With all prayer and
petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the
alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
The more
people you know and the more you get to know people, the more you become aware
of their need for prayer. This is
especially true within the body of Christ where the struggles of others are
made known through prayer requests. When I was able, an additional benefit to
singing with our church’s worship team was the ability to scan the congregation
and offer prayer for those before me that I knew were struggling. While I no longer have that opportunity, I
find that social media provides the same advantage as friends’ posts become reminders
to pray. Given my own circumstances, I
would guess that a greater than average percentage of my friends face their own
battles with chronic illness in addition to the “normal” trials of life. Consequently, I often find myself overwhelmed
and, therefore, offering many simple prayers for: the need, wisdom, peace,
their soul, and the glory of God.
Now may the God of
peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be
preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
As I sit down to write, there are stain and varnish fumes invading the main level of our home and a jackhammer running in the basement in an effort to improve our property. We purchased this house at the end of September. It is now nearing the end of January and despite a significant number of improvements already completed, there is still much work to do. It’s been a long and frustrating process. Repeatedly I find myself anxious and overwhelmed by the long list of repairs, the improvements needed, and the cost to complete them. However, in my frustration, I also see parallels between our house and my soul. More specifically, I’m referring to the vision, the challenges, the cost, and the anxiety associated with any spiritual improvement.
Do not fear, for I am
with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
During the
advent season, many are looking forward to time shared with family and friends,
however, others of us may find that this time of year has more challenges than
pleasures. Gatherings present various
issues for me. The biggest challenge is
food. I have to navigate what is
available so that I eat enough without getting so sick that I can’t enjoy
myself. Clothing is another challenge as
I am very sensitive to both fabrics and temperature. What may work one day may not on
another. An additional hurdle is a
heightened “flight or fight” response.
Consequently, my physical response to uncomfortable social situations
and personality differences are often exacerbated. While I will enjoy those with whom I celebrate,
there are many others that I wish the celebrations would include, but will not;
they will be sorely missed. There are
also uncertainties in our life making this holiday season less than
carefree. I am not alone in any of this
as I recognize that many will find it difficult to enjoy the holidays this year
due to their own health issues, the rigors of travel, the loss of loved ones,
family conflicts, etc. Yet in our
trials, we should still seek to experience the peace, hope, and joy that our
Savior provides.
With all of
the activities of this year, I am already spent so I must admit that I am less
than enthused with respect to any more activities that make significant demands
of me. However, I realize that
celebrating the incarnation of Christ and the time spent with family will have
benefits both spiritually and emotionally.
I believe our ever gracious Savior understands my weakness and placed
Isaiah 41:10 before me in light of the advent season as a reminder of my true
source of peace, hope and joy.
You will make known to
me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand
there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11
As a rule, being lost causes a fair amount of
frustration. Marie and I visited Red
Rock Canyon this week. During our
excursion we attempted to see pictographs on some of the rocks. Sadly that didn’t happen. The scenic drive
through the canyon is a 13 mile one way road and there was a right turn onto a
short two way road that we missed. Since
we had time, we decided to circle around again.
On our second attempt, we successfully made the turn and found the
parking area. However, our lack of
familiarity with the paths and the absence of a good trail map left us lost and
wandering on steep and rocky paths. Out
of time and lacking good directions, we gave up our search and returned to our
car defeated. For His children, God
offers a path to peace. Sadly, we often
fail to experience the fullness of tranquility, joy and pleasure that our
Savior desires for us because we lose our way.
Similar to our excursion to Red Rock Canyon, it’s common for Christians
to get lost on the path to peace because of ignorance, distraction or
rejection.
“They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.” Ezra 3:11-13
New Year’s Eve is the time when we tend to evaluate the past
year and look to the new one with a hope of great things to come. Our best New Year’s Eve was December 31,
1981. That night our younger daughter was
born and there was literally a party atmosphere in the delivery room. In addition to my wife and me, there were two
doctors, three interns, a couple of nurses and an anesthesiologist. Rather than waiting for a ball to drop in New
York City, we were awaiting the arrival of a child. While it was mostly a joyful event, there was
also pain as my wife would have to recover from the surgery. While we like to label each year as good or
bad, the reality of this life is that most years are a mixture of joy and sorrow. That was the mood as the exiles from Babylon
viewed the foundation of the new temple.
Those that remembered the former glory of Jerusalem wept at over the
loss of what once was. However, there
was also the joy of Jerusalem being rebuilt.
