Satisfied

Oh the sweetness of a mother with her baby – thirty plus years later and I can still vividly remember the quiet love that washed over me like a tidal wave when they placed my son in my arms. But he had only one thing in mind – his craving for nourishment. He wanted to eat! Every mom knows that infants will sound the alarm when the first pangs of hunger hit. Mom fills the baby’s empty tummy, and for a season that is all the child knows of her. She is the one who meets his needs. But children grow and the relationship grows with it. The baby soon discovers that Mom is more than a place to eat.
David wrote, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps 131:2). This is a picture of the child who is past the craving stage; he no longer sees his mother as just a source of food. She is a person to enjoy, a person who loves him. Now he can be content just being in her presence without making demands of her. He still calls for her when he has a need, and he will frequently glance back at her to make sure she is still there and is satisfied to see her nearby.
Are you content simply being in the Father’s presence? Or do you still regard Him as a means to fill your wants and needs? Those who are most satisfied in their relationship with God are the ones who have learned to enjoy Him for who He is. Yes, they trust Him to meet their needs as they come. But He is so much more than a solution to their problems. More and more the Lord is teaching me to love Him for who He is, not just for what He can do for me.
Can you sit with Him in the quiet and just enjoy the privilege? God is able and willing to meet your needs – and your greatest need is Him. Beloved, won’t you come a sit a while with your Father?

Promises, Promises

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does” (Psalm 145:13).
Sarah and Rebekah, both have stories marked by the power of God. They both saw God move in wonderful and amazing ways, in impossible situations. Wouldn’t you think they, of all people, would trust God completely? Yet Sarah and Rebekah doubted God would keep His promises. Honest confession, so have I. God has made promises to me and circumstances made those promises seem impossible. I am as guilty as my ancient sisters of falling to a lack of faith. They manipulated people and things to “help” God. I have as well.
The Bible assures us that “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Charles Spurgeon says, “God keeps His promises before He makes them.” Think about that. When God makes a promise, it is as good as done no matter how the situation looks. God can be trusted to fulfill what He has promised.
Now think about what God has promised to you. Can you see the thing coming into reality right now? Probably not. Does that mean that God will fail to keep His promise? Absolutely not. It means you need to keep your eyes on Him and not on the circumstances. It means God is going to do something amazing before your eyes. In fact, the more impossible the situation looks, the bigger the miracle to bring it to fulfillment. And you don’t want to miss that do you?
Beloved, you and I do not have to doubt that God will keep His promises. We also don’t have to scheme and plot and manipulate to bring God’s promises to fruition. It is completely His job and He doesn’t need any help from us. Anything you and I may accomplish by our feeble actions will be empty and vain. Everything God does to accomplish His promises will be extraordinary and beyond our wildest expectations. I know this from His Word and from my own experience. When I stand aside in faith and let God be God, He blows my mind!
Our only response to God’s promises should be “May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38) as we wait – not in frustration and doubt – but in eager anticipation. God is faithful, Beloved. He will not fail you. He always keeps His Word.

Advent 2023: (Not) Just Another Baby

“The Virgin of the Angels” William-Adolphe Bouquereua (1825-1905)

Joy had a bumpy week with us this week. She was not at her best – there were many tantrums and tears and lots of “NO!” punctuated with stomping feet. She is a strong-willed little girl with a lot of emotion. Heaven help us. She especially fights bedtime. But when she finally falls asleep – usually curled up on Poppy’s arm – I look at her and all the frustrations of the day melt away.

To watch a child sleeping is to see the sweet face of innocence. Their eyes are closed to the world; mouth in soft repose as a tranquil, near-holy hush settles over their whole being. They say that when a baby smiles in his sleep, he has been kissed by an angel. If that is true—and why would we doubt it—the Infant Jesus must have smiled the whole night through. This Child was loved and adored on earth and in heaven.

Every baby brings a sense of promise to his family. Mother and father have dreams in their hearts of who this child will be—a doctor, a teacher, a missionary, or a dancer, perhaps even a leader who will one day change the world. One mother knew that her baby indeed would. One mother held the true Child of Promise for all mankind, the Messiah who would bring peace on earth.

