Let’s be that refuge for our children today!

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Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. — Matthew 19:13-15

Have you ever grimaced while standing in the checkout line as the person next to you yelled at his or her kid? Actually, it may have been a reflection in the mirror behind the cashier.  Poor kid, surely couldn’t have done something so dramatic to deserve such a berating.

Matthew captures a similar scene when Jesus’ disciples yelled at some parents for bringing their children to Jesus.  You have to love the heart of God for children!  Jesus doesn’t just grimace, he sharply rebukes the disciples for putting up barriers that keep children from coming to him.

I can visualize Jesus getting up from where he was sitting and pushing aside his disciples to make a pathway for these little ones to get to him. Jesus takes the time to touch each one, maybe picking them up one by one and hugging them.  Jesus had an amazing and loving way of welcoming the marginalized of society, especially the children, into his kingdom. Jesus’ touch of love changed everything!

Unfortunately, the spirit of the disciple’s view about children hasn’t changed much through the generations. The English proverb, children should be seen and not heard dates back to the religious views of the 15th century. Our modern attitude towards children may now be closer to a not seen, not heard attitude.

The U.K. Care Quality Commission issued a report last year on child abuse and neglect. Part of their report stated, “Society has changed dramatically over the last 50 years, with leaps in technology and increased global mobility presenting new challenges. Children are groomed for sexual exploitation and radicalization on social media, and young people from certain communities can be at risk of trafficking and female genital mutilation. The number of children identified as having been abused or exploited is only the tip of the iceberg – many more are suffering in silence.” According to one poll, 60% of Americans know someone who has been sexually abused before turning 18 years of age.

The value that Jesus placed upon children is being lost in our “so-called” modern society. Children face major obstacles, even being born. According to Guttmacher Institute, 18% of U.S. pregnancies in 2017 ended in abortion. Once born, living is not a piece of cake. The American SPCC group estimate five children die every day in the United States from abuse. Even worse, 45.4% of children who die from child abuse are under one year of age.

The rapid advancement of technology and in particular the world of social media has created even more perplexity for childhood. Navigating this new world of social media will require lots of prayer and wisdom as we seek to identify the good and bad elements of social media. We have to constantly evaluate how media and technology benefit our children’s development, instead of harming it.

“Social media’s allure is undeniable, especially for kids. Within an instant, children can connect with friends, share thoughts in a blog, research a school paper, or scroll through posts from their latest celebrity crush—all from the comfort of their beds.” (article from Genomind)

Helen Keller said, “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Wait Until 8th is an example of “together we can do so much.” A group of parents, knowing the pressure to conform to having a Smartphone yet recognizing the impact and dangers of social media on their children, formed an organization called Wait Until 8th. Their mission is to empower parents to rally together and delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade. (You can check them out at www.Wait Until 8th.org)

When Jesus was asked the question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” he didn’t hesitate in his answer. To help his disciples and others to understand, Jesus did a “show and tell” demonstration. “He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” –Matthew 18:2-5

It is easy to see Jesus’ heart and compassion for children. We are called to be prayer warriors against the evil that is seeking to destroy the lives of our children. The legion of influences being forced upon them daily through TV, social media or other countless avenues seems overwhelming until you remember who is ultimately in charge.

As a father and now as a grandfather, my heart breaks thinking of the challenges our children face. Yet I am reminded we have a powerful advocate for our children in Jesus. “It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.’–Luke 17:2

Lord, hear us as we cry out to you today on behalf of our children. Restore to our children the tenderness and innocence of their childhood.  Help us to be a refuge for our children.  Use us to protect them from the abuse of predators, the misery of drug and alcohol abuse, and the lies of the evil one that are being promoted as acceptable.

In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and it will be a refuge for his children. Proverbs 14:26

Let’s be that refuge for our children today!

God is great,

Two lives changed forever

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For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:13-16

Surely the writer of Proverbs was a grandfather! He nailed it when he wrote, “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged!” Parents have the responsibility to provide, nurture and disciple their children. Grandparents get to love, spoil and send them home! Grandchildren are the bridge that connects one generation to the next.

