Quietness "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." (Revelation 8:1)That's one of my favorite verses in the Book of Revelation. Very briefly, the breaking of the seals is about Jesus opening up of the future and bringing in the Kingdom of God. With the seventh seal everything is fulfilled. We are a busy people, filling the time with things to do; filling the silence with things to say. It's hard to restrain ourselves. If there is a gap in action, noise, or entertainment we want to fill it in. We are uneasy with quietness and silence. When God has acted and spoken, and brought everything to completion; there is nothing left to say and nothing left to do. It is time for quietness and time for silence. It's a beautiful thing, quietness in the presence of God. It is when we recognize that it is time simply to admire and wonder at what He has done. No speaking. No applauding. No intruding with our words and our responses. Simply seeing and hearing and quietly worshiping. There are times of quietness and stillness scattered through the Bible. In Genesis 15 God gave His promise to Abraham taking him outside and saying, "look at the heavens and count the stars if you can. So shall your descendants be." And Abraham believed the Lord. In that brief moment of silence there was simply hearing and believing; nothing more. And then, after that brief moment of quiet in the presence of God everything starts in again. When the people of Israel were at the shore of the Red Sea and filled with fear, what did Moses say? "Do not fear! ... The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." (Exodus 14:13-14) That experience echoes through the pages of the Old Testament coming to the surface vividly in Psalm 46 with the words, "Be still and know that I am God." The entire Psalm 46 is about quietness in the middle of turmoil. King David says in another psalm "I do not occupy myself with things too great ... for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul ..." (Psalm 131:1-2) Jeremiah, in the middle of the book of Lamentations [the middle of the middle chapter is where the references to Jesus are tucked away] says, "It is good that one wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. ... Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; ... let him give his cheek to the one who strikes ..." (Lamentations 3:26-30) Jesus in the wilderness, facing temptation gives His answer from the quietness of faith, "It is written" three times over. There is a basic quietness to faith, where hearing the Word of God and trusting His promises is enough. And I remember a friend in Southern Illinois, Olinda Fausz. I used to visit her and she told me her favorite stories many times. And Olinda talked about how she loved to come to church almost an hour before services started. She said she liked to spend time in God's House simply being there in the quietness. I still think that is the most beautiful example of quietness I have ever heard and known. When everything is said, and everything is done, and it is time for us to finish with our frantic doing and our business with filling the time with our words -- there is an eternal Word from God to simply be heard, and treasured deep within -- simply hearing and believing, and nothing more. Lord Jesus, teach me quietness, that I may hear Your word and Your promises in the simple stillness of faith. so I may learn to wait for Your time and Your guidance; and know that in the quiet times You are with me and I can be at peace. Amen.
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Kindness Next after "Patience" in the list of the "fruit of the Spirit" is "kindness". I was wondering whether to do a meditation on kindness until this morning when I started hearing the word "kindness" over and over on the radio. It seems to be a thing we need to pay attention to. Kindness. Paul wrote to the Ephesians "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) It is a little thing, kindness. An example I heard was, "say 'thank you' to the ones who are working to provide food, and the other necessities of life. There are workers in the grocery stores overwhelmed by the demands. Show kindness. You, yourself are under a lot of stress. Think of how it eases the tension when someone else shows you a small kindness, and act toward your neighbor with kindness. It is significant that Paul wrote this to the Ephesians. They were in a hostile culture where odd cults were all over the place, and yet Christianity was becoming treated with more and more suspicion. Paul, himself was writing from prison. And he writes to them in order to help bind them together so they could endure. Does that sound familiar. Soon some would be jailed for being Christian, and some would be put to death for the name of Jesus. That is not familiar! And Paul writes of this simple little fruit of the Spirit, "Be kind to one another." It is surprising how much of an impact kindness can have. Even in worldly settings little acts of kindness received can inspire further acts of kindness passed on to others. There are examples that go by the name of "pay it forward." A customer in a drive-through tells the worker they want to pay for the meals of the people in the next car. A man buys coffee and buys another one for the next veteran who comes in. But Paul says more. He says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." "As God in Christ" connects the whole matter to the plan of salvation. It is kindness in Jesus Christ toward us. Paul talks about, "when the kindness