Abide With Me

 "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit." Psalm 34: 17, 18

    Nary a day passes before a prayer request alerts me to the dire needs of others. Most every household is tinged by illness, grief and distress. How many of us have urgently called the doctor's office only to get the runaround? Eagerly we await answers from vacationing physicians, beleaguered nurses or harried pharmacists as the raiment of caregiver shrouds the shoulders of worried spouses. One day melts into the next as we wonder what the future holds? The effortless days of our youth seem gone with the wind.

    There is a balm available to anyone who calls on the Lord in truth. The Bible tells us, not just once, but many times over, just how loving and compassionate our Father truly is. He never slumbers nor sleeps, nor does he take vacations. There is no one to whom he goes for advice; he does not bite his nails, trying to figure out a plan of action. "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." (Psalm 145:19) 

    While the Apostle Paul was roaming around in Athens, he was distressed to see that the city was full of idols. He even found an altar dedicated to "an unknown god," so he set about to introduce the townspeople to the One they did not know. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not dwell in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else...God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him, we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:24-28, emphasis mine) 

    It's a unique and beautiful thing, this personal relationship with the Living God, who is as close as our own heart, soul and breath. Though illness may keep us from attending church or family gatherings, though medical experts may be too busy for our needs or lacking in wisdom, the God of Heaven abides with us, hears us and delivers us! 

Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide.

The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide!

When others helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me!

Think to Thank

 "One of them (the ten lepers), when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan." Luke 17: 15, 16

     At the school where I work, students receive a free breakfast. One boy in particular says "thank you" as he selects his food every day, without fail. I was so impressed by the young man's manners that I took him aside and expressed my appreciation for his gratitude. Compare this to the student who, after making his choice, took three steps and threw it in the garbage can, unopened.

    As a mother, I know it takes many reminders to train children to be thankful. For years, "What do you say?" must be prompted each time the child receives something. The first time he/she thanks someone on their own is cause for celebration! What does this tell us? Gratefulness is not a natural response, it's a learned practice. 

    As I listened to people around me this week eagerly discussing their holiday plans, I silently wondered if they thank God? To whom do nonbelievers express their gratitude? Perhaps to each other? 

    From a website, I wrote down these thoughts on gratitude:

• It is the affirmation of goodness we've received, then recognizing that the source of this goodness is outside of ourselves
• It is not an emotion, it's a choice, one we must practice
• Ungratefulness begets malcontent

    When only one of the ten lepers expressed praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, Jesus told him it was his faith that made him well. The man's skin condition was only an outer expression of his much larger problem - his sin condition. Recognizing that the goodness he received was from a source outside of himself was the man's first step toward a life a faith. Any one of those ten men could come down with another ailment, but only faith in Christ was the cure for their eternal sickness. 

    God doesn't require our thanks because He needs affirmation. He loves it when we show gratitude for his graciousness because it cleanses us. This Thanksgiving, throw yourself at the feet of Jesus and pray these words from Psalm 100:

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

    

The Lost Pearl

 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15: 8-10

    When my mother turned sixteen, her parents had a ring made for her using a pearl that was brought back from Arabia by her Uncle Louis and Aunt Betty Dame, who were missionaries in that land. The story goes that, in appreciation for the school and hospital they'd established, the sheik paid them with jewels. Imagine my humble delight when my mom gifted me with that ring when I got married.

    The ring paired beautifully with my gold wedding band. As any new bride would do, I frequently glanced at my rings. Soon after I'd received the pearl ring, however, it was with great dismay that I saw an empty setting where the stone had been! Sometime that morning, it had fallen out. Immediately, I left work, called a friend for aid and combed my apartment. Did it wash down the drain? Was it lying in the parking lot? How would I explain this to my mother? That pearl was irreplaceable. 

    With rejoicing, we found the pearl amid the shag carpeting. I can still feel the thrill in my heart over that wee, white stone. Monetarily, it does not rank up there with the Hope Diamond, yet it was the story behind the pearl that I treasure and I still wear that ring today.

