Breathing Hard

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I heard an old Christmas favorite by Amy Grant yesterday morning, one of many CDs I never got around to this year for some reason (and yes, it is perfectly okay to listen to Christmas music until the end of December, especially when you’ve been too busy before Christmas to enjoy it properly). I remember the year this album came out, when the mix of babies at home and holiday events became just too overwhelming. As a young mother in ministry, realizing Mary’s dependency on the Holy Spirit to accomplish the difficult thing she was called to do sparked a longing to know His powerful help in my own Everyday.

I listen to the song now, these many years later, and recognize God’s presence woven through– know that it was His strength that helped me, His light that guided me through many dark and confusing days, His own heart poured into mine so I could be a help to others. And this is the Christmas miracle that lasts into the New Year: the very Breath of Heaven that overshadowed young Mary is the same One who says to us “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) The holy Presence that knit flesh and Spirit together to bring forth the Messiah, and comforted Mary through that uncertain time is the same the Musician-King sang about: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5) The Spirit of the Living God has entered this world to live with us. Not just for certain special people, or for specific important tasks, but for everyday living. This is why Paul the Apostle could tell people plainly that now we can “reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’” (Acts 17:27)The Christ Child grew up in this world, lived and died and lived again, and when He went back Home He promised “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) And so the Breath of Heaven comes to live in our fragile clay– simple Christ-followers, made temples by His presence.

This Advent season, everyday life seems to weigh heavy: real people baring their hearts in small groups; late night phone calls, and early morning texts asking for prayer, or for a listening ear; a deluge of tears and general messiness of all kinds. I think of those who are grieving for children lost, and others who are facing impossible circumstances, and the ones who are wondering where they went wrong and how to live out their faith in the place where they are. So many people who are searching for answers. So many who are longing for God’s touch, and just plain weary in their Everyday…seems like many of us could echo Mary’s prayer for help, this Christmas season.  Maybe it is the best way to pray for each other, here at the beginning of a New Year, that the divine Wind would blow through the ordinary in unexpected ways. Maybe there’s no way we can get through today or tomorrow, unless we remind each other often that God is with us, no matter how it looks– He is as close as our next breath. Maybe the only way we can leave the old year behind and face the new one, in spite of problems that seem like they are here to stay, is to remember that we have a Comforter-Helper who will not leave us either. And He is calling “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) It’s me as much as anyone who needs to come close and give it up to Him… just lay it down and breathe deep.

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“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:9-12

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“I believe everything that You say You are;
I believe that I have seen Your unchanging heart.
In the good things and in the hardest part,
I believe and I will follow You.
I believe and I will follow You.”
(I Will Follow, Vertical Church)

Some Angels Only Whisper

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She holds onto hope, there among the branches, her painted face smiling brave, and wings out-stretched. (Here at the beginning of Winter…as the Christmas season launches headlong into its race to be bigger, do more, shine brighter… as one year crosses out its last days and another looms large ahead.) I put her carefully into the tree full of angels, and nod to her silent message: there is Hope for every longing heart. For God Himself has come down to us, and the world cannot ever be the same again.

I have held onto the bare branches of Winter and searched hard for Hope; listened long through the night for answers that never seemed to come; looked at the blank expanse of a new year with nothing but dread at its enormity. And the lights on the tree shine through the window like little beacons lighting the way. The beauty of this Season calls to the spirit, somehow– whispers what we are straining to hear all year long– that there is magic in this old world, something More than what we see and touch, something of eternal value and immense meaning hidden behind the glittery trappings. And the angel holds out hope in her hands: “See, the Sovereign Lord comes….He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:10-11)

But this season of frantic Joy to The World can grind you down to weariness, take away every last shred of peace if you are not looking for the One who brings it. Ironic, isn’t it, that the very way we celebrate the birth of the Savior only serves to underline our need for deliverance. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah seven hundred years ahead of time to reassure us about His coming: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice…” (Isaiah 42:3) The Creator stoops to our need, bends to lift up a fragile broken world and make it new with His own flesh-and-blood hands. There is help for the burdens we carry, and hope for restoration of every crazy situation we face; the future may be unknown to us, but it is not so to Him, and He will bring justice (in the old-fashioned sense of protecting the innocent and vulnerable, and righting of wrongs). The words of the old hymn resound, “Fear not to trust my mighty arm; it brought salvation down.” (JW Howe) 

