Honest Abe’s Humble Proclamation

You’d have to be living under a rock to know that this most recent political season has been a little rocky and unsettling. I would lead with the reality that God reigns sovereign over politics and nations and so total hopelessness is not the appropriate response. On the other hand, we are called as followers of Christ to pray for and be vocal in the political sphere. So in such a time as this, how are we to respond to the foreboding and unsettling political climate?

Interestingly enough, I think we can turn to a 153 year old petition of a former president for both conviction and hope.

On March 30th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation appointing a day of national “humiliation, fasting, and prayer”. It was the middle of the Civil War, and the nation was in a tumultuous time of unrest and immorality. I am by no means a historian and so I could not attest to Abraham Lincoln’s character throughout his entire service as President, but in this proclamation I see a humble man acknowledging that dependence on God is necessary and that departing from that leads to trouble. I am by no means a politician, so I could not attest to whether or not these were Abraham’s words alone or not (I’m not quoting the entire proclamation, but you can access it in its entirety at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=69891). All of the parenthetical responses are obviously me.

Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations (Wow. The Senate and The President rightly understood that God is indeed sovereign over all things, over all nations at all times), has by a resolution requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation; and

Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God (How true this is. This is the crux of the matter. If we depend on God for safety and satisfaction, we will be blessed in that we will have a hope that is founded in our King’s goodness), to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord (Boom. While I’m still trying to figure out what I believe about God and His being associated with any nation rather than His church, this remains a powerful truth that God blesses those who worship Him as Lord and God);

And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people (I like the fact that Abraham Lincoln did not draw a direct correlation between national sin and civil war, however he did attest to the fact that God is just)? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God (Imagine what he would say today). We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us (This is impactful and powerful on a personal level).

It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

When I read this for the first time I was honestly speechless, because talk like this about the Lord is very rare in politics these days; equally rare being a leader of men so humble before the One True King.

So in our present hour, I think we can glean a few different truths and responses from this proclamation.

1. Pray for our political leaders

We must as the people of God pray for those in political power. We must pray that they would have hearts for national repentance and a national striving after the Lord. God hears the humble petitions of the righteous, and so we must pray for our leaders with humble hearts.

2. Have Hope

Well, America is still a country 153 years after this proclamation, so in some senses I feel that God answered the prayers of the humble who confessed their sins to him. But regardless of the accuracy of that statement, God does promise in the Scriptures to defend and restore those who humbly confess their sins and return to Him.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

I know that this verse was written to Israel and not to America, but it is applicable to the current people of God, the church.

3. Be The Light

My faith is in God and thus the people of God more than it is in politics. This nation will ‘return to Christ’ when every follower of Christ and church community seeks to be the light of Christ in their community. May we realize our need for dependence on God and our need for personal confession.

In His Name,

Nate Roach

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Uncovered

There is power in confessing sins. Absolutely this applies to confessing to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but I want to focus on what it looks like to actively confess our sins to the Lord.

This has been a journey of mine as of late in figuring out exactly why confession is important and what it produces in my spiritual walk. I know the verses, but practicing them is something I’ve had to grow in. 1 John 1:9 is one of my all time favorites.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

Yet I’ve found a passage this weekend that has been equally impactful in how I now relate to the Lord. That passage is Psalm 32.

This past Sunday I was in church with my family, and our church family was partaking in the Lord’s Supper together. The pastor at our church preached a masterful sermon about celebrating in reverence what the Lord’s Supper signifies: the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to pay for all our sins.

We were tasked to spend time in prayer and thank God for His forgiveness yet I felt a disconnect during this time period. Later on in the day I realized why there was a disconnect, as some unconfessed sin in my life was weighing on my heart and affecting my relationship with the Father.

I turned to Psalm 32 and was amazed at what it proclaims.

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. – Psalm 32:1-2

To be forgiven and to have our sins covered by the Lord is truly a blessing beyond description. It is the message of the gospel. We have been redeemed by the Lord and by the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sin is not counted against us if we have placed all of our faith and trust in the sacrifice of Christ.

Yet as I read I realized that too often I don’t live in this truth. And I wanted to know why I wasn’t experiencing the joy associated with the forgiveness purchased by Christ’s blood.

So I kept reading.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. – Psalm 32:3

Well I’ve been here. I’ve felt the anguish and sorrow of my sin, yet for some reason didn’t bring it to Him who had already purchased my forgiveness.What then is the answer, how do I keep away from such anguish? (disclaimer: there is a healthy sorrow over our sin that leads to holiness, but I’m talking about sorrow associated with ungodly shame and guilt)

I kept reading.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. – Psalm 32:5

Here is the answer.

Confessing your sins to the Lord, refusing to attempt to cover up your sins from the One who already knows all about them.

