Faith Synchronizes Belief and Actions (Mark 2:1-12)

Faith means that you are sure about what you hope for and confident about what you don’t see. If you are sure and confident about something it effects your actions. Habakkuk 3:19 says, "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights.” Why is a deer so sure-footed and able to climb steadily toward mountain peaks? It is because deer have an amazing ability of ensuring that its back feet will alight on the exact spot where its front feet were positioned. This is how I see faith. It starts as a gift from God. Then what you believe is like the front feet of a deer. Acting on what you believe is like the hind feet of a deer. It takes all of this to reach the heights God calls us to.

In Mark 2 we find Jesus speaking a message in His home in Capernaum. I’m sure since Jesus was the one preaching this message it was important! However, as it often happens in Mark, there is no record of what was said. Remember, Mark’s source for his gospel is Peter. Jesus’ home was probably Peter’s house, and it’s here in Mark that you get the strong expression of the damage done to the roof. The message of this story is understood by actions rather than by words.

Just use your imagination. The room is packed. There are so many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway. The important people like the scribes, however, had found a seat inside. It must have been a solemn assembly as they sat there listening to the Son of God, when suddenly dirt started to fall on everyone’s head!

Four men had found a way to climb the roof while keeping their paralyzed friend from falling off the stretcher they were carrying him on. Next, with a boldness produced by the belief that it was the only way they could get their friend to the one who could heal him, they began to remove the roof. Not just a small hole in the roof, but a hole big enough to let the a man down through it. What havoc their faith must have caused to those on whom the dirt fell!

Jesus saw their faith. How can you see someone’s faith? You can see someone’s faith when you look at their actions. Just like hind feet of a deer are synchronized with its front feet, so too is a man’s faith synchronized with his actions.

Why Was Jesus Angry? (Mark 1:42-45)

Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.
Mark 1:42-45

Mark shows us the emotions of Jesus. In this story of the man with leprosy, we are told that Jesus was moved with compassion and that He reached out and took hold of him in response to the man’s begging, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus was willing and the man was cleansed from his leprosy. But Jesus' compassionate response was followed by another emotional response. The next emotion shown at first glance is in opposition to the compassionate picture of Jesus reaching out to touch the untouchable.

When Jesus sternly warned the man that he was to say nothing to anyone, the Greek word for “sternly warn” carries with it the idea of being moved with anger. In fact, when I looked up the usage of the word in the Strong’s Concordance, I found: I snort (with the notion of coercion springing out of displeasure, anger, indignation, antagonism), express indignant displeasure with someone; I charge sternly. I looked it up in Helps Word-Studies and found: properly, snort like an angry horse; (literally) “snort (roar) with rage” which expresses strong indignation, i.e., deep feeling that is moved to sternly admonish. So the same depth of emotion expressed in compassion that caused Jesus to be willing to heal was now being expressed in a warning to say nothing to anyone.

In contrast to Jesus reaching out to touch this man who was full of leprosy, we now have Jesus sending him away. Again I went to the Strong’s Concordance to understand the word used. It was a powerful Greek word meaning: I throw (cast, put) out; I banish. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon said that this word included the notion of more or less violence.

However, the man was more in awe of being healed than he was in the one who healed him. He ignored Jesus’ warning and instead of saying nothing to anyone he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news. There is no mention of him showing himself to the priest or offering what Moses prescribed for his cleansing. He ignored Jesus’ stern admonition. Had he obeyed he would have been a witness to the priests and would have carried out the mission given him. Instead his disobedience hampered Jesus. Now instead of the leper it was Jesus who walked in lonely deserted places.

Why did Jesus come? When Jesus began His ministry He began preaching the good news of God by saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” In the synagogue He spoke with authority. He showed His authority over demons and over illness, and even leprosy. People flocked to Him, mobbed Him. Why? They wanted release from demonic oppression, they wanted relief from their sickness, they wanted relief from the curse. They saw His deeds but they didn’t recognize Him. Do you think that if the man cured from his leprosy had realized that the one who had compassion on him and had touched him was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords he would have disobeyed Him? I think if he had understood how near the kingdom of God was to him that he would have repented, believed the good news and gone and shown himself to the priest. Jesus came to do more than heal our bodies, He came to proclaim the kingdom of God!

Power and Compassion (Mark 1:40-42)

In the distance he could hear the children’s laughter and for a brief moment he paused and remembered his own childhood. He remembered the comfort of his mother's gentle touch and the love he had felt when she looked at him. He remembered too the laughter that he had shared in the company of his friends. But his time of reminiscing was interrupted when someone came too close, and he had to quickly cover his mouth and shout, “Unclean!” Then he saw the look of horror on their faces as  they ran away crying, “It’s a leper!” “It’s a leper,” he thought. "They can’t even see me as a man." As he continued walking he wondered if Jesus would be able to see him as a man and if He would be willing to heal him.

Ever since the priest had declared him unclean he had been going away from people. He had become isolated as the disease slowly took over his identity. A coldness had settled deep inside of him when he lost the ability to feel. However, hope had been awakened in him when he heard about the miracles of Jesus. For the first time since he’d been declared a leper he was going towards another human being and not away. He believed that Jesus had the power to heal him, he just didn’t know if He’d be willing. As soon as he found Him he knelt in front Him and began begging Him, “If you’re willing, You can heal me and make me clean.”

Jesus was moved with compassion, and then He stretched out his hand and took hold of the leper. Then Jesus spoke the words the leper longed to hear, “I am willing, be clean!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared and he was healed. He was healed. He was clean.

When I think about how Jesus was moved with compassion for this man I think about how Jesus, although He was God, was willing to humble Himself and come to us. When Jesus reached out and touched the man with leprosy, I am reminded of what Isaiah said about the Messiah. “He had no form or splendor that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like one people turned away from; and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

For all who have lost their identity and their ability to feel, to all who have become isolated by their sins, Jesus issues an invitation to come. And we can come to Him because He came to us. We can know what it is to be clean because He carried our pain and took the punishment for our peace.
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Divine Perspective (Mark 1:32-34)

When it was evening, after the sun had set, they came. They came bringing to Jesus their sickness, sorrow and pain. Those who were tortured by demons came seeking release. He healed their sicknesses and drove out many demons. The demons knew who He was, but Jesus would not permit them to speak. Then Jesus, wearied from a day filled with ministry, slept.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place” (Mark 1:35). When He arose, the light was shrouded by darkness. With the dark shadows all around Him, He went out and made His way to a solitary place where He would be free from distractions, and there He prayed.

What does it look like when the Son of God prays? The Greek word used in Mark speaks of an exchange. This is a prayer of worship filled with the truth that light will conquer darkness. The darkness of night, filled with suffering and the grief of those who are tormented, will not last forever, but will be followed by the rising of the sun and the coming of a new day.

Jesus’ time of solitude came to an end when Simon and his companions found Him. They came with the message that everyone was looking for Him. The sun had now risen; a new day had dawned. Jesus went on to the neighboring villages with the message that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent, and believe in the good news.” And Jesus went into all of Galilee, preaching the good news and driving out demons.

