"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoke by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name, Immanuel' (which means 'God with us'). (Mt.1:23)
"God with us." Have you really considered what this means? Right this moment, in the midst of the frenzy to celebrate Christmas (though the world has no idea we're celebrating the birthday of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords), can't we pause for a moment of Sabbath sanity to consider anew this astounding, life and destiny altering truth--God. With. Us.
Have we perhaps lost sight of the wonder of who He is and why He came in the midst of all the busyness and craziness? Well then, let me remind you--as I've reminded myself--God with us.
The God who is with us is the Almighty, all-glorious, omnipotent, omniscient Creator and Sustainer of all that we see and of the most unimaginably distant galaxies and the tiniest, most infinitesimal atomic structure. Yes, that Lord of glory and wonder and perfection and steadfast love and grace and holiness and compassion, He is "God with us." God with you. Right now. Whether you're mired in the midst of the deepest sorrow or sailing along the wings of wondrous joy. Whether you're stuck in the muddy middle of some challenge or difficulty that seems to have no end or coming home to promising beginnings or happy completions.
On your very best day, He is "God with us." And on your very worst, when you've failed and forgotten Him and given up and maybe even quit, well, He is still "God with us. " Ever-faithful. Ever-forgiving. Ever-loving. Ever-sustaining. The God of fresh starts and new mercies, day or night. The God of "Let's begin again, right here, right now, because I am with you and for you and in you. I am Immanuel, God with us."
Oh how overwhelmed and thankful I am that He is "God with us." But let me close with the powerful words of Charles Spurgeon. Please read slowly and savor and then pause to thank the Lord that He is God. With. Us. Always and forever. Spurgeon writes--
"This is his name, 'God with us,'—God with us, by his incarnation, for the august Creator of the world did walk upon this globe; he who made ten thousand orbs, each of them more mighty and more vast than this earth, became the inhabitant of this tiny atom. He, who was from everlasting to everlasting, came to this world of time, and stood upon the narrow neck of land betwixt the two unbounded seas. 'God with us': he has not lost that name – Jesus had that name on earth, and he has it now in heaven. He is now 'God with us.' Believer, he is God with thee, to protect thee; thou art not alone, because the Saviour is with thee. Put me in the desert, where vegetation grows not; I can still say, 'God with us.' Put me on the wild ocean, and let my ship dance madly on the waves; I would still say, 'Immanuel, God with us.' Mount me on the sunbeam, and let me fly beyond the western sea; still I would say, 'God with us.' Let my body dive down into the depths of the ocean, and let me hide in its caverns; still I could, as a child of God, say, 'God with us.' Ay, and in the grave, sleeping there in corruption, still I can see the footmarks of Jesus; he trod the path of all his people, and still his name is 'God with us.'"
Praise You, Lord, praise You, our Immanuel--God with us--and to You be all the glory.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Savior-Warrior-Baby
How I love the Advent season. These days and weeks to prepare for the Savior's coming--to contemplate what Jesus' birth means, to still our frantic busyness for some part of everyday that we might wonder at the astonishing, glorious Gift God has given us in His Son--the Lord God Almighty wrapped in fragile infant flesh.
Who could possibly imagine such a scenario? The Lord lying in a lowly feeding rough? The King of Kings arriving without any worldly fanfare or comforts? The Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe born as an utterly helpless and weak newborn? The Greatest allowed Himself to become smallest; the Highest became lowest; the Infinite and Eternal became finite and limited. All out of His unimaginably great love for us--for you, for me.
But in these days of Advent, as you contemplate who He is and why He came--for your redemption, praise God!--please don't allow Jesus to remain as that powerless, fragile infant. Yes, that's how He came, and how thankful we all should be for such a God. But He was and is so infinitely much more. He is your Conquering King who defeated sin and death for you. He is your Comforter who with comfort and encourage and guide you like no other. He is your Wisdom. He is your Joy. He is your Hope. He is your Peace. He is your Love who loves with His perfect love. He is your Grace. He is your Emmanuel who is always, always, always with you and in you.