of God our Savior ... appeared, He saved us ... according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit". (Titus 3:4-5)Kindness is bound up in the work of salvation in Jesus Christ. And kindness is part of what God is working within us, as the Holy Spirit plants, grows and develops in us everything that is ours through Jesus. So show kindness. Within the body of Christ this little fruit of the Spirit binds us together, and it is true that we need each other even in the best of times. Show kindness. To those outside the body of Christ it shines the light and the love of Christ to a sin-darkened world. Lord Jesus, we are in the middle of something where we do not see the ending. Our concerns and worries can make us impatient and lead us to react with stress. Help us to remember the kindness of Your love to us, so we are able to show kindness to each other and to everyone around. Help me to live with Your kindness in my heart that I may serve You as a bright spot in the lives of others, and so may show Your love in a time when Your love is so much needed. Amen. Patience "Lord, how long?" Patience is one of the traits listed as "fruit of the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22) And, yes it can be an elusive and frustrating thing that is difficult to learn. We joke, "Lord, give me patience. I need it right now!" Patience is a tricky thing, that you cannot achieve by pursuing it. We have to be trained in it, and Jesus is the master teacher and the master in the art of patience. Psalm 40 is an entertaining study in patience. David starts out, "I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, ... He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. ..." Everything sounds completely filled with faith -- until v. 13 "Be pleased , O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!" and v. 17 "You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" What happened? Why such a change? That is the nature of patience, and why it is so closely interwoven with faith. Patience in the Bible is the character of waiting for a promise and very specifically not being allowed to see it ('cause then it would be neither patience nor a matter of faith). God asks us to know that He will act. He is not telling us when or how. But He has been faithful through all those times in the past, in fact through all the centuries as they have slowly unfolded. So we can trust Him. He will do what He has promised at exactly the right time. I learned a lesson about patience some years ago. I was staying with Bishop David Tswaedi in Soweto. I wanted to buy a gift for my wife at a shopping mall. Bishop Tswaedi dropped me off and was supposed to be back in a couple of hours. But he was delayed. It was 3, then 4, then 5 hours. I was alone in a strange country, no phone, no means of transportation. The mall closed. They had a waiting area for shoppers waiting for a ride. I sat there thinking, "What could possibly have happened? Should I worry? But he said he would return. He has always been faithful. Could something have happened? But he has told me how it is different here. In America you show up on time. But here when cars break down or when trains are not running, he said, "We trust each other that we will get there somehow. Even if we have to walk, we will be there." Finally he arrived. The car had broken down. The mechanic did not have the parts and had to travel across town to get them. What's more the mechanic had to borrow a car, and the rental car places had none. But he was there. He had promised. Now as we wait for problems to be solved and disease to be figured out and cured, we have an opportunity to learn something about patience. God has promised. He is faithful, far above any other friend. We can have all kinds of thoughts going through our minds; and all sorts of emotions going on inside of us. What is going to happen? How many ways could things go wrong? Do the doctors, researchers, the President, and others know what they are doing? What if everything falls apart? What if the economy crashes and everyone around me loses their jobs? (And our own special worry, "Where am I going to find toilet paper?") But He is faithful. He has promised. He has always been trustworthy. And patience has then become an exercise in faith. Remember how we keep on saying it this way, "Faith is believing the words and promises of God; no matter what." What is your measure of "no matter what" today? That is also the measure of how much God is asking you to trust in Him and believe that He is faithful and He will be there. Since Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2) He is also perfect in patience. From Gethsemane to Calvary Jesus had to wait without seeing, trusting only in the promise, enduring the hours of darkness and praying with absolute faith, until all was done and blessings and joy were restored, and He had redeemed and won us for eternal life. God measures out the "no matter what" in our lives for a reason. He is building our relationship with Him leading us through times of blessing and times of needing to trust. Time after time He tells us, "Trust in the Lord." "Wait for the Lord." David had learned the lesson. That's what the beginning of Psalm 40 is all about. He knew the times of blessing. But once again it was time to wait. That's what the end of Psalm 40 is about. Patience all over again. Because, finally, the lesson of patience is knowing who we are trusting and knowing He is faithful. It is what Paul had learned when he wrote this from prison