A little food for weekend thought:
Lost my keys the other day. Yeah, yeah, I know all about putting them in the same place everyday. How many times have I given that lecture to our children? sigh. But that's just it--I always put them in the same place right by the kitchen door in a little container, so this had me completely bamboozled. Where on earth could they be? We've searched high and low--behind sofa cushions, in the cavernous recycling receptacle, under bushes, in every possible coat pocket, on shelves...no keys.
My husband and I spent (or should I say "wasted") several hours looking for those keys yesterday--all to no avail. Oh well, if the Lord decides we need to find them, we will.
But here's the thing that convicted me--what was my first response? Frustration. Totally frustrated with myself that I could have so foolishly and irresponsibly lost my keys. Frustrated at wasting all that time looking for keys. Frustrated and worried that I have no idea where they are--you sure don't want a set of keys floating around out there in the great unknown.
Yet the most frustrating thing of all is what I didn't do first--pray. Instead, I went into full bore panic mode searching for those keys. And the more I looked, the more irritated and anxious I got.
Until a simple text from a friend: "Pray about it so you won't be frustrated"
Well yeah, there's that.
Somehow going to the throne of God for lost keys--and far more importantly for my sinful, ungrateful, grumbling heart--had not crossed my mind. Sure, I had prayed a quick prayer that we'd find the keys, but had I prayed for a peaceful, joyful attitude in the midst of the search? No. Had I asked for forgiveness for my complaining, self-centered spirit? Nope. Had it occurred to me to ask God to give me that same kind of zeal and focus in seeking and searching for lost souls that I had at the moment for a silly, ridiculous set of lost keys? Busted. Oh forgive me, Father.
But here's the good word. Oh my, I keep coming back to it again and again this summer--"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb.4:15-16)
Jesus understands our failures and false starts. He can sympathize with our tendency to go to pieces over stupid stuff, or to go to grumbling and worrying. Aren't you thankful He understands?
But the even more glorious news is He overcame all that sinful gunk at the cross and now He lives to intercede for us...at this very moment. When we're at our worst. Our most selfish. When we've blown it...again. He tells us to come to with confidence (can you believe that?) to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help us right there, right then, in our time of need.
I'll never get over the wonder of that. To go to the Highest Throne in the universe--a throne of power and majesty and greatness and glory--and to do it with confidence. Not in ourselves, oh no...but in Him.
And when we get to that throne, we find not condemnation or even condescension (both of which we deserve), but mercy. And grace. And help. Mercy and grace for our repentance and His forgiveness. Mercy and grace for our failures and weaknesses and sins. Mercy and grace to pull us up out of the mire and set us back on the path. Mercy and grace to equip and empower us to live for His glory. Mercy and grace to enable us to deal with whatever is facing us and to do it with peace in our hearts and a song in our souls.
I love these words of Charles Spurgeon: "How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. We little know what we owe to our Savior's prayers. When we reach the hilltops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne has pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies."
Oh thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus, our great, gracious, and merciful High Priest! Thank You for always interceding for us--day and night, year in and year out, and at this very moment right now--and thank You for the unutterable privilege of coming to Your throne of mercy, grace and help. Thank You for the cross that provided the bridge to Your throne in heaven. Oh Lord, might we come this day and everyday to Your throne of grace to receive Your mercy, grace and help. We love You, Lord.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Love lessons from Bingley
Ever since he was a wee little fellow, Bingley has loved to snuggle...preferably in your lap--
And he's not partial to any particular lap. If you're in his "family," he's in your lap--
If you're sitting on the sofa, Mr. B is certain to trot over and softly (but insistently and pathetically) cry. I'm not kidding. He's such a baby. It's as if a little buzzer goes off in his head, and here's what he's thinking: "Time for some lovin'. I need to be reminded how much you adore me."
Sometimes, he'll give you no warning...he'll simply walk up to the sofa or chair, and with a soulful expression, suddenly leap into your arms. You can almost read his mind: "You look as if you need a bit of time and affection, so I'm your guy...uhh, dog." (Though we're not at all sure Bingley realizes he's a dog...not that we spoil him or anything. Ahem.)
"I think my daddy needs some love"--
"Time for Matt to get some encouragement"--
"Mary Norris' turn (she's in her PJ's--which means it's morning...which means she's tired...which means she really needs my time and attention)"--
"Oh, my boy Peter is practicing his trombone. I know he could use my help and encouragement"--
"Janie's back from college. I've missed her...and I know she's really missed me, so I better reassure her with a little love"--
Yep, Mr. Bingley has his own special ways of receiving and giving love. He may not be able to say it in words...or with a surprise gift...or even with an act of service...but he does it in the only way he knows how: snuggling. In fact, we'd say he's olympic calibre in the snuggling department.
So it got me to thinking: how quickly and consistently do I seek to love and encourage those around me? Seriously, am I going to let a canine outdo me when it comes to the number one job God assigned to me when He placed me on this planet: to love? To love my Savior, first and foremost, of course, but then to love those He's sovereignly and graciously placed in my life. Jesus tells us repeatedly that we are to love one another. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
Wow, think of that: we're to love as Christ loved us. That's some kind of standard...and it leaves no room for petty jealousy, ingratitude, resentment, or an unforgiving spirit.
Nope, if Jesus could forgive me of my enormous, humongous, gigantic load of selfishness, pride, envy and all the rest of my ugly sin and then on top of all that, love me, well then, how dare I do any less?
If the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe could wash filthy feet, then what act of service for others could possibly be beneath me?
If the Redeemer could love me at my worst and desire to have a relationship with me even when I'm indifferent or preoccupied (Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me!), then surely I need to willingly pursue and persist in loving those in my life who don't always reciprocate or respond.
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." (I Pet.4:8) Amen!
"And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (I Cor.13:13)
"Do everything in love." (I Cor. 16:14) Yep, that about covers it!
And by the way, love means action. We can't just think it or feel it--we've got to show it. With our words and with our deeds.
Bingley, thanks for reminding me why I'm here. Father, help us--by the power of Your Spirit that lives within us--to love.
To God be the glory.
Monday, August 25, 2014
I.F. or F.T.?
A new school year dawning...on an absolutely spectacular fall-like day, I might add. We're down to two still at home--a 7th grader and a senior higher. We have no idea what this year may hold for us...but we know Who holds this year. But, oh my, it's tempting to look ahead, isn't it? What will happen if...how will we handle it if...what will we do if...what if...what if...what if?
Can you, can anyone, ever know the answer to that question? Of course not. None of us has the foggiest idea even what tomorrow might bring. So what's the point in asking unknowable, unanswerable, and unprofitable questions? Seriously. Who does that ever help?
Here's what I know--those "if's"never help prepare us for the future.
Those "if's" divert our focus from where it should be (hint: our Savior! "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" Heb.12:2).
Those "if's" greatly diminish the strength we need for this day's challenges.
Those "if's" inevitably give birth to fear. (I once heard Beth Moore comment that the letters in the word "if" could stand for "I fear." Yep.)
