God’s Questions Changes Everything

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Luke 18:35,40-41 NIV

What kind of cheese is the moon made of? How did the man get in the moon? Why can’t grass be blue and the sky green? If you have or have had toddlers, you know the routine. According to Harvard child psychologist Paul Harris, children between the ages of 2 and 5 will ask roughly 40,000 questions. Research suggests an average of 100-300 questions per day, with the peak volume usually coming from four-year-olds. (data from A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger)

When our son was in that age range, I would come home in the evening, and Connie would hand him to me and tell me she needed a quiet break. If you have children, grandchildren, or are around little ones, just know that the endless why, when, where, who, and how questions are normal. God wired these little brains to be inquisitive, information-gathering creatures. On the downside, adults find themselves unable to answer their questions 35% of the time.

As we grow older, we may not ask 300 questions every day, but questions remain an important part of our lives. We live in a world where questions shape our daily lives. We ask questions to get opinions, directions, information, or for a thousand other reasons. What do you want for dinner? Can you tell me how to get to Walmart? How long will the sermon last? Now the world of questions has expanded to asking Google, Siri, Alexa, and Bixby, among others, life’s poignant questions. Hey Google, how long does it take to boil an egg?

Scripture gives us the first recorded question. It is not a question seeking information or directions but one meant to deceive. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” (Gen 3:1) God had finished an unblemished creation, and mankind was given free range of the most incredible home. It was a perfect paradise until a question was asked to sow doubt, create envy, and stir longing for something they couldn’t be, namely God himself. The Bible tells us that “the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” The great deceiver disguised himself as a serpent to sow doubt.

It was one question that sowed doubt and one response that changed the course of human history. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Deception was planted like a fragile seed until it gave root to the bitter fruit of sin.

The deception hung over the Garden of Eden like a heavy blanket. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”

A question of deception had been asked, but now God uses a question to begin the process of healing and confrontation. A simple question, yet it would require a difficult answer: “Where are you?” I have no doubt that God, who had just finished creating the world, knew the surface-level answer to where they were physically. What God wanted to know, and what he still wants to know, is not where we are physically but where we are with Him. It was a question that stirred the soul, forced self-reflection, and opened the door to repentance, and it still does.

Fast-forward through the pages of history, and the same deceptive questions have been asked of people. They are the questions that arouse envy, lust, anger, revenge, and greed. The questions that leave us doubting God’s goodness and love.

It doesn’t take much of life space to get asked a question that plants seeds of doubt in our souls.  Were you really the most qualified to get that promotion? Are you really entitled to that award? Did you really—you fill in the blank. At one time or another, most of us have had questions asked that belittled us, made us doubt our abilities, and cast suspicion on us.

 The Great Deceiver has had lots of practice at planting these questions. A question of envy caused Cain to murder his brother. A question of lust caused David to commit adultery and eventually murder. A question of greed caused Judas to betray Jesus for a few coins. A question of fear caused Peter to deny his friend and mentor.

God has a way of asking questions that bring healing, life, and redemption, questions that prompt us to say, “Yes, God, I blew it; I need you.” When God asked Cain where Abel was, it wasn’t for information. God asked Jacob, “What is your name?” not for His knowledge, but to force Jacob to confront who he was and had been, and to surrender to Him what he could be. “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” (Gen 32:27,28)

God’s questions force us to look beyond the obvious answer to what lies deep within ourselves to the place only God can touch and restore. God used questions to compel Moses to look beyond his limitations, “Who gave human beings their mouths?” When Job was on the brink of despair, God asked questions to help him look beyond himself: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” When Peter thought he was beyond grace, Jesus used questions to begin his healing: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

God’s questions are never superficial, nor are answers always obvious. There is an obvious answer to a blind man: Do you want to see? Though Jesus cared that Bartimaeus could physically see, he was even more concerned that he could see spiritually. Today, how will you respond to Jesus when he asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?”

God is great!

Together

/1 Comment/in , , , , , /by

Now, in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35 NKJV

“This world is tricky and getting trickier every day. Man, sometimes it confuses me. Sometimes I lose my way in this world. Can ya’ll relate to that?”  I, for one, can relate to this statement by Grammy Award-winning Christian artist TobyMac (Toby McKeehan). During his concert in Colorado Springs last month, McKeehan shared about the challenges that he faced following the death of his son in 2019, and what he learned about God being there for him.