1973 marked a turning point in our nation. I was a sophomore college student when the infamous Roe v. Wade decision was handed down by the Supreme Court. Life for me was going to class, trying to understand the subject material, making sure I had studied for my exams, and working to pay for my college classes. However, this one split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court changed the course of history. Over time this one decision created a ripple effect that now threatens to become a tsunami with the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court leak has dominated the news cycle for several days. Politicians have seized upon the story as a way to supposedly energize their base. Media commentators on both sides of the spectrum have interjected their opinions without offering wisdom. Anger has spilled into violence forcing fences to be erected around the Supreme Court building to keep the justices and staff safe. Verbal abuse has been thrown by each side against the others.

Norma McCorvey, the real person behind the name Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, was a young pregnant woman in Texas in 1970 who sought an abortion. Texas law prevented her from having an abortion when two attorneys filed suit on her behalf. McCorvey later said, “I wasn’t the wrong person to become Jane Roe. I wasn’t the right person to become Jane Roe. I was just the person who became Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade. And my life story, warts and all, was a little piece of history.” Yet McCorvey never had an abortion and gave the child up for adoption. However, it was her case that attorneys used to file suit against Texas and ultimately paved the way to legalize abortion in the United States.

McCorvey’s life could have been a character in a Shakespearean tragedy. She grew up in an unstable home with an alcoholic mother and her parents divorced. She was pregnant and married at 16, gave three children up for adoption, and was hopeless and manipulated.

For a decade after the ruling, her identity was hidden from the public, but once revealed, she became the face of the pro-abortion movement. McCorvey later professed to become a Christian and rejected abortion. Almost immediately she became the face of the anti-abortion movement for two decades. After her death, a documentary was made and aired last year on FX. McCorvey claimed, on a deathbed confession, that she was basically pro-choice all along and only became a pro-life activist for the money.

Abortion advocates make their case. Anti-abortion advocates make their case. Yet both sides are deaf to each other, seeking only to win their argument. It is in the deafness that God hears the cry of the aborted and listens to the pain of the woman. Two lives changed forever. One will never breathe life, the other will never hold this life. God, who sees the little one being wonderfully woven, weeps at her death. God who loves unconditionally weeps with the woman as she lays on the abortionist’s table. “Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and it kills the conscience of the mother.”—Mother Teresa

Jesus felt the humiliation of the woman caught in adultery as he sat with her in the dust offering his hand of mercy and grace. Jesus felt the rejection of the woman at the well as he sat with her in the noontime heat offering hope and redemption. Jesus felt the scorn and mockery of the woman who bathed his feet with her tears offering her encouragement and love. Jesus felt the belittlement of children as he calls them to sit on his lap in acceptance and laughter. Jesus felt the plight of his mother as he looked down from the cross offering her compassion and care.

“How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with LOVE, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts.”—Mother Teresa

Followers of Jesus, we have a unique and pivotal role to play in this emotionally charged, passionate driven, and divisive season. The unborn children cry out in their vulnerability and innocence, for us to protect and keep them safe. For the sake of the women who are driven out of despair and hopelessness to abortion clinics, we must come alongside them in love and compassion. For the sake of our nation’s soul, we must be courageous and stand against the tide of evil. For the sake of our children and grandchildren’s future, we need to be men and women of prayer that plant hedges around them daily.

Lord, we cry out in desperation. We desperately need you to pull back the curtain of darkness that has engulfed our land. We desperately need you to help navigate the societal issues that have forced women to accept abortion as an acceptable alternative. We desperately need you to help men to stand strong and courageous against evil and temptation. We desperately need you to protect the unborn and care for these little ones you love so very much. Lord, in our desperation, forgive us, restore us and use us to make a difference.

God is great

EXALT THE LORD, WHO HAS ESTABLISHED US

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As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7 (NASB)

“Do it again, Lord! Lord, would you do it again?! And would you do it again with me?!”

