Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God's plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins.
Author Joni Eareckson Tada, in her book, "Overcoming Adversity," wrote about a volunteer at her ministry, Joni and Friends, a high school students named Clay. Clay cheerfully packed boxes and stuffed envelopes and just generally offered himself and his time wherever it was needed.
Pastor Frank Starr, in his series, "Life for the Way," offers a good answer.
Philip Melancthon, the great Reformation theologian, once said to Martine Luther, "This day you and I will discuss the governance of the universe." What Luther said in reply was unexpected. "This day you and I will go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God."
From "Our Daily Break," March-May, 1996
A favorite singer/songwriter of mine is Sara Groves. A few years ago she released a song entitled, "You Are the Sun."
One Sunday, the pastor of a church in Florida gathered the children in front of the altar for the children's message. He began by asking the question, "What does the word 'holy' mean?"
What's the greatest distance in the world? Not the miles across the Atlantic or down to Antarctica, but the distance between the human head and heart. Those 18 inches are the most difficult in the world. Why? Because only God the Holy Spirit can travel them. Millions hear about Jesus Christ as their only Savior, but only some believe. The rest shake their heads in rejection or nod in seeming approval, only to go their own ways. Their ears have heard but not their hearts.
Reading a great Old Testament survey book written by John Jeske, a WELS pastor and professor. I really appreciated this paragraph:
When I was growing up I had a friend who had one of those big, black "Eight Balls." Remember them? You could ask the Eight Ball questions like "Will I hit a home run in the Little League game?" or "Will my parents ever increase my allowance?" and then turn the big, black ball over and wait for the answer. We kids never put much stock in the answers we'd get. But it was kind of fun to mess around with it.
A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.
I've never had to do backbreaking work. I've never worked with heavy equipment. I haven't had to move blocks of granite or bricks. I've never had to work all day under a suffocating sun.
But I've had times when I felt like my back was breaking and probably you have too.
Working double shifts or two jobs trying to make ends meet, so to speak, and still not getting ahead financially. Trying every treatment facility to help an addicted child with absolutely no positive results. Hearing that a loved ones treatment for disease is not working and the word from the doctor is to prepare for the worst.
Some days we feel like our troubles are about to crush us. It seems our backs are going to break under the pressure of life's troubles and challenges.
A reed is usually found in a marshy swamp. It's stalk is so thin that is seems that very little pressure would break it in two. A smoldering wick is a candle that is about to go out. A person's thumb and index finger could put it out completely.
What a friend we have in Jesus. In Isaiah 42:3, God is assuring His people that He is not the one who will break our backs when we feel that we can't take any more pressure or pain.
Just the opposite. Remember these tender words from Isaiah 40:11 - He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.
Jesus is our good shepherd, the One who lays down His life for His sheep. It was Jesus who took upon Himself the backbreaking work of carrying our sins to the cross. In carrying out His Father's will, Jesus did what you and I could never do - work hard enough or be good enough or be righteous enough to earn God's favor. By dying for our debts and rising from the dead, Jesus lightens our load by helping us know that no matter how trying our lives our, no matter how difficult the news is, we have One who will protect us and care for us as if we were sheep on the verge of being scattered.
The words from the hymn make sense: Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge - Take it to the Lord in prayer...In His arms He'll take and shield thee; Thou will find a solace there.
Take your concerns and worries to Your Lord. Trust Him. A bruised reed He will not break. A smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
I read this devotion from the WELS website and it really comforted me. It's based on Isaiah 42:6-7. Maybe it will be a comfort to you today.
When you've been hurt, you can feel like a captive. Long after its over, your mind may be a prison of memories. You can feel that you are all alone. Does anyone care to understand> Can anyone understand?
You are not alone. God called His Son, Jesus, to set you free. He faced the same evil and sin that we do. He was betrayed, abandoned, manipulated, and ridiculed. He was beaten and bloodied and nailed to a cross. He was forsaken by His Father. Jesus understands.
He could have slipped away from His betrayer and slipped through the hands of His captors. He could have come down from that cross; but He did not because He cares for you. He would not come down until it was over. Until all your guilt, shame and pain had been drowned in His blood. Until He had been help captive by death and broken free for you.
That's how much He loves you. You are the apple of His eye, His joy and delight. Take His hand and walk with Him. Bask in His light.
Thus we see how splendid a thing Baptism is. It snatches us out of the devil's jaws, makes God our own, defeats and puts away sin, daily strengthens the new man in us, keeps functioning, and remains with us until we leave our present troubles to enter glory everlasting.
