Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
The Contrast
I.
“Do for us whatever we ask,” the arrogant brothers cry,
Facing their humble Teacher, looking Him in the eye.
Their anthem resounds throughout history,
A self-loving motive of power and greed,
Approaching God as a genie for them;
“My carnal wish is what I want of Him.”
God grants their desire and leaves them in their sin.
II.
“I will do whatever You ask,” the humble believer cries,
Kneeling before his Master; unwilling to lift his eyes.
His anthem resounds throughout history,
Sounded by the gentle, the humble, the meek.
Seeking, serving, trusting, obeying,
They submit to their Master’s perfect ways.
“Thy will, not mine, for all of my days.”
God grants their desire, bringing glory to His name.
13And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
A group of thousands of tired, fearful people huddle around an elderly man. Perhaps some of the women are weeping softly. Not far behind the people, one sees the dust of hundreds of speedily moving enemy chariots. Close in front of the people lies a huge body of water. Suddenly, the elderly man–the leader of this group–lifts his hand, holding his staff. “The Lord will fight for you!” His triumphant words ring across the water. Instantly, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, the water rises up and parts. The people cry out in thankfulness and hurry toward the water–a dry path has been made between the walls of water.
The image of the Red Sea parting for the Israelites is so astounding and meaningful to me. A while back, I wrote a poem about that amazing event.
Part the Sea
Standing at the edge
Of the Red Sea.
Foaming, placid waters
Lapping at my feet.
How to cross this mighty sea
Stretching beyond my sight?
How to pass through it?
My heart is filled with fright.
Then, turning around, what horror!
With my own eyes I see
The massive thousands of thousands
Of Egypt’s great army.
Trapped behind, trapped ahead,
With no place to go,
I lift my eyes heavenward,
To the One Whose power I know.
“Lord, there’s nothing I can do,
Nothing in my might.
Please work a miracle;
Help me walk by faith, not sight.”
Powerful, yet gentle,
His answer returns:
“Don’t be afraid, child,
You will not be hurt.
Stand still and watch
My salvation–here–today!
I will fight for you;
I will make a way!
The only thing for you to do
Is to stand still and trust.
Wait quietly in My presence;
Your enemies will be crushed.”
I obey in awestruck silence
Waiting on the Lord.
The Egyptians push ever closer;
But I hope in His Word.
At the moment when I thought
It was much too late,
When I thought my heart
Could no longer wait,
The sea split in two,
Rising on each side.
The path in between
Was smooth and dry.
Words cannot describe
The parting of the sea;
Its majestic splendor
Was God’s path for me.
Rushing, gushing, foaming,
The depths broke in two.
Walls of raging water
Split the fathomless blue.
Monstrous floods of liquid
Held back by God’s hand,
Torrents of bottomless water,
Restrained by His command.
I step onto the path,
Firm and dry and sure,
Glancing timidly at the Sea
Parted by the Lord.
Raging water on right and left,
As if in the eye of the storm,
I’m on the miracle path given
By the Almighty Lord.
He did this wonder for me–
A simple, wretched fool!
He defied gravity
For me, His simple tool.
I doubted His power, discouraged
And even lost heart in prayer.
But now–looking at the water–
Is this how much He cares?
Tears fill my eyes as I walk
Carefully through the sea.
This marvelous wonder was worked
For doubtful, sinful me.
I cross to the other side
And watch the miracle reverse.
The sea rages back into place,
Drowning the Egyptians first.
I sing to my Lord!
He has done marvelous things!
He is Almighty and powerful–
The King above all kings!
The Creator is forever mighty–
Gravity can’t get in His way!
No matter how deep our seas,
His might will make a way.
No matter how wide the ocean,
His love is wider still.
No matter how tall the mountains,
He created those hills!
Our God is greater–He still parts seas!
Precious Lord, we pray,
Please part the sea for us.
Please fight for us today!
Isaiah 50:2 (NKJV) 2Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst.
Isaiah 45:9 (NKJV) “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
Recently, the image of the Potter and the clay has captured my mind. I began thinking about it after doing a word study on Psalm 37:4. I examined the Hebrew word for “delight”. According to Strong’s Concordance, two definitions for that word are “soft” and “pliable”. It is so convicting to realize that one way to delight myself in the Lord is to submit to Him entirely, making myself soft and pliable in the hands of the Master Potter. Isaiah 45:9 tells us the utter foolishness of a clay vessel trying to order its Maker around. We ought to simply submit.
