The Grief of God

Readings for today: Jeremiah 5-8

The passage from the end of Jeremiah 8 is one of the most poignant in all of Scripture and it bleeds into the beginning of chapter 9. Most English translations put these words in Jeremiah’s mouth. Primarily because of how uncomfortable we are with God experiencing deep, heartbreaking grief. As Western Christians we are heavily influenced by Platonic thought whether we realize it or not. We tend to believe God is fundamentally distant. Fundamentally different. Fundamentally beyond all human experience, including emotions. We believe He is untouchable. Unmovable. Unchangeable. We associate emotions with feelings of change. Instability. Unpredictability. And these things cannot be true of God...right? 

But what if we were willing to embrace a different understanding of emotions? A deeper understanding? Again, it is without question that God experiences emotions. Love. Anger. Frustration. Joy. We read about them over and over again and they are not simply anthropomorphisms. (Anthropomorphism = a way for God to express Himself in human terms we can understand. Ex. “The arm of the Lord...”) What if our understanding of God could be expanded to include the full range of emotions? What if having emotions is part of being made in God’s image? What if our “emotionalism”, which breeds feelings of instability and unpredictability, is actually a result of sin and brokenness? What if God, because He remains untouched by sin, is able to experience all emotions without being driven by them? 

This brings us back to Jeremiah 8. Here God is expressing the deepest, most heartbreaking grief possible. “My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me.” God is experiencing an incredible sense of loss. His people have betrayed Him. They have abandoned Him. Then they turn around and blame Him. “Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land: "Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" They refuse to bow the knee. Refuse to repent and return to Him. Refuse to humble themselves before Him. Quite the opposite. They brazenly continue in sin. "Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols?" This is a stiff-necked people. A foolish people. A rebellious people. They take their relationship with God for granted. They are entitled. They are spoiled. They assume God will come to their rescue despite their unwillingness to walk in His ways. "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."

The perspective shifts back to God. “For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Here we bleed into the beginning of chapter nine…) Again, one pictures deep, heavy sobs. God weeping a flood of tears. God experiencing unimaginable pain. Because He has freely joined Himself in an unbreakable covenant with His people, their wounds become His wounds. Their pain becomes His pain. Their heartbreak becomes His heartbreak. Things get so bad, God wishes He could leave. Abandon them to their fate. Leave the Temple in Jerusalem and return to the wilderness. Go back to the time when He tabernacled with them on the Exodus journey. “Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord.” But the Tabernacle is gone. There is no lodging place in the desert for God to run. He is stuck. He is committed. He will endure. This is the great faithfulness of our God! It is costly. It is hard. It is painful. But it remains true. 

In truth, God is simply being faithful to Himself here. Faithful to the promise He has made. To be our God, come hell or high water. This was the message He communicated through the covenant He first made with Abraham in Genesis 15 and sealed through the death and resurrection of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. His steadfast love establishes the fundamental reality of our lives. The bedrock on which we can build our lives. Without fear. Without shame. Without worry that somehow, someway there will come a day when God will finally lose patience and abandon us. God will not leave us or forsake us for in doing so He would be unfaithful to Himself. Let this truth be your firm foundation today, friends!

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 9-12

Godly Courage

Readings for today: Jeremiah 1-4

We’ve been preaching through a challenging series this summer at the church I serve. It’s called “No Easy Answers” and we’ve been attempting to apply Biblical truth to some of the most complex issues of our day. Issues like truth, life, ethnicity, immigration, refugees, politics, marriage, family, and sexuality. It’s been difficult to say the least. We’ve received nasty emails. Some people have left our church. Some remain and foster all sorts of division. I’ve been accused of being both “woke” and a “bigot.” Some weeks I get called a “leftist progressive” and other weeks a “far right conservative.” Some of the criticism has turned to personal attack. Some of it has spilled over onto my own family. On the positive side, I have had many, many more people complement us on our courage. We’ve had many new people start attending who have expressed thanks for being a church willing to take on hard subjects. Just this past week, a young woman who’s been struggling in her faith for years made the decision to return because of how we were “holding space” for those with doubts and questions. It was so encouraging to hear her story.

Jeremiah was a man called to preach in one of the most difficult seasons in Israel’s history. He was watching the end of an era. The twilight of a nation. His people had abandoned their faith. They no longer trusted in God or obeyed His Word. They ignored His Law and God’s judgment was on the way. Their hearts were hard. Their eyes were blind. Their ears could no longer hear. And yet Jeremiah was called to preach. It took great courage. It took great perseverance. He would be mocked, beaten, and persecuted. People would seek his death. I’ve often wondered where he found the strength. Then I read these words from the opening chapter, “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭1:4-10‬) Jeremiah’s confidence comes from the Lord. He trusts the call God has placed on his life. It’s an inner strength he was born with. Something God instilled in him in the womb. To abandon this call would be to abandon himself which is something Jeremiah simply cannot do.

I have to admit I feel much the same way. I actually don’t feel like it takes much courage to preach what I preach. I simply say what God has called me to say. Frankly, I think it would take more courage to keep my mouth shut. To not preach God’s Word. To substitute something more popular, less threatening, or to play to the crowd. Such an idea scares me to death because I know the Lord will hold me accountable for the way I lead His people. “But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭1:17‬) Ultimately, however, it is not fear that drives me but love. I long for God’s people to return to Him with all their hearts. I long for God’s people to listen to His Word and obey His commands. I long for them to know the blessing of God in their lives. This is my heart and I know it’s God’s heart as well. “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭3:15‬) This is my calling. To be a faithful shepherd. A shepherd who loves God so much, he is willing to endure whatever conflict may come. I want to be a shepherd who feeds God’s sheep with knowledge and understanding. Wisdom that is not of this world. This is my calling. This is my prayer. This is my hope. May the Lord find me faithful.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 5-8

Faith over Fear

Readings for today: Joel 1-3

This morning a good friend of mine shared with me his anxiety over the world his children are growing up in. He told me he and his wife watched the news for the first time the other day and were simply overwhelmed by what they saw. Violence. Disease. Pain. Suffering. It made him sick to his stomach. He asked me if I thought it was God’s judgment and if we should be afraid. It’s an honest question. I told him I have some of the same concerns and anxieties and fears. I look around the world today and see everything that’s happening and I grieve. I made a commitment this year to read both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal on a daily basis and often feel like I’m on information overload. Very little of it is good.

I think the prophet Joel must have felt the same. “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten. What the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.” (Joel 1:4) Plague after plague. Defeat after defeat. The national economy crashed. An entire way of life destroyed. It had to be so depressing for him and yet what was his response? A call to faith over fear. “Consecrate a fast; call a worship assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” (Joel 1:14) Joel is on to something important here. Any time we experience anxiety and fear, we have a choice to make. We can wallow in it. We can try to medicate it. We can attempt to dismiss it or ignore it. Or we can respond by taking it to God. Falling on our faces before Him. Humbling ourselves and crying out to Him for help.

