I will not leave your orphans
John 14:18
It had been a wild, unpredictable adventure. Danger, constant travel, mystery and political intrigue were interspersed with victory, breath-taking excitement and surprises. Now, the disciples who had followed Jesus for three and a half years were weary, tense and suspecting that everything they longed for was about to come to pass. Success was out there, just past their finger tips, waiting to be grasped. Then, as was often case, Jesus did and said things that made them know they were as clueless as babes. They had gathered for what should have been a celebration dinner. But, it didn’t turn out that way.
The first thing Jesus did was to kneel and wash their feet, showing in that silent service how real love behaved. Then, He shook them to the core by saying He was going to leave them. He had made statements like these many times before, but this time He said it with a finality that alarmed, confused and saddened.
I can sympathize with those feelings. There have been times when I felt like Jesus was leaving me, too. And, if these feelings quickly followed some foolish vanity on my part, it’s been easy to believe that He is forsaking me because I am unworthy of His attention.
That night, long ago, Jesus looked around Him at sad, confused faces then said emphatically, “I will not leave you orphans!”
There are two ways to become an orphan. Either someone gives you birth and cannot take care of you or they give you birth and choose to abandon you. In the first case, the parent may have love but not enough strength to provide care. In the second, they have plenty of strength, but no love. Neither of those was true of Jesus. He had all the strength of the Creator of the universe and was Himself the source of all love. No, they would never be orphans.
Neither will we.
Yet, His statement must have seemed contradictory to those who first heard it for He had just told them He was going away. How could He both leave them and not leave them? The answer was rooted deep inside the mystery of the triune Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son (who was God) would return to heaven but the Holy Spirit (who was God) would come to dwell inside believers and be their Comforter.
I can almost see the confusion on the faces of the disciples. How could this mystery be? Forty days later, they knew. They experienced the reality of the Spirit’s coming with power and joy. They were not orphans. His promise was true. Jesus was no longer physically present, but He had not left them alone!
Like the disciples, I too sometimes wonder about the mystery. How could God be with me if I don’t see Him? That’s when I take a moment to reach inside and feel the Spirit’s presence. I risk believing its true, and suddenly I don’t feel like an orphan at all.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Rewarder
[Those] who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
One of the hardest things about waiting is the trial of faith. The tempter comes close and whispers that prayer and patients are useless. We hear a hiss of accusation from the shadows saying that God either doesn’t care or that our own inadequacies make us unworthy of His attention.
Have you ever been there? I certainly have. Looking back, I can see Satan’s prints all over such thoughts as these and sense again the dark nights of loneliness brought on by listening to such whispers.
I also see the cunning skill of my enemy for if he can get me to listen—even for a moment—to such suggestions, he can close the door between heaven and my soul.
The author of Hebrews lists the two requirements that are absolutely necessary before anyone can approach God: (1) we must believe that God is real and (2) that He cares enough to reward those who seek Him. So, when the way gets rough, it is often good to pause and ask ourselves how firmly our faith remains rooted in those two concepts.
Do we still believe God is real?
The routine of daily living can dull our sensitivities. Marriage partners drift into taking each other for granted. Children that were once our joy become our chore. Gratitude dissolves into restlessness. Even the wonder of God’s reality slips out of focus as day by day mundane routine forces an awareness of Him into the background.
It may be days ago or years ago that you placed your petition before God. Do you still believe that a real Being out there can actually hear you?
If that belief has slipped, perhaps it is time to reevaluate why you prayed in the first place. What made you hope He was there? Remembering may give fresh wind to your spirit. Is the world here by chance? If you have drifted into thinking so, spend a half-hour contemplating the nearest tree.
What about the second requirement for those who approach God? As you wait, do you believe He will answer? At this level of faith, God becomes personal. It is not just that God can answer prayer, but that He is willing to answer your prayer.
As Jesus drew His sermon on the mount to an end, He invited, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. [ . . . ] What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [ . . . ] If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” [1]
Do we still believe that? Failure to believe is to question the character of God.
If the enemy is whispering to you this week, go back to the Word. Remember why you first hoped in His reality. Remember His character and His loving assurances. Jesus has His reward with Him [2] and He will reward YOU.
[1] Matthew 7:7-11, edited
[2] Revelation 22:12
Hebrews 11:6
One of the hardest things about waiting is the trial of faith. The tempter comes close and whispers that prayer and patients are useless. We hear a hiss of accusation from the shadows saying that God either doesn’t care or that our own inadequacies make us unworthy of His attention.
Have you ever been there? I certainly have. Looking back, I can see Satan’s prints all over such thoughts as these and sense again the dark nights of loneliness brought on by listening to such whispers.
I also see the cunning skill of my enemy for if he can get me to listen—even for a moment—to such suggestions, he can close the door between heaven and my soul.
The author of Hebrews lists the two requirements that are absolutely necessary before anyone can approach God: (1) we must believe that God is real and (2) that He cares enough to reward those who seek Him. So, when the way gets rough, it is often good to pause and ask ourselves how firmly our faith remains rooted in those two concepts.
Do we still believe God is real?
The routine of daily living can dull our sensitivities. Marriage partners drift into taking each other for granted. Children that were once our joy become our chore. Gratitude dissolves into restlessness. Even the wonder of God’s reality slips out of focus as day by day mundane routine forces an awareness of Him into the background.
It may be days ago or years ago that you placed your petition before God. Do you still believe that a real Being out there can actually hear you?
If that belief has slipped, perhaps it is time to reevaluate why you prayed in the first place. What made you hope He was there? Remembering may give fresh wind to your spirit. Is the world here by chance? If you have drifted into thinking so, spend a half-hour contemplating the nearest tree.