Sin comes in many shapes and sizes, they are more than just actions and words. They can be thoughts and intentions. Because of this, we should be in an ever-active state of confession before the Lord. When we confess to Him, that is where we find the reminder of His forgiveness. When we confess to Him, that is when we are able to walk in His forgiveness.

I remember sinning against my parents as a kid, and then trying to hide my sin from them. Because they were far older and wiser than me, they already knew about my sin and had forgiven me. Yet if I did not confess to them, I would feel a disconnect in my relationship with them. When however I confessed my sin to them, I was able to experience and walk in the forgiveness they had already granted to me.

That’s a flawed human version of the perfect forgiveness of Christ, yet it works itself out in much the same way.

God knows all of my sin. Past, present, and future. He has forgiven all of my sin and holds none of it against me. Yet if I don’t confess my sin to Him as part of my walk with Him, I will not live in and experience just how powerful His forgiveness truly is. To not confess my sin to Him is to leave me with aching bones and a relational disconnect.

Believe in His unfailing love.

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. – Psalm 32:10

In His Name,

Nate Roach

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Is He Enough?

When I graduate high school and have the freedom associated with being in college, then I’ll have true contentment and joy.

When I graduate college and get an adult job, then I’ll have true contentment and joy.

When I’m able to retire, then I’ll have true contentment and joy.

As long as my paycheck is stable, then I’ll have true contentment and joy.

As long as my relationship with my spouse is strong, then I’ll have true contentment and joy.

What are you depending on? What are you yearning for in order to find contentment and joy? If the answer is anything other than the Lord, you’re in dangerous territory.

The Israelites did not wholly abandon God in 1 Samuel 8, but they did admit to the world that He was not enough for them.

When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” – 1 Samuel 8:1-9

God was supposed to be the sole provider and protector for the people of Israel. They were called to stand out among the nations because of this reality. Throughout the history of the Israelite people, He showed His mighty acts of provision and protection. Parting the Red Sea and rescuing them from Egypt, fighting for them as they gained control of the land He promised them. Just read the Pentateuch and see all that the Lord did for His people.

Yet in this instance, the Israelites came to Samuel and asked for a king like the other nations. In one of the greatest ways they were supposed to stand out, they lost their full trust in the Lord. They wanted to have the glory and greatness of a king to lead them and represent them. Yet they forgot about the glory and greatness of their God.

The people had not rejected God outright; they were, in effect, saying, “God, yes, we want You, but we also need a guarantee of this, and that, and this, and that.” – J.D. Greear 

They were essentially hedging their bets and looking for supplementary provision and dependence. They were no longer placing all of their trust in the Lord.

Fast-forward to today.

What in your life are you relying on for security? It could be a girl, a job, finances, family, location. The list goes on and on. There are things in my life that if they were removed would lead to anxiety and insecurity. That is sinful on my part. Do not hear me saying that we are just supposed to be careless vagabonds who don’t work, don’t have families, and don’t have any ties to the world. That is not what I’m saying. God designed us for family and work and those are great blessings from Him. But if they become a point of safety and security for us, then we’ve forgotten that God is to be our Protector and Provider. 

Honestly, this is a freeing practice. When you rely wholly on the Lord, you can hold everything else in your life with open hands remembering that the Lord is sovereign over your life and everything in it.

The greatest blessing God could ever give is the ability to be happy in Him. – Spence Shelton 

So I ask again, where is your sense of security found? Are you relying wholly on your King? Or do you need other things in order to experience true contentment and joy?

God is faithful to provide for you.

Rely solely and wholly on Him.

Experience the joy and contentment of submitting to His Kingship.

In His Name,

Nate Roach

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Children Of The Light

Last Summer, I went with my Dad and siblings to the Natural Bridge Caverns in West Virginia. I had to face my fear of claustrophobia as we journeyed down into the depths of the caves. There were thankfully lights in each of the rooms so that we could easily see the stalactites and stalagmites and our next steps.

However, in one room the guide turned off all the lights. It was like being blind. I had my hand directly in front of my face, practically touching my nose, and I could not see it in the slightest. The darkness permeated every crevice and corner of that cavern and I quickly desired for the lights to be turned back on. Before the lights fully came back on, I remember a tiny lamp being turned on to show what the miners had to work with in their endeavors.

That one flicker of flame made things so much brighter and thankfully I could breathe easy again.