The angels who filled the sky over Bethlehem shouted until they shook the heavens, and I am sure it was magnificent and glorious when they announced Jesus’ birth, but I have always been drawn to the laments of the prophets, waiting for God’s promises to come true and reminding God’s people of His faithfulness. Thus saith the Lord…“By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear. They will say of Me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’” (Isaiah 45:23-24) This is a solid Hope to hold onto, a compass point to steer by so we don’t get lost amid the shopping and baking and partying; this is the depth of meaning that underlies every sparkle of Christmas. God is with us, and He is for us– if you listen you can hear the angels: “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)

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” So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

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“He has come for us, this Jesus
He’s the hope for all mankind
He has come for us, The Messiah,
Born to give us life…”
(Jason Ingram and Meredith Andrews)

 

When You’re Feeling Stuck

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It’s definitely a day for the Chicago blues and a wailing guitar, with the snow coming down, and waiting for family to come home, and pies laid out on the kitchen table. After all these years, the prayers come easily in the kitchen: stirring over the stove, and checking the timer, and washing up the dishes yet again, mixing and measuring out…these daily movements have become the choreography of my prayer life. The medieval Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, had it right when he said “We might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him with freedom and in simplicity. We need only to recognize God intimately present with us and address ourselves to Him every moment. We need to beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have completed them.” (The Practice of the Presence of God)

So I work in my kitchen and offer it up to Him, and I pray for Him to work in all the situations that need His help, ask yet again for Him to do the things that would surely be best for everyone, and suddenly it occurs to me that I only get impatient with waiting because I want to be able to do something to fix this. I wonder how many times my prayers are no more than a begging for Him to move this obstacle or open that door, so I can get to work, an expression of frustration in my own helplessness. With that personal observation under the spotlight, it’s easier to see why He often does something entirely different, way out of my reach, so that the glory is all His own. Immediately Paul’s words from his letter to the Ephesians come to mind, “And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” We are used to hearing that in reference to salvation (which of course is what Paul is talking about) but there is a wry fact of life there too, that we would usually so much rather do things on our own and feel good about it. And more than a hint of feeling we know what is best, as well.

But I see how self-sufficiency sets itself against trusting, and how our stress-filled figuring-it-out could be laid to rest in the knowledge of the Father’s love. I can wait quietly, in total assurance that whatever God is doing will show itself to be very much bigger and way better than anything I could work out. I can be content to trade the stress and hurry of my efforts for the promise that all will be well for the people I love, because the Giver loves to pour out undeserved favor for the sake of His glory. It’s what He does best. In the space of waiting that often seems empty and unproductive, maybe there is an unseen wind of earth-shaking power that I don’t know about yet. Just ask the ancient prophets watching their people being hauled away into slavery by the conquering Babylonian armies, who are laying waste to the Promised Land. Yet during that time, Jeremiah could claim “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26) And Isaiah could write some of the most beautiful and comforting words the world has ever heard: “Why do you complain..? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom….those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:27-28, 31) Wait, O Israel, because God is at work, and the silence will not last forever…only until the Savior is born, “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” (Isaiah 40:5)

Some things God does give me to work out, with His strength to help, and this too is a gift. As Brother Lawrence reminds, the key is knowing what is mine to do and not fretting about the rest of it. There is a simplicity in that kind of trust that only comes through the habit of constant inner conversation with God. The humble monk in the kitchen was living out what Paul explains simply and practically in his Ephesians letter: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” (Ephesians 4:6-7) Work on the things that are in your circle of influence; wait for God to take care of the things that are not; and pray about all of it, trusting Him to show you which is which. I need the reminder that this is how to live in the presence of God; my heart turns, and the prayers change, deepen here, looking for what He is doing in the waiting spaces, listening for the whispers of His Spirit. And the world waits in the stillness, waits to see His glory.