Such was the prayer of a young student during a 1940s field trip in England. Visiting the home of John Wesley, a group of theology students touring various places of leading historical church figures had stopped at his home. The students were shown Wesley’s bedroom and on the floor were two knee imprints where Wesley had prayed for hours on end for God to send a revival to England and the United States.

As the students boarded the bus, Dr. Orr realized one of the students was missing and went back to look for him. Going into the bedroom, he found the young man kneeling in the same place praying fervently, “Do it again, Lord!”. The professor touched the young man’s shoulder and said it was time to go. Billy Graham stood to rejoin the students on the bus. I believe even then Dr. Graham understood fully what Oswald Chambers had written years before. “Prayer does not equip us for greater works—Prayer is the greater work.”

It was with that same passion and determination that Dr. Graham stood on the Capitol steps on Feb 3, 1952, challenging the political leaders to pray for spiritual revival in the United States. On April 17, 1952, Congress passed a bill designating a National Day of Prayer which President Harry Truman signed into law.

Thursday, May 5 will mark the 71st anniversary of the “National Day of Prayer.” The day was designated by an act of Congress and has been routinely acknowledged by the sitting President through a proclamation. The theme this year is “EXALT THE LORD, WHO HAS ESTABLISHED US,” based on Colossians 2:6-7.

Throughout the nation, various events will commemorate the proclamation through times of public prayer gatherings and private times of intercession. However, A.W. Tozer asked a powerful question years ago that is still relevant and worthy of pondering deeply on May 5.  “Do we really want God to intervene in our nation? Are we really ready to pay the price of fervently praying for God to intervene in our nation? To desire revival . . . and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.”

To answer yes to this question will require a deep transformation in our prayer lives. What would we have to give up to see God intervene in our nation? Can you imagine the difference in our nation, our churches, our families and our personal lives if we genuinely sought God’s intervention? Kanita Benson-Rutley with the National Day of Prayer Taskforce wrote, “Love looks like Jesus. While the natural response to the issues we encounter everyday would be to escape, God is calling His church to engage.”

We are facing unprecedented times of spiritual darkness, both in our nation and globally. Now is not the time to “neglect prayer and devotion” but to pay the price that John Wesley and others have done throughout history. We are reminded by Paul, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Billy Graham will always be known for his great crusades and his passionate invitations to come forward to accept Jesus Christ.  Equally important however was his call on the steps of our nation that cold, February day challenging our nation’s leaders to pray. It is a challenge desperately needed in this season of our nation.

“Friends, we are continuing to experience the Holy Spirit’s conviction for the need of prayer, repentance, and revival. As I’ve shared in the past, before every major outpouring and awakening of God, prayer has preceded and paved the path for revival – and God is using the National Day of Prayer Task Force to mobilize prayer and multiply collaboration; growing even stronger in the days of isolation during the pandemic.” Kathy Branzell, President, National Day of Prayer Task Force

Let’s pray this Thursday for revival to sweep the United States. For those of you who live in another country use this day to pray for spiritual awakening in your country. Then on Friday morning, we start all over again praying for spiritual awakening. Together, let’s pray as Billy Graham did decades ago, “Do it again, Lord! Lord, would you do it again?! And would you do it again with me?!” 

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall fresh on me

Spirit of the living God,

Fall fresh on me.

Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.

Spirit of the living God,

Fall fresh on me. –chorus by Daniel Iverson

 

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NASB)

God is great,

Mountain-moving Praying

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Jesus said to them, Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. —Mark 11:22-24 NET

What mountain do you need to move? Mountain-moving praying is critical these days since we are surrounded by mountains. Over the last few days, stories have dominated the news with the plight of over 3.2 million refugees in Ukraine fleeing the vicious onslaught of Russian troops, tens of thousands of Afghans hiding from the Taliban and record-breaking inflation and gas prices. You can turn off the news but your mountain is still looming in front of you. It might be a mountain of personal tragedy, physical sickness, financial or a multitude of other challenges. Whatever mountain you are facing, it is a mountain that God cares about because He cares for you.

