Hear the words, miss the meaning?

Have you ever been caught up in one of those ‘conversations’ where the connection just isn’t happening?  It can hilarious or infuriating!  Yesterday, I told Bev that I was taking her GPS unit on a trip with me. She heard the words but stared back at me blankly. “Why do you need two of them?” she asked.  “Jay will have mine,” I replied. She still looked confused.  I was talking about taking her unit with me to use in the rental car at my destination! She thought I was talking about using it in my car which already has one in it.   

If people trying to talk do not put the words into the same context, they miss the meaning.  After a few sentences somebody needs to say, “Hold on, let’s  get on the same page.”  A pause to think, to shake off preconceptions, often clarifies the meaning. What often happens is that people just keep on talking, getting louder as their frustration grows.  

Have you lost the art of listening?  In this world, we crank up the volume, go for bolder and brighter colors, buy ever bigger TV screens- and - lose the ability to hear.  This can have terrible and tragic consequences when it comes to listening to the Lord.  He is speaking but are we listening?  If we hear Him, have we the kind of quiet mind that is able to comprehend the message that comes in  “the still, small voice of God?”   I fear that too often, in those moments when we do become aware of His Presence, instead of growing still before Him,  we open our mouths to make noise!   Incapable of wonder, we think, "somebody quick say something, sing something, do something!"  Richard Foster, a man whose understanding of Christianity has shaped my own in many ways, observes "Our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in "muchness" and "manyness," he will rest satisfied."   - Celebration of Discipline

We need to 'hear' the admonition of God that came to a man who didn't know enough about awe to keep his mouth shut and his ears open!   Here's the story. 
"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don’t be afraid."  (Matthew 17:1-7, NIV)

Dear Peter, how I love him!   I wonder, would I have done the same dumb thing? Would I have felt the need to interrupt the holy silence with some inane comment?

The ancient prophet declares, "God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!" (Habakkuk 2:20, The Message)    Just so we're clear,  His holy temple is not St. Patrick's or any other church building.   We, Christian, are His holy Temple.  When we sense the Spirit moving in us - be it in corporate worship, standing on a mountain, or in the company of a suffering saint - an appropriate response is to grow still;  to allow awe to overwhelm us.

Here’s a word from the Word.

"LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day, in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2, NIV)

Today, make some space in all the 'noise' of your life to listen.   Invite the Spirit to speak to your need, to bring direction, to whisper assurance. Then, be quiet!  

Like Elijah, you will find that in the quietness, the small voice of God whispers a great big message of assurance to your soul.

__________________________________

I am Thine, O Lord,

I have heard Thy voice,

and it told Thy love to me.

But I long to rise

in the arms of faith,

and be closer drawn to Thee.

Oh the pure delight

of single hour that before

Thy Throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer,

and with Thee, My God,

I commune as friend with Friend.

Draw me nearer,

nearer, Blessed Lord,

to the cross where Thou hast died,

Dear me nearer,

nearer, Blessed Lord,

to Thy precious bleeding side.

Fanny Crosby-  Public Domain

Terror or Awe?

When the trees around my home are bent by the wind, thunder shakes the house, and heavy dark clouds throw themselves over me like a blanket, I feel awe! When our children were little, we would go outside during thunderstorms and stand under the overhang at the front our home to ‘enjoy’ the storm. Yes, it was awesome, in the truest sense of the word. What makes you stand still, be silent, and even feel a little afraid?

Isaiah called the people of God to reverence. He reminds them (and us) that God is awesome, worthy of respect. Taught to love God, some of us forget His awesome power, His perfect holiness. The people of ancient Judah were living in fear of their enemies, awed by the might of armies at their doorstep. Isaiah reminds that God, not the empires threatening them, was the One they should fear. And, with the proper awe, they would find God a ‘sanctuary!’

“Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.

Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him." (Isaiah 8:12-17, NIV)

If you think awe is an idea only for the Old Testament, then read what Jesus says. He, too, tells us that awe is the foundation of secure peace. “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (Matthew 10:28-31, NLT)

So what is awe? 
It is an “overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, or extremely powerful.” My love of the power of a storm is, in part, born of my conviction that it is the Lord who holds those storms in His hand. The wild winds and flashes of lightning remind me how puny I am and how powerful He is. And, then I think, He is my Abba (Father). 

How big is your God? 
Perhaps the better question is, have you invited the Spirit of the Lord to cause you to feel awe? We get ‘too big for our britches’ sometimes, don’t we? We live with the comforting illusion that we are masters of our fate, controlling the universe. Then, some situation arises that reminds us that in spite of our intelligence, plans, or money – we are mere mortals. In that moment, is there only terror, a feeling of helplessness? Or, do we match our smallness to His greatness, and with proper awe, find sanctuary in Him?

Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on this truth and find the security that is found in the fear of the Lord.
"Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." (Psalm 34:9-11, NIV) 
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7, NIV)
___________________

I Stand In Awe

You are beautiful beyond description;
Too marvelous for words;
Too wonderful for comprehension,
Like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom,
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description,
Majesty enthroned above!

And I stand, I stand in awe of You!
I stand, I stand in awe of You!
Holy God to whom all praise is due,
I stand in awe of You!

You are beautiful beyond description,
Yet God crushed You for my sin.
In agony and deep affliction
Cut off that I might enter in.
Who can grasp such tender compassion,
Who can fathom this mercy so free?
You are beautiful beyond description,
Lamb of God, who died for me.