What about the second requirement for those who approach God? As you wait, do you believe He will answer? At this level of faith, God becomes personal. It is not just that God can answer prayer, but that He is willing to answer your prayer.
As Jesus drew His sermon on the mount to an end, He invited, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. [ . . . ] What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [ . . . ] If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” [1]
Do we still believe that? Failure to believe is to question the character of God.
If the enemy is whispering to you this week, go back to the Word. Remember why you first hoped in His reality. Remember His character and His loving assurances. Jesus has His reward with Him [2] and He will reward YOU.
[1] Matthew 7:7-11, edited
[2] Revelation 22:12
The Rewarder
[Those] who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
One of the hardest things about waiting is the trial of faith. The tempter comes close and whispers that prayer and patients are useless. We hear a hiss of accusation from the shadows saying that God either doesn’t care or that our own inadequacies make us unworthy of His attention.
Have you ever been there? I certainly have. Looking back, I can see Satan’s prints all over such thoughts as these and sense again the dark nights of loneliness brought on by listening to such whispers.
I also see the cunning skill of my enemy for if he can get me to listen—even for a moment—to such suggestions, he can close the door between heaven and my soul.
The author of Hebrews lists the two requirements that are absolutely necessary before anyone can approach God: (1) we must believe that God is real and (2) that He cares enough to reward those who seek Him. So, when the way gets rough, it is often good to pause and ask ourselves how firmly our faith remains rooted in those two concepts.
Do we still believe God is real?
The routine of daily living can dull our sensitivities. Marriage partners drift into taking each other for granted. Children that were once our joy become our chore. Gratitude dissolves into restlessness. Even the wonder of God’s reality slips out of focus as day by day mundane routine forces an awareness of Him into the background.
It may be days ago or years ago that you placed your petition before God. Do you still believe that a real Being out there can actually hear you?
If that belief has slipped, perhaps it is time to reevaluate why you prayed in the first place. What made you hope He was there? Remembering may give fresh wind to your spirit. Is the world here by chance? If you have drifted into thinking so, spend a half-hour contemplating the nearest tree.
What about the second requirement for those who approach God? As you wait, do you believe He will answer? At this level of faith, God becomes personal. It is not just that God can answer prayer, but that He is willing to answer your prayer.
As Jesus drew His sermon on the mount to an end, He invited, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. [ . . . ] What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [ . . . ] If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?”[1]
Do we still believe that? Failure to believe is to question the character of God.
If the enemy is whispering to you this week, go back to the Word. Remember why you first hoped in His reality. Remember His character and His loving assurances. Jesus has His reward with Him [2] and He will reward YOU.
[1] Matthew 7:7-11, edited
[2] Revelation 22:12
When God Sees Me
Then she called the name of the LORD,“You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees”
Genesis 16:13
If I had been in Hagar’s shoes, I think I would have run away, too. Being a slave in a foreign country was bad enough, but being suddenly promoted to second wife of the master then within months demoted back to the status of a slave would have been too much.
It’s a familiar story. God had promised children to Abram but the years passed and his wife, Sarai, didn’t conceived. So, she decided to use her maid as a surrogate. Hagar would be the one pregnant but Sarai would own the baby.
I suspect Abram treated Hagar well, for she became quite proud and letting everyone know that she was better than her mistress. Things became heated and Sarai roughly reminded Hagar that she was a slave and would never be anything more. Humiliated, Hagar took off preferring to face death in the desert than hanging around the tent with Sarai.
I don’t blame her. The situation was very unfair. But, she must have been lonely and frightened out there in the desert. She had no resources, no safe place to go, no friend to lean on. Then, the Angel of the Lord showed up giving her instructions, offering comfort and assuring her of a good future.
In amazement, Hagar—who evidently knew little or nothing of God—coined a name for the One who spoke to her. She called Him, “You-Are-The-God-Who Sees.” Realizing that the Creator of the universe saw her and cared about her plight deeply touched her heart and changed her life. Such careful love gave her strength. She returned to Sarai and waited out the rest of her pregnancy. It was a difficult assignment, but with assurance that God was watching over her, she finished her course and became the mother of a great nation.
As I read the story again, I was fascinated anew by the name Hagar used for God. What must it have been like to have your primary concept of God be one of an all powerful Being watching your ever move? Curious, I began to look up references about the eyes of the Lord and what He sees as He looks down. The passages were abundant.
God sees me---
When my days are ordinary, [1]
When I my efforts go unnoticed, [2]
When I need to talk with a friend, [3]
When I am confused and not sure which way to turn, [4]
When I am sinning, [5]
When I’ve been mistreated, [6]
When my reputation is questioned, [7]
When my situation is the very worst I can imagine. [8]
Even when I doubt the reality of His presence, God still sees me. [9]
The idea of God’s continual watching could be uncomfortable. After all, we might not want our every deed and word exposed. It is only when we also know Him as the God of love and grace that His “watching” becomes “watch care,” and we find our hearts snuggling into the peace of His every present, benevolent gaze.
[1] Psalm 14:2; Psalm 102:19; Psalm 33:13 [2] Acts 10:3-4; Genesis 6:8 [3] Psalm 34:15 [4] Psalm 32:8 [5] Proverbs 15:3 [6] Deuteronomy 26:7 [7] Luke 1:25 [8] II Chronicles 16:9 [9] Psalm 94:9
Genesis 16:13
If I had been in Hagar’s shoes, I think I would have run away, too. Being a slave in a foreign country was bad enough, but being suddenly promoted to second wife of the master then within months demoted back to the status of a slave would have been too much.
