In the Palm of Your Father’s Hand

Yesterday, Joy and I took a Saturday afternoon nap together – we’ve been napping with one another since she was tiny. It is one of the sweetest delights in my life. She likes to snuggle as we fall asleep, with her head resting on my left forearm and my right arm wrapped around her. I know that she will soon outgrow naps, to I will take advantage of them while I can.
After we woke up, I glanced down at my arm, the one she lain on, and I noticed a strange mark. Upon further inspection, I recognized the imprint of her ear. On my arm. It was a sweet reminder of her presence. If I weren’t such a chicken, I would have run up to the tattoo shop and had them immortalize that little ear print on my arm.
It reminded me of a precious verse in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah prophesied to the people of Judah and Jerusalem between 740 and 860 BC. This was about a hundred years before the Babylonian invasion and conquest, which was the topic of writing. He warned the people that their wickedness and evil had come before the Lord, and He was going to take them through the purifying fires of judgment. The imagery is stark and terrifying, but thankfully, Isaiah promised that God would not leave them in that state. Restoration would eventually follow.
That’s where the verse I mentioned shows up. After the very hard season they endured (Is 40:2), God declares that He will rescue Israel and care for them once again. He said that, if it were possible for a mother to forget the baby she nursed, He would never forget His people. He declared, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Is 49:16). The Lord God of heaven and earth has an impression of you on the palm of His hand. Your name is etched right there so that he sees it often, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that when He does, He smiles.
All through the Bible, God tells you how much He loves and delights in you. Yes, you, the one who tends to stumble in your walk and forgets what He has said in His Word. You, the one who makes messes in your life – just like this writer does. God looks down at His palms and says, “That mess belongs to Me. I love every bit of her (or him).”
Beloved, if your name is in the palm of His hands, all of you is too.

Forgiven and Free

“It is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8).
I caught the state trooper out of the corner of my eye, and my heart sank. I was busted. I kept looking into my rear-view mirror, waiting for him to pull out after me with lights flashing. But he never did. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I realized I had gotten away with breaking the law.
The news is filled with reports of innocent people who were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. They were denied the freedom they were due, cut off from their loved ones, and their reputations were ruined. Innocent people should not be punished. It is a travesty of justice.
Yet there was one innocent man who bore an even greater punishment – Jesus. He not only endured false imprisonment, but He was put to death for crimes He did not commit. The sin of all humanity was heaped upon Him. My sin among them. I am guilty. God has every right to call me to justice for my sins. But He doesn’t. And it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with grace. It is not like the state trooper who let me get away with speeding. The criminal has to be brought to justice; the penalty has to be paid. Death. But Jesus stood before God and said, “I will take her sin, I will pay for her crime.” And miracle of miracles – I am not guilty anymore. I didn’t just get away with my sin. Jesus took my sin and my punishment. I am declared innocent because of Christ.
If you have trusted in Jesus, you are declared not guilty before God. Your sins have been paid in full with the blood of the innocent Son of God. You’re not just getting away with something; you are truly free of guilt.
If you have not trusted in Jesus, you are guilty before God. But you don’t have to be. Jesus died for your sins, too. He took your guilt and your punishment. Grace is there for you. More than getting away with sin, you can be declared innocent. Beloved, won’t you receive God’s gift today and be free?

Give Thanks in ALL Things?

“The Thankful Poor” by Henry Ossawa Tanner

One of the most challenging verses in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In some seasons of my life, that is an easy verse to obey – things are good, everyone is healthy, bills are being paid, the pantry is full of food, and the tires on the car have plenty of tread. Then there are those days when that verse is a hard pill to swallow. The medical bills are stacked three inches high, the rent is late, the cupboards are bare, the kid is expelled from school, and the car needs a new oil pump. And I’m supposed to give thanks? The key to gratitude in those hard seasons is being thankful IN all things, not necessarily FOR all things. And the focus of our thankfulness is always God and His faithfulness and sovereignty.

I’m reminded of the story of Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom, the Dutch sisters who endured the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp for the crime of hiding Jews from the German Polizei. The building in which they were crammed was infested with fleas, which caused Corrie to complain. Her sister reminded her that they must “give thanks in everything,” which Corrie could not understand. But because of the fleas, the guards refused to go into their building, and they were free from sexual assaults and also free to hold daily prayer and Bible study sessions with their fellow prisoners. The Bible is full of similar stories of God using the hard things to bring about good.

Despite our circumstances, we can be thankful for God’s presence, His faithfulness, and His sovereignty. I have lived through a lot of hard stuff – some really gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, soul-crushing things – but God was always there. He comforted, encouraged, provided, healed, protected, strengthened – and always brought me through. He never let me down. Never. Not one single time. Beloved, if you’re finding it hard to give thanks this year, may I gently remind you to turn your gaze from your circumstances to the God who is able to make even fleas a blessing. He is up to good in your life. In all things.