in Rome, "but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) Lord Jesus, this is a time of waiting and not knowing. But You have promised, and You have been faithful every day and hour of my life. Even when I have been weak in faith You have been with me "to the end of the age." Help me to wait, and know that you will be faithful and You will act. Through the in-between times help me to grow in hearing Your promises and trusting Your constant care. Amen. Peace Dolores said to me, "It was like the Lord was right there with us." This is the peace that passes understanding. It is also the very simple thing of hearing the promises of Jesus, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) But how many in the world do not understand this peace? How many times have we, ourselves, looked around frantically wondering and worrying about what is coming? It is our nature to take our eyes off of the constant and reassuring care that comes from God; and instead chase after other solutions. And then we become frantic. But in the middle of the turmoil and confusion of life Jesus our Savior and Friend is always there. He gives assurance, reassurance and peace. This assurance and reassurance is uncommon in this world. It is unlike anything else, and different from any other experience. In fact, Jesus Himself told us this: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27) How can He give such peace? Well, He is the One who has won the victory. Think through all the troubles you have ever lived through. Is there even a one of them that Jesus is not able to deal with? Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Think through the temptations you have faced. Again, with every single one of them Jesus has the strength to conquer. "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Is there suffering? Jesus is the One who has endured all things for your sake. Even death! "Christ is risen!" " He is risen indeed!" That is why the Christian can have peace, no matter what. Because Jesus is living "no matter what," and He is with us "no matter what," and He gives promises that are and will be true "no matter what." If we were to try to attain peace through calming ourselves, through finding security for our soul and safety for our lives, or through all the different kinds of meditation practiced all over the world; we still would not find the extraordinary peace that is there in Jesus. This peace is not a thing we do. It is a gift that comes from outside ourselves. It comes to us through the work and the words of God. It is established and founded in the cross of Jesus -- so it is a peace that holds even in the most extreme situation. It is confirmed in the opening of the tomb and Easter morning rising of Jesus -- so it cannot be undone as long as He lives. And it is given in the words and promises of Jesus -- so it is peace that reaches as deep into the soul as the Word of God reaches and touches. That is what Dolores was talking about. The peace and the strength of the Christian come to the Christian very simply through Jesus' words. Jesus Himself, and Jesus through the working of the Holy Spirit, whispers His promises deep down within our soul. And again, that is exactly what Jesus promised. "I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace." (John 16:33) Lord Jesus, thank You for the promises You give. They are my strength, and my peace. Because You have promised to be with me always. You have promised never to leave me or forsake me. And You have promised that whoever believes in You will live even if he dies. I ask You to speak Your promises deep within my soul as often as I am worried or fearful; that I may grow in knowing Your peace. Amen. Worship What is worship? How do we worship when so many things are going wrong? Why would we? Martin Luther wrote, ""What does it mean to have a god? What is God? My answer is: A god is whatever a person looks to for all good things and runs to for help in trouble. (Luther's Large Catechism on the 1st Commandment, "You shall have no other gods.") Did you notice the two parts? "For all good things" and "for help in trouble." He didn't leave it there, He took it up again in the Small Catechism, this time explaining the 2nd Commandment not to take the name of the Lord in vain. He wrote, "but call upon [God's name] in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks." Did you notice the two parts again? "call" and "pray"; and then "praise and give thanks." This is the first part of worship. We worship because: every blessing comes from God and we have had a lot of them through the years. Hymn after hymn sings of the blessings, and Christians gather to sing those praises with great feeling. Century after century the song of praise continues. God has created us, knows us individually and is a constant source, stream and river of blessings. Every breath and heartbeat is a blessing from our Creator. Every blessing is sweetened because it is not just a good thing; it is a good thing from the hand of God. It is personal. There was a youth group meeting that included pizza, and I got to do a brief devotion before we ate. I said, this is not just pizza; this is pizza from God!! And then I think I started to give thanks for every one of the ingredients until they made me stop. (Thus endeth the lesson!) God blesses and loves to bless. And when we needed rescue from our sins God the Father sent His Son Jesus to carry our sins and carry us out of darkness and into light, out from under judgment and into life. We worship