Gimme a Sign

I confess I have a love-hate relationship with the Old Testament prophetic writings.  I call it “love-hate” because I am both intrigued and rebuffed by their words and ministries.  Anytime I feel a little low or find myself twisting in the wind, I can count on some perspective – the tough love kind of perspective – from the prophets.

That brings me to Jeremiah.  Read the Book of Jeremiah lately?

What a great man of God.  He shows us the human side of the prophet more than any other Old Testament prophet.  In a word, his ministry was hard as nails. In fact, “going in” God told him his words and ministry would be resisted by the people.  And, his ministry of forty years proved God’s words to be true. 

Reading through Jeremiah chapter 16 recently, I was again reminded just how difficult it would have been to walk in Jeremiah's shoes.  It also reminded me of an often overlooked aspect of his life:  Jeremiah preached the word orally in many settings but he also taught through parabolic actions. Among other things, he used pottery, a linen waistband, some stones, and a wooden yoke to teach the word of God.  He did this to “reinforce” his larger preaching ministry.

Consider this from chapter 16:

The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land:4 They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.

5 “For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. 6 Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. 7 No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. 8 You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

No wife.  Very little social life.  I understand the words but it is difficult to fully appreciate the emotional tension, loneliness and struggle that characterized his life.  Given Jerusalem's impending destruction, all social activity, whether it was going to funerals or enjoy social gatherings, mattered very little.  The calamity that was coming their way would dwarf every other social experience.  What is interesting about Jeremiah’s actions is that he could not reconcile “empathizing with the people and frolicking with them” with the knowledge that their world was about to be turned upside-down.  To give further credence to his message of repentance he had to stand clear of activities that might give them the idea that his message was just the rantings of a crazy man.  His entire life was a sign.

Jeremiah served in special times and under special circumstances.  That said, perhaps we could take a page from Jeremiah's life and make some application to our lives and to our congregations.  

Scripture describes Jesus’ disciples as salt, leaven and light.  We are to be in the world of humanity as a “presence.”  The kingdom of God exists as a “sign” of what God is doing and will do when this age gives way to the next. 

And that raises an interesting question:  How is our signage working?  What message is coming from our lives?   Are we signs…really? 

Paul said, “I carry in my body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus may be manifested in my mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:10).  He also said, “We are fools for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10).  What does that mean to you? 

By anybody’s standard, Jeremiah was a weird person.  His strange acts – modern day drama skits! – were simple to say the least.  His message was in crayon.  Have we gotten so sophisticated and consumerist in how we think about the gospel that people can't make out God's message through us?  

Ah….it’s got me thinking.  What do you think? 

I think it was Paul who said, “I have become all things to all men that I might win some.”  What word from Jesus are people seeing in our lives?  What do we need to do differently to help people see the gospel through our lives?  

Thank you Jeremiah….and thank you Lord Jesus!

O Father, help us to be what you need us to be wherever and whenever you need us to be it. 

Amen.

Randy Daughety

Stephenville, Texas

God Knows

As you do not know the path of the wind

or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.  

Ecclesiastes 11:5

We can choose between trying to figure out life on our own or we can put our faith in God who knows all the answers.  We don’t have to understand the work of God. However, God does ask us to obey him if we are going to put our faith in Him.  Doesn’t it make sense to obey the one who created us?

Isaiah 40:28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the end of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable.”

Do you realize our God is available 24/7?  He has all wisdom and understanding.  He is always willing to help us and he never gets tired!  It doesn’t matter how many people he has listened to today, he will not grow weary.

Even an 18 year old young man who is in shape from daily football workouts gets tired during a big game and is ready for some rest when the game is over. God never gets tired or weary. He will never be nodding off while you are pouring your heart out to him in prayer!

Have you ever sat down at your computer to run a program only to find out that the latest update has left you clueless? It is very frustrating when a simple task turns into hours of work.  This happened to me recently and I actually gave up in frustration after an hour of fruitless effort.  At that moment, I sat back in my chair, spent of energy, and thanked God that he never changes. I can count on Him day in and day out to be there. I can count on him to do what He says he will do.

God knows me and comforts me.  God knows me and makes me feel secure.  God knows my needs and he knows my future.  God knows!