It’s a good lesson in life…how to gracefully accept the joys and sorrows
of life understanding that God has orchestrated our lives with purpose so that in
the end we may be blessed with a joyful eternity.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
I was reading a devotional by John Piper recently that stressed how we should prepare our hearts during Advent in order to celebrate Christmas properly, i.e. Advent is to Christmas as Lent is to Easter. Too often, we get so caught up in the preparations and parties associated with Christmas that we fail to settle our souls and worship Christ for His priceless gift freely offered. That offer, or rather our Savior’s invitation, is the basis of our celebration for without it, there is no peace, joy or forgiveness. While Matthew 11:28 is not a passage normally associated with Advent, it does speak to the heart of Christ’s mission as He came to earth and dwelt among us so long ago.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2
Over the course of my life, I’ve encountered a wide variety of individuals. Most of these events are buried in the recesses of my mind as they had little noticeable impact. The encounters that I do remember are the ones that were: repetitive, damaging, unexpected, uplifting, or loving as they left a significant mark on my life. At the top of the list of memorable encounters are my encounters with God. Encounters with the Lord come in a wide variety and are perfectly tailored to the people involved as well as the need. They may be direct encounters as Noah, Abraham or Moses experienced; through His messengers as was the case with Mary and Joseph; through a grand event as Paul’s conversion or the more subtle work of the Holy Spirit. No matter what form our encounter takes, we can be certain of one thing: we will never be the same afterward for we will either trust the character of God and draw closer to Him or we will reject Him in disbelief and pull away.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.Hebrews 10:23
For several years after I became seriously ill, I didn’t plan any events in my life. I had no confidence that I would be around for the long haul, therefore, planning was out of the question. The problem was a lack of hope. While I still had the hope of eternity, I had no hope that God would sustain my body or that I could endure. Eventually, that lack of hope made my soul sick. Thankfully, God sustained me and slowly began to educate me on the finer points of living well before Him. One of those lessons was that there seem to be two kinds of hope: jubilant hope and steadfast hope. While I had witnessed plenty of examples of jubilant hope e.g. the hope that comes with: salvation, marriage, or a healthy newborn child, and the like, I had no living images of steadfast hope to lean on. The culture in which I was raised didn’t deal kindly with people who openly discussed their problems and therefore, was devoid of discussions regarding God’s use of trials to mold, shape and equip them. In that light, let’s consider a few images of steadfast hope, specifically hope that is: teachable, observant, patient, resilient, faithful trusting that God is enough.
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
This month has me taking three driving trips which, for me, is a bit aggressive. However, God has provided the grace to endure thus far. As I was driving alone last week, I spent a bit of time considering some similarities between taking a trip and living our lives. “A trip” is one of the many metaphors for life…and we only get one life to live. Consequently, we should do our best to live it well. The following are somewhat random musings linking the trips we take and the lives we live.
Beauty
For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:3-5
At the halfway point in my travels, the most recent excursion included the drive across upstate New York. I love this drive as the scenery is beautiful. As with all of creation, it is pleasing to the eye and the work of our Lord. We do well to appreciate and relish the beautiful things that this life has to offer. Dwell on them when times are hard as they are lovely and lighten the soul. Consider also that our Lord’s hand not only created the beauty of this world, but also directs the events of our lives.
Worship
And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. Deuteronomy 4:19
Since much of our world is populated, there are few places left that are devoid of man-made structures. No matter how lovely or complex they may be, I find them to be a distraction from the natural beauty created by God. They are, as it were, lesser things that pale in light of God’s creation. Similarly, God’s creation is the lesser thing when compared to Jehovah. So many religions worship idols, ancestors or nature. We must remain ever vigilant to worship God alone. In short, we are to worship the creator not the creation.
Focus
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1
To arrive safely, one needs to stay focused on both the destination and the route. Wrong turns, or worse leaving the road at a high rate of speed, likely leads to delay or a serious accident. To live life well, we must stay focused on eternity and Christ, our only path to heaven.
Delays
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
There are various reasons that our trip may be delayed. A few of those are: roadwork, accidents, or rush hour traffic. By slowing down, we protect road workers, victims, emergency technicians, policemen, and other travelers as well as ourselves. Be patient…the delay is justified. In life, God may put people or events in our lives that appear to slow us down. Our Lord always has a purpose; among them are instruction, correction and encouragement. All of these are to edify us and make us complete.
Correction
Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored. Proverbs 13:18
Driving too fast may lead to being stopped by the police. Their role is to maintain safety on the highways. The delay may be costly, but increased awareness of safety for yourself and others is valuable. The godly who lovingly rein us in spiritually are a blessing not a harm. Appreciate both their love and the hand of God directing them to us.
Arrival
When we arrive safely at our destination, we readily acknowledge God’s hand of protection. Even if we are delayed or have an accident, we may still acknowledge His protective hand at work. It is hard for us to say that God has protected one who does not survive a trip physically. However, He has brought them safely home to abide with Him; the place of utmost safety and their reward. Personally it has taken many years for me to recognize and accept that truth.
Almighty God is so creative. The beauty of the earth, the sky, the heavens and all that they contain are proof of that. Similarly, He has created each of us as unique individuals with unique gifts. The people that He directs into our lives and the events that He uses to mold and refine us are just as unique. For those who love Him, He has one goal: safe arrival in Heaven.
In our culture, it is common to separate our spiritual lives from our physical ones. However, as Christians, we should, as our Lord does, see them as one in the same with God directing us both physically and spiritually. Our physical circumstances help us to grow spiritually. Likewise, our spiritual growth teaches us to respond appropriately to our circumstances recognizing God’s hand in both. Praise God that He lovingly directs our lives at all times. His watchful care brings peace to turmoil of our lives.
The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
My wife and I went to a dinner theater last week with my aunt, uncle and a few of their friends. Shortly before the intermission, one of the ladies in our group collapsed into the lap of the woman sitting next to her. Admittedly, given her symptoms, most of us thought that she was dying. Thankfully, by the time the ambulance arrived, she had recovered enough to walk to the gurney. After spending the night in the hospital, she was released with a heart monitor. Aside from the obvious concerns for those involved, it raised a deeply rooted fear of my own. As much as I accept God’s will in my life, the thought of a public medical emergency still haunts me…and I’ve had a few. For many of us, it raises concerns about embarrassment, image, and acceptance. Ultimately, we cannot control the events of our lives, but we can control our response to them with a bit of truth.
