Morning Prayer

You give life where death once ruled.

You give hope in the midst of turmoil, and peace during the storm.

You give assurance in the face of doubts.

You give wisdom when we are bewildered, and strength when we are weak.

You give sweet rest for the weary, welcome to the lonely, and Joy to those who have been trampled by life.

You give cleansing for the stains of sin and redeem all we once thought was lost.

Lord, You are life and love, light and hope, joy and peace.

Oh that my heart would always stay fixed on You.

God teach me to abide in You, until that day when I abide with you for eternity.

In His Hands

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Yes, I know, you’ve heard this verse a thousand times. It’s an old favorite of the church and might even be a bit overused. But that’s because it is true and hopeful and if ever we needed hope, I think it’s now. It seems like the whole world has gone crazy, doesn’t it? Or perhaps the world is too big to contemplate, but your life has been crazy lately.  You find yourself asking “Why?” and wondering if God has forgotten about you. Let me take you on a ride through history to show that the Lord is still very much in control.

In 332 BC, the nation of Israel, along with much of the known world was conquered by Alexander the Great, a Greek warrior and king. Alexander’s conquests were not meant for destruction, but rather for assimilation into the Greek empire. All nations were educated in the Greek language for unification. Alexander ordered the ancient Hebrew Scriptures to be translated into Greek, a work that was accomplished in 70 days.

In 63 BC, the Roman Empire conquered Israel. Though known for their cruelty and harsh rule, they were also known for establishing strong infrastructure wherever they went to enable swift transport for their military. Roads were laid by the Romans throughout the European and Asian continents.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus persecution drove His followers from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria and throughout the region. As they went, they walked along Roman-built roads and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the unified Greek language. The story of God was read and taught everywhere they went because the language was the same wherever they went.

While all these events seemed to be unconnected, harsh circumstances, it’s clear that the God of heaven and earth was “working all things together” for the spread of the Gospel. Now, don’t you think this same sovereign God is able to manage the circumstances of your life? Not only has He not forgotten about you, but He is “perfecting that which concerns you” (Psalm 138:8). He’s got the whole world in His hands – and that includes you Beloved.

The Goodness of God

I’ve had this particular Bible since at least 1997. I know this because there are three dated notes beside a particular pair of verses – they are 1997, 2012, and 2018. I just pulled out a much older Bible and turned to that same spot and there was another date penned – Summer, 1987. It was a very hard year. My mom had died of cancer, our home had been repossessed, my husband was working out of state, and I was living in an unsafe environment. I began to experience almost daily panic attacks. I wasn’t walking closely with the Lord at the time, but I knew the Bible was a resource of peace, so I started reading the Psalms. And I found words of peace.

“Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (2:12).

“Thou, O Lord, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill.” (3:3-4)

“I will lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety” (4:8)

And there were so many more.

Then I came to the words God used to calm my heart.  And I continue to run to these verses when anxiety threatens to overwhelm me as it has lately. “I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (27:13-14). Every time I read those words I remember what the Spirit said to me: “The goodness of the Lord is not just for heaven. It is yours now – in the land of the living. Trust God and wait for Him.” For every date that I have written beside those verses, God was indeed good to me. My trust has never been in vain.

Beloved, I don’t know your struggle. I don’t know what is keeping you up at night. But I know – without a doubt or hesitation – that God is good and He is trustworthy. I understand you may have a hard time accepting that in the dark place in which you find yourself. I can’t make you believe, but I can tell you that He has never failed me. And He will never fail you. Be strong and take heart and wait for Him. God is good.

Hebrews: Church Leaders

“So you want to do something in the church,” the Pastor said.

“Yes, sir!” the man answered.

“What do you think you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you have?”

“We could use some help in the youth department.”

“Hmm. Teenagers are not really my thing.”

“Okay, we need people to help with cleanup after Wednesday night suppers.”

“Oh. Well, I was thinking of something . . . more . . . I guess, more important.”

“Well, tell me what you have in mind then.”

“I want to be a deacon – you know, hand out the bulletins and take up the offering.”

“Being a deacon is much more than that, it’s a calling from God. Deacons are spiritual leaders in the church.”

“Yes! I can do that – I can be a leader.  Go call the rest of the guys to come lay hands on me!”

I may have embellished this conversation just a bit, but the truth is, a lot of people want to be leaders in the church. But leadership is not something to be taken on a whim; it is a holy responsibility and should be approached with reverence – and a calling. The author of Hebrews addressed “the laying on of hands,” as part of the ”elementary teachings” of the faith (6:2). This is a practice within the church of conferring a spiritual office on someone who has proven their call to leadership, usually as a pastor, elder, deacon, or other position of ministry.  It expresses the gravity of the role they are assuming in the church.

Paul warned Timothy to be careful in selecting leaders for the church in Ephesus. He counseled him not to appoint out of partiality or favoritism then added, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands,” (1 Timothy 5:21-22). Church leadership should never be handed out as favors and candidates for church leadership must prove their calling and fitness for service. You’ve probably seen the damage that can result from ungodly leaders – they can destroy a church and people’s lives.

