Unintentional Prayers

 October 31, 2022

In Numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam were complaining that their younger sibling Moses was in their opinion, getting all the glory. God was speaking to him instead of them. Moses was head honcho of the Israelites, a rather dubious honor. In the previous chapter, Moses was having it out with God, wanting to know what he had done that God was inflicting him with the responsibility of leading this wayward lot. Apparently, Aaron and Miriam only saw the glory; they weren’t privy to the burden.

The text doesn’t tell who they had taken their complaints to; perhaps they were just commiserating with each other, but there was a third party listening in. It says, “But the LORD heard it.” Ah, yes. Whenever we have conversations, even in our heads, there is another party listening in. I wonder if when it seems God isn’t hearing our prayers, the actuality is that he is hearing the prayers we utter in the form of griping and complaining, of criticizing and bad-mouthing. 

A day’s worth of complaint and criticism doesn’t stand much of a chance to offset five minutes of prayer. In fact, we are praying all the time. God is listening to our words, and I suspect he answers more prayers than we realize; it’s just not the prayers we identify as such. This is why the Bible warns us to be careful with our words. Jesus said we will give account for every idle word we utter. James cautions that the tongue is a raging fire, and the Proverbs admonish us to let our words be few and to put a knife to our throat rather than speak rashly. 

I wonder how our speech would change if we realized God is listening to every word we utter, and that those idle words are just as surely prayers as those we so piously intone in our devotions or in worship.

Get To Jesus

 October 30, 2022

For years, I’ve heard the admonition, “Don’t get ahead of Jesus!” It sounds like good advice; stay by his side, don’t wander away or get so anxious that you are trying to rush his ways. But this morning’s sermon gave me a different perspective. 

Pastor Brandon preached today on Zaccheus, whom the Bible describes as a “short” man. I suppose today, it’s politically incorrect to label someone as short. Maybe we say “vertically challenged,” but short is what the Bible says, so that’s what I’ll say. Here’s the story:

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

—Luke 19:1-6 

Brandon painted a beautiful picture of the scenario. Being of short stature himself, he imagined Zaccheus trying to elbow his way through the crowd, probably taking an elbow or two to the face. “I understand,” Brandon said. “It’s not because people are out to get you; it’s just that’s where your face is compared to them.” In Zaccheus’ case however, an elbow to the nose may have been intentional because he was a tax collector, not exactly the most loved person in town.

None of us like the tax man, but back then it was worse. Zaccheus was a collaborator with the hated Roman oppressors, and made his living by demanding more than the required tax as a personal surcharge. He got rich doing so, but didn’t make many friends. But he had heard about this man Jesus, and decided he needed to see if he was for real.

So he did exactly what we’re told not do do: he ran ahead of Jesus. He was willing to break our fastidious Christian rules because getting to Jesus the usual way wasn’t going to work for him. The point is simple: running ahead of Jesus isn’t appropriate when we’re trying to get our own way, but if the point is getting to Jesus and getting him to notice you, all bets are off and the rules go out the window. We need to get to Jesus any way we can, even if it means running ahead of him and the crowd, and climbing a tree. Don’t worry about the rules; just get to Jesus!

Nostalgia

 October 29, 2022

Nostalgia can be very dangerous. Usually, it’s seen as a useless, but harmless activity. After all, who hasn’t longed for the simpler days of their childhood, forgetting that by nature, childhood is generally simpler; little responsibility, everything provided, with no weighty decisions required. I remember Saturday mornings with Roy Rogers, Sky King, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, along with a variety of old-school cartoons like Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, and others. Birthdays and Christmases were special times, and summer Saturdays would be spent outdoors with friends from morning till sundown. There were no school shootings, no drugs, no gender dysphoria, at least, none that we knew of.

It’s easy to long for those days, and nostalgia is big business. But longing for the easy times of the past can lure us into ignoring our present blessings. In Numbers 11, the children of Israel were tired of eating manna. They longed, as they said, for “the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” —Numbers 11:5 In short, they yearned for the “good old days.”

But in doing so, they ignored their redemption and despised their freedom and God’s provision. Nostalgia caused them to forget the drudgery and oppression of their slavery, and blinded them to the goodness of God in their present circumstances. It does the same to us, too. As long as I am looking back to Egypt, I am not looking forward to the Promised Land. I am missing out on the glorious future God has in store for those willing to walk with him through the wilderness of this world.

St. Paul warns us about a backward-oriented view:

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

—Philippians 3:13-14

Be wary of nostalgia. It can keep you bound to a past that no longer exists, unable to reach forth to the future God has planned. Letting that happen is a sin. God is reaching out to us from his future, not from our past.

Uninformed Prayer

 October 28, 2022

My prayer list is growing. The older I get, the more people I know who ask for prayers for health, family, our nation, the salvation of loved ones, etc. Add that to those who haven’t asked for prayer, but definitely need it, the list gets longer and longer.

I used to think that every prayer needed to be uttered with long explanation (“Lord, so-and-so is going through a rough time right now. Her marriage is in trouble, she has recurring bouts of gout, and is battling depression…”). It’s almost as if we think God is ill-informed about things, or at least, we think that if we don’t go into detail, somehow the prayer is less heartfelt or sincere.