And those "if's" rob the present moment of all it's joy and peace. Is that any way to live? Is that really how we want to run our race--nervous, jumpy, uncertain, and joyless? No thank you.
Here's what I'm thinking: those "if's" need to be banished! And when they creep into our thoughts and into our vocabulary, how about we replace them with a simple phrase, like "faithfulness today." 'Cause here's the deal--God has called us to be faithful today. Right where He's planted us. To love the people He's placed in our paths today. To do what He's called us to do today. To trust Him, obey Him, and seek to bring Him glory with our lives, today. To run the race set before us today as faithfully and fully as we know how ("let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" Heb.12:1).
And to trust God that when tomorrow comes, He'll give us the strength, love, grace and wisdom to be faithful with tomorrow's challenges as well. Faithfulness today.
For those of us feeling sad or anxious about children growing up and moving away, here's what "faithfulness today" looks like: Let's stop worrying about what will happen when our babies graduate from high school and we're empty nesters. They're still here now, aren't they? Well then, love them, teach them, encourage them, care for them with everything you've got today...and trust that God will have different--but still wonderful and exciting plans--for you when they've flown the coop for college.
Or if you're stuck in the trenches of seemingly endless diaper changing and exhausting, non-stop mothering of pre-schoolers, stop wishing today away in the quest for some imaginary future filled with time, sleep, relaxation, and applause for your work. No! God's given you today...the opportunity in this never-to-be-repeated moment to influence, shape, and love these little eternal souls, and to do it to His glory, with faithfulness today.
Whether it's being a wife or husband, a parent or a child, a sibling or a friend, a worker or a boss...do whatever God's called you to do with faithfulness today, entrusting the results and the future to Him.
I love how Martin Luther once put it: "There are only two days on my calendar: this day and that day."
This day, meaning the 24 hours right here before us. The gift of this day that God has given us. And that day, meaning that glorious day when Christ returns, and we all stand before Him face to face. If we're faithful each day with this day, then we can anticipate that day with joy, peace, and excitement. And if we're practicing faithfulness today, then we're running our race in such a way that one day, we'll hear those beautiful words from the lips of our Redeemer, "Well done, good and faithful servant...Enter into the joy of your Master." (Mt.25:21)
No more "I.F"--"I fear." Instead, it's "F.T."--"faithfulness today." To God be the glory.
Can you, can anyone, ever know the answer to that question? Of course not. None of us has the foggiest idea even what tomorrow might bring. So what's the point in asking unknowable, unanswerable, and unprofitable questions? Seriously. Who does that ever help?
Here's what I know--those "if's"never help prepare us for the future.
Those "if's" divert our focus from where it should be (hint: our Savior! "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" Heb.12:2).
Those "if's" greatly diminish the strength we need for this day's challenges.
Those "if's" inevitably give birth to fear. (I once heard Beth Moore comment that the letters in the word "if" could stand for "I fear." Yep.)
And those "if's" rob the present moment of all it's joy and peace. Is that any way to live? Is that really how we want to run our race--nervous, jumpy, uncertain, and joyless? No thank you.
Here's what I'm thinking: those "if's" need to be banished! And when they creep into our thoughts and into our vocabulary, how about we replace them with a simple phrase, like "faithfulness today." 'Cause here's the deal--God has called us to be faithful today. Right where He's planted us. To love the people He's placed in our paths today. To do what He's called us to do today. To trust Him, obey Him, and seek to bring Him glory with our lives, today. To run the race set before us today as faithfully and fully as we know how ("let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" Heb.12:1).
And to trust God that when tomorrow comes, He'll give us the strength, love, grace and wisdom to be faithful with tomorrow's challenges as well. Faithfulness today.
For those of us feeling sad or anxious about children growing up and moving away, here's what "faithfulness today" looks like: Let's stop worrying about what will happen when our babies graduate from high school and we're empty nesters. They're still here now, aren't they? Well then, love them, teach them, encourage them, care for them with everything you've got today...and trust that God will have different--but still wonderful and exciting plans--for you when they've flown the coop for college.
Or if you're stuck in the trenches of seemingly endless diaper changing and exhausting, non-stop mothering of pre-schoolers, stop wishing today away in the quest for some imaginary future filled with time, sleep, relaxation, and applause for your work. No! God's given you today...the opportunity in this never-to-be-repeated moment to influence, shape, and love these little eternal souls, and to do it to His glory, with faithfulness today.
Whether it's being a wife or husband, a parent or a child, a sibling or a friend, a worker or a boss...do whatever God's called you to do with faithfulness today, entrusting the results and the future to Him.
I love how Martin Luther once put it: "There are only two days on my calendar: this day and that day."
This day, meaning the 24 hours right here before us. The gift of this day that God has given us. And that day, meaning that glorious day when Christ returns, and we all stand before Him face to face. If we're faithful each day with this day, then we can anticipate that day with joy, peace, and excitement. And if we're practicing faithfulness today, then we're running our race in such a way that one day, we'll hear those beautiful words from the lips of our Redeemer, "Well done, good and faithful servant...Enter into the joy of your Master." (Mt.25:21)
No more "I.F"--"I fear." Instead, it's "F.T."--"faithfulness today." To God be the glory.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Remembering and rejoicing
It was a day much like today--very hot and humid--with all the frenzy associated with the start-up of school, activities, and fall. All that busyness had crowded out any kind of thoughts about the ultimate issues of life and death. About what really mattered to us.
In fact, one moment forever remains frozen in my memory: Janie rushing out the door that morning to get a ride to the lake, shouting, "Bye, Mom! I'm late! And me, preoccupied on the telephone, simply waving goodbye and failing to say those words that I always said to my children when they were leaving the house, "I love you! Salt and light make a difference!" Later that night, while sitting in the ICU waiting room, and in those long days afterwards, I sadly pondered that seemingly insignificant moment...when I had missed the opportunity--perhaps for the last time--to tell my daughter I loved her. How could I have failed to do and say that which was most important? That was my greatest regret in those hard days and weeks.
If you knew that this day, this hour would be your last chance to share with someone how much you love them, to give them a hug or an encouraging word, wouldn't you always pause to take the time to say it and show it...rather than busily remaining focused on a to-do list? Oh how often we mistakenly choose the temporarily urgent over the eternally important!
No, we suddenly and shockingly had the gift of clarity--of who and what truly mattered.
I won't go into all of it again, but God taught us so much in those days and weeks. We had learned and now knew by experience, rather than just theoretically, that our God is forever faithful, gracious, and loving--even in the hardest, darkest of places. And we discovered that when you hit rock bottom...He is deeper and greater still. And though it was a painful, hard-won lesson, we learned that our Lord is sovereign; and if He chose to take Janie home to Himself or leave her in a wheelchair or hospital bed for the rest of her life, then our God would somehow, someway supply us all with the grace we'd need for each day, everyday.