I awakened before the dawn, my heart heavy with concerns for those I love, and aware of the battle that wages between good and evil. It is here in this place of solitude that I close my eyes in prayer and open my eyes of faith. Here I see clearly how God richly grants His presence and provision when I seek Him. I watch as the light grows stronger and am reassured once more: Though I am limited and often feel crushed by the sorrow, I see that the God to whom I pray is limitless. As I seek Him in prayer He imparts a divine persuasion to me and I rejoice in the kingdom of God.

When He Left the Synagogue (Mark 1:29-34)

Jesus had begun preaching the good news of God, that the time was fulfilled, and that the kingdom of God had come near. I close my eyes, and through the words written in Mark, I travel back in time to see what Jesus’ ministry looked like. How did the Son of God begin His ministry? Where and how was the message to repent and believe in the good news proclaimed?

It seems appropriate that Jesus would start on the Sabbath in the synagogue. The people there didn’t know who He was, but what they did know was that He spoke with authority. The demons knew where that authority came from. They recognized the Holy One of God. However, Jesus silenced them and released the man in whom they had taken up residence from their control. Even in the synagogue Jesus came with more than words. He came with the power to set the demon-possessed man free.

Jesus’ ministry was so much more than simply preaching on the Sabbath. As soon as He left the synagogue He went to Simon and Andrew’s house. It was not the house of nobility, it was the house where two fishermen lived with their family, including Simon’s mother-in-law who was lying in bed with a fever. Jesus went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. Woven into this story is a woman whose husband is gone and who is now sick and living on the mercy of her son-in-law. Jesus’ compassion and kindness did more than restore this woman’s health, He restored her dignity.

How did people respond? When evening came, after the sun had set and their travel was no longer restricted by sabbath law, they flocked to Jesus. All those who were sick and those bound by demons came to Him seeking for relief and release. In fact, the whole town assembled at the door. The kingdom of God had come near. The king, though cloaked in human flesh, had come with authority and the power to set men free. He came with the message to, “Repent and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

Recently I was with a friend, and during the course of our conversation she asked me a question that I’ve been thinking about ever since. She told me how she appreciated the sermons she heard on Sunday. She acknowledged that the church was trying to reach out to its members. But it was what she said next that really convicted me, she asked what we were doing for the hurting people outside the church. “How are we reaching out to the sick and hurting people in our community?” My mind went back to what Jesus did as soon as He left the synagogue. My response is that I need to repent and show that I believe the good news by following Jesus’ example.

He Spoke with Authority! (Mark 1:21-28)

In the synagogue in Capernaum the people would come out of duty and listened with dull minds and glazed eyes as the scribes would drone on and on about the endless laws and traditions that had been written to fence the word of God. The fence they had built to keep anyone from getting close to breaking God’s word had become so complicated and verbose that they had long since stopped talking about God’s word itself and had simply begun to discuss each other’s interpretation of their own words. The fence now, instead of keeping people from breaking God’s word, simply kept everyone away from the word itself.

“He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach” (Mark 1:21). The very Word of God Who had taken on human flesh now spoke. Their dull minds were awakened; their glazed eyes came into focus. When He spoke, the darkness of their minds was illuminated. They felt as if the very breath of life was in His words. Now that they were fully awake they were struck with panic and amazement! They asked one another, “Who is this? Where did he get this authority?” 

However, there was someone in their midst who knew where His authority came from. Suddenly, there was a scream of recognition! “What do You have to do with us, Jesus-Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24)! The Holy One of God had authority not only to speak the truth of God but to silence the unclean spirit. 

“Be quiet, and come out of him” (Mark 1:25)! Jesus used the same words and authority to muzzle the unclean spirit that He would later use in silencing the wind and the waves that threaten the lives of His disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. In both stories the people were left wondering who this was who had the authority to calm the storms that raged both in nature and in the hearts of men. With one last blast of fury the unclean spirit convulsed the man. But he had to leave, because the Holy  One of God had spoken.

Have you ever dozed in church? Have you ever sat with glazed eyes as if you were listening but hearing nothing, simply being in church because, after all, isn’t that what Christians do? But I want to ask you something. If that is what people who follow God do, why was the man with the unclean spirit there? In Revelation Jesus again speaks to the church, and again He finds those with evil spirits present. Jesus also calls His church to wake up! If we will listen to the Word of God and surrender to His authority, we will become fully alive.

”You Follow Me!”( Mark 1:16-20)

Peter remembers. He was a fisherman with no higher goal than to provide for the needs of his family by doing what he knew to do, fish. But the memory now of Jesus passing alongside the Sea of Galilee is so vivid that he pauses and sees again the scene as if it is happening in the present. Mark is listening, waiting, wanting to capture in writing the words and emotions of Peter as he recounts the the three and a half years that he spent with Jesus. In the book of Mark we see the story of Jesus through Peter’s eyes.

“‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:17,18). Immediately the choice was made, and the course of Peter’s life changed. Jesus had come with the message that the time was fulfilled, and the kingdom of God was at hand. Then Jesus took note of a lowly fisherman and invited him to have a place in the kingdom. Jesus issued this invitation not to the proud and haughty religious rulers but to a fisherman on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Peter remembers with awe how he himself was there when Jesus received honor and glory from God the father. Peter is silent for moment, and in his memory he hears again the voice of the “Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him” (2 Peter 1:17)! With a voice husky with emotion Peter shares this memory with Mark and marvels again, as he has marveled so many times before, that Jesus the Son of God exalted a humble fisherman by the invitation to follow him.

Peter shares how for three and a half years he followed Jesus. He told Mark how he had walked away from his nets and his fishing with the bold assurance that the kingdom would come and that Jesus himself was the Messiah. But something happened that he hadn’t expected. Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest. Still, Peter had followed Him there. With an aching heart Peter told Mark how, while Jesus was being mocked and spit at, Peter warmed himself by a charcoal fire. He was confronted again by the  feelings of confusion he had had about what happened. This was not what he had expected when he began to follow Jesus. Nothing was happening the way he had envisioned it, and Peter humbly shared with Mark how in his confusion and fear he had denied Jesus three times.

In the book of John it is recorded how after Jesus’ death and resurrection Jesus met Peter again on the shore when Peter been fishing. This time the invitation to follow Jesus didn’t include being a fisher of men but instead a command to feed and tend Jesus’ sheep. Jesus told Peter to follow Him after He told Peter by what kind of death he would glorify God. Peter didn’t immediately respond this time as he had to the first invitation to follow Jesus. This time he looked around at John and asked, “What about him?” Jesus responded by saying to Peter that what He planned for John was not Peter’s affair. And then Jesus said again, “You follow me” (John 21:21)! And Peter followed.

Come Just As You Are

I was irritable and angry! I was so frustrated that I wanted to scream! I rushed about the house preparing to go where I didn’t want to go in order to do something that I didn’t want to do! I didn’t want to feel the way I was feeling, so in this state of full blown irritability I began to pray.

