Pray in the Dark

"...Let us learn to pray in the dark..." Well said Matthew Henry. After all, how difficult is it to pray when skies are sunny, with a gentle breeze carressing your cheek? Words come easy at times like these when the whole world seems to be smiling. Have darkness cover your life and you will soon discover that the same refains you recited when all was well do not trickle so easily from your lips. In these times the cry becomes, "Where are you, O Lord? Please do not hide Your face from me." It seems as if King David had the same lament on several occasions. Are we so different from him? Let us learn how to pray as well in the dark as we do in the light. After all, God is the Father of it all.

Mere Spectators?

Lately, I have been reading the Memoirs of Charles Finney and I have to say that he, along with so many of his generation, have issued a challenge to me and those of my generation by mere virtue of the way they answered God's call. Charles Finney truly stepped up to the plate once he turned his life over to God's leading. He was a lawyer one day and a minister of the gospel the next. That fast, that confident, that trusting. The day after he was found by the Lord a client came to his office to remind him that he had retained Mr Finney to represent him in court that day. Mr. Finney looked him in the eye and with all seriousness said "Mr. ______, my services have now been retained by Jesus Christ and I represent him alone". WOW!!! Where are we in this arena?? Are we still on the sidelines as spectators or are we in the fight earnestly pursuing the call of Christ in our lives. It's not a game but my generation has lived as if it was just that. "Stool of do nothing" I abandon you for a much higher purpose.
Oh, by the way, lest you feel sorry for Mr. Finney's client who had to go into court alone, the story says he settled his affairs went home and found the Lord himself. Awesome!

A Beautiful Song

Today is Sunday and this morning I was in my usual place, playing the keyboard and leading worship at Christ Family Church. We had just finished singing "Famous One" and I was transitioning to the part of worship that I love best, the intimate fellowship with the Lord. All of a sudden I was filled with a beautiful, spontaneous song- a song that had never been written or sung before. It welled up inside me and without any effort at all bubbled out. It was as if the Holy Spirit said "this song must be sung now and must be sung by you". I have sung spontaneously many times but this was the first time I was not the composer. I was simply the vessel. I cannot recall the tune. I can only recall some of the words. While I was singing I wanted so much to stop and write it down but, of course, I could not interrupt the Spirit. I don't think the congregation realized what they were hearing. They hear me all the time. They are used to that. But this morning at that particular juncture in our worship the Holy Spirit sang for us and I just stood in awe of Him.

Just Suppose....

Just suppose that when Christ came to live on the earth, He was not hated. Suppose for a moment that everyone loved Him and wished Him well. Choose to think that the Pharisees would pat Him on the back as a gesture of affirmation and the Sadducees would be so bold as to give Him a "high five" for His wisdom and insight. Possibly Judas would have loved Him so much that money would have not been an issue. He would not have betrayed Him because no one would have asked Him to. There would have been no reason at all for Him to be put on trial, whipped and beaten beyond recognition, made to carry a cross down the via Dolorosa and crucified on Calvary. WRONG!!!!! Our love did not crucify Him, our sins did. Our affection and admiration did not spare him from the cross. It was our affinity for disobedience that drove those three spikes into His hands and feet. We love Him today but we still succumb to the temptation to sin. We are jealous, bitter, judgemental, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, etc. Nothing has changed. He gives, we take. Isn't it time to grow. Isn't it time to stop living in disobedience and making useless sacrifices that He does not need and usually does not want. The only sacrifice He desires is "a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart" He will not despise. I guess supposing can change the picture for a moment but the end result has to be the same...His death = our life. Thanks be the Jesus!