Michael Klassen and Thomas Freiling gave a great illustration about mountain-moving praying in their book, Battle Prayers. The story is about a small congregation in the Appalachians who faced an insurmountable mountain. The congregation had built a new building on land donated by a deceased church member. They had pooled all their resources to build a new building but ten days before the first service, they found out the parking lot was too small. The building inspector said he couldn’t approve the permit unless more parking was added.

The pastor responded, “we have no more room to expand. Every square inch of land is utilized except for this hill that stands directly behind the church. Our people just don’t have the money to level this hill and then have it paved. “The inspector replied sorry but there wasn’t anything he could do.

The pastor explained the situation to the church on Sunday. “Tonight, there’s going to be a special prayer service. We’re going to ask God to remove this mountain behind our church and somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted in time for the dedication service next week. But I only want people with mountain-moving faith to come.”

Twenty-four of the church’s 300 members came to pray that night. At 10:00 the pastor said “Amen”. “We’ll open next Sunday as scheduled. God has never let us down before, and I believe he will be faithful this time as well.”

“Monday morning as he was working in his study, the pastor heard a loud knock at his door…The door opened and in walked a rough-looking construction foreman who removed his hard hat as he entered.

Excuse me, Reverend. I’m from a construction company over in the next county. We’re building a new shopping mall and we need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind your church? We’ll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We’re at a standstill until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly.

The next Sunday the church was dedicated as originally planned. There were far more members with mountain-moving faith on opening Sunday than there had been the previous week!”

Klassen and Freiling didn’t reference the name of the church or location, so it may simply be a great urban folklore. If the story is true you may be thinking the church should have done a better job of knowing the building codes before building.

Folklore or poor planning, either way, the story reminds us of how often we get into situations that force us to turn to God. We know some of our mountains are due to our own making but many have been created outside of our control.  Regardless of how the situation happens, we still face an insurmountable mountain.

God is not a short-order cook waiting to prepare whatever we ask. Mountain-moving praying comes out of a deep, intimate and consistent relationship with God. Richard Foster says, “for those explorers in the frontiers of faith, prayer was no little habit tacked on to the periphery of their lives; it was their lives. It was the most serious work of their most productive years. Prayer—nothing draws us closer to the heart of God.”

Through the course of my spiritual journey, I was never excited about the reason for needing mountain-moving prayers but I am thankful God walked with me. God has taken my mountains or what I thought was a mountain and made a parking lot out of it, though seldom how I thought the parking lot would look!

E.M. Bounds understood the importance of mountain-moving prayer as he wrote, “The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere…. God shapes the world by prayer.”

I don’t know if you are at the bottom of a mountain looking up not knowing how you will climb it, or at the top looking down rejoicing in how God has answered your prayer, or if you are still climbing. One thing I am confident of, God is with you as you face the mountain.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Psalm 121:1-3

God is great

 

Tell the Next Generation

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After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, “Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral house, everyone in Israel able to go to war.  Numbers 26:1-2

Florida State University legendary coach Bobby Bowden died last year. Bowden’s football record and accomplishments were truly impressive.  One of these was being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Yet his football accomplishments paled in comparison to his spiritual legacy. Bowden’s son, Tommy said of his father that he “coached until age 80 because the high-profile profession offered so many opportunities to share Jesus with others. He wanted to coach as long as he could to advance the kingdom of God and that his dad wanted to take as many people as he can to heaven with him.”

His football fame will become interesting statistics but his spiritual impact will last for eternity. Bowden once said, “Faith allowed me to stay focused on things within my power while leaving the rest of it in God’s hands.” The most important parts of Bowden’s past continue to impact the future.

 

“Close to you I waken in the dead of night, and start with fear-

are you lost to me once more? Is it always vainly that I seek you,

you, my past?

I stretch my hands out, And I pray- and a new thing now I hear:

The past will come to you once more, and be your life’s enduring part,

through thanks and repentance. Feel in the past God’s forgiveness and goodness,

Pray him to keep you today and tomorrow.”