The sun shining at Multnomah Falls

There is a darkness that permeates our world due to the effects of sin. It is spiritual darkness that leads to moral and relational darkness. We as followers of Christ can reflect the light of His glory and goodness into our world and impact change. In fact, all throughout Scripture we are commanded to do just that.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them…….. Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

– Ephesians 5:8-11, 15-17

We as followers of Christ should walk in light, as our Lord is light. What it looks like to live in the light is described to us by Paul here in this passage. We are to live with goodness, righteousness, and truth. The call for Christ-followers to live lives of holiness is something that I’ve come to be greatly convicted about. There should be a stark and distinct difference between my old life of darkness in the flesh and my new life of light in Christ. I was darkness, but now I am light. I am to live a new life of goodness and righteousness and truth.

To boil it down to even simpler steps, Paul describes the importance of chasing after and advocating for that which is pleasing to the Lord.

Want to know how to live?

Search the Scriptures and find what pleases the Lord.

Imagine how much our lights could shine if we approached every day and every choice by asking what would best please the Lord?

Let us not be foolish but rather understand what the will of the Lord is.

The will of the Lord is found in the Scriptures just as that which pleases the Lord is found in the Scriptures.

Such portrayals of life before and with Christ are designed to keep people from living like everyone around them and to call them to mirror their relation with Christ in their daily lives. – Klyne Snodgrass

Yes, absolutely yes, we are supposed to engage those who are lost. That is precisely why we are called to be light, so that we can point others to Christ. But at the same time, we should absolutely stand out. We are not to live like the world. We are to live like Christ.

So search the Scriptures.

Be children of the light.

In His Name,

Nate Roach

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Winning

As my time here in Portland is nearing an end, I’ve come to reflect on what the Lord has taught me during my time here this Summer. One thing I’m continually seeking the Lord’s strength for growth in is my boldness to openly share my faith with those I’m in relationship with. This morning during my time with the Lord, I was affirmed and re-affirmed of the reality that every single time I share my faith, it’s a win.

If I share my faith, there are only three different outcomes that can happen:

1. The person I’m sharing my faith in Christ with chooses to enter into a relationship with Jesus.
2. The person I’m sharing my faith with doesn’t come to Jesus, but a seed is planted.
3. The person I’m sharing my faith with rejects the gospel and rejects me as well.

The beautiful reality is that all three of these outcomes end in God’s glory and thus a win of a conversation.

Please don’t hear me advocating that evangelism is to be viewed as a mathematical or scientific practice that we can boil down to some perfect formula and in so doing treat people like numbers. I instead want to encourage and empower us all to be more active in sharing our faith without fear.

Life in Portland with these guys and gals has been a blessing.

So let’s walk through it.

Scenario 1 is clearly a win. To see someone we share our faith with come to Christ, being reconciled to the Father and adopted into biblical community is something worth praising the Lord about. Jesus makes it clear that there’s something worth celebrating when one individual comes into right relationship with God.

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. – Luke 15:10

Scenario 2 is also a win. There are countless multitudes of people who came and will come to Christ because of the influence and impact of many conversations and experiences regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there are incredible moments when the Lord draws to Himself those who are hearing the gospel for the first time (and what a wonderful display of grace worth celebrating). But oftentimes it takes multiple gospel moments. So even if we don’t get to see the fruit of our labor so to speak, every gospel proclamation is a win because it’s a testimony of God’s grace and goodness that can lead to conversion at a later date.

Scenario 3 doesn’t sound or feel like a win, but it does. Any time we share our faith and it leads to rejection (whether of the Lord or of us), the Word actually says is a blessing and a proclamation of God’s glory.

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. – 1 Peter 4:14

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. – Luke 6:22-23

When we are rejected, insulted, or hated for Christ:

• We are blessed, for the glory of God is seen in our lives
• We are blessed, because our reward in heaven far exceeds any pain of rejection here on earth
• We are not to be surprised when it happens, for it’s been happening since the people of God have existed

Quick disclaimer: this is not reason or rationale that should lead to seeking the betterment of ourselves through the practice of evangelism. What I mean by that is there is a very thin line sometimes in my heart between wanting to extend God’s Kingdom, and my own. If I feel prone to open up about my faith to feel better about how I’m living as a Christian, I don’t believe that to be pure motivation. So chase after and pursue the glorification of God in your conversations, not personal blessings.

Every conversation we have where we confess our faith in Jesus and proclaim what God has done is a win, for it is a conversation where we have glorified God and made much of His Name.

I, Nate Roach, need to grow in boldness for the gospel and openness regarding my faith. I do not write this to you as someone who is a master evangelist. But my hope and prayer is that we as followers of Christ would go boldly into our communities and relationships with the hope of glorifying God by proclaiming the truths of the gospel.

In His Name,

Nate Roach

(The idea for this blog post came from the chapter “Winning, Winning, Winning” in Mark Cahill’s book One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven).