Terry Smith

Stephenville, TX

Praying Breaths

For the past year (at least), I have been unable to pray. It hasn't been for lack of trying. I've stood. I've sat. I've lain on my face. I've knelt. I've walked. I've climbed trees and gone on hikes and stood on mountains and beaches and beside brooks. I've watched storms, sunrises, sunsets, embraced the cold and the heat. I've begged all of these phenomena to help me, to find the prayer in me and to draw it out into the light. 

It isn't that I don't think about God. In fact, most of my thoughts are consumed by God. Somehow, everything I do relates to God. My thoughts are in constant communion with God. But when I would sit down (or wherever), planning to pray and meditate . . . nothing. No words. I have had nothing to say to God. 

When I was younger, I prayed such lengthy, wordy prayers. Praying was the time when I made sure God knew all the things I needed help with and all of the things I desired and all of the things I thought the people around me needed, too. The longer the prayer, the better I was at praying. The more flowery my language, the more I had to say, the closer I was to God. I was doing my prayers the right way.

And then my own heart finally caught up with my head and with what I grew up learning in church. Life caught up, too. I've seen more things, met more people, been on my own, failed at some things, had some successes. I've learned. Oh, I've learned so much. I've learned how beautiful simplicity can be. I've learned that long conversations with God and lots of things to say are, often, good. I've also learned that if I am walking through a valley and my mind can't produce the words, it does not mean that I am far from God. It does not mean I am praying the "wrong way." 

Piety and righteousness are not determined by the technicalities of the way that we pray. Think about it. You know there's always that one guy (or girl) who prays at communion during church who you judge because his prayer is simple. You might even think little thought went into it, that he wasn't prepared, that he is so ignorant in his faith because of the way he prayed. I know we've all thought something like that about someone else's prayer at some point. The thing is, God meets us where we are. Does God stop desiring to be with us, to know our hearts, to bless us, if we don't have much to say when we come and meet with God? Of course not. 

For the past year, many times I've sat down to pray, and I've only been able to come up with one of the following:

"Lord Jesus, have mercy."

"Show me the way I should go."

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love."

"Guide my steps, O Lord."

"Break my heart for what breaks Yours."

"Thank you, Lord, for hearing me."

"Forgive me."

The most profound moments in prayer that I can remember in the past year involved some of the phrases above. I remember going to the park one night, seeing a small clearing of trees. I mapped out a path from tree to tree for myself, and I started walking. One step: "Lord Jesus." Next step: "Have mercy." Repeat. Over and over again, until I was in tears, on the ground, hugging a tree and saying over and over, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner." I believe the Lord heard and accepted that prayer. I believe the Lord knew what my tears meant and what my heart song was singing in that moment, even though I couldn't communicate it the way that I wished that I could.

In those times, I could have become frustrated. I could have listened to the people who told me that there was something wrong with me because I couldn't pray the way that I was accustomed to, the way that I used to pray. I could have given up and stopped praying altogether. But if there's one thing I know, it's that you have to keep praying. 

In an article by theologian Henri Nouwen, he says: "Now this is not easy. Jesus spent the night in prayer. That's a picture of the fact that prayer is not something you always feel. It's not a voice you always hear with these ears. It's not always an insight that suddenly comes to you in your little mind. (God's heart is greater than the human heart, God's mind is greater than the human mind, and God's light is so great that it might blind you and make you feel like you're in the night.) But you have to pray. You have to listen to the voice who calls you beloved, because otherwise you will run around begging for affirmation, for praise, for success. And then you're not free."

When we choose to embrace our freedom and just pray, we are claiming our belovedness, no matter how feeble our prayers are. Don't stop praying, even if your prayer is merely praying breaths. Or steps. Or tears. Keep praying, keep trying, so you can remember who you are: God's beloved. 

Lord,

Show us the way. 

Guide us to the belovedness that the life of Your son invites us to claim.

Thank you for loving us, and for hearing the cry of our hearts.