Certainly there are times when it is helpful to pray in detail, to know circumstances so prayers can be targeted somewhat pinpoint, but most of the things for which I pray don’t fall into this category, particularly if I am praying for friends in Cuba, Mongolia, or even in another state. I want to know the details of various prayer concerns, but the validity and effectiveness of my prayers aren’t dependent on my knowledge of the situation, but upon the power and mercy of God. My eloquence or lack of it have little bearing on the outcome. What does matter is the glory of God. St. Paul in his many recorded prayers often cites the glory of God as the ultimate goal of his prayers (see. Ephesians 3:14-21).

I cannot recall a single instance of a Biblical prayer for healing that goes into great detail about the nature of the illness, but there is much said about prayer as a part of God’s ultimate purposes in this life and the next.

For me, one of the most encouraging texts on prayer is found in Romans 1:9-10—“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.” I like that little phrase, “I make mention of you.” It implies that Paul didn’t always go into detail, but simply presented them to the Lord with the request that he might visit them for the purposes of ministry. 

More and more, many of my prayers are taking on this pattern. I am seeking God himself more than what he can do, and I’m mentioning many people somewhat in passing, bringing them before the God who knows their circumstances far better than I, and whose love for them is purer and deeper than my own. I’ve forsaken the guilt that often came from not agonizing in detail, trying to imagine the ins and outs of their lives, and simply holding them before God. In doing so, I am enjoying the freedom of letting God be God, instead of me feeling I have to tell him what he needs to do. Prayer is becoming more a matter of listening than requesting. I think that’s the way it’s meant to be.

Proud Papa

 October 27, 2022

There are few privileges greater than seeing your children rise higher and go further than yourself. One of the joys of age is when your children and grandchildren can stand upon your shoulders and see vistas and horizons beyond those within your field of vision.

This afternoon I had the opportunity of talking with a young adult I’ve known since his college days. His son is nineteen, a music major in college himself, who accompanies students at concerts and recitals. He has had as mentors world renown musicians and has dreams of life filled with music. His father took him recently to New York City to see a Broadway show. When it was over, his son said, “THIS is what I want to do!” 

His father is justly proud. An accomplished musician himself, he told me he was asked once if his son was as good as he. “That ship sailed when he was eleven,” his father replied. We talked about fatherhood, about raising children, about discipline and challenges, about the work we put in early that now rewards us with children who make a contribution instead of a withdrawal on society. 

Twenty or more years ago, he wanted to move to New York to see if he could make it in the music world. His parents were telling him he needed to get a “real job.” I’ve never met his parents, but I know they did a good job because of the quality of the son they produced. But i disagreed with them in this matter. 

“If you don’t follow your dream, you’ll always wonder “What if…” “You have your entire life ahead of you to settle down with a “real job,”” I responded. He moved to the Big Apple for a few years, came back home, married, and raised a fine son. 

We all have dreams, stars towards which we stretch. We don’t always reach them, but are better for having tried. And any father worth his salt wants his child to go further, be greater than he was able to do. I know that’s what I wanted for my sons and my daughter. Each in their own way has done more than I have done, and accomplished things I would never have imagined. I am so very proud of each of them.

I don’t think this longing for our children is accidental, a fluke of nature. I believe it is a reflection of God himself, who sees in even the worst of us something worth saving. And when we begin to see it ourselves, when we begin to stand on his shoulders, we don’t see more than God sees, but we see more than we saw. And God is proud; I imagine he squares his shoulders, stands a bit taller himself, as with a smile that comes from his very heart, he says, “That’s my boy! And I’m so proud of him!”

Life Lenses

October 26, 2022

“Everything is political.” I can’t remember who said this, but in the end, it’s true. Especially as midterm elections draw near, we are aware that every decision we make has political overtones that will affect our lives for years to come. As former president Obama said, “Elections have consequences.” And another political operative intoned that “it’s not who votes that matters; it’s who counts the votes.” All the hubbub over our last presidential election and the integrity of the coming midterms may prove Josef Stalin to be strangely prescient in our present situation.

“Everything is educational.” I don’t remember anyone saying this, but we know it to be true. Who does the teaching is as important as what is being taught, as we are learning from all the raucous school board meetings in places like Loudoun, Virginia. We know that bigotry and hatred are taught by word and example at an early age, and that the involvement of parents in the educational process is of prime importance. 

“Everything is economic.” This is a big one, with inflation running between 8-9% and expendable income declining. Marx saw the world in economic terms and has plagued us with his conclusions for over a hundred years. It may be a successful political platform, but fails as the foundation of all that is truly meaningful in life.

“Everything is scientific.” Again, I don’t remember anyone uttering these exact words, but the media came pretty close during the pandemic, canceling anyone who questioned the “science” behind the vaccines, lockdowns, and masking. Of course, the essence of science is questioning the status quo, but when science becomes politicized, everything changes. Oops...I guess we’re back to my first statement.

“Everything is spiritual.” Again, not in so many words, but I’ve said this many times. Behind the politics, behind the educational or scientific system are what St. Paul called the “rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). To see everything as spiritual is to look at life differently than our secular counterparts. 

My point is, none of these lenses are incorrect; they are lenses through which we see life, how we interpret what lies before us. It is the precedence we give one over the other that makes the difference. What claims ultimate loyalty in our lives? Is it politics? Education? Science? Sports? Economics? For me, it is my faith. I listen to, and learn from, the other lenses, but the lens that brings everything into proper focus is Jesus Christ and the Word of God. 

The Name

 October 25, 2022

The book of Numbers starts out as expected, with a census of the Israelite people as they were  wandering in the wilderness. While it might be interesting to serious Biblical scholars, I find it pretty dull. That all changed however, in the sixth chapter. Verses 22-27 give us one of the most ancient and revered blessings in the entire Bible:

““Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; 

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, 

And give you peace.” ’ 

“So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.””