God uses pain, uncertainty, and waiting in our lives in such powerful, shaping ways, doesn't He? C.S. Lewis says that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." It's so true. Some things can only be learned in the dark.
"I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name." (Isa.45:3) We would not trade for anything the treasures of darkness that the Lord gave us in those long days: Drawing us closer to Him. Teaching us dependence upon Him. Bringing His Word alive to us as never before--His words seemingly breathed straight from His lips...warm, healing, strengthening. Schooling us in the truly important (versus "urgent") need of choosing gratitude---and the incomparable blessings of peace and joy that such thankfulness brings. Gratitude even for the smallest of gifts (our favorite nurse at night; the Starbucks in the hospital; dear family and friends; laughter--even in the ICU; hot tea; prayer; hymns; gifted doctors; home; sweet memories; the Word...)
And so today, we simply remember and rejoice over God's amazing grace and forever faithfulness. From the helicopter that flew Janie to Greenville to the ambulance that carried her to Chapel Hill--
I don't know what kind of hard, painful struggles you might be enduring this day, but this I do know--your God is able.
Able to carry you through. Able to reveal to you treasures in the darkness. Able to bring ultimate good even out of the most difficult of circumstances. Able to "do far more abundantly than all that [you] ask or think, according to the power at work within [you]." (Eph.3:20)
If He can give sight to the blind...cause the lame to walk...walk on water...calm the fiercest storm with a word...forgive the vilest sinner with His blood...feed the hungry masses with a lad's snack...and raise the dead to new life...well, then, I think...no, I know that He can fully and faithfully carry you too. Not somehow, but triumphantly.
"I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."(John 16:33)
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Change...fear...and faith
Can you tell I really don't want this summer to end? Boy, transitions are so hard, aren't they? Even good transitions can prove challenging for many of us (at least for yours truly). And that means we often resist and resent change--of any strip or color--because, well, change often hurts. I've said it before, but I'm clearly a "status quo" kind of girl: let's keep life (and the people we love) just the way it is. Children not growing up and moving away. Loved ones not getting sick and dying. Jobs not being lost. Steady as she goes, might be my motto.
But you know what's just dawned on slow-learning me? Behind my dislike of change and my desire to cling to the old and familiar is basically one thing: fear. Plain old joy-robbing, peace-destroying, adventure-avoiding, and faith-denying fear.
Fear of all the unknowns that lurk right around the corner.
Fear of something harmful happening to our children when they're no longer within our eyeshot and control.
Fear of losing my memory, my abilities, my usefulness (especially a fear for us stay-at-home moms as our children grow up).
Fear of losing those we love.
Oh fear wears so many terrible masks--
Fear of not measuring up. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure...or even fear of success. Fear of loss. Fear of risk. Fear of missed opportunities...and fear of taking those opportunities.
Fear is a merciless thief and a relentless attacker. Always on the lookout for that tiny opening, that smallest of vulnerabilities, and then moving in for the kill.
And fear is from the pit of hell. Smells like smoke.
Fear really underlies my sorrow at letting go of the past and embracing the future. Because here's the bottom line--either we trust that God's plans for our future and the future of those we love are ultimately good, pleasing and perfect...or we don't.
We either trust in the ways and plans of the One who is both perfectly powerful and perfectly good...or we trust in our own cramped, myopic view of what we--fallen, selfish, sin-prone dust-people that we are--think will be best.
It's either trust in the Great God Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth...or trust in little, old me, myself, and I.
One way leads to peace, joy, hope, and excitement over the future...the other to fretting, fussing, complaining, and fear, fear, fear over what's ahead.
And we get to choose. Every single day. Every single one of us. What will be it be? Will we choose to live our lives constantly battling our resentment of change and our simmering fear of the future? Or will we live our lives continually placing our trust in the One who holds us and the future in His nail-scarred, grace-filled, love-saturated hands?
Just as with His ways and will, His hands are personal--knowing and loving each of us personally. They are purposeful--planning and fulfilling in each of our lives that which is ultimately for our good and God's glory. And they are oh so powerful. Whatever is ahead, our God is able. That's what His power means to us--He is able to forgive the worst sin. Able to redeem the most hopeless situation. Able to give peace in the most frightening of circumstances. Able to resurrect the deadest of hopes. Able to revive and restore the most embattled relationships.
He is able, able--able from the day we breathed our first breath on this earth...and able until the day He brings us home to heaven. And if He is able, well then, we can relax and trust Him with whatever our future brings.
"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." (Ps.16:5-8)
Fear, take a hike. You've been permanently removed from your position and replaced by the Lord who is "always before me, because He is at my right hand."
For all He has given in my past and for my chosen portion in the present, I say "Thank You, Father!" And for the future, I say, "Yes, Lord!" In You I place my trust.
Anybody else out there need reminding today? We might need to remind that thief fear a thousand times of day to get lost!...and to preach to ourselves a thousand times a day the truth of the One who is really there and really in control. That's okay. Just keep teaching and reminding yourself of the truth.
Stop rehearsing your fears. Start reciting your faith. Your faith in the Almighty who is not just with you and for you, but is before you, behind you, beside you, and inside you.
For our God is already there; He is Almighty; and He is always able.
Thank You, Lord Jesus.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Old age, selfies, empty nests…and JOY!
"Peter, I'm almost 25. That is so old." (Just overheard Mary Norris saying this…which officially makes her mama older than dirt. Ancient, actually.)
"Mom, I'm moving next week to Charlotte!" (Said in an excited tone of voice by our second oldest child. Lord I have a question--can we rethink this kids-growing-up-and-moving-away thing?)
"Senior year in High School--I can't wait to go to college next year." (From Preyer--our next to last child still at home. This empty nest plan is a terrible idea, if you ask me.)
"Honey, you do not look like that picture. That's just a bad picture." (My sweet, but lying, husband. I've heard this any number of times the past few years. My stock response: "That is a photograph of me! Of course, that's, unfortunately, what I look like!" Sigh. Reality can be tough.)
I think it's time for a little revival, don't you think?--and I'm not talking about a facelift (though judging from my pictures--that mysteriously "don't look like me"--I could certainly use one). Nope, we all need the supernatural revival that comes only from our resurrected Lord. And guess what--His revival doesn't depend upon youth, good looks, or a happy home full of children.
"Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation." (Ps.85:6-7)
Our Lord is the source of all joy, for in Him is fullness of joy. Our joy is not in ideal circumstances or ideal families or ideal appearances or ideal health. No, our joy is in and through Him. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
"…the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10)
I loved this prayer from Scotty Smith: "Since your joy is my strength, Father, cause my heart muscle to beat afresh with your joy, the joy that fills the courts of heaven. Holy Spirit, since joy is one of the fruits You grow in the lives of the children of God, please weed, prune, and fertilize my heart for a fresh crop.
Jesus, since you are praying for the fullness of your joy to be in us (John 17:13), I will live with anticipation and hope, for your prayers never fail. Though I've never seen you, I do love you, and I love you because you first loved me and gave yourself for me on the cross. Fill me afresh with the inexpressible and glorious joy of the salvation you have won for us (I Pet.1:8-9)."