After all, has not the Lord showed us His mercy? Is not our God a God of compassion? Forgiving those who love Him to the thousandth generation? Joel places his faith in God and God responds - as He always does - by renewing His covenant promise. “Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12-13) God is jealous for His people. God loves the place where He has set His name. So even in times of national disaster, we look to the Lord. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!” God has done great things for His people throughout history and He will continue to do great things in and through them if they will but turn to Him.

One of my favorite Scriptures in the entire Bible comes from Joel 2:25, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” I have experienced this restoration firsthand. Thirteen years ago, my life was in shambles. Neglect had almost cost me my marriage. Anger had almost cost me my children. Mistakes made by me and others had blown up my career. I was out of options. In desperation I turned to the Lord. For months, I spent my nights pacing back and forth for hours in prayer. I barely got any sleep. The darkness in my life only seemed to get deeper. My anxieties and fears paralyzed me. I hit rock bottom. The “locusts” God had sent into my life stripped me down to the studs. And who did I find waiting there for me? Jesus. He walked with me in the ruins of my life. He ministered to my wounds. He calmed my fears. He slowly but surely restored me to health again. The last thirteen years have been like a dream. All because I returned to the Lord with all my heart.

Perhaps you feel a lot like my friend. Perhaps you look at the news or what’s happening in the world and you have deep concerns. Anxieties and fears for those you love. You wonder where to find hope. Return to God! Humble yourself before Him. Fast and pray. Rend your heart and give the Lord your whole heart. Let Him renew and restore you as He has promised.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 1-4

How Long, O Lord?

Readings for today: Habakkuk 1-3

It’s the heart cry of God’s people. Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, we’ve been crying out to God. How long will you wait? How long will you tarry? How long until sin and evil and death are finally and completely destroyed? We look around us and we see the wicked prosper. We see evil flourish. We see those who commit violence and injustice and oppression get ahead. We don’t understand. Why do bad things happen to good people? How can a good God allow such evil and suffering? Why doesn’t God do something about all that is wrong in the world?

The thing I love most about the Bible is it doesn’t shy away from these hard, honest questions. The prophet Habakkuk asks some of these same questions in our passage today. “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” ‭(‭Habakkuk‬ ‭1:2-4‬) Remember, Habakkuk is prophesying sometime after the death of Josiah. He has witnessed one of the most righteous kings in Israel’s history die at the hands of a pagan king. He can’t wrap his mind around how God could ever allow such a thing. Josiah did everything God asked. Josiah was righteous and good and noble and true. His death was the final blow for God’s people. The wages of sin are now beginning to be paid. Destruction and violence and strife and contention are all on the rise while God seems to stand idly by. The Law is paralyzed. It cannot save. Justice is stymied. It never goes forth. The wicked surround the righteous. There can be no hope.

How does God respond? He’s honest with His beloved prophet. “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.” (Habakkuk‬ ‭1:5-7‬) God is using the Babylonians to accomplish His divine purposes. He raises them up in order to bring the nations low. Like the Assyrians before them, they will become the rod of God’s righteous judgment on His people. Habakkuk cannot believe what he hears. “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?…Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?” (Habakkuk‬ ‭1:12-13, 17‬) Habakkuk is full of fear for his people. He can see how merciless the Babylonian horde will be. The violence will not stop. The killing will not end. The suffering will be overwhelming.

Once again, the Lord answers. “And the Lord answered me: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith…For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea…But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Habakkuk‬ ‭2:2-4, 14, 20‬) God does not count time as we do. His vision is pure. His timing is perfect. He is on the move. If His salvation seems slow, we are to wait. If His deliverance seems delayed, we are to have faith. Indeed, the righteous shall live by faith. Just as Abraham waited for the fulfillment of God’s promise so must we and the good news is that God meets us in the waiting. He speaks to us in the waiting. He ministers to us in the waiting if we will but turn to Him. What is God waiting for, you might ask? He is waiting for His purpose to be fulfilled. And what is His purpose? To fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. To call the earth to silence and awe and reverence and worship before Him as He indwells His holy Temple.

Habakkuk hears God’s heart in these words and his despair turns to faith. “O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy…Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk‬ ‭3:2, 17-19‬) Habakkuk walks by faith not by sight. He may not live to see the deliverance of the Lord but he believes it. Trusts it. Rejoices in it. This is our call as well. No matter where you may find yourself in life. No matter the challenges you may face. No matter the hardship you may endure. God is already on His way to save. Already on His way to deliver. Already on His way to lift you out of the pit and miry clay and give you a new song to sing. Trust Him! Believe Him! Have faith in Him! Rejoice in your coming salvation!

Readings for tomorrow: Joel 1-3

Life isn’t Fair

Readings for today: 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chronicles 34-35

“Whoever said life was fair?” If I only had a nickel for every time I heard that phrase growing up! As the oldest of three boys, I often complained that I had to do more work than my brothers. I had to be more responsible than my brothers. More was expected of me than my brothers. In reality, I don’t actually think this was true but that’s how it appeared to me when I was young. Then I had my own kids. Four of them. As they grew up, we started assigning them chores around the house. They too would complain from time to time. Guess what words came out of my mouth? “Whoever said life was fair?”  :-) 

One of the more difficult things about reading and reflecting on Scripture from a Western perspective is this principle of “fairness.” We live in a democracy which - at least in theory - is built on the assumption that everyone is equal. Everyone has equal opportunity. Everyone gets the same chances in life. We all know this is a myth but that doesn’t stop us from believing it and it becomes a “lens” through which we read Scripture. Fundamentally, we believe deep down in our hearts that God’s law, God’s grace, God’s justice, God’s mercy must apply equally to all people at all times. In essence, everyone gets a chance or God is unfair. 

But then we read about King Josiah. A man so faithful to God that he’s described as the greatest king since David. His heart was pure. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left. He walked in the ways of the Lord. He tore down the altars his father had built. He purged Israel of their idolatry. He reinstituted the Passover to such a degree that nothing like it had happened since the days of Samuel the prophet. Josiah rebuilt the Temple. He fulfilled the prophecy given to Jeroboam, destroying the shrines he had built that had ensnared the northern kingdom of Israel, leading to her destruction. One would think Josiah’s faithfulness would stem the coming disaster. One would think God would judge him on his merits alone. One would think his faithfulness would be rewarded with long life and happiness and peace. Such was not the case. 

Judah had reached the point of no return. God’s judgment was on its way. There was no turning back. The sins of the fathers and grandfathers going back generations would now be visited on their descendents. Josiah’s faithfulness didn’t matter. It wasn’t enough to turn back the tide. So Josiah goes to war and rather than rewarding his faithfulness with a great victory - as God had done in ages past - Josiah is mortally wounded and dies. His reign of faithfulness comes to a tragic end. The people wail. Their grief is real. The great prophet Jeremiah himself appears in our text, lifting up a lament. And to our eyes it appears God moved the goalposts. God is unfair. After all, did not Josiah do all God had asked? Did not Josiah stay true to God’s commands? Did not Josiah walk in God’s ways? Why did revival not come? Why didn’t God give him a chance? Why didn’t God restore Israel like he had done before? 