In the classic Hind’s Feet on High Places, the image of the Potter is brought up when Much-Afraid travels through the desert. Here is the beautiful description: “There, on the next floor, they came to another and smaller room, in the center of which stood a great wheel, flat, like a table. Beside it stood a potter who wrought a work on the wheel. As he spun the wheel he fashioned his clay into many beautiful shapes and objects. The material was cut and kneaded and shaped as he saw fit, but always the clay lay still upon the wheel, submitting to his every touch, perfectly, unresisting.” Later in the book, another beautiful example of submission is given when Much-Afraid says “Only have your will and way in me, Shepherd. Nothing else matters.” The book also presents the imagery of laying our wills down on the altar. May we give the Lord our wills and desires; may we ask Him to conform our will to His own.
This hymn sums it up well: “Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Make me and mold me after Thy will; while I am waiting, yielded and still.”
My own words fail to say much more on this topic because there is so much that could be written about it and because my heart has been so deeply impacted by the imagery and truth of the Master Potter and His handiwork. But here is a simple poem I wrote. I hope it captures the tip of the iceberg.
14Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!” 15And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”
Recently, I came across this story in my Bible reading. It was very impactful, and I began to think of it in a new light. Here is a poem I wrote about this passage.
If You Had Struck Twice More
Arrows in Joash’s hand,
Ready to be struck.
Elisha’s dying bed,
The aged man looks up.
A prophecy arising;
A symbolic act.
“Shoot the arrow toward the ground!” Said Elisha; “Here’s the fact:
This is the arrow of deliverance
Against the Syrian foe.
So take heart, and shoot!
Strike Syria with mighty blows!”
Joash pulled his arrow,
Stretched it through the bow,
Evaluated the distance,
Shot toward the ground below.
Shot one times, two times, three!
Then he stopped and turned around
Glancing again toward his arrows
Embedded in the ground.
“You should have shot it five times
For Syria’s destruction to be complete!
Now you’ll only strike it three times,
Again, I will repeat!
You should have struck it five times
For victory to be sure;
You would have triumphed utterly
If you had struck twice more.”
When you come before the Lord
In supplication and prayer,
Make sure to strike continually,
As you bring Him your cares.
What a terror, to hear the words,
“You came this close to prayer answered,
Heaven was ready to move,
Your desire was about to be granted,
And you hadn’t a clue.
But you gave up and stopped praying,
Of this you can be sure,
You would have obtained your answer
If you had prayed twice more.”
Make sure to strike continually;
Let your arrows hit the ground;
Pray without ceasing always;
Let your prayers forever abound.
Never cease striking,
Lest you give up when you’re not sure,
And miss out on the victory you could have obtained
If you had struck twice more.
Luke 18:1 (NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
Psalm 91 is such a beautiful psalm. It is filled with promises for protection and security. It is richly rewarding to take this psalm and sit with it, praying God’s promises over our lives.
So many beautiful word pictures are used in Psalm 91, especially in the original Hebrew. For example, the word “wings” can be used to refer to a garment or a bed skirt. I think that this is such lovely imagery. Next time you get into bed and pull up the covers, rest for a moment and picture yourself hidden in the shelter of God’s wings. Let all your cares and fears melt away in His presence.
I wrote this poem based on Psalm 91 in 2020, when the pandemic shattered our hopes for the year, and we battled fear in our hearts.
All around the world falls apart; calamity destruction brings.
But I fear not, for I am hidden in the shadow of Your wings.
They panic in fright, they have no rest,
But God is my refuge and my strong fortress.
Pestilence flies, consumes in the night,
But why should I fear? My God is greater in might!
For He promised to defend me, protect me from harm;
And forever I am saved by His outstretched arm.
He is my shield and my dwelling place–
With Him I am able all trials to face!
So keep me, dear Lord, and protect me too.
Under the shadow of Your wings, I am safe with You.
Hebrews 6:19-20 (NKJV) This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
What hope is the author of Hebrews referring to in this passage? The previous verse introduces the topic of hope. The author says that since it is impossible for God to lie, “we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” I love the phrase “fled for refuge”. It reminds me of Psalm 91. What a beautiful picture–we are fleeing for the refuge of God and grasping the Living Hope, Jesus Christ. The anchor of our hope is sure and secure, and instead of being planted in shifting sands, it is rooted firmly on the Rock of Christ.
Verse 20 speaks of Jesus as a forerunner. Looking at this word in the original Greek reveals its deeper meaning. This word was used in the 2nd century AD to describe smaller boats sent into the harbor by larger ships which were unable to get there themselves due to stormy weather. The smaller boats carried the ship’s anchor through the large waves, paving the way and securing it for the ship.