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 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

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“God’s putting together all the pieces of the puzzle and He’ll fill what’s still missing with His peace.” (Ann VosKamp)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only Some Things Endure Forever

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There are all these circumstances we can get stuck in, no matter how much we chafe hard against them; and doing-our-best isn’t always enough to change what is, and what is not. We wait for answers to our prayers, and wait for relationships to change, and sorrows to fade, and doors to open…all these things that we cannot affect. And I see the birds hunching down against the cold gray sky, and think how we are like that sometimes– as if we could wall out what hurts and just bend our backs under the weight, hold out till the skies turn blue again.

Maybe this holiday of Thanksgiving comes just at the right time to remind us of what is truly needful. Right when the brilliance of Fall turns dull and bare, and the earth is settling into Winter (right when we could lose a grip on  hope… let it blow away with the last of the leaves), there is this reminder that the giving of thanks is still appropriate. The Musician-King sang it thousands of years ago, left his testimony for us: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) It’s all a matter of perspective, and when we look at the right things, this season may be very short after all.  “As for man, his days are like grass…the wind blows over it and it is gone….But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children…” (Psalm 103:15-17) Fasten our eyes on what truly lasts, and the present circumstances show up fleeting in the light of eternity.

In many ways, giving thanks is our banner proclaiming allegiance to the King– the way we display our surrender to His will and His timing–even when we are tired of waiting. Giving thanks is a kind of offering laid on the altar of worship, our statement of trust that He is still at work and He is still good. It is an act of obedience, not just emotion. The church-planter Paul told the long-ago believers to “…pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) But he is just as quick to point out that it is for our own benefit, because when we pour out our hearts in prayer and thanksgiving, “…the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)  Giving thanks is our shield raised against discouragement and resignation, a weapon to beat back the darkness.

Maybe if we raise our heads brave against the wind and spend this season thanks-giving, we will find a joy we had not expected in these circumstances…and there is always hope. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)

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“No matter what we’re facing, there are always only two roads: thanksgiving to God or dismissing of God.” (Ann VosKamp)

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“When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; He brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper.” (Psalm 118:5-7)

 

Just As I Am, I Come

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I’ve been reading old soldiers of the faith, these last few weeks, and feeling both encouraged and humbled by their strength. It is safe to say that a person’s grasp of grace is directly proportional to his sense of how far he has fallen and his utter desperate need for forgiveness. We have somehow lost both grace and desperation, in the modern swell of psychological Self-boosting.

But there’s a difference between hating your sin-disease and hating yourself. There’s a difference between feeling shame and feeling worthless because of it (though the Enemy of your soul will rush you right from one to the other without a second thought). It’s really not that we need to find a way to feel better about ourselves. It’s that we need to pull off the masks and see ourselves clearly. We are genetically flawed– at the mercy of our bent and broken natures. We are born into the middle of this crazy rebellion against the King and are running headlong toward our own destruction, like so many larger-than-life lemmings. And trying to patch up the effects of shame and guilt by building self-worth on our own is as appallingly futile as treating a flesh-eating virus with a good diet and exercise. But maybe that’s part of the problem, that we have lived so long with this malady that we have accepted it as a normal part of life, just one more everyday hazard to cope with the best way you can, until you run out of time.

Thing is, when you can see yourself clearly, flawed as you are, the answer is similarly obvious… as plain as that Cross on the hill. The Apostle Paul knew just what his sin problem was, doesn’t hesitate to tell us “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:11) And he waxes eloquent about the Grace that rescued him and gave him a new start– practically sings it, in words that can barely contain the Mystery: “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us…. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us…” (Ephesians 1:6-8a) Far from making Paul miserable, recognizing the depths of his personal darkness gave him a profound appreciation for the gift of forgiveness. Maybe he was onto something, along with these other saints long-gone: don’t bother patching up the soul, because “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) anyway. Just stop running ragged and making do on your own; dive into endless grace for a complete re-creation, and revel in the simple freedom of starting over.