Oh boy, aren't you thankful your joy doesn't depend upon the ever-vascillating, never-reliable circumstances of life? No way! Our joy grows out of the rock-solid, always trustworthy, and never, ever failing power, grace, love, promises, character, and cross of our Lord.
So despite encroaching old age, unfortunate photographs, and relentlessly growing-up-and-leaving-home children, in our God is fullness and richness of JOY! And "He who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think" (Eph.3:20) is also able to fill us with His overflowing joy. Time to proclaim it!
And speaking of less than flattering photos, even young folks and cute puppy dogs can fall victim. These were selfies Peter took on the drive up to the mountains as Bingley sprawled out in his lap.
Gotta love that nose.
Note to (old age) self: do not take any selfies…ever…under any circumstances.
Thanks for reviving me again, Lord…and for making me smile.
To God be the glory.
"Mom, I'm moving next week to Charlotte!" (Said in an excited tone of voice by our second oldest child. Lord I have a question--can we rethink this kids-growing-up-and-moving-away thing?)
"Senior year in High School--I can't wait to go to college next year." (From Preyer--our next to last child still at home. This empty nest plan is a terrible idea, if you ask me.)
"Honey, you do not look like that picture. That's just a bad picture." (My sweet, but lying, husband. I've heard this any number of times the past few years. My stock response: "That is a photograph of me! Of course, that's, unfortunately, what I look like!" Sigh. Reality can be tough.)
I think it's time for a little revival, don't you think?--and I'm not talking about a facelift (though judging from my pictures--that mysteriously "don't look like me"--I could certainly use one). Nope, we all need the supernatural revival that comes only from our resurrected Lord. And guess what--His revival doesn't depend upon youth, good looks, or a happy home full of children.
"Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation." (Ps.85:6-7)
Our Lord is the source of all joy, for in Him is fullness of joy. Our joy is not in ideal circumstances or ideal families or ideal appearances or ideal health. No, our joy is in and through Him. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
"…the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10)
I loved this prayer from Scotty Smith: "Since your joy is my strength, Father, cause my heart muscle to beat afresh with your joy, the joy that fills the courts of heaven. Holy Spirit, since joy is one of the fruits You grow in the lives of the children of God, please weed, prune, and fertilize my heart for a fresh crop.
Jesus, since you are praying for the fullness of your joy to be in us (John 17:13), I will live with anticipation and hope, for your prayers never fail. Though I've never seen you, I do love you, and I love you because you first loved me and gave yourself for me on the cross. Fill me afresh with the inexpressible and glorious joy of the salvation you have won for us (I Pet.1:8-9)."
Oh boy, aren't you thankful your joy doesn't depend upon the ever-vascillating, never-reliable circumstances of life? No way! Our joy grows out of the rock-solid, always trustworthy, and never, ever failing power, grace, love, promises, character, and cross of our Lord.
So despite encroaching old age, unfortunate photographs, and relentlessly growing-up-and-leaving-home children, in our God is fullness and richness of JOY! And "He who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think" (Eph.3:20) is also able to fill us with His overflowing joy. Time to proclaim it!
And speaking of less than flattering photos, even young folks and cute puppy dogs can fall victim. These were selfies Peter took on the drive up to the mountains as Bingley sprawled out in his lap.
Note to (old age) self: do not take any selfies…ever…under any circumstances.
Thanks for reviving me again, Lord…and for making me smile.
To God be the glory.
Friday, August 15, 2014
"Get you up to a mountain"--to see His glory!
My view right now from our porch--
"Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!' Behold the Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather His lambs in His arms; he will carry them in His bosom and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" (Isa.40:9-12)
What an awesome Creator and Sustainer--He who "measured the waters in the hollow of His hand…and weighed the mountains in scales." Can you imagine the immensity of such a God? The unimaginable vastness of His power?
And yet, He is also our Good Shepherd, who tenderly and gently leads and carries us.
Stunning, almighty power…yet also sweet gentleness and grace. The Lion and the Lamb.
Such is our God, and there is none other.
Sometimes we simply need a fresh vision of His greatness and glory. In the nitty gritty of life, we tend to lose sight of how awesome, how wondrous He is. If we find ourselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, well, that's a good indication we've lost sight of the majestic gloriousness of our God.
So, to borrow the Psalmist's words, if you've forgotten, time to "get you up to a high mountain!" Or maybe get you to a wide ocean…or a rippling brook…or even a path in the woods. Cease all your strivings for a moment, pause, look around, and be amazed at His wonderful handiwork on full display all about you.
Will He who crafted such glories not also tenderly and perfectly care for you?
As James Taylor once famously sang, "It's all a matter of opening up your eyes, and looking around…'cause it's all there." Just walk outside and be astounded by the work of Your Creator and Redeemer:
The busy, buzzing bumblebee--
The fragile, ephemeral beauty of the butterfly--
The sweet companionship of your dog--
And that's just from a two minute trip out into the yard! We need to open our eyes to His works all around us and open our hearts to the treasures in His Word and be amazed…and then transform that amazement into worship.
So thank You, Father, for Your creation--so vast, so varied, and so reflective of Your glory. And thank You for Your Word that reveals to us who You are, what You've done, and where Your children are headed (hint: glory!). Open our eyes, this day, Father, that we might glimpse Your glory…and be transformed from glory to glory.
To God be the glory.
What an awesome Creator and Sustainer--He who "measured the waters in the hollow of His hand…and weighed the mountains in scales." Can you imagine the immensity of such a God? The unimaginable vastness of His power?
And yet, He is also our Good Shepherd, who tenderly and gently leads and carries us.
Stunning, almighty power…yet also sweet gentleness and grace. The Lion and the Lamb.
Such is our God, and there is none other.
Sometimes we simply need a fresh vision of His greatness and glory. In the nitty gritty of life, we tend to lose sight of how awesome, how wondrous He is. If we find ourselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, well, that's a good indication we've lost sight of the majestic gloriousness of our God.
So, to borrow the Psalmist's words, if you've forgotten, time to "get you up to a high mountain!" Or maybe get you to a wide ocean…or a rippling brook…or even a path in the woods. Cease all your strivings for a moment, pause, look around, and be amazed at His wonderful handiwork on full display all about you.
Will He who crafted such glories not also tenderly and perfectly care for you?
As James Taylor once famously sang, "It's all a matter of opening up your eyes, and looking around…'cause it's all there." Just walk outside and be astounded by the work of Your Creator and Redeemer:
The busy, buzzing bumblebee--
So thank You, Father, for Your creation--so vast, so varied, and so reflective of Your glory. And thank You for Your Word that reveals to us who You are, what You've done, and where Your children are headed (hint: glory!). Open our eyes, this day, Father, that we might glimpse Your glory…and be transformed from glory to glory.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
On the hard days...remind us, Lord
Lots of sadness going around these days. Lots of tragedy and deep wells of sorrow and fear that sometimes threaten to swamp our hope, our peace, our trust.