Oh, He looked like any other baby lying there in her arms, small, helpless, and beautiful. He cried like other babies. He needed to be fed and changed like other babies. But she had heard the angel say that her child would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Joseph said that the angel had come to him too, and told him that this Child “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Her cousin Elizabeth had declared “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear” (Luke 1:43). And what about the shepherds that came from the fields with a wild and glorious story of singing angels (Luke 2:8-18)? It is any wonder that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19)?

To the rest of the world, it was just another night. To anyone who might have come upon the stable, he was just another baby. But a young mother—and all of heaven knew—peace had come to the earth, wrapped in rough cloths, sleeping in a manger.

Advent 2023: The Gift and the Giver

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

My oldest brother, Jim, opened a Christmas gift that contained a single bar of soap.  He looked at it, shrugged his shoulders and tossed it into the pile of wrapping paper in the middle of the room.  My other brother, Mike, opened a box that also held a bar of soap.  But he decided to dig a little deeper, surmising that Mom had something up her sleeve.  He peeled back the wrapper on the bar and found a $100 bill wrapped around the soap.  Jim took one look at it and made a dive into the pile of wrapping paper to retrieve his.  Mom had struck again.

Christmas gifts are the fun part of the holiday. I can’t wait to watch Joy unwrap her presents in a couple of weeks. I can already hear her excited squeals of delight. I still remember some of my favorite gifts as a child, like the kid-sized walking Betsy doll with her pink and green dress and the Easy-Bake Oven my brothers ruined cooking bugs. And the year my husband got me every color of embroidery floss DMC made and all the stuff to store them.

God has presented us with a gift far more valuable than a $100 bill or a doll.  He has given us the gift of His never-failing love.  But for so many, the gift seems valueless and it is tossed away as we search for something “better.”   The world offers a different kind of “love,” but it always leaves us empty and wanting something more – something real and lasting.  That is because at the very core of every human heart is a longing for the love only God gives – and we will never be satisfied with anything less.  The more we chase after other loves, the less satisfied we become.

The first humans choose sin to fill that deep yearning and humanity has followed suit ever since.  The desire for love remains, but our sense of what will fill that desire has been crudely twisted away from God.

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and to impart His divine love.  He came to be the bridge between sinful men and women and our loving Creator.  The gift of holy love is available to anyone who will accept it.  Beloved, don’t toss away the most valuable present you’ve ever been offered.

God is Mindful of You

When her cousin Elizabeth blessed the Baby in her womb, Mary broke out in praise. Luke 1:46-55 is called “The Magnificat for the first words of her song: “Magnificat anima mea Dominum” – “My soul glorifies the Lord.” Her reasons run from individual to worldwide – all declaring His faithfulness. One particular statement in her song always stands out to me.

She said, “He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant”. (v. 48) The NLT renders this “He took notice of His lowly servant girl.” But not because she was anything special.  While certain denominations exalt her to almost God-like status, Mary was just one more girl living in a poor Judean village – she had no wealth, no standing, no theological or religious education – but the Lord God of Heaven and Earth “took notice” of her. And she was amazed that God had given her such a divine blessing.

I wonder if you feel unnoticed, overlooked, or disregarded. Day after day you do the thing – care for your family, work a long day at your job, pour over the books as you study, sit with sick loved ones (or maybe not-so-loved ones), wipe noses and bottoms (your own littles or someone else’s), clean floors and dishes. Maybe you come home to a quiet empty apartment every day, or to kids looking to you alone to meet their wants and needs. You are probably wondering how to stretch a little money a long way and when you will ever get a break. Does anyone see you? Does anyone care?

Yes, beloved – God sees you and God cares. Mary praised the God who took notice of her – a lowly servant girl in a poor village. This was the same God who was named “El Roi” – the God who sees me – by a pregnant Egyptian slave girl on the run in the desert. Hagar named her son “Ishmael,” which means “God hears.” He is the very same God who sees and hears you – every tear, every sigh, every lonely, exhausted night, every whispered prayer for help and strength. You are not unnoticed dear one. The God who created you, who sent His Son to die for you, is mindful of you. He loves you. He has His eyes fixed on you. Beloved, you are precious in His sight.

Acts: Who’s Watching You?

Before we dive headfirst into Saul’s conversion story in Acts 9, I want to take you back to the first time we met this young man. Slip back to Acts 7, and consider this . . .

