Chaos. It's ALL around us. I believe it's partly because we ALL have an opinion about everything. I also believe that we are ALL worshiping something, because we were ALL created to worship.
So the question is not, are you worshiping? The question is, what are you worshiping? And is that worship temporary or eternal? The willingness to fight for the worshiped usually depends on the understanding and commitment to that which is being worshiped.
Some people are very passionate about their cause. Others use the platform to force agendas. And still others know little of what the fight is actually about, but fight still the same. They seem to be willing to give up everything. While I see this as noble in some cases, I see as destructive in others.
The desire to stand for something is a thread woven into each of us by our Creator, but is tainted by sin. At the genesis of creation, we've made a decision to be our own god. From the Garden, to the Tower, to the Cross, and all the way to today.
In the book of Acts, Paul is speaking to the leaders of Athens,
"For as I walk through the city....I even found an inscription on one altar that read, 'To the Unknown God.'
I have come to introduce you to this God whom you worship without even knowing anything about him. The true God is the Creator of all things....
He supplies life and breath and all things to every living being....
From one man, Adam, he made every man and woman and every race of humanity, and he spread us all over the earth. He sets the boundaries of people and nations, determining their appointed times in history.
He has done this so that every person would long for God, feel their way to him--for he is the God who is easy to discover. It is through him that we live and function and have our identity....'Our lineage comes from Him.'" (Acts 17:23-28)
And from Him comes the One in whom He would save the world; the One the Father had given authority over everything. The One who loved His disciples to the very end; who took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, poured water in a basin and washed man's dirty, smelly feet.
Read the last sentence again with this thought in mind--this applied also to the disciple He knew would later betray him. What?!
Jesus had His eyes, not on Himself, but on His love for the Father and His love for His creation. The God of the Universe, incarnate, washed sin filled feet! The feet, scripture says, of those He loved to the very end.
Jesus said, "So if I'm your teacher and lord and have just washed your dirty feet, then you should follow the example that I've set for you and wash one another's dirty feet. Now do for each other what I have done for you." (John 13:14-15)
Why? To lead us. To love us. And to teach us how to love others. As Acts 17:27 says above, "He has done this so that every person would long for God, feel their way to him"
That's the agenda. It was never meant to be a 'me' agenda. His agenda is to stand for, to fight for, to live for and to die for. Fighting from this lens doesn't take away from the importance of the agenda, it just changes the focus. And changing the focus, changes everything.
For us, it's upside down thinking. How do we do it? How do we take our eyes off ourselves and off our demanding agendas? How do we love each other like that? Because if we can't love each other, how in the world can we love those who are hurting?
Jesus said to abide in Him, because apart from Him we can do nothing. For me, this is a minute by minute process. I can't love like that, but if I keep my eyes on Him, maybe He can love through me.
We will always make mistakes and find ourselves in need of forgiveness; and many times we will have to be the forgiver. But true worship is following in Jesus's footsteps.
How can they hear the message of life if there is no one there to proclaim it? God determined our appointed time in history.... for such a time as this.
I want to be a foot washer. How about you?
Jesus lead the way. Break our hearts for what breaks yours.
This, I believe, is the only remedy to the chaos in the world.
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I have sat for days funneling through my thoughts and feelings in the wake of such sadness and confusion, trying to make some sense out of all that has happened over the last few months.
I remember not so long ago watching images from Italy of sickness and death and reports that this is a picture of what's to come. It was hard to not let fear set in as we heard about a shortage of hospital beds and ventilators. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, our country was shut down and lock downs began. Suddenly our speech became about the number of cases, death tolls, flattening curves, job loss, unemployment and small business closures. Hurting people everywhere fighting not to lose hope, yet honoring those willing to risk their lives to help the hurting.
Our world seemed to be unified for a minute. A minute...
Then that moment. That moment that forever changed me as we watched in disbelief a man's life brutally taken from him before our eyes. Our speech turned to injustice, division, murder, and racism. As I write through tears, it's hard to find the words to describe the pain I feel in my heart. As I watch the world turn upside down in sadness and destruction, I find myself on the road to Emmaus.
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 24, Luke tells us about this day. Three days after the crucifixion, two of Jesus' followers were walking on the road to Emmaus. As they walked, they talked through sadness about all that had happened. So as it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. (v.15) I love that. Jesus was already with them, and in their sadness and confusion, He drew near.
