May 13, 2022 -- Psalm 144:1-2 -- Christians as agent provocateurs

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Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
Psalm 144:1-2 ESV

Look at verse 2, the writer refers to the Living God as “my steadfast love”. The expression is not that of a man loving his wife, or a smitten man singing of his new love interest. In the Scriptures such steadfast love is one of the terms used to describe the covenant commitment of the Living God Who, despite man’s fickleness, waywardness and promiscuity, will direct His healing grace and salvific love to those whom He has appointed for life with Himself.

Now look at the context—our lives are filled with warfare. There is a constant battle for holiness and wholeness in the world around us. Consider this, the Canadian government’s January 2022 report noted there is no place in the Canadian military for Christian chaplains! In the name of inclusivity the Canadian government is issuing harshly exclusive laws. Being a Christian in Canada is to be counter-cultural and an oddity. Christians do not consider man the measure of all things; our lives are lived in submission to Jesus Christ. We are accountable to Him.

So it is the LORD our God Who trains us for this battle; He gifts us with the greatest gift of all: Himself. In this life we are not allied with the society or culture or the nation around us; we are infiltrators, we are agent provocateurs for the King of Glory. This world and all its people are His; for now we see much rebellion against His true reign, but like the Psalmist, we can see the glory of the True King, Who is subduing nations and kingdoms, prime ministers and princes so that one day His Kingdom will be fully revealed and fully realized and the all His enemies will be swept away.

MY DEAR LORD,
I can but tell thee that thou knowest
I long for nothing but thyself,
nothing but holiness,
nothing but union with thy will.
Thou hast given me these desires,
and thou alone canst give me the thing desired.
My soul longs for communion with thee,
for mortification of indwelling corruption,
especially spiritual pride.
How precious it is
to have a tender sense and clear apprehension
of the mystery of godliness,
of true holiness!
What a blessedness to be like thee
as much as it is possible for a creature to be like its Creator!
Lord, give me more of thy likeness;
Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness;
Engage me to live more for thee.
Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences,
and when I feel at ease after sweet communings,
teach me it is far too little I know and do.
Blessed Lord,
let me climb up near to thee,
and love, and long, and plead, and wrestle with thee,
and pant for deliverance from the body of sin,
for my heart is wandering and lifeless,
and my soul mourns to think it should ever lose sight of its Beloved.
Wrap my life in divine love,
and keep me ever desiring thee,
always humble and resigned to thy will,
more fixed on thyself,
that I may be more fitted for doing
and suffering.
"Longings After God" THE VALLEY OF VISION: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, page 231

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