It’s a familiar story. God had promised children to Abram but the years passed and his wife, Sarai, didn’t conceived. So, she decided to use her maid as a surrogate. Hagar would be the one pregnant but Sarai would own the baby.
I suspect Abram treated Hagar well, for she became quite proud and letting everyone know that she was better than her mistress. Things became heated and Sarai roughly reminded Hagar that she was a slave and would never be anything more. Humiliated, Hagar took off preferring to face death in the desert than hanging around the tent with Sarai.
I don’t blame her. The situation was very unfair. But, she must have been lonely and frightened out there in the desert. She had no resources, no safe place to go, no friend to lean on. Then, the Angel of the Lord showed up giving her instructions, offering comfort and assuring her of a good future.
In amazement, Hagar—who evidently knew little or nothing of God—coined a name for the One who spoke to her. She called Him, “You-Are-The-God-Who Sees.” Realizing that the Creator of the universe saw her and cared about her plight deeply touched her heart and changed her life. Such careful love gave her strength. She returned to Sarai and waited out the rest of her pregnancy. It was a difficult assignment, but with assurance that God was watching over her, she finished her course and became the mother of a great nation.
As I read the story again, I was fascinated anew by the name Hagar used for God. What must it have been like to have your primary concept of God be one of an all powerful Being watching your ever move? Curious, I began to look up references about the eyes of the Lord and what He sees as He looks down. The passages were abundant.
God sees me---
When my days are ordinary, [1]
When I my efforts go unnoticed, [2]
When I need to talk with a friend, [3]
When I am confused and not sure which way to turn, [4]
When I am sinning, [5]
When I’ve been mistreated, [6]
When my reputation is questioned, [7]
When my situation is the very worst I can imagine. [8]
Even when I doubt the reality of His presence, God still sees me. [9]
The idea of God’s continual watching could be uncomfortable. After all, we might not want our every deed and word exposed. It is only when we also know Him as the God of love and grace that His “watching” becomes “watch care,” and we find our hearts snuggling into the peace of His every present, benevolent gaze.
[1] Psalm 14:2; Psalm 102:19; Psalm 33:13 [2] Acts 10:3-4; Genesis 6:8 [3] Psalm 34:15 [4] Psalm 32:8 [5] Proverbs 15:3 [6] Deuteronomy 26:7 [7] Luke 1:25 [8] II Chronicles 16:9 [9] Psalm 94:9
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Voice Behind Me
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21
I occasionally become frustrated with the book of Isaiah. Like the other Major Prophets, this book is not easily understood and the narrative thread that holds it together is not always in chronological order. Yet, just when I think I have gleaned all from the book that my weak mind can possibly untangle something new, fresh, and precious jumps from the page.
I had memorized and often drawn comfort from Isaiah 30:21, but never before wondered why the voice of God came from behind His people rather than going on before them. Guides are general up ahead forging the way, not lingering behind. When God guided Moses and roughly three million Israelites through the desert into the Promised Land, He went before them as a cloud by day and a column of fire by night. [1] Jesus said that when He put forth His sheep He would go before them. [2] Yet, here the voice of God comes from behind.
The answer to that riddle starts way back at the beginning of the chapter.
For much of his book of Isaiah is shouting out to the people telling them the exact nature of their sin. This chapter begins the same. The people are rebellious. The people are headstrong. They are sure they have a plan figured out that will keep them safe, but Isaiah shouts a warning of failure.
In verse fifteen, the tone changes and rather than scolding, the prophet relays the tender, pleading voice of God. “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; / In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’” There was a way out. There was safety. But, it was not in the direction that the people were heading. Their safety would be in waiting yet they chose instead to scheme, plan and fight the enemy head on.
What is God’s reaction to this? Isaiah tells us: “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you.” [3] Because the people refused to wait on God, the Holy Creator of the Universe would wait instead for them. There will come a day when they would cry out in their trouble, and what will happen then? “He will be very gracious at the sound of your cry; / When He hears it, He will answer you.” [4] But, because the people had raced ahead with their own plans, when He spoke, they would hear the guiding voice behind them.
No wonder Isaiah calls God’s actions, “very gracious’ [4]. How much more mercy and grace could He show than to both lead the way before us and when we race ahead of His leading, call us from behind? That’s double grace. The kind of grace I often need.
[1] Exodus 13:22
[2] John 4:10
[3] Isaiah 30:18
[4] Isaiah 30:19
I occasionally become frustrated with the book of Isaiah. Like the other Major Prophets, this book is not easily understood and the narrative thread that holds it together is not always in chronological order. Yet, just when I think I have gleaned all from the book that my weak mind can possibly untangle something new, fresh, and precious jumps from the page.
I had memorized and often drawn comfort from Isaiah 30:21, but never before wondered why the voice of God came from behind His people rather than going on before them. Guides are general up ahead forging the way, not lingering behind. When God guided Moses and roughly three million Israelites through the desert into the Promised Land, He went before them as a cloud by day and a column of fire by night. [1] Jesus said that when He put forth His sheep He would go before them. [2] Yet, here the voice of God comes from behind.
The answer to that riddle starts way back at the beginning of the chapter.
For much of his book of Isaiah is shouting out to the people telling them the exact nature of their sin. This chapter begins the same. The people are rebellious. The people are headstrong. They are sure they have a plan figured out that will keep them safe, but Isaiah shouts a warning of failure.
In verse fifteen, the tone changes and rather than scolding, the prophet relays the tender, pleading voice of God. “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; / In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’” There was a way out. There was safety. But, it was not in the direction that the people were heading. Their safety would be in waiting yet they chose instead to scheme, plan and fight the enemy head on.