“What I’ve been hanging on to with everything in me for the last six-and-a-half years is this: God promises that if you have a relationship with him, he will never leave you or forsake you. It gets confusing when your heart gets broken, for all of us…You see, God didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t be hurt on this earth. He didn’t promise us that our hearts would not be broken. He didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t lose the ones that we love. What he promised is that he would never leave. And I can only tell you this from my own personal experience: He was there in the deepest of valleys.”  (Jessical Mouser, ChurchLeaders.com)

McKeehan, in the midst of his pain and sorrow, used his music as an avenue to express his deepest feelings as he journeyed through his loss. In his valley, he wrote the song “Help Is On the Way,” in which he expressed that the only way to survive was through Jesus.

I heard your heart
I see your pain
Out in the dark
Out in the rain
Feel so alone
Feel so afraid
I heard you pray in Jesus’ name

It may be midnight or midday
It’s never early, never late
He gon’ stand by what He claim
I’ve lived enough life to say (words from Help Is On The Way by TobyMac)

God is/will always be faithful in his promises to be with us, through days of bright light and most critical during the nights of deepest darkness. On this side of eternity, we will be faced with chapters of unexplainable events in our lives. We can trust that God will be there, even as we face unbearable pain. We find that there is only one place that will keep us sheltered: in God. We may still hurt, but He is there to prevent us from falling completely apart. James encourages us to “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8a). “One of the best ways to prevent your heart from growing cold is to regularly talk with God.” (Henry Blackaby)

“The reason many of us leave off praying and become hard towards God is because we have only a sentimental interest in prayer…We hurl our own petitions at God’s throne and dictate to Him as to what we wish Him to do. It is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.” (Oswald Chambers)

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” I Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Hopefully, we realize quickly that we need others to walk with us as an engaged prayer community. Trusting our deepest needs with those who will become “rope holders” to keep us from falling off the edge. A community of prayerful pilgrims who stand with us. I witnessed a powerful prayer community surrounding a little 16-month-old facing a life-threatening incident this past week. A community calling on God for healing and holding the ropes for her parents and grandparents.  “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. Psalm 55:1 (NIV). What seemed impossible is now a place where a community and a family rejoice, as God has miraculously intervened.

What does a prayer community look like? One example given by John Michael Talbot is a great starting point.  “Prayer is the strength of our individual and community existence. It is through prayer that we find the heart of our love relationship with Jesus as individuals, and it is through the love relationship of Jesus working in individual lives that communities prosper in peace and unity. It is in the solitude of prayer that we find our true companion and thus learn to be better companions of others. It is in the inner silence of prayer that we hear the living word of God, and thus learn to speak words that flow from the love of God to one another.”

We do not always get the answer we expected, but we always have God’s presence to see us through every circumstance. We never give up because God never gives up. Whatever situation you or I may face, we have a Savior who provides a way. Together, may we find encouragement in this prayer of benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace – Numbers 6:24-26

 

God is great!

Lasting Treasure

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25

How does your digital clutter compare to recent surveys? It shows that the average person has over 1,000 unread emails, 12 unread text messages, 17 unread social media notifications, 15 open browser tabs, 9 unused phone apps, 2 pending software updates, and 11 other unread app messages. If you often get overwhelmed by clutter, the good news is that over 31% of people have spent money to upgrade to devices with more storage. The bad news is that 77% of people feel digital clutter negatively affects their lives. (Information from an article by Josh Koebert, All About Cookies)

I don’t know where you stand in the digital clutter world, but I will say I am above average. Sometimes, I clean out my email inbox, but not every day. Maybe what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote over 300 years ago still applies today to the world’s digital clutter: “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” The issue isn’t that our email boxes are cluttered, but that we live in a world with so much information that we can’t process it all. Digital clutter keeps expanding because technology keeps adding ways to store it.

Yesterday, or Easter Sunday, depending upon when you read this post, we celebrated a risen Savior. Churches were packed with people worshipping Jesus, who brought hope to a dying world. Sunday reminded us of his final words from the cross, words that forever challenged us to live a life fully surrendered to Him.

Scripture contains a wealth of truth that points us to salvation in Jesus, including the prophecies of His coming, the history of God’s story, the Psalms of worship, and Proverbs for living a godly life. It is truth that is ageless. What an amazing comparison to our world filled with digital clutter, especially in light of reading John’s ending: “I suppose even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

I would almost guess that most of the digital clutter on our electronic devices will end up in the great digital trash can—information needed for the moment but with little future value.  The Bible, however, contains a life-giving, life-changing, and life-sustaining message.  Dwight Moody wrote, “The Bible was not given for our information, but for our transformation.”