—Numbers 6:23-27 

It’s this last sentence that captures my attention tonight. God puts his Name upon those blessed in this way. No wonder Israel has survived these more than three thousand years. God’s Name is mighty! All God is, is wrapped up in the Name, and he places it upon those so blessed.

In the New Testament, St. Paul carries this even further: “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,”

—Philippians 2:10 

A telling example of this is found in John’s Gospel when Jesus is about to be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

“Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” —John 18:3-6 

In the original, where Jesus identifies himself as the One they seek, it doesn’t actually say, “I am he.” The pronoun is absent. What Jesus actually said was the Name of God, “I Am.” The soldiers involuntarily fell down before the Name.

With such power in the Name, why do we not bless one another more? Why do we fail to as Numbers says it, “put the Name upon them?” Instead, we tend in our human fallenness to curse, more than we bless. We complain, belittle, blame, and castigate. No wonder people are so powerless, bound by sin and negativity! If all I do is complain about circumstances I don’t like and people who rub me the wrong way, I am not giving God the avenue he chooses to bless them. The Powers arrayed against people whose lives are filled with violence, anger, vengeance, and complaint have no Name before which they must bow. So they wreak havoc, just because we fail to bless others, putting the Name above all names upon them.

The Right Thing

 October 24, 2022

“Sometimes you just have to do the right thing.” Any of my kids or grandkids know where that quote comes from. It’s one of Meema’s standards. Following this rule of thumb does simplify things. Don’t feel like going to church or Bible study? Just do the right thing. Someone snubbed you and now you have the opportunity to snub them back? Just do the right thing. the girl at the checkout gave you back more change than she should have? Just do the right thing. You’re bone tired, but a friend needs to talk? Just do the right thing.

A few years ago, WWJD was popular; bracelets, posters, bumper stickers all proclaimed the message, “What Would Jesus Do?” I guess people have gotten tired of doing what Jesus would have done, or maybe life has gotten so confusing that people aren’t sure what he would have done, but this slogan seems to have passed into oblivion like Pee Wee Herman. 

For me, the slogan would be WWMD; “What Would Meema Do?” I’ve watched Linda handle every one of the above scenarios, and have never once seen her take the easy or convenient way out. Many’s the time this introvert would choose to stay home instead of going to a meeting or staying up late listening to someone pour their heart out. I would write off someone who constantly criticized or mistreated me, but not Linda. She attributes this to her mother, who absorbed all kinds of verbal and emotional abuse from people who should have known better. Ginner never wavered, and neither does Linda. 

I am not only blessed to have on more than one occasion been the recipient of her graciousness, but even more to have been moved by her example to be a better man than I would be without her. Today, I would much rather have stayed home and worked on a couple projects around here, but I gathered up my tools and helped someone else. I hope I wasn’t too grudging about it. After all, it is better to give than to receive, and God gave me the opportunity to be on the giving side. I chose it because Linda’s words kept echoing in my head: “Just do the right thing.”

Open

October 23, 2022

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or a prayer. A few months ago, God impressed upon me that I needed to be more upfront about initiating conversations about Jesus, so among other things, I decided that whenever I had some sort of business transaction, I would ask the person if there were anything for which they would like prayer. My first opportunity to put this into practice happened while Linda and I were having dinner at one of the Olive Gardens in Buffalo. 

After being served, as I handed our waiter payment, I asked if there were anything he would like us to pray for. I was unprepared for the urgency of his response. He had a newborn baby, and as he put it, “did something stupid,” and was quite worried there would be some pretty serious legal consequences. It was pretty clear that whatever it was, he was genuinely sorry and that it was something at least somewhat out of character for him. We promised to pray for him, and did…repeatedly. A few days later, I wrote to him, care of the restaurant, asking the manager to forward my note to him. Other than continuing to pray for him, that was the end of it. Or so I thought.

This evening, Linda and I were relaxing in our back room when I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. “Mr. Bailey?” the voice asked tentatively from the other end. When I affirmed that he had the right number, he stated his name, telling me that he had recently moved and while going through some of his things came across the letter I had written him. Apparently, I had included my phone number in case he wanted to talk.

“I want to thank you for your prayers,” he said. “It meant more to me than you can know.” When I asked how his daughter was doing, he told me she is ahead of things on the developmental charts. He asked me where I went to church, so I told him. Had we lived in the Buffalo area, I’m certain he would have come to church with us. “I’m attending a Baptist church in Eden,” he said. 

When the call ended, I turned to Linda. “You’ll never believe this!” Tonight, I am grateful for this young man’s phone call; it really made my day, and reminded me how even passing acquaintances can become avenues of eternal consequences if we’re merely available to the Lord. Years ago, Ron Hutchcraft held evangelistic meetings in our area. In the training times, he shared what he called the “Three-Open Prayer:” Open the door, Open their heart, and Open my mouth.” Months ago at Olive Garden, God answered that prayer in ways I couldn’t have foreseen, and because of it, tonight my heart is full.

 

Perfect Peace

 October 22, 2022

O God, my heart is fixed.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. - He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. - In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy: I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

Ps. 108:1. Ps. 27:1. Isa. 26:3. -Ps. 112:7,8. Ps. 56:3. Ps. 27:5,6. I Pet. 5:10,11.

This morning’s reading from Daily Light is instructive for the days in which we live. I often hear Christians speak in fearful tones, worrying about the direction our country is headed, what is in store for our children and grandchildren, or even planning for apocalyptic scenarios by stockpiling food, water, and even guns and ammunition. The media is all-too-happy to stoke the fires of fear, and we are all-too-ready to listen. 