 

These are the words from the last stanza of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s poem, The Past. Our past is really forever since our tomorrow will soon be our past. Our past is both the ordinary and spectacular events that makeup life and yet, the richest part of our past is the people who intersected with us in life. They are the individuals who shaped us, taught us, loved us, and occasionally hurt us. We remember events most often because of the people who shared that moment of time with us.

Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the past as reflected in his poem most likely formed his understanding of the importance of connecting the spiritual generations together. Writing from his Tegel prison cell to his nephew at his baptism, Bonhoeffer said:

“You are the first of a new generation in our family, and therefore the oldest representative of your generation. You will have the priceless advantage of spending a good part of your life with the third and fourth generations that went before you. Your great-grandfather will be able to tell you, from his own personal memories, of people who were born in the eighteenth century; and one day, long after the year 2000, you will be the living bridge over which your descendants will get an oral tradition of more than 250 years.”

Moses had walked faithfully with God through the wilderness leading the nation of Israel. God commanded Moses to count the people by their family heritage. The census became a family tree for those getting ready to enter the promised land, a record of faith that has been passed down from one generation to the next. It was a past that was not always glorious, but a past that linked each generation to the next.

Biological family trees are critical in reflecting our connection to life. However, maybe just as important is the richness of one’s faith family tree. Our spiritual family creates a unique bond that establishes generations together in ways our biological family is unable to do.  Our faith family trees often include many of our biological family members and many others such as school teachers, neighbors and Sunday school teachers.  These relationships add much depth and richness to life. “To be deeply rooted in the soil of the past makes life harder, but it also makes it richer and more vigorous.” (Bonhoeffer)

Who makes up your faith family? What relationships, writers, artists or places have shaped your ways of believing and worshipping? Try the following exercise during a personal spiritual retreat. Create a faith family tree of spiritual influencers in your life by drawing yourself at its base. Then on the branches and trunk nearest you, write the names of those most directly engaged in your spiritual journey. As you move away from the base, place names or descriptions of other influences on your spiritual life.

Allow this exercise to become holy ground for you as you pray and reflect upon those who God has used to water and shape your tree of faith.  Pray over each name, place, or event that shaped you as a gift of gratitude. In this personal retreat experience, let it become a precious and moving time of worship.

“Take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.” Deuteronomy 4:9

God is great,

Calming the storm

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Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” Genesis 27:41

Hatred is a pattern that repeats itself for generations; often a pattern that is never broken. One of the more infamous examples of generational hatred in our nation was the Hatfield-McCoy feud that covered several decades in the 1800s. These two rural families from the West Virginia-Kentucky area lived for decades under the siege of hatred, distrust, and violence. It was because of one act of violence by one family that led to a retaliatory response by the other family, and a feud that implanted seeds of bitterness that bore fruit in the coming generations.

Scripture is filled with examples of the power of hate. We read in this Genesis passage that “Esau hated Jacob.” Their hatred set in motion a bitterness that would drive a wedge between two brothers and would ultimately live on for generations. Esau did not care about his role as firstborn and Jacob took advantage of the situation. A feud sparked out of jealousy, scheming, and hatred until a family was split apart.

Some of the other scripture stories reflecting this same pattern of hatred that drove Esau and Jacob apart include:

Cain in envy hatred killed Abel.

David in lustful hatred had Uriah killed.

Joseph’s brothers in jealous hatred sold him into slavery.

Absalom in revenge hatred killed his brother Amnon.

Judas in power hatred betrayed the Son of God.

Martin Luther King, Jr. understood too well the oppressive burden of hatred.  It was a burden that he didn’t want to carry nor pass on to the next generation. “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”

Dr. Linda Mintle writes “There is no positive benefit or place for hate other than directing that emotion to evil. Psalm 97:10 says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” The way to get out of that darkness is to walk in the light and allow God to transform your heart. Forgive those who have hurt you, let go of bitterness and the need for revenge, stop thinking and ruminating about your injustices. Rather, think about how you can be part of the solution and begin opening your heart to love.”