Turn the Other Cheek Love

I've never been a fan of tough love. I know sometimes it is a necessary evil but I don't favor it. Tough love happens after all other resources have been exhausted. You are at the end of your rope so it's time to get tough. Maybe I can't see past the trees into the forest but that's how tough love comes across to me. I don't know that Christ ever exercised it. Some may want to argue the point with me but I feel secure in my opinion. "Turn the other cheek...do good to those who spitefully use you...seventy times seven. It's all there, written in red. The Man who knew one of His disciples was a thief and had the potential to work evil against Him didn't exercise tough love with him. Instead, He washed his feet and fed him with the fishes and loaves.

I had the oppotunity to choose between tough love and "turn the other cheek" kind of love several years ago. Someone I love very much had given himself over to the enemy, slowly killing himself with drugs. This individual lied to us, stole from us and sacrificed our safety for his pleasure. Did he love us? Yes, I know he did because sometimes, while he was asleep I'd go into his room and pray for him. I wrote out a prayer once and left it for him to find. Later I found it tacked above his bed. When I asked him why, he said he needed to read it before he went to sleep. This was not an easy road our family walked. There was much fighting, crying and praying. Too many times we did not know whether he would come home in one piece or even come home at all. But still we kept loving, fighting and praying.

A few nights ago he was home doing laundry. As I walked past the bedroom I looked inside and saw him folding his clothes, yes folding his clothes that he had washed. I do not know the last time he folded anything. Usually his clothes would lay in one big pile and slowly move to another dirty pile. But there he stood folding away. I was impressed, not with him but with God. There was a time when I believe he would have died if we had made him leave. But here he is, very much alive all because of God and His incomprable grace. I was relating a story of a family member who has been in dire straits and he said something to me I don't believe I have ever heard him say. He said, "I'll be praying for him". Those five simple words might be just a vain promise but I choose to believe that my son means them.

I know there may be a place and time for tough love- you have to decide for yourself but I'm grateful to have the excellent example of Christ and His "turn the other cheek" love.

Can you hear??

I was passionately moved to tears by a song today. Alright, I'm a "Drama Queen". I admit it. I am very "in touch" with my emotions and I want to make everyone else in touch with them, as well. Anyway, this song ministered to the very core of my being. We are all faced with those "voices". You know them. I'm sure you've heard them. Some of you may be on a first name basis with them. The old faithfuls who remind you of how you've failed, what a disappointment you are, how unattractive you are, etc. At times they sneak up on you when you least expect them. You have had an amazing day and something goes wrong and bang, there they are. "See, I told you so. Why do you even try when you know it will always end up like this." Sometimes they wake up and crawl right out of the bed with you. They watch as you brush your teeth, making snide comments all the while. They get in the car and go to work with you and you say "it". That's right, you chime right in and say "it's gonna be one of those days". Well, thanks to Casting Crowns I heard a different voice this evening. The voice of truth shouted loud in my ears (I had the CD player up really loud) It gave me a different story than the one I am used to on my drive home. It told me to not be afraid. It told me that these things I go through good and bad, mountaintops and valleys, celebrations and trials, overcoming and failures are all for His glory. That's when I realized, once again, that my life is not about me. It's about Him and how I display His character during the trying times and victorious times. It's about what he is doing in me not where I am at the moment. I have to focus, focus, FOCUS on Him. Then I can hear the voice of truth. Can you hear His voice of truth?

The Internet

It's been awhile but let me crack my knuckles and see if any words of wisdom or any other kind of words decide to flow from my brain through my fingers. Let me see...oh, yes-
Tonight I spoke to my grandchildren who live in Seattle through the marvel that is the Internet. I saw their cherub-like faces and watched Oliver stretch his mouth with his fingers and stick out his tongue as Anna blew some kisses my way. We said our happy birthdays to them and not only heard but saw, and may I add, felt them say, "I love you". Almost everyday, through this wonder, I catch up with people I have known most of my life. We share news of our families and make each other laugh and/or cry depending on what we're walking through at the time. We reminisce about the good old days and feel blessed to still have each other in our lives. We live in a wonderful and amazing time and all in all, with the good and bad it brings our way I have to say that this night I am grateful for the Internet. Thanks, Al!