I went to God in prayer just as I was, miserable and in need. “Father! I need help! I don’t want to feel this way! I want to obey You!” I thought about how Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father, in heaven, may your name be kept holy” (Matthew 6:9). I translated how Jesus taught us to pray by saying, “Father, I believe that You love and care for me and that Your ways are higher than my ways. I don’t want to dishonor Your name, but I am miserable and I need help!”

Jesus said to pray, “Your kingdom come.” I prayed, “I know that You are the king. I want You to rule and reign in my life, my heart and my mind. Please help me to get my emotions under control.” Jesus said, “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” I prayed, “Father, I know that to murmur and to complain is the same as to be in rebellion against what You have ordained for my life. Right now I’m full of rebellion! I don’t know how to stop. I don’t like what You’ve planned for my life today. If I needed physical surgery on my heart, I know that I would be incapable of performing open heart surgery on myself. I also know that I am equally incapable of removing my stony rebellious heart. Please! Help me!”

Jesus said to ask for daily bread. Where can I go when I am being tormented by my inability to be who I want to be? What can I do when I don’t have the resources to accomplish what is required of me? How do I find the strength to wrestle with my own rebellious heart that doesn’t want to be told what to do? It’s a daily struggle. Daily I am invited to participate in holy communion through prayer.

I continued to walk in obedience and prayed that God would change my heart. And then it happened! I was having a conversation with my granddaughter Lena. I told her that Mary probably wasn’t much older than she is now when Gabriel announced that she was to be a mother. Lena was shocked. Then I said, “Just think about how Mary responded. 'I am the Lord’s servant, let His will be done in my life.'” The words left my mouth and entered my heart. I was set free! The misery of rebellion was replaced by the joy of true obedience. The transformation took place through prayer.

What Did Jesus Say? (Mark 1:14)

The first words that Jesus spoke in the gospel of Mark were, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.” I hear the words of Jesus and I see in my mind what Daniel saw in the night visions. “I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13,14). The time had come for the curse to be broken. When the curse was broken the arrogant words of Satan would be silenced and dominion would be given to the rightful king.

I hear in the words of Jesus the long-awaited fulfillment of this prophecy for the coming of the rule and reign of the Son of Man. This is good news! However, I also look with wonder at the setting in which Jesus made this proclamation. John has been arrested. Israel is under the heels of Rome. It doesn’t look like a picture of the Son of Man establishing His kingly rule - His dominion - His sovereign government. But what did Jesus say? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15).

Those who had been waiting for the coming of messiah believed that he would come and break the yoke of Rome, but there was a greater plan. The messiah had come to break the yoke of Satan in the heart of every man. His rule and reign would include ruling and reigning in the lives of every people, nation and language. In order to establish the kingdom of God, the serpent’s head must be crushed and the Son of Man’s heel must be bruised. The kingdom of God was near because the time had been fulfilled. Jesus had come to break the curse by His death on the cross.

But there was more to this proclamation of good news. There was a call to respond. “Repent and believe in the good news.”  Repent, to change the mind, to accept the will God. This was the message of John, who had gone before Jesus to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for the kingdom of God. Those who had repented were able to hear the good news, but those who didn’t humble themselves with repentance rejected the messiah.

Jesus not only said to repent, He also said to believe in the good news. What does it mean to believe? It means that you put your confidence and trust in the One who came to set up His kingdom. Satan came into the garden offering man the right to rule himself and be his own god. He lied, and man’s rebellion against the dominion of God brought death. Now, at last, the time was fulfilled for the curse to be broken. Jesus came saying, “Believe the truth, reject the lie. The kingdom of God is near.”

How?

My friend and I were talking about diets. Linda is very practical. I sent her a link to a diet that I was interested in. Her response was, “Very sensible stuff. The trick is just to actually DO it.” So, what is the difference between knowing something and doing it? Why is it so difficult? How do you take something you believe and make it something that you live?

I confess there are things I want to do, goals I want to reach. I want my life to be well-lived. I don’t want to be simply a dreamer who wakes up when my life is over to find nothing but disheveled bed sheets produced from sleepwalking. In Colossians 3:2 it says that we are to set our minds, we are to have understanding, to seek for, things above. How?

My first step is faith. Is that right? Is that really the first step? I remember when I was a young teenager telling my mother that I wanted to have more faith. She told me that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. She invited me to wake up with her the next morning at 5 a.m. if I wanted more faith and begin reading the Bible. That was over 50 years ago. How did my actions affect my faith? By hearing the word of God I learned who it was that I was putting my faith in.

Faith isn’t just an idle belief. If I simply fill my mind with lofty ideas of who God is, and I am constantly thinking about how much Jesus loves me, but not allowing those thoughts to affect how I live, then it is the same as being a glutton with a library filled with books about healthy eating. True faith involves action. My faith is seen when I take the intangible truths that I believe in and make them tangible by my actions.

Again I ask, how? How do I take something that I believe in and make it something that I live? Is it because I’ve been waking up early ever since I was a child seeking truth, seeking God? Is it my efforts to act on what I believe that breathes life into my faith? No, it’s more than that. To be more than a dreamer, to be fully awake, you must be made alive in the spiritual realm. It is only when you have put your faith in the word of God, concerning the Kingdom of God, and received the breath of God that is the Spirit of God, that you can be fully alive.

A Life Full of Days

I did the math and was surprised to find that the “ripe old age” that David died at was less than five years older than I am! This stopped me in my tracks. It seems like most of my life is lived in a mad dash focusing more on where I’m going than where I am at the moment. My next thought was that if I will be reaching the age that the Bible considers a full life within the next five years, I should make a five year plan. But wait a minute. Wasn’t my response a continuation of looking more into the future than gazing at the present?

I looked again at the verse that told about when David died, and I was struck by the phrase that he had lived his life, “full of days.” What would my life look like if I focused more on the days of my life than I did the years of my life? God revealed Himself to Moses as “I Am.” In Revelations we are offered grace and peace from, "the One who is, and was, and is to come” (Revelations 1:4)"

There is grace and peace from the One who is, but what else can I discover if I live in the present? “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). I wonder if I sometimes miss the refuge and strength, grace and peace of the day because I’m focused on the worries of tomorrow?

I find a blessing in Deuteronomy 33:25, “As your days so shall your strength be.” Now here is my question, can I claim that blessing too? I think it is available if I ask for it. I think perhaps this is what is meant when Jesus taught us that in prayer we are to ask for “daily bread.”

So, here I am at the dawning of a new day, watching the sun rise and filled with the knowledge of my inadequacies. Do I really believe in a God who calls Himself  “I Am”? Do I really believe that there is “grace and peace” for me from the “One who is”? Is God really my “refuge and strength”? Is He “a very present help in trouble” and can I trust Him to provide the strength that I need for this day? He told me to ask for “daily bread,” and so I will. I will also ask that when my days come to an end, whether it’s five or twenty five years from now, that each day will be full and satisfying. I pray that I might live each day in communion with the One who is. Because isn’t daily communion the same as daily bread?

