A Day To Remember

Let me tell you a story about an extraordinary day:

It began as a normal day for the Teacher -- Jesus taught. For hours and hours, He taught a large crowd (Mark 4:1-9), a medium-sized crowd (Mark 4:10-33), and His small group of twelve disciples (Mark 4:34). At the end of such a long and exhausting day, it only made sense that His body begged for sleep on the boat taking their company across the Sea of Galilee.

Mark picks up the story:

"On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?' And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?' " (Mark 4:35-41, ESV)

Whoa!
What a day!

What if it were today?
Is life pretty rocky for you?
Are you currently in the middle of a storm?
Is there a vast sea of untold hardships stretching before you?

Then, you are invited to join the disciples in posing, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" 

"I Am" is His name -- the only Constant, the solid Rock, the sure Anchor.

I am writing to tell you that the only Constant is very much inside your rocky boat, with you, no matter how fierce or treacherous the storm happens to be. I am here to remind you that even when He appears to lie dormant, the solid Rock is very much awake and attentive to your sighs, moans, and pleas for help. I am in your life to encourage you to believe that regardless of the windstorm you are currently facing, the sure Anchor will stand erect and command, 

"Peace! Be still!"

He is the One whose presence brings peace to your chaos, the One whose power causes the gusts of wind to cease their blowing, and the One whose purpose prevails no matter what the circumstances are.

So, today, let me gently nudge you. Would you open your eyes? Would you cross your own Sea of Galilee? Would you face your own windstorms -- cancer, financial woes, relational struggles, spiritual drought -- knowing that Christ is in your boat? Would you hail the storm-Smoother and peace-Maker?

Would you surrender to Him and welcome His peace?

Bruised, not Broken

"A bruised reed He will not break,

and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out . . ."

Isaiah 42:3, NIV

I have been told grace can be defined as unmerited favor.

Well, I am a true recipient of divine grace.

Grace, as I’ve come to gauge, has seen fit to grant me the honor of enduring hard things, extremely grueling trials in the forty years I have walked the face of this earth. Truly, my life’s narrative defies simple human understanding.

How does a 3-year old sit in a roofless room and watch his family’s material possessions being soaked by a harsh thunderstorm? How does a 6-year old trudge onward as his heart becomes shredded and torn by jeers and jabs from bullies left and right at school, at church, and at play? How does an 8-year old move past witnessing the murder of a man whose ill-starred error was the audacity to cut in line? How does a teenage boy survive the enduring of a shameful season of sexual harassment and abuse that threatened to undo his pursuit of dignity and worth?

How does a college student go through months and months of 10 meals a week at Biola University, choosing to rely on the delights of Chopin and Schubert to shush his rumbling stomach in the Crowell Hall practice rooms? How does a graduate student at Penn State recline his head on the shoulders of his Song Literature professor as his salty tears stained her blouse the day when two planes imperiled and destroyed thousands of lives in New York City? How does one finish a tear-jerking doctoral recital the day after a friend and fellow Eastman student—brilliant and promising—was tragically killed in one of the most preventable car crashes known to humanity?

How does a native go on after watching his childhood home crumbled and Haitian historic sites pancaked by a 7.0 earthquake? How does a man face the amputation of a cousin’s leg? How does one weather the deaths of a cousin who stayed in his office three minutes too long, friends who fought cancer valiantly, a father who had a fatal heart attack, a brother who was tragically murdered, a brother whose heart failed on the way to a Dominican hospital, and a sister who succumbed to cancer (yet again!) at a young age, all within a 5-year span?

How does one bid farewell in the multi-faceted ways life offers? How does one handle receiving yet another fatal diagnosis? How does one weather storm after storm . . . enter valley after valley of the shadow of death . . . weep yet not lose heart . . . walk yet not faint . . . face mourning at night yet dance in the morning?

 

How?

It is all by His grace.