This Native American anecdote sums up well the power of hatred. “A grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him, struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love, and kindness. The other is the wolf of fear, greed, and hatred. “Which wolf will win, grandfather?” asks the young boy. “Whichever one you feed” is the reply.”

Which wolf are you feeding? In our current culture, it is easy to find yourself feeding the wrong wolf within your soul. Jesus said “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:20-23 (NLT)

Love is not the opposite of hate but love is the transformer of hate into love. It must be a love that is not some cheap perfume that only covers the stench of evil, but a love born on a splinter-laden cross. This is the only way to overcome the power of hatred. “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:27-31

Lord, to love our enemies will not always be easy. Awaken in our hearts love that overcomes hatred. Stir within us mercy, just as you are merciful. Whatever we do, whomever we interact with, wherever we go, let us reflect your love. Amen

God is great

Butterfly Praying

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Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

 

Eckels felt himself fall into a chair. He fumbled crazily at the thick slime on his boots. He held up a clod of dirt, trembling, “No, it cannot be. Not a little thing like that. No!”

Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead.

“Not a little thing like that! Not a butterfly!” cried Eckels.

It fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across Time. Eckels’ mind whirled. It couldn’t change things. Killing one butterfly couldn’t be that important! Could it?

 

Eckels is a character from Ray Bradbury’s classic science fiction story, A Sound of Thunder.  Eckels, along with the safari guide and two other hunters, had time traveled 65 million years to shoot a T-Rex dinosaur. Eckels overcome by fear and panic, steps off the time travel path impacting all of the future. Upon return to 2055, the time travelers are confused to find a changed world. Language has been altered and an evil dictator is now in charge. It was a simple misstep that changed and altered the course of history.

Though Bradbury’s story is science fiction, we do know singular events have changed the course of world history. Could they have been altered? Edward Lorenz is credited as the official discoverer of chaos theory and out of it, the term, The Butterfly Effect. The title is the layman’s term for a complex field of scientific study that says a small change in starting conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes or “does the flap of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”

Walking with Jesus on a dirt road toward Jerusalem, his disciples were taught the butterfly effect of prayer. They were told that they could move mountains. Yes, they had seen the sick healed, the dead raised to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear and lives restored. They knew Jesus could move mountains but how could they move mountains? What mountains would they move? Why would they want to throw a mountain into the sea?

What mountain or mountains are you facing? Maybe it is a mountain of fear, anxiety, or hopelessness. Maybe it is a mountain of rejection or loneliness. Maybe it is a mountain of family problems.

We can begin a butterfly effect of change through prayer. “When God gets ready to shake America (and the world), He may not take the PhD. and the D.D. God may choose a country boy…God may choose the man (or woman) that no one knows, a little nobody, to shake America for Jesus Christ in this day, and I pray that he would.” –Billy Graham

Instead of being overwhelmed and defeated by what we see in our culture, we take Jesus at his word. We pray the mountain of child abuse we see in our society is thrown into the sea. We pray the mountain of violence we find in the cities be thrown into the sea. We pray the mountain of sexual immorality, consumerism, prejudice, and on and on be thrown into the sea. What mountains can stand against a mountain-moving God?

“During the darkest periods of history, quite often a small number of men and women, scattered throughout the world, have been able to reverse the course of historical evolutions. This was only possible because they hoped beyond all hope. What had been bound for disintegration then entered into the current of a new dynamism.” –Brother Roger of Taizé

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, praying Believers can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. God is ready to move mountains with us. Mountain-moving praying doesn’t make sense to the world and probably not totally to us but as Francis Chan said “something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”

Jesus set in motion the real butterfly effect. On a cross, Jesus forever altered the course of human history. God had been at work from the beginning and now history’s timeline was marked for eternity because of the strike of a hammer on a nail.  It was a sound that has reverberated through the echoes of time. One event, marked by a cross and an empty tomb, forever changed the course of mankind.

God is great,

New Beginning

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So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET)

Celebrating a new year represents more than just a day on the calendar, it marks a new beginning. The word new is a fairly easy concept to grasp. The dictionary defines new as “of recent origin; having existed only a short time; lately made, produced, or grown.”