Learning to Find Peace

I had unexpectedly stepped into a nest of yellow jackets! Suddenly I was swarmed by angry, stinging bees. They were plunging their stingers into my legs, buzzing with fury all around my face. That memory from my childhood still causes me to shudder. There are other memories that draw me back in time to hurts I’d rather forget; memories I would rather not think about. Yet sometimes things happen that reawaken the pain of the past. Recently, I was confronted by such a reawakening and again I felt as if I was being attacked by a swarm of bees.

Negative memories and negative emotions began to haunt my mind. My prayers were childlike and simple, “Father, help me! I don’t know what to do! I don’t know how to respond!” In answer to my prayer I read Colossians 3. In the light of God’s word I saw myself clearly. I felt like a vulnerable child engulfed in the embrace of my Father. I had been heard. I had been answered. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly wrote the words in bold letters and put it on my refrigerator.

Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love--the perfect bond of unity (Colossians 3:12-14)

I just had one more problem. Although I knew that my prayer was both heard and answered, I couldn’t figure out what the answer meant. Now I had the answer to my my prayer, but I still had all my negative emotions and hurts. So my prayer changed and I began to ask God how I was supposed to put away the anger that I felt and put on love. I wanted to, but to be honest I simply didn’t know how.

I kept thinking about it, reading it, meditating on it, praying about it. I didn’t want to be fake. I didn’t want to pretend. Finally, one day I saw the verse differently. I had been focusing on what I needed to do, trying to figure out how I was supposed to put off all my negativity and put on love. Suddenly I realized what the "therefore" was there for. I could put on love, not because I chose to, but because God had chosen me. I could choose to have a holy response instead of a fleshy response because God had chosen to sanctify me by the blood of His Son. I could choose to love only because God had chosen to love me! With the eyes of my heart finally opened, I realized that by faith I had access to everything I needed. When I understood this, I was able at last to let the peace of the Messiah, to which I was called, control my heart.

Temptation (Mark 1:12,13)

“Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve Him” (Mark 1:12,13).

With these words the contest between the Antichrist and the Christ unfolds. Satan had slithered out of the garden of Eden having won a victory over the first Adam. In the garden, where every need was met, there was still a lust for what was forbidden. What stood in the way of gaining the wisdom this forbidden fruit promised? It was the word of God that said, “If you eat the fruit of this tree you will surely die.” So, Satan accused God of lying. The word of God was discarded for what the eye lusted after. With that victory Satan began to establish his dominion of darkness.

Death did come. The ground that had produced a garden now produced the thorn. The animals that Adam had named became wild. But all was not lost, because a promise was given that one day the Christ would come and the curse would be broken. John was told that the One that he would see the Spirit descending on and resting on would be the long-awaited Messiah. As soon as Jesus came out of the water from His baptism, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended on Him. And a voice came from heaven declaring Jesus to be God’s beloved Son in whom  God delighted. What happened next? “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12).

Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness because Satan lured Him there. He went because the Spirit brought Him to the wilderness with power. It was at the Spirit’s leading. The testing would be set to last 40 days. The 40 days of testing were not dictated by Satan but ordained by God. At no time has Satan ever ruled over God’s authority.

In the wilderness, among the wild animals, Satan tempted Jesus. For 40 days He was tempted, not in a garden where he had plenty, but in the wilderness where he had hunger. In the wilderness as in the garden the accuser took the word of God and twisted it. At the heart of all the temptations, whether in the garden or in the wilderness, was an invitation to join Satan in his rebellion. At the edge of time Satan had determined to raise his throne above the throne of God. In the garden it appeared he had won the contest. He was the ruler of  the dominion of darkness. But now the Christ, the King of Light, had come into the wilderness, fasting and hungry and vulnerable, wrapped in the garb of human flesh. It was here that the Antichrist tested and tempted the Christ.

I have known what it is like to be tempted in the garden where all my needs are met. I have known what it’s like to lust for more even though my life is full. I have known what it is like to be tempted in a wilderness filled with fears that howl like wild animals. If I only look at life with my eyes of flesh and listen with ears in tune to world, I fail. This is what I’ve learned from Jesus’ example:

1) God is in control.

2) God’s word is true and can be trusted.

3) Satan quotes God’s word with a twist.

4) Satan accuses God of not being worthy of our trust.

5) Great temptations often follow great victory.

6) Temptation comes before our appointed ministry.

7) Victory comes when we listen to God’s word with ears of faith and when we persevere, looking with our spiritual eyes at Him who is invisible. We are invited to acknowledge our weakness and to put our faith in His strength. When we do that we find that sometimes we are aided by unseen angels.

The Problem of Evil (Mark 7:1-12)

“So how shall we live in a world that is filled with evil? How can we protect ourselves and our families? We will start with the instruction that was given us but we will improve it. We will build a wall that is high and thick. We will dig a moat that is deep and overflowing. This will keep the evil away.” However, what they couldn’t see was that the one who handed them the improvement to God’s instructions was the evil one they were trying to combat.

The Pharisees and some of the Scribes approached Jesus ready to do battle. They had already determined that they would destroy him, and so they began their attack by aiming at Jesus’ disciples. “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with unwashed hands?” It wasn’t that their hands were dirty, the problem was that they were not following the traditional cleansing. By the time these traditions began to be written in the Mishnah there were over 35 pages devoted to washing alone! If you could measure righteousness by laws of cleansing, all I can say is, they won!

Jesus, however, was not impressed with their traditions. With his piercing eyes he saw their hearts and proclaimed them hypocrites. He quoted Isaiah, “These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6,7). Then Jesus went on to show how they had invalidated God’s commandment by elevating their own traditions above God’s word. Behind the mask was the ancient foe seeking once more, through the guise of the commandments of men, to raise his throne of judgment above the throne of God.

The simplicity of the words Jesus spoke next are still rocking the world to this day. “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. If anyone has ears to hear, he should hear” (Mark 7:14-16)! Yet, even his disciples didn’t understand. He had to explain that the heart of the problem was the problem of the heart.

The purpose of the commandments and law of God was to expose the heart. Jesus told his disciples that it was from within people’s hearts that came evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, lewdness, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. There is no wall that is high or wide enough nor moat deep  enough to keep us away from evil when the evil is from our own hearts. The purpose of the law was to point out the need for a Savior.

A Cry For Help (Mark 7:24-30)

I asked my friend to tell her story. She began hesitantly. “I’m not sure what Sarah wanted me to say. The prayers I prayed for my son weren’t eloquent; in fact, sometimes I couldn’t find the words to express what was in my heart.” She told how she had prayed for eight long years while her son was ensnared by drugs. I listened and nodded with understanding. I knew what it was as a mother to pray for my children when words were replaced by tears.

“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon” (Matthew 15:22). My translation says that she kept crying out, but when I looked it up in the Greek it translated the word “crying out” as screaming or shrieking. In Mark it says that Jesus had entered a house hoping that no one would know it. But she had found Him and she wasn’t going to leave without being granted mercy for herself and for her child.

Who was she? In Mark she is identified as a Greek, a Syrophonician by birth. Matthew refers to her as a Canaanite. She was from the same pagan region that the infamous Jezebel had been from. All of these ways of identifying her would point her out as an enemy of the Jews. Yet here she was, crying for mercy and falling at Jesus' feet. Not only that, but three times she calls Jesus “Lord.”

