religion

A Prayer for Sunday Services

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“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers” (1 Thes. 3:11-13, The Message).

Lord, I pray for all