Sin has consequences. Not just for our lives but for the lives of our children and children’s children as well. There is a cumulative effect to sin. It builds over time. With each passing generation, injustices are heaped upon injustice. Death doesn’t reset the deck. The passing of a generation doesn’t restart the clock. The debt is passed on. The weight of sin only gets more heavy and eventually becomes a burden too great to bear. God is just. God is righteous. He will not let sin go unchecked. He will not let evil go unpunished. So by the time we get to Josiah, the die has been cast. God’s wrath is already engaged. His judgment is on its way in the form of the Babylonian Empire. The line of David will be cut off. The city of David destroyed. The Temple razed to the ground. God’s people will go into exile. This is God’s will and though it might not seem fair to our Western eyes, it is just and righteous. 

At this point you may be thinking, “What hope do I have?” When will I feel the weight of God’s righteous wrath and judgment? Should I be living in fear of the day when God’s punishment will come and I will lose all that I have? Hear the good news of the gospel. Jesus Christ bore the full weight of human sin! All the sin that had piled up generation after generation - not just from our past but also from our future - was laid on his shoulders. On the cross, the Father poured out the full measure of His righteous wrath and judgment on the Son. Jesus truly paid it all. His blood satisfied the just demands of God’s Law. Jesus was cut off. Jesus’ body was destroyed. His soul went into exile in hell. But the Righteous One would not stay in the grave! On the third day, He rose again! And through His death and resurrection we have been set free. This was God’s plan from eternity. To balance the scales of justice. To right every wrong. To level the playing field by sending His Only Beloved Son to die in our place. Rejoice, friends, God has done for you what you could not do for yourself! He has paid the penalty for your sin and granted you salvation!

Readings for tomorrow: None

God’s Vision for the Nations

Readings for today: Zephaniah 1-3

I was asked recently what I loved most about God. Not an easy question to answer! There is so much I love about God but if I had to choose perhaps what I love most is His heart for the nations. God loves humanity. God loves every human being who has ever been conceived on the face of the earth. God loves every tribe and tongue and nation. God loves every culture and language and ethnicity. God loves every people group. God loves young and old. Rich and poor. Abled and disabled. And His great desire is to get to know each and every one on a deep, intimate, personal level.

So often when we think of the Great Commission, we think of Matthew 28. But did you know there is a Great Commission in every single gospel? Did you know the Great Commission often shows up in the Old Testament as well? Consider the words of Zephaniah from today’s reading…“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.” (‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:9‬) I imagine the people listening would have immediately thought back to the Tower of Babel. The place where God came down and confused the languages of the earth. The place where God judged the people of the earth for not fulfilling His Great Commission to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. Zephaniah points them forward to a day when God will reverse the curse. The people will come together in unity to call on the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord. This is exactly what happens at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is poured out and everyone hears the gospel preached in their own languages. The early church called on the name of the Lord and were saved. They served God with one accord, holding all things in common. They had great favor as a result with all the people and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This is what God wants to do in and through His church today. So how does that happen? We open ourselves up to God. We surrender to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We draw near to God in repentance and He then draws near to us. How will we know when He is near? Listen to how Zephaniah describes it…“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.” (Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17-20‬) Friends, these are the signs God has drawn near. Joy. Gladness. Peace. Love. Loud singing. Comfort for those who mourn. Freedom for the oppressed. Healing for the lame. Inclusion for the outcast. Reversal of reputation for those who’ve been put to shame for His name sake. God makes Himself known in the gathering of His people. God makes Himself known among all the peoples and all the nations of the earth. God makes Himself known in favor and blessing. How is God making Himself known to you in your life today?

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chronicles 34-35

The Honor of God

Readings for today: Nahum 1-3

Some things you can’t unsee. Like the time I ran my first Bolder Boulder several years ago and saw the male belly dancers around mile four! :-) On a more serious note, now that I’ve become aware of the “honor/shame” dynamic running through all of Scripture, it seems like it’s everywhere. Why does God judge Nineveh with such harshness? Why is He not just content to have the victory but goes further, grinding them into dust? Why does He put their nation to open shame? Lifting their skirts. Exposing their nakedness. Demonstrating before the whole world their powerlessness? Why does He go as far as to throw excrement at them and make them a spectacle? Because God is a jealous God. Jealous for His honor. Jealous for His glory. Jealous for His name. 

The nation of Assyria has enjoyed their time in the sun. Their chariots have rolled all over the Middle East like an ancient blitzkrieg. Their empire is great. Their power limitless. Their military without equal. But they’ve grown proud. They’ve exceeded the limits God set for them. They’ve become drunk with their success. Though they served as the rod of God’s anger against the northern kingdom of Israel, He must now bring them to heel. He must again demonstrate His sovereignty over all the nations of the earth. Remember the words of the Assyrian commander to King Hezekiah when they besieged Jerusalem? How they dared to compare Almighty God with the small tribal gods of the pagan nations? It’s worth going back and re-reading the story from 2 Kings 18 again. Such disdain and disrespect draws God’s ire. Not because it hurts His ego but because it offends His sacred and holy honor. God will not be mocked! The Creator will not allow His creatures to treat Him this way. They will learn to honor God. They will learn to respect God. They will learn to submit to God. He will bring them to their knees one way or the other because there is one thing God cares about more than the creatures He made in His own image and that is Himself. His glory. His honor. His fame. It is His will to make His name great upon the earth!

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.” (Nahum‬ ‭1:2-6‬) Assyria will learn this lesson in spades. As will the other nations who dare defy the Living God. But what about God’s people? What is our response to this God? How should we approach this God? With fear and trembling? On some level, yes. With humility and submission? Certainly. With terror and dread? Absolutely not! Why? Because our God is also good. And He loves His people. He is faithful to His people. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” (Nahum‬ ‭1:7‬)

So here’s the million dollar question from today’s reading…are you living a life of humble submission before the Lord? Is God an ever-present reality in your life or does He seem distant? Someone to call on in case of emergency? Do you seek to love God with all your heart or are you apathetic towards His commandments? What about His honor and glory? Do these things cross your mind when you work? When you parent? When you’re among friends? When you relate to your husband or wife? Is your worship focused on praising God or are you more concerned with your personal preferences? These are critical questions, friends, in light of what Nahum shares with us today.