Notice where our peace is found: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, who’s mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.” In any of life’s endeavors, we tend to hit what we aim at. The exception to this rule may be made in the matter of my hunting prowess, but other than that, if we focus on something, our attention is directed towards it, blocking out everything else. We lack peace because we are giving our attention to those matters that are anxiety-provoking. 

When driving, things get dangerous when there is an accident on a superhighway. People can’t seem to avoid rubber-necking. They slow down and don’t pay attention to where they are going. We often live our lives that way, giving attention to the sensational and ignoring the mundane which comprises most of life. Worse yet, we ignore God himself. 

Peter said it best: “The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Jesus had told him he would suffer for the Gospel’s sake. Peter wrote extensively about the suffering and trials that he knew were commonplace for Christians. But it didn’t change his trust in his Lord. He knew Jesus would strengthen him through it, and accomplish his purposes in it. And he knew God would be glorified as he kept the faith through it all.

No one enjoys problems, but they don’t have to derail our lives. Perfect peace is possible as we settle our hearts in Christ.

 October 21, 2022

I am often amazed at how obtuse I can be. I’m 73 and feel like a novice in some areas of my Christian life. Prayer, for instance. I’ve struggled with it for years, trying to get beyond prayer as a laundry list of things I want God to do. Prayers like that are an exercise in role reversal—we tell God what we want, and he does it. When we pray that way, we become the master and God is the servant. That is backwards. But how do we get out of that rut?

At our pastors prayer group a couple weeks ago, I picked up a little book on prayer that has been very helpful, so I share part of it today in hopes it is as helpful to you as it has been to me.  Chapter 10 is titled “Go for the Glory,” and emphasizes the importance of praying for God’s glory instead of merely asking for things that will make our lives more comfortable, easy, or convenient. The author cites various Scriptures that I’ve known for years, but have never taken them together in one place or time. Doing so opened my eyes to a dimension of prayer I’ve neglected to my shame and to the detriment of God’s kingdom. Consider these:

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. —John 14:13 

 

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” —Philippians 2:9-11 

“This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”” —John 21:19 

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

—I Corinthians 10:31 

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”

—Ephesians 1:11-12

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” —Ephesians 3:20-21 

There are plenty of other texts we could use, but even these few remind us that the ultimate goal of our prayers is that the glory of God be known in the world. In John’s Gospel where Jesus tells Peter how he is going to die, he tells him that although it won’t be the kind of death most of us would wish for, it will glorify God.

How often my prayers have had less to do with glorifying God than with accomplishing my own agenda. As I said at the beginning, I’m a slow learner, but slow or not, I am learning, and am being very deliberate about how I pray, making sure to the best of my ability that my purpose and goal is lifting high the Cross and honoring God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Remembering

 October 20, 2022

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! 

Call upon His name; 

Make known His deeds among the peoples! 

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; 

Talk of all His wondrous works! 

Glory in His holy name; 

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 

Seek the Lord and His strength; 

Seek His face evermore! 

Remember His marvelous works which He has done, 

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,”

—Psalm 105:1-5 

This psalm begins with a series of commands: “Give thanks. Call on God’s Name. Make known his works. Sing to him. Talk of him. Glory in his Name. Seek His face. Remember.”

Gratitude starts the ball rolling. “His Name is mentioned twice because there is power in that Name, in specifying and remembering who God is.

Before commanding us to remember, we are called to seek God’s face, for a very simple reason. We are too quick to remember the wrong things. We remember our sins and failures, our fears and sorrows. The only way to avoid those kinds of memories from swamping our spiritual boat is to seek God first. It’s the only way to orient ourselves to real life.

The interesting thing about this psalm is that the psalmist doesn’t mention anything personal in his recollections. It is all historical events that happened long before his time. So instead of current events shaping his life, it was the mighty acts of God which were the holy stream into which his current life was immersed, giving it meaning and purpose. 

The same is true for us, so we pray, “Lord, give us eyes to see the present mess in the light of your saving work in the death, resurrection, ascension, session, and return of Jesus Christ. Help us step into the current of your mighty acts of salvation in the power of your Holy Spirit, and for the glory of your name.

Miracles on Layaway

 October 19, 2022

At our Monday night men’s Bible study, we’ve been considering questions God asks us. So often, we have questions we want God to answer, but don’t give much thought to questions he asks of us. And yet, he does. He asks questions not because he doesn’t know the answer, but because we don’t know ourselves. He asked Adam, “Where are you?” because Adam had lost his way. He asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” because Cain needed to learn that we are responsible for one another. Monday’s question God asked Abraham after telling him Sarah was going to have a baby in her old age. Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed at the ridiculousness of the prospect, so God asked, “Is anything too hard for God?”

It’s a question we would do well to ponder. We know the answer theoretically; of course, nothing is too hard for God, but when it comes to our own specific circumstances, we aren’t usually as certain as we would like to be. So Monday, I asked our men to write down what to them seems like an impossible situation for which they would like God to work a miracle. It wasn’t easy. Prayers like that are serious stuff, and we discover that too often, we pray for minor matters when we should be in the major leagues. Praying for someone to be healed of cancer is in a different category than praying for someone who has the flu.

