“No eye is on the sparrow?”

I stood by my wife’s bedside in the ICU last night, feeling more helpless than at any time I can remember.  She was in surgery for most of the day, while I sat on a chair twiddling my thumbs!  I can’t heal her, I can’t even hug her right now.  Before they chased me out, I bent over her still frame, pressed my cheek against her’s and asked our Abba to keep us at peace, to heal and restore.  I thought of the hymn that says, "Under His wings, I am safely abiding, though the night deepens, and tempests are wild."  My mind wrestled with that thought.  I love it, but I do not feel very safe today!

Joan Didion wrote The Year of Magical Thinking in which she tells the horrific story of the grief she experienced when both her beloved husband and her daughter died quite unexpectedly. The title comes from her attempts to keep them "alive," by refusing to face the truth.  Denial offers us a temporary refuge. The last line in the book breaks my heart - "No eye is on the sparrow." She concludes that our attempts to make sense of life with faith, that believing in God's care, are just choices we make to avoid sliding into despair; nice, but untrue, nothing but magical thinking.

I have to say, “Ms. Didion, you are simply wrong.”  Yes, there are some Christians who indulge in magical thinking and call it faith.  Some persist in the foolishness of thinking that by saying prayers like magic incantations they will a pass from the sorrows of life from God.  Some fool themselves in thinking that they are too good to suffer.  The fact is that sin brought mortality to this earth and we all will die. Time passes quickly, at least in the way we measure it here on this earth. But what Ms. Didion does not grasp is that God is greater than our life experience and even time itself.  I trust Him implicitly and explicitly with the unfathomable sorrows through which I am walking.

The Lord never promises that any of us get to waltz our way to Heaven! Fiery trials mature our faith.  What He does promises is that He will never leave, never forsake us.  He promises us immortality through Christ Jesus, defeating even the ultimate enemy – death.  I am safely abiding, at rest, if I let God be God in my life, by surrendering my delusions of control.  If we only view life from this side of eternity we will join Solomon’s lament: “I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:16-20, NIV)

True saints who are full of genuine faith reach out to take hold of the eternal rule of God and their lives become links that allow eternity to flow into time. Heaven in their hearts give life the meaning and purpose that the Bible promises. Such saints choose to rest even in the middle of the storm. They are not angry at the Lord for permitting their pain. Instead they pray He will break their stubborn will and make them useful for His Kingdom, right here, right now. Such surrender does not lead to resignation or apathy! It empowers them to go bravely into each new day, defying death and Hell. They are, at once, angry enough to resist the Devil and his attempts to wreck the works of God, and joyful enough to avoid cynicism.

Take a look at Paul's affirmation of God's purpose, even as he was growing through a time of terrible difficulty as a result of his ministry.
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us....
We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.
In fact, we expected to die.

But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:2-4, 8-9, NLT)

Those are words to live by! They are not 'magical thinking.' They are Truth that allows us to face days, good and bad, head on; take strength from the Lord Jesus Christ, and make a Kingdom difference. Let's stop asking God for easy, stop whining about how hard life is, and thank Him for giving us the privilege of making His glorious goodness known by putting "this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV)

Oh, yes, His eye is on the sparrow!

________

As Long As You Are Glorified

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings

Yet not welcome any pain?

Shall I thank You for days of sunshine,

Yet grumble in days of rain?

Shall I love You in times of plenty,

Then leave You in days of drought?

Shall I trust when I reap a harvest,

But when winter winds blow then doubt?

Are You good only when I prosper

And true only when I'm filled?

Are You King only when I'm carefree

And God only when I'm well?

You are good when I'm poor and needy

You are true when I'm parched and dry!

You still reign in the deepest valley

You're still God in the darkest night!

Oh let Your will be done in me

In Your love I will abide.

Oh I long for nothing else as long

As You are glorified.

So quiet my restless heart.

Quiet my restless heart.

Quiet my restless heart in You.

CCLI Song # 5171644

Mark Altrogge

© 2008 Integrity's Praise! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing (IMI))

Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing (IMI))

CCLI License # 810055

Take Charge of that Unruly Heart

Shock, surprise, anger, fear, excitement – emotions make us who we are.  They are the texture, the color, the flavor of life.  Emotion is not always pleasant, sometimes overwhelming.  