Readings for tomorrow: Zephaniah 1-3

Leadership Impact

Readings for today: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33

All of us are leaders. Leadership begins with self. Learning to control our thoughts and desires and channel them to godly action. Leadership continues in the family. We lead our families as fathers and mothers and teach our children to walk in God’s ways. We lead at work as we use our influence - whether supervisor or employee - to impact the health and well-being of others and our organization’s future. We lead at church by the way we worship and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. We lead in every sphere of life so here’s the critical question...what kind of leader are you? When the final analysis is in and the impact of your life is measured, will it be for good or for evil in the eyes of the Lord?

Manasseh reigned for over fifty years and in that time, “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.” (2 Kings‬ ‭21:2‬) He reinstituted pagan idol worship, rebuilding the high places his father had torn down. He defiled the Temple by setting up altars to foreign gods. “He burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.” (2 Chronicles‬ ‭33:6‬) In short, he did more evil in his reign than all the kings who had come before him and after he died, his son Ammon continued in his ways. It was the darkest period in the southern kingdom’s history. The people were lead astray and the nation would perish as a result. Everything rises and falls on leadership. 

In 1994, an unholy alliance between the racist government of Juvenal Habyarimana and the “Hutu Power” promoting media run by Hassan Ngeze combined to create the conditions whereby a horrific genocide became possible. In all, the genocide claimed the lives of over 1.1 million people. Most of them were killed by friends, neighbors, even family members. A national trauma survey by UNICEF estimates that 80% of Rwandan children experienced a death in their family in 1994. 70% witnessed someone being killed or injured and 90% believed they would die. The Habyarimana government, aided and abetted by the French who supplied them arms and training, worked hard to gain control over the country as they prepared to implement their own version of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” As the international community turned their backs on Rwanda, evil was allowed to flourish and the results were beyond tragic. Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Paul Kigame could see what was happening in his country. He saw the signs of genocide and he organized a resistance. He led a rebellion against a racist government and a racist national media and, as a result, potentially saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He is rightfully called a hero. But his leadership didn’t stop there. He has worked hard to reintegrate the country. Establishing Unity and Reconciliation commissions where wrongs can be redressed, crimes confessed, forgiveness offered, and entire communities restored. This is perhaps his greatest accomplishment. Like Nelson Mandela before him, he refuses to allow hate to drive his leadership and his nation is reaping the benefits. (Of course, no leader is perfect. President Kagame’s intolerance for political opposition is a dark stain on an otherwise exemplary record.) Everything rises and falls on leadership.

How are you leading in your life today?

Readings for tomorrow: Nahum 1-3

Potter’s Hand

Readings for today: Isaiah 64-66

Over the years, I’ve had the blessing of spending time with incredible men and women of faith from all over the world. House church pastors in China. Leaders of an underground railroad for North Korean refugees. Survivors of the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Church planters in Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan. Foster parents in America. Military men and women who’ve seen and experienced the horrors of war. Police officers and fire fighters who come face to face with human suffering every single day. Single moms working multiple jobs to provide for their children. Older men and women serving as primary care-givers for their spouses with terminal illnesses. Inmates who find ways to love others in the midst of an often violent prison system. In each and every case, the challenges these dear friends face are overwhelming. The pain they experience is real. Frustration can often get the best of them. Sometimes they even despair. They ask God a lot of questions. “Why have you done this to me?” “Why are you letting this happen to me?” “Where are you in the midst of all I am suffering?” These questions are honest and real. The emotions raw and unfiltered. And there are no easy answers.

Isaiah grappled with similar questions in his own time. “Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?” (Isaiah‬ ‭64:9-12) He could see the coming judgment. He could see Jerusalem and the Promised Land laid waste. Everything he held dear would be lost. His entire way of life destroyed. One might think this would cause Isaiah to despair. To lose faith in God. But in the midst of his suffering and doubting and questioning, Isaiah hits upon a key insight. One that sustains him through the pain. “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

God never promises life will be easy. In fact, He tells us quite clearly throughout the Scriptures that life in this world will be hard. There will be pain. There will be suffering. We live in a broken world. A world that is not as it should be. A world that is not how God intended it would be. It is a world of our own making. A world ravaged by sin and death. A world we created because we wanted to be like God. A world we continue to create because we still fall for the same lie over and over again. Yes, God never promises us an easy life but He does promise He will use all things - even our pain - for our good. He is the Potter. We are the clay. The clay doesn’t ask the Potter, “Why have you made me like this?” The clay doesn’t question the Potter’s plans for it’s life. The clay doesn’t worry because the Potter knows what He’s doing. He is shaping us for His own glory.  

It’s an ancient insight that still holds true today. It holds true for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. No matter where you live. No matter what you do. No matter what your circumstances may be. God is the master potter. We are his clay. He has us right where He wants us...on His wheel...and He is shaping us to serve His purposes in this world. We have no need to ask Him, “Why?” No need to question His plans. We simply are called to trust and obey. To let the Potter do what the Potter does best. What is the Potter doing in your life today? How is He shaping you? How is He forming you? Where is He at work in you? Give Him thanks no matter what season you find yourself in.  

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33

Freedom Comes With Responsibility

Readings for today: Isaiah 59-63

I have a running dialogue with a couple of friends who are atheists. Their questions are honest and real and sincere. They struggle with all the suffering they see in the world and they wonder how in the world God could stand by and let it happen. They question his goodness. They question his omnipotence. After all, how could a good God allow things like mass starvation and genocide? How could an all-powerful God not confront Putin and put an end to warfare and violence. Perhaps God is all-powerful but not good and therefore not to be trusted? Perhaps God is good but impotent in the face of evil and therefore unreliable? Either way, he’s not much of a god and unworthy of our attention much less our worship and devotion.

The factor my friends fail to take into account is human freedom. When God created us, He made us in His image. He gave us dominion and authority over all He had made. He gave us the freedom to choose so that we would have the freedom to love. Love the world He has made. Love our fellow human beings. Love God. The freedom to choose means we have to accept responsibility for the consequences of our choices. Good or bad. Righteous or unrighteous. When we choose selfishness, greed, power, deceit, violence, and hate; we shouldn’t be surprised when we reap a similar harvest in return. When we choose sacrifice, honor, love, grace, and mercy; we shouldn’t be surprised when we reap those things as well. What is true for us as individuals is also true for us collectively as nations and it’s why the world we live in is in such turmoil.

Isaiah saw all take place in his own day. He also could see it continuing to happen far into the future. Read his words again from Isaiah 59:1-13. They are convicting and sobering. The prophet lays out exactly why there is so much evil and suffering in the world. He pins all the responsibility on humanity’s failure to love and obey God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders’ eggs; they weave the spider’s web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men. We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.”