But He is also your Lion of Judah. Oh please, please remember that the baby Jesus is also the conquering, fierce, omnipotent Lion of Judah. He is Lord God Almighty, and there is none other.
I have never forgotten the words of our dear friend, David Dwight, when our Janie was unconscious in the hospital. I've shared them before but they are worth sharing again (and again!), because we all need the reminder of who our Savior is and what He is able to do. We have so many very dear friends who are enduring deep suffering and sorrow right now. And this Advent--surely like every Advent--finds many folks struggling mightily just to find the courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And so might we all remember--
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
David said he spoke with a Biblical languages scholar and asked him for his thoughts on this passage. Here are David's words: "I will never forget his answer. He said, "David, in verse 13, it says a "the heavenly host" appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and peace to men on whom his favor rests." "This translation," he said, "is far too mild. The word that the translators have called "host" in english is unequivocally the word "army" in greek. The word is "stratia" and it is always and everywhere translated army. In this regard, the Bible is saying that at the birth of Jesus, the sky was filled with a heavenly army - and what they said to the shepherds was something that feels much more like, "Glory to God, this is war, but don't be afraid.""
When he said it, I was frankly stunned. He said, "David, this is more fitting to the reality that Jesus was born to win the ultimate battle, and the capstone of that victory is the resurrection. The heavenly army said to the shepherds in essence, "you needn't be afraid, God does the battling and will win the big war. You trust and walk with this savior-warrior-baby, and be at peace that the Lord's armies are doing the battling and that the victory will be won. That's why you can rejoice - the victory will be won."
It has forever changed my sense of Christmas, in a way that gives me strength and hope."
And it has forever changed mine as well. If you are in the midst of some sorrow or deep disappointment or great loss, please remember who this baby was and is--He is the Savior-Warrior-Baby. He is the mighty Lion of Judah, and He is battling for you...and He will always always always win the war. We might feel tempest tossed, but our Lion, our Aslan, our Conquering King, our Savior-Warrior-Baby is fully, completely in control. Our Lion of Judah will carry us through the storm, and one day He will still every storm, defeat every foe, wipe away every tear, and replace every sorrow with His perfect and unending joy. And nothing and nobody can stop Him.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming. Thank You for coming as a fragile, helpless baby who understands all our weaknesses and fears. But thank You also that You are our Conquering King--our Savior-Warrior-Baby who will swallow up death in victory.
Yes, Aslan, You are on the move and so even as we grieve, we can grieve with hope and with the sure and certain knowledge that You will right every wrong and reign victorious forever and ever. To the Savior-Warrior-Baby, to our Lion of Judah, be all the glory.
Who could possibly imagine such a scenario? The Lord lying in a lowly feeding rough? The King of Kings arriving without any worldly fanfare or comforts? The Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe born as an utterly helpless and weak newborn? The Greatest allowed Himself to become smallest; the Highest became lowest; the Infinite and Eternal became finite and limited. All out of His unimaginably great love for us--for you, for me.
But in these days of Advent, as you contemplate who He is and why He came--for your redemption, praise God!--please don't allow Jesus to remain as that powerless, fragile infant. Yes, that's how He came, and how thankful we all should be for such a God. But He was and is so infinitely much more. He is your Conquering King who defeated sin and death for you. He is your Comforter who with comfort and encourage and guide you like no other. He is your Wisdom. He is your Joy. He is your Hope. He is your Peace. He is your Love who loves with His perfect love. He is your Grace. He is your Emmanuel who is always, always, always with you and in you.
But He is also your Lion of Judah. Oh please, please remember that the baby Jesus is also the conquering, fierce, omnipotent Lion of Judah. He is Lord God Almighty, and there is none other.