What is God’s reaction to this? Isaiah tells us: “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you.” [3] Because the people refused to wait on God, the Holy Creator of the Universe would wait instead for them. There will come a day when they would cry out in their trouble, and what will happen then? “He will be very gracious at the sound of your cry; / When He hears it, He will answer you.” [4] But, because the people had raced ahead with their own plans, when He spoke, they would hear the guiding voice behind them.
No wonder Isaiah calls God’s actions, “very gracious’ [4]. How much more mercy and grace could He show than to both lead the way before us and when we race ahead of His leading, call us from behind? That’s double grace. The kind of grace I often need.
[1] Exodus 13:22
[2] John 4:10
[3] Isaiah 30:18
[4] Isaiah 30:19
The Voice Behind Me
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21
I occasionally become frustrated with the book of Isaiah. Like the other Major Prophets, this book is not easily understood and the narrative thread that holds it together is not always in chronological order. Yet, just when I think I have gleaned all from the book that my weak mind can possibly untangle something new, fresh, and precious jumps from the page.
I had memorized and often drawn comfort from Isaiah 30:21, but never before wondered why the voice of God came from behind His people rather than going on before them. Guides are general up ahead forging the way, not lingering behind. When God guided Moses and roughly three million Israelites through the desert into the Promised Land, He went before them as a cloud by day and a column of fire by night. [1] Jesus said that when He put forth His sheep He would go before them. [2] Yet, here the voice of God comes from behind.
The answer to that riddle starts way back at the beginning of the chapter.
For much of his book of Isaiah is shouting out to the people telling them the exact nature of their sin. This chapter begins the same. The people are rebellious. The people are headstrong. They are sure they have a plan figured out that will keep them safe, but Isaiah shouts a warning of failure.
In verse fifteen, the tone changes and rather than scolding, the prophet relays the tender, pleading voice of God. “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; / In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’” There was a way out. There was safety. But, it was not in the direction that the people were heading. Their safety would be in waiting yet they chose instead to scheme, plan and fight the enemy head on.
What is God’s reaction to this? Isaiah tells us: “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you.” [3] Because the people refused to wait on God, the Holy Creator of the Universe would wait instead for them. There will come a day when they would cry out in their trouble, and what will happen then? “He will be very gracious at the sound of your cry; / When He hears it, He will answer you.” [4] But, because the people had raced ahead with their own plans, when He spoke, they would hear the guiding voice behind them.
No wonder Isaiah calls God’s actions, “very gracious’ [4]. How much more mercy and grace could He show than to both lead the way before us and when we race ahead of His leading, call us from behind? That’s double grace. The kind of grace I often need.
[1] Exodus 13:22
[2] John 4:10
[3] Isaiah 30:18
[4] Isaiah 30:19
I occasionally become frustrated with the book of Isaiah. Like the other Major Prophets, this book is not easily understood and the narrative thread that holds it together is not always in chronological order. Yet, just when I think I have gleaned all from the book that my weak mind can possibly untangle something new, fresh, and precious jumps from the page.
I had memorized and often drawn comfort from Isaiah 30:21, but never before wondered why the voice of God came from behind His people rather than going on before them. Guides are general up ahead forging the way, not lingering behind. When God guided Moses and roughly three million Israelites through the desert into the Promised Land, He went before them as a cloud by day and a column of fire by night. [1] Jesus said that when He put forth His sheep He would go before them. [2] Yet, here the voice of God comes from behind.
The answer to that riddle starts way back at the beginning of the chapter.
For much of his book of Isaiah is shouting out to the people telling them the exact nature of their sin. This chapter begins the same. The people are rebellious. The people are headstrong. They are sure they have a plan figured out that will keep them safe, but Isaiah shouts a warning of failure.
In verse fifteen, the tone changes and rather than scolding, the prophet relays the tender, pleading voice of God. “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; / In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’” There was a way out. There was safety. But, it was not in the direction that the people were heading. Their safety would be in waiting yet they chose instead to scheme, plan and fight the enemy head on.
What is God’s reaction to this? Isaiah tells us: “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you.” [3] Because the people refused to wait on God, the Holy Creator of the Universe would wait instead for them. There will come a day when they would cry out in their trouble, and what will happen then? “He will be very gracious at the sound of your cry; / When He hears it, He will answer you.” [4] But, because the people had raced ahead with their own plans, when He spoke, they would hear the guiding voice behind them.
No wonder Isaiah calls God’s actions, “very gracious’ [4]. How much more mercy and grace could He show than to both lead the way before us and when we race ahead of His leading, call us from behind? That’s double grace. The kind of grace I often need.
[1] Exodus 13:22
[2] John 4:10
[3] Isaiah 30:18
[4] Isaiah 30:19
Waiting, Just Like Me
I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Luke 12:50
Have you ever thought of Jesus as being forced to wait? The notion may seem strange, but this verse is a quote from His own lips. Our Lord was clearly struggling and longing for some future event to be finished. And, as He waits He is “distressed” about the situation.
This shouldn’t surprise us because Jesus came to earth to live as we live and feel what we feel. He was God, but also fully human and as a human He was forced to wait.
It is commonly thought that Jesus was crucified and resurrected at age thirty-three, but did you ever wonder how scholars know that? The Bible only mentions His age once and that was at twelve years. The next time we see Him, He is an adult launching a preaching career with no mention of how many years stretched between those two events. To find that out, we turn to Jewish tradition and history.
Jesus taught as a rabbi [1] and by Jewish law He could not take that position until past His thirtieth birthday. Assuming He started preaching then and counting the yearly feast recorded until His death, the result is thirty-three years.