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). That’s a risky statement for most of us, but he said it with confidence because he was committed to following the example of Jesus Christ. Paul poured himself into Timothy, Titus, John Mark, and many others, leading by his words and everyday example. But who influenced Paul? Stephen was chosen as a disciple of the new Church. He was “a man full of God’s grace and power” (Acts 6:8). But a group of jealous Jewish leaders stoned him to death. He died with his eyes fixed on his Savior and his testimony on his lips (Acts 7). Luke wrote that a young man in the crowd was watching. “The witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58). Saul walked away with a murderous hatred toward Jesus’ followers (Acts 9:1) – and a seed that had been planted deep within his spirit. Saul chased believers across the region, Saul chased believers across the region, arresting as many as possible – until God caused that seed to sprout on the road to Damascus – which is where we will be next time. The Christ-hater became a Christ-proclaimer and the Christian faith had one of its boldest and most faithful witnesses. Did the death of Stephen have any influence on Paul’s conversion? The Scripture doesn’t say it explicitly, but I believe so. Saul – AKA Paul – would later paraphrase Stephen’s words: “The Most High does not live in houses made by me” when he said “The Lord . . . does not live in temples built by hands” (Acts 7:48;17:24). In our everyday moments, when we are not even aware, we are affecting those around us. That is a sobering thought. Little ones are watching us as we cook supper, brush our teeth, fold laundry, vacuum, and yes, drive the car. I am well that Joy is a little sponge around me. But it’s not just those nearest to us. The store clerk, our coworkers, neighbors, fellow shoppers, and our children’s friends are all within our sphere of influence. Everything we say and do – especially in our unguarded moments – makes a deep imprint on others.

Beloved, what kind of impression are you making in the world?

Lean on God

My son called us early this morning fully dressed in his army uniform and hat with an anxious expression on his face. I remember that look well. I saw it on his first day of school. I saw it when he was a teenager and had to explain his actions to a police officer. I saw it when he faced things that were scary and unknown. That look of “I don’t know if I can do this.” He’s a grown man, but the boy was there on the screen, wiping away a tear from his eye. He starts the full run of basic combat training. It’s going to be hard. They will break him. The worst part, he said, is he won’t be allowed to call home for the first couple of weeks. Talking to his wife and daughter and mom has gotten him through. But we won’t have us for a while.

This will be the hardest thing he’s ever done, and he’s overwhelmed. Maybe you understand. You might be in the middle of the hardest thing you’ve ever faced right now and you don’t know how you will make it. I will tell you the same thing I told him. This is when you lean hard on God. When grief and sorrow overwhelm you, lean on God. When your body is racked with pain and fever, lean on God. When you walk out of your workplace with your possessions in a box, when the gas tank, the pantry, and your purse are empty, when the one who vowed to love you walks away, when you sit helplessly beside your loved one’s hospital bed . . . lean on God. When you head off to boot camp, lean on God. And when my son wipes away tears of anxiety 425 miles away, I’ve got to lean on God too.

What does that look like? A lot of prayer. A lot of time in the Word of God. And more prayer. And when the wave of anxiety or depression or anger or grief hits I pray more and read more and lean more. Because God is faithful. Every scenario I mentioned, I’ve lived through – or I should say God carried me through. He was with me in every one. He was my strength and my comfort. He was my hope and my peace. And now, I am entrusting my son into His hands. I reminded Troy of that before we signed off the call together. I’m reminding myself of that too. Beloved, whatever you face right now, lean hard on God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . .” (Prov. 3:5). You’re in His hands – and there’s no better place to be.

Advent 2022: In Heaven’s Eyes

I’ve always wondered about heaven’s reaction when Jesus was born.  What was the Father thinking?  Did He look over at Jesus’ empty throne?  Were the angels rejoicing?  Or were they silent with wonder?  The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically, but we do have a small clue.

“Even angels long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12).   The word Peter used for “look” means “to bend over to look intently.”  Can you picture it with me – tens of thousands of angels bending over the edge of heaven to gaze upon the Son of God in human flesh? The One who, with the Father and the Spirit, created the first human being had now become one of them.  The omnipotent was now a helpless infant, subject to cold and hunger and pain.  The One who provided all men with all things now needed a young woman to provide for Him.  He who called the light forth now squinted His eyes at the brightness of Joseph’s lantern.   He had spoken the animals into being; now they were His only companions at His birth. 