The fundamental reality is that God has given humanity all she needs to put an end to evil and suffering in our world. The earth produces more than enough food to make sure everyone single person gets fed. World economies produce more than enough wealth to provide for the basic needs of every single person on the planet. Medical technology could easily bring an end to so much disease. Justice and righteousness are within our grasp if we can just look beyond class and race and gender. So why don’t we do these things? The Bible’s answer is clear though we may not like it. We are sinners. At a fundamental level, we are selfish. We look out for number one. We want what we want when we want it and we give too little thought to those around us. We believe we are the center of the universe and our needs are what are most important. Satisfying our desires is our highest priority. And the consequences to such an approach to life are evident all around us. It’s why some have much and others have little. It’s why some get ahead and some are left behind. It’s why there is so much inequality among individuals and nations. We refuse to answer the call for which we were made…to be our brother and sister’s keeper.

Thankfully, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor His ear dull that He cannot hear. Though He has entrusted the world to us, He is not dependent on us. Though He has entrusted us with the welfare of our neighbor, He doesn’t wait for us to act. Though He has given us dominion and authority over all things, He still reigns supreme. So in His time and in His way, He takes action. He sends a Redeemer. His name is Jesus. Listen to how Isaiah describes Him…“Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives. “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.” (Isaiah‬ ‭59:15-20‬)

Jesus sets us free from the power of sin and death. Jesus sets us free to love and serve others. Jesus sets us free to move from selfishness to selflessness. From greed to generosity. From hatred to compassion. From violence to peace. And those who follow Jesus are sent out into the world to “bring good news to the poor” and “bind up the broken-hearted” and “proclaim liberty to the captives” and the “year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61) This is our responsibility as believers in Jesus Christ, friends, and it is why the church is the hope of the world.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 64-66

Full Devotion

Readings for today: Isaiah 54-58

The great Reformer, Martin Luther, taught that we learn to hear God’s voice in three primary ways. Oratio - Prayer. Meditatio - Meditation. En Tentatio - Within the “tensions” of real life. It is this last one that resonates most often with my heart. Many years ago, I took a trip to Rwanda. A nation still recovering from a horrific genocide that resulted in the death of over 1.1 million people. Spurred on by a racist national government with a history of systematic abuse and oppression, many ordinary, everyday people turned into rabid killers. They murdered and raped friends. Family members. Neighbors. Co-workers. Things turned so evil that some pastors turned on their congregations. They turned their church buildings into charnel houses. They lured their parishioners into traps with the promise of safety. One pastor even bulldozed his own church down on the heads of those he served. These events provide a dark backdrop to these words from Isaiah this morning... 

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” (Isaiah‬ ‭58:3-8‬)

Rwanda was known for many years as a Christian nation. Some 90% of the population claimed to know Christ prior to the genocide. So how does one adequately explain how these same people ended carrying out one of the most gruesome pogroms in human history? Bishop John Rucyahana, a key figure in the forgiveness and reconciliation movement in the wake of the genocide, suggests it is because their Christianity only went skin deep. It hadn’t penetrated to the heart. Yes, they worshipped. Yes, they fasted and prayed. They had all the appearance of godliness but they did not love God with their hearts. Isaiah was facing a similar situation in his own time. The people of God worshipped, fasted, sang, made sacrifices. They appeared to follow God’s commands but in reality they were seeking their own pleasure. Their own power. The results were obvious to anyone who could see. Oppression of the weak. Violence. Dissention. Pride. All were hallmarks of Israel at the time.

In the face of evil, God calls His people back to Himself. He calls them to lay aside their comforts, their safety and security, their wants and desires to serve a higher calling. A greater purpose. To humble themselves before the Lord and lay their lives and their future in His hands. Prior to returning to Rwanda, Bishop John was leading a flourishing ministry in Uganda. He was doing God’s work and many people were being saved. But God wanted Bishop John to leave his comfortable life and return to his own country. Bishop John reports hearing God telling him, “If you do not go there and present the healing gospel, then the fate of Rwanda will be in the hands of those who carry guns. If God is the remedy and the solution, whom shall He use, if you don’t allow Him to use you?” This powerful message from the Holy Spirit convicted Bishop John and he laid everything aside to return home. Isaiah calls his people to a similar return. To return back to God in faithfulness and service. To “loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke...to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house...” God promises that when His people commit their ways to Him, their light shall breakforth like the dawn and the glory of the Lord will be their rearguard.

So...here’s the challenge for us...do we believe these words are as much for us as they were for the people of God in Isaiah’s time? For the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda in the 1990’s? Do we believe God has called us to place our lives in His service? To loose the bonds of wickedness in our own communities and nation? To give all that we have and all that we are to the higher calling of righteousness and justice and peace? To set aside our own agendas and let God guide and direct our steps so that we might serve the oppressed and hungry and helpless in our midst? This is what it means to follow Christ. There are no other options. There is no other way. Only full and undivided devotion will do.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Suffering Servant

Readings for today: Isaiah 50-53

I am extremely blessed to be friends with a man named John Rucyahana. John is a retired Anglican bishop who chairs the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Rwanda. For almost thirty years, he has been engaged in helping his country recover from the horrific genocide in 1994. As such, he has wrestled deeply with the question, “Where was God as over one million people were being slaughtered?” And here is his answer in his own words, “Where was God when a million innocent people were being butchered? Where was God when priests and pastors helped massacre the people in their churches? I’ll tell you where God was. He was alongside the victims lying on the cold stone floor of the cathedral. He was comforting a dying child. He was crying at the altar. But He was also saving lives. Many were saved by miracles. God does not flee when evil takes over a nation...God is the giver of eternal life, and He can bring great good out of any situation. He raises the dead; He can also raise the broken. He can restore their hearts and minds and lift their spirits to renewed life. In my country God is doing this today by the thousands. There is so much pain here, so many real tears, and so much guilt that our ministry is like preaching hope from the top of a pile of bones. From atop a mountain of mutilated bodies, we are stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and recovery.” (The Bishop of Rwanda ) 

I cannot fathom the journey so many in his country endured. The horror. The pain. The suffering. It’s immense. Indescribable. Beyond words. And yet, I would argue the forgiveness and reconciliation they have found is equally, if not more, profound. When I visited the country several years ago, I asked a woman if she was ethnic Tutsi or Hutu. “Neither” was her reply. “Here we are all Rwandan.” She went on to describe some of the hell she and her family had been through and the freedom they had found through forgiveness. Only Jesus could provide such grace. Only Jesus could give them such strength. How can I be so sure? Because Jesus knows the depths of human suffering. He experienced the absolute worst this world has to offer. He knows evil intimately and through his death defeats it once and for all. Listen to how the ancient prophet Isaiah describes the suffering of Jesus, some hundreds of years before His death and resurrection…

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed...He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth...Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand...Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-5, 7, 10, 12‬)

The same God who bore the sins of many. The same God who makes intercession for transgressors. The same God who loved His enemies so much He died for them is the same God who is alive and active in Rwanda. Bringing about reconciliation through forgiveness. Preaching hope from atop a pile of His own bones. From atop His own mutilated body, He is stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and grace. It’s truly incredible and it is available to all who would place their trust in Him. Friends, if God can bring about reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda can He not accomplish the same in our lives as well? Can He not bring together husband and wife on the verge of divorce? Can He not bring back together children and parents who’ve been estranged? Can He not help Democrats and Republicans find common ground? Can He not heal the racial tensions in our own country? These are just a few of the problems we face that only the gospel can solve. 