Between age twelve and thirty the Bible is silent. We assume Joseph died for he is never mentioned again in scripture although Mary is. If so, that meant Jesus, as firstborn son, would have become responsible for supporting a large family at a very young age. If at twelve He felt the urgency to be about God’s business [2], what must it have been like to wait eighteen more years before He could officially take steps that direction?
By the time Luke 12:50 is recorded, Jesus has been ministering slightly less than three years and the “baptism” He refers to is a metaphor for His fast approaching crucifixion. Step by step Jesus has followed the path His Father laid before Him, but now He can see the end of the journey and is distressed as He waits for the trial to be past.
In the Greek, our Lord described His feelings as “sunecho.” That means to be pressed down, constrained, kept in or compelled. While Jesus waited the emotions He faced were very similar to what we might feel and this is why the writer of Hebrews could say, “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. [3]
Are you being forced to wait today? Do you feel the days crawling by one at a time and wonder if you have been forgotten by God? Lift up your head! God is not asleep. Jesus knows exactly what you feel and how hard it is. After all, He waited, too.
[1] John 20:16
[2] Luke 2:49
[3] Hebrews 4:15
Have you ever thought of Jesus as being forced to wait? The notion may seem strange, but this verse is a quote from His own lips. Our Lord was clearly struggling and longing for some future event to be finished. And, as He waits He is “distressed” about the situation.
This shouldn’t surprise us because Jesus came to earth to live as we live and feel what we feel. He was God, but also fully human and as a human He was forced to wait.
It is commonly thought that Jesus was crucified and resurrected at age thirty-three, but did you ever wonder how scholars know that? The Bible only mentions His age once and that was at twelve years. The next time we see Him, He is an adult launching a preaching career with no mention of how many years stretched between those two events. To find that out, we turn to Jewish tradition and history.
Jesus taught as a rabbi [1] and by Jewish law He could not take that position until past His thirtieth birthday. Assuming He started preaching then and counting the yearly feast recorded until His death, the result is thirty-three years.
Between age twelve and thirty the Bible is silent. We assume Joseph died for he is never mentioned again in scripture although Mary is. If so, that meant Jesus, as firstborn son, would have become responsible for supporting a large family at a very young age. If at twelve He felt the urgency to be about God’s business [2], what must it have been like to wait eighteen more years before He could officially take steps that direction?
By the time Luke 12:50 is recorded, Jesus has been ministering slightly less than three years and the “baptism” He refers to is a metaphor for His fast approaching crucifixion. Step by step Jesus has followed the path His Father laid before Him, but now He can see the end of the journey and is distressed as He waits for the trial to be past.
In the Greek, our Lord described His feelings as “sunecho.” That means to be pressed down, constrained, kept in or compelled. While Jesus waited the emotions He faced were very similar to what we might feel and this is why the writer of Hebrews could say, “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. [3]
Are you being forced to wait today? Do you feel the days crawling by one at a time and wonder if you have been forgotten by God? Lift up your head! God is not asleep. Jesus knows exactly what you feel and how hard it is. After all, He waited, too.
[1] John 20:16
[2] Luke 2:49
[3] Hebrews 4:15
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Protecting Your Blind Side
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, / So the LORD surrounds His people / From this time forth and forever. Psalm 125:2
Jerusalem was located on top of a mountain and the temple of God was even higher located on the pinnacle within the city walls. It was an uphill journey and pilgrims seeking the presence of the Lord were likely to find the last steps, the hardest.
Perhaps that is why David wrote several songs specifically designed to be sung on the uphill hike. Psalm 125 is one of these Songs of Ascent intended to strengthen pilgrims and reassure them of God’s protection. Families sang together and traveling strangers sang to each other as verse by verse the music encouraged them to keep putting one foot in front of another and not be afraid.
A Song of Ascent was desperately needed when I was a forty-five year old college junior struggling to make financial ends meet while raising a family as a single mom and hoping I could finish my degree before funds ran dry. Fear and insecurity constantly plagued me making a difficult journey almost impossible.
I had begun the program at Liberty University hoping to do all the work from home but soon found that would not be possible. On campus time was required even though they segmented it into concentrated stays of two week duration. I would have to physically go to Virginia. So, leaving two teenagers to fend for themselves, I prepared as best I could and boarded a plane.
The campus was located in a valley completely surrounded by mountain peaks. I had never having been east of the Mississippi river and the new landscape was fascinating. As I looked around I saw land that was higher than where I stood in every direction.
I left the dorm that first morning with a heavy briefcase and a light sweater—wrong combination for winter in the mountains. It was almost a fourth of a mile to the lecture hall and I was feeling very miserable. Then, I looked up and things changed. I wasn’t any warmer but I did become braver.
Several weeks earlier, I had been listening to the radio and heard Psalm 125:2 set to music. The little chorus was easily memorized and as I looked at the mountains it came back to me. “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, the Lord is all around His people.” If that scripture were true—and it was—I had no need to fear, and a little cold air was certainly not the worst thing in the world. If the Lord was all around believers, then He was around me. ALL around. As He looked down, nothing could surprise or take Him unaware. I may not have been warm, but I was safe.
Do you feel you’re on an uphill journey? Do you wonder about surprises and protecting your blind side? Rejoice! Jesus is all around and nothing surprises Him.
Jerusalem was located on top of a mountain and the temple of God was even higher located on the pinnacle within the city walls. It was an uphill journey and pilgrims seeking the presence of the Lord were likely to find the last steps, the hardest.
Perhaps that is why David wrote several songs specifically designed to be sung on the uphill hike. Psalm 125 is one of these Songs of Ascent intended to strengthen pilgrims and reassure them of God’s protection. Families sang together and traveling strangers sang to each other as verse by verse the music encouraged them to keep putting one foot in front of another and not be afraid.
A Song of Ascent was desperately needed when I was a forty-five year old college junior struggling to make financial ends meet while raising a family as a single mom and hoping I could finish my degree before funds ran dry. Fear and insecurity constantly plagued me making a difficult journey almost impossible.
I had begun the program at Liberty University hoping to do all the work from home but soon found that would not be possible. On campus time was required even though they segmented it into concentrated stays of two week duration. I would have to physically go to Virginia. So, leaving two teenagers to fend for themselves, I prepared as best I could and boarded a plane.
The campus was located in a valley completely surrounded by mountain peaks. I had never having been east of the Mississippi river and the new landscape was fascinating. As I looked around I saw land that was higher than where I stood in every direction.
I left the dorm that first morning with a heavy briefcase and a light sweater—wrong combination for winter in the mountains. It was almost a fourth of a mile to the lecture hall and I was feeling very miserable. Then, I looked up and things changed. I wasn’t any warmer but I did become braver.
Several weeks earlier, I had been listening to the radio and heard Psalm 125:2 set to music. The little chorus was easily memorized and as I looked at the mountains it came back to me. “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, the Lord is all around His people.” If that scripture were true—and it was—I had no need to fear, and a little cold air was certainly not the worst thing in the world. If the Lord was all around believers, then He was around me. ALL around. As He looked down, nothing could surprise or take Him unaware. I may not have been warm, but I was safe.
Do you feel you’re on an uphill journey? Do you wonder about surprises and protecting your blind side? Rejoice! Jesus is all around and nothing surprises Him.
His Pasture
Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
God uses many words to describe His relationship with us. We are called His children [1], people [2], possession [3], treasure [4], bride [5] and more. But one of the most common metaphors in both Old and New Testaments is that we are His sheep [6] and when He calls us by that name, the Bible often adds that we are kept within His pasture [7].
I don’t know a lot about sheep, but I do know pastures. I owned several when I lived on the ranch and as I think of being His sheep, the idea of dwelling in His pasture strikes a deep chord.
A pasture is by definition a portion of ground with boundaries where livestock are confided by fences or even sharp-toothed dogs whose sole purpose is to make sure the animals stay where they are supposed to be. My animals, like all others, liked to roam, but I ignored their fleeting wants. They were stuck within the boundaries I designated whether they liked it or not. I knew what was best and fences were not an option.
One of the curious things about livestock is they seem to have a built-in need to know where the fences are. If I bought a new animal or changed pastures with ones that had been under my care for years, the first thing they did was walk the fence. I’d open the bars of the trailer and they would stumble into the light blinking at the freedom of a new place. They might pause briefly or perhaps take a few bites of grass, but it wouldn’t be long until they started off in a straight line and walked until they could go no further.
Once they found the limit, they would push and examine and taste until they knew exactly what kind of barrier held them. Then, they would walk again, circumventing the entire pasture while pausing now and again to test the fence. Was there a hole they could squeeze through? If they leaned against it, did it stand? Did the barbed wire hurt too much if they pushed against it?
Eventually, convince that the fence could not be breached, they would settle down and become part of the heard. When that happened, they were finally in a position to enjoy the bounty I had provided.
The idea of a pasture is one way I find comfort when life throws a up barrier. I just think about being in the Lord’s pasture. Not that it is always comfortable and I don’t occasionally long for grass on the other side of the fence, but I know who owns the place where I live and spend my days. This is not a haphazard chunk of extra ground. It doesn’t belong to Satan. And, it doesn’t belong to the sheep. This pasture was allotted to me, personally. It belongs to a Shepherd who is kind and holds my best interest close to His heart.
[1] Ps.82:6; John 21:5
[2] Exodus 6:7; Luke 1:68
[3] Ephesians 1:14
[4] Matthew 13:44
[5] Revelation 21:2
[6] Psalm 78:52; John 10:14
[7] Psalm 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; 100:3; Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:31; John 10:9
God uses many words to describe His relationship with us. We are called His children [1], people [2], possession [3], treasure [4], bride [5] and more. But one of the most common metaphors in both Old and New Testaments is that we are His sheep [6] and when He calls us by that name, the Bible often adds that we are kept within His pasture [7].
I don’t know a lot about sheep, but I do know pastures. I owned several when I lived on the ranch and as I think of being His sheep, the idea of dwelling in His pasture strikes a deep chord.
A pasture is by definition a portion of ground with boundaries where livestock are confided by fences or even sharp-toothed dogs whose sole purpose is to make sure the animals stay where they are supposed to be. My animals, like all others, liked to roam, but I ignored their fleeting wants. They were stuck within the boundaries I designated whether they liked it or not. I knew what was best and fences were not an option.
One of the curious things about livestock is they seem to have a built-in need to know where the fences are. If I bought a new animal or changed pastures with ones that had been under my care for years, the first thing they did was walk the fence. I’d open the bars of the trailer and they would stumble into the light blinking at the freedom of a new place. They might pause briefly or perhaps take a few bites of grass, but it wouldn’t be long until they started off in a straight line and walked until they could go no further.
Once they found the limit, they would push and examine and taste until they knew exactly what kind of barrier held them. Then, they would walk again, circumventing the entire pasture while pausing now and again to test the fence. Was there a hole they could squeeze through? If they leaned against it, did it stand? Did the barbed wire hurt too much if they pushed against it?