because: we have been through trouble, and through it all we have learned that God is a very present help. (Psalm 46) Troubles in the soul, or problems all around us, He is there and we can turn to Him. I learned this very powerfully one year when I was in high school. Early on Christmas morning my family got the phone call that my grandfather had died. In the middle of the heart-wrenching sadness my older brother said, "I'm going to Church." I went with him. In between the tears, I learned that there was no other place that made as much sense to be there than in God's house. There was no one else who could actually do anything about what had happened. He could. He had. He, Jesus, was born for exactly that moment, and so many other thousands and millions so much like it. The Second part of worship goes further and is deeper: Worship goes beyond calling out for our needs and thanking for the blessings. Greater by far than what we need and what we get from God -- we worship God for who He is. To learn this part of worship we have to focus on God, learn of Him, read and hear His promises and savor what they mean. What is it like to have a God who created you because He really does want to share eternity and every blessing He can create (Psalm 16 -- In Your presence there is fullness of joy); or who says "I have called you friends" (John 15); or invites one of them to come walking on water with Him; or who finished His prayers before going out to the garden to be arrested with, "Father, I want them to be with me". (John 17) who says, "I am with you to the end of the age" and "where 2 or 3 are gathered in My name there am I in the midst of them." And one more: Zephaniah in the Old Testament describes "in that day". And then God describes something that will happen "on that day". The Lord ... in your midst [that would be Jesus] will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing." This is what our God is like, and this is part of what will happen on the day that Jesus returns. At some point on that day Jesus will break into loud, exultant singing, celebrating that we are with Him. Worship happens when we see God as who He is and realize, "This is who I want to be with. I want to be with, hang around with and run with Jesus for all of forever." To know God in that way is a sweetness that trouble cannot take away, and becomes more important than any individual blessing. It is a constant theme that runs through all that life can bring; and helps us to focus each prayer that we offer up. And it brings every part of life into worship and connection with God. Lord Jesus, I ask You to work in my heart and deepen my worship. Let me look to You for every blessing; and run to You in every trouble. Fill my thoughts with Your promises that I may desire to know You more fully all through this life and then all through the endless time of eternity. Amen. Life "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4) God loves life! This is one of the most basic truths, and it runs through every part of our faith. God loves life. He loved creating life: trees, plants and every green thing for us to enjoy; animals, birds, fish and every creeping thing; and mankind, Adam and Eve and every descendant on through the centuries since. God loves life: and this is personal. He loved creating you, body and soul, blessing you with every breath and heartbeat. And the life He created as He formed you includes your thoughts, hopes, dreams, joys and every other part of your inner life. There are verses in Proverbs (8:30-31) that speak of all wisdom gathered together in Jesus: "then I was beside Him, like a master workman, and I was daily filled with delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in His inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." God loves life and delights in you being alive! If He did not -- would there be such wonders in the world around you, and such amazing things that happen deep within your soul? With each child born, when you came to be, God began to open up the wonders of creation to one more being. It is something like being a parent or grandparent, watching the wonder a child experiences discovering each new thing in their lives. God loves life! And this is a thing to remember when we are in the middle of trouble. When God created mankind He blessed us. And He is not the one who turned away; we did. Adam and Eve turned from God who loves life, and followed the voice of the devil who brought them death. So Jesus came into the world, and the Gospel of John said, "In Him was life." He came to bring life, to bring back and restore what we had lost. And the Gospel of John continues in chapter 2 with the wedding at Cana and Jesus turning water to wine. God loves life, and it shows in the life and character of Jesus. "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." All the way through, from water to wine, to "God so loved the world," to feeding the 5,000, healing the man born blind, to raising His friend Lazarus, to bringing the one thief on the cross into Paradise, to rising from the dead and inviting Thomas to touch and see, to inviting the disciples to share a meal on the beach (John 21) Jesus brings life, light and joy. He is the same Jesus; and in the middle of our trouble He is the One who has life. Another part of good news, hope and light is this -- God does His work through His people, His human beings that He has delighted in creating. Doctors, scientists, and medical researchers are not alone in their work. Whether they know it or not, they