So Monday, I wrote down two requests; that God would heal my son of the cancer, and that he would bring salvation to a friend. What I didn’t expect (silly me!) was that God would answer quite so quickly. Last week, Nathan had a bit of a setback. The immunotherapy that helps his body recognize and fight the melanoma can have a side effect of raising certain enzymes that have the potential to damage his liver. His enzyme levels were at the point where the doctors decided they needed to cease his immunotherapy and begin again treating him with steroids to combat any infection caused by the elevated enzyme levels. The result of that decision is that he isn’t getting the treatment that actually fights his particular form of cancer. This of course, is concerning to him and us.

 This morning, Nathan got his bloodwork done and it came back clear; his enzyme levels are down, and next week he resumes his immunotherapy. Of course, that doesn’t add up to a complete healing, but it is an encouragement and an indication to us that our prayers are being heard. I write down on a Monday the miracle I desire, and on Wednesday, we get word that we are again moving in the right direction. We aren’t hedging our bets in prayer; we are boldly asking for a miracle, and we got the first installment this morning.

Hard Scripture

 October 18, 2022

Thousands of years ago, Job was suffering terribly. His children had all been killed, he lost his wealth, and then his health. The only thing he didn’t lose was his wife who urged him to curse God and die, and his faith which kept him from listening to her bad advice. Instead, he uttered these words, perhaps wincing in pain as he did so: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (Job 13:15)

Words like that are not spoken in comfortable places. They are often forced through gritted teeth from a steely determination that refuses to yield to the hurricane forces of life. Faith like that is not reasonable; it is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. It refuses to quit when everything within and without screams for surrender.

I’ve been reading through Leviticus in my daily devotions. Leviticus is not usually high on people’s devotional reading, but it is Scriptural and therefore, has instruction for us. The first 17 chapters deal primarily with the Hebrew laws governing the prescribed place of worship and the priesthood, all of which were essential to establishing and maintaining a right relationship with God.

Chapters 18 and 19 are the heart of the book, echoing and expanding upon the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. Besides repeating many of those Ten Commandments, it has in common with the Exodus record the basis for all the Old Testament Laws: “I am the LORD, your God.” The Law isn’t arbitrary; it isn’t merely rules people decided were good for living; it is an expression of God’s own character. Since he is Creator, when we abandon his laws, we distance ourselves from life itself. We are seeing evidence of this in the crumbling of our society as we reject all semblance of fealty to the principles set forth here.

All that may be so, but the above words don’t reflect the reality we confront in these words. How often have I in my prayers failed to ground them in the character of God? Like St. Paul, I don’t always know how to pray as I ought. I know as a Christian that we are not exempt from trials and hardships, but I often don’t know what to make of them. Our son’s cancer is no different than the challenges countless others face. We are not being singled out, but we also don’t know what God’s plan is. Humanly speaking as Nate’s father, I don’t understand why God doesn’t do more to protect his children. I’ve even wondered if God doesn’t always save us in this life, how do I know he will do so in the next? 

This question doesn’t come from unbelief; it comes from faith in a God who does things I don’t understand. If I were an unbeliever, I wouldn’t even ask the question, for if there is no God, nothing makes sense, there is no purpose. So unashamedly, I ask for the life of my son.

It’s these words, “I am the LORD your God” that bother me. When I question his ways, this says to me, “I am God; you are not.” I know this, but I don’t always like it. I have to confess that I want to be God for a day; actually, just a moment would suffice—long enough to heal my son. Scripture can be hard to hear. God’s Word is not always comforting and encouraging. Tonight, it is challenging; so much so that the only response I can muster comes grudgingly. It’s the ancient response of Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” 

God Waits

 October 17, 2022

This past weekend, I was “Spiritual Director” of a men’s Christian retreat, with responsibilities including eight talks on different topics and texts, one of which was Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son. 

This story is the culmination of a Trilogy. In the 1st story, a shepherd goes looking for a wandering sheep. It just wandered away, and he searches high and low for it. In the 2nd story, a woman is looking for a lost coin. It is inanimate; it didn’t wander; maybe the thread that held it to her headdress broke. She sweeps the house for it.

Here, there is no searching. Only waiting. It’s the difference between losing your keys and losing your love. Sometimes with people, the more you chase after them, the faster they run away. In this story, the father loves the son, but lets him go. He knows in his heart what is happening, but also knows the son has to have an epiphany that he can’t give him.

I love the way Jesus states it: “He came to himself.” While he was wandering, he didn’t know who he really was. Here’s truth: when you are wandering from the Father, making a mess of your life, that’s not who you really are. Sometimes we say, “He’s just showing his true colors,” or “I’m beyond hope,” or “I’m just a drunk, or a bad husband/father/brother/friend.” That’s not true. You aren’t your true self when you’re in a mess. You’re your true self when you begin to realize you have a home and a father.

You may have prayed for God to deliver you out of your mess, and wondered why it hasn’t happened. “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers,” you ask. The answer may be that if God miraculously took you out of your mess, you would never discover who you really are. Sometimes, God waits for us to figure out for ourselves that we aren’t the disgusting person we  thought we were—the liar, the cheat, the pervert. He waits for us to realize we have a home and a Father who waits for us to discover what even God couldn’t convince us of if he had chased us down.

In the story, the son thinks in terms of what he’s done. The father thinks in terms of who he is. If my relationship with God is based on how well I’ve done, or if it is negated by how badly I’ve done, I don’t have a personal relationship; I have a business relationship, and that never satisfies a longing heart. Our relationship with God must be based on kinship; we are family because God adopted this child who had been abandoned and left to die. I didn’t do anything to deserve God’s love, and I can’t do anything to destroy God’s love. He is my Heavenly Father, and is waiting for me to realize that, and come home.