Eventually, convince that the fence could not be breached, they would settle down and become part of the heard. When that happened, they were finally in a position to enjoy the bounty I had provided.
The idea of a pasture is one way I find comfort when life throws a up barrier. I just think about being in the Lord’s pasture. Not that it is always comfortable and I don’t occasionally long for grass on the other side of the fence, but I know who owns the place where I live and spend my days. This is not a haphazard chunk of extra ground. It doesn’t belong to Satan. And, it doesn’t belong to the sheep. This pasture was allotted to me, personally. It belongs to a Shepherd who is kind and holds my best interest close to His heart.
[1] Ps.82:6; John 21:5
[2] Exodus 6:7; Luke 1:68
[3] Ephesians 1:14
[4] Matthew 13:44
[5] Revelation 21:2
[6] Psalm 78:52; John 10:14
[7] Psalm 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; 100:3; Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:31; John 10:9
Protecting Your Blind Side
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, / So the LORD surrounds His people / From this time forth and forever. Psalm 125:2
Jerusalem was located on top of a mountain and the temple of God was even higher located on the pinnacle within the city walls. It was an uphill journey and pilgrims seeking the presence of the Lord were likely to find the last steps, the hardest.
Perhaps that is why David wrote several songs specifically designed to be sung on the uphill hike. Psalm 125 is one of these Songs of Ascent intended to strengthen pilgrims and reassure them of God’s protection. Families sang together and traveling strangers sang to each other as verse by verse the music encouraged them to keep putting one foot in front of another and not be afraid.
A Song of Ascent was desperately needed when I was a forty-five year old college junior struggling to make financial ends meet while raising a family as a single mom and hoping I could finish my degree before funds ran dry. Fear and insecurity constantly plagued me making a difficult journey almost impossible.
I had begun the program at Liberty University hoping to do all the work from home but soon found that would not be possible. On campus time was required even though they segmented it into concentrated stays of two week duration. I would have to physically go to Virginia. So, leaving two teenagers to fend for themselves, I prepared as best I could and boarded a plane.
The campus was located in a valley completely surrounded by mountain peaks. I had never having been east of the Mississippi river and the new landscape was fascinating. As I looked around I saw land that was higher than where I stood in every direction.
I left the dorm that first morning with a heavy briefcase and a light sweater—wrong combination for winter in the mountains. It was almost a fourth of a mile to the lecture hall and I was feeling very miserable. Then, I looked up and things changed. I wasn’t any warmer but I did become braver.
Several weeks earlier, I had been listening to the radio and heard Psalm 125:2 set to music. The little chorus was easily memorized and as I looked at the mountains it came back to me. “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, the Lord is all around His people.” If that scripture were true—and it was—I had no need to fear, and a little cold air was certainly not the worst thing in the world. If the Lord was all around believers, then He was around me. ALL around. As He looked down, nothing could surprise or take Him unaware. I may not have been warm, but I was safe.
Do you feel you’re on an uphill journey? Do you wonder about surprises and protecting your blind side? Rejoice! Jesus is all around and nothing surprises Him.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Feeling Blessed Today?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places Ephesians 1:3>
Do you feel blessed today? You should! The truth is that your ARE blessed whether you recognize that fact or not. The blessings are flowing all around you. God’s Word says so!
One of the nicest things about Ephesians 1:3 is that the verbs are past tense. God HAS blessed us. Not that He is planning on blessing us someday or that He may bless if we faithfully stick it out through the hard times. No, this is a done deal. It is finished. Settled, Complete. Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. This blessing of God has already happened!
We sometimes experience a pleasing event and declare ourselves “blessed” because the event feels good and we are grateful. There is nothing wrong with that. Happy and at times unexpected things do indeed come from our Father. But, those are not the kind of blessings referred to in Ephesians. The past-tense, done-deal blessings that Paul focuses on are spiritual blessings found in heavenly places. That’s what makes them superior to and more to be desired than any feel-good, pleasing for the moment events we may encounter.
This world is passing away. If you are “blessed” with good health today, it will fade as you age. If you are “blessed” with a good job and new car, both will eventually vanish. Earthly events, things and circumstances are like that. They come, and they go. But things in the heavenly realm last: Character growth, knowing how to be content, recognizing the smile of God, eternal life and eternal rewards; these things don’t fade. They are here to be enjoyed now and only multiply as we pass through this life and into eternity.
Right now—today—God’s smile is toward those who are bought by the blood of Jesus (Romans 8:1) His favor is raining down (Ezekiel 34:26) God seeks our good, not our hurt (Jeremiah 29:1). He has made us accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6). Nothing and no one can ever separate us from His Divine protection (Romans 8:31-35). We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:19-21 NKJV). We are blessed to such a degree that the God of Glory has even destined us to be kings and priest before Him forever (Revelation 1:6).
We have all these things because we have experience a royal birth (I Peter 1:23). And, just like earthly royalty, our birth status doesn’t change. No matter where we are, no matter what our circumstance, no matter if others recognize it or even if we ourselves deny it (II Timothy 2:13) once born royal, we can never be unborn.
Lift up your head today. You ARE blessed and there is nothing your day or your world can throw at you today that will make your status any different.
Do you feel blessed today? You should! The truth is that your ARE blessed whether you recognize that fact or not. The blessings are flowing all around you. God’s Word says so!
One of the nicest things about Ephesians 1:3 is that the verbs are past tense. God HAS blessed us. Not that He is planning on blessing us someday or that He may bless if we faithfully stick it out through the hard times. No, this is a done deal. It is finished. Settled, Complete. Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. This blessing of God has already happened!