Horrific atrocities in Iraq, with innocents dying by the score as the world seems helpless to do anything to stop this genocide. Ebola rampaging across Africa, reaping inevitable death and terror in it's wake. And again, the world seems shocked, stunned and stumbling in it's response. Death, rioting and looting in a town in our nation--are we coming apart at the seams? And then the sad, senseless suicide of a man who made us all laugh…and we wonder: did the laughter merely camouflage a chasm of tortured pain and loneliness? And then there's dear, dear friends valiantly fighting battles against cancer and other diseases.
And all we can do is cry out: "Help us, Lord Jesus! Save us."
In the gospel of John, Jesus comes to the tomb of one of His dearest friends--Lazarus--now dead four long days. And Jesus does something remarkable--He wept. Yes that's a totally natural response in the face of death. But here's the thing: Jesus knew that in a matter of moments, He would raise this man to new life. The Lord fully understood that wonder, joy, and celebration would be breaking out in mere seconds when He commanded, "Lazarus, come out!" And a dead man, still wrapped in his linen shroud, would shuffle out.
Jesus knew every bit of this…and yet He wept.
Why the tears? Because that's the heart of God on display for all of us. Not only His tender love and compassion for His grieving children, but also His sorrow and hatred of the putrid effects of sin on this broken planet. All that sickness, sorrow, death, despair, isolation, hatred, fear. Jesus grieved, even as He prepared to redeem and resurrect. What a Savior.
I know I'm not alone in looking around me and feeling both terribly sad as well as fearful, wondering where this is all headed. Asking God to move and show forth His power in a mighty, redeeming way in this world that so desperately needs Him…yet so stridently rejects Him. Oh Father, we need not only Your supernatural power and healing…we urgently need Your grace.
But even as I pondered these sorrows, the Lord's Word spoke into the sadness and confusion--
"I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
He overcame not by the power of tyrants…or the intimidation of radicals …or the solutions of government…or the wisdom of the experts…or the butchery of extremists.
No, He overcame by stretching His arms out wide and saying, "I love you this much. Come, all who will come…and be saved by the blood of the Lamb."
The gentle, sinless, perfect Lamb of God…who is the omnipotent, awesome, glorious Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And He will not be defeated or deterred by any person or power, visible or invisible.
And so on this day in August of 2014, we proclaim that our God is great, good, and glorious, and in Him, and Him alone, we place our trust. We join with the Psalmist:
"But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteous of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." (Ps.71:14-18)
Yes, Lord, cancer…and death…and disease…and terrorism…and depravity may seem to shake the foundations of this earth. But they will not win. You will conquer them all, for You have already overcome the world and sin and death.
When fear threatens to overwhelm us…remind us of Your greatness and glory, Father. When despair rocks us…remind us of Your sovereign control over all, all, all things. When sadness wants to swallow us…remind us of Your unconquerable joy, hope and peace.
And when any lesser power, thing, or person steals our security…remind us, in the words of Joshua, to "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
If we go to the killing streets of Iraq…You are there. If we go to the bloody dust of Africa…You are there. If we go to the cancer ward…You are there.
And You will never, ever leave us nor forsake us.
You will overcome.
And we--praise God--are in You.
To God--the Lamb who washes away sin and the Lion who destroys every enemy--be all the glory.
Horrific atrocities in Iraq, with innocents dying by the score as the world seems helpless to do anything to stop this genocide. Ebola rampaging across Africa, reaping inevitable death and terror in it's wake. And again, the world seems shocked, stunned and stumbling in it's response. Death, rioting and looting in a town in our nation--are we coming apart at the seams? And then the sad, senseless suicide of a man who made us all laugh…and we wonder: did the laughter merely camouflage a chasm of tortured pain and loneliness? And then there's dear, dear friends valiantly fighting battles against cancer and other diseases.
And all we can do is cry out: "Help us, Lord Jesus! Save us."
In the gospel of John, Jesus comes to the tomb of one of His dearest friends--Lazarus--now dead four long days. And Jesus does something remarkable--He wept. Yes that's a totally natural response in the face of death. But here's the thing: Jesus knew that in a matter of moments, He would raise this man to new life. The Lord fully understood that wonder, joy, and celebration would be breaking out in mere seconds when He commanded, "Lazarus, come out!" And a dead man, still wrapped in his linen shroud, would shuffle out.
Jesus knew every bit of this…and yet He wept.
Why the tears? Because that's the heart of God on display for all of us. Not only His tender love and compassion for His grieving children, but also His sorrow and hatred of the putrid effects of sin on this broken planet. All that sickness, sorrow, death, despair, isolation, hatred, fear. Jesus grieved, even as He prepared to redeem and resurrect. What a Savior.
I know I'm not alone in looking around me and feeling both terribly sad as well as fearful, wondering where this is all headed. Asking God to move and show forth His power in a mighty, redeeming way in this world that so desperately needs Him…yet so stridently rejects Him. Oh Father, we need not only Your supernatural power and healing…we urgently need Your grace.
But even as I pondered these sorrows, the Lord's Word spoke into the sadness and confusion--
"I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
He overcame not by the power of tyrants…or the intimidation of radicals …or the solutions of government…or the wisdom of the experts…or the butchery of extremists.
No, He overcame by stretching His arms out wide and saying, "I love you this much. Come, all who will come…and be saved by the blood of the Lamb."
The gentle, sinless, perfect Lamb of God…who is the omnipotent, awesome, glorious Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And He will not be defeated or deterred by any person or power, visible or invisible.
And so on this day in August of 2014, we proclaim that our God is great, good, and glorious, and in Him, and Him alone, we place our trust. We join with the Psalmist:
"But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteous of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." (Ps.71:14-18)
Yes, Lord, cancer…and death…and disease…and terrorism…and depravity may seem to shake the foundations of this earth. But they will not win. You will conquer them all, for You have already overcome the world and sin and death.
When fear threatens to overwhelm us…remind us of Your greatness and glory, Father. When despair rocks us…remind us of Your sovereign control over all, all, all things. When sadness wants to swallow us…remind us of Your unconquerable joy, hope and peace.
And when any lesser power, thing, or person steals our security…remind us, in the words of Joshua, to "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
If we go to the killing streets of Iraq…You are there. If we go to the bloody dust of Africa…You are there. If we go to the cancer ward…You are there.
And You will never, ever leave us nor forsake us.
You will overcome.
And we--praise God--are in You.
To God--the Lamb who washes away sin and the Lion who destroys every enemy--be all the glory.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Time to do!
Looking at the Mount Everest of laundry piles and the Grand Canyon of to-do lists...Oh mercy-- can I just grab a good book and curl up on the sofa?
Yep so much to do, but feeling sort of like this--
Or like this--
As my dear friend, Pamela, commented--"Don't those seals make you feel thin?" Why yes, as a matter of fact, they do! No wonder we enjoyed them so much. But remembering these remarkable creatures--in addition to boosting the old self-esteem when it comes to weight management--also, unfortunately, encourages in me a spirit of laziness and indolence.