Scripture tells us their eyes were restrained. They didn't recognize Him. They had previously followed him, yet now were blinded to who He was. They felt hopeless in their circumstances and what seemed senseless and tragic in their eyes.
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus took a seven mile walk with two guys. Two guys, who were sad and confused. They felt hopeless; He drew near. They were confused; He carefully unveiled revelations of Himself through Scripture. Jesus walked with them. He listened. He cared. He shared. But most importantly, He offered Himself .
In there time together, Jesus reminded them of what they already knew, but grief and fear and shattered dreams had blinded them to what was True. As they shared a meal together, Jesus blessed and broke bread and gave it to them and their eyes were opened. Hope was alive.
Their response was tangible.“Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"(v.32). Even when they didn't know it was Jesus, He consumed their hearts. They ran back to Jerusalem, found the eleven disciples and told them all that they saw. Jesus was suddenly standing among them, "Peace be with you" and He opened their understanding, reminding them of who He is and why He came.
Father, bring unity as only You can do. Consume our hearts. Draw near to us as we draw near to You. Give us Your eyes to see through the brokenness around us. Remind us of Your love and who You are. Bind up the brokenhearted. Reveal our hearts so we turn from our wicked ways. Help us to embrace each other. May we stand firm against injustice and stand up for righteousness and justice for all. Give us compassion. Make us question askers and intentional in getting to know each other as we honor the beauty in our differences, knowing You made us different on purpose. We welcome You in this place, In Jesus Name.
It's from a heavy heart I pray. Will you join me? Amen.
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I took some liberties on Isaiah 43. Thought I’d share.
In the series "the Chosen" we're introduced to Mary of Magdala, who as a child, along with her father, memorizes the first verse of Isaiah 43. As she grew, and life became difficult, she found herself more and more oppressed and lost all hope in the truth.
Jesus meets her in her hopelessness. He offers His hand. Being afraid, she runs away. But Jesus...
He speaks to her in a powerful way; with the very words she recognized deep in her soul.
Thus says the LORD...
This scene pierced my heart. It's forever burned into my memory. I've always identified with Mary Magdalene. I was so broken when Jesus came to get me. The Bible describes her as the one who had seven demons come out. I believe this is a picture of us. We all wrestle with those parts of us that we'd like to "come out."
My oppression is different than Mary of Magdala, different than yours. But Jesus speaks directly to me, to you, in that inner place, deep down in the soul, that place He set aside just for Him.
He has comforted me leading up to, in and through, this unknown season of life. He has spoken these words of Isaiah 43 into me, many times, and in many ways. I hope He uses them to encourage you as much as He has me.
My child, you are afraid...
Thus says the Lord who created you,
He who formed you,
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
your Savior. . . .
Because you’re precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you. . .
Fear not, for I am with you;. . .
My son, My daughter,. . .
Whom I created for my glory,
Whom I formed and made.". . .
"You are my witness," declares the Lord,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am He. . . .
I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior. . . ."
Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,. . .
"Remember not the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert. . . .
"I, I am He
who blots out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will remember your sins no more. (emphasis mine)
As I walk through this life, I remind myself daily that any control I think I have is just an illusion. Any good in me is not because of who I am, but because of who Jesus is. I can't try to be better, I just need to keep my eyes on Him and my desires will line up with His. Because He loves me, He will do and allow whatever He needs to in order to shave off those rough edges. If I try to "cast out" those things I want gone, they seem to only get bigger.
So, I echo Paul who said, "Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Can I get an Amen!?
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These are words I never thought I'd be writing, "in the middle of a pandemic"....
We are on week ten of uncharted territory. One day I'm in the hair salon, and the next I'm in lock down! While everything around us screams "be anxious," God commands us to "Be anxious for nothing. Fear not. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Don't worry."
Hmm? Pandemic and don't worry. Seems like an oxymoron. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. I find myself walking around saying out loud, "we are in the middle of a pandemic! A pandemic! This is so weird!"
If you've read any of my past writing, you know my default is fear, especially in the unknown. It's been a lifelong journey and it keeps me at the feet of Jesus. And this? This is a whole new level of unknown.