Even though we will never know all the additional stories that Jesus told, what we do know is a treasure hoard beyond anything we can imagine. As we read the Bible, the treasure is not found in what we don’t have but in what is written.

What we do know is that the recorded words of Jesus bring wisdom. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

What we do know is that Jesus’ words brought amazement. “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28

What we do know is that no one can top Jesus. “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” John 7:46

What we do know is that Jesus left specific directions for eternal life. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.“ John 6:68

Paul Dayes found life-changing words reading John 5:24, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Dayes was in both a physical and spiritual prison. He had been in and out of prison since he was 14. He was serving a prison term for robbery when he encountered Jesus.

Dayes said in an interview, “I remember having the urge to read the Bible. I don’t know why.”  The problem was that he didn’t have access to a Bible. However, the next morning, coincidence or miracle, when he stepped out of his cell, there was a brand-new Gideon Bible lying on the radiator. Dayes started reading, and as he read Matthew 9:13, he came across the verse, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  He said, “It spoke straight to my heart, and I found myself praying the sinner’s prayer and gave my life to Christ.” After his release, Teen Challenge helped him, through their substance abuse program, escape his addiction.  (information from an article by Charles Gardner)

“When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.” (Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book)

As we finished celebrating Easter, we were once again reminded of the great hope we have in Jesus. In Him, the world will never be the same. Easter marked the beginning of change; circumstances and people will never be the same. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

God is great!

A New Beginning

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

Photo by David Ilona

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks. You, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” Mark 11:1-3 NIV

The moment had finally arrived; all the years of watching, listening, learning, and sacrificing were finally over. The twelve disciples were witnessing the unfolding of the promised kingdom. They must have been smiling and high-fiving each other as they watched the crowd grow larger and larger, thrilled by the moment as they heard the crowd shouting:

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Mark 11:9b-10 NIV)

Churches around the world celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday as Holy Week started, leading up to Easter. The twelve disciples would go through a life-changing week after this triumphant entry into Jerusalem. What they thought would happen was not how Jesus ever intended it to be. This week would reveal their hearts, and by the end, challenge them until they truly understood the nature of Jesus’ kingdom.

“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.” (Oscar Romero). It was through eyes of tears that all twelve finished the week. Each of the twelve would run and hide, overwhelmed by their failures. Although all would fail initially, eleven of the disciples would find redemption and restoration through grace. One would run, but not to Jesus. Judas would seek restoration on his own terms by going to the religious leaders instead of to the source of grace, Jesus. Though embarrassed, discouraged, hopeless, and afraid, the other eleven disciples found redemption and went on to become the world changers Jesus prayed they would become.

Do you ever feel your faith is fragile? Like you’re hanging on by a thread, questioning if you have enough. These twelve disciples, close friends and followers of Jesus, felt the same way. The week brought them panic, but it ended with hope when they realized their strength was not in their own faith, but in their Savior.

The events of the week were slowly unfolding. The act of betrayal was set in motion as “Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money.” (Luke 22:4-5) The act of worship was set in motion as “Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” (Luke 22:8). Same week, different actions, yet all for the purpose of the Kingdom.

Passover, this foundational celebration, has been celebrated through the generations to remind them of God’s deliverance and protection. Freedom came after 430 years through an act of faith. “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe….When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” (Exodus 12:22-23)

The story is told of two men on the night of Passover, one was afraid, the other excited. Each man followed the instructions given without any compromise. The blood had been placed carefully on the doorpost, and although both men did what God told them, one man had doubts. Which one lost his son that night? Neither! Death doesn’t pass over them based on the intensity of their faith but on the ground of the blood of the lamb.

That night marked the beginning of a new life, not because of what anyone did, but what God did. The same became true for us at Easter because of Jesus. Faith isn’t about what we do but about the Who of our faith. Even a weak faith in a perfect Savior saves completely. “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading…The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting.” (Oswald Chambers)

Jesus gathered his disciples together as every faithful Jew had done since that first Passover. He would celebrate the Passover with his followers, but after this night, future Passovers would never be the same again. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29)

The crowd’s euphoria gave way by the end of the week to the shouts of an angry mob. The disciples who had pledged their unwavering devotion all retreated to their hiding places. The religious and political powers joined forces to destroy what they saw as a threat to their authority. What seemed like a complete failure for Jesus on the surface was anything but. Darkness fell over the land, the temple curtains were torn in two, and Jesus’ cry of victory was heard: “It is finished.” It was a week filled with incredible highs and heartbreaking lows, but it ended with hope that changed lives.