And clearly, laziness is contagious (is this what parental indolence can do to children?)--
Yawn. Life is short and that to-do list it so long--time to take a nap. Or check email. Or peruse a magazine. Or eat chocolate.
Yeah, right. Sometimes we simply have to grab ourselves by the old bootstraps and preach ourselves a little sermon. It's not good enough to understand the truth and know what you should be doing. Nope, you've got to do it.
And that's means we can't wait for the right feelings. We can't forgive someone when we finally feel ready to offer that forgiveness. We can't read our Bibles and pray when we eventually find the time and the feelings...because, guess what? That time and those feelings rarely, if ever, come. And we can't do whatever it is that God is calling us to do right now if we're waiting till we somehow mysteriously drum up the desire to obey.
No, no, no. We forgive...we read the Word and pray...we obey and act based upon our will to be faithful--as invigorated and guided by the Holy Spirit. We do it in spite of those feelings of indolence or indifference. We can't just think about it. We have to follow through and do it.
James put it this way: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?...But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:14,18)
We are saved by grace alone, in faith alone. Period. Our works can never save us...but they are evidence of the faith which we profess.
And sometimes "works" mean, as Elizabeth Elliot once explained, "Doing the next thing." Simply doing whatever it is that God has placed before you right now...and doing it to the very best of your ability, with a spirit of thankfulness rather than resentment.
Tackling that mountain of laundry with gusto and gratitude...and thanking the Lord for the blessing of clothes to fold and the people you love who wear them.
Taking on that distasteful chore you've been dreading and putting off...remembering that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe got down on His weary knees and washed filthy feet. And the feet, mind you, of a few men who would betray and deny Him. What was that task I thought was beneath me?
Turning to the Bible and asking God to convict us, teach us, stun us, encourage us with His living, breathing Word.
"Doing the next thing" rather than simply thinking about it.
I love how C.S. Lewis expressed this in Screwtape Letters. Screwtape, the senior devil advises the younger tempter: "The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance. Let the little brute wallow in it. Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the Enemy [i.e. God] plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."
Yep, time to stop feeling or thinking without acting. Time to do the next thing in obedience to the Spirit's urging.
Some days that may entail calling that estranged friend...or putting aside the chores to spend time with a loved one...or writing that note...or picking up the Word...or tackling that project...or folding that laundry... Whatever it is, time to do.
Or as my husband and I often remind each other, in the words of the great theologian, Yoda (of Star Wars fame), "Do not try. Do."
To God be the glory.
Yep so much to do, but feeling sort of like this--
And clearly, laziness is contagious (is this what parental indolence can do to children?)--
Yeah, right. Sometimes we simply have to grab ourselves by the old bootstraps and preach ourselves a little sermon. It's not good enough to understand the truth and know what you should be doing. Nope, you've got to do it.
And that's means we can't wait for the right feelings. We can't forgive someone when we finally feel ready to offer that forgiveness. We can't read our Bibles and pray when we eventually find the time and the feelings...because, guess what? That time and those feelings rarely, if ever, come. And we can't do whatever it is that God is calling us to do right now if we're waiting till we somehow mysteriously drum up the desire to obey.
No, no, no. We forgive...we read the Word and pray...we obey and act based upon our will to be faithful--as invigorated and guided by the Holy Spirit. We do it in spite of those feelings of indolence or indifference. We can't just think about it. We have to follow through and do it.
James put it this way: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?...But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:14,18)
We are saved by grace alone, in faith alone. Period. Our works can never save us...but they are evidence of the faith which we profess.
And sometimes "works" mean, as Elizabeth Elliot once explained, "Doing the next thing." Simply doing whatever it is that God has placed before you right now...and doing it to the very best of your ability, with a spirit of thankfulness rather than resentment.
Tackling that mountain of laundry with gusto and gratitude...and thanking the Lord for the blessing of clothes to fold and the people you love who wear them.
Taking on that distasteful chore you've been dreading and putting off...remembering that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe got down on His weary knees and washed filthy feet. And the feet, mind you, of a few men who would betray and deny Him. What was that task I thought was beneath me?
Turning to the Bible and asking God to convict us, teach us, stun us, encourage us with His living, breathing Word.
"Doing the next thing" rather than simply thinking about it.
I love how C.S. Lewis expressed this in Screwtape Letters. Screwtape, the senior devil advises the younger tempter: "The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance. Let the little brute wallow in it. Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the Enemy [i.e. God] plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."
Yep, time to stop feeling or thinking without acting. Time to do the next thing in obedience to the Spirit's urging.
Some days that may entail calling that estranged friend...or putting aside the chores to spend time with a loved one...or writing that note...or picking up the Word...or tackling that project...or folding that laundry... Whatever it is, time to do.
Or as my husband and I often remind each other, in the words of the great theologian, Yoda (of Star Wars fame), "Do not try. Do."
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Don't run away...run to the throne
August already.
Which means the start of school approaches at a gallop. And that TV commercial for school supplies that has the parent singing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year"--I beg to differ. In fact, right this moment I can feel the pressure starting to rise as I consider: homework (and nagging about getting homework done--ugh)...suddenly, shockingly busy schedules...meetings...more meetings...no more staying up late or sleeping in...getting children off to college...all those projects I planned to do over the summer but never came close to finishing (or even beginning).
Not to mention completing--or in the case of one of my children, starting--all that summer reading. Then throw in an challenging assortment of concerns that tend to weigh us down with worry--from aging parents to ebola to world conflict to children growing up and moving away to heartbreaking struggles our loved ones are enduring...
Oh my, it's enough to make you want to throw away all those back-to-school forms, jettison your cell phone and voluminous to-do list, grab a book, and speed off to some isolated island or remote mountain cave to live in happy denial of what's just around the corner. Ready or not--back-to-school and back-to-busyness--here I don't come. I'm outta here.
Nah, I don't think that will work. And we all know that's not God's plan for His children. Do you remember the scene from the movie, "The Sound of Music" between the novice, Maria, and the Mother Superior? Maria has suddenly abandoned her job as a governess and fled to the security of the convent in order to escape her feelings for the now-engaged Captain von Trapp. The Mother Superior wisely but firmly tells Maria that she must go back.
"These walls were not built to shut out problems," the Mother Superior counsels Maria. "You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live."
Neither problems nor worries magically disappear by running away from them. Just ask anyone struggling with an addiction--they can't run far enough or fast enough to escape their demons. No, it's no use trying to sweep those anxious feelings under the rug...or drown them in diversions or distractions. And we certainly don't want to wallow in those worries--though that's our, or at least my, tendency. Right now I can feel the weight of worries pressing on my heart...and that's definitely not God's plan...and it's a dead-end, joy-stealing, peace-destroying path.
So, Lord, once again, here I am--Your often faithless, fretting child. We're told in Your Word: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." (Heb.4:16)
What joy that we can come to Your throne of grace anytime, anywhere.