Hindsight 2020 for me, at least so far, is an 'invitation'. God seems to be inviting me to something. I keep hearing this word over and over again.
"I believe that every command of God is an invitation," says my husband as we talk through what life may look like going forward. I wrote that in my journal as I wrestled through feelings of helplessness and fear. And times of hopelessness and even shame, in what seems like a lack of faith in my heart.
So I asked God, "What is it that You are inviting me to in this season of uneasiness?" I sensed Him saying, "Be still and wait." (Definitely not easy for me)
I read, "When God announces judgement, it is almost always an invitation to repent and receive mercy."
And I heard, "When Paul says, "Be anxious for nothing" in Philippians 4:5-9, he first reminds us that the Lord is near. These verses are meant to comfort us. They are not designed to make you feel bad. They're designed to make you feel better by giving you alternatives to worry and anxiety. The invitation is to God comforting you as He offers two promises; the first, His peace will guide you, the second, His peace will guard you."
And today it was said, "In Mark 8, Jesus asks His disciples, Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember?...How is it you do not understand? This was a strong and kind invitation."
God reminded me when the disciples were in a storm and Jesus was sleeping, they asked Him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Then, He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?" (Mark 4:38-40 emphasis mine)
Peace, be still. I want to relax in the arms of the God who created me, and He who formed me; even when it doesn't make sense. I will trust You in the storm as You rebuke the wind and silence the sea. I accept Your invitation to transform me as You renew my mind.
My prayer is that I come out of the pandemic saying, and believing, the words penned by Jeremiah "Your words were found and I ate them and your words became my joy and the delight of my heart; For I am called by your name, O Lord God Almighty." (15:16)
What is God inviting you to?
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I’ve been thinking about Elijah a lot lately. How he witnessed so many miracles of God, yet still found himself running for his life, believing a lie that he was the “only one” left. In life’s LONG trials it’s so easy to believe the lie that you are the “only one” suffering. So today, God reminds me, like Elijah, that there are 7000 others. (see 1 Kings 19)
As a deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God (Psalm 42:1-2). Lloyd Ogilvie writes regarding this scripture, “Whatever God allows in our lives is to bring us closer to this basic prayer.”
I must remind myself daily that although God is good, it doesn’t mean He will shelter us from everything, nor does it mean He will allow only good in our lives. I do this often because one moment I find myself saying, “I love You Jesus with all my heart, and I know you love me.” But my very next thought is “The longer I suffer, the harder it is for me to see Your love through my circumstances.” If you’ve ever been in a season where all you can see are mountains around you and your heart begs for the faith to see them move, then we have much in common.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if faith grew in comfort; in the pleasures of life instead of the trials? If I had a dollar for every time I've reminded myself of how a pearl becomes a pearl, well let’s just say I’d have a lot of dollars.
We live in a performance-based world, so performance is our natural bent. Let’s think about the human condition. Our greatest goal is happiness, comfort and security. It may look different to each, but the goal is the same. Whether things are good or bad, dependence falls on self and circumstance. So, the question before us is, “Am I willing to go through whatever it takes to be transformed into the likeness of Christ?” This is such a hard question. I want to say yes and amen, but the truth is, I don’t always feel that way. Some days all I can think about is feeling better.
We were created to bring glory to God by becoming more like His Son, so it’s probably safe to say that pain is the road set before us. We would never do suffering on our own, but Jesus did.
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. (Hebrews 5:7-9)
Jesus chose suffering. He submitted to the will of His Father, knowing that His suffering was for the greater good.
Ogilvie continues to write, “It’s only as we come to know “life’s smoothness turned rough” that we will find a deeper reason for our existence.”
It’s difficult, in the middle of the pain, to trust that whatever we face is to fulfill God’s purpose. For most of us, trust comes from a complete surrendered despair. I suppose it would be easier to walk in the pain if we knew what the greater good was on the other side, but I guess that wouldn’t require true surrender.
In Luke’s gospel he tells us that Simon answered and said to Him, “Master we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
Through my surrendered despair today I say, Master I’ve suffered so much; nevertheless, at Your word I will walk forward trusting that you have a greater good that I can not see…yet.
God says that “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me on high places.” (2 Samuel 22:34)
May God give us the strength to grieve our suffering with hope.
If you're willing to share, what would your 'nevertheless' be?
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