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” Mark 16:6

Rejoicing this Easter for He is risen!

God is great!

Spring Cleaning and Prayer

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:17-18 NIV

Spring has arrived! Last Friday marked the end of winter, and we welcomed spring with open arms for those in the Northern Hemisphere. My friends in Africa and Asia who are moving into winter, bear with me. We know there is nothing like the feeling when plants start to bloom, grass turns green, days get a little longer, and birds sing sweeter. However, before Utopia settles in, you also see tornado warnings flashing across the screen, things turning yellow (only those on the US East Coast can relate), the sound of lawn mowers, and people coughing and hacking due to increased allergy levels.

Yet spring brings newness, change, and fresh beginnings. Heavy coats are stored away for another year, people sit outside, windows are opened, and the annual tradition of spring cleaning begins. “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, and the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.” (Song of Songs 2:11-13a NIV)

The concept of spring cleaning is rooted in religious and cultural traditions as well as very practical needs. It is a tradition dating back centuries, with different cultures and peoples using the changing seasons to deep-clean the house, clear out clutter, and open it up after the cold winter months. “The concept of deep cleaning and decluttering during the spring season can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Persians, Egyptians, and Romans. In these cultures, the arrival of spring symbolized a fresh start and was seen as an opportunity to cleanse both the physical and spiritual aspects of life.” (Unisan Direct newsletter)

Spring cleaning does come with a cost. Your body gets tired from the up-and-down motion, but it is rewarding in the end. It also makes you realize that your cleaning equipment needs a good spring cleaning. I couldn’t figure out why our vacuum cleaner kept quitting on me. I assumed we needed a new one, but fortunately, I didn’t click the buy now button on Amazon. The canister was empty, no apparent problems on the outside, but when I opened up the machine, the inside was clogged with paper and leaves. It took some time to clean out the inside, but once I did, the machine worked great. Sorry, Amazon, you lost the sale!

We understand that our prayer lives can become clogged at times, and it may not feel as effective as it once did. For some reason, our conversations with God might seem to disappear. Still, keeping our prayer life open to God should be a top priority. George Muller, a man known for his prayer life, once said, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

Prayer is often viewed merely as a habit or discipline to develop, and yes, while both can play a part, they are minor aspects. Prayer is more like our heartbeat, giving us life with every beat. “So we pray because we were made for prayer, and God draws us out by breathing Himself in.” (P.T. Forsyth)

Andrew Murray writes that, “In praying, we are often occupied with ourselves, with our own needs, and our own efforts in the presentation of them. In waiting upon God, the first thought is of the God upon whom we wait. God longs to reveal Himself, to fill us with Himself. Waiting on God gives Him time in His own way and divine power to come to us.”

It is easy to become preoccupied with trying to figure out why our prayer life seems empty. We assume this, or that is the reason God doesn’t respond to us. We work to resolve the problem instead of sitting quietly with God to hear from Him. We need to wait with the One who has all the time in the world. Psalm 139 is a beautiful prayer to meditate upon as you wait. “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (vs 1-6 NIV)

Spring cleaning is about deep cleaning, which means slowing down enough to really pay attention to what we are doing. The same will be of our prayer life; there will be times of fast praying, but if we want to really sustain our prayer life, it takes time to sit with God and be still. Jesus was never in a hurry, and that was especially true of his prayer life. Portland Pastor Christian Dawson said it well, “The people who followed Jesus first were all taken aback by Jesus’ prayer life. They were fascinated by it. Jesus woke up early to pray. When He was exhausted, He’d get alone to pray. When he was successful, He’d get away to pray. When he was in trial, He stayed up all night to pray. It’s as if the first work and the last work that Jesus was up to was always prayer. Our Rabbi lived something that’s so easy to forget: Prayer, more than anything else, fuels our love for God, His people, and His mission in the world.” (from Lead with Prayer, Ryan Skoog)

Heavenly Father, You made me for prayer, and I am most fully alive when I am in Your presence. Thank you for Your Spirit, which first moves me to pray, and which prays through me. I yield myself fully to you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

God is great!

Thank you for taking the time to read Prayer Safari, and I hope it will be a blessing and encouragement to you today.

