Saturday, August 30, 2014

Mercy That Sets the Captive Free

Who can appreciate the gift of mercy who has not first been confronted with guilt? I watched as they came into the court room.  Their eyes were down cast, their hands and feet were shackled.  One by one they came before the judge. With heads bowed they stood while all that they had done was exposed to the court. Because of their guilt they lost their liberty.

The pain was still in her voice as she remembered how hopeless she felt in her addiction. Night after night she wept begging God to release her from this thing that kept her captive. She wanted a clean heart but all she had to offer was a broken one. All she had to offer was her sorrow and regret. Who can appreciate the gift of mercy who has not first brought before the Lord the sacrifice of a broken spirit and known the bitterness of a broken and contrite heart?

He had chosen blindness rather than to acknowledge his guilt. But God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David about his sin.  When his eyes were open and he realized that he could no longer hide he begged God to do for him what he could not do for himself. "Have mercy on me,  O God,  according to your steadfast love; according to your mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleans me from my sin! "(Psalm 51:1, 2) It was only when David acknowledged his guilt that he could recieve the gift of mercy.

Who can appreciate the steadfast love of God who has not first acknowledged his own lack of love? Who can appreciate the grace of God who has not recognize his poverty? Who can begin to rest in God's great faithfulness who has not first seen his own unworthiness? Our great need simply opens our eyes to God's great gift of mercy.

Lord Jesus, you came to proclaim good news to the poor. You came to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed. Thank you for your gift of mercy.


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Waiting for the Dawn

I had gone to bed the night before fighting with the darkness.  I was grateful when sleep came but I know how this works.  When you go to sleep fighting the darkness it will wake you back up. I heard the oppressive voice of darkness but I chose not to listen. Instead I focused my mind on truth and waited for the dawn.

I love to watch the sunrise. It is a daily reminder to me of the tender mercy of God. No matter how dark the night may be I am visited in the morning by the sunrise. The Sun rises and the shadows flee. The morning brings me word of God's unfailing love.

Sometimes there is weeping in the night. I am aware of the suffering of the world around me. I see the news. I see the power of evil. But joy comes in the morning. I know the promise, I know the truth. "The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." (Malachi 4:2) This is the tender mercy of God, He gives light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, He guides our feet into the way of peace.

I wake while it is still dark knowing that the dawn is coming. This is the truth that anchors my days; light conquers the darkness. Morning by morning I open God's word while waiting for the dawn. His word is a lamp shinning in a dark place. I am reminded of the prophetic word that there is a day that will dawn when the morning star will arise in my heart.

Lord Jesus,  You are the bright and morning star for whom I wait. In Your word I find the promise that You are coming. And so as I wait for the dawn my pray is, "Come Lord Jesus! "

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Finding Comfort

Years now separate me from that night when the darkness was like a shroud to my soul.  I had received news that like a thief had stolen all possibility of sleep from me.  I went out into the night. I was to crushed by my brokenness to stand so I lay on the concrete sidewalk and wept. I looked into the deep darkness of the night searching for light. If I could speak to my former self I would say,  "The darkness that you feel tonight might hide the light but the light still shines."

"Go ahead and cry.  Let the salt in your tears wash the wound. Cry and cry til the tears are spent. When your grief is exhausted and you enter into the stillness of the night let that stillness seep into your soul. Be still and know that the God you trust is worthy of your trust. Tonight you are aware of the darkness but I am the voice of your future and I know the truth of redemption."

The comfort I long to share with others is the comfort I have received.  If I had never known what is like to cry in the night I would not know the deep comfort that comes in the morning. I have watched my dreams shattered only to find the truth of what it means to have a redeemer. Though I have stumbled along the way I have never been hurled headlong into the abis because God has been holding my hand. True comfort is not always found in the moment. The truest comfort is found in the perspective of eternity.

As I look back on that night of brokenness I can still feel the weight of my sorrow yet with the perspective of years I can also see the gracious hand of God. Faith is to be sure of what you hope for and confident about what you don't see. Years ago I put my faith in the unfailing love of God I have chosen to base my life not on what my physical eyes can see but instead on what I believe. But sometimes I can look back on a time I walked by faith and smile because now I am a witness to what once I could only see by faith.

O Holy Comforter,  Your love is steadfast, I can never use up Your mercy,  each morning I am met with a new supply.  Though my faith my grow weak Your faithfulness never let's go. Because You are my portion l put my hope in You and find deep comfort.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

What Angels Long to See

They stood East of Eden. The cherubim had been stationed by God to guard the way to the tree of life with a flaming, whirling sword. They were guardians to the throne of God.  The cherubim were a protective bearer of God's holines. When God made a way for us to eat of the tree of life and come boldly to His throne the angels desired to look into these things.

When God sent His angels with a message to men it often resuled in the one who received the message being filled with fear. But when Elisha's servant was afraid of the army and the horses and chariots that surrounded them Elisha prayed that the man's eyes would be opened. "Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."(2Kings 6:17) The angels of God were more fear inspiring than any army of men.  These angelic beings, who caused fear in the hearts of men, longed to look into the salvation God had prepared for those who had been created lower than themselves.

"The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. "(Psalm 99:1) The cherubim had been with Jesus in His preincarnate state. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. And then they came to minister to him after he had been tempted in the wilderness by a fallen angel. They were there in the garden to minister to their Lord the night before he gave his life as a sacrifice for sinful men. These same angels longed to look into this gospel that had been sent down from Heaven.

When man sinned God drove him out of the garden of Eden, "He stationed cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life."(Genesis 3:24)  There were two golden cherubim in the two ends of the mercy seat. "And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; towards the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be."(Exodus 25:21) I wonder were the golden cherubim representative of the two angels Mary saw sitting one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus' body had been lying. The angels who had longed to look into this salvation asked the question,  "Woman, why are you crying?"

