Are you near-sighted?

When our daughter was about 9, we took her to an optometrist. Chris was squinting a lot, which should have been a clue that she was not seeing well. Her exam showed that she needed corrective lens. When we got her glasses and walked outside, her delight in her newly expanded sight was something of an embarrassment to us, making us feel like parents who had neglected our child.  “Oh, look,” she excitedly shouted, “at all those beautiful mountains and trees.  Wow, I can see the words on that sign.” She was near-sighted and never knew how big the world out there really was because she could not see to the horizons!

Sometimes people who know about the sorrows in my life ask me how I remain hopeful. It’s not a just a strong character or lack of emotions.  Sometimes the loneliness of my life without Bev is almost crushing in spite of a wonderful cadre of friends. “Life ain’t easy,” a friend texted me a couple of days ago. And, he’s right. We all have things with which we struggle. I deal with grief; another lives with profound disappointment.  Others find themselves in a time of financial insecurity. Some wake up each day to face chronic illness and/or pain anew.  This is the nature of life on this planet marred by sin.  That’s why we need vision that is ‘corrected’ by FAITH. 

In the ‘faith chapter’ we read about many who dealt with hardship and yet remained true to God.
“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.”  (Heb 11:13-16, The Message)

They saw the City of God and stayed on course.

The longer I live the more I realize that all the so-called ‘answers’ are partial, offering limited solace for an aching heart. Paul says it like this: "Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT)  If we insist that God explain Himself we will likely exist in a discontent state. We trust His love, His promise, and hold onto hope.

We are heading Home, dear Christian, and we are not there yet while we are alive in this present world. Thankfully, by the gift of the Spirit, we get a taste of heaven in our worship, when we experience authentic love, in the joyous experience of the exquisite beauty found in a sunrise, when we look into the face of a smiling child. But, “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” (Frost)

How’s your sight?
Need to put on the corrective lens of faith so you can see to the horizon of eternity?

Here’s a word from the Word. “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.” (Hebrews 11:1) “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls." (1 Peter 2:10-11, NLT)
_______________

You Can’t Do This!

We love the ‘miracle moments’ in a story, don’t we? When the hero finally defeats the villain we cheer.  Who does not appreciate a story about a person who, against all odds, gets an education, builds a family, and finds success?  When we see success, we tend to forget the hard work - the years of training, the long days invested – that are part of the foundation.

In the Bible, Samuel tells us the story of a young man, probably around the age of 16, who is sent down to the army encampment of Israel to take supplies to his brothers in the army. When David arrives, he hears a man bellowing insults against Israel and the Lord, challenging anyone from Israel to come and fight him. Goliath was a fearsome man, a ‘giant’ as Samuel tells us.  He was probably around 7 feet tall in a time when most men were closer to 5.5 feet tall, so he was gigantic by comparison. He was a beast of a man and a seasoned warrior.  David heard Goliath’s challenge and wondered why nobody was taking him on!  His brothers ridiculed him, telling him to shut his mouth and keep his naïve opinions to himself!  But, David kept on talking and soon found himself before Israel’s king, Saul. “Master,” said David, “don’t give up hope. I’m ready to go and fight this Philistine.”  (1 Samuel 17:32, The Message)

When Saul saw he was talking to a skinny kid, just off the farm, he was not impressed. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33, NLT)  What king would put the entire destiny of his nation on the shoulders of a kid who still had a downy beard? What reasonable leader would let a kid, no matter his courage, venture onto a field of battle with a man who was Special Forces trained and who had been on missions before this kid was born?  So, Saul, realistically assesses the situation and tells David, “You can’t do this!”

Now, read what David answers the king. He was not just a kid with a dream. He wasn’t just hoping for a moment of glory. "But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:34-37, NIV)

It's such a great story, isn’t it?  David had been doing the right things for a long time, learning to be courageous, trusting God in tough moments, experiencing real life. No, he had not taken on a giant, but he had defeated some big predators who were after his sheep. Most telling of all, this man/boy has a faith that is unusually mature. “The Lord will deliver me.”  It would sound like an empty boast if he did not have a resume to back it up, wouldn’t it? 

Who is telling, “you can’t do that?” Maybe you are sabotaging yourself, letting fear overwhelm you, sitting out the smaller conflicts where faith’s muscles could start to grow.  Only a fool tries to take on a giant before he has taken on a bear! The singer of Psalms took time to look up and worship while he followed the flock of sheep around. He saw the beauty of the world in which he walked and praised God, convinced that Somebody bigger than himself was in charge. He tested his faith and was ready to meet the giant.