No Longer I, but Christ

/in , , , , , /by

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:7-8 ESV

“May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.” I offer this traditional Irish blessing to you as a greeting on Tuesday (March 17) as you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is the one day of the year that totally disregards your Ancestry.com results. You may have traced your roots, but on St. Patrick’s Day, all of that goes out the window so that you can claim your Irish heritage.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote, “Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but if your name is Eisenhower, you’ve got to wear something green to show it.” The city of Chicago must have taken President Eisenhower at his word and decided to dye the Chicago River green. Around the world, shades of green appear everywhere, in hair, clothes, drinks, and food. “I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-Am.” (Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham)

St. Patrick’s Day is more than dying your eggs green, wearing green clothes, or eating corned beef and cabbage; it is a day set aside to commemorate a once enslaved teenager in Ireland who would later return to the same country as a missionary. Maewyn Succat was born into a wealthy family in what is now Kilpatrick, Scotland. He was captured by Druid raiders and sold into slavery as a shepherd.

Though born into a Christian family, he wrote in his spiritual autobiography, “It was there that the Lord opened up my awareness of my lack of faith. Even though it came about late, I recognized my failings. So I turned with all my heart to the Lord my God (Joel 2:12), and he looked down on my lowliness (Luke 1:48). (From Confessio 2)

Maewyn Succat escaped his captors and made his way to a monastery in Gaul (France). There, he entered the priesthood and took the name Patrick. He would return to the very people who had enslaved him with a singular zeal to share about God who had completely set him free.

Millions will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, having fun, but most will forget the real story behind the name. Patrick was a devoted servant of God, known for his faith and deep prayer. He was totally abandoned to Christ, and his faith and prayer life would transform a nation. It was a life that would serve as an example of surrender and as a testimony to the generations that followed. I think Patrick would have identified with the ideas that Oswald Chambers expressed centuries later: “Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin, nor the experience of personal holiness; the salvation of God is deliverance out of self entirely into union with Himself…In your abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as God gave Himself for us, without any calculation. The consequence of abandonment never enters into our outlook because our life is taken up with Him.”

Patrick escaped from his captors and could have returned to his life as Maewyn Succat. He might have chosen a much easier and more comfortable life than that of a 5th-century pioneer missionary. He could have taken an easier path as a priest rather than going back to those who had enslaved him for years. Yet, what he chose was a life of total abandonment to do the will of God. Through his work, he inspired a generation in Ireland to be faithful, overseeing the launch of 300 churches and helping over 135,000 people come to faith.

“The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you.” (Oswald Chambers)

Patrick lived out what Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia of the only thing that truly matters, complete surrender to Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 ESV

There are several variations of St. Patrick’s Breastplate (song), but I hope this portion of the longer versions will be both an encouragement and blessing to you as you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

 I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me…

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
~ St. Patrick

May this day, as all days, be filled with Christ. God is great!

Refuge in the Shelter of God’s Wings

/in , , , , , /by

Let me dwell in your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Psalm 61:4 NASB

The better part of prayer is not the asking but the being with God, resting in His shelter, knowing He knows me and wants to be with me. Why would I not want to be with Him? It is easy to pray in the easy afternoons of spring, but it is in the cold nights of winter that our prayers give life.

Ben Sasse is now living in the cold winter of the night, yet not with fear and defeat. You would know Sasse as a former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, President of the University of Florida, public servant, devoted husband and father, but also a man dying of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

What gives him hope isn’t the chance of a medical cure, although he is exploring all options. What gives him hope isn’t his determination, even though he writes, “he would not be going down without a fight.” What sustains his hope is his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. Sasse announced his battle with cancer in December 2025, two days before Christmas. In his news release, he said, “As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come. Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength… We hope in a real Deliverer—a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city—with foundations and without cancer—is not yet.”

Life often catches us off guard. What will we do when it does? The Psalmist encourages us to learn to rest in God’s shelter. It will be the only place where we can endure the storms that might otherwise overwhelm us quickly. “The trials of life are sent to make us, not to break us. Financial troubles may destroy a person’s business, but build up his character. And a direct blow to the outer person may be the greatest blessing possible to the inner person. So if God places or allows anything difficult in our lives, we can be sure that the real danger or trouble will be what we will lose if we run or rebel against it.” (Maltbie D. Babcock)

Our prayer life is a pivotal hinge that prevents everything from coming completely unhinged. Yet, walking into those dark winters of our soul, prayer can seem the most unattainable place we can find. One of my favorite writers is Tim Keller, who wrote a great book simply called “Prayer.” Keller wrote, “What is prayer, then, in the fullest sense? Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.” (Prayer, p 48)

Keller outlined the importance and power of prayer throughout nearly 321 pages of his book. However, it was during his own dark night a decade later, when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, that he would say in an interview on the podcast Premier Unbelievable, “Despite the pain and fear associated with cancer, he and his wife, Kathy, would never want to go back to the kind of prayer life and spiritual life we had before the cancer. Never.”