One physician describes our fear response, for example, like this: "Sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. … this causes our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes. Our respiratory rate increases. Blood is shunted away from our digestive tract and directed into our muscles and limbs, which require extra energy and fuel for running and fighting. … Our sight sharpens. Our impulses quicken. Our perception of pain diminishes. Our immune system mobilizes with increased activation. We become prepared—physically and psychologically—for fight or flight." (Neil F. Neimark, M.D.)

When I experience that kind of emotional response, my mind, which is informed by God's will and wisdom, kicks in to assert itself! There is an internal dialogue that takes longer to read than it takes to actually process. Reason steps up to control the unruly heart.  In a moment of fear, I can think something like this-
"Is there a real threat here?
Is that person actually someone to fear? 
Will this situation hurt you?  What resources may I gather to meet the challenge?"

Christian, God tells you to `take charge' of your emotions, impulses, appetites, and desires.  

The Word teaches us that "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32, NKJV) Repeatedly, Paul calls on disciples of Jesus Christ to exercise self-control, which is an evidence of the life of the Holy Spirit active in us.  We need to understand and internalize this passage which is promises us the ability to rise above our momentary emotional impulses. "You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:5-9, NIV) We must not live in a sleepy state in which our emotions run riot in our lives! 

We live in the full light of day, fully aware of what's going on inside of us, around us in this world, and in the spiritual realm. This allows us to live in self-control.  We are not bouncing off everything that happens, reacting to every threat- real or imagined. Instead, with our hearts protected by Christ’s love and the faith fed by the Spirit of God, we act in a way that is guided by the promise and purpose of the Lord.

Don't give yourself an excuse when temptations or emotional passions arise, even when they shake you like a ragdoll. You are in charge of your emotions, your responses. Peter says, "make every effort!" Yes, he says this against the backdrop of this reminder of our source of power to overcome- "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life." (2 Peter 1:3, NLT) Emotions enrich our lives but if we let them lead us, only disaster will follow.

Are you living a life of self-control, pursuing excellence of character, so that your words and actions will consistently turn the attention of people around you to God and His goodness?

Here is a word from the Word. Own it and live it today. Take charge of your unruly heart.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. … you … participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. … make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)
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Be still, my soul;
The Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross
Of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God
To order and provide.
In ev'ry change
He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul;
Thy best, Thy heavenly Friend
Thro' thorny ways
Leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul;
Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future
As He has the past.
Thy hope, Thy confidence
Let nothing shake;
All now mysterious
Shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul;
The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them
While He dwelt below.

Be Still My Soul

Von Schlegal, Katharina / Borthwick, Jane L. / Sibelius, Jean
© Public Domain

"Is there any Word?"

“Is there any Word?”

I cry and, God appears to be silent!  I turn my ear to Heaven and there is no reply, at least none that is apparent. I pray to understand and hear only more silence.  Friends who I know love me assure me that "God has a plan. His ways are higher than our ways." I know the words are true, but they are like scraping sandpaper rubbed on raw skin! I long for a word from Heaven, the Spirit's comfort. It is not an intellectual explanation I seek. I long for Abba’s embrace. My faith in God is not in jeopardy.  I know Him well and trust Him.  It is His silence that is hard to bear.  

Ever been there, Christian?  St. John of the Cross called such a time the "dark night of the soul."  The tempter has tried his best in the last few days to make me feel that I have caused God's silence. He lies persuasively, “This is of your own doing. You brought this on yourself.”  Shall I now, after preaching His marvelous grace, become a believer in karma? Shall I add guilt to sorrow?  By the Spirit’s witness, I shall not. David sings of a similar response to God's silence so I know I am not alone in the temptation. "I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life- when will you come to help me?" (Psalm 101:1-2, NLT)  Plaintively, he cries, “I don’t deserve this!”  In a much more desperate tone, we listen to him sing: "Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food." (Psalm 102:1-4, NIV)  

What then can I do during this dark night?  

First is to continue in what He has said to me in the past and in His Word. 
His present silence does not mean that I should forget to love Him or to love others, the two commands that are the foundation of all the will of God. 