Amen

Erin Daugherty

Abilene Christian University

Quick, Slow, Slow

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.” - James 1:19-21

Relationships are paramount in our existence – relationships with family members, friends, co-workers, etc. When I read this passage, relationships are the first thing that comes to my mind. People just don’t do everything that we want them to. Sometimes they are unable to do it. Sometimes what we want is the wrong thing. Sometimes our expectations are unreasonable. And sometimes they should be doing what we would like them to be doing, but they don’t. Sometimes they actively pursue those things which they know are not in our best interests – that might harm us. Most of the time, this evokes a negative response from us. We want things our way. If not, get out of our way because we are on the war path!

This is wrong. We should listen, then be quiet. (There is a reason that God gave us two ears and one mouth!) The major problem for us is that we are quick to speak! That’s why we get ourselves into trouble – we are quick to anger because we are quick to speak. In the initial burst of emotion, we should be silent. This delay would greatly limit our fits of anger. Our anger is not godly. When we respond to someone with rage, we are not fulfilling the responsibilities that God has laid out for us. It’s not God’s way for us.

Anger is a very difficult emotion. It’s obviously tough to get a handle on for a lot of us! We can help ourselves by diving into God’s word. By getting into Word and surrendering to what the Spirit gives us we can learn how to reduce our explosive moments – perhaps even rid ourselves of them completely. In their place, we receive that which God requires of us in meekness. Prayer is also a major resource for us – let go and let God.

Father, please help us. Many of us are quick to anger – help us to rectify this. Help us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Grant us peace and an understanding of what your will for us is. Help us to let go of the things that we can’t control. Forgive us when we fail you. It’s through your son and our savior we pray, amen.

Casey Dacus

Graham, TX

Writing in the Margins

Two of my favorite Bible stories are found in the gospels--the story of the man with the demon, called Legion, and the story of the woman who suffered from bleeding. I like the way that Luke tells these stories.

Jesus heads out to the Gerasenes via boat. As soon as he hits shore, a demon-possessed man who lives in the tombs gives him a warm welcome. “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God?” Jesus commands the unclean spirit out of him and right into a herd of pigs, who flee off a cliff and into the lake. The cleansed man begs Jesus to go with him, but Jesus commands him to go into the town and proclaim all that God has done for him.

Jumping forward in chapter eight, Jesus is on his way to help someone else, in the midst of an oppressive crowd. As he moves, he feels power leave him because someone who so desperately believes he can heal her has touched his robes. The disciples doubt him when he says this is so, but the truth comes out when the woman who has suffered from bleeding for twelve years comes forward.

My affection for these stories is not solely motivated by the stories themselves; I like where and how they are positioned in the gospel story. Luke includes the testimony of the prophetess, Anna, in chapter two. He tells of the cleansing of a leper, the healing of a crippled man, the calling of a tax collector, and Jesus dining with sinners in chapter five. In chapter six, he blesses the poor, hungry, and those who weep, then calls down woes on the self-satisfied--a little different from Matthew’s beatitudes. Chapter seven includes the story of a widow’s son who is raised to life, praise of John the Baptist, then moves into chapter eight with stories of women who do Christ’s work. Chapter eight ends with the story of thousands of demons driven out of a lunatic and the healing of an unclean woman.

More than anything else, this gospel emphasizes the fact that Jesus is very intentional with the marginalized. In a culture where women could not do much, Jesus invites them to serve Him and do His work. In a culture where tax collectors are looked down upon as cheating scum, Jesus invites them not only dine with him, but to be his disciples. He heals those who are banished from the city--a leper and a crazed, demon-possessed man. Pharisees and teachers of the law look at John the Baptist and deem him crazy, but not Jesus. Jesus praises John, despite his lack of luxurious clothes and living conditions. “But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).

There are many “leasts of these” who we encounter daily. If I bumped into a demon-possessed man or a woman who was unclean going on thirteen years, I would probably head for the hills. The succession of stories in Luke--with the story of these two standing out most vividly for me--commands us repeatedly to hang tight when we bump into these people. Jesus cares about them.

When he is on his way to heal Jairus’s daughter he stops to heal a woman who people had probably been overlooking for years. Jairus is a leader of the synagogue. Jesus should take care of him first, right? Wrong. Jesus constantly goes out of His way to heal, spend time with, teach, and love those who the rest of society shoves to the margins.