Everyone should therefore look upon his Baptism as his everyday wear, to be worn constantly. He should at all times be found in faith and surrounded by its fruits. He should every day suppress the old man and grow toward maturity in the new man. For if we want to be Christians, we must carry on in the work that makes us Christians. But if someone falls away from it, let him come back to it again. For just as Christ, the throne of divine mercy, does not withdraw from us nor prevent us from coming back again to Him, though we sin, so also all His treasures and gifts remain.
Martin Luther, from the Large Catechism, page 218 in "For All the Saints" volume one.
Have we had enough of Prince Harry yet? He's everywhere! On the television, the first entry on social media and soon on the book shelves for those foolish enough to buy his upcoming book, "Spare."
Harry had been busy airing his many grievances in public for awhile now. His brother is a bully; his sister in law is cold; the King's wife is dangerous and the British media are blood-thirsty destroyers. His list of complaints runs ad nauseum.
I am not an expert on Harry. I haven't watched every interview or read every story. But one of the many things that bothers me about Harry is this - has he not contributed to the disfunction of this family in any way?
I get the impression Harry believes that this mess is of the Royal Family's doing. He's said no angry words? He's made no cutting statements? His actions haven't created pain and angst among his family?
I spent enough time with couples in trouble to know that just as it takes two people to make a good relationship, it takes two people to make a bad relationship as well. Surely Harry and his wife are not the pure and innocent people they pretend to be.
Perhaps you're familiar with the 8th Commandment - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Martin Luther's explanation is clear - We should fear and love God that we do not deceitfully lie, betray, slander nor defame our neighbor. That is what we should not do.
But Luther's explanation goes on - but defend him, speak well of him and put the best construction on everything.
The hymnwriter says it well - Keep me from saying things that later need recalling. Grant that no idle words may from my lips be falling. But then, when in my place I must and aught to speak, My words grant power and grace list I offend the weak. (CW 459:3)
Harry has had his say. He has probably created irreparable damage. Could he now just be silent and go away? Or better yet, begin by asking for forgiveness from those family members who he has slandered and defamed. Then healing can begin.
True confession - I have been a fair-weather fan of the Arizona Cardinals.
I'm on their bandwagon when they're winning. You can see me wearing my Cardinals hat and Cardinals T-shirt. Looks like I'm all in.
Not this season. I have been dismayed watching as the Cardinals lose game after game. I had been thinking that I'd find a new team to support. The Cowboys? My sister is a die-hard fan. The Packers? My good friend, Jerry, bleeds green and gold.
But then I starting watching the documentary "Hard Knocks" which has been focusing on the Cardinals. Cameras follow the team during practices and players at their homes. The program ends with reporting on the game for that week, which has been loss after loss.
Watching "Hard Knocks" has given me a different perspective on the team. Even though they're losing the team is still playing hard. The coach, which has come under heavy criticism, is at the stadium at 4 am and doesn't leave until the last person is gone at night. I've watched some of the leaders of the team passionately implore the players to keep trying and not give up. This behind-the-scenes look at the team has changed my attitude toward them.
The Cardinals play their last game this Sunday against the 49ers. They will probably lose. This supposedly is good because the team will likely garner a high draft pick with another loss. They can either choose a top college player or trade the pick to another team for a group of players to add to the roster. Many are calling for a new general manager and head coach. It remains to be seen how ownership will respond.
In the meantime I'm going to unearth my Cardinals hat and buy a new shirt or hoodie. I'll be in front of the TV cheering the team on as hard as I can. As I said, they'll probably lose. But winning or losing, the Cardinals are my team.
The word, "Gospel" in the Greek means "good news." I find it amazing how the Gospel can make my heart soar, my mind be at peace and my confidence in my salvation through faith in Christ Jesus becomes more firm.
In my journal I wrote down this Gospel message from Harold Senkbeil: In His death Jesus Christ swallowed up our death, and rose again triumphantly to take all the teeth out of the grave. In His promise of the resurrection, death loses its power. When we die with Jesus, we really live.
Death is our enemy. It is not our friend. It is good news that Jesus has defeated death for us. When we confess in the Creed, "I believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting," we do so with the confidence that just as Jesus rose from the dead, we too shall rise on the Last Day. And the Last Day for us is just the beginning of our time in the presence of Jesus, not for a day, but for all eternity!
This year I will be serving as the Pastoral Advisor for LWML Zone 26 group. I'm not exactly sure what me responsibilities will be but there is a meeting on Saturday so I'll know then what's expected of me.
I'm working on a devotion based around Psalm 31:14-15, which read: But I say, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me.
In doing some study this afternoon, I appreciated this comment from pastor and author, John Brug: The words "My times are in Your hands," form a beautiful prayer for all Christians when death is near, and for every day of our lives. These words are also appropriate for placing every second of our lives in God's hands..."