Second is to keep my eyes looking to heaven.  Should I look to the things of this earth to heal the wound of my soul that can only be healed by His touch?  Many is the person who has gone onto the rocks and wrecked their life when they sought some temporary comfort for the distress of their soul.  

Third is to go "Steady on, to endure!"  This is the directive of the Word for such times.  "Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." (Hebrews 12:13, NLT)

Fourth is to weep, but not allow bitterness to take root.  To question God's seeming absence is no sin.  To wonder why we are not able to hear His voice or sense the comfort of the Spirit is quite acceptable.  To rail on Him, to accuse Him of being uncaring, unloving, or unjust only creates a place for doubt to flourish and bitterness to take root.  The Word warns that from that root of bitterness comes great and troubling discontent!  

If you, too, are bearing the silence of God, join me in an earnest prayer for faithfulness!   This was what I asked of Him today that He would see my weakness and make it an opportunity to display His power, that He would defend me against the Destroyer and keep me faithful.  Ask Him the same.  He will do it, for His glory and His own Name's sake.  Amen.

None other than St. Paul, who knew both great triumph and terrible rejection reminds those who are broken by life that our weakness creates a place for His strength to shine through. May his reflections encourage those who wait in weakness today.  “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  (Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my doubt!)
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NLT)

______________

"Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."
O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
"What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."
(Psalm 30:4-12, NIV)

But, Jesus, I needed to relax . . .

The TV in the corner of the waiting room caught my eye. There on the screen three half-naked men, with well-toned bodies, tanned and oiled, ran around in an audience of screaming women. Most of them were not teenagers!  On the same day I stood at a register to check out and noted the rack of magazines with covers that should have made me blush. Cosmo, for example, offered tips for ‘bed-breaking sex.’ Has America gone mad for the sensational and silly?

This blog is not just an old man griping about ‘the kids these days.’  Wasting our lives in trivial pursuits is a spiritual matter with eternal consequence. The Spirit directs us to “make the most of every opportunity” and “to be sober”  in the way we spend our limited days here before we step into the Presence of the Lord.  To put it bluntly – would you want to stand before the Lord and explain the way you spent last weekend?  Would you want Him to go through your checkbook and inquire about how you used the resources available to you?  Fact is –"Each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:12, NKJV)

At Creation festival a long time ago, Dr. Tony Campolo told of a college friend, a brilliant man, who set out to become a physician.  The young man was focused on gaining skills he could take to people in poor places to make their lives better.  It was what he believed God wanted him to do.  During his training, he realized the money that he could make in plastic surgery and soon the vision of healing the poor was replaced by building more beautiful bodies for the rich. Tony shocked us all by wondering out loud how this man would explain to Jesus the choice he made to use his education and skills to create bigger breasts for wealthy women!

So, you may be wondering, if I think that there is a place for fun and diversion?  Yes, it is good to play. We all need rest and recreation. Jesus and His disciples withdrew from the demands of the crowds from time to time.  But, can you imagine they found a nightclub in Jerusalem in which to unwind, while they sipped exotic wines from Italy?  (a weak attempt at humor there)

Our world desperately needs deep men and women, those who are serious about serving God and building His kingdom.  Who among us dares to aspire to be like Daniel who was renowned as a man of vision, full of courage and wisdom, advisor to kings, and survivor of a lion’s den?  Would we take Joshua and Caleb as our model, bold men of faith who risked the ire of Israel to bring a minority report that called for obedience to God?  Would we adopt Paul’s desire to give our utmost?  Faced with hardship he said, “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (Acts 20:22-24, NLT)

We need not wait for some dramatic turn of events to begin to serve.  We cannot seek only the BIG, headline grabbing moment in which to become a hero for Jesus Christ.  We work for Him now, right where we are.  Mom, you have disciples to be made sitting at your dinner table.  Sir, your family needs your prayers, your example to follow.  The person who lives next door and the one who works in your department needs someone to show them the way to the One in whom is found eternal life.