These words ring out in my mind: “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God?” I think the man associates Jesus with the town leaders, teachers of the law, and “clean” people who are above his affliction. Jesus is the “Son of the Most High God.” Too good for a demon-possessed man. Well, we all have our own metaphorical “demons.” And just because some of us can hide them better with expensive clothes, shiny accomplishments, or “holy” works, it doesn’t mean that Jesus will show us more favor or that God’s people should show care to us first and in a more intentional way.

Right after Luke tells these stories, he records Jesus’ commission of the twelve: “He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal diseases. Then He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2). That’s very specific, and this is what I read in between those lines: “Go out and find the people who are shoved to the margins. Write compassion, tenderness, and grace all over their hearts in My name.” I see modern versions of that demon-possessed man and woman with the hemorrhage everyday. It makes me want to pick up my pen and venture out into the margins.

God of the afflicted,
I praise You for the way that You show care to all people. Thank you for Jesus and the life that He lived--a life in which He was constantly seeking out those whom the world rejected. Help us to remember that we should love the way that He loved and expect nothing in return, because that is what You have called us to. We praise You for teaching us through the life of Your Son.
In His name, Amen.

Erin Daugherty
Abilene Christian University

Lost in Transition

There are times I feel extremely connected to God.  I wake up feeling close to Him and go to bed feeling close to Him.  My conversations are more focused on how He is working in me and through me.  I feel like I am walking on clouds.

There are times I feel lost.  I feel like I have lost my connection to God.  In these lost moments I often vacillate between feeling that I have taken a wrong turn and walked away from God or feeling like God has turned away from me or at least taken a break from me.  I feel like I am trudging through sludge.

I am in the middle of a life transition.  I am looking for a job and looking for the thing I want to do in life that fulfills the passions God has placed within me.  There are days in the transition where I know God is molding and shaping me and there are days when I think He might have forgotten I still need to have a way to support my family and myself.  There are those days in the clouds and there are those days that are in the sludge.  It is tough going from one to the other in a matter of days, sometimes hours.  A door will crack open and then get slammed shut.  It’s frustrating and it’s scary at times.  Yet, I still hold on to hope that God is planning something really, really big that will blow me away.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a talk given by Erwin McManus.  He is a Pastor for a church in California and he said something that has permeated my thoughts.  “Do you think the God who imagined you before you were born has quit imagining you now?”  

“Do you think the God who imagined you before you were born has quit imaging you now?”

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  

I think about Erwin’s comments and I think about God’s words and it makes it harder to get down emotionally.  It still happens.  I am human and not as strong as I want to be but when I think about the God who imagined me, who formed me, who created me to do good works, it sure is hard to feel disconnected from God.  

I may be a little lost in my transition from job to job, but God’s word tells me I (and you) am not lost from His sight, from His mind, from His heart, from His plans.  He still imagines me now for what He is planning for tomorrow.  Hallelujah.

Grace and peace.

Jeff Jones

Decatur, Texas

The Gentle Giant

Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:5

He was affectionately called “The Gentle Giant.”  My grandfather stood 6’4”, much taller than the average man born in the early part of the 20^th century.  A stranger could have been intimidated by his size.  Yet, after spending a short amount of time in his presence, his gentleness would become evident.  He spoke with a soft tone, rarely raising his voice.  Yes, he had high expectations and firm principles, but he was patient and kind-hearted.

Paul’s closing comments to the Church in Philippi included the exhortation to be gentle.  He intended for Christians to avoid harsh, stern, or violent language or behavior when interacting with others.  This does not imply a simple absence of mean-spirited or hurtful actions.  Nor, does it mean we should tolerate a standard of behavior that is inconsistent, ambiguous, or questionable.  Instead, Paul asks that our gentleness be evident to all.  We should be consistent, clear and obvious with our gentleness toward others.

According to Paul, the reason we should pay attention to how we treat others is because the Lord is near.  I will choose to be gentle because the Lord isn’t far away.  My actions are being observed and evaluated by all who are watching, including the Lord.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me stand tall in my relationships.  I want to be gentle.  Help me overcome my tendency to be harsh or overbearing.  Help me to be gentle with my words and, especially, with my tone of voice.  Thank you for your patience and loving kindness toward me.  In the saving grace of Jesus, amen.

Carl Smith

Stephenville, Texas