We sometimes experience a pleasing event and declare ourselves “blessed” because the event feels good and we are grateful. There is nothing wrong with that. Happy and at times unexpected things do indeed come from our Father. But, those are not the kind of blessings referred to in Ephesians. The past-tense, done-deal blessings that Paul focuses on are spiritual blessings found in heavenly places. That’s what makes them superior to and more to be desired than any feel-good, pleasing for the moment events we may encounter.
This world is passing away. If you are “blessed” with good health today, it will fade as you age. If you are “blessed” with a good job and new car, both will eventually vanish. Earthly events, things and circumstances are like that. They come, and they go. But things in the heavenly realm last: Character growth, knowing how to be content, recognizing the smile of God, eternal life and eternal rewards; these things don’t fade. They are here to be enjoyed now and only multiply as we pass through this life and into eternity.
Right now—today—God’s smile is toward those who are bought by the blood of Jesus (Romans 8:1) His favor is raining down (Ezekiel 34:26) God seeks our good, not our hurt (Jeremiah 29:1). He has made us accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6). Nothing and no one can ever separate us from His Divine protection (Romans 8:31-35). We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:19-21 NKJV). We are blessed to such a degree that the God of Glory has even destined us to be kings and priest before Him forever (Revelation 1:6).
We have all these things because we have experience a royal birth (I Peter 1:23). And, just like earthly royalty, our birth status doesn’t change. No matter where we are, no matter what our circumstance, no matter if others recognize it or even if we ourselves deny it (II Timothy 2:13) once born royal, we can never be unborn.
Lift up your head today. You ARE blessed and there is nothing your day or your world can throw at you today that will make your status any different.
What If I Don't Like God's Answer?
Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First, seek the counsel of the LORD.”
I Kings 22:3
It is good to seek the Lord’s counsel, but what happens once He speaks and we don’t like what He says?
Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were about to embark on a risky venture. Syria had taken Ramoth from Israel. It was only fair that Ahab should take it back and if Jehoshaphat would join forces with him victory was assured. The plan sounded good.
Ahab paraded his prophets before the king of Judah. With a unified voice they said, “Go to it. You are bound to win!” That was exactly what Ahab wanted to hear. But Jehoshaphat rightly suspected that the prophets were only saying that because Ahab paid their wedges so he requested a real prophet of God be called. Micaiah wasn’t on Ahab’s payroll and he spoke the truth predicting failure and death.
This was advice no one really wanted to hear. Not even Jehoshaphat. He had asked that the prophet be called, but now that he knew what God had to say the future didn’t look nearly as bright as it had moments before. There was money to be made on his deal with Ahab and the war plans looked solid enough on the surface. In the end, Jehoshaphat brushed aside the words of the prophet choosing instead to follow his personal desires and his friends.
The kings went to battle and as Micaiah had predicted Ahab was killed and it took direct intervention from God to get Jehoshaphat back home beaten and humiliated but safe.
I would like to think I am not like Jehoshaphat. But I know better. There have been times when I asked the will of the Lord then either disobeyed or argued because I didn’t like His answer. Perhaps you remember those times, too. Have you ever looked back and moaned, “Why didn’t I obey? Why couldn’t I see how badly this would turn out? Or, lamented, ‘How different my life would have been if I had listened to His voice!”
We can’t turn back the clock or erase decisions we wish we had not made. But, there is one thing we can do: We can resolve to follow His voice today. We have no guarantees for tomorrow but we can confess yesterday’s failures, accept that He has put them as far from us as the East is from the West, then turn our faces toward tomorrow with renewed hope knowing that whatever He commands, He also provides power to perform. Our only responsibility is to obey when we know His voice. Even when the voice is contrary to our desires and plans.
I Kings 22:3
It is good to seek the Lord’s counsel, but what happens once He speaks and we don’t like what He says?
Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were about to embark on a risky venture. Syria had taken Ramoth from Israel. It was only fair that Ahab should take it back and if Jehoshaphat would join forces with him victory was assured. The plan sounded good.
Ahab paraded his prophets before the king of Judah. With a unified voice they said, “Go to it. You are bound to win!” That was exactly what Ahab wanted to hear. But Jehoshaphat rightly suspected that the prophets were only saying that because Ahab paid their wedges so he requested a real prophet of God be called. Micaiah wasn’t on Ahab’s payroll and he spoke the truth predicting failure and death.
This was advice no one really wanted to hear. Not even Jehoshaphat. He had asked that the prophet be called, but now that he knew what God had to say the future didn’t look nearly as bright as it had moments before. There was money to be made on his deal with Ahab and the war plans looked solid enough on the surface. In the end, Jehoshaphat brushed aside the words of the prophet choosing instead to follow his personal desires and his friends.
The kings went to battle and as Micaiah had predicted Ahab was killed and it took direct intervention from God to get Jehoshaphat back home beaten and humiliated but safe.
I would like to think I am not like Jehoshaphat. But I know better. There have been times when I asked the will of the Lord then either disobeyed or argued because I didn’t like His answer. Perhaps you remember those times, too. Have you ever looked back and moaned, “Why didn’t I obey? Why couldn’t I see how badly this would turn out? Or, lamented, ‘How different my life would have been if I had listened to His voice!”
We can’t turn back the clock or erase decisions we wish we had not made. But, there is one thing we can do: We can resolve to follow His voice today. We have no guarantees for tomorrow but we can confess yesterday’s failures, accept that He has put them as far from us as the East is from the West, then turn our faces toward tomorrow with renewed hope knowing that whatever He commands, He also provides power to perform. Our only responsibility is to obey when we know His voice. Even when the voice is contrary to our desires and plans.
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