 Jim Denison, writing in Denison Forum, shared what it means to trust God with our pain. “First, when we trust God with our pain, we can experience his presence and comfort on a level we could not before the suffering came. Second, when we trust God with our pain, he can use us in ways he could not before the suffering came. Third, when we trust God with our pain, he can use our suffering to guide us into his purpose in ways he could not before the suffering came.”

Learning to take refuge in God’s shelter is critical because it is life-giving. The Apostle Paul understood what it meant to face challenges. Paul’s resume of suffering and pain was impressive: “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers…I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked…If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27,30)

Paul understood the meaning of pain and didn’t shy away from these challenges for the sake of Jesus. Yet he also wasn’t afraid to ask God to remove the thorn that tormented him. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.” Still, Paul trusted God for the outcome even as he heard God say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul may have desired a different answer, but he valued God’s purpose more—so much so that he was willing to say, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:8-9,10)

It is in the shelter of God’s wings that we finally become all we are meant to be. Tim Keller has completed his earthly journey; Ben Sasse will finish his, as will we. Yet it is only then that we will truly understand what it means to live. “You must hand yourself and all your inward experiences, your temptations, your temperament, your frames and feelings, all over into the care and keeping of your God, and leave them there. He made you and therefore He understands you, and knows how to manage you, and you must trust Him to do it.” –Hannah Whitall Smith

God is great!

Handiwork of God On Display

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Let heaven celebrate! Let the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it roar! Let the countryside and everything in it celebrate! Then all the trees of the forest too will shout out joyfully. Psalm 96: 11-12 CEB

When was the last time you read Genesis One, and all you could say at the end was wow? You did not read it to defend creation over evolution, whether it was a literal 24-hour day or any other theological viewpoint. You simply read Genesis One with awe and wonder, like a child excited over some new discovery. We must guard against becoming old and jaded in our view of the world. We need to see God’s handiwork with excitement and shout with joy that, “The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are his.” (Psalm 24:1 GNT)

 “Everyone begins as a child by liking the weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Notice it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children—and the dogs? They know what snows are made for.” (unknown author). This quote is often misattributed to C.S. Lewis, yet it still captures his reflections on living with childhood wonder and joy.

It is often during the very unknown and unpredictable events of life that we are prompted to reflect, especially on life with God. We may find ourselves focusing too much on the outcome and overlooking the wonder of the process of creation, whether in nature, work, or home. If we are not careful, we can end up living each day as a reaction to events rather than as a new creation.

Tomorrow morning (March 3), you get to join 6 billion other people on planet Earth to witness 82 minutes of God’s incredible creation. God doesn’t always stay in the lines when He colors, and this extravagant display of a masterpiece is no exception. So, grab your cup of coffee, warm jacket, and ‘aweness,’ and head outside between 5 and 6:30 am (in Atlanta, Georgia, check your local viewing time) to experience a total Lunar Eclipse. This is more commonly known as a ‘blood moon’ when the Earth is positioned directly between the sun and the full moon, casting a shadow on the moon.

The moon’s usual bright white color will shift to deep reds and oranges, casting an eerie yet beautiful glow. Throughout history, the blood moon has been associated with many ideas, from omens of disaster to moments of deep spiritual renewal. For those who follow Jesus, the blood moon encourages us to admire God’s creation and consider the relevance of Romans 1:20: “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” –Romans 1:20 NLT

B.F. Skinner was a pioneer in behavioral psychology who believed that human actions are shaped by reinforcement and punishment. If I receive a reward, I will do it again. If I am punished, I will avoid it. Humans will often respond similarly to rats in the famous Skinner Box experiment, pushing the lever for a desired outcome.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, however, believed Dr. Skinner’s view of humanity was depressing and limiting. He conducted his own psychological study of human behavior, not from what was needed for survival, but from the perspective of creating art. He observed artists who were completely absorbed in their work; time was irrelevant, and they often forgot to even eat. “Despite the intensity of this devotion during the creative process, after a painting was complete, the artist would set it aside and begin the next project…The artist was not driven by measuring the greatness of the finished product but by the creative act itself.” (Tyler Staton from The Familiar Stranger)

There is truth to the fact that what we put into our mind, body, and soul influences certain outcomes. However, we are not forced to respond to external triggers, and we react accordingly. Thankfully, because of the complexity of God’s creation, we are not confined to a behavior box, simply running back and forth to pull levers. God is the original creator and made human beings in His image. We were called to co-create with Him, and although it was distorted by the serpent in the garden, it has been redeemed and restored by Jesus in another garden.

