Ministering To The Saints

"As touching the ministering to the saints" II Cor 9:1


Paul, when addressing the Corinthian church on the importance of ministering to the saints, used his pen. It was not a sermon but a letter, not spoken but written to bring understanding. You, like the Corinthians, may have glossed over the gentle rebuke he brought through the written word. "Achaia was ready a year ago."

What was he saying? Simple. You've been putting off what you decided to do last year.When I got that message this morning while studying this passage it caused me to reach for last year's daily planner. I was looking for one thing. What did I make a decision to do last year that I have not done? The discovery brought conviction. The Holy Spirit led me to the truth. I had made a decision to write but circumstances knocked me off balance and diverted me off course. He even goes on to say, "your zeal has provoked many."

Achaia made a decision. The repercussions impacted many others. That's good….but….you have not yet completed what you started. Do you think Paul identified the cause for our dilemma today? Are you saying "ouch" in chorus with me? Am I the only one whose focus he has targeted to adjust? What was Paul's solution to the problem? They've fallen short in completing what was started a year ago. It was a letter ….a written notice, reminder if you will, that he and others were positioning themselves as accountability partners for the endeavors the Corinthian church determined to complete.


Is that not a double edged sword? Is it not a bitter-sweet revelation. Is it not bitter tasting to be reminded you have not done what you said you would do? Yet, at the same time he applauds them. Doesn't his letter cause you to hear his own confidence in their integrity? Is that not sweet? Paul readily saw the enemy's device. They made a decision but for what ever reason it was de-railed. Paul wrote purposefully to get the decision train back on track. Isn't that what you've been waiting for as well? Someone to help you see where you've been derailed and help you get back on track? Paul admonished them. Stay the course. Finish the work. It's in you.


Based on Paul's actions I have to believe he knew the root of the problem. Many people see the problem but offer no relief in seeing it resolved. Paul was not one of those. He backed up his letter and support of those in Achaia with substance. "I have sent the brethren……that you may be ready." (vs3)Paul identified the problem, wrote it, then sent reinforcements. Isn't that exactly what you have been needing? Isn't that the real reason why it's not finished? There's been no coach, no mentor, no one to bounce things off of. Isn't the reason you gradually lost interest in the project was it was so lonely being on the cutting edge. Doing what others never thought about doing. Haven't you often cried in secret, "I just need to know someone on this planet believes I can finish this."

We watch others lead normal lives. But writers lead a life that is far from normal. It requires huge blocks of time carved out of normality. It requires focus, sharp focus and the ability to touch the hearts of many. How can you expect to touch the hearts of the masses when your own heart needs a touch? Paul seemed to have a handle on the dilemma. He first sent a written letter. Then he sent brethren, someone who could identify with the intent."I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren." Wouldn't you just love to receive a letter from someone who has identified the cause of procrastination and was willing, of his own accord, to help you over the bumps in the road? Isn't that what each of us as writers really need? Someone who can help us stay focused. Someone who will remind us…..people are waiting, in urgent need, of that which you started last year.

Paul realized the need of the recipient and the donor (in your case the reader and the writer). He volunteered a two-fold solution. He sent a personal letter then he sent personal trainers.My prayer for you as writers today. Heavenly Father we acknowledge our failures to complete that which we told you last year we would do. We make no excuses for the delay. Our hearts embrace the conviction. We look now to the hills from whence cometh our help. We have tried so tirelessly to finish this project in our own strength, with our own resources and determination. But the truth is we need encouragement.

We who write to impact others need others to come along side us and hold up our hands. Send the brethren to us Lord that you know can help us adjust focus, get back on track and finish the work. As Paul commissioned laborers into this field specifically for bringing closure to a project that was overdue send us the help we need to meet the deadlines. Send those whose very presence reminds us, "I was sent to you ….to help you complete the work…fulfill your assignment and to see that those in dire need of your ministry receive it. In closing. Have you considered the cause in the delay could be …like those in Achaia….you lost sight of the urgency? Writer's who intend to speak into the lives of others can not afford to become complacent. There is an urgent need at hand. Complete the work and send it. Find someone who is struggling today and write to them. Know that your written words like Paul's will bring a speedy solution. Make a difference in someone's life today. Write a letter. Write an article. Write a note. Then send it and expect the miraculous.

“Until these calamities be overpast.”
(Ps 57:1)

Trouble is often a catalyst which causes writers to reach for a pen. Loan applications, resumes and legal documents are pleas which of necessity must be written. It takes a writer. They all say, "Help. I'm in trouble."