When Satan Speaks

The joke (or truth) goes, “How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips are moving.” The same punchline applies to the devil. Anytime he opens his mouth or impresses a thought or speaks through the culture, he is lying. Jesus called satan “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Lying is his native tongue. But you may not realize that he is also the father of half-truths that look right and sound right but are still deceptive.
Take the temptation of Jesus. Matthew 4 records this scene as the devil tried to coerce Jesus into sin. He questioned Jesus’ position as the Son of God (v. 3) enticing the Lord to turn stones into bread or jump from the highest point of the temple to “prove” Himself (v. 5). In the temple temptation, Satan actually quoted Scripture to Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'” (v. 6). That’s a good-sounding argument right out of Psalm 91:11-12. Should be a witness to Bible-believing fellow, right? But Satan stopped short of the whole truth in that passage. The very next verse speaks of his own demise: “You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent” (Psalm 91:13). The rest of this Psalm describes how God will rescue, protect, deliver, and honor the one who loves and worships Him alone.
Many of us are on guard against satan’s lies – but we are not always as wise to his half-truths. They come at us from the world, which is captive to the devil. They come stealthily from those who have mixed the pure Word of God with cultural whitewash. They come from pulpits and social media and “Christian” podcasts and blogs (yikes!) That is why it is vital to know the whole context of Scripture. The best way to tell a counterfeit bill is to know what the real thing looks like. The best way to discern a lie – or a half-truth – is to know the whole truth. Beloved, “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life” (Deut. 32:47).

Dance

David danced before the Lord with all his might.” 2 Samuel 6:14
Deep within the soul of a little girl beats the heart of a dancer. When she was younger, she would twirl around the room, making her skirt billow out wide, curls bouncing as her feet leapt with the Joy in her heart. A little boy tossed a baseball high in the air and caught it on its way back down, listening to the roar of the imaginary crowd. But sometimes life can just knock the breath—and the Joy—right out of us. We start out well, full of dreams and enthusiasm, but real-life struggles and heartaches come along, and we find those dreams fading. Perhaps you are not a dancer at heart, but you have a God-given desire to step into something that would bring Him great glory, yet you also have a past that has weighed you down with shame and regret. You think, “I can’t dance (or sing or write or preach, or whatever that desire is). People know my past, and they will not approve.” My friend, that is the very reason you need to tie on your ballet slippers.
King David tried to return the Ark of God to Jerusalem after it had been captured in battle. His first attempt was a humiliating and deadly failure. At his second attempt, David celebrated, “dancing and leaping before the Lord.” His wife chastised him, saying, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would” (v. 20). Sound like some voices you’ve heard lately? “Who do you think you are to serve God with your past?” But David replied, “It was before the Lord [that I danced]” (v. 21). God was glorified by David’s dance.
Why do we think we can’t live for the glory of God when we have made mistakes – that we have to sit it out when we’ve stumbled in life? I know this one well. My past is riddled with failure and foolishness. But everyone has made mistakes. If we all sat out the dance because of the mistakes we’ve made, no one would ever dance again. And that is all the more reason why we should– to show the world that Jesus forgives and restores and makes life worth living again.
Beloved, someone else has stumbled over the same rock that brought you down; let them know they can get back up again. Celebrate before the Lord with all your might. The world doesn’t need to see you dancing out of perfection; they need to see you dancing out of redemption.

God Calls You . . .

The Old Testament book of Exodus is the story of Moses and the Israelites’ miraculous escape from slavery in Egypt. The power of God is on full display in this book, as is His holiness. Exodus is also where we encounter the Tabernacle, the place where the Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth would dwell in the midst of this rag-tag bunch of stiff-necked, helpless, desperate refugees. He had chosen them to be His people, and He had committed to be their God – and He required a place of His own. This Tabernacle was a tent that could be disassembled, transported, and reassembled wherever He led them. It must have been a magnificent sight. The tent panels were made from the finest fabrics, embroidered with richly colored yarns. The tent poles were made from the finest wood, with footings and joint-pieces of silver. The altar was made of bronze. And the elements of worship, the lampstand, table, and the ark were made with pure gold. Nothing but the very best would do for a holy God.
And yet . . . here I am . . . a child of God. Me. A sinner through and through. I’m not rich or pure or fine. I can’t go one day without making a mistake. My life’s story is riddled with failure and bad decisions and outright rebellion. Like Paul, “I know that nothing good lives in me” (Romans 7:18). Still, He chose me to be His own. That is astonishing to me.
Do you want to know something equally amazing? He chose you, too. Yes, you. Mistakes and sins and faults and all. He chose you to be His own precious and beloved child. No, you didn’t do anything to deserve it. He chose you in Christ Jesus simply because He loves you. Period. End of story. Except it’s not the end. It’s really the beginning of a love relationship that will last forever. And here’s another amazing truth: you can’t mess this up. You didn’t do anything to gain His love, and you can’t do anything to lose it either. That’s why I always call you “Beloved.” Because you are. Because God loves you “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). You need to know that. So do I. Now, go have a wonderful, blessed, beautiful day, Beloved.

