Borrowed Light

The Type of Refuge God Is

October 23, 2017Mike Leake 1 Comment

The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7)

I’m amazed by the words after the semi-colon. The words before the semi-colon I think I understand somewhat. God is a place of rescue when stuff goes horribly wrong. I picture King David hiding out in caves, running from his persecutors, and finding comfort in God’s protection of Him. I think I get that part.

I’m picture a time when I found myself out in the middle of the woods and an unexpected rain came upon us. We were fortunate to be near an area with a few shelf rocks. We could easily get into the cavernous area and find shelter from the storm. And once we were in there we realized we weren’t the only ones who had taken refuge. Others had carved their name into the walls, signifying that they were there. This mini-cave had become a shelter to many others throughout the years.

But that’s not the only image that Nahum 1 gives to us. We are to believe that not only is the Lord a refuge but he knows those who take refuge in him. It is the same word used of Adam knowing his wife. It is not just that he knows their identity but he delights in those who take refuge in Him.

This means when we enter into God as our refuge it isn’t necessary for us to scrawl our names on the wall. I don’t have to identify myself because the source of refuge already knows everything about me. In fact He knows me better than I know myself. And he loves me deeper. Even before the foundation of the world He loved me and drew me into Himself as a source of refuge. This is amazing.

God is not a reluctant refuge. He isn’t a passive refuge like a cave. He is one who delights in those who take refuge in Him. Therefore, I am emboldened to cast all my cares and anxieties upon Him. I don’t have to pretend that I’m someone that I’m not. And I don’t have to fear that when I come into this cave and spill all my guts and things get ugly that somehow I’m going to be rejected and booted out of this source of refuge. No, I’m loved and known deeply.

Read This! 10.19.17

October 19, 2017Mike Leake

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“Many pastors and church leaders are miserable because of fewer than five percent of the church members.” I’d say that is true.

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I’m looking forward to this forth-coming book by Jared Wilson.

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I tend to agree with Nathan here.

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I’m trying to learn more and more about limits. This was helpful.

Seeing Beyond the Rubble of Ministry

I needed to read this.

How I Became a Sunday Drug Abuser

What a painful and yet helpful story.

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I think that fear of conflict is what keeps us from doing things when they ought to be done and in a healthy way.

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This would be good for me.

I can’t get enough of this song:

The Other Side of the Promises of God

October 18, 2017Mike Leake

Thorns by Geoff Box on 500px.com

“But dad, you promised!”

I hate breaking a promise to my kids. I do everything in my power not to promise them something that I cannot deliver. But on occasion something unforeseen will happen and I’ll have to eat crow and tell my kids that I cannot do what I said I was going to do. I hate those moments, and so do my kids.

However, my kids aren’t always disappointed when I break a promise. In fact, they are ecstatic when I don’t come through on my promise of discipline. (As a side note, I try to make these times just as rare as breaking other promises).

Saying, “Kids, we are going to the zoo on Saturday”, is a promise. But so is, “Kids, if you do not clean your room then you will not have internet privileges”. Likewise, the promises of God are not just promises to visit us with favor and blessings. There is another side to the promises of God.

I attempted to make this point the other day as I preached through Exodus. We see God’s faithfulness on full display in the story of the Exodus. We see that God is faithful to His promise to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. They would have been content, it seems, with half redemption. But God had promised full and complete redemption and he would stop at nothing until it was achieved.

But there is another side to the promises of God that is also clearly evident in the Exodus. God had promised that He was going to display His power in the life of Pharaoh. God promised that if the king of Egypt did not let His firstborn go, that God was going to bring justice upon the firstborn of every family in Egypt. The faithfulness of God means that He keeps both promises.

What all of this means is that God is faithful to His promise that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. But he’s also faithful to His promise that “there is only one name under heaven by which men will be saved” and that “unless you too repent, you will likewise perish”.

Believing the promises of God propels us to worship and thankfulness for His faithfulness to restore, redeem, and rescue us from bondage. But it also propels us to mission because we know the faithfulness of God means that if sinners do not hear the gospel and repent they will perish. And that’s a promise.

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Photo source: Geoff Box