It's a sovereign throne--a place of kingly power, glory, might and splendor.
But it's also a throne of grace--a place of forgiveness, mercy, help, love, and peace.
Thank You, Father, that when we feel anxious or uncertain or confused or overwhelmed, You welcome us to Your throne of grace...where we can find mercy and help for our every need.
No, we don't run away from our worries or problems...we run to the awesome, powerful throne of grace. And when we run to that glorious throne, we will always, always, always find mercy, comfort, and help for our needs.
Just today, when I rushed to the throne with my list of worries, my Heavenly Father responded with His Word: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil.4:6-7)
Yes, I needed the reminder that it's a choice. A choice to pray rather than fret. A choice to worship rather than worry. A choice to thank rather than complain.
A choice to reject all that anxiousness and instead run to the throne of our Father, our Abba, and entrust it all to Him. With thanksgiving. 'Cause He's totally, totally got it. All of it. And He's got us.
So back-to-school and back-to-busyness? Ready or not, here you come...but we're good...cause we're sticking close to the throne. The throne of amazing, supernatural, always-sufficent-for-every-need grace.
To God be the glory.
Which means the start of school approaches at a gallop. And that TV commercial for school supplies that has the parent singing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year"--I beg to differ. In fact, right this moment I can feel the pressure starting to rise as I consider: homework (and nagging about getting homework done--ugh)...suddenly, shockingly busy schedules...meetings...more meetings...no more staying up late or sleeping in...getting children off to college...all those projects I planned to do over the summer but never came close to finishing (or even beginning).
Not to mention completing--or in the case of one of my children, starting--all that summer reading. Then throw in an challenging assortment of concerns that tend to weigh us down with worry--from aging parents to ebola to world conflict to children growing up and moving away to heartbreaking struggles our loved ones are enduring...
Oh my, it's enough to make you want to throw away all those back-to-school forms, jettison your cell phone and voluminous to-do list, grab a book, and speed off to some isolated island or remote mountain cave to live in happy denial of what's just around the corner. Ready or not--back-to-school and back-to-busyness--here I don't come. I'm outta here.
Nah, I don't think that will work. And we all know that's not God's plan for His children. Do you remember the scene from the movie, "The Sound of Music" between the novice, Maria, and the Mother Superior? Maria has suddenly abandoned her job as a governess and fled to the security of the convent in order to escape her feelings for the now-engaged Captain von Trapp. The Mother Superior wisely but firmly tells Maria that she must go back.
"These walls were not built to shut out problems," the Mother Superior counsels Maria. "You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live."
Neither problems nor worries magically disappear by running away from them. Just ask anyone struggling with an addiction--they can't run far enough or fast enough to escape their demons. No, it's no use trying to sweep those anxious feelings under the rug...or drown them in diversions or distractions. And we certainly don't want to wallow in those worries--though that's our, or at least my, tendency. Right now I can feel the weight of worries pressing on my heart...and that's definitely not God's plan...and it's a dead-end, joy-stealing, peace-destroying path.
So, Lord, once again, here I am--Your often faithless, fretting child. We're told in Your Word: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." (Heb.4:16)
What joy that we can come to Your throne of grace anytime, anywhere.
It's a sovereign throne--a place of kingly power, glory, might and splendor.
But it's also a throne of grace--a place of forgiveness, mercy, help, love, and peace.
Thank You, Father, that when we feel anxious or uncertain or confused or overwhelmed, You welcome us to Your throne of grace...where we can find mercy and help for our every need.
No, we don't run away from our worries or problems...we run to the awesome, powerful throne of grace. And when we run to that glorious throne, we will always, always, always find mercy, comfort, and help for our needs.
Just today, when I rushed to the throne with my list of worries, my Heavenly Father responded with His Word: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil.4:6-7)
Yes, I needed the reminder that it's a choice. A choice to pray rather than fret. A choice to worship rather than worry. A choice to thank rather than complain.
A choice to reject all that anxiousness and instead run to the throne of our Father, our Abba, and entrust it all to Him. With thanksgiving. 'Cause He's totally, totally got it. All of it. And He's got us.
So back-to-school and back-to-busyness? Ready or not, here you come...but we're good...cause we're sticking close to the throne. The throne of amazing, supernatural, always-sufficent-for-every-need grace.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
IOU'S
A little food for weekend thought--
Remembering some things that bring joy to my heart and a song to my soul:
Watching how much Bingley loves, loves, loves the water--whether a creek, a lake, or a mud puddle--
The dancing, clear waters of Cane River--
Eating dinner by the lake with our children (only missing wonderful Matt here) on father's day--
The Pacific Ocean--
The end of a long day on the golf course...but such peace, such beauty, and such joy in watching your son play--
A perfect dinner overlooking the setting sun--
The gift of an amazing family and spending time with them at Cane River fishing--
Sitting on the porch in the mountains, gazing at God's wonders--
But shouldn't this sense of joy and wonder be our constant refrain when it comes to God's Word as well? Oh my, this convicts me for I know that all too often my love for the living, breathing, supernatural Word of my Lord falls woefully flat. My response can sometimes be pale and pale, my heart divided and distracted when I open the Bible. And that should never be! The joys of this magnificent world should be a pale reflection of the beauty, joy, and wonder of our God as He is revealed in His eternal, perfect, satisfying Word.
So what do we do when our desire for God's Word grows dim or our focus is distracted? How do we rekindle our excitement and joy for the Bible? I loved these words from John Piper! He says when he struggles with this (for we all do at times), he prays through his IOU'S.
I--"Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain." (Ps.119:36) Even the Psalmist sometimes struggled to have a heart that was inclined towards God and the things of God! So pray and ask God to incline our hearts towards His commands.
O--"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Ps.119:18) I've always loved this verse. We need to ask God specifically to open our eyes to glimpse and understand the wondrous, amazing things contained in His Word. Show us the treasures, Lord!
U--"Unite my heart to fear Your name." (Ps.86:11) John Piper, like the rest of us, can sit down to read the Bible and suddenly he's noticing that buzzing fly on the wall...or remembering some forgotten errand. Our hearts can be so distracted and divided, can they not? So we join the Psalmist in pleading that God would unite our fragmented hearts so we can focus on His Word.
S--"Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." (Ps.90:14) Surely the best prayer of all! We need to pray and ask God to satisfy us with His glorious and unceasing love so that we might be a people of deep and abiding joy.
That's what is available to us in His Word--don't we want to experience such satisfaction, such wisdom, such gratitude, such joy? I sure do. But I know how weak and distracted I can be, so what a great reminder that we need to go to the throne of grace and pray these IOU'S...that God would incline our hearts, open our eyes, unite our hearts, and satisfy our souls in and by His Word.
And we do it whether we feel like it or not. As Piper says, "Even when you don't feel like it, keep tending the garden like a farmer who has to get out there everyday and pull the weeds and till the soil. Not because that day the fruit will grow, but because someday in God's sovereign timing, it will grow if you keep tending the garden."
