Hidden in the clouds?

The rain drummed steadily on the wings of the aircraft while we taxied to the runway.  There was no sun visible under the dark gray sky. Moments later, after being carried above the cloudy ceiling by that magical machine, my face was bathed in the bright sunlight that came through the small window on my left. The sun never left its place in the solar system and I never doubted that it did! It was shining all the while. I just could not see it when I stood under the overcast sky.

That came to mind on Sunday as our worship team led us in that beautiful anthem of faith – “Good, Good Father.”  We affirmed our hope in His goodness, singing this line – ‘You are perfect in all of Your ways.’  I was not rapt with joy, however. Instead, my eyes were wet with tears, my heart in turmoil with grief.  With my hands lifted to Him in surrendered worship, I prayed “Lord, I want to believe that You are a good Father, perfect in all of Your ways, but my wife was taken from me, her life ended far too soon from where I stand. It does not seem to me that Your ways are perfect.”  My prayer was not bitter, but a cry for deeper faith.  

And, then I thought of standing in the rain, under dark clouds, knowing all the while that the sun continues to shine brightly.  My heart’s grief was not instantly erased. I am still torn but my choice is to trust - even when I cannot see the Son’s face shining on me. Someday He will lift me up above the clouds and I will, I believe, discover in that moment the ‘whys’ of His ways that I cannot know right now.

Isaiah, moved by the Spirit, wrote the words of God to the broken people whose Temple lay in ruins, whose future was apparently gone.  The 55^th chapter offers promise and invites faith. Look! "Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:6-9, NLT) And what is the result of this kind of faith that pursues the purposes of God? "You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!" (Isaiah 55:12, NLT)

Let us remember that even Jesus was conflicted! In the Garden as He prayed, He struggled to embrace the goodness of His Father, crying intensely, so stressed that He sweat droplets of blood. As He hung on the Cross, suffering not just terrible pain in His body but anguish in His soul, the words “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” poured from His lips.  Had God really disappeared? No, but in that moment Jesus felt the separation from the Father that all who sin know. He became sin for us, that we might know peace with God. When we struggle to live with faith, when it seems that the Lord has left us, we can look at that moment and know that we are reconciled to our Father, secure in His favor because the Savior made a way for us to go Home to His embrace.

Look to Jesus! Hope in Him! Hold onto His gift of life!

One last thought today.  Sunday afternoon, as the news of the mass murder in Orlando spilled all over us, splashing us with fear, with grief, with pain – many asked if God had forsaken us. Why would He allow such horror?  I cannot fully answer that today. What I do know is that the sun is still shining behind the clouds that sin spreads over this present world. Philosophers work mightily to offer a reasonable answer for the absurdity of evil. Some choose to deny that God exists, leaving us to be little gods desperately attempting to manage our world. Others wrongly conclude that God is less than we had hoped, unable to control the world He created. I wait to see the Son shine again.

The salvation of the Lord is complete for me, though not yet fully realized in my present existence. Evil still stalks, the Devil still destroys, but we trust in the Name of the Lord. In the words of the Apocalypse of John we discover that God will reign on the earth, that His kingdom will come, and that all our questions will find answers. So we pray, may Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  

Take hope from these words that promise the fulfillment of the hope of all the ages. 

"Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder: Hallelujah! The Master reigns, our God, the Sovereign-Strong! Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory! The Marriage of the Lamb has come; his Wife has made herself ready. She was given a bridal gown of bright and shining linen. The linen is the righteousness of the saints. …  

Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that’s known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as “Word of God.” The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords." (Revelation 19:6-8, 11-16, The Message)

Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come!