“Every attribute of God is infinitely complex. Believing anything less is believing in a flannelgraph god, and you get stuck in Flatland. The Ancient of Days can’t be reduced to time or space. The Alpha and Omega can’t be reduced to numbers or letters. The Omniscient One can’t be reduced to our finite thoughts about Him.” (Mark Batterson, A Million Little Miracles)

“By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.” –Hebrews 11:3 CEB

Look up to be reminded of God’s creation, look beside you to see those who walk with you, look forward to see that God has made a way for you, look behind you to know that God dwells unmovable, and look within you to see a God who loves you beyond measure. A. W. Tozer wrote of God’s love, “Because He is infinite, that love can enfold the whole created world in itself and have room for ten thousand times ten thousand worlds beside.”

Walk outside tomorrow not only to see an astronomical display but to reflect on the good news that you are part of this amazing creation still in motion. When you follow Jesus, you become part of the unexpected. Enjoy!

God is great!

Finding Your Way Out Of The Wilderness

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. Isaiah 35:6b-7 NIV

What do you do when you find yourself in the wilderness? Our first home in Africa was in Bophuthatswana. Sitting on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, it was known for its dry and harsh conditions, where brown became the new green. The winds blew dry, dusty air, often forcing us to put wet rags under the doors to try to keep out the dust. During the worst droughts, animals and livestock died from hunger.

Living so far from the familiar surroundings of home, I realized that living in the wilderness was not just a physical place but also an emotional and spiritual experience. It was on one of those mornings, feeling the weight of my wilderness, that I stepped outside our front door. It felt as if God wanted to remind me that even in the deepest wilderness, He would be there. I looked up and saw one of the most spectacular rainbows I have ever seen, as if God was writing His name across the sky. It was His signature, a guarantee of “I will always be here with you.”

Choosing to rejoice in God’s presence during our wilderness seasons may not come easily. However, without Him, survival becomes impossible. Your wilderness could become a place where you are overwhelmed with pain, anger, and loneliness without His presence. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NIV

The 2026 Winter Olympics have captured the world’s attention through much of February, with 92 nations sending their top athletes to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 games. The event has offered breathtaking moments of victory and crushing defeat. Norway has led the medal count but had to make space for the Brazilian alpine skiing gold medalist.  He won the first medal ever from a South American country and from any tropical nation. The medalists will rejoice, but several athletes will find themselves in their own wilderness.

U.S. Olympic skater Amber Glenn was a favorite for gold at this year’s Winter Olympics in the ladies’ singles competition. She lived up to expectations, skating beautifully with a flawlessly executed performance. “After hitting the highest-graded triple Axel of her career and a solid triple-triple jump combination, Glenn just needed one more jump to complete the most difficult elements in her short program.” She completed her third and final jump without a fall and, to the casual observer, delivered a perfect skate.

However, to the judges’ trained eyes, she made an unforgivable mistake that would cost her a medal. Glenn executed a flawless double loop, but the rules required a triple. She just needed one more revolution to qualify, but she failed. So close—why not just give her credit, knowing she could do it? The problem was that ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules require a skater to perform a triple jump; if not, the element is officially considered “not according to requirements.”

Lindsey Vonn dreamed of making a comeback after five years away from the sport following a partial knee replacement. However, she crashed seconds after the start of her downhill run, suffering a badly broken left leg that required four surgeries. “My Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a storybook ending or a fairytale; it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. In downhill ski racing, the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as five inches.” (Luke Phillips, AFP)

Ilia Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God,” known for his quadruple axels, was expected to win medals. Going into the Olympics, he competed in four events with scores ranging from 209 to 238, but his final score was 156.33, which placed him eighth. Why? The normally flawless skater fell multiple times during his final routine. “Of course, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to.”…All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes…

How they emerge from their own wilderness depends greatly on where they focus. Some will wander; others will thrive. Passion to be the best will help some of them walk out of their place of struggle. David Jeremiah writes, “Passionate people hang in there when the going gets tough. They persist, they persevere, they never lose heart, and they never quit.”

What if we find a way to make peace in those wandering times? British Pastor Pete Greig writes, “God’s blessings may come to me not instead of this wilderness, not in spite of this wilderness, but actually within it. The very situation I am currently tempted to resent may become the theatre of God’s greatest grace in my life. And so, I must ask myself a difficult question (and I don’t ask it lightly). Is it possible that God has actually called me into this dry, difficult, or disappointing place?”