Behind the Smile

 October 16, 2022

Sometimes my brain and body are too tired to write anything coherent or meaningful. Tonight is such a night. Just a couple hours ago I got home from 48 hours of a men’s spiritual retreat that kept us going constantly, with only about six hours’ sleep Friday and Saturday nights. Our time together consisted of listening to and delivering talks on a variety of subjects and Scriptural texts. As spiritual director, I myself had eight such talks, but it’s just as hard sitting and listening, and then late at night, counseling and praying with those struggling with life issues.

Sometimes we tend to forget that everyone has issues, but when you listen to men speak honestly about their lives, it reminds me to be careful with people I meet daily. We never know what heartache is hiding behind a smile. So tonight as I lay my head on my pillow, I thank God for all he has spared me from, and offer my prayers for those whose life path has taken them on much rockier and steeper roads than I have trod. And tomorrow, I’ll pay a little closer attention to those I meet, and even if I don’t have occasion to speak with them, I’ll offer a prayer of blessing and peace for their sake.

Forgiveness

 October 16, 2022

Yesterday and today I’ve been at a Christian retreat as spiritual director, which includes the responsibilities of giving a number of mini sermons throughout the day. One of these dealt with the meaning and significance of Communion, or the Eucharist. The Scripture for this talk came from St. Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 11:25-30–

“ He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

The context tells us what Paul meant by “an unworthy manner.” He is talking about our relationships with other believers, that if we are not in right relationship with them, ie, if there is unforgiveness, jealousy, or selfishness, we are not in a position to be receiving communion. The remedy is not to abstain from communion, but to fix the relationship.

Jesus himself was pretty clear about this matter when he said if we are coming to the altar and realize a brother has something against us, leave the gift at the altar, go an be reconciled to the brother, then come back and offer the gift. After all, communion is what its name implies, “being one with each other (literally “with union”).

The backstory to this little talk goes back quite a few years. A Christian brother made a decision that I didn’t agree with. I don’t know if he knew it back then, but I held a grudge against him. As it happened, he moved, and we only saw each other occasionally. I was cordial, but guarded. 

God has a sense of humor, and arranged things so we would be on team together for this retreat. I knew I couldn’t give this talk if I didn’t deal with my attitude. We talked briefly last night; I confessed and apologized to him, but we didn’t have the time to really settle things. So here I am, giving this talk when God convicts me. Before the entire group of men, I had to confess my sin against my brother, and he was gracious enough to get out of his seat, come forward, and embrace me, offering forgiveness and grace. I don’t often get particularly emotional, but it was hard to continue. But I wouldn’t have been able to lead the men in communion if I had not done what Jesus and Paul commanded.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but it was a powerful moment for me. Many people have been praying for this retreat, and some wrote to me telling me they prayed that the weekend would minister to me as I ministered to others. That happened this afternoon as my brother stood up and publicly forgave this sinner, enabling him to offer the sign of grace to others in the Bread and the Cup.

Simple Faith for a Complex Life

 October 14, 2022

Faith was easy when life was simple. As a boy, I can remember thinking about the responsibility that weighed on my father’s shoulders. Young boys don’t usually think about such things, but I did, and was amazed that week after week as he went to work and came home, my entire life, and that of my mother, my brother, and my sister, rested in his hands. “What if he lost his job? What if he got sick and died?” Those questions weren’t continually on my mind; I was just a boy after all, but those thoughts regularly flitted across the face of my consciousness.

I grew up, and that responsibility shifted to my shoulders, but also to my wife’s as we both worked and shared the financial responsibility for the family. But those were normal times; our jobs were pretty well guaranteed, and though we didn’t make tons of money, we were comfortable and secure. We still are, but looming all around us is the spectre of normal becoming only a memory. Our nation is in catastrophic debt, our culture is fragmenting, people are actually believing that emotion is more determinative of life than biology, violence and fear are flooding our cities and towns. Life is anything but simple.

But it is for complex and difficult times that faith exists. It takes little faith to trust in God when all is well. Why does anyone need God when every need is being met? It is when life comes crashing down on us that we need faith to carry us through. When I cannot see a positive outcome, I need something to lean on that is bigger than my circumstance. I need God.

Over the past dozen years or so, life for me has become more complex. I’m not complaining; by all measurements, my life is far better than that of most people in the world. But compared to what my life had been before, it is now far more complex and challenging than ever before. Less and less is within my circle of control, which means more and more I need to lean hard on God. So I do. And he continues to bear me up and keep me going, for which I am grateful tonight.

Atonement

 October 13, 2022

“I can’t believe in a God who would send someone to hell!” I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard that comment, or one like it, to which I reply, “I can’t believe in that kind of God either.” The truth of the matter is, God doesn’t condemn anyone to hell. People do it to themselves. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ took extraordinary measures to prevent anyone from going to hell. My Bible reminds me that “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).

I’ve been reading through the OT book of Leviticus, which consists primarily of the ritual law of the ancient Jews. The word that sums up the book is “holy,” occurring 78 times. The word highlights the difference between God and ourselves, emphasizing God’s perfect goodness in contrast to our sinfulness. In the very middle of Leviticus is chapter 16, which prescribes the rituals for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest took the blood of the sacrifice into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled it upon the Ark of the Covenant. 

