will. They don’t know what to do, which way to go. But here the Lord says He will not only guide us but guide us continually!
and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Water is a symbol of the Spirit throughout Scripture. This is God saying that when we do His work of caring for people, we will be drenched with the Holy Spirit. And what kind of fruit will spring out of this garden? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal 5). It means we will be fully empowered to live a virtuous life.
… then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. — Isaiah 58:8-14
The Lord now crowns the promise with the ultimate promise—delighting in the Lord. You say, “I’m not sure I get it. What’s so great about that?” It implies a dramatic heart change. It’s when this present world with all of its material things and pleasures appears utterly dull compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. He gives us a capacity to enjoy Him, which means we are living as He designed us to be.
Remember the poor — Galatians 2:10