    The story behind my greatest treasure involves a cross and an empty tomb. Steeped in sin with my most righteous acts looking like filthy rags, my life was was like a hollow chocolate Easter rabbit. I'd broken each of the ten commandments; I was a selfish, vain liar, to be totally honest. How could I become clean? When all my earthly props gave way, God revealed Himself to me in the words of Romans chapter eight. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God...And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ...If God is for us, who can be against us?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (excerpts from Romans 8)

    True riches can only be found by knowing "the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3) If you are lost, seek Jesus. He's irreplaceable.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Now Eye See

 "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what was made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

    If you were to create a human eye, how long would it take you? Where would you get the necessary materials? How many botched prototypes would lie crumpled in the laboratory wastebasket before you got it right? Don't forget even one of the millions of rods and cones which are contained in the retina, because each is needed to detect dim light and color. Even if you could correctly bundle the fibers of the optic nerve, how would you then connect it to a brain? If you failed to hook up the flow of aqueous humor, all your hard work would be for naught when your eyeball died of malnutrition. If, by some miracle, you did create a fully working eyeball from nothing in a matter of weeks, how would you feel if no one believed you made it?

    When my granddaughter first made her presence known to her parents, she was the size of a poppy seed. By the time she grew to the size of a cauliflower, her eyes were fully formed; she could blink in response to light. How can this miracle be explained if one does not believe in God, the Maker of heaven and earth? It is heresy at the highest form to say there is no God! Surely, "men are without excuse."

    It amazes me what great lengths people will go to deny God. They misuse the brains God gave them to come up with pitiful explanations for our existence, or they just go through life, happily enjoying all the bounty and blessings of their human bodies, claiming this is all there is. When the curtain falls, they just go into the ground like a dead squirrel. 

    What it all boils down to is this: they cannot accept the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Since everything was made through Him, for Him and by Him, there is no way around Him unless you pretend He isn't there, and the true irony of the whole matter is: He loves us enough to allow us to deny Him. But look how much wonder, grace, love and freedom they refuse to see!

    "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see." 

"Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:3

The Verdict

 "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." John 3: 20, 21

    At the conclusion of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, what will be the verdict? The National Guard and the police departments are poised, awaiting the answer, ready to respond to possible violent reactions. What do you think? Is Rittenhouse a domestic terrorist who crossed state lines with murder on his mind or a gutsy guy who stood in the gap between right and wrong during the Kenosha riot last year?

    Let's take a look at other narratives we've been spoon-fed over the past several months. The "peaceful protests" of 2020 (I have read) caused $2 billion dollars in property damage and claimed 20 lives, but the "insurrection" at our Capitol on January 6th was the worst assault on our democracy since the Civil War, so it has been said. Hmm. How about the Russian collusion? Was it true? Is it any wonder a cloud of suspicion surrounds the Coronavirus, the "vaccine" mandates and the 2020 election? Of course, half of the Americans being viewed as a "basket of deplorables" is a fair indication of how our leaders view us. We must not be that smart; we'll believe anything.

    Before Stephen became the first martyr for the Christian faith, he did not mince words as he spoke the irrefutable truth to the stone-wielding members of the Sanhedrin. But they gnashed their teeth at him in fury, covered their ears and, yelling at the tops of their voices, dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. (Acts 7:54-58) Lovers of the darkness cannot abide to be exposed by the light of truth. 

    So it is today. I wrote down a bit of wisdom that crossed my path: "Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth." Please be in prayer for Mr. Rittenhouse and his family as they await the verdict. May we stand for the truth, come alongside the oppressed and the "canceled" people in our culture as we enter the battle zone every day. Thanks be to God who tells the truth.

"They perish because they refused to love the truth and be saved." Romans 2:8

"I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right." Isaiah 45:19

The Sandman

 "Once more He went away and prayed the same thing. When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to Him." Mark 14: 39, 40

    Jesus had been telling his closest disciples that He would be betrayed and handed over to the authorities for execution. When He bade them to keep watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, why did they keep falling asleep? It was as if the Sandman liberally dusted their eyes that fateful night.

    Jesus has been telling us for some time that the end is drawing near. Nation will rise against nation, famines and earthquakes will abound, false prophets will appear to deceive many, the increase of wickedness will cause the hearts of many to grow cold, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate one another. "Therefore, keep watch...So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42, 44)

    Seems like that Sandman is still alive and around, sprinkling his potion with great intent. Satan likes nothing better than to distract, deceive and disarm the disciples of Christ. How many of us stalwartly swear allegiance to Jesus, yet allow the cultural erosion to steal our coastline? Perhaps the mark of the beast, as referenced in Revelation chapter 13, is a gradual acceptance. How many of us are not wont to define the lies of our day for fear of retribution and unacceptance? Can a man really become a woman? Can two men or two women leave their homes and cleave to one another in "holy" matrimony? Is a child in the womb not a human if the mother does not want it? Is gender fluid or did God make them male and female?