Fifteen times in this chapter we read the phrase, “make atonement.” The Hebrew word is Kaphar, which means “to cover.” God prescribed a ritual to cover the sins of the people. It goes back to the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned. They tried to cover it up, but God saw through their fig leaves and instead provided a more adequate covering. Instead of condemnation, God covered their sin and sent them out of the Garden so they wouldn’t eat of the tree of Life and live forever in their degraded and sinful state. Their expulsion from the Garden was a gift of grace, not a punishment.

In the ritual law, again God provided a covering. Instead of exposing his people to the full consequences of sin, he covered it up, not to surreptitiously hide it out of sight, but to protect them from its full effects. Their sin was covered.

The English word used to translate the Hebrew is “Atonement,” which sheds further light upon the character of God. Break the word down: “At-one-ment.” God does what is necessary to break down the sin barrier that separates us from him and each other and “makes us one.” If our secret sins were fully exposed to the world, we would never dare get close to another human being ever again. God in his mercy and love covers us so we can be one together. Ritually, he did this through the blood of the animal sacrifice. In reality, the blood of an animal cannot cover our sins. And as he did with Abraham who was ready to sacrifice his own son Isaac, God himself provided the sacrifice, only this time, it wasn’t a ram caught in the brambles, it was his own Son who wore the brambles upon his brow as he spilled his blood to cover our sins and make us one with God and one another. 

In both the Leviticus ritual and the reality of Christ, the people were powerless to atone for themselves. God provided the means and opens the door when we repent of our sins and trust in the sacrifice he provided. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Everyday Hero #17

 October 12, 2022

“I think you should contact this fellow and befriend him on Facebook.” My friend sent me this message some years ago. Back then, there weren’t so many hackers, and I was a bit naïve about where such interactions might end up, so I agreed. 

Peter was a bit of an enigma. I’m not sure why he wanted to be my FB friend, but we began conversations, if you could call them that. Anytime I said anything at all about my faith in Christ, he had contrary words. He challenged everything, denying the validity of a faith life with vehemence and vitriol. Peter wasn’t dumb; he quoted various agnostic or atheistic philosophers and attacked my posts at every opportunity. I didn’t mind it; verbal sparring sharpens the mind, and I was always careful to calmly state my position without rancor. Friends would often jump in on our conversations with emotion and defensiveness which I often had to discourage because it wasn’t helpful to my purposes of showing him Christ.

I suppose I knew the day would come when it really turned nasty. I don’t exactly remember what I said on this occasion, but it must have been something about raising my kids to know and follow Christ, because his reaction was sharp and revealing. “Anyone who teaches their kids about God should be arrested for child abuse!” I had touched a nerve, so I decided to probe a bit.

“For someone who has no children, you have more than enough advice for those of us who do,” I said (or words to that effect). “What gives you the right to tell someone how to raise their children?” 

His answer was an explosion of rage which uncovered the real issue. A relative who had been following our conversations privately messaged me. He had been abused as a child, sexually and physically. His only source of refuge was a grandfather who when Peter was about 12, developed cancer. Peter prayed for him, but he died. God hadn’t answered his prayer, so God didn’t exist. The strange thing about all this is his anger towards a God he didn’t believe in.

I tried to keep the conversation going, listening, praying, and looking for even the slightest opportunity to love him in Jesus’ name, but right about that time, Linda’s mother died, and when I posted about it, he went on the attack against Linda. I had to shut him off for her sake.

I’ve thought often about Peter, prayed for him, wondering if someone else has been able to pierce the walls he has built up to protect himself from being hurt and disappointed again. And I’ve thought about the effect one’s life experiences has on people. We never know from looking at the outside what’s going on inside someone. Sometimes those who seem to be on top of the world are teetering on the edge of disaster, and a smile often hides a broken heart. So once more tonight, I pray for the Peters of this world, filled with anger because they’ve been wounded so deeply. I pray that Jesus Christ, the Great Healer, will somehow penetrate those defenses with his love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Strangely enough, in his brokenness, Peter is one of my Everyday Heroes because he helped me see life through his clouded and tear-filled eyes.

Partakers of God’s Holiness

 October 11, 2022

“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? …we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”—Hebrews 12:7, 9-10 

Daily Light on the Daily Path is a devotional book consisting entirely of Scripture without comment. It was compiled by Jonathan Bagster for family devotions and first published in 1875. It has been continually in print since then. This morning’s reading came in part from Hebrews 12, with just a snippet from the above text that caught my attention this morning. The words that jumped out at me were the final phrase quoted: “that we may be partakers of his holiness.”

The author of Hebrews notes that the difficulties and challenges we face are not as often assume, obstacles to our faith, but are instead the very means to growing our faith and strengthening our character. But there is more; God wants us to be partakers of his holiness. In other words, He wants to impart to us his own character. 

The Scriptures are replete with references to the holiness of God. From Moses removing his sandals because he is on holy ground, to the High Priest only entering the Divine Presence once a year on the Day of Atonement, to Isaiah’s vision of the Seraphim shouting, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God of Hosts,” and exclaiming, “Woe is me; I am done for, for I have unclean lips…and have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” In the New Testament, Peter exclaims, “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” And in the Revelation, “every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”” —Revelation 5:13 

The author of Hebrews is clear about the matter: God’s intent is to make us holy with his very own holiness. This is not some dry, sour church lady attitude that sucks all the joy out of life, but is rather the very purpose for which we were made. God’s holiness is a glorious thing, so wonderful that those who have experienced even just a portion of it are driven to their knees by the energy released by his glory. If they were to experience it fully, it would annihilate them as surely as matter is vaporized in atomic fission. 