And the old words still ring true to the soul:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to thee for dress;
Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die….
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.”
(Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, Augustus M. Toplady)

There is a Savior who takes me just as I am, and a love that defies all explanation or measurement, and this is the source of true worth and a healthy self-image. I don’t really see myself clearly until I can see a forgiven sinner made whole, “the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:9) There’s joy here, in coming just as you are.

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“You’re more than your hands do. You’re more than your hands have. You’re more than how other hands measure you. You are what is written on God’s Hands: Safe. Held. His. Beloved.” (Ann VosKamp)

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“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:17-18)

You Make Beautiful Things

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The hills are turning every shade of fire this weekend, and when I think about what it really means for the trees, my spirit offers up hushed that only God could make the dying beautiful. With Autumn’s declaration splashed lavish across the hillsides, two young people celebrate how He brought them out of broken places to start a new life together….a weary joyful saint leaves behind a chrysalis and steps transformed into immortality….a whole family gives thanks for the awakening miracle of love in a child’s wounded heart….the Holy Wind blowing life into all these dry bones. And I see how we are all only dust, lit up with Your glory. We are the clay in Your potter’s hands from the first day till the last, held fast and loved beyond measure. The colors of autumn paint us their yearly reminder that everything fades but what is in You: all this dust turning to dust, and all of us becoming beautiful in the light of Your grace, empty hands held up toward the sky.

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“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children…” (Psalm 103:13-17)

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“Do not be thinking of how little you have to bring to God, but of how much he wants to give you. Just place yourself before, and look up into, His face; think of His love, His wonderful, tender, pitying love. Just tell Him how sinful and cold and dark it all is: it is the Father’s loving heart that will give light and warmth to yours.” (Andrew Murray)

Seasons of Change

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Almost a month has slipped by here, with me wordlessly ruminating on things past and what is ahead, and how we all are growing. It is remarkable how quickly great change can come to our hearts, when we are truly ready to listen and hungry for something more. Who knows what the tipping point will be? When do the walls become doors and everything suddenly make sense? How do we open the windows and allow the winds of change to blow through our lives? And it reminds me of the story Jesus told: “…other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!…Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Mark 4:8-9) Maybe only the Farmer knows when the soil is fertile, and when ears are ready to understand His Truth– just how much digging up and plowing-through it takes, to make something grow. His patience is endless.

And too, perhaps all the years of labor pains and wrestling on another’s behalf are not as unproductive as they appear sometimes. Perhaps the Holy Wind has been stirring within, preparing the soil to yield abundance, after all. Who are we to judge what is in another person’s heart, or when the harvest should come, or even what He is accomplishing in our own hearts during the long waiting?

So here we are already mid-Fall, at the start of new small groups and new books, and we come with ever-new hearts around the table to learn together. We are not the same as we were even a year ago: older certainly, but there’s a hunger in the room…a warmth of connected-ness between us women whose hearts are open and whose ears are listening. We are excited for new growth. Someone pointed out the other night that the overarching Plan is God’s, but we get to choose how we respond– what our lives will produce– and people are watching and responding themselves. It makes me think again of soil plowed up and receptive to the seeds He is planting, and how mysterious are the methods of the Holy Breath of God. There is the small stir of a seed’s awakening, and there is the slow steady growth of a well-cultivated soul, and there is the sudden abundance of harvest, but it is all the Farmer’s work “…to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us.” (Ephesians 1:6)

Dear Father, help us to keep saying yes to You in every little thing; to keep the eyes of our souls turned toward you; and our ears open for Your voice, however it may come. May we be patient with what You are growing in us, and persevere in praying for those we love; may Your grace and lovingkindness bring the harvest.

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“He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live….” (Psalm 107:35-36)

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“Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do for you exceeding abundantly above all that you could ever have asked or thought, not according to your power or capacity, but according to His own mighty power, that will work in you all the good pleasure of His most blessed will. You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of it?” (Hannah Whitall Smith)

Body Building Basics

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A friend told me this morning about getting nominated for the 7-Day Gratitude Challenge on Facebook, and how uplifting she found it to name three things every day that she was thankful for– how it turned her eyes to God’s goodness and filled her heart with unexpected joy. Her story was like a light shining into my week turned burdened and gray with the dust of this world… the way windows can get grimy with the everyday accumulation, until the sun’s rays illuminate all the dirt getting in the way of seeing. It reminded me that I used to give thanks every day and that I had stopped for some reason. It reminded me of Paul’s injunction to the Christ-followers of centuries past: “…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19-20) He understood how we need to do that for one another, to call each other back to truth and thankfulness and right thinking, almost constantly.

And the thing is, I know the slow soul-drain of fixing my eyes on what is immediately before me– the microscopic view of my little world with only this life in mind, and how very weary it is. I’ve been here before and by now I know the only remedy is to “turn [my] eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” (Helen Lemmel) So how is it that I find myself here again and in need of a heart-check? When I am counting His blessings, tuning my heart to sing His praise, that is when I am most happy; that is when my soul feels most alive; that is when I can look ahead with hope for whatever comes. Looking back, it’s hard to pinpoint when I stopped remembering to give thanks, and why exactly– although I do remember a delusional moment of self-congratulation, in which I thought the habit of thankfulness so well-worn it needed no more daily discipline. If there was a turning point, that was certainly one.

I see that whenever we are satisfied with where we are, we are most in danger of losing focus. We need to hear each other’s stories, see each other’s growth, allow the grace that flows from the gifts of others into our own lives. “…Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16) There really is no substitute for this kind of community. Whenever we are isolated from the rest of the Body, whether by circumstances or choices, we become handicapped in our growth. We need the prayers and encouragement of others, to remind us of who we are and where we are going– to remind us to give thanks in all things. Living in community helps us to regularly wipe away the dust and grime of everyday living, so that God’s light can shine through more clearly. Living in community helps to keep us on track in this faith-race, speaking the Truth to one another in every way possible, so that no one gets lost along the way, or gets left behind.

So this week I am getting back to the basics, and counting what I am thankful for, once again. First on the list is this community of Christ-followers.

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“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24)

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 “There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back.” (Elizabeth David)

Of Pearls and Building Blocks

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What you believe matters most of all. It will affect the way you live, and the way you love, and the way you work, and the way you die. Just ask the little boy who is afraid to go to bed at night in the dark. Ask the mama who is sending her youngest off to college, and the woman who is giving up her career for health reasons. Ask the young adult wondering if there is someone else out there who wants to spend the rest of a life building a home together. Ask the wife sitting with her husband during chemo treatments. Ask all of us, in the stillness of our hearts if what we believe about ourselves and our experiences doesn’t make all the difference in the world. Because how we see life is how we will react to it, and what we think is who we are becoming. Beliefs are the building blocks that will make a life, and some of us don’t even see it until we turn around at the end, and wonder what we built.

The funny thing is that we pay so much attention to what is going on around us– what we are doing, and how we are feeling in the moment– and rarely spare a glance for the beliefs that drive us, underneath it all. The Wise King told his sons to figure that out first, before they wasted their whole lives with meaningless moments….to find solid faith-footing that could guide their steps: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) I guess desperation drives some of us, because when you are caught in a storm you start sorting through what you can hold onto, pretty quickly. And what good are beliefs that just fill your head and can’t anchor down Real Life when the winds howl and beat against your house? Maybe it’s okay to find yourself weak if you find out how sturdy God’s Words are when you lean hard on them. Like the Wise King says, “My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble….for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:21-23, 26) And if we believe something less useful, the storm will show that too, and maybe there is a severe mercy there somewhere. Because we all believe something, and it will play itself out in our lives, even if it all falls to ruin. Honestly, often the biggest obstacle between what I know about God and living it out in the real world is Myself– thinking I can do it on my own, hanging onto old hurts and misconceptions, finding it hard to trust, my own needs/ fears/emotions drowning everything else out– and I know there are some building blocks that need to fall like sandcastles.