What is required? Repentance. Confession. Truth-telling. Courage. Faith. Humility. Most of all, a deep and abiding and enduring trust in the power of the gospel. 

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 54-58

Lean on God

Readings for today: Isaiah 46-49, Psalms 135

You have a choice. Either carry your god or let God carry you. Either you load yourself down with idols…Idols that are false. Idols that are dead. Idols that cannot save. Or you let God bear you up on eagle’s wings. I love how Isaiah 46 puts it, “Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” (Isaiah‬ ‭46:1-4‬) The picture Isaiah paints here is of foreign nations carrying their gods around from place to place. They put their gods on carts borne by beasts of burden. They are heavy loads. The oxen have to strain to keep going. And all for naught because the idols are dead and empty. The end result is defeat. Exile. Captivity. Contrast this with the Living God of Israel. No idol can depict him which means no statue or totem to carry. Israel’s faith was so strange and unique that many of their Ancient Near East neighbors considered them atheists! All because they didn’t appear to have a god! And yet Israel’s God is real. Alive. Active. He bears them up from birth even to their old age. They didn’t make him, He made them. They didn’t bear him, He bore them. They didn’t carry him, He carries them. They didn’t save him, He saves them. ‬

You and I are faced with the same choice everyday. Sure, our idols are not as obvious. At least that’s what we tell ourselves. Most of us don’t have statues or totems or anything like that. Instead, we have bank accounts. Homes. Careers. Relationships. These are the things we place our trust in rather than the Living God. We place our faith in ourselves. We worship ourselves. All our energy and resources are directed towards making sure our needs, our wants, our desires are fulfilled. We are told we deserve this. We are told we’ve earned this. We are told we want this. We would be nothing without it. Life is not worth living unless you have it all. Such lies place burdens on our shoulders too heavy to bear. They wear us down. They sap us of our strength. All of us know the rat race we’re on is killing us. We simply cannot maintain the pace. So what’s the answer?

Turn to God. Let Him bear the burden of your life. Trust the One who shaped and formed you in your mother’s womb. Trust the One who gave you breath and life at your birth. Trust the One who endowed you with your gifts and talents and abilities. Trust the One who knows every hair on your head. If you’ll let Him, He will lift you up. If you’ll lean on Him, He will give you strength. If you trust Him, He will never let you down. He has made you. He has borne you. He has carried you. He will save you. This is his promise.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 50-53

Calling

Readings for today: Isaiah 43-45, Psalms 80

One of things I often do when I travel overseas is look at the tracking map they make available while you’re onboard. It’s a great way to pass the time. I watch as cities like London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, Khartoum, Juba, Entebbe, Bahiir Dar, Asmara, Djibouti, Jeddah, Mogadishu, and Aden all come into view. I’ve flown over Greenland, Iceland, and Europe as I make my way to the Horn of Africa. I’ve fallen in love with this part of the world. God has given me a heart for the people over there. I have dear friends in Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan. They are some of my spiritual heroes and heroines. They are engaged in the great work of taking the light of the gospel into some very dark places. They encounter a lot of idolatry. The worship of false gods. And when you’ve seen some of the things I’ve seen, Isaiah’s words don’t seem so foreign or unfamiliar. “The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.” (Isaiah‬ ‭44:13-15) The thing is…I’ve met these carpenters. I’ve seen the craftsmen hard at work fashioning their idols. I’ve watched them bow down before them and it shatters my heart. I’ve wept over the lost. I’ve held those who are sick. I’ve prayed with those who are dying. I’ve seen the desperately poor. And I’ve dedicated my life to bringing them the hope of the gospel.

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah‬ ‭43:1‬) I believe with all my heart that God called me for such a time as this. God created and fashioned me for this purpose. He redeemed me so many years on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder so that I might fulfill His great plan to bring the gospel to the nations. This is why He called me by name. To set me apart. To serve His purposes. To take all that I am and all that I have and use me for His glory. I have no identity of my own. I have nothing to call my own. This is not just something I do in my spare time or support with the leftovers of my life. This is literally the reason I exist. “Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant…I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah‬ ‭44:21-22‬)

Now you may be tempted to dismiss this as my individual calling. Something unique to Doug Resler but nothing could be further from the truth. Every single person who calls on the name of the Lord has been saved and set apart for this glorious purpose…to bring the gospel to the nations! It starts right outside your front door and extends to the very ends of the earth. Every resource you’ve been given. Every gift you’ve received. Every talent you’ve developed. Every life experience you’ve gone through. God has carefully orchestrated all these things in order to prepare you for His service. By the way, this is true whether you acknowledge Him or not! Consider the example of Cyrus the Persian from our reading today! The reality is you don’t have to go to Africa to see idolatry. You don’t have to go to the Middle East to see the worship of false gods. Our nation and our neighborhoods are just as dark as places like Juba and Khartoum and Entebbe. The people we live among need the gospel just as desperately as the people I will have the opportunity to go and serve this fall. When it comes to the Kingdom of God and the promise of eternal life, we hold no advantage. We have no privilege of position. We will not be “boarding” first or get any special treatment. God has given us a truly GREAT commission. To share the good news of the gospel. To go and tell the nations of all He has done! To sing a new song! To lift up praise to our King! To place our lives in His hands for Him to use as He sees fit according to His divine plan.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 46-49, Psalms 135

The Comfort of God

Readings for today: Isaiah 40-42, Psalms 46

One of my favorite memories is of the first time we took our son Josiah to the beach. We were living in Mobile, AL and we took a short day trip to Dauphin Island. Josiah had just turned two and we were excited to introduce him to the Gulf of Mexico. We parked. Grabbed all our stuff. Chloe ran on ahead. Kristi and I were walking with Josiah. When we got to the beach, he started to run towards the water. I was pumped for him, thinking this was shaping up to be a great day. After getting about halfway, his little legs suddenly dug in. He stopped so fast he almost left skid marks in the sand. He stretched out his little arms and started shouting at the waves. “You stop! You stop!” They didn’t obey. He got more frustrated, kept yelling, started crying, and finally sat down. His little two year old brain just couldn’t make sense of the movement of the waves and he was scared. Watching all this go by, I quickly dumped all our stuff and went to Josiah’s side. He looked up at me, his dad, with big eyes full of tears. Pointed to the waves and said, “Don’t stop, daddy. Don’t stop.” I picked him up in my arms to calm him down. Then I set him back down on the beach, grabbed his hand, and we walked to the water together. 

