I wouldn’t suggest this one though. For one, it cost a little more than 15 cents now. For two, it’s illegal. And thirdly, I’m totally against the use of cocaine—unless it’s an Eric Clapton song.
Check out this collection of Medication from 100 years ago. Amazing.
“…my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints”. (Psalm 77:2-3)
In this Psalm Asaph appears to be in deep distress. He hopes to find comfort and rescue in God. Yet, his mind is met with something different: the “dark” side of God. Instead of seeing the goodness and mercy of God he is consumed by the holiness and justice of God. And that, I think, is why his meditating causes his spirit to faint.
When Asaph comes before the Lord all he can think of is the Lord’s disfavor. “Will the LORD spurn forever, and never again be favorable?” Oh, what a terrible thought! Asaph knows Exodus 34:6 and that God abounds in steadfast love. But he also knows that this same God will “by no means clear the guilty”, so his heart is torn and his mind is troubled. Has his guilt forever cast Him out of the Lord’s gracious favor?
You see Asaph lived on the dark side of Calvary. He could look back and remember the Lord’s character and his rescue of His people in the past (77:10-20) and this would cause him to look forward to God’s coming rescue–but he still lived on the dark side of Calvary.
He continued to trust in the God of the covenant that would rescue the penitent, but He could not yet see the beauty and finality of the redeeming work of Christ, so questions lingered. Am I really penitent? Will I really receive mercy? Is He going to come through on His promise?
I live on the lightened side of Calvary. I am able to see the beauty and finality of the redeeming work of Christ. And yet sometimes my mind and heart are dull. I become like Asaph and I refuse to be comforted. When I look to God I moan rather than rejoice. I forget that I am approach the throne of grace and I instead faint in my meditations. My mind can still live on the dark side of Calvary.
This is why I think the most dangerous thing for me to do sometimes is to only pray. Until I am convinced of the gospel and its application to my condition, my prayers will create fainting instead of joy. My repentance will become, “I’ll try to do better”. My intercession will be ritual and a guise to gain acceptance. Everything about my time with God will only serve to further depress me. Why?
The only way to access is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. If I am unconvinced of the goodness of God then I am not approaching Him through the finished work of Jesus. Because, you cannot really look at the Cross and question the goodness of God; You cannot really consider the power of the resurrection and what it means for us and question the goodness of God; You cannot really believe that Christ has ascended and is pleading on our behalf and question His goodness.
So I want to meditate on the work of Christ and then plead for rescue.
Does this make any sense…?
Author: David Platt
Pages: 240pgs
Publisher: Multnomah
Price: 9.99
Genre: Christian Living/Missions
Quick Summary:
If you are unfamiliar with David Platt that will probably change soon. At least it should. He is extremely passionate about the gospel and about missions. This book is a challenge that encompasses both. At the end you will be encouraged to take a “one-year journey in authentic discipleship”.
This really is not a call to “radical” Christianity. This is a call to actually follow Jesus. This isn’t radical Christianity it is living out the Christian life as if Jesus actually has more worth than our security, money, personal comforts, and even family.
The book is jam packed with real stories of real people doing the things that Platt points out in this book. Throughout he discusses missions, the glory of God, poverty, and our response to these calls upon our life.
What I Liked:
It is well written, it is gospel-driven, and obvious that Platt is passionate about spreading the glory of God to the nations. This book and the ministry of David Platt is being used as a much needed wake up call to comfortable Christians like myself. I was given this book at the Baptist21 event during the SBC Annual Meeting, read it on the plane ride home, and have been praying about how to live out the truths presented in this book. It has opened my eyes even further to things that I was already passionate about. This book really spurred me on to ask—“what are you going to do about it”.
What I Disliked:
A well-written “caution” is provided by Kevin DeYoung here. I agree with most of what DeYoung says but I think his cautions can also lead to complacency. I think Platt’s response to DeYoung is wonderful. Essentially I think that at times Platt can overstate his case and oversimplify the solution. But I think that perhaps DeYoung may be going too far the other way. The problem will come when people add to Platt’s message or DeYoung’s message.
All in all the only thing I disliked is that this book caused me to cut my cable television.
Should You Buy It?
Absolutely. But I will warn you. God will kick you in the pants if you really listen to this book. Not because Platt is a radical but because he is stubbornly biblical and will not allow us to settle for the American Dream against the Biblical Reality. I’m pretty confident that God will use this book in your life. Buy it for under 10 bucks.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
David Platt 20/20 2010 from Southeastern Seminary on Vimeo.
“To lose the heavenly warmth and spiritual liveliness of your affections is undoubtedly a far more considerable loss than to lose the wife of your bosom, or the sweetest child that ever a tender parent laid in the grave…It is better for you to bury ten sons, than to remit one degree of love or delight in God.”
This from John Flavel in Facing Grief. His counsel is either insanely true or truly insane. It all depends on how glorious God really is.