    If we don't arise from our slumber, we will find ourselves face to face with the Son of Man, who will demand an accounting of our faith, and we won't know what to say to Him. With boldness, we must shine light into the darkness, exposing the lies by speaking God's truth in love.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:13  

The Far Side

 "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:9

    Recently, I flew alone to Houston to meet my baby granddaughter, Esme. Even though wild horses couldn't have kept me away, my confidence waned during the trip. After Dave dropped me off at the airport, I had ample time to join the throng of travelers, but as I stood in line at security, I dismally observed the dystopian scene before me with a sadness in my soul. The sea of masked strangers following orders left me feeling very vulnerable and alone, as the sniffing service dog checked my footwear for bombs. 

    Upon arrival at the massive intercontinental airport in Texas, I strode off the jetway, glanced around and wondered how I would ever find my son-in-law. There were so many concourses! I began to amble along, unsure of where to go so I asked a pilot for direction. Though he meant well, he was not too familiar with this hub either. As soon as we parted company, a random woman approached me and kindly offered to assist me. Before I knew it, she had hailed a cart which we both boarded. She seemed to know the driver well and fed her directions with me in mind. As these benevolent women took charge, a peace enveloped me as I relaxed against the seat. I knew this was a God thing.

    Before a word is on my tongue, before I even form a prayer, the Spirit within me knows when I sit and when I rise. Nothing can ever snatch me from God's right hand, which holds me fast. No trouble or hardship can ever separate me from the love of Christ Jesus, who will command his angels to guard me in all my ways, even angels with a proficient knowledge of the Houston airport.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10: 27-28 

Follow the Signs

 "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw - that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1: 1-3

    Have you ever watched the ants? How do they know where they're going? They have no road signs, no named villages, no house numbers. Yet, when you block their path, they doggedly seek a way around it.

    Imagine our life without signs, maps or GPSs. How easily we'd get lost. This is akin to how our lives would be without the Bible. Have you ever stopped to imagine what our world would look like if God had not given us His written word, this wonderful owner's manual? Questions like "How did we come to be?" or "What does the future hold?" would all be left to conjecture, mythology and such man-made explanations like evolution. How hollow and sad.

    Many of the Bible's prophecies have come true, exactly how God said they would i.e. the birth of the Messiah. Old testament hero, Daniel, had a vision of the world's empires yet to come to power, such as Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. And when it comes to those last days that are yet to come, we have not been kept in the dark, without signs to give us direction. What a blessing, that God, in His rich mercy, has told us the truth.

    Some people may refrain from reading such books as the Revelation, fearing they will not understand it or they may find it a cause for fear. Quite the contrary, these words have been written to bless the hearers, to equip them for the battle. 

    If you feel lost, as if you've taken a wrong turn, or you have been wondering what in the world is going on around here, please prayerfully read any of these passages: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18, 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12, 2 Timothy 3: 1-9, 2 Peter 3: 1-18, Daniel chapters 11 and 12 and the book of Revelation. 

    There's no reason to be lost; follow the signs.

"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Revelation 22:7

Praying Against our Enemies?

 "Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed. Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise. May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent." Psalm 140: 8-11

    To be honest, the above passage represents my feelings in the year 2020. As I saw what I perceived to be my enemies rising up against authorities, looting, burning out small business owners, pushing down random elderly folks in the streets, tearing down statues and replacing them with their own warped ideology, anger rose like bile in my throat. It was a righteous anger, one rooted in true justice and indignation, a strangled cry for the Lord to act swiftly.

    Psalm 140 is one of several imprecatory psalms, which is to say the writer is invoking evil upon his enemies. How do I reconcile this with the teachings of Jesus in Luke 6 which implore me to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (verses 27, 28)? As a daughter of the King, I am called to turn the other cheek, to give up my cloak as well as my shirt and to invoke the Golden Rule.

    Though it seems these passages contradict one another, it helps to identify who my enemy is. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The missile of the imprecatory psalm is to be aimed at Satan, never our fellow man who is created in the image of God. For if all have "sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," then I was once as lost as those who "proudly rear their heads" in our government and society.  However, in fighting the good fight, I must stalwartly pray that Satan be bound, his plans be thwarted and the hearts of mankind be turned to salvation in Jesus Christ.

    Our God is a loving, merciful One who is also just and holy. A day is coming when everything will be made right and Jesus Christ will rule the world with equity and true social justice. Until then:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12: 20, 21