Are you facing a trial? Then let's hit the trails and hike one of the less popular paths. Writer Woods has many places to meander but this one thrills my heart. I did not want to walk it when I heard the call to write. Despite my initial resistance I learned from the experience...a writer would write their way out of the woods. David, the Psalmist, taught me that. It's my pleasure to pass it on to you.

Don't lose hope if it seems to ramble on. The woods are like that. But I assure you when you finish the walk your head will be clear. Your heart will rejoice and you will be glad you took the time to visit Writer Woods.

"To the chief overseer,"

(the director of Heaven and Earth, the originator of all words……..the only one who was there with David in the cave.)

David wrote with authority during his short term as a renegade. If anyone could coin the phrase “unexpected adversity” he could. He was a fugitive, on the run, hunted…..his life at stake. Yet he chooses to write during the conflict harnessing the pain of unjust affliction. This Psalm is one of them.

He addressed his audience succinctly. “To the chief overseer.” He's writing for ONE. It is obvious he was not after an editor’s choice award. He needed the intervention of God. To get it he pushed his pen across an empty parchment leaving a trail of victory. David wrote in the hour of affliction. Will you?

His tone is commanding. His intent clear. “DO NOT DESTROY.” Is it possible for a written decree etched in isolation to be lifted as the standard over a man’s life….over a nation?

“Do not destroy.”

Have you considered? Have you taken note? Will you, like David, write irrevocable decrees upon the daily parchments of life? Put your decree on paper today. Say it with the pen of a ready writer. Make it sing with the chorus of heaven. Cause it to unlock the vaulted heavens and rain down the very essence of God. Are you suffering persecution? Is the enemy trying to kill you in an attempt to stop you from writing words to impact a nation? David must have thought so because in the time of trouble….he wrote. He wrote so we could read his thoughts. He wrote like a bush hog making a passage way for others to follow. He cut down the enemy invasion of doubt, fear and unbelief with a threshing instrument held in his hand. He wrote. He sang. He recorded both for us, so we could see the pattern and know, “this light affliction is but for a moment” so use it wisely. Write.

"Be Merciful"

How does one open a communiqué to heaven during perilous times? Jesus left instructions. He made the protocol of prayer clear. “Do not use vain repetitions”. “Do not pray as the heathen pray”. ”They think they shall be heard by their much speaking” (Matt 6) David was not privy to our Lord’s instruction. Nevertheless his request (recorded in Psalm 57) reverberates with single-mindedness. He entered into a cave alone, and poured out his petition……on paper, parchment, a rock or a wall.

A writer would use the resources available to them at the time.

He queried heaven with his need……in private. It was written. His prayer was heard. It was answered. It’s still being published today. What can we learn from the prayers of one man as he models for us the power of written petitions in the face of adversity? Make special note of this. He wrote his prayer. Heaven heard and responded? Is this what Jesus was referring to when he said….the Father who sees in secret? Is he looking for our prayers on paper?

David crafted his words in the language of heaven. He wrote with authority to authority. He understood the commanding nature of heaven. He placed a demand on heaven’s storehouse. What he desired, what he needed to survive, could not be found in the treasure vaults of man. He needed that which could only come from…..the secret place…..the hidden chamber …the Holy of Holies. To get there…..he wrote.

“BE MERCIFUL”

He was not wordy. He spoke an imperative command. Those words knocked on the door of heaven. Another realm recognized the sound and opened its doors. “Be merciful.” Be full of compassion. Be generous with all that you are. David shows us what to say and how to say it when our life is at stake. "Be Merciful."

David spoke candidly to Jonathan before seeking refuge in the cave, “there is but one step between me and death.” What then, in the face of turbulent times, is the direction to turn….the step to take? Sandwiched between his two-word requisition David declares his focus. "O GOD"

The steps of a righteous man are ordered. David came boldly to the throne of grace and asked for help in time of need. He erected an altar on parchment and expected God to meet him there. He left a trail for us to follow. His bold request in time of need was written. “Be merciful. O God Be Merciful"

He wrote then declared the impact. “My soul trusts in you.”

Why? Could it be David realized the impact of two words written to arrest the attention of his audience?

He wrote it then turned his soul towards the infallibility of The One he petitions. My soul makes a refuge in your character, your faithfulness……your nature. David built an ark of safety with words. It was words on paper which harnessed his volatile emotions and led them like a shepherd to the resting place. They were anchored to the mercy of God. The carefully braided cord of words erected an invisible shield of protection. When David faced the life-threatening pursuit of Saul He wrote.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Prov 29:2)

What do you do when positional authority wants you dead? How does the hunted one exercise the authority of heaven when forced to flee the authority of man? David shows us how. Could it be David wrote himself into righteous alignment with the authority of heaven creating a spiritual paradigm shift on earth?