It seems we keep coming back to this one theme of knowing God and living out our faith, so far this year. Whether we are still in grade school or have been here for decades, this is something all Christ-followers need to know, that what we believe matters most in this life. “Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” (Jeremiah 29:13) So we keep on pursuing knowing God and His ways, learning to listen as if our lives depend on it, because in the end, they really do. This is the pearl of great price that is worth everything.

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“You can have as much of God as you want, and no more than you are willing to pay the price for.” (Rob Reimer)

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“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

 

 

For The Bible Tells Me So

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Before my eyes opened this morning someone was on my heart, the weight of need fully present even before my brain was awake enough to put words to it, as if it had been sitting there all night waiting. Except that it hadn’t, and there was nothing I could do to make a difference in this person’s life except direct the burden of my heart, and the half-formed words toward the God who does not stop listening. For this I know, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He … who watches over you will not slumber….” (Psalm 121:2-3) God’s attention on His loved ones never wavers, and His concern for them never falters, so I can give Him the cares of my heart in confidence that He knows exactly what to do about it. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6)

Theology applies to everyday life in surprisingly small ways, in places you would never expect such a lofty word to connect. But we’ve been seeing how theology is just a matter of getting to know God, and the more I get to know Him and understand His Plan working out in the world, the more I see how relevant and practical His truths are. It feels like turning back the clock to the simple basics of childhood, the first declaration of truth that I learned to sing and believe: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Except that life is so much more complicated now that sometimes it surprises me when the Truth remains so straightforward. Maybe that’s one reason why it can get hard to apply theology to our everyday circumstances; it is hard to believe that the Bible means just what it says and speaks so clearly to how we think and feel. When I look out my kitchen window at God’s creation, and see the complexity of its working– every detail fully attended to, and just as much care put into the ant as into the largest of creatures– I can see that each part serves Him by doing what He created it to do. If I accept that as true and turn its lens toward my home, it lends dignity to the every-morning act of making coffee and wiping off counter-tops, the daily tedium of cleaning and serving a household, for such working is neither small nor insignificant in His eyes, and I can do it well, as loving service to the King who arranged it so. I can find joy in creating a beautiful, welcoming sanctuary for my family, a place where we can be ourselves and be nourished by love and laughter. The Bible tells me it is a worthwhile aim that gives glory to God. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Already before lunch there is an appointment forgotten and a need for gracious apologies, a plan misunderstood and the call for gentle and clear communication, and several questions for guidance. But Older Brother James is saying “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) I can take that instruction quite seriously and in the moment I can ask for clear thinking and for wisdom in how to answer. I can feel confident that the Holy Spirit lives with me, guides my responses, and is glad I asked…instead of barreling through it all, on my own.

In all the ups and downs of my day, there is real Truth that speaks to real life about sorrow, about loneliness, about fear, about being able to forgive, about being loved and accepted, about the things that go wrong in the world, about the things I long for, about how to love difficult people, and how to love God.

I’m beginning to see why the Church-planter Paul told his readers, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…. (Colossians 3:16), because we need to be saturated in this Truth before it can come out our pores naturally, as we live and move and breathe. We need to speak Truth fluently in order to help each other run the race. And the sobering realization follows quickly, that sometimes it is not so much a matter of ignorance as it is of careless resistance…that I know what the Bible says about this matter but I would rather do something different, prefer to see it more as a suggestion than anything else. But there is Paul again, acknowledging the need for honesty and commitment, saying, “So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

In many ways this learning to put into practice what we know to be true is a getting back to the simple basics of simple faith– stripping off the religious ideas, the self-deception, the church customs we have learned through the years, and accepting what God says– like a child again. There is so much that is still mystery… but maybe we can understand enough simply to run today, and that’s all we need to know for now.

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“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them.” (E. Paul Hovey)

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“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Philippians 3:14-16)