God doesn’t desire our annihilation. Instead, he wants us to experience something far beyond mere human joy—his holiness. And for that to happen, we must be chastened, ie, God introduces us to fiery trials so that whatever might hinder or prevent our experiencing his Presence might be burned away. 

Oh my soul, keep your eyes upon Jesus Christ, and shrink not from his hand of correction, that you might experience the fullness of his glorious presence through his Holy Spirit!

Miracles

 October 10, 2022

“What keeps you from praying for a miracle?” That question sparked some deep thinking in our men’s Bible study tonight. The Scripture behind the question was from Genesis 18:14–“Is anything too hard for God?” I’ve often found myself praying by the limits of my own imagination. When praying for healing for example, I used to mentally calculate the likelihood of the person getting better. If the illness was minor, I could pray confidently. If it looked terminal, I’d pray for comfort. After all, I didn’t want people to lose faith from unanswered prayers.

God finally got through my thick head that he didn’t need any protection from me; that I wasn’t responsible for his reputation. So I began praying for healing no matter how desperate the situation, knowing that God might have other plans, but also knowing that generally, he intends people to be healthy. 

The conversation took a sudden turn when one of the men, a relatively new Christian, spoke of a debilitating condition he has that the doctors tell him will only get worse. He spoke of the transformation that Christ has already worked in his life, and that he wonders if physical healing might somehow induce him to slowly let go of his faith and return to his old way of life. “I don’t want healing on those terms,” he said. 

So we returned to the question of praying for miracles. What constitutes a miracle? Are we praying for God to shape us by whatever means necessary into the image of Christ? In many ways, that would be a greater miracle than healing someone of cancer. 

One of the men said he wondered if he didn’t pray for a miracle because if he got into a bad situation by his own foolishness or sin, how could he with integrity ask God to bail him out? The answer to that question is easy: We all got ourselves into bad situations by our choices to sin. God’s offer of salvation is to those of us who got ourselves into situations we can’t get out of. Salvation is by definition, God bailing us out of the situation we got ourselves into. That in itself, is quite the miracle!

Stress

October 9, 2022

We live in an anxiety-laden world. The demand for pharmaceuticals, anti-depressants, and the trafficking of illegal drugs is at an all-time high as young and old are finding life too busy, too complicated, and too stressful to cope. I think I can understand.

My life is relatively calm and stress-free. I don’t live in constant fear of violence, have pretty good health, and am surrounded by family and friends who genuinely care for one another. Our finances are as secure as can be expected in a volatile market. We aren’t worried about where our next meal is coming from, or if we can afford it. Our home is comfortable and life is good.

There was a time when the stresses of pastoral work were very much present, but those days are behind me, for which I am very thankful. I told Pastor Joe the other day how grateful I am for his leadership through the Covid pandemic and now the process of disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church, neither of which I would have handled with as much finesse, grace, and patience as he has shown. That being said…

I am in the midst of preparations for a Koinonia weekend, and just learned today of a few details I hadn’t known before; some things for which I am responsible. I thought I had everything sewed up, but apparently there were a few threads I hadn’t counted on. On top of that are arranging all the flight and visa details for our upcoming trip to Cuba. In the past, others more experienced than I took care of the details, but I’m on my own now, and if I mess it up, a lot of plans and a fair amount of money is down the drain. Foreign travel can be stressful; it’s even more so when we’re going to a place like Cuba. 

There are a few other small matters that are occupying my mind, but I realize how small are my problems compared with most. So I am not surprised at how people struggle with stress. If I allow myself, my mind can be like a hamster’s treadmill, spinning faster and faster till I lose my footing and get spun out of control. It is the Word of God and the power of centering prayer that keeps my feet on the ground. I am so grateful that even if everything gets topsy-turvy, Jesus Christ is still my Lord and Savior, and has promised to walk with me through thick and thin. When I turn my attentions to him, the stress melts away in his presence. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Whether your stressors are small or great, Jesus’ words are as true for you as they are for me: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”” —Matthew 11:28-30 

Although…Yet

 October 8, 2022

The very first wedding at which I was able to officiate was that of Carol Burton and Craig McCleod. I won’t say how long ago that was. Carol grew up in the Alabama Methodist Church and went to Oral Roberts University where she met Craig. I had barely arrived as the new pastor of the Alabama church when I learned that their wedding had been in planning stages and was about to become a reality. They settled in Oklahoma after the wedding, where she later began a ministry teaching and writing. Tonight’s meditation which resonated with me is from her regular FB postings. I offer it as she wrote it. Thank you, Carol, for your wisdom.

“During the pandemic ...there was a scripture that meant so much to me.

I still think about this particular Bible verse often.

Let me explain ...

Habakkuk was a prophet ... and he cried out to God.

He didn't like what was going on in the world ... and he wondered what God was going to do about it.

God answered Habakkuk and reminded him who was in charge ... and it wasn't Habakkuk.

God told Habakkuk that men choose evil ways ... and always would.

God also reminded Habakkuk that the righteous would live by faith.

Habakkuk then responded to the Lord ...

"Although the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Although the yield of the olive should fail

And the fields produce no food,

Although the flock should be cut off from the fold

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the LORD,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation." - Habakkuk 3:17 & 18

Although ... although ...although ... yet.

I want to learn the "although - yet" lesson.

Although the economy fails ... yet I will praise the Lord.

Although a pandemic rages ... yet I will praise the Lord.

Although the government is in upheaval ... yet I will praise the Lord.

Have you learned the "although-yet" principle yet?

I'm working on it ...