Jesus spoke it. David lived it. “The kingdom of God comes without observation.” It was not declarations in public or standing in the streets which caused mere words to manifest the kingdom of God. David submitted to the authority of God as he wrote his prayer in secret. As a result he escaped the unrighteous authority of man.

He did not pen a petition to King Saul appealing for mercy. Yes, Saul gave David a position within his ranks, commander of 1000 men. Yes, Saul was the ruling King in the eyes of man… God, however, did not share that view. Saul had neither God’s heart nor his approval. He was the people's choice. David's petition bypassed the rule of man and came boldly to the throne of grace. He needed help during this time of need. It was certain death to seek that help from one rejected of God.

Who will you turn to today? Can you take a chance with your life? Turn, not to man…….but to the hills…..from whence cometh your help. Your help comes from the Lord.

"Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge."

Is David building the tabernacle with these words of supplication? Is he sheltered under the wings of the Cherubim calling out for mercy because he’s there……in the secret place….in the pavilion of God’s all consuming love? Were the five loaves he requested from the priest his validation of entry? How could he declare, “in the shadow of thy wings” while in a cave? Is it possible to build an ark of refuge on paper? Can we, as we know David did, construct a sentence, a paragraph……a life-saving message of hope……….in the midst of the fiery trials?

I will make my refuge in the shadow of His wings. The border of his garment….the tassel of issue-stopping relief……yes there I will flee for help. For vain is the help of man. Is David’s dilemma not a sign post? Who could he possibly trust when Saul and all of his men were in hot pursuit? Where will you put your trust during these days of mounting pressure?

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of droughtc, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jer 17:5-8

David decreed with words on paper where he would put his trust. Would you? What are you writing today? Is it establishing trust in God during this time of testing? Will it be read; recited, prayed, proclaimed by others who read it after you are gone? David wrote during the storm because that's what a writer would do.

"until these calamities be overpast."

How long will you write? How long will you press the nib to paper when the pressures of life rest heavily upon you? How long? Will you write only when it’s convenient? Only when you feel safe and secure in your own surroundings? Or will you write when your life is at stake, when you don’t know the outcome, when you don’t know “how long”? Will you write then? When no one’s looking, reading, approving your manuscript? Will you write to be accepted by men or will you write to create a refuge where mercy flows?

David answered the questions. “Until the calamities pass over”, Until the wilderness temptation causes me to declare…..”it is written." While in the furnace I will write words of fire. While in the lions den I will roar with triumph on paper. While in the cave I will reconstruct the tabernacle and hide within the veil of words declaring, “Be merciful O God Be merciful.”

That's what a writer would do.

Thanks for visiting Writer Woods today. We hope you'll make note of your visit and let us know how your trials were turned to a trail of words. That's what a writer would do. Hope to see you again soon.

Debbie

Leaving a trail others can follow.



c drought: or, restraint

No Water

"There was no water for the people to drink." Ex 17:1 (NIV)

Are you, like the Israelites, in a place with no flow? Looking for a source of inspiration? Pencils sharpened? Ink pen full? But not a drop of creativity anywhere in sight. Are you staring at an empty page? Rummaging through dust-clad folders like a wilderness traveler asking, "Where's the well to draw from?"How did I end up in such a dry place with no motivation?Are you wandering in a desert? Barren of ideas? Looking? Searching? Watching with secret anxiety as hope dwindles, reserves dry up and the question comes, "Am I really called to write?

Ponder this.

"The Israelites pitched their tents in Rephidim (which means resting place) according to the commandment of the Lord." (Ex 17:1 NIV)

He knew they could not see the hidden supply.

Imagine that! God knows when your steps of obedience led you to this place of no water. Expect the Lord to instruct you. His commands are appointments for supernatural supply. Has He called you to write? Then show up at your desk and look to Him. Trust Him in the lack. He knows there's no water. Remind Him, not for His benefit but yours, "I'm here at your command.

Submit to the call. Raise your pen, even as Moses raised his rod. Ask the Lord to tap the rock of His hidden supply. Then write. In the resting place of obedience you will tap into His flow.

Heavenly Father, Release your instructions for me today. Show me how to tap into the rock. I look to you as I lift my pen and write. Cause your thoughts to flow through me onto this empty page. Amen.