____________

I've heard a thousand stories

Of what they think You’re like

But I've heard the tender whisper

Of love in the dead of night

You tell me that You’re pleased

And that I'm never alone

You're a Good Good Father

It's who You are

It's who You are

It's who You are

And I'm loved by You

It's who I am

It's who I am

It's who I am

I've seen many searching for answers

Far and wide

But I know we're all searching for answers

Only You provide

Because You know just what we need

Before we say a word

You are perfect in all of Your ways

You are perfect in all of Your ways

You are perfect in all of Your ways to us

Love so undeniable I can hardly speak

Peace so unexplainable I can hardly think

As You call me deeper still

As You call me deeper still

As You call me deeper still

Into love love love

You're a Good Good Father

It's who You are

It's who You are

It's who You are

And I'm loved by You

It's who I am

It's who I am

It's who I am

Good, Good Father

Anthony Brown | Pat Barrett

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Entrusted with a message of reconciliation

Omar Saddiqui Mateen carried two guns into a nightclub in Orlando, Florida that catered to the gay community on Sunday morning around 2 am. 3 hours later there were 50 dead people and an equal number of wounded. Of course, the cable news outlets started a non-stop stream of ‘reporting,’ repeating video clips over and over, filling in bits of information, correcting misinformation, interviewing ‘experts’ to explain the unexplainable. What seems clear is an unstable young man filled with hatred that was fed by a twisted view of his God decided to hand down the judgment that he thought some deserved for the way that they lived.

Today the choruses of fear, hate, judgment are in full voice!  Will we join them from our choir loft, adding to the cacophony with our own song, sung so loudly we can hear no other? My earnest desire is to be thoughtful, compassionate, and to take time to reflect. I can predict the responses that will be thrown at me this week. There will be the voices who call for more restrictive gun ownership laws. There will be those who scream hatred for ‘religious zealots’ that they believe inspired this man to his evil acts. There will Christians who will make the regrettable decision to talk loudly about sin and judgment; suggesting that ‘those people’ somehow deserve to be gunned down by a hateful, deranged individual. Lord, I groan with despair even thinking about it.  

And, there will be a lot who sadly choose to say nothing even when they hear foolish, hateful, stupid, or bigoted statement spewing from some loudmouth! This is a time to speak wisely, to invite dialogue, to ask why – and to really want to know. We can react from fear or we can act because of love. I am done with letting people say uninformed and/or stupid things in my presence without speaking up. (A disclaimer here – I confess to saying stupidly, uninformed things in the past. I ask forgiveness and thank God for truth tellers who did not let me get away with it.)  I do not need to shout. I do not need to get angry, but I do need the courage to challenge the assumptions that are making America so terribly sick and divided. I am praying for a gentle yet bold attitude that will not retreat from engagement with this crazy, upside down world that desperately needs people who are reasonable, truthful, and most of all – LOVING!  We have listened too long to politicians who lambast groups with broad swipes of generalizations that demonize people in a wholesale way. We have given license to preachers of hatred, letting them take the beautiful Gospel of Christ and turn it into a club that they use to relentlessly pound on those they regard as ‘sinners.’

“Jerry, are you saying that we should give up our convictions?”  No, but we must examine our preconceived ideas, our assumptions, and our ‘convictions’ to see if they are based in fact, in truth, or if they are just ideas with which we have grown comfortable. 

I am convinced that Jesus Christ is the exclusive Way to know our Heavenly Father. No honest reading of the Gospels allows me to affirm that all religions lead us home. But, that conviction does not give me (or you!) license to hate those who are of a different faith. The Gospel is an invitation, not a judgment.  I cannot retreat from truth about human sexuality that the Creator reveals to us in the Holy Scripture’s pages. Homosexual acts (as well as adultery, sex between unmarried adults, and consumption of pornography, among other things) are sins in the eyes of God.  And from those convictions (and more that I will not write about today) I will act as a proclaimer of Good News for all -  a person who builds bridges, who makes peace, who confronts wrong with loving truth, not with guns! The Scripture tells us that our ‘ministry’ – our service – is shaped around a genuine desire to see reconciliation; people brought together, human and Creator restored to a love and filled with Hope. Paul says that  "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21, NLT)

As you head into your world this Monday morning, controversy will swirl around you. Fearful people will be asking for answers, many jumping to unwarranted conclusions about Republicans, Democrats, Christians, Muslims, Gay and Straight people, about public policies, about God --- even about you!  Christian soak your heart and mind in the love of the Father. Rest yourself on the unshakeable foundation of the love of Christ that is yours by grace through faith.  Then take this wisdom and live it.  Here is a word from the Word. "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:16-21, NIV)

Tempted? We all are!