Let’s not forget that the Goliath episode was not the ultimate victory story in David’s life. It was the moment he was introduced to the nation of Israel, starting a long journey that took about 20 years of struggle through betrayal, lies, palace intrigue, and assassination attempts before he was anointed the king as God had promised. After his spectacular success in the defeat of Goliath, David did not retire to write a book and collect royalties.  He started looking for the next assignment from the Lord, adding yet another ‘success’ to his resume.

Are you constantly building a faith story?

Are you meeting today’s challenges with solid trust in the Lord that rests on His promise and your experience of His faithfulness in the past?

Do what you can do, where you can, today!  A Goliath moment may be ahead for you and you need to be ready to answer those who say, “You can’t do this!”

Here is a word from the Word. "So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Hebrews 10:35-39, NLT)

________________

The Stand

You stood before creation

Eternity in Your hand

You spoke the earth into motion

My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure

And carried the cross for my shame

My sin weighed upon Your shoulders

My soul now to stand

So what can I say

And what can I do

But offer this heart O God

Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation

Your Spirit alive in me

My life to declare Your promise

My soul now to stand

So I'll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe of the One who gave it all

I'll stand

My soul Lord to You surrendered

All I am is Yours

Joel Houston

© 2005 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

A Lesson in Prayer from the Master

I laughed, somewhat in disbelief, when the thought crossed my mind that Jesus has been my Lord for over a half-century!  After all this time, there is a spiritual discipline that remains a challenge, one that is a basic part of the disciple’s life. What is that? Prayer!  In those 50 plus years my best guess would be that I have read at least a hundred books on the subject.  I absorbed principles, found some suggestions about best practices.  One was a thin little book called The Hour That Changes The World by Dick Eastman. It was first published in 1978 and remains in print. It is a practical guide to breaking an hour into 12 segments of different kinds of prayer. Another is Foster’s book, Prayer, Finding the Heart’s True Home.

Jesus’ disciples saw Him enjoying His Father’s love and asked the Master to teach them to pray. He gave them these words which we need to know, heart-deep.  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  (Matthew 5 NIV)

If we hope to pray in the best way He says we need to get out the public’s view! 

There is an almost irresistible temptation to talk to people instead of God when we have an audience. I feel it every Sunday as I stand to lead in the Pastoral Prayer before the congregation. Sometimes I hear myself “preaching” instead of praying.  In that moment my attention has slipped from the One. Jesus says, “Get alone with God to avoid the temptation to perform!”  The old Christians talked about their prayer closet. They might have been literal, but in the main, they were just saying that the best prayers are those offered out of sight and hearing of others. Make no mistake, there is a time to pray with others, to seek God with those who also love Him. However, do not forget to be alone with Him.

He also teaches that prayer is not about the words!

Ever been around a person who just like to talk to fill up the air with noise? On and on they go, talking about everything and nothing. Real conversation is as much listening as talking. Jesus  reminds us that God would like our attention. We can rattle on and on, as if we must convince Him to act with a summation like a lawyer offers at the conclusion of the case.  But, He invites us to rest in His love, offering our needs, pouring out worship, and listening carefully to align ourselves ultimately with His will.  Look at this amazing line of assurance – “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

There really is no easy pathway to a prayerful life. Finding a rich relationship with God is like anything of value – it requires discipline, steady pursuit, and time. Great saints are not born, they are made by daily response to the invitation of the Spirit.  If you desire to learn to pray, start today. Take those two basics and build on them.  Get alone, quiet your heart.  Is there more to it than that? Yes, there is. Prayer is commonly thought of as making petitions of God, and it is. But, it also offering adoration, confessing our sin, giving thanks, meditating on His majesty, a time to use our intellect and times to be led by the Spirit, warrior prayers that shout against the power of darkness, and lover’s prayers that just come close to the heart of our Father.

Do you pray?  Will you?

Our word from the Word  … “This, then, is how you should pray:  
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’" (Matthew 6:5-13, NIV)

________________

Give me one pure and holy passion.

Give me one magnificent obsession.

Jesus give me one glorious ambition for my life;

To know and follow hard after You!

To know and follow hard after You,

To grow as Your disciple in the truth,

This world is empty pale and poor,

Compared to knowing You my Lord,

Lead me on and I will run after You!

One Pure And Holy Passion

Mark Altrogge

© 1988 Dayspring Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.)CCLI License # 810055