No doubt the celestial beings marveled at the sight before them, but they were particularly in awe for the purpose of it all.   They had always known that God is complete love, they had experienced that love for themselves.  But grace. Grace was something foreign to them.  These earthly creatures had rejected and abandoned their Creator; they deserved destruction.  But God offered forgiveness and even more – was willing to accept these rebellious humans as His own beloved children.  How could it be that the Sovereign Lord God Almighty sent His One and Only Son to pay the penalty for humanity’s sin?  To the heavenly beings, it was extraordinary. They recognized the greatness of God’s offer – even if the recipients of it did not.  Peter said the angels “eagerly desired” to know this amazing grace.  But it is a gift only human beings can receive.

This Christmas Day, Beloved, as you unwrap presents and embrace loved ones, consider with fresh eyes the gift of God’s grace.  From heaven brought down to earth, it is, in fact, the true heart of Christmas.

Advent 2022: Right Place, Right Time

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” Micah 5:2

Sometimes I feel like I’m looking at a map with one red dot that says, “You are here,” and another red dot way on the opposite side of the terrain that says “God’s purpose for you is here.” I’m so very far away.  Four hundred after Micah’s prophecy, a young woman was startled to learn that she was pregnant with the Promised One – the Messiah.  But wait—she is in Nazareth and the prophecy said the Messiah would come out of Bethlehem, some 80 miles away.  So was the prophecy wrong?  Did God make a mistake?  Not at all.  The Sovereign One had a plan and He would use a pagan ruler to fulfill it. Check it out:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child” (Luke 2:1-5). Mary made it to the right place – Bethlehem – at the right time – when her baby was born – through the “whim” of a Roman ruler who had no reverence for the God of Israel. I find tremendous peace in that.

God has a time and place of purpose in His plan for you.  You probably won’t get there via a straight line.  You may feel you are completely off track, or that God has forgotten all about you.  You’re not sure how you wound up where you are or why.  But be assured that God, who created you with a time and place in mind, knows exactly where you are right now and where He wants you to be and when you need to be there.  He didn’t fail to fulfill the prophecy of old, and He won’t fail to fulfill His purpose for your life.  Hear me on this Beloved, wherever you are today is not the end of your journey.  Trust Him, trust His ways, trust His heart.  He knows the where and the when and the way to get you there.

Advent 2022: Pondering Christmas

Image: “Mary and Baby Jesus” by Jean Keaton
 https://www.jeankeatonart.com/…/pro…/mary-and-baby-jesus

I posted a meme earlier in the week of Jesus saying, “Listen carefully. I don’t want to end up with four different versions of this.” It’s funny, but there is a reason for the four gospels. Each author, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote to a different “target audience.”  Matthew wrote to assure the Jews that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Mark wrote to the Romans while Luke’s intended audience was the Greeks. John, some scholars say, wrote “Heaven’s perspective” revealing Jesus as the divine Son of God. When you read all four gospels in harmony, it is like turning a diamond to see all the different facets that make up the whole. Only Matthew and Luke covered the birth narrative.

Luke’s purpose in writing his Gospel account was to “carefully investigate everything from the beginning,” using the testimonies of “those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word” (Luke 1:3, 2). Tradition holds that one of those eyewitnesses was Jesus’ mother Mary. That is why we find such a rich account of our Savior’s birth. Who would be better to retell that wonderful story?

Luke added:  “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). That always touches my heart as a mother. I have my own “treasures” of my son’s birth and early years that I often pull out and remember. Every mother has a treasure trove of memories from the birth of her children. Mary had much to ponder and no doubt wonder what it all meant. Gabriel’s announcement to her – “You will be with child and give birth to . . . the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31, 32). Her cousin Elizabeth’s greeting – “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear” (Luke 1:42). Joseph’s loyalty – “Joseph did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24). The long, difficult journey while she was heavy with Child (Luke 2:4-5). The mean and lowly stable and the animals who witnessed the birth (Luke 2:6-7). A group of stunned shepherds talking excitedly about a chorus of angels and the brightness of God’s glory (Luke 2:8-18).

No doubt she remembers counting His fingers and toes and smoothing the curl on the top of His head as He slept contently in her arms. For the moment He was Mary’s sweet little baby boy, but he also held the hope and promise of God’s redemption for the whole world.

For the remaining days before Christmas, let’s spend some time pondering who this Baby in the manger truly was. Let’s look for the details of the Christmas story. Then let’s join Mary and treasure them up in our hearts and remember them all year long.