Indeed, I am a bruised reed. I am a stalk that has been injured, wounded, hurt, sore, damaged, battered, discolored and severely beaten.

YET . . . (Oh glory!)

The Father will not, nor will He ever, fracture or destroy or smash me. He will continue to uphold me.

I am, by His grace, a smoldering wick. Since by definition, a wick holds fuel that burns, I am learning to trust He will not snuff me out. These fiery trials that threaten to undo me will not consume me; they are glorious tests heavenly tasked to reveal to me how extremely needy I am.

Yes, I am needy.

I need the gracious eyes of Christ to weep with mine. I need His tender hands to wipe away tears streaming from my faucet-like eyes. I need His robust and warm arms to envelop my frame and comfort me. I need His loving and soothing voice to serenade me. I need His ancient, ever-true, life-giving words to strike my eardrums and reverberate and transform my heart into the knowledge of God and the likeness of Christ.

I need Him.

I need Him.

I need Him.

As He comes and fills my need, He will strengthen my feeble arms and weak knees. He will prepare me to endure rightly and gratefully.

O, come, Lord Jesus!

Come quickly!

Lifted Up

"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul."

Psalm 25:1, NIV

David is the writer of the above words. In and through them, he expresses the commitment of his inner being -- his emotional and spiritual makeup -- to ascend to God. He is determined to have his soul lifted up to the Father.

But is that possible?
How can his soul, or anyone else's for that matter, be lifted up to God?

Lord, open my eyes that I may see wonderful truths in Your Word!

The Lord reveals, firstly, a strong need for human souls to be lifted up to Him in the following verses:

"My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? 

. . . I am worn out from my groaning; 

all night long I flood my bed with weeping 

and drench my couch with tears. 

My eyes grow weak with sorrow; 

they fail because of all my foes." 

-- Psalm 6:3, 6-7, NIV

"The troubles of my heart have multiplied; 

free me from my anguish." 

-- Psalm 25:17, NIV

"My soul is downcast within me . . ." 

-- Psalm 42:6, NIV

This soul weariness is not just typical of David. Throughout Scripture, we find reasons to believe it is a rare moment when the human soul is free from anguish or sorrow.

Abraham experienced it.
Isaac was not spared from it.

And down the line

Joseph
Moses
Eli
Job
Jeremiah
Habakkuk . . .

even Jesus encountered this phenomenon -- "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44, NIV)

. . . Peter
John
Paul
you
I

We all know what it is like to be weary in our soul.

But why?
Why are we so familiar with soul weariness?

The Father reveals to us that soul weariness will overwhelm our senses when we focus on what our physical eyes see.

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God."

Psalm 43:5, NIV

In other words, when humans do not put their hope in the Father, the result is a downcast and disturbed soul. When we allow circumstances to halt or dam the flow of our praise to God, it goes without saying the condition of our soul will also plummet to the den of worry and despair.

Indeed, the Father invites us to ask our soul a significant question:

Soul, will you look to circumstances or will you look to God?

Each and every time we set our eyes upon earthly matters, soul weariness dethrones God. On the other hand, a soul is lifted up to God when, like David, we put our hope in God despite unfavorable circumstances.

Praising God in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in rain and in shine, in the morning and in the evening is the elevator that lifts our soul up to the Father.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Fear no Human, Trust in God

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare . . ." -- Proverbs 29:25a, NIV

For fear of man Lot offered his daughters to Sodom's sex-crazed men, Abraham lied about Sarah (calling his wife his sister), Isaac denied his wife and gave her to Abimelech, Saul forfeited his kingdom, the Israelite army stood paralyzed for 40 days before Goliath, the royal officials at the gate of king Xerxes knelt down and paid honor to the jew-hating Haman, young captives ate the desecrated food at king Nebuchadnezzar's table, Judas betrayed his Teacher and Friend, Peter denied his Lord three times, the disciples deserted Jesus, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the apostles . . .