I have never forgotten the words of our dear friend, David Dwight, when our Janie was unconscious in the hospital. I've shared them before but they are worth sharing again (and again!), because we all need the reminder of who our Savior is and what He is able to do. We have so many very dear friends who are enduring deep suffering and sorrow right now. And this Advent--surely like every Advent--finds many folks struggling mightily just to find the courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And so might we all remember--
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When he said it, I was frankly stunned. He said, "David, this is more fitting to the reality that Jesus was born to win the ultimate battle, and the capstone of that victory is the resurrection. The heavenly army said to the shepherds in essence, "you needn't be afraid, God does the battling and will win the big war. You trust and walk with this savior-warrior-baby, and be at peace that the Lord's armies are doing the battling and that the victory will be won. That's why you can rejoice - the victory will be won."
It has forever changed my sense of Christmas, in a way that gives me strength and hope."
And it has forever changed mine as well. If you are in the midst of some sorrow or deep disappointment or great loss, please remember who this baby was and is--He is the Savior-Warrior-Baby. He is the mighty Lion of Judah, and He is battling for you...and He will always always always win the war. We might feel tempest tossed, but our Lion, our Aslan, our Conquering King, our Savior-Warrior-Baby is fully, completely in control. Our Lion of Judah will carry us through the storm, and one day He will still every storm, defeat every foe, wipe away every tear, and replace every sorrow with His perfect and unending joy. And nothing and nobody can stop Him.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming. Thank You for coming as a fragile, helpless baby who understands all our weaknesses and fears. But thank You also that You are our Conquering King--our Savior-Warrior-Baby who will swallow up death in victory.
Yes, Aslan, You are on the move and so even as we grieve, we can grieve with hope and with the sure and certain knowledge that You will right every wrong and reign victorious forever and ever. To the Savior-Warrior-Baby, to our Lion of Judah, be all the glory.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Hope in the hard places
Yesterday I went to a beautiful celebration of a life lived to the glory of God--Nancy McDougal embodied what it meant to love God and love others. Thank You, Lord, for the inspiring example of lives like hers--much like Wynn Burrus, JoAnna McMillan, Ray Siegler, just to mention a few. Heaven grows ever sweeter as I contemplate the wonderful folks who have gone on ahead of us.
One thing that especially struck me was the passage of the Bible that Nancy particularly loved and had laminated on a card and kept in her Bible. Every single morning she read this passage, and what an encouraging way to begin the day! It's one of my favorite passages as well, and it's contained in the book of Lamentations.
Now by way of a bit of background information, Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, often referred to as "the weeping prophet," because he prophesied during the horrific years of his nation's destruction, exile and captivity by the brutal nation of Babylon. Not only did he give out God's truth at a desolate and hopeless time in Israel's history, but the very people he was speaking to rejected him and his message.
No wonder Jeremiah says right before this passage begins, "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me." (Lam.3:19-20) Isolated, discouraged, even despairing, Jeremiah looks around and sees only a barren, bleak landscape.
Anybody ever been there? Perhaps even now, in this season of Advent--this season of waiting...waiting...waiting for the coming of the King--you are tired and weary. Or lonely. Disheartened by all you see around you. Frightened about the future. Anxious about the uncontrollable. Or perhaps simply, deeply, sad over some difficult loss. Loss of a loved one...loss of a dream...loss of health...loss, even, of a special season of life that's now over.
We've all been there. Many of us are there now.
But Emmanuel--God with us--is right there with you, with us, in the thick of it. He's here with you now, and He'll be with you tomorrow and next week and next year and into eternity. No matter how alone you might feel, the truth is--You. Are. Not. Alone. Not ever. The Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth is right there with you, whether you're in the loftiest palace or the lowest pit.
But you have to stop and remember this truth. You have to recall and remind yourself where your God is (not only on the throne of the vast universe but also right there with you), who your God is (Savior, Redeemer, Lion of Judah, Lion of God, Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Comforter, Encourager, King of Kings and on and on!), and what He says.
And that means going to His Word! When we're utterly exhausted or distressed or discouraged, we need to do what the prophet Jeremiah goes on to do in the passage dear Nancy loves so much--you call to mind His Word and His character! "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
Yes! Right in the midst of the pit of waiting or sorrow or despair, choose to call to mind who your God is, what He has done, and what He has said. Open the Word. Read it out loud--through tears if they fall. And allow your heart and mind to hear those healing, strengthening, revealing, encouraging words of Truth come out of your mouth.