What should we look for in a leader? The Bible gives us a great example in Acts 6 through Stephen who was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (v. 5), “full of God’s grace and power” (v. 8), and spiritual wisdom (v. 10). He knew the Scriptures well (I once had a deacon ask me where in the Bible is the story of the Little Drummer Boy). Stephen died defending the name of Christ. That’s a man who is called to serve the church. Beloved, we must be wise in choosing leaders and wise in whom we follow, lest they lead us right to the gates of hell.

God, I don’t understand

There are many wonderful, hopeful, encouraging verses in the Bible and I love every one of them.  But my eyes fell on one this morning that speaks to my heart so well. The funny thing is, I found it compliments of my granddaughter who was sitting in my chair at my desk last night, thumbing through my Bible.  She left it open at John 13 when we called her to come to supper. It’s the account of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet just before his betrayal, trials, and crucifixion. When the Lord reached Peter with his bowl and towel, Peter protested. It was not right for the Teacher, the One Peter believed to be the Son of God, to wash his filthy feet. But Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7). Those words are like balm to my heart.

“Lord, I don’t understand this.” “God, why You are letting this happen?” “Father, this makes no sense to me.” Sound familiar? From world events to rampant evil in our nation, to job loss, sickness, relational strain, financial crisis, and on and on – it’s a confusing, overwhelming time. And we don’t understand. “God, how can this work together for good?” “Lord, how can this be part of your plan?” And the quiet whisper comes, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me” (John 14:1)

The hardest thing I’ve ever been called to do is to trust and wait on God when I don’t understand, when the “logical” thing to do is counter to what God has said. When everyone is saying, “You have to do this now!” and God says, “Be still and trust me.” When the situation seems hopeless and I am weary and God says, “In quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

Beloved, I don’t know your situation. I don’t know what hard thing God has permitted in your life, but I imagine your questions are the same as mine. “What are You doing Lord, and why?” And to our questions, the answer comes, “You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand. And when all the pieces come together, you will see what this was all about, and you will see My hand in it.” “Trust me.”

Hebrews: The Beauty of Baptism

I was baptized when I was about 9 years old. And 10 years old. And 12 years old. And 35 years old. I constantly thought I was too dirty for God, so I would be dunked again. Baptism became a ritual for me. I would have made a great Pharisee. That is the idea behind the author of Hebrews’ inclusion of baptism in his “elementary teachings” in Hebrews 6:2: “Let us leave  the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of . . . instruction about baptistms.” 

Once again, remember that he is writing to Jewish Christians who were raised in all the Jewish traditions. The Jews were a people of The Law –the Mosaic Law and the Levitical laws as given by God, but also the additional laws that were established by the Pharisees and Sadducees. And they were BIG on cleanliness.  They had a ritual of washing their hands before eating bread. Of course, handwashing before meals is simple hygiene, and the origin is biblical and reaches back to the tabernacle and the requirement of cleanliness for Aaron and his sons.  But they had turned it into an elaborate ritual that became a law unto itself. The Jewish Christians had come to regard baptism in the same way. It was a ritual – a spiritual routine that had been elevated to a much higher priority than intended. You can see the first notes of this in John 3:25-26.

Jesus was baptized at the start of His earthly ministry. Matthew 3:13-17 details the event. But John was baptizing “for the repentance of sins (Acts 19:4) and Jesus was sinless – in fact, John at first refused and said that he (John) needed to be baptized by Jesus. Yet Jesus said, “Let it be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15). At His baptism Jesus identified Himself with the sinners He came to save and the Father identified with the Son He sent to be man’s Savior.

A young girl was baptized at our church on Sunday and our Pastor reminded us that baptism doesn’t save us or make us right with God, but it publically identifies us with Jesus whose blood is the only saving power in heaven and earth.  Beloved, don’t count out the beauty of baptism, but don’t count on it to save you. The blood of Jesus is enough.

Rock Solid Faith

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world” (John 4:43).

A sinful woman encountered Jesus one day and an entire village was changed.  The Samaritan woman found Jesus at a well.  He told her who she was, and then He told her who He was.  She ran to her village and called her neighbors to meet the man who changed her life.  And they came.  And they believed.  Not because of what the woman said about Jesus, but because of what He said about Himself.  “Because of His words many more became believers” (v. 41).  Second-hand faith is not a sustaining faith.  We must hear and know Jesus for ourselves.

I am so grateful for my time as a seminary student.  That experience stretched my mind and my faith in ways I never imagined.  In seminary, I learned how to study the Bible for life, how to search out its treasures, and discern God’s truth.  I learned how to think critically.  Most of all, I was challenged to consider what I believe.  I looked at everything I believed and examined it carefully, scripturally, practically.  I found some things that needed to be challenged and changed, and some things that needed to be nailed down as the foundation of my faith. I no longer stand on what others told me about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, the Church, and my faith, I stand on what I know is true and right.  I know what I believe and I believe what I know.

You don’t need to go to seminary to build a strong foundation of faith.  All you need is the Bible and the courage to examine your beliefs through God’s Word and His Spirit. You need to find out if what you believe is really true.  Because that’s the kind of faith that stands firm against the winds of the culture, against the “wisdom” of the world, against the threat of suffering, persecution, and death.  Do you really think the martyrs of old would have died for something they weren’t convinced was true?  Beloved, you need to be sure of your faith and your convictions. You need to be certain that you have a faith that’s worth living – and dying for.

The Ministry of Experience

Ever done anything foolish in your life? Yeah, me too. What do we do with the failures of our past? We put them in God’s hands so that others can benefit from our hard-earned wisdom. I believe that’s what Paul meant when he said, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). As survivors redeemed by Christ we reach back and help someone else who is fighting the same battle. Why is AA so powerful? Because it is built on experience and a shared struggle. It is one person who has found freedom from addiction walking alongside someone who is trying to break free.

I can minister to a child who is bullied by her peers, to a teenager suffering sexual abuse, to a woman abandoned by her husband, to a person who struggles with depression, to someone battling anxiety and fear, to a mom with a wayward child, to a couple who has lost everything, but most of all, I can reach out to someone suffering the consequences of their own foolish actions because I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt to prove it. And because I have the grace of God to show how He ministered to me in the midst of it all.

It is the deepest belief of my heart that God will take what the enemy meant to harm me and turn it into a means of blessings for others. When I allow God to turn my misery into ministry, Satan loses.  Then I can say with Joseph, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

This is how we redeem our foolish past—we take our experiences, our failures, and our sins to the table and say to another struggling soul, “I know where you are, I understand what you’re feeling and I will walk with you until you are free in Christ.” Beloved, don’t let the enemy bury you in shame. Let God use you and your scars to turn mistakes into ministry and heartbreak into hope.

Blessed Be The Name of the Lord

I remember when “cool” was a temperature, then it became a word of affirmation. Sometimes it’s used to describe someone that is aloof – but it also describes someone who is fascinating. Then again, the weatherman said a cool front is passing through this week. And don’t forget about Paul Newman’s movie “Cool Hand Luke.” I think I’ve confused myself here. But consider how important words are. Words we used in the past are now banished because they are deemed demeaning and offensive. On many college campuses, some words are forbidden because they might “trigger” an emotional response of fear or anger. Yet today, words that were once spoken in reverence are spat out like curses.

Consider how our culture uses the words “Lord,” “God,” “Jesus,” and “Holy.”  Yet they identify the Righteous Creator and Sovereign King of the universe. Tradition says that in the medieval days when monks were transcribing the words of the Bible and they came to the Name, they would leave their table, wash themselves, get a new quill, write the Name then break the quill. This was to ensure that they did not approach the Name of God in an unclean state and that the pen that wrote the Holy Name would never be used to write something profane. That may be a bit over the top, but oh, that we still venerated the name of God!

One of the ten commandments says: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name” (Exodus 20:7). When we speak these designations of God as mere words in anything less than reverence we are misusing God’s name and identification. When we say “Good Lord” it should only be to praise Him, not register frustration. “Oh my God!” should be spoken as a prayer, not an exclamation of surprise or excitement or – worse – disgust. “Jesus Christ” is the name of the Son of God and our Savior, and is not to be spat out like a curse. And “Holy” is the highest description of the Lord God, and should never be joined to farm animals, bodily functions, and sexual slang.

Yes, our words carry meaning. Beloved, let’s consider carefully the words we say and use our mouths to speak of our God and Savior in the reverence due them.

Heaven Awaits

We had a problem with our copier at work this week and I needed to get the manual out of the little cubby space at the very bottom of the copier cabinet.  I asked my young co-worker for help and she got down on her knees and reached way back in the back and retrieved the manual. I am sixty years old. Things on my body hurt that never hurt before. My energy drains much quicker than it use to and I don’t have the strength to muscle things around anymore. And getting down on my knees on a hard floor is an impossibility. It would require a crane to get me back up again.  I’m trying to be wiser in the things I ask my body – and my brain to do these days.  I know medical science says that brains cells do not die as we naturally age – but I disagree. At least, if they’re not dying they must be getting tired, like the rest of me.  That’s why I am more discerning about what I put in them.  

I just want to know about the things of God. I want to know what He thinks and what He is doing. I want to know His ways and His purposes. I want to know Him. Because He is eternal. I want to fill my mind with His truth and His words because they will last long after The New York Post has ceased publication. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).  And the more I read and study the Bible the more convinced I am that all of life is really about eternity. And you and I need to know eternal things. What will it benefit us to know all about this singer or that actor or the dirty details of our politicians when we stand before God?

What you put in your mind affects your behavior, your words, your actions, your mood, your relationships, and your sense of peace and security.  It determines whether you live with faith or angst. The Bible is a book of wisdom and truth and hope because it is the Living Word of the Living God. It is as eternal as God Himself. Beloved, why would you want to fill your mind with the trivial matters of this world when heaven awaits?