On those days when it's a struggle to "tend the garden"--whether it's reading God's Word or simply living out His Truth--it helps to remember that we live by faith, not by feeling. No matter how we're feeling, might we tend our garden--by reading His Word and praying those IOU'S--and trust that God will, in His sovereign and perfect timing, produce a harvest of righteousness peace, and joy.
To God be the glory.
Remembering some things that bring joy to my heart and a song to my soul:
Watching how much Bingley loves, loves, loves the water--whether a creek, a lake, or a mud puddle--
But shouldn't this sense of joy and wonder be our constant refrain when it comes to God's Word as well? Oh my, this convicts me for I know that all too often my love for the living, breathing, supernatural Word of my Lord falls woefully flat. My response can sometimes be pale and pale, my heart divided and distracted when I open the Bible. And that should never be! The joys of this magnificent world should be a pale reflection of the beauty, joy, and wonder of our God as He is revealed in His eternal, perfect, satisfying Word.
So what do we do when our desire for God's Word grows dim or our focus is distracted? How do we rekindle our excitement and joy for the Bible? I loved these words from John Piper! He says when he struggles with this (for we all do at times), he prays through his IOU'S.
I--"Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain." (Ps.119:36) Even the Psalmist sometimes struggled to have a heart that was inclined towards God and the things of God! So pray and ask God to incline our hearts towards His commands.
O--"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Ps.119:18) I've always loved this verse. We need to ask God specifically to open our eyes to glimpse and understand the wondrous, amazing things contained in His Word. Show us the treasures, Lord!
U--"Unite my heart to fear Your name." (Ps.86:11) John Piper, like the rest of us, can sit down to read the Bible and suddenly he's noticing that buzzing fly on the wall...or remembering some forgotten errand. Our hearts can be so distracted and divided, can they not? So we join the Psalmist in pleading that God would unite our fragmented hearts so we can focus on His Word.
S--"Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." (Ps.90:14) Surely the best prayer of all! We need to pray and ask God to satisfy us with His glorious and unceasing love so that we might be a people of deep and abiding joy.
That's what is available to us in His Word--don't we want to experience such satisfaction, such wisdom, such gratitude, such joy? I sure do. But I know how weak and distracted I can be, so what a great reminder that we need to go to the throne of grace and pray these IOU'S...that God would incline our hearts, open our eyes, unite our hearts, and satisfy our souls in and by His Word.
And we do it whether we feel like it or not. As Piper says, "Even when you don't feel like it, keep tending the garden like a farmer who has to get out there everyday and pull the weeds and till the soil. Not because that day the fruit will grow, but because someday in God's sovereign timing, it will grow if you keep tending the garden."
On those days when it's a struggle to "tend the garden"--whether it's reading God's Word or simply living out His Truth--it helps to remember that we live by faith, not by feeling. No matter how we're feeling, might we tend our garden--by reading His Word and praying those IOU'S--and trust that God will, in His sovereign and perfect timing, produce a harvest of righteousness peace, and joy.
To God be the glory.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Rainy days...but wedding days!
It's a rainy day. Pouring down from slate grey skies. The dry earth soaks up that nourishing moisture...but it's not much fun for walking or golfing or swimming or soaking up the rays or doing about anything outside. Just a blah, sad-looking afternoon.
And that's life, isn't it? Day before yesterday the sun shone brilliantly, the birds sang symphonies, and the sky was so spectacularly blue it almost hurt your heart. So much beauty. So much happiness. Yet today that seems like a far distant memory.
But guess what? That sun still shines strong and bright--just hidden for the moment by the clouds and rain. That blue sky? Still there in all it's magnificence giving glory to it's Creator. We just can't see it...for the moment.
So on days like this--when the rain pours...or the sorrow of loss overwhelms...or the worries of life threaten to swamp your rocking boat--it's good to remember that this too shall pass. That our God is still on the throne...forever working...moving...superintending...loving...forgiving...restoring...redeeming.
And making all, all, all things new.
On those challenging, frustrating, discouraging days that come to all of us, it helps to remember who is in control--our great, gracious, good and glorious God. What He is doing--bringing beauty from ashes, making all things new, bringing our ultimate good and His greater glory out of all things. And where we're headed--to glory...to the marriage supper of the Lamb...to that wondrous day when faith becomes sight and joy reigns supreme and we'll each see our wondrous Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, face to face.
Oh glorious day.
We're not home yet, though. So today, just in case you need the tiniest reminder, the littlest foretaste of His lavish joy and perfect love, you might enjoy the video below. It's a short wedding video of two precious-beyond-words young people who love one another and love their Redeemer. Their love-- wonderful as it is--is still a pale, small reflection of God's unimaginably extravagant love for them...and for you.
What a love. What a Lord. What a hope.
So even on the hard days, when our hearts hurt and our hope fades and our faith falters, help us, Father, to remember Whose we are, what You are doing, and where we headed. Come Lord Jesus, our Heavenly Bridegroom, come.
"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
Mary Norris and Matt - Preview from Good Earth Films on Vimeo.
To God--our loving, gracious, and glorious Bridegroom--be all the glory.
And that's life, isn't it? Day before yesterday the sun shone brilliantly, the birds sang symphonies, and the sky was so spectacularly blue it almost hurt your heart. So much beauty. So much happiness. Yet today that seems like a far distant memory.
But guess what? That sun still shines strong and bright--just hidden for the moment by the clouds and rain. That blue sky? Still there in all it's magnificence giving glory to it's Creator. We just can't see it...for the moment.
So on days like this--when the rain pours...or the sorrow of loss overwhelms...or the worries of life threaten to swamp your rocking boat--it's good to remember that this too shall pass. That our God is still on the throne...forever working...moving...superintending...loving...forgiving...restoring...redeeming.
And making all, all, all things new.
On those challenging, frustrating, discouraging days that come to all of us, it helps to remember who is in control--our great, gracious, good and glorious God. What He is doing--bringing beauty from ashes, making all things new, bringing our ultimate good and His greater glory out of all things. And where we're headed--to glory...to the marriage supper of the Lamb...to that wondrous day when faith becomes sight and joy reigns supreme and we'll each see our wondrous Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, face to face.
Oh glorious day.
We're not home yet, though. So today, just in case you need the tiniest reminder, the littlest foretaste of His lavish joy and perfect love, you might enjoy the video below. It's a short wedding video of two precious-beyond-words young people who love one another and love their Redeemer. Their love-- wonderful as it is--is still a pale, small reflection of God's unimaginably extravagant love for them...and for you.
What a love. What a Lord. What a hope.
So even on the hard days, when our hearts hurt and our hope fades and our faith falters, help us, Father, to remember Whose we are, what You are doing, and where we headed. Come Lord Jesus, our Heavenly Bridegroom, come.
"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
Mary Norris and Matt - Preview from Good Earth Films on Vimeo.
To God--our loving, gracious, and glorious Bridegroom--be all the glory.
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