Lord Jesus,  the cherubim were stationed at the mercy seat where once a year the high priest came to make atonement for sin with the blood of a sacrifice. The cherubim were at the empty grave, witnesses to the sacrifice you made for sinful man and the blood you sprinkled on heaven's mercy seat. They long to look into the salvation I have received. Open my eyes and let me see my salvation from their perspective.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Do Not Fear

It happened again this morning the darkness could not keep the day from dawning.  However,  last night seemed to last a long time. I had seen the images of hatred and darkness ;images of evil acts against innocent children. My heart was grieved and I found it hard to sleep but through out the night I remembered the truth.  The darkness does not win.

The horrors that are being done to innocent children are the product of darkness.  Those who have become slaves of darkness are trying to produce terror in the hearts of those who see the way they worship evil. You become like the thing you worship. But the darkness can never overcome the light and hatred never triumphs over love.

Sometimes it seems that hatred is stronger than love.  The acts of hatred are brutal and cruel. There are those who worship at this alter believing that it gives them strength.  But the essence of strength was when Jesus gave his life and then gave forgiveness to those who had brutally crucified him. The God of love triumphed over the god of hatred.

The god of darkness and hatred uses terror to bend the knees of all who worship at his alter. However, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment,  and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. "( 1 John4:18) When Jesus hung on the cross He took the punishment for my sin. It's a response to perfect love that bends the knees of those who worship Jesus the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Jesus, You are the bright and Morning Star. Day after day I am reminded of the truth that You have triumphed over darkness. Your love has conquered hate. You truth exposes lies that are perpetrated to bind us. I worship at Your alter and ask that you would unbind those who worship the god of darkness.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Because I Believe

Because I believe that I have access to the living word of God I rise before the dawn to listen for his voice. I sit in silence for a moment and let the wonder penitrate my soul that I have been invited to breathe the breath of God.  The world around me is dark but what I hold in my hands illumines my darkness.

Because I believe I have an invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace I humbly go there. In my spirit I see what Daniel saw, "As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire."(Daniel 7:9) I have come into this holy place because I was invited yet I am painfully aware of my unworthiness. But it is here I encounter the tender mercy of a mighty God and every morning he assures me I can never exhaust its supply.

Because I believe I will find grace to help me in my time of need I find the courage to speak. I feel my own inadequacy but by faith I take hold of promises I find in God's Word and I chose to base my actions not on how I feel but what I believe. There are many unknowns in my life that make me tremble yet I have been promised a wisdom not my own if only I will ask. And so I ask.

Because I believe that my Redeemer lives and that one day I will see him face to face I lift before him all my grief and disappointments.  There is so much I do not understand. I chose today to offer before his throne the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving because I trust in the unfailing love that has been offered to me.

Lord Jesus, sometimes I come with a heavy heart because what I see fills my heart with sorrow. But because you have invited me to come I come confident in your love and comforted by your promises because I believe.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Seeing the Unseen

I cried on my way home from the memorial service. I could feel the weight of sadness turning into depression. I don't believe that I have to be held captive to the darkness that sometimes seems to haunt my thoughts, however, the death of a friend brings with it genuine sorrow. But the taste of tears does not have to make me a prisoner of depression.

How do I process the loss of a friend without being crippled by it? I believe the answer is found in the lens I choose to look through. If I only focus on what my physical eyes can see I begin to loose heart. But I have been invited to look at not only what is seen but what is unseen.  What I see now is temporary,  but what is unseen is eternal.

Ecclesiastes says, "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laugher,  for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,  but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."(Ecclesiastes 7:2-4) My friend and I were the same age. Going to the house of mourning made me pause and consider the use of my days.

I have been given the treasure of eternal life but I hold it in a jar of clay. If I loose sight of eternity I am very tempted to despair. I am more and more aware that my outer person is aging but at the same time I choose not to give up but instead to take hold of the promise of life.  By God's grace my inner person is being renewed day by day as I choose to focus not on what is seen but on what is unseen.

Lord Jesus,  you wept at the grave of your friend and then called him to life. Please help me to see with my spirit what is hidden from my eyes. Thank you for showing me how to grieve but to hope at the same time.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

The Fellowship

There is a mist that blankets the farm today. I have no doubts about what is hidden from my view.  I know the deer are grazing in the field beyond where I can see. I realize that though my eyes can only see dimly what is before me the Sun will reveal the truth of what is really there.

Today the mist reflects my feelings.  Today I will go to a memorial service for my friend.  As I sit here surrounded by this curtain that dims my view of what is before me my mind plays back the times we spent together.  She was my prayer partner. During my last pregnancy when there was a cloud of doubt surrounding the health of my unborn child she and I prayed. With eyes closed and hearts wide open we boldly went together before the throne of grace.

Walking in the mist we shared a special fellowship. Faith is being sure of what you hope for and confident of what you don't see. There is a special fellowship you share when you walk together with someone in prayer. Patti made a cross stitch picture for me that put my feelings into words.  "Fellowship is the oneness of spirit that is enjoyed by friends on the same side of the struggle."

The years passed our paths parted.  I remember clearly the last time I saw Patti not because of the depth of the conversation we had but because it was the last time we would have together.  We talked on the phone later and she told me about her illness. The last time we spoke she told me she wanted to get together and share with me the things she had learned through her suffering but that meeting never happened.

Lord Jesus,  thank you for giving me friends with whom I can have fellowship here. Thank you for letting me see beyond the mist with eyes of faith the fellowship my friend now has with you in your presence.