God is For You

“It’ll all be made right in heaven,” a sweet lady told me at my mom’s funeral. And she was right. God will set all wrong things right one day. All the hard things. All the sad things. All the things that were unfair and unkind. Even all the things that were caused by evil. Paul assures us: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). All our tears will be replaced with shouts of Joy.
But in our present moment of pain, heaven seems pretty far away, doesn’t it? Is there any hope for you now? I believe there is. Listen to what David said when he was in a difficult place: “How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You” (Ps 31:19). Did you catch it? In the sight of men. Here on earth. God’s goodness, David said, is not just for the hereafter; it’s for the here and now. It’s for today.
How can I be so sure? Because, in Paul’s words, “God is for us” (Rom 8:31). “For us” means on our side, but not just on our side; He is, in the Greek, exceedingly, abundantly on our side. Now take that personally and say with me, “The God of heaven and earth is exceedingly, abundantly on my side.” I can also be sure because I have seen Him at work many times in the hard places in my life. He has taken what others have done against me and brought something good out of it. He has taken the unexpected trials in my life and blessed me in awesome ways. He has even taken my sin and foolishness and brought wisdom and ministry out of them. That’s how I can be so sure.
There is another verse that I marked in my Bible with dates and memories of a time that was so hard I honestly thought it was going to kill me. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps 27:13). I clung to those words like a man in an ocean clings to a life preserver. And I did see the goodness of the Lord. And many years later, I can testify that I still see His goodness every day. So will you, Beloved. God is for you. Right here in the land of the living.

A Mustard Seed of Faith

Like so many of you, I’ve been praying for someone for a long time – at least 20 years. I’ll be honest and tell you that I gave up on those prayers for a time. I looked at this person and I saw no way that God could work in this hard-headed, hard-hearted person’s life. But in reality, I had not given up on them; I had given up on God. James said that “the fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Do you believe God will answer your prayers? And where do you go for hope if you don’t? Acts 12:5-17 illustrates how often we pray without faith in God to answer.
The apostle Peter was in prison. His fellow apostle James had been beheaded by the evil King Herod, and now Peter, under the careful guard of sixteen soldiers (v. 4), was set for the same fate. The situation was very grim. Verse 5 says, “Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” Oh, the power of praying friends!
An angel of the Lord awakened the sleeping apostle and hustled Peter out of the prison, miraculously passing all the guards and the iron gate, which opened by itself (v. 10). Peter quickly made his way to the house where his friends were gathered, praying for him. His knock was answered by a servant girl named Rhoda, who recognized his voice and ran to tell the group of prayer warriors. What was their response? “Hallelujah!” “Praise our Faithful God!” “Bless the Name of the Lord?” No, they said, “You’re out of your mind! It must be his angel.” (v. 15). But wait, what had they been praying so fervently for? God had answered their prayer, and they didn’t believe it? Peter kept knocking, and when they finally opened the door, “they were astonished” (v. 16). Do you think they were also a little embarrassed at their lack of faith?
Jesus promised that God honors “faith as small as a mustard seed” (Matt. 17:20). A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in horticulture. Bill Bright said, “God does not require you to have great faith. You simply are to have faith in a great God.” A mustard seed of faith in the greatness of God is enough.
Do you base your prayers on the person or situation for which you are praying? Or will you believe in the One to whom you are praying? Beloved, the next time you pray for rain, don’t forget to grab your umbrella on the way out the door.

The Nearness of God

Peter followed at a distance…” Luke 22:54b
Bette Midler sang a song with these lyrics: “God is watching us, from a distance.” In this age of “spirituality,” fewer and fewer people can testify to a close and personal relationship with God. Peter is the prime example of one who walked closely with the Savior, yet allowed himself to drift. One of Christ’s most passionate disciples, Peter swore allegiance to Jesus, saying, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). But Jesus knew that Peter’s bold talk would not sustain his resolve. He told Peter, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me” (v. 34). And sure enough, Luke 22:54-62 tells us that Peter did just as the Lord said he would.
How does one who walked so closely with Jesus turn away from Him so easily?
“Peter followed at a distance.” By the words used in this verse, we see a contradiction in Peter’s actions. He “followed” – which means “to accompany, to be a disciple,” so he heads out with the heart of a disciple, to accompany his Lord and Teacher. But he followed “at a distance.” Out of fear for his own life, Peter fell back, and the space between him and Jesus began to work on his heart. When he separated himself, his passion for the Lord cooled, and rather than a heart warmed by his love for Jesus, he warms himself by a man-made fire. His passion for Christ had chilled to the point that he openly denied the One he previously swore to follow to prison and death.
It is the same with you and me – when we begin to allow the cares and offerings of this world to draw us away from our Savior, our hearts begin to cool toward Christ, and rather than draw near to Him, we turn and warm our cold hearts at worldly fires.
Now, let me offer this beautiful contrast. God has made a promise to you and me: “the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut 31:6). Our Heavenly Father has promised, no matter how far we roam, He goes with us and will never leave us There is no power or force or thing that can take us from His love (Rom 8:38-39). God is never distant from His beloved child. He can never separate Himself from those who are in Christ Jesus. Pop songs are not theology; God is watching us, but not from a distance. Beloved, He is as near as your next prayer.