have God Himself by their side blessing their work (and God's work) of healing and saving life. He is the light of the world. As you turn to Jesus in prayer day after day, remember our doctors and nurses in your prayers. Pray that the light of God would shine through them, and that the light of Jesus would shine on them. Lord Jesus, You are the light of the world and You are the light of my life. Shine the light of life on us: through doctors, nurses, researchers and medical researchers. Help them to develop treatments and to bring healing to the many thousands all over the world. Bless their work and speed their successes. And let us bring Your light to our neighbors, by caring and watching over one another. Amen. Death This meditation is deeply personal. Early this morning a friend in our congregation died; and down in the southern part of our state another friend is nearing the end of this life (both are from cancer). Last night my wife heard news from a former student and friend of hers, that 4 people in her family have died from the virus within a week. It stings. And then we find out (in the news) that more and more young people are falling victim to this virus. How many of us have refused to look at it, to think about our mortality? And now -- there is no escaping. Whether it is this or something else, it will happen. Bodies break. They grow older and shorter of breath, and if we live long enough they will get all wrinkly until something gives out. But right now it is here and is all around us like it seldom has been in our lifetimes. Basically there are 2 ways to die. Yes, I know, outwardly there are thousands of ways. But deep inside there are only 2 ways. With and without something eternal planted in the soul. That is basic. And it is true. No matter how much we heap up, decorate the body, build the illusion, and fight against what we are; we will still be reduced to dust and the years will roll on to the end. The Apostle John said in his first letter, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. ... For all that is in the world ... is not from the Father .... And the world is passing away along with its desires ..." No matter how you chase, hold on to it, and fight to keep it, finally it is lost. And if there is nothing eternal in you so are you. But the same Apostle John also tells something deeply personal and very real. "What was from the beginning [he's talking about Jesus, and listen how he talks] which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked on and have touched with our hands ..." There are only 2 ways to die, and one of them is with something eternal planted in your soul. Jesus came from eternity, bringing words from eternity, and planted them in John's soul. He walked with them and they watched the acts of God, acts of kindness and healing, forgiveness and even humility, acts of God that are also from eternity, and Jesus took those eternal acts and through the eyes and through the experience of John He put those into John's soul. And Jesus touched, broke bread and fed, knelt down and washed the feet, and invited the disciples to touch Him and see that He had risen; and He put the cross and the empty tomb deep within John's soul. By the time Jesus was done John was so filled up with eternal things that the stuff of this world could not compare. And the most eternal of everything was Jesus Himself, within the soul, a Guide and Friend unlike any other That's why John talked the way he did; and Paul, and Peter, and on and on down through the years, and Herb, and Marcia too. It is the way of dying with the eternal there within the soul. It is so completely different from the other way, that it is absolutely the opposite of the other. Oh, you won't get it with your own searching along your own spiritual path; and you won't achieve it by getting yourself "centered" within your own self. The only way to find the eternal is in the One who is from eternity, who came to walk with John, and bring the words of eternity to you too. His plan is to hold on to you with His eternal things and keep you when your time comes. And that is a true Friend, the one we need more than any other in these days. Lord Jesus, I look around and everything is changing. Nothing lasts. And I look within, and look at myself and I am only temporary too! But You are eternal. You have life that does not fail. You have eternal words with eternal truths. Speak them deep within me. Fill the eyes of my soul with Your cross and Your broken tomb; and so fill me again with hope and courage for today. And for all the days ahead be with me as my friend. I need a True Friend. Amen. Hope "... and hope does not disappoint ..." (Romans 5:5) It was on the news today that there may be some treatments available almost immediately. And then it was on the news that there may need to be more testing and more waiting. Hopes rise and it is exhilarating. And then there is a delay and we are back to waiting. The ups and downs in the time of a crisis can be frustrating. So, whatever did the Apostle Paul mean when he said "hope does not disappoint"? It sure seems like hopes disappoint. First, there is a difference between "hope" and "hope." The one is a feeling within and it draws its hope from looking around; what is our situation? What are our prospects? How soon is help coming? How much can I rely on the government, the doctors, etc? The other connects to something more lasting and constant. God is there. He hears our prayers. He give His promises. And I know these things how? Because He has won the victory. Everything lasting and eternal comes together in Jesus. This means my hopes are not just bouncing around inside my own thoughts and feelings; soon to fade away and almost disappear whenever things change for the worse. Honestly, does that not seem to be the way with a whole lot of people in the world? Paul even tossed a thought in that direction when he was writing to the Church in Corinth. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile .... If we have hoped in Christ for this life only we are of all men most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19) He said it in order to show the contrast. There is a hope that does not ride the roller coaster of feelings. It is an anchored hope, connected to something solid. " ... and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Roamns 5:5 - NASB) This hope does not come from within. It comes from God, who makes promises; and keeps them. We have a hope, deep "within our hearts". It is brought there by the Holy Spirit, whose entire work is to point us to Jesus and to the promises we have in Jesus -- to bring the words of Jesus in the Bible, and the words of the Bible about Jesus, and plant them within the Christian soul, so that we can find our hope the only place we can have that one kind of hope -- in the One who came into this world to share our human flesh with all the weaknesses we share. The love of God comes to us through Jesus' words joined together with His living, dying, and rising. Paul starts the chapter (Romans 5) telling how we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. He is the anchor for our hope -- no one else than the Son of God. As long as He is the Christ of the Cross and the Christ of the Empty Tomb I have a hope that is different from any other hope. This is why Christians have held on to the one truth, "He is risen," through every century, every wave of persecution, and every illusion of riches that come along in this life. To simply quote Jesus, " Because I live, you will live also." (John 14:19) Jesus is a living anchor. He is eternal, and constant, and persistent in calling and caring for me. He promised. We need this anchor, not only in the time of the virus. We need Him through every up and down that comes along. We need Him through the days of hope and the days of disappointment. We need Him when life ahead is bursting with possibilities and we need Him when the road is ending and the days are few. Because what He does is walk with us and bring us along and open up all of eternity in front of us. Lord Jesus, in these days when everyone is looking for answers, and solutions, and rescue, be with my soul. Help me to know the true hope, finding in You the only things that transcend the ups and downs of life and life's times of crisis. Guide me through the turmoil of these days. Remind me of Your words and promises, because they are eternal; and You are inviting me to share in eternal things. Amen. Isolation What is the 2nd most extreme location for prayer that we are told about in the Bible? Why that question? We have been asked as much as we can to isolate ourselves at home; and when not at home to maintain a distance of 6 feet from others. It seems hard to do but we try. And doing this can leave us alone. This is something that many are not used to. With all the social media, with all of the things we (and Google, and Facebook) know about each other, how can we be alone? With all the business, noise, entertainments, and so on how are we ever really alone? And so we are confronted by a kind of quietness that we have become unused to with only our thoughts to keep us company. We feel the isolation. Once again, what is the 2nd most extreme place for prayer? The most extreme place of course was the cross, but what was the 2nd most extreme? You can read about it in the Bible. After Jonah had run from God and run away from God's call to go to Nineveh, after he boarded the ship to get as far away as he could, after the storm, and after confessing to the sailors that he was at fault, Jonah was thrown into the sea and was swallowed by a "great fish" that God had prepared for that day. Think of the isolation, there within the belly of the fish (3 days and 3 nights). And "from the belly of the fish" Jonah prayed to God. He was in complete darkness. He had no way of knowing where he was; or knowing which way was home. And he had no way of knowing what the next day or even what the next hour would bring. Does that sound familiar? And yet Jonah addresses his prayer to the Lord, and says, "Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple." (NASB) This is the prayer of faith (remember, "faith is believing the words and promises of God"). It is the prayer of faith because it takes hold of the words and promises of God; and that is so much more solid that a general feeling of hope. Through the words and promises of God the temple of the Old Testament gives way to the Word of God walking among us, carrying all the promises of God in Himself. It is a transforming thing. The promises of God, and our hope in the goodness of the Lord, do not rise or fall with the situation we are in, or our prospects for the future -- because Jesus is there. This time of crisis will end. But even when there is no crisis there is aloneness and isolation. We can have a lot of online friends and yet feel very alone. This is not anything new. For many generations people have recognized that you can be in the middle of a crowd and at the same time be very much alone. It is part of the human condition. Other people do not know our thoughts or our deepest feelings. Deep within the soul we are apart from every other human being. G. K. Chesterton observed that there is a place within where there is only you and God. We ignore this truth to our spiritual, psychological and emotional harm. So Jonah's experience is important for us. Jonah finds out in the belly of the fish that he is not as alone or as isolated as it seems, or as he feels. This is profound, and it is repeated time and again in the Bible. Psalm 46 calls God "a very present help in trouble." Psalm 27 says "He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble" Psalm 139 says "O Lord, You have searched me and known me! ... You discern my thoughts from afar. ... Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether." And in Matthew 28 Jesus promises, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." The reason why Jesus can know our aloneness is because He shared it. The 2nd most extreme place for prayer was by Jonah from the belly of the fish. The most extreme place for prayer was by Jesus on the cross. His time of extreme prayer, beginning in the garden of Gethsemane (praying in great agony) all the way to the final prayer from the cross reached in the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." In those words He carries all our isolation and separation, coming to where we have been so He can bring us back to be with Him -- forever. the reason why He can promise, "I am with you always," because He has conquered. He is risen. Lord Jesus, You know me -- every part, and all the way to my deepest being. Help me to take Your presence seriously, to talk to You in my times of isolation, to talk to You in the deepest parts of my soul; and to hear and hold Your words and promises deep within my soul. Thank You that You are constant as my Friend, and persistent as my Shepherd. Amen. Salt of the Earth An e-mail from a missionary informed us last weekend that The virus is ramping down here, but now is the time when there are opportunities all around to be the salt of the earth. That is what Jesus called us, "the salt of the earth." How can I be that? How can I do the things for my neighbor that Jesus calls me to do? Some thoughts: Keep in contact. Check on family members who are in the vulnerable groups. Keep watch for your neighbor. If you know of someone who needs supplies volunteer to help, pick up, buy, or share. I am actually reminded of a quote from John the Baptist, "Let he who has two rolls of toilet paper share with him who has none." OK, I know, he didn't say exactly that, but you get the idea. Watch over each other, because God has given us to each other to care for each other. Pick up the phone and bring human contact to those who are isolated and lonely. This is part of what we need as human beings who are created in the image of God. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we are created in His image We need community. Without community we do not do well. (Had you heard that when Tom Hanks came down with the virus the nurses in the hospital brought him a volleyball -- just like in the movie "Castaway" that he drew a face on and named it "Wilson"?) Watching over our neighbor is part of what we call "Vocation." God invites us to share in His work, caring for, protecting, feeding, and providing for others. That is the work of God, as the Psalm says, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." (Psalm 145:15-16 -- read the whole psalm.) Watching over your neighbor also means to be careful with your neighbor's health. I asked the small group gathered for Bible Study today, "did any of you take your temp before heading out to be with other people today?" This is not a thing I have heard in the suggestions and guidelines. And it is not the same as being tested. But checking yourself before being in contact with others is another part of watching over your neighbor. This is a sneaky virus, so check yourself. AND PRAY ! Pray for one another. Pray for those who are ill. Pray for those in at-risk groups. Pray a lot. This is not just because it is a good religious thing to do. And it is not a way of turning over all the care and providing to God. When you pray for your neighbor you are talking with God who actually knows their every single specific need. You are talking with the one who opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing. But He constantly answers prayers for one person through another. That is His pattern, involving us in His work, and in the life of God. So what do you think? Is He able to bring to your mind and help you to notice something specific that your neighbor needs, that you might have missed? Indeed and of course He can -- and does! And then you get to have your hands joined with God's hands, His thoughts mingled with your thoughts, and His work happening through your life. (And His life is eternal because He is the eternally living and eternally blessing God -- and this, by the way, is the most amazing part of life.) Lord Jesus, during this time of crisis and confusion Lead me as my Teacher and let me be Your disciple. Help me see Your many invitations to care for my neighbor, to be made strong by Your strength, and then to be the strength in the lives of the aged, the vulnerable, for those within my care, and for all to whom You lead me. Amen. |
Rev. Mark WilligPastor Willig is pastor emeritus of Friends in Christ Lutheran Church. Archives
December 2023
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