There are days when there is a war that is violent inside my head. My sinful nature asserts its desire, the spirit, made alive by God’s Spirit, stands against it. It is an intense battle between the 'right' and the 'wrong.'  For example, I know that faith is the ‘ought to’ but I am drawn to fear instead. Or, I know that I should be gently forgiving but my natural inclination is to hang onto a grudge.  In such moments it is easy to think that something is wrong in my walk with God. But, I know that temptation comes to all Christians! The Bible says that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." (Galatians 5:17, NIV) 

Over the years I have learned that ‘normal’ does not make it acceptable for me to give in! I also have learned that I become more vulnerable to temptation at times of exhaustion, that I am less afflicted when I am in regular fellowship with other Christians, when I am ‘filled’ with the Word. Some make the error of thinking that since everybody is subject to temptation, since it is part of what it means to be ‘human,’ that they need not resist the pull of the ‘flesh.’’  Wrong! The Word says, "we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father."  (Romans 8:12-15, CEV)

So what we need is more will-power, right? Not so fast. Making good choices is certainly important, but the war against temptation can never be won by sheer strength of human will alone!  Victory begins with a transformation that Jesus dramatically described as a new birth. "Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."  (John 3.3) We come under His rule, live in His benevolent care, when our spirit is ‘brought to life’ like a baby taking her first breath, when the Spirit comes on us through faith.   Jesus Christ has forgiven our sins and restored our relationship with our Abba (Father).  But that is not the end of the matter!   

At that moment of rebirth, the struggle is launched. The Scripture calls the Christian life "a race set before us... run with endurance."  (Heb. 12)  Alive in the Spirit, we are more attuned to the will of God - both through knowing the Bible and a newly awakened conscience. This means that also begin to realize just how incapable we are of consistently pleasing God. But, we need not despair! Instead, we surrender! Paul cried, “What a wretched man I am, who will deliver me from this body of Death?” He quickly follows that with a victory cry - "Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 7:25-8:2, NIV)  The revelation is that we win the war only when there is complete reliance on the Spirit's powerful Presence. We can rationalize a choice to yield to temptation - explaining away the gaps in our love as 'just natural,'  giving in to our desires because 'everybody does it.' Or, we can receive grace, acknowledging the truth about ourselves, and strip away the layers of duplicity.   Vulnerable before God and man, we rely solely on God's Spirit, 'taking up the shield of faith.' 

The confrontations with Self and Sin and Satan are ongoing, but if we rely on God's grace, we gain the upper hand, living holy lives that reflect His goodness and glory. A victory today does not mean the war is over! Our perfection will come with the fullness of His Kingdom. Until then, we remain subject to the enticing songs of ‘the world, the flesh, and the Devil!’  That is why I believe so strongly in the daily practices of the spiritual disciplines. (see Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster)  The disciplines are a ‘means of grace,’ openings through which God’s Spirit flows into me with grace, strength, truth, and love. In that place, and with humble confession of my sins, I can be an overcomer through Christ, my Savior. Where there is a conflict (and there will be conflict!) confess your temptation to God and accept His grace to choose His way - even if it seems to kill you. (It must!) The life that emerges from this daily release of the Spirit's life will be a thing of beauty in the eyes of God, even if rejected as foolishness by others who think they are living to the full by doing their own thing, serving themselves.  

Tempted? 
Refuse the condemnation that usually comes with it. Instead live like the child of God that you are.  Here is a word from the Word. Live it! "Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." (Romans 8:37, NLT)  "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)

___________________________________

Our Great Savior

 Jesus, what a Friend for sinners.Jesus, Lover of my soul.Friends may fail me, foes assail me;He, my Savior, makes me whole.

 Jesus, what a Strength in weakness,Let me hide myself in Him.Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing;He, my Strength, my vict'ry wins.

 Jesus, I do now receive Him,More than all in Him I find.He hath granted me forgiveness,I am His and He is mine.

 Hallelujah, what a Savior!Hallelujah, what a Friend!Saving, helping, keeping, loving;He is with me to the end!

John Wilbur Chapman© Words: Public Domain