When we remember and rehearse His Word, we have hope. (Lam.3:21) What a glorious gift hope is!
Remember and rehearse His steadfast love that never ceases. (Lam.3:22) His mercies that never come to an end and that are brand, spanking new every morning--and every afternoon and evening and night! (Lam.3:22-23) His infinite goodness. (Lam.3:25) Read, remember, rehearse and have your mind renewed and your heart revived. Maybe even copy this passage, and like Nancy, keep it in your Bible to remind you to enter your day with hope as you fix your gaze on the King of Kings.
Thank You, Father, for the life of Nancy McDougal and for her example of relentlessly and constantly loving You and others. Thank You for her love of Your Word and for the way she entered each day by recalling these great truths in Lamentations. And thank You that she is truly Home for Christmas and rejoicing in Your presence. Help us to be faithful as she was all the way to our finish line...which is really just the very beginning of real, true Life.
To God be the glory.
One thing that especially struck me was the passage of the Bible that Nancy particularly loved and had laminated on a card and kept in her Bible. Every single morning she read this passage, and what an encouraging way to begin the day! It's one of my favorite passages as well, and it's contained in the book of Lamentations.
Now by way of a bit of background information, Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, often referred to as "the weeping prophet," because he prophesied during the horrific years of his nation's destruction, exile and captivity by the brutal nation of Babylon. Not only did he give out God's truth at a desolate and hopeless time in Israel's history, but the very people he was speaking to rejected him and his message.
No wonder Jeremiah says right before this passage begins, "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me." (Lam.3:19-20) Isolated, discouraged, even despairing, Jeremiah looks around and sees only a barren, bleak landscape.
Anybody ever been there? Perhaps even now, in this season of Advent--this season of waiting...waiting...waiting for the coming of the King--you are tired and weary. Or lonely. Disheartened by all you see around you. Frightened about the future. Anxious about the uncontrollable. Or perhaps simply, deeply, sad over some difficult loss. Loss of a loved one...loss of a dream...loss of health...loss, even, of a special season of life that's now over.
We've all been there. Many of us are there now.
But Emmanuel--God with us--is right there with you, with us, in the thick of it. He's here with you now, and He'll be with you tomorrow and next week and next year and into eternity. No matter how alone you might feel, the truth is--You. Are. Not. Alone. Not ever. The Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth is right there with you, whether you're in the loftiest palace or the lowest pit.
But you have to stop and remember this truth. You have to recall and remind yourself where your God is (not only on the throne of the vast universe but also right there with you), who your God is (Savior, Redeemer, Lion of Judah, Lion of God, Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Comforter, Encourager, King of Kings and on and on!), and what He says.
And that means going to His Word! When we're utterly exhausted or distressed or discouraged, we need to do what the prophet Jeremiah goes on to do in the passage dear Nancy loves so much--you call to mind His Word and His character! "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
Yes! Right in the midst of the pit of waiting or sorrow or despair, choose to call to mind who your God is, what He has done, and what He has said. Open the Word. Read it out loud--through tears if they fall. And allow your heart and mind to hear those healing, strengthening, revealing, encouraging words of Truth come out of your mouth.
When we remember and rehearse His Word, we have hope. (Lam.3:21) What a glorious gift hope is!
Remember and rehearse His steadfast love that never ceases. (Lam.3:22) His mercies that never come to an end and that are brand, spanking new every morning--and every afternoon and evening and night! (Lam.3:22-23) His infinite goodness. (Lam.3:25) Read, remember, rehearse and have your mind renewed and your heart revived. Maybe even copy this passage, and like Nancy, keep it in your Bible to remind you to enter your day with hope as you fix your gaze on the King of Kings.
Thank You, Father, for the life of Nancy McDougal and for her example of relentlessly and constantly loving You and others. Thank You for her love of Your Word and for the way she entered each day by recalling these great truths in Lamentations. And thank You that she is truly Home for Christmas and rejoicing in Your presence. Help us to be faithful as she was all the way to our finish line...which is really just the very beginning of real, true Life.
To God be the glory.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)