This is what Jesus Christ did for us! Not only is He our anchor, but He also took our anchor and secured it at port. Therefore, there is no question as to where we will eventually land.
I wrote this poem about our hope in Christ.
Hope
The waves toss and turn, full of fright.
The storm rages in my deepest night.
And yet, my anchor stands firmly in port–
My anchor is rooted on Heaven’s shore.
Without hope, we couldn’t live, so
My hope is in Christ, this I know:
He’ll never fail me, He’ll always stay true.
He is a refuge for me and for you.
To place hope in earthly things is vain–
They are passing away and futile the same.
But Christ is eternal, immutable, tender with His sheep;
He is always the same; His promises He’ll keep.
He took my anchor, that anchor of hope,
And He paved my way, securing my rope.
He dropped my anchor firmly in placid waters,
And blazed the trail for me to follow.
So though the storms are tempestuous, and the waters roar,
My hope, my confidence is steady as I make my way to heaven’s shore.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Recently, a friend of mine was talking about prayer. She emphasized how difficult it is when you are waiting on the Lord for an answer to prayer. When it looks like God’s response is a billion miles away, do we still trust Him? Can we still surrender our requests to Him when the answer is “no”?
Some of my favorite examples of prayer are in the Psalms. Numerous Psalms are the honest outpouring of a broken heart before the Lord. Should that not comfort us? We do not need to mince words before the Almighty God. He knows our hearts through and through.
Blooming azaleas
And in the meantime, as we fervently pray and surrender the answers to God, we must have faith. I think that often we do not receive answers to prayer because of our unbelief. Looking back on the numerous requests He has mightily answered in the past and the great things He has done fuels our faith. We must be filled with thankfulness and praise Him for His many blessings in the past and the present, while believing in His mighty power sufficient for the future.
A great resource for Scriptural prayers is John MacArthur’s book At the Throne of Grace. MacArthur gives us many beautiful prayers to help guide us as we pray, praise, and wait. Let us be filled with prayer and faith!
Here is a poem I wrote about faith.
Faith
O my soul, why are you fearful? Why do you doubt?
Why are you anxiously wandering about?
You have nothing to fear–you have Yaweh!
How is it that you have no faith?
Yet when you are faithless, faithful He stays.
He’ll continue to be so for all your days.
Lord, You know, strength it takes.
Lord, I believe; increase my faith!
Mark 11:22-24
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Just one sinful woman–rejected, despised, an outcast. She had been living an adulterous lifestyle and could not escape her past. She was in a habit of coming to the well in the afternoon, preferring the intense heat of the day rather than the whispers and scornful looks she knew she would receive otherwise. Yet one blessed day, she met a Man by the well Who changed her entire world.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman
I wrote this poem based on the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4.
Water of Life
“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.”’
What can you mean, Sir? How can this be?
That You, a Jew, would speak to me?
Besides, I’m a sinner, and utterly despised.
You must not have heard the rumors from spies.
That’s why I’m here in the heat of the day,
From the gossip of women to get away.
Why would You ask me for a drink?
Tell me, I pray, what do you think?
Those of Your race hate those of mine;
It’s been this way for a very long time.
They even this country will pass around;
Their hatred forbids them to step foot on this ground.
So what do you need of me? Why do You ask?
Shall I for You lower my flask?
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
You have nothing to draw with, and this well is deep.
How can I the benefits reap?
Where do you get this living water?
Are You greater than Jacob our father?
How can water be filled with life,
In this world full of conflict and strife?
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
How can You know of my terrible past?
You ought to be a prophet, at least.
You see through my veil with penetrating eye;
Into my past You see by-and-by.
Now, You know that I’m full of sin,
So where should I go to offer restitution?
You Jews say Jerusalem,
But Samaritans say Mount Gerazim.
Where do I go to be forgiven?
Where will the sacrifice cleanse me deep within?
I’m guilty-You know it-
And shameful to show it.
And so confused about where to go-
Tell me, please, so I know.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
I know that the Messiah will come,
To silence our fears and unite everyone.
He will answer our questions so well,
And to Him, every tongue praise will tell.
The Scriptures have promised- I know they have said-
That He is coming to quiet our dread.
.Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
I’m full of questions, I’m filled with doubt,
Faith as a mountain I am without.
However, I have it as a mustard seed;
This, my Master, I beg you to heed.
You all my questions answer did not,
Yet content You made me with my lot.
I still don’t know all I wish I did,
Yet my sin before me You have hid.
Still many answers I do not know,
But I trust Your name; to You I will go.
You don’t explain why past had to happen,
Yet You simply say to trust.
The things You keep secret You’ve hid for a reason;