How would you complete a prayer that began, "O Lord, my times are in Your hands....?"
Consider these words from author Reed Lessing: When Richard Nixon was president, social experts predicted that by the twenty-first century, American would work in the morning and have the rest of the day off. What happened? Let me answer that with some Q&A.
How much time does the average American spend on social media every year? That would be 912 hours or about thirty-eight days and nights. What about television? That would be roughly 1460 hours, or roughly sixty days and nights. And what is the constant message on social media and television? Be kind to your neighbor? Forgive those who wrong you? Be content with what you have? The message is singular. When in Egypt, do as the Egyptians do. Live by these watchwords: more, mine and hurry up.
In the first chapter of his book, "Deliver Me," Lessing describes how the Pharaohs of Egypt were focused on gathering as much as possible and they did this on the back of the children of Israel. His point is that not much has changed. We are a people who want the most and the best of everything. And social media and television fuels that desire.
I spent much time yesterday pondering Lessing's words and realized that they applied to me. Like lots of folks I had gotten to checking social media sites constantly throughout the day. I think the devil uses social media as a tool to take our minds off the most important things - our relationship with the Lord and with each other.
So, last night I looked at my last Facebook and Instagram feeds. Interestingly, I'm still going to use Twitter for my blog posts but except checking each morning for messages and feedback that's all the time I'm going to spend on social media.
What do I hope is the result of this exile from social media? An enriched time of devotion and prayer with God, more time spent just talking with my dear, sweet wife, checking in with family and friends, and more time spent reading or practicing the guitar.
You might want to try this too. Wouldn't it be great recapture some of the time that gets wasted with social media?
I discovered British author, Alex Gurlis. He writes spy-espionage books mostly centered during the time of WWII. He has a way of connecting you to the major characters to the point that when they find themselves in harms way, you become deeply concerned for their safety. I read the four books that make up the Richard Prince series and have now started on a two book series. If you are a fan of this genre, check out Gurlis.
Michael Connelly has also become a favorite author. He writes the Harry Bosch series of books and the Lincoln Lawyer books as well. I like the Lincoln Lawyer series especially because the stories are written in the first person. It's as if you are following Mickey Haller around as he defends his clients and solves mysteries in the process.
I've started out 2023 by reading Reed Lessing's "Deliver Us - God's Rescue Story in Exodus." Lessing is an engaging writer who draws connection with Exodus with other Biblical texts. I started digging into the book yesterday and I can't wait for a little quiet time to dig back into what looks to be an interesting and informative book.
Here's to reading good books in 2023!
I've taken a long break from blogging. Fighting depression was a real battle last year. It tends to sap energy. Even if you've done nothing you can still fill exhausted. So I found it real hard to sit down before the keyboard and write anything.
We spent last week with my two daughters and their families in Michigan. Yesterday I had a long time of prayer with the Lord. I resolved to be more focused on self-care. I have a number of steps I'll be following with the hope that the black dog that's been following me will seem as about as threatening as a puppy. I trust that the Lord will give me the faith and strength to follow through.
We were greatly blessed with our travel last week. You know about the big winter storm that hit most of the US just before Christmas. My dear sweet wife and I flew out on Christmas day. By then the storm had passed through the Midwest and Southwest Airlines got us safely to Midway Airport in Chicago.
If you were following the papers, the following day Southwest Airlines suffered a complete meltdown. Thousands of flights cancelled. Hundreds of flyers stranded. What a mess. Watching this unfold left Sherri and I wondering how we would get home. But by Friday Southwest got its house in order, so to speak. Our plane left on time yesterday and we arrived back in Phoenix just as scheduled..
Sherri and I realize just how blessed we were throughout this whole mess. We didn't have to sleep in the airport like so many other travelers. We enjoyed a white Christmas with our family while spending the week in our new summer home. And then we made it home without a hitch.
For the next four months my schedule is fairly packed. I'm preaching twice a month at Christ the Redeemer. Once a month Ron, Connie and I will provide music at the 9:30 service at Life in Christ. I'll start my duties as Zone Counselor with our LWML branch. I have a medical procedure later this month - nothing serious (I hope). Sherri and I have pledged to be more intentional with exercise and to hold each other accountable. We have a session with a exercise leader who is going to put a plan together for us.
What's in store for us in 2023? Do any of us know for sure? In Matthew, chapter one, an angel tells Joseph about the child his intended wife, Mary, carrying. This child is the fulfillment of a prophecy - He is Immanuel, "God with us." And that is our hope for the New Year. No matter what we face, whether is be a blessing or a challenge, our God goes with us into 2023. Trust Him to be with you throughout the coming year.
God's blessings to you and your family!