This story is unsettling though, because at first Jesus didn’t say a word to her. Jesus’ disciples assumed that He felt the same way about this intrusion as they did, and urged Him to get rid of the nuisance. Instead, Jesus said to her that He had been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Her simple response was, “ Lord, help me.” Now the picture changed from lost sheep to children, and Jesus asked if was right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the pet dogs. She had come on behalf of her own child, and she knew Jesus was her only hope. And she refused to let go of Him until He blessed her by helping her child. Her response was a response of faith that even the dogs were allowed to eat the crumbs that fell from the table.

Here is a basic fact: She believed in Jesus. She knelt at His feet in worship. She had a child who was being cruelly tormented by a demon, and because she loved her child, she had come to Jesus for help.

I look at this story and remember why Jesus came. I see a reflection of the Heavenly Father’s heart in this grieving mother. To set His children free from the snares of Satan, He gave His one and only Son, so the everyone who believed in Him would not perish but have eternal life. That “everyone" included this woman who knelt at His feet crying, “Help me!”

He has done everything well! (Mark 7:31-37)

It is an invisible disability. If you were in a crowded room looking around, you would not be able recognize those who were deaf. But a crowded room is the loneliest place for someone who has lost the ability to hear. People who cannot hear are often misjudged. Sometimes they are thought to be arrogant because they don’t respond when spoken to, when in reality they simply cannot hear what is being said. If they have the added disability of a speech impediment, often their intellect is questioned. Sometimes people avoid them because it can be so irritating to try to communicate with someone who is deaf or even hard of hearing. The deep desire to know and to be known often is denied. How do I know this? Because I am one of them, I am partially deaf.

When I first read the story about Jesus healing the man who was deaf and had speech difficulties, I confess I thought it was an odd story. In fact, when I was teaching it I had to simply confess that I had no idea why Jesus would stick His fingers in that man’s ears. I was puzzled. However, as I continued to  meditate on this picture and pursue understanding, it came. And when at last I understood, I was humbled by a God who tenderly, compassionately, and uniquely healed this man’s disability.

“They brought to Him a deaf man who had a speech difficulty, and begged Jesus to lay His hands on him" Mark 7:32). The first thing that comes to my mind is, who were “they”? In Mark 2 we have the story of a group of friends carrying their friend to Jesus. But in this story I wonder if this deaf man was brought to Jesus because “they” wanted  to see a miracle performance. I also wonder how the man felt. After all, he couldn’t hear, so how could he understand why he was being brought into this crowd of people?

When I began to look at this story through the eyes of someone who is deaf, it was like being given a key that unlocked a mystery. First of all, knowing that one of the most uncomfortable places you can be when you're deaf is in a crowd where you are unsure of what is going on, I see Jesus’ compassion. Jesus took him away from the crowd, He refused to make this man a spectacle. Next, Jesus used sign language! That is why Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears. Jesus used His own DNA when He spit and touched the man’s tongue. When Jesus looked up to heaven He was using a visual clue for the deaf man about where the healing was coming from. I had also wondered why we have the Aramaic expression He spoke when He said “Ephphatha!” until I looked at it from the man’s perspective. The man could read Jesus’ lips! With a deep sigh of compassion Jesus released this man from the disability that had isolated him.

I think that the deep sigh of Jesus was not only for the physical disability of being deaf, but it was for our spiritual deafness as well. There is an ancient baptism prayer called “Ephphatha” (Be opened). The pastor touches the ears and the mouth of the one coming for baptism and says, “The Lord has made the deaf hear and the mute speak. May He touch your ears to receive His words and your mouth to proclaim Him to the praise and glory of God the Father. Amen.”

Not What He Expected (Mark 1:1-11)

When I was a teenager I was introduced to a pamphlet by Campus Crusade For Christ called “The Four Spiritual Laws.” One of the laws said, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” That sounded good to me! As a teenager I was pretty sure what that wonderful plan should look like. However, long before I reached thirty I realized that God’s plan wasn’t the same as mine. When I look at the life of John the Baptist I think there is a strong possibility that his life didn’t turn out how he expected.

At the height of John’s ministry, when crowds were flocking to him to be baptized, he pointed them to the coming Messiah. He told them that he baptized with water for repentance but the Messiah would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The imagery of the Messiah was drawn from the prophet Isaiah. “Then suddenly, in an instant, you will be visited by the Lord of Hosts with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise, storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire” ( Isaiah 29:5,6). John pictured Him coming with a winnowing shovel in His hand, ready to clear the threshing floor, gather the wheat, and burn the chaff with a fire that would never go out. Then suddenly Jesus appeared, having walked from the small town in Galilee called Nazareth.

Jesus asked John to baptize him. This wasn’t what John was expecting. John’s birth had been miraculous, foretold by an angel to his father Zechariah. The angel had told Zechariah that his child would, “turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people”  ( Luke 1:16,17). John’s father was a priest who would have taught him all the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. John was surprised by Jesus’ humble request to be baptized. However, John had been told by God that “The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). John saw and testified that Jesus was the Son of God.

I’m curious if John had ever wondered what his position would be after the Messiah came on the scene? The day after Jesus’ baptism two of his disciples left him and began to follow Jesus. However, it was only after John was arrested that Jesus went to Galilee and began preaching. Why was John arrested? It was because John had been faithful to preach the message of repentance even to the reprobate King Herod who had taken his brother’s wife. I don’t think this was what John had expected to happen after the long awaited Messiah had finally come.

There is no account of Jesus ever going to see John in prison even though he was there during the height of Jesus' ministry. While John was in prison he heard about what the Messiah was doing, so he sent a message by his disciples and asked Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else” (Matthew 11:3)? Jesus responded by saying, “Go and report to John what you hear and see; the blind see, and the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed” (Matthew 11:1-4).

Jesus answered John by pointing to the prophets. “‘Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming; God’s retribution is coming; He will save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, and water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6). That, however, wasn’t the only prophesy Jesus quoted. He added another quote from Isaiah. This quote referred to the Messiah as, “a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare” (Isaiah 8:14,15).

John had not expected to be in prison when the Messiah came. However, he didn’t trip over the Rock of offense but was faithful to death. Jesus said of him, “I assure you: among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared..." (Matthew 11:1).

A Promise Kept (Mark 1:4-8)

They were being crushed by the iron heel of Rome. I can almost hear them crying out with the words of the psalmist, “Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has His faithful love ceased forever? Is His promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger withheld His compassion” (Psalm 77:7-9)?

As if in response God says in Isaiah, “Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” And how does this comfort come? It comes with a promise that they would hear, “A voice crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:1-5).

How would they recognize this messenger? In the closing words of the Old Testament we read, “Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:5). Then there was silence, and for 400 years they waited for God to keep His promise.