“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. “ (Proverbs 24:16 NIV)

I have found that wandering in a wilderness is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as you may have also discovered, especially if you live long enough. You walk out of one wilderness experience only to find yourself, at some point in your life journey, wandering in a new one. However, I have learned that the only thing that will provide the courage, hope and faith to walk out of the wilderness is that God will be there to wander with you.

“What god is as great as our God? Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” Psalm 77:13b,19)

God is great!

Come, Follow Me

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, Matthew 6:33a

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7: 13-14

What do you consider important? Most people see the election of a nation’s leader as important. In the 2024 United States election, 154 million people, or 65.3%, of the population voted. (US Census Dept) Attending church is still highly valued in the US, with 65-100 million people attending services weekly. (Church Trac) Everyone has their own idea of what is important. One Sunday each year seems to define importance: Super Bowl Sunday.

Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest and most-watched sporting event in the United States. According to Nielsen, this past Super Bowl drew 124.9 million viewers in the U.S. alone. That is a lot of people. But that’s only part of the story.

Steve Randall with Investment News writes, “Super Bowl LX was not just a football game but a one-night financial ecosystem, touching broadcast television, labor contracts, municipal budgets, and a rapidly expanding betting economy.”

The average ticket price for the 2026 game ranged from $6,200 to $8,000, with top-tier seats costing over $30,000. If you got thirsty during the game, a simple bottle of water cost $8, and other drinks were significantly more expensive. The winning team’s players received a bonus of $178,000. However, the losing players got a consolation prize of $103,000.

Marketing involves capturing viewers’ attention and converting it into purchases, which is why advertisers target large audiences. During the Super Bowl, advertisers were willing to pay an average of $8-10 million for a 30-second ad.

Coinbase, a regulated cryptocurrency exchange, spent an estimated $14 million dollars for a 60-second spot featuring a color-changing, bouncing QR code. Apparently, it worked: it drove over 20 million people to the Coinbase site, causing the app to crash and adding nearly $1 billion to its market cap. Why would anyone think a bouncing QR code is important? Asher Bykov writes, “Humans have an innate desire to understand the world around them. As a result, if we don’t understand something, we spend countless hours searching for the truth. Coinbase’s QR code ad was genius because it tapped into this desire.”

The American Gaming Association projected $1.76 Billion in legal wagers nationwide. Houston’s Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale made headlines by placing a $2 million bet on the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LX.

If importance were simply measured by impressive numbers and economic impact, the Super Bowl would claim that spot every year. However, that importance will be short-lived unless you are one of the advertisers writing the $6 million check or “Mattress Mack” covering his $2 million wager.  Most of you would know that the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in this 60th Super Bowl matchup, but if I asked 100 random people on the street who won last year’s Super Bowl, far fewer would remember. I had to Google to see who won, even though I watched the game last year. David Icke’s quote could be applied to the Super Bowl: “I love sport as long as it’s kept as an entertainment – not a meaning of life.”

If winning the Super Bowl is not the greatest thing in the world, what is? We might say our families, which are important. We might also mention being a good citizen, employee, employer, or neighbor—all of which are important. We could list a thousand and one things, and they would all be important.

Jesus was asked many questions about what mattered most, but all his answers pointed back to one thing: Himself. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26 NIV)

Jesus emphasized what mattered most when he called his disciples to the journey. His simple reply was, “Come, follow me.” The outward benefits of good doctrine, a way of life, gospel influence, and more would come, but first, they were only asked to “Follow me.”

We typically measure effectiveness and impact using external standards such as wealth, education, influence, and position to decide what matters. However, what we see and prioritize is rarely what God highlights. Jesus was approached by a wealthy, doctrinally sound, high-ranking man who held power, seeking guidance on how to gain eternal life. Jesus didn’t look at his impressive resume and say, “You have it all together.” Instead, he looked at him and said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:23-34)

Paul’s Damascus Road vision wasn’t about him becoming a great theologian and writing half the New Testament, but it was about who to follow. “Come, follow me.” Oswald Chambers writes, “Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim; he was brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus Christ…Paul was devoted to a Person not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing else.”

Jesus’ invitation to follow Him was never extended to those who had everything together. His invitation wasn’t for people who never made mistakes. It was never meant for men and women who immediately understood the full meaning of everything He said. Jesus’ invitation remains the same for us misfits, slow learners, and ego-centered folks today. “Come, follow me.”

God is great!