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When He Feels Far Away

There are some passages in the Bible that I receive with open arms as a blessed gift for a time of specific need. As of late, these passages have been coming from the Psalms. I’ve been strengthened, equipped, and encouraged by the truths of the Psalms. I’m an emotional guy and so I find great solace in and appreciation for the emotions that David and the other authors of the Psalms share with God. It’s a poignant reminder that we can fully disclose our struggles and difficulties with the God who made us, emotions and all.

Since Thursday I must confess that I had many a moment with the Lord unloading all of my emotions on my Rock and Stronghold. In the midst of shootings and terror attacks and a transitional period of my life, the Lord felt distant. I cried out to Him in prayer in the morning and the evening, but the peace that normally accompanied such requests didn’t come.

Then came Psalm 13, and with it the beautiful realities of God’s intimate closeness to those who walk with Him and walk in righteousness. It’s only six verses long, so let me share it with you now.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. – Psalm 13

I attest that I do not know the context of Psalm 13 apart from it being written by David. I can not say, but it very well may be that David was struggling with that which is much more life and death and physical enemies encroaching on his life. I can not thus relate to that part if that is the case.

But as I read Psalm 13 this day, I could totally relate to David’s crying out to the Lord. I too have proclaimed feelings of God’s abandonment in my life, since I lacked a ‘feeling’ of His closeness and comfort. In my prayer journal I made similar statements as I have wrestled with thoughts and sorrow that I couldn’t place.

I don’t know where you are at today. You may be questioning God’s closeness. You may be grieving a loss in your family, an unplanned trial, an uncertain future. I hope and pray however that you too will be encouraged by the final two verses of this incredible Psalm. I pray that you too are reminded that oftentimes faith precedes feelings.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. – Psalm 13:5-6

Umm, what? On a dime, David goes from essentially yelling out His doubts that God remembers him in his time of need to proclaiming unashamedly that he still has faith.

Faith precedes feelings.

That is not always the case. Don’t hear me trying to make a blanket statement about faith and emotions.

Even in the midst of feeling far from the Lord, David reminded himself and thus us the reader that we still have reason to rejoice in and proclaim the salvation of the Lord. God’s love is unfailing, and even when emotionally we’re struggling, our salvation is secure in Him. Even when we’re struggling emotionally, we can rest assured in the reality of God’s overwhelming love for us.

Something I’ve taught myself and encouraged my brothers and sisters in the faith is that God’s love is truly never failing. If you doubt God’s love for you, simply look to the cross. The gospel is the truth that God loved you so much He sent His Son to earth, to die, and to be raised in order to reconcile you to Him.

If you doubt God’s love for you, look to the cross.

But again, what we believe undoubtedly in our minds is true, can still be a fight in our hearts. So be strengthened and encouraged that even when the emotional implications of a Biblical truth are lacking, we still have reason for faith and trust and worship.

Trust Him.

Rejoice in His love.

Proclaim to the world His good deeds.

Act in faith, walk in faith, and the feelings will follow.

In His Name,

Nate Roach

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God’s Glory & Grace

There are few things more humbling and transformational than coming head-to-head with the glory of God. There are few passages in Scripture that do this more impactfully for me than Acts 17:24-25.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. – Acts 17:24-25

So based on these two straightforward verses, we see that God:

1. Made the world.
2. Made everything in it.
3. Is the Lord of heaven.
4. Is the Lord of earth.
5. Does not live in temples built by human hands.
6. Is not served by human hands.
7. Needs nothing.
8. Gives everyone life.
9. Gives everyone breath.
10. Gives everyone everything.

Look at that list. Meditate on that list. Worship the God described in that list. I can’t help but laugh at myself when I even slightly pretend that God needs me on his missional team so to speak. I have the pleasure and opportunity of living into this God-given mission, but He by no means needs me.

Paul’s testimony here in this passage makes it clear, God isn’t served by me nor does He need anything at all.

A beautiful reminder here on the streets of PDX.

Yes, as followers of Christ we are absolutely called to participate and engage in the mission of God. Jesus’ last words to His disciples make it clear that we are to go throughout the world, making disciples and sharing the hope and love of God. But may I never get to the point where I pridefully think that I’m needed. May I never get to the point where I’m extending my own kingdom under the guise I’m spreading His. May I never make missions about me, whether that’s through me feeling better about myself as a result of missions or by pointing those I come in contact with to anyone other than Jesus.

Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. – Psalm 42:5

On top of the wonderful gift of salvation, that which is indescribable and far above anything else that I could ever be given, God is doing innumerable things in your life and mine.

Every single breath is a gift of grace. Every single breath is a deed of the Lord worth proclaiming to the world. And that’s just normal life. We walk about with breath in our lungs oftentimes oblivious to just what a gift that breath and life is.

May we be men and women of God who tell of the good deeds of our King, while also remembering in humility just how great is the glory of our King.

In His Name,
Nate Roach

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