So, how can one 24-hour period on January 1st make such a difference? One day it is the old year, the next the beginning of something new. Yet at the turn of the calendar page, we feel the excitement, hope, freshness, and a restored outlook as 2022 begins.

We have finally finished the annual ritual of boxing up all the Christmas decorations, moving them to the storeroom, and cleaning the house. Now we know Christmas will come in a few months, so why not just leave all the Christmas decorations up in the house? It would save a lot of time and be so much more efficient come November. Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy Christmas all year long? Regardless of the fact, the neighbors would talk about us, keeping the house decorated for Christmas would keep us from ever enjoying the excitement of new holidays. The beautiful decorations that make Christmas special would look out of place at Easter, the 4th of July, or Thanksgiving. The old must give way to allow the new to come into our home.

Holding onto the old is big business in the United States. There is an estimated 49,233 self-storage units or enough space for every American to stand under the total canopy of self-storage roofing at the same time. This doesn’t include garage, attic, and closet storage space where we store stuff. The problem with collecting things is that you eventually run out of storage space.

“There, where clinging to things ends, is where God begins to be. If a cask is to contain wine, you must first pour out the water. The cask must be bare and empty. Therefore, if you wish to receive divine joy and God, first pour out your clinging to things. Everything that is to receive must and ought to be empty.”

These words were written centuries ago by German theologian Meister Eckhart. However, centuries before Eckhart, Jesus responded to the accusation that he wasn’t following the regulations of fasting by saying “no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9: 6-17)

Jesus didn’t have a problem with fasting or keeping religious traditions. However, He did have a problem if the old kept someone in ritualistic bondage. Jesus had a problem if the old kept someone from truly enjoying their life with God.  Jesus knew the old wineskin couldn’t hold both old and new. “You must first pour out the water. The cask must be bare and empty.”

Unfortunately, too many people try to horde the old and miss the new. Holding onto the old can keep us from the blessings that God would like to give us. Billy Graham told the story about a little child that was playing with a very valuable vase. “He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best to get it out, to no avail. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, “Now my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull.” The little fellow said, “O no, dad, I couldn’t put my fingers out like that because if I did I would drop my dime.”

Could this be the year when you need to open your hand and let go of the dime in your hand to receive something far more valuable from God?

Could this be the year when you pour out the old to finally enjoy the new that God is giving you?

As children bring their broken toys

With tears for us to mend

I brought my broken dreams to God

Because He is my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him

In peace to work alone

I hung around and tried to help

With ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried,

How can you be so slow?

My child, He said, what could I do…

You never did let go.

(Broken Dream by Lauretta P. Burns)

 

The new is only valuable when we are ready to open our lives to receive it.

Lord thank you for the gift of new. Let us receive it with anticipation of all you will do in us this day. Amen

God is great,

Is the New Year worth celebrating?

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The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:19-24 NLT

2022 – What will the year bring? We celebrate yet we have no idea if the year will be worth celebrating. Will it be a year of loss, disappointment, or challenges? Will it be a year of excitement, adventure, and new successes? We can’t see ahead but thankfully God can. As followers of Christ, we have a God who we place our confidence in and who will walk with us through the unknown until they are known.

Amid life’s tragedies and chaotic turmoil, the presence of God may not be as obvious, yet we know his presence is more than we could ever imagine. You may not think of these verses out of Lamentations as being new year verses but they can remind us of the hope and assurance that God’s love is new every morning as well as year.

Jeremiah captured his pain and lament in the book of Lamentations. Though he was persecuted, thrown into a cistern, dragged away as a captive, and jailed, as he cried out to God amid his situation, he came back to the hope that is found only in God.

Scripture is filled with hope to face the unknown and uncertainty of a new year. Scripture gives us stories of those who rested in the shelter of God. As we begin this new year, these stories and countless others can help us to rest in the shelter of God, regardless of the event.