Mark Altrogge
© 1987 Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Sovereign Grace Ministries)
CCLI License # 810055

It’s a pain in the neck

 

For a month I have had various physical symptoms including some major pain in my neck. I took pain-killers and ignored it. “It will go away tomorrow,” I reasoned. Yesterday, I finally saw a physician who looked over my symptoms and concluded that I have Lyme Disease.  It comes from a tiny tick bite that introduces a bacteria into the body that multiplies. A course of antibiotics will likely cure the problem and relieve my pain.

Do you know that pain is a gift?  It signals that something is wrong and that corrective action is necessary.  Touch a hot surface and instantly your brain sends a messages to pull your hand away to minimize damage.  Without the pain, your hand would be severely burned.  The ache of the soul is a signal, too.  What does it mean? It might be God calling us to return to Him. It might be indicate sin is present. It might be letting us know that we are not living for the right things, wasting precious days.

Are you treating the pain symptom instead of its cause? For the last four weeks I have used Advil, Tylenol, and Aleve.  They could mask the pain in my body, but did nothing to curb the disease. My physician advised me to continue to use those things over the next few days along with the medication that will make me better.  When our hearts ache, our consciences sting, or our soul is heavy – there are things in this world that we can use to ease the pain – temporarily.  Work and accomplishment will do it, for a while.  Diversions and vacations can make us forget for a week or two.  Then, too, there are always things like alcohol and pornography, that ease then deepen the pain of the soul.

Jesus gives this prescription for our heart pain. "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT)  It may sound too simple to accept.  But, that is where we start on the road to wholeness. Come to Jesus!  Sin-sick?  He forgives.  Enslaved to bad habits? His power brings freedom!  Emptiness and meaningless stalking you?  He invites you to work with Him in ways that matter.  Lonely?  Learning to engage in true worship with God's people as well as quiet times of personal prayer and meditation is amazingly healing. 

Almost all healing is a process. My Lymes will be cured, but only over several weeks. The ache of our soul is not relieved in an instant, either. God heals us from the inside out as we learn to live in ways that are spiritually healthy. Here's a word from the Word.  Read it thoughtfully, prayerfully today.  There's a lot of soul food in it!

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while,
will himself RESTORE you and make you STRONG, FIRM, and STEADFAST."  -1 Peter 5:6-10, NIV

Now, what are you going to do with those symptoms? Ignore them? Cover them up? Or, go to the Great Physician for healing?
____

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
 
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
 
Scriven, Joseph M. / Converse, Charles C.
© Public Domain 

A Slave to Traditions?

  All of us live with habits, things we do without much thought, mostly because we have always done it that way.  I’m a creature of habit- getting up, enjoying a cup of coffee, reading the Word, going to the office to work, etc - in a predictable pattern.  

If we had to take the time to plan out each and every choice for every day we would be overwhelmed. Our habits serve us with order and let us get on with life until ... 
we become slaves to them!  When major changes come our way, and they will, we have to be prepared to re-examine our habits and adapt.  One of the worst reasons to do anything is ‘because we have always done it that way.’

Is your Christian experience primarily a habit, defined by tradition, absent the newness of life promised to those who walk ‘in the Spirit?’ 
Or, are you discovering what God has for you, at this time, in this season of your life?

One day Jesus was invited to dinner by a Pharisee.  Pharisees were respectable people, intent on keeping God’s Law. They were tragically enslaved by their traditions. As Jesus came to this man’s table do you know what the religious man noticed?  It was not Jesus’ amazing love, insight, or wisdom.  He was obsessed with the fact that Jesus failed to observe the traditional ritual of washing his hands before the meal!  "When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.”

When the man pointed out Jesus’ supposed failure, Jesus told him that his preoccupation with external cleanliness was hiding a much more serious corruption - a filthy heart!  As the conversation continued, it became even more troubling for the Pharisee and his traditions. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.”

Before we throw away all the guidelines for expressing our worship and devotion to God, let’s be careful to understand what Jesus said. He did not condemn tithing or hand-washing! His point is that  true holiness is connected to ALL of the choices we make in life. It is not just a state of mind!  What did Jesus ask of them and us? That we remember to keep our hearts engaged with God, not just our hands.  These men, in all their religious traditions, were the walking dead!  They kept up the traditions of religion without being alive to God. 

"One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs... “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” (Luke 11:37-52, NIV)

The Pharisees, in spite of their constant study of the Scripture and minute attention to the traditions of the Law, had lost sight of the ‘why’ behind the ‘what.’  The very Law that was to make them aware of the holiness of God and turn their hearts to seek Him, the Scripture they ‘studied’ that told of the coming of the Messiah, had no real meaning because they were locked into their preoccupation with tradition. They could not turn the key to open the door for themselves. Even more tragically, they were blocking the way of many others who were spiritually hungering.

What a word for us today!  
Do we go to worship services just because it’s Sunday morning and fail to engage our heart with the Spirit? 

Do we read the Bible because we were taught it was the right thing to do, but fail to respond to the revelation of God that would transform us?

Do we build church buildings and sustain an array of religious programs without inviting the Lord of Glory to be the One at the center of these things?

Or, are we sustained by the traditions even as we are refreshed by His Presence, “His mercies new every morning?”

Here is the word from the Word.  May the Spirit make us alive in Him as we enter into His Presence.

"Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting- they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!" (Isaiah 1:13-14, NLT)

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat." (Isaiah 1:18-19, NLT)

______________ 

Fully Alive

Fully alive in Your Spirit,

Lord, make me fully alive.

Fully aware of Your presence, Lord,

Totally, fully alive.

Don't let me miss all the glory around me,

Waiting for heav'n someday to come.

Open my eyes to miraculous Mondays,

And make my feet march to eternity's drum.

Gloria Gaither | William J. Gaither

© 1983 William J. Gaither, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055