Today’s reading is awesome. The picture of God taking us by the hand and leading us is tender and special. Isaiah speaks of a God who comforts. A God who forgives. A God who gathers His people in His arms like a shepherd gathers little lambs. Let the power of these words wash over you as you reflect and pray today...

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord 's hand double for all her sins.” (Is. 40:1-2)

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Is. 40:11)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” (Is. 40:28-29)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:10)

“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I am the one who helps you...I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” (Is. 41:13-14)

“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” (Is. 41:17)

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations...” (Is. 42:6)

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” (Is. 42:16)

There is a lot in life that makes us afraid. Crisis. Uncertainty. Unexpected experiences. Illness. Disease. Job loss. Aging. Growing up. These things are like waves crashing on the shores of our lives. We cannot stop them anymore than Josiah could stop the wave action in the gulf. What we can do is let God take us by the hand. Lead us to the water’s edge. Help us find safety, security, and peace in His presence. When we do, we discover the very things we fear become opportunities for significant spiritual growth. Our greatest trials become the source of our greatest victories. Our greatest struggles become our greatest strengths. Playing in the surf of life is where the action is and with God at our side, we have nothing to fear. Whatever you may be facing today, know God is with you! He is at your side! If you reach out, He will take you by the hand!  

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 43-45, Psalms 80

Healing Prayer

Readings for today: Isaiah 38-39, 2 Kings 20:1-21, 2 Chronicles 32:24-33

One of the things I’ve learned from all my travels around the globe is the power of healing prayer. Believe it or not, there are millions around the world today who do not have access to anything but the most rudimentary form of healthcare. Infant mortality rates are high. Life expectancy is low. They live with sickness, disease, and death on a daily basis. They have no recourse but God so they lean on Him for healing and strength. I have prayed for healing alongside believers in the slums of Addis Ababa, rural villages in Uganda, among South Sudanese refugees, North Korean defectors, and for Palestinian believers who are displaced in their own country. I have watched God’s Spirit intervene miraculously to bring sight to the blind, healing from different diseases, strength to those who are weak and on the brink of death, even raise the dead.

King Hezekiah was sick to the point of death. He had no access to modern healthcare. Little in the way of hope. In fact, the prophet Isaiah even visited to give him the dire news. “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order for you shall die, you shall not recover.” (Is. 38:1) And what was Hezekiah’s response? He turned to the Lord in prayer. He asked for healing. It’s a simple prayer. Not a lot of words. Not a lot of drama. He just turns his face to the wall and calls on God to remember his faithfulness. “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” (Is. 38:2) It’s a prayer of trust. A prayer of faith. A prayer of surrender. However God chooses to respond, Hezekiah is prepared to accept the answer. Through his tears, he commits his life and his fate to God.

God chooses to answer Hezekiah’s prayer. He heals him from his disease and adds fifteen years to his life. Note that God’s answer serves an even larger purpose. Hezekiah’s healing will be accompanied by the even greater miracle of God’s deliverance of His people. God Himself will defend them and protect them from the Assyrian king. To top things off, God gives Hezekiah a sign. He makes the shadow cast by the sun turn back ten steps. It’s an amazing miracle. Hezekiah is saved. Israel is delivered. God is glorified.

So why doesn’t this happen more often? Why do miracles seem so rare in our day and age? Why does Gods seem so silent in the face of our prayers? Perhaps it’s just a matter of perspective. I can’t tell you the number of times I have prayed with those who are sick and dying in our own country. I’ve been at the sides of countless hospital beds asking God for miracles. Recently, I prayed with a good friend who I’ve known for thirty years who was on death’s door. She had been told by her doctors to put her affairs in order. She would not make it beyond a few weeks. We spent an hour talking through her funeral. But before I left, we prayed. We asked God for healing. We asked God to intervene. We asked God to remember her faithfulness. We told God we trusted Him. We knew she was in His good hands no matter the outcome. The next day her body began to respond to the treatment. Within a few days, they were talking about rehab. Within a week or so, she was coming home. It was nothing short of a miracle.

God often works His miracles through ordinary means. It could be a cake of figs (Is. 38:21) or oxygen and anti-biotics. God’s healing can happen instantaneously or it can happen over time. And no matter what happens, it must be acknowledged that healing in this world is always incomplete. We are mortal, finite creatures. The reality is Hezekiah didn’t live forever. He was given fifteen more years. My dear friend won’t live forever. She’s simply been given the gift of a little more time. None of us will live forever. Our lives will be filled with all kinds of joy and sorrow, health and sickness, pleasures and pain. The real question is what will we do with the time we’ve been given?

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 40-42, Psalms 46

Empty Threats

Readings for today: Isaiah 36-37, 2 Kings 18:9-37, 19, 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, Psalms 76

Standing on the top of the ancient citadel in Amman, Jordan is eye-opening. The history of the site can be traced back to the Bronze Age (3300-1200BC) and has been conquered several times. The Persians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamelukes, and Ottomans all had their day. Every time a new empire would sweep in, they would often raze the city to the ground and rebuild on top of it. They would establish their dominance by repurposing important, often sacred structures like churches, as storage rooms or stables or trash dumps. It’s fascinating to walk through the ancient streets and think about all the different tribes and nations that called this place their home.

It also gives you a sense of the threat Hezekiah was facing when the Assyrian army invaded. They had just wiped out Israel to the north. Now they were moving south with designs to end up in Egypt. Assyria seemed unstoppable. They had crushed nation after nation. Forcibly uprooting the populace and sending them into exile. Their war machine was brutal. They left nothing but complete destruction in their wake. They believed they were following a sacred call. Destroying god after god to demonstrate the supremacy of their own god, Nisroch. Not only that but Judah was weak. She could barely seat an army of a couple of thousand. She had no chance against an army that was almost 100 times her size. Resistance seemed futile. Their fate sealed. All hope lost. But Hezekiah turned to the Lord. He called on God to hear the mockery of the Assyrians. He called on God for deliverance and salvation. He called on God to make His name known by destroying the most powerful nation on earth at the time. And God hears Hezekiah’s prayers. God responds to Hezekiah’s cries. He sends His avenging angel to strike down the Assyrians. He sent Sennacherib back home in disgrace where he is assassinated by his own children.

The Lord makes all human threats empty. No empire - no matter how mighty and strong - can defeat Him. No weapon that is fashioned against Him shall stand. No king or emperor can aspire to ascend His throne. God will brook no rivals. God will allow no pretenders. God will not be mocked. Not by any human being, great or small. Listen to how God Himself describes it in Isaiah 37:23-29, “Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest. I dug wells and drank waters, to dry up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt. Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins, while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown. I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.”

Friends, greater is He that lives in you than is in the world. With God at your side, you can stand against a legion. You can leap over a wall. The next time you feel anxious or afraid. The next time you feel isolated and alone. The next time you start to doubt the provision and protection and power and promise of God, read Psalms 18. Claim David’s words as your own. Let them fill you with peace and a deep sense of security. God is on your side!

Readings for tomorrow: None

Escape Routes

Readings for today: Isaiah 31-35

So today is my last day in Jordan and we went to a Greek Orthodox Church with a famous mosaic on the floor. It’s a map of the trade routes of the ancient Middle East. Part of the map was destroyed by earthquakes that have hit this region. Other parts were carried off by pilgrims over the centuries. Most of the map remains and it essentially shows the King’s Highway from the Sea of Galilee through the Dead Sea down into the Red Sea. It highlights significant cities along the way like Hebron, Jericho, Bethlehem, and especially Jerusalem which is where almost all caravans in the ancient world were headed. It also highlights the many Byzantine churches that had been built in the region, giving travelers a road map that would help them find places for food and rest and especially water along the way. It’s truly an amazing sight and one of the many reasons Christians should take the time to visit Jordan.

I thought of the map when I read today’s text. I’ve always wondered why Israel would ever be tempted to flee to Egypt. Why go back to the nation that enslaved them? Why go back and seek help from a regime that had brutally oppressed them for hundreds of years? Why place your life at risk by undertaking a hard journey through the desert wilderness? Well, when one looks at the map, it becomes relatively clear. Caravans often made their way up from Egypt to Syria along the King’s Highway. This was a well-traveled road filled with all kinds of people from all kinds of different tribes and nations. When the other nations were defeated or faced a grave threat, they fled north or south depending on where the threat was coming from. In short, Israel was simply following in the same footsteps as the nations around them. Flying to Egypt to escape the Assyrian invasion would have made perfect sense to an ancient person living in the Middle East at the time.

But God wanted something different. God wanted His people to trust in Him. God wanted His people to look to the Holy One of Israel for their salvation rather than the pharaohs of Egypt. God wanted His people to consult Him before making any decisions rather than trust in the common wisdom of the day. The Egyptians are just men. They are not gods. Their horses are flesh not spirit. Their military might is nothing compared to the might of God. The only one who can save Israel from the wrath of the Assyrian army is the Lord of hosts.

“And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah‬ ‭31:8-9‬)

What was true for God’s people back then remains true for God’s people today. Only God can deliver us from the struggles and trials we face. Only God can protect us from the evil one who prowls about looking to devour and destroy. Only God can deliver us from sin and death and it is to Him we must turn. We must learn to seek God again. Not just on our own but when we are together. Worship. Bible studies. Small groups. Leadership meetings. All present opportunities to seek the Lord as a community of believers. And the promise of God is sure. If we seek God with all our hearts, He will make Himself known to us. We will experience Him in a powerful way. And He will give us the strength to stand firm when the storms of life come.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 36-37, 2 Kings 18:9-37, 19, 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, Psalms 76

Cornerstone

Readings for today: Isaiah 27-30

“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation; whoever believes will not be in haste.” (Isaiah 28:16)

I thought about these words throughout our trip. Each of the churches we went to seemed built upon a particular stone. There was the Church of the Nativity where one could touch the stones on which the manger lay. There was the Monastery of the Temptation where one could gaze upon the stone on which Jesus sat while being tempted by the devil. There was the stone of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. And there was the stone of the empty tomb where Jesus rose from the dead. Praying at each of these places was powerful. One could literally feel the weight of glory pressed into each of these stones and it makes Isaiah’s words from today’s reading come to life even more.

“And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter. Then your covenant of death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand…” (Isaiah 28:17-18)

God has established an everlasting covenant with His people. A covenant of life not death. A covenant of joy not sorrow. A covenant of peace not conflict. A covenant of grace not condemnation. Here in the Holy Land we see signs of that covenant all around us. The Western Wall where faithful Jews still gather to pray. The tombs on the slopes of the Kidron Valley where faithful Jews have been buried for centuries with the hope of greeting the Messiah when He comes. The many different churches and shrines marking the places where Jesus lived and taught and suffered and died and rose again. The Holy Land presents one of the most powerful testimonies to the truth and hope of the gospel and it’s why every believer should try to make the trip here at least once in their lives.

Because God Himself has laid the chief cornerstone in Jesus Christ, we who believe in Him will never be put to shame. We can trust Him to be faithful. We can trust Him to be our refuge and strength in times of trouble. Our stronghold and refuge when the storms of life come. Nothing will shake a foundation that is built on Christ. Rather than seeking to save ourselves, we can respond to God’s gracious call, “Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength…the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 31-35

The House of the Lord

Readings for today: 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalms 48

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.” (Psalm‬ ‭48:1-2‬)

It’s one thing to read about the restoration of the Temple and the covenant renewal that took place in Israel under the reign of Hezekiah and another to actually stand in the place where it happened. Not much is left of the Temple of course. Today two mosques dominate the Temple Mount and yet one can still walk the steps that lead to the Huldah Gates. One can pray at the Western Wall. One can walk on the same paving stones millions of faithful Jews once walked as they came to the Temple to worship. It’s incredible. The restoration of the Temple is a flashpoint politically over here. If one were to attempt what Hezekiah once did, it would ignite a massive conflict because the Temple Mount is considered holy by Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike.

One has to admire the courage of Hezekiah. Cleansing and rebuilding the Temple was no easy effort even in his own day. Yes, he didn’t have to contend with a religion like Islam but destroying the high places, cutting down the Asherah poles, and grinding the bronze snake Moses once held up as a sign of deliverance to dust would have made him a lot of enemies. The logistics of re-establishing the Levitical priesthood had to be overwhelming. The cost of the repairs would have emptied the royal treasury. And to top things off, he calls all of Israel to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast. Hundreds of thousands of people came. Indeed, there had not been a Passover like this since the days of Solomon! They continued the work of cleansing the city of her idols and restoring true worship in the Temple. Their hearts were turned to the Lord. It was nothing short of revival.

All because one person had the courage to live out his convictions. One person had the courage to do what was right and good and faithful before the Lord. One person submitted his time and talent and treasure to the work of the Lord. One person sought the Lord with all his heart and God honored his prayers and devotion and sacrifice. Listen to how the chronicler describes it, “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.” (2 Chronicles‬ ‭31:20-21‬)

What about you? It’s doubtful you and I will ever wield the authority of a king over a nation but what about the spiritual authority God has entrusted to us over our homes? Our marriages? Our children? Our grandchildren? What about the spiritual authority God’s given us in our workplace? Schools? Communities? What about the spiritual authority God’s entrusted to us in the church? Among our fellow believers? Every single Christian is indwelt with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Every single Christian walks in Christ’s authority in everything they say and do. As such, we’ve been given divine power to tear down every stronghold and every high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge and worship of God. If revival is to come in our time. If revival is to come to our families and our churches and our communities, it must come to us first. Our hearts must be stirred just as Hezekiah’s was stirred to courageously and boldly and humbly and faithfully serve the Lord.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 27-30