With a shout the silence was broken! John came into the wilderness just as the prophets had foretold. How was he to prepare the way for the Lord? He came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And, just like a people who had been awakened from an enchanted sleep, they came. The whole of Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Just as in the time of Joshua the Jordan River had to be crossed to enter the Promised Land, so too, John came preaching a baptism of repentance. He called on all who listen to confess their sins. Their hearts were stirred; he held them spellbound, this man wearing a camel-hair garment, whose diet was locusts and wild honey. “Someone more powerful than I will come after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:4-8). And so, with heightened anticipation, they awaited the Promise.

Come With Me (Mark 1:1)

I arose early in the morning to climb the mountain with Moses. I read. I studied. I saw the glory of the Lord as it rested on Mount Sinai. For days, weeks, and months I studied with my heart wide open. I didn’t just want to study it with my mind; I didn’t want to simply see with the eyes of my imagination; I wanted to bathe my spirit in the light and inhale the fragrance of the incense and taste both the bread and the wine of God’s presence. In this place where the eternal God made His dwelling with man I saw Jesus Christ.

I listened with Moses and inhaled the very breath of God. I saw and received the invitation to the feasts of God. Hour upon hour I poured over the words that I found in Leviticus 23. I saw the appointed times of the Lord. I looked at the celebration that began in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, with the Lord’s Passover. I opened each invitation until I came to the feast of tabernacles. When I came to the last and greatest day of the feast I found myself in Jerusalem. I saw Jesus as He stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” In every feast that I had studied I had seen a picture of Jesus. In response to His invitation I cried out,” Fill my cup Lord!”

Next, my studies took me to the Island of Patmos. I was there with John when he was in the spirit on the Lord’s day and he heard a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet. I listened to the message that was given to the churches. I found myself praying that I would have ears to hear, that my heart would be tender, and that I would repent of the sins that I saw exposed in the churches. I also heard with John the voice that sounded like a trumpet saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” And so, with John, I went all the way to the end of time and heard the Spirit and the bride say, "Come.” I have heard the invitation to the one who is thirsty to come and take and drink the water of life without cost. I heard with John Jesus say, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” And everything within me cried, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Year after year I have studied. I have taught the Word of God. I have looked through the eyes of Moses and listened with his ears to the instruction of the Most High God. I drew the visions that were given to John in Revelation because I wanted to see the visions too. What followed was a simple childlike desire to simply see Jesus. I wanted to encounter Him through the eyes and heart of Peter.

Would you like to come with me and travel in the well-worn sandals of Peter? Would you like to come and have the mystery revealed to you as it was to him? Would you like to see light penetrating the darkness? Do you need hope in the storms of your life? Do you need to hear good news? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then join me as I travel back in time to “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1).

”As Thou Goest...”

I woke up this morning remembering the poem she gave me and what she taught me. When I was 18 I was assigned a woman in the nursing home to adopt as a grandmother. I called her Grandma Frizzy. I can’t remember now how many times we actually met but it was at a pivotal point in my life and what she shared with me remains with me to this day.

I have been praying for many people who are facing challenges. I have talked to many young people are fearful of the future. Waking to the poem that Grandma Frizzy shared with me and finding comfort in it made me think that I could do for others what Grandma Frizzy did for me.

 “As Thou Goest...”

Child of My love, fear not the unknown morrow,
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee;
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow
Since what thou knowest not is known to Me.

Thou canst not see the hidden meaning
Of My command, but thou the light shall gain;
Walk on in faith, upon my promise leaning,
And AS THOU GOEST, all shall be made plain.

One step thou see—then go forward boldly,
One step is far enough for faith to see;
Take that, and thy next duty will be told thee,
For STEP BY STEP thy Lord is leading thee.

Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting,
Dare every peril, save to disobey;
Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting,
for I the Strong, WILL OPEN UP THE WAY.

Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee,
Having My promise, needing nothing more
Than just to know, wher’er the future find thee,
In all thy journeying I go BEFORE.

—- From the notebook of Arthur E. Ritchie

The Second Page

An ocean separates me from my son. And sometimes I want to communicate more to him than I can by phone, so I’m writing a letter to my son. I’m filling him in, telling him anecdotes about daily life. But what I really want to share are my thoughts. I want to talk to him about my meditations on the Holy Spirit, the power of God. And so, after completing the first page where I spoke to him of family news and all that I have been doing, I start the second page.

Dear Andrew,

In Genesis I see the first mention of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. The earth at that time was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths. I see this connection with the Spirit of God and water, and my mind is drawn to when Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:37,38). This living water is the Holy Spirit. I believe this is the same living water that we see, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God in the last chapter of the Bible.

I also see a reference to the Holy Spirit in Genesis when we are introduced to the breath of God. After God spoke all things into being the Bible says that "the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).  When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection it says that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). I think the Holy Spirit is not only found in the form of breath, but also by the violent rushing wind from heaven on the day of Pentecost.

On the day of Pentecost there was not only wind there was fire. In 2 Samuel 22:9 you find the breath of God is also a consuming fire. Hebrews 12 tells us that the voice of  God is able to shake both heaven and earth, and that our God is a consuming fire. It was in the second chapter of Acts that the Holy Spirit came in the form of tongues like flames of fire and those on whom these tongues rested were never the same.

You know, Andrew, the picture of Jesus crying out, “If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink,” is very special to me. It’s what I saw when I woke up in recovery after my brain surgery. And then there is the powerful and intimate picture of the Spirit in both Jesus breathing on His disciples and as a violent rushing wind that shakes a building. Finally, I see the Spirit as a consuming fire.

So what does your mother do with these thoughts? I enter into each day fully embraced and fully surrendered to this mystery.

Love,
Mom

The Perfect Prayer

The man ran up, and knelt at Jesus feet. What a beautiful picture. Then came his prayer, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus listed six of the ten commands. He responded by saying that he had kept all theses from his youth. After he said this Jesus was looking at him and loved him. Can you just imagine with me for one moment what it would be like to have Jesus looking at you that way? But was this the perfect prayer?

Jesus told the rich man that he lacked just one thing and to go and sell all he had and give to the poor. When he said this I think he was pointing to the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” I think that the young man was stunned and went away grieving because Jesus had shown him his heart. I think that he sincerely wanted to be good. Jesus had already told him that no one is good but One—God. Now, Jesus had pointed out that even though he wanted to do something to inherit eternal life he was worshiping at the alter of wealth. I think he was stunned because at the feet of Jesus he saw into his own heart for the first time.

Peter was quick to respond that he and the apostles had left everything to follow Jesus. As they continued on their journey those who had left everything began to discuss what they would gain for their sacrifice. They came to Jesus with a request saying,”Teacher, we want you to do something for us if we ask you.” Jesus responded by saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Sometimes when I’m praying I picture myself with Jesus and I think about him asking me, “What do you want me to do for you?” John and James responded by asking to sit at Jesus’ left and right in his glory. Like the rich young ruler they to were thinking about eternal life and their prayer revealed their hearts. Jesus didn’t rebuke them but he did say that they didn’t know what they were asking for. They accepted Jesus’ invitation to ask him for what they wanted him to do for them. But was this the perfect prayer?