What foolish deeds!
What misplaced fear!

You and I, my friend, continue on the same idiotic path when we persist on altering our behavior solely because of what someone might say, think, or do to us. We adopt and adapt to another person's tastes, preferences, and philosophies because we fear offending them -- not even taking the time to genuinely assess and come to understand our true identity.

" . . . but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." -- Proverbs 29:25b, NIV

The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, to trust in Him, to surrender to YHWH, to relinquish all control to Him from dawn to dusk and throughout the night. True wisdom is attained when we realize it is not sound to fear those who can kill the body and after that can do not an iota more. Peace is found when we learn to be still and know that the Lord of hosts is God. He is the One whom we are invited to fear, to revere, to honor, to serve, to heed, and to love always.

How often do you and I turn God's glory into shame?
How long will you and I love delusions and seek false gods?
How often do you and I blindly opt not to contend for our faith?
How long will you and I try to cover our tracks for fear of getting caught?
How often do you and I imbibe the syrupy lies of unfaithfulness and idolatry?

We walk onward upon this deadly terrain because we fail to realize human beings have but breath in their nostrils. We need not fear them and seek their approval or recognition. The Lord is the One whom we need to seek and acknowledge. His opinion is that which matters.

"If God be for us, who can be against us?" -- Romans 8:31, NIV

That, my friend, is sound faith.

May our love and respect for YHWH be more than the morning mist, more than the early dew that disappears, but may they endure forever!

The Return

Good morning, Lord!

Your Word, O precious Father, tells me that You "keep me as the apple of Your eye [and] hide me in the shadow of Your wings," according to Psalm 17:8, NIV.

A very troubled David, based on Psalm 46:1, informs me that You are indeed "my refuge and strength, [my] ever present help in trouble," O Holy Spirit.

Yes, Lord. 
I hear You.

Yet Mr. Trouble is a persistent knocker and a sly intruder. He not only knocks on my door but he threatens to make of my heart his home. For a very long time, Mr. Trouble kept my pen away from this blog -- one that is intended to help me write my way to Your well of remembrance where daily mercies await. Though I took a break from this blog to work on a writing project for a significant publisher, it became clear to me toward the end of the academic year that my heart and body were too weary from the attacks of Mr. Trouble to continue -- and so, I declined that offer. Health concerns for myself and other relatives also distracted me from You, from the Word, from prayer, from a heart full of gratitude, from so many blessings You had in store for me . . .

" . . . my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." -- Psalm 73:2, NIV

Thankfully, You and I both know that "though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more." -- Psalm 71:20-21, NIV

So, today, I am grateful.
I choose thankfulness from the depths of my heart.

I thank You because, even when I cannot see or comprehend it, I know You "surround me with Your favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12b, NIV).

I thank You because You "will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. [You] will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. [You] will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in [Your] sight." -- Psalm 72:12-14, NIV

I come to You today.
I return to Your well which never runs dry.

I thank You, O Lord, my refuge and my strength!

Lent 2015 Days 13-16: He Knows

My friend and I visit and pray on the phone most week days before we go to our respective jobs. One thing that always heartens me is the reply I receive from him each time I pop the commonly asked question, "How are you?" His answer is always one and the same:

"I'm alive; I'm awake." 

For six years, we've been praying together, talking about our days, and learning about each other. We have grown truly familiar with one another. Sometimes a slight sigh from me will send him on a probing spree since he can already tell from my voice that there is a rough matter teeming my heart. Sometimes a simple hello from him will cause me to ask about the reason for his ebullience because I can already sense joy and gratitude welling up in his heart. 

That is the beauty of friendship.
That is the beauty of brotherhood.

Still, there is no way he and I can know each other to the extent the Father knows humanity. Though I know many things about him -- things he's told me; things I've sensed -- and vice versa, neither one of us knows when death will separate us. I don't know all his thoughts and he is unaware of some of my pondering. We simply don't know everything about each other. How could we? We are mere mortals.