Perhaps it seems somewhat over the top to be reminded that "everyone has to die once, then face the consequences." (Hebrews 9:27, The Message)  The truth remains, this life is just the prelude to real life.  This is not the story!  That one will be written in Heaven, when we enter the Presence of the Lord who came to save us, to buy us from slavery to sin, and to return us to full relationship with our God. Let’s not waste the days.  Heaven is waiting on you!

__________________

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus

Sing His mercy and His grace

In the mansions bright and blessed

He'll prepare for us a place

Let us then be true and faithful

Trusting serving ev'ry day

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay

Onward to the prize before us

Soon His beauty we'll behold

Soon the pearly gates will open

We shall tread the streets of gold

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be

When we all see Jesus

We'll sing and shout the victory

Eliza Edmunds Stites Hewitt | Emily Divine Wilson

© Words: Public Domain

When Prayer is Hard

My habit in the first moments of consciousness is to talk with the Lord. They are usually very simple prayers, often just phrases, that reflect my concerns of the particular day.  I present myself to my Lord, inviting Him to work in me and through me.   

Last week, after yet another illness coming into our family, this time in my wife, my morning prayer was angry.  As I walked in the darkness, I said, “You seem like a capricious God. What are You doing?  Why should I talk to You,  when You keep silent and allow such pain? Just leave me alone!"  
I was not sure if I was forsaking God or if He was forsaking me, but I felt alone, without serenity.  

Just about every Christian experiences those kind of moments.  Pain is common in this life.  Talking to people in the congregation of our church yesterday, I heard about job stress, legal problems, illness, kids in rebellion, and more. 
Who among us has not dealt with physical pain, aging, or guilt? Sometimes these things come at us all at once like a tsunami that threatens to engulf us and sweep us away.   It is quite common to grow fearful on those days.   Since fear and anger live very close to one another in our emotions, one flows into the other.  We often tend to be incapable of sorting out the different emotions.   When we are in that place, the devil exploits the moment by tempting us to turn against the very One who can restore our peace.

Last week, when my fears fueled my childish anger with God, His wonderful Word sprang to mind:  "Pray without ceasing!"  (1 Thess. 5.17)  The Holy Spirit joined me in spiritual struggle. He invited me to defeat evil with obedience.   "Pray all the time, that's an order!" God said to me.   He doesn't tell me to pray nice prayers, or short prayers, or long prayers, or eloquent prayers;  but He does tell me (and you!) to keep our lines of communication open.   When we stop talking to our Father, we break the sweet fellowship we steal peace from ourselves. The Word instructs us that we must not  "worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel." (Philippians 4:6-7, CEV)

When prayer is difficult, when there is little delight in sharing our heart with the Lord, there are ways to remain faithful to His command to pray always. 

•          Use the words of another!   When words fail me, I turn to the Psalms or a borrow a song. Over the last couple of days a song we learned with the children at Vacation Bible School last summer has spilled from my heart again and again. It says, “Stand strong when life changes Stand strong through the ups and downs. Stand strong, for you know that  God is in control.”  New ideas? No. But coupled with a simple tune, it is a source of hope.

    

•          Let others pray for you!  Hearing the voices of others lifted to God on your behalf is like a soothing ointment spread on a wound.

•          Pray simply, using a single phrase!    When tempted, I might pray over and over, "Purify my heart."   When standing near a suffering saint, I sometimes repeat, "Lord, have mercy."   Even the name of Jesus, whispered to Him reverently, again and again, is a prayer.

•          Let the Spirit lead!   The Word gives this promise of His Advocacy on our behalf.  "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." (Romans 8:26-27, NLT)

Prayer is not an option.  When we pray, we open up our lives to the power of God and, in ways that defy our understanding,  we become co-laborers in His work of building His Kingdom here on earth.    

Pray first, not last.
Pray often, not seldom. 
Pray boldly, not tentatively. 
Pray faithfully, knowing that He is faithful, even when you cannot discern His ways or hear His voice.

Here’s the word from the Word. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.  Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.  For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were." (Psalm 39:12, NIV) "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

"I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:12-13, NLT)
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The Prayers Of The Saints

Let these prayers of the saints

Be sweet smelling incense

Let these prayers of the saints

Be sweet smelling incense to Your heart

Matt Redman

© 1998 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055