Finally, we come to a man lost in the crowd, a blind beggar, sitting by the side of the road. He heard that Jesus was passing by. He couldn’t get to him because of the crowd and because he was blind. He did the only thing he could, he began to cry out to Jesus for mercy. He was getting on people’s nerves so they told him to be quiet! But he just kept on crying out for mercy.

Jesus stopped and called for the bind man. Unlike the rich young ruler who was unable to give up his possessions to follow Jesus the bind beggar threw off his coat when Jesus called him. Jesus asked the blind man the same thing he’d asked James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked for sight.

So what is the perfect prayer? I believe it is the cry for mercy. It’s the prayer of the heart that he will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. I believe when he cried out “Rabbouni, I want to see.” That he received more than physical sight.

Making Memories

When my grandson Jack was a little boy I would spend a day making memories with him. One of the ways I would make a memory was to take him to town, give him a five dollar bill and tell him that he could spend it however he wanted. His eyes would light up and he would take my hand and lead me to his favorite corner downtown. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop was at that corner.

Jack would walk me past the ice cream shop to the man who was sitting on the curb begging. I don’t know how the man had lost his legs or who had brought him to beg on the sidewalk; these were not questions my five year old grandson asked. Jack was eye level with the man he was seeking. He would look at him and talk to him and joyfully give him his five dollar bill. Because of Jack, I too would stop and make eye contact and not just drop a coin in his outstretched hand.

That was ten years ago. Jack is fifteen now, but he is still teaching me what lovingkindness means. Yesterday we had a group of teenage boys come to the farm. They were delightful. They were blind, and had come to simply experience the farm. First, they took a horseback ride. The expression on their faces as the mounted the horse made me smile. But riding the horse was only the beginning.

Jack drove up on the tractor. I watched as he helped each boy climb up. He showed them the clutch, the throttle, and  the steering wheel. With Jack by their side, each boy was able to experience what it was like to drive a tractor. Watching him yesterday I was reminded of the days I would take him places to make memories for him. Yesterday I tucked another memory into my heart.

In the book of Acts there is a story of a man who was lame from birth who was carried every day to the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg. I wonder how many people tried not to see him as they passed by? I wonder how many people dropped coins in his outstretched hand without pausing on their way into the temple? But the Bible says Peter and John looked intently at him. They didn’t drop coins into his hand, they took hold of his hand. In this way they introduced him to the healing power of Jesus Christ.

Learning to Trust Part 2

I was panting by the time I arrived at my destination. I could see the plane sitting there on the runway. What I didn’t see was anyone at the desk. I glanced around frantically until someone came and asked what I needed. I pointed to the plane and told them that I was supposed to be on it! She turned to look at the plane and then immediately got on the phone. Minutes later she looked up and said, “I’m sorry, you’re too late. You will have to reschedule.”

My mind was suddenly flooded with questions. Would I make it to Florida in time for my speaking engagement? What about the man and his wife who were going to pick me up at the airport and drive me to the conference, how would this effect them? I was also supposed to make contact in Florida with an eighty five year old couple at the baggage claim when I got there, what would happen to them? It was then I heard, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God. But what is revealed belongs to us and our children” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The hidden things were all the things that I had no control over. But to whom did these things belong? They belonged to the Lord God. But in that moment of panic I had to stop and ask myself, did I really believe that God was the Lord of my circumstances and the altered circumstances I’d created in the lives of others because of my mistakes?

I thought again about the statement that the hidden things belong to the Lord God and realized that it was the “hidden things” that caused me anxiety--all the tomorrows of my life, the what if’s, the what next. I was reminded of a poem I’d learned as a teenager. “Child of my love, fear not the unknown morrow, dread not the new demands life makes on thee. Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow. Because what thou knoweth not is known to Me.”

I had time at the airport that day to also think about the second part of Deuteronomy 29:29. What was revealed? In the 29th chapter of Deuteronomy God points out that for the forty years in the wilderness neither their clothes nor their shoes had worn out. I wondered if they noticed? It reminded me of the sermon on the mountain when Jesus encouraged His followers not be afraid of tomorrow but instead consider how God cared for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. As I sat waiting for my rescheduled flight I chose to relinquish the things I had no control over and instead turn my attention to the many blessings God had given me. As I did my breathing slowed and I felt at peace. My plans for that day were altered, but I don’t think I altered God’s plan. I think He wanted to teach me to sink a little bit deeper into what it means to trust Him

Learning to Trust Part 1

“I will seek You in morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days”

I sat on the porch in the cool of the morning with Rich Mullin’s song playing in my mind. The words so fully expressed my heart’s desire to seek God in the morning so that I could learn to walk in His ways. That sense of deep security knowing I could have a bold confidence that the God I was seeking would lead me step by step throughout my day.

I opened my devotional and read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Yes, I thought, this is how I want to live. However, what I  learned that day while sitting on my front porch and watching the sunrise was that trusting God was a whole lot more than simply reading a Bible verse. Trusting God takes place when you’re put in situations where you are not in control. It is discomfort rather than comfort that teaches me the deep security and bold confidence that God is in control.

Later that same day my husband took me to the Atlanta airport. I was going to be speaking in Florida that evening. I am not a seasoned traveler, and the Atlanta airport scares me to death. All the way there I kept telling my husband how much I appreciated him taking his morning to drive me to the airport and figuring out what time I needed to get there. However, just as I was approaching the door to get out of the car, I realized that we had gotten the time confused. I was walking into the airport at the same time my plane had begun boarding!!

My mouth was filled with the metallic taste of panic. The doors opened to a huge room full of people hurrying in all directions; loud, garbled voices on the intercom and signs pointing in everywhere. I stood there overwhelmed and scared, totally uncertain of what I was supposed to do. That is when I heard again the voice I had heard in the morning. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

My prayer in response was simply, “God! I don’t know how to trust You!” Then I heard Him say, “Trust is something that you learn. You don’t learn how to trust me from places of comfort when you are in control. You learn to trust me when I lead you into circumstances where you are not in control. Don’t be afraid what is hidden from you because it is not hidden from Me. I will teach you to trust Me. I will lead you step by step.”

The beginning...

The Night the Canary Sang

There was a time when coal miners would take a canary into the mines with them. They would listen for the song of the little bird as they worked. As long as the canary could sing it reassured them that the air was safe to breathe. I recently saw a similar situation, how the hearing of a song showed the health of its listeners.

The group held its breath as the woman with a childlike mind rose and walked to the stage. She stood there holding the mic expectantly. She was dressed in a golden gown. On her feet she wore tennis shoes and anklet socks. She had a childlike expression on her face. It often seemed that she lived in a world set apart from those around her, but tonight she wanted to share with us the song in her heart.

But something was wrong; the disk that held the music to accompany her song would not play. So she stood before us vulnerable and waiting. She waited, we waited, and all the while there she stood in her golden dress, anklets and tennis shoes with an expression of childlike faith. We were all knit together in a moment of discomfort and uncertainty.

Then it happened. A kind man in his eighties stood and began to approach the stage. Slowly he climbed the steps to where she stood. He took a chair and placed it beside her. Then, taking her by the hand, he gently invited her to rest.

