Devotions
A friend sent me a text recently that began with these words, “I know how busy you are, but I was wondering if….” In an instant, conviction hit me. I thought to myself, “Hmmmmh! Is that the vibe I am giving out to the world… that I am too busy?” My friend needed my time but was hesitant to make a request of me because she felt she might be bothering me. And yet, if we are totally honest, how often have we all uttered the phrase, “I am so busy.”
What are you afraid of today? What fears invade your thoughts in the dark hours of the night? Almost daily we experience fear in some way. Whether it is fear of the unknown, fear of heights, fear of failure, fear of rejection or of the opinion of others. Anyone who lives long enough will encounter some kind of fear.
In times like these it is easy to doubt whether God loves humanity. It is easy to doubt whether God loves you. The logical mind is tempted to wonder how a loving God can stand by and do nothing when there is so much difficulty, so much heartache and so much confusion going on in the lives of people he created in his own image. Where is he when it hurts, why is he so quiet when calamity looms, why can’t he do something? These are the murmurings of the flesh because the flesh automatically rejects pain and discomfort.
Peace. It is the one thing we all crave. Lately, it seems we cannot get away from uncertainty. The news is filled with stories about the never-ending pandemic, devastating fires, tsunami’s, political and social unrest, inflation…name it and you will find it. Many are anxious and filled with endless worry, depression and a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. How can we find peace in these chaotic times?
Sometime last year, the real estate market left many of us dumbfounded. The price of many homes skyrocketed, leaving many potential homebuyers uncertain whether they would ever be able to own a home. Appraisers like Zillow, Trulia, Redfin and Realtor.com estimated local homes at double or even triple what they had been worth a year prior, and as desperate potential homebuyers tried to outbid each other these prices rose even higher.
From time to time everyone needs a revival and there is no better time to take stock of one’s spiritual pulse than at the beginning of a New Year.
In Habakkuk 3:2, the prophet Habakkuk takes stock of the spiritual environment around him. He reveals that he had heard of the LORD’s fame, but it is no longer evident in his day. Perhaps he had heard about the Lord providing a lamb in the nick of time for Abraham’s sacrifice (Genesis 22: 12-14).
As we come to the close of yet another year, let us take a moment to pause, slow down and reflect on the year we have had. Perhaps there were times this year when life was a struggle, when suffering seemed too much to bear, and confusion overwhelmed you; times when “being grateful” seems to make no sense. But God’s word says, give thanks (anyway), for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
This year Christmas comes at a very complicated time in our nation and in our lives. The COVID-19 virus is still raging, with the Omicron and Delta variants threatening our Christmas festivities, hospitals are close to 100% full with sick patients, medical workers and teachers are stretched to breaking point, chain supply issues are far from over, school violence is a constant threat to our children and is affecting them mentally and emotionally, natural disasters like tornadoes and typhoons are making their presence known and devastating homes along their paths, the political climate has gone from bad to insane…need I go on? One might be forgiven for thinking this is not a time for celebration. One might be forgiven for thinking that life is completely hopeless right now.
Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) to the house of David, becomes reality in the New Testament, when the angel of the Lord visit’s Mary, and tells her, “…You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him, Jesus…. (Luke 1:31).”
Talk about receiving impossible news! Mary’s response to this improbable news is that rhetorical question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin (Luke1:34)?” From where Mary was standing, the news that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world was incomprehensible. How could something so amazing, so unbelievable happen to her or through her? She was just a simple village girl, and a virgin at that. What the angel told her was quite incredulous.
In ancient times when a king was going to visit a city, he would send a herald before him to announce his coming. The herald would go around the city shouting, ‘The king is coming!’ Upon hearing this the city dwellers would clean up their streets, fix the roads and lock up the criminals to avoid being punished.
From the beginning of civilization people have been looking for signs signaling the end of the world. There have been prophecies and predictions throughout the generations, as humanity wonders, “is this the end?” With each generation we continue to move closer to the end. In this season of Advent, the word of God comes to remind us to STOP and pay attention to the signs in our generation. Safe driving demands that we come to a complete stop at a stop sign and look both ways before crossing carefully to the other side of the road.
We are all familiar with people whose cups are always half empty. No matter what the circumstance, they whine, they gripe, and they moan; nothing seems to satisfy them. Despite the real difficulties that the Psalmist has encountered in his life (See Psalms of Lament (e.g. Ps. 13, 25, 31), his cup is full in Psalm 23:5. He testifies that God has filled his table in the presence of his enemies and his cup of blessing and anointing overflows.
If you live long enough you will discover that human beings will lie, they will renege on promises, and they will let you down, but God will never lie. Therefore, if we expect to receive his overwhelming, beyond-all-measure goodness, we must learn to walk by faith. We must daily and continually, despite our fear, summon the strength to leap into the hand of a God who is constant and true; a God who will never fail us.
Why? When? How? These are the questions that often cause us to wrestle with our faith.... If you have ever been confounded by God’s workings in human life, you are in good company. Many believers struggle to trust a God who ‘lets’ young people die, a God who ‘lets’ tragedies strike the righteous, when the wicked prosper, a God who can even seem cruel at times.
When did you last experience curiosity at who Jesus is? You see, many of us assume we know him and theologically that might be true. We have read books about him and listened to preachers teach about him? We know a lot about him but when did we last ask, “What kind of man is this?” When was the last time we felt desperate enough that only Jesus could save us?
Greatness----It’s something we all yearn for, strive for, grasp at, and jostle each other for from the cradle to the grave. Ask a group of little children, “Who wants to go first?” and you will hear that unmistakable chorus of shrill voices chime out, “Me! Me! Me! Me!” We learn early, to compete and defeat and secure that coveted position at the top of the human pile.
There is a Kiswahili word that is spelled “We!” and pronounced with an “h” sound at the end. When an African parent says this word sternly while pointing at a child, that child knows that they had better stop whatever it is they are doing and pay attention. That word is a pre-cursor to a dreaded whipping. The expression is so terrifying that no child defies it. It declares intention; it announces that punishment is certain to follow; it will happen unless you stop what you are doing or are about to do.
Elijah was in the throes of fear when God spoke to him. He feared that Jezebel would kill him. Even though Elijah believed fully in God’s power; and even though he had just won the contest on Mt. Carmel over 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19), he was still very afraid. In the midst of this fear, God told him to go stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD and wait for the LORD to pass by (1 Kings 19:11). Elijah could have mistaken the powerful wind, the earthquake, and the fire for the presence of God. But he did not, because he was listening; he was tuned in to God.
We live in tumultuous times, with bad news coming at us relentlessly. It is easy to get overwhelmed by it all. But God is neither surprised by the events unfolding on the earth, nor by where we find ourselves (helpless, hopeless, worried, angry, sad…etc.), and he has already made a way for us to overcome, every time.