Noah was ridiculed and mocked as he and his sons built an ark in the middle of the desert. Yet as the rains began, Noah experienced the salvation of God when he is told to “Go into the ark, you and your whole family…” (Gen 7:1)

Joseph lived in slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned yet he experienced the restoration of God and was able to say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)

Moses was hidden and rescued as a baby, forced into exile, faced down the most powerful ruler in the land, and endured the wilderness for forty years. Moses knew the dark times of life but he experienced the intimacy of God, “… whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10)

David, belittled by his brothers, his life threatened, lived in caves and was forced to flee his kingdom, but he experienced oneness with God. “…. a man after my own heart;” (Acts 13:22)

Paul was imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked, hungry, cold, accused falsely, yet he experienced worship of God and was able to say “…so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21)

Is the new year worth celebrating? Without a doubt! Only because we celebrate based upon the assurance of God’s promise. Therefore, we can say with confidence:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

We may not know what will fill our calendar pages but we do know “we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.”

Lord, I commit 2022 to you. I ask you to bring encouragement to those who experience tragedy, comfort to those who experience loss, peace to those who will be troubled, hope to all, assurance that you care for them, and gratefulness daily for what you provide. Amen.

Happy New Year and remember,

God is great,

 

 

 

But if not

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But if not….

If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, o king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up. Daniel 3:17-18

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Such was the conviction of Jim Elliot as he entered these words in his journal on October 28, 1949. These words would become true for him and his four fellow missionaries on January 8, 1956, as they were attacked and murdered. Elliot and the others fully understood the dangers, yet were willing to say “but if not.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they had simply gone along with the crowd and bowed on the plain of Dura. They could have rationalized their decision for everyone except themselves. “But if not” became a powerful statement of faith that would echo across the centuries. Could God save them from the furnace of death? Without a doubt. Would God save them from the furnace of death? It didn’t matter.

Fast forward a few years as Daniel, the once-powerful leader within the king’s court now stands looking into the mouth of a lion. Daniel could have closed the windows to his room and prayed in secret but not Daniel. He had no doubts that God could save him from the lions “but if not”, then let it be known I will continue to pray and worship my God.

Jesus standing in the midst of Gethsemane facing the critical juncture in his ministry came to his “but if not” moment. Throwing himself on the ground and praying, he cried out, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)

Peter and John had their defining “but if not” moment as they stood before their accusers. You can go home, just don’t preach about Jesus anymore. This was their free ticket out of jail. “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge.” Peter and John had no doubts that God could get them out of jail “but if not”, “we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

Bishops Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer faced their terrifying “but if not” moment being chained to the stake to be burned for their beliefs. Bishop Ridley if you will only revoke and recant, you can go free. Is this the only way of freedom? Yes. “Well so long as there is breath in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known truth. God’s will be done in me.” As fire began to consume the wood that would quickly take their lives, Latimer, the man of prayer, boldly proclaimed, “Be of good cheer, Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England as I trust will never be put out.”

Scripture is filled with pages of “but if not” moments for those who follow God. Joseph could have escaped prison if he had only succumbed to the desires of Potiphar’s wife. David could have been king sooner if he had only killed Saul in the cave. Job could have had the easy life if he hadn’t been a righteous man. Stephen wouldn’t have been the first martyr of the church if he hadn’t boldly proclaimed the Gospel.

“But if not” faith comes with a cost, yet it is a faith worth whatever cost. “But if not” faith has been the clarion cry for everyone who follows God. Jesus understood fully that his followers would face a “but if not” moment because “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (John 15:18-19 NLT)

Centuries have passed since three young men stood in defiance of a king’s order and made their declarations of “but if not” faith in God. This same zealous declaration has been heard in every generation by those who follow Jesus. Today, around the world, there are those who are facing a loss of job, imprisonment, and even death because they have chosen the “but if not” faith in Jesus Christ.

Every follower of Jesus will face the “but if not” moment. What will your “but if not” moment look like?

God could heal me of cancer but if not, I will continue to trust Him.

God could keep my company from going bankrupt but if not, I will continue to follow Him.

God will …. but if not, I will still worship and praise God.

God is great,