Tears were streaming down my face as the would-be audience began singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” Then one love song followed another and were sung as a gift to the woman seated on the stage. Finally, she stood and in a beautiful soprano voice she sang, a capella, “We Shall Behold Him.” Earlier in the day this group had been questioning its viability. I believe that the health of this organization was shown by the way they responded to one of their most vulnerable members. That was the night I felt like I heard a canary sing.

Treasuring the Gift of Love

When you take hold of a moment and treasure it in your heart it becomes a memory. This is a gift that a child gives to their mother, moments of wonder to ponder and cherish. And when your child has a child, the wealth of these memories are exponential.

The soft, clear light of the moon peeked round my curtain this morning, announcing that the night was coming to an end and a new day was about to be born.  But since it was still dark I chose to stay cuddled under the warmth of my down comforter. Today is my granddaughter Ann's wedding day. Today, my Ann is a bride.

So, bathed in the silver moonlight I took the key of memory and unlocked the treasury of my heart. Once more I experienced the wonder of her birth. And then, as if I was riding the wind, I saw the years come and go. I heard the echo of her childish laughter. I watched with joy as she began to crawl, then take her first wobbly steps. Then, suddenly, she was opening the door and walking out into the world.

So many moments make up a day. So many days make up a week. So many weeks make up a month. So many months make up a year. But today is my granddaughter's wedding day, and my heart is holding on to moments. Treasured moments that we have shared together: Holding her hand; pushing her on the swing; having my picture taking with her in her prom dress; waving goodbye as she drives away in her first car.

Today my granddaughter is a bride. This is a day that will be filled with new moments to treasure. Today I will hold my daughter's hand in mine. Today both my daughter and I will open our hearts and treasure together the gift of love.

Don’t be Afraid of the Struggle

I saw that my friend was struggling and I asked her about it. I knew that she had gone through some very difficult situations. She was grieving the loss of many whom she loved. She was facing a life-altering illness. She told me that she didn’t think it was right to complain to God. She had been told that when you come before God it should only be with praise.

My friend is a strong and disciplined woman who wants to do what is right. I told her that when we come before our Heavenly Father we are invited to be vulnerable. He doesn’t want us to come wearing a mask. In fact, no matter how old or mature you are, when you enter His presence you enter as His child. I remember when I was a child I could often contain my emotions and hide my hurt. But when I saw my mother I would burst into tears. I was safe in her presence to express the depth of my emotions.

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words what you’re feeling. I believe that is one of the reasons God gave us the Psalms. Consider the words of Psalm 142, "I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him. Although my spirit is weak within me, You know my way." The Psalm continues with these words, "I cry to You, Lord; I say, 'You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.' Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Free me from prison so that I can praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because You deal generously with me."

Grief can be a prison. Suffering with a life-altering illness can make you feel like you are being pursued by an enemy. We come vulnerable and sometimes weeping into the presence of the one who knows us best. We come acknowledging our weaknesses and claiming His strength. Like a child throwing themselves into the arms of a loving parent so too we are invited to cast all of our care on our Heavenly Father because He cares for us.

I reminded my friend also that there is a whole book of the Bible entitled Lamentations. It is a book filled with honest grief and the confusion that often accompanies those times. Yet, in the heart of this book we find hope. "Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:25-27)

So I reached out my hand to my friend, not as someone who is strong and has it all together, but as a sister who understands what it is to cry and to be weak. I reminded her that not only did our Father give us words to express the deepest cries of our heart and a book entitled Lamentations, He gave us each other. He did not design us to be alone. He made us a family. He knows that there are times when we not only need the words to express our hearts we also need the physical touch of a friend who can weep with us.

The Gift

I see the memory as if it was a scene in a play I am watching. I cannot picture where I was when I was given the CD. I cannot picture who it was who gave it to me. The gift was given without a word of explanation. It wasn't new; in fact the CD was 16 years old. I found myself  simply holding this plastic case in my hand and saying thank you.

I didn't have an opportunity to listen to the music for almost a week. I still haven't listened to all the songs. It's not because I don't like what I've heard so far. It's because I've been captivated by one of the songs. The song has become a prayer. The prayer has become a lens through which I view everything around me.

When I finished Daniel last Spring I was asked to teach the book of Revelation. To be honest I felt completely inadequate. To prepare myself I began to listen to Revelation. I listened to it daily--while I was walking, while I was working around the house, while I was resting. I began to picture the prophecies that John saw.

Our class has been using a Precept study of Revelation. For several weeks the instruction has simply been to draw what is being described in the prophecy. Wait a minute, did I just use the word simply? There is nothing simple about this! However, something has happened as I have wrestled to capture what is written on the pages of this prophecy. I find myself being drawn more deeply into what I am reading.

I have listened to Revelation. I have read through Revelation over and over. I have used my imagination to picture the words I have heard and read. Finally, I have in a very childlike way drawn what my mind now sees. What I have seen is God's glory. What I have tasted is living water. The truth of God's Kingdom has taken up residence in both my heart and mind.

Let The Weight Of Your Glory Fall

Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
Come and make Your presence known
 Reveal the glory of the Living God

Let the weight of Your glory cover us
Let the life of Your river flow
Let the truth of Your kingdom reign in us
Let the weight of Your glory
Let the weight of Your glory fall

Steve Merkel

When You Lose Your Way

It was dark when I left home, so very dark. I was going to meet my daughter at her shop. It is only a twenty minute drive. I chose to take the route my husband had showed me using the back roads. But it was early in the morning, the sun had not yet risen and it was dark, so very dark.

As soon as I turned onto the back roads I began to wonder if this was really the best route. It was so dark that I was unable to see any familiar landmarks. My headlights showed only the road directly in front of me, so when the road split I wasn’t sure if I had gone the correct way. I could feel myself gripping the steering wheel tighter and tighter. I could feel the tension in my shoulders and neck as I drove further and further into the darkness.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that I was lost. I didn’t know where I was, nor did I have any idea how to get back onto the right path. I carefully pulled over to the side of the road and turned on my GPS. But I was so far out in the country that I had no service. I sat there for a moment feeling very lost and trying to think of what to do next.

Though I was still unable to see anything around me, what I knew was that I was going in the wrong direction. I knew that if I kept going the wrong way I’d simply get more and more lost, so I carefully turned my car around. To be honest, I still didn’t know where I was, but I was hoping that perhaps I would get to a place where my GPS would work. Finally, I was able to connect. It took me one hour to make a twenty minute trip. But at last I finally made my destination. Had I continued to go in the wrong direction I would have never found where I was going.

In the book of Mark the first words we hear Jesus say are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” ( Mark 1:15)! The word repent means turn around. If you're going in the wrong direction you won’t get there. You may feel like I did when I was lost in the dark on unfamiliar roads and wasn’t sure how to get back. Here is the good news: Jesus came to seek and save the lost. You can only truly know how good that news is if you have experienced how it feels to be lost and alone in the darkness, going in a direction that is taking you away from the kingdom of God.