But there is One who knows. 

Psalm 139:3 expresses it in this way:

"You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways."

The Lord of the ages knows everything about each person's journey.
The Father of wisdom is well aware of our sleeping arrangements.

"Waking or sleeping, Thy presence, my Light!"

His intimate knowledge of each person reveals a God whose unerring precision detects the poison that lodges itself in our thoughts, the bitterness that resides in our hearts, the "chaff" (the unproductivity) that hides itself in our "wheat" (fruitfulness). 

When you and I merely get by in our work, God knows that we are mixing chaff and wheat together. When you and I are unhappy about the promotion that goes to our coworker, the Father knows the bitterness that worms its way inside our hearts. When you and I are premeditating slander, the Lord of lords knows of the poison that we are steadily drinking.

He knows.
He is familiar with our thoughts.
He is well acquainted with all of our ways.

Lenten thought calls us to rend everything to Him; He already knows it all anyway.

Nothing at all is alarming to Him.
Nothing at all is obscured from Him.
Nothing at all is misinterpreted by Him.

He knows.

The Lord knows the ways you and I take every single day, hour, minute, or second. He knows when the path on which we find ourselves is customary or accidental. He knows when the besetting sin we nurse is public or private. He knows when our decisions are based on good or wrong motives.

He knows.

And that is an invitation for us to stand in awe of Him . . .
. . . that we may worship and adore Him.

And that is an invitation for us to find encouragement in Him . . .
. . . that we may courageously take our stand against the devil's schemes.

And that is an invitation for us to live with joy and delight in Him . . .
. . . that we may throw away our mourning clothes and feast upon His victuals.

He knows.

Praise His glorious name!

Lent 2015 Days 11 & 12: Path & Cot

Snow.
Weather.
Hard news.
Cancellations.
Late night talks.

I am not sure what a normal schedule looks like these days. Yesterday, in fact, was particularly unpredictable and thorny causing me to cross a pitiful number of items off of my mile-deep and Eiffel-tower tall checklist. Once again, my desire to achieve finds itself bumping into the reality of the Father's invitation for me to instead receive what He has in store for me.

What a dilemma!

In many ways, my life hasn't been too keen on letting this Lenten season reach a normal, predictable rhythm. A roller coaster ride on many fronts is more like it -- emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. And like a dazed customer at an amusement park I find myself on this ride never quite ready for the unannounced 90-ft drop that inevitably comes, jolts my heart, and muffles my inner cries.

How I long for calm and peace!

Humbly, I turn to Psalm 139 anew. Eleven full days have come and gone since I began meditating on this psalm -- what a tremendous blessing it has been! -- and on this 12th day I have much comfort as I read up to verse 3:

Psalm 139

To the Choirmaster. A psalm of David.

1  O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You discern my thoughts from afar.

3  You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

I am comforted because Psalm 139 reminds me that this amazing Lord of mine foreknew the pace of these past few days and still saw fit to let me partake in them. He knew about the snow, the bad weather, the hard news, the cancellations, and the late night talks well in advance. He knew everything about me even before the creation of the universe -- my personality, my secret wishes, my innermost thoughts. He knew my desire to achieve feats in my own strength but chose to invite me to receive His feats instead. He knew the nature of my roller coaster life and provided me with His Word which, alone, can shush my storms to a whisper.

Praise His glorious name!

This mysterious Lord observes my path and my cot, my walking and my sleeping. He surrounds me with the shield of His penetrating gaze and encircles all of me (mind, body, spirit) within the boundaries of His perfect wisdom.

Awake?
He sees me.
Asleep?
He searches me.

Straying from His path?
He runs decidedly after me.
Dozing through and forgetting His way?
He slumbers not but remembers me fully.

O, thank You for the shield of Your gaze, O Father. Your boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. May the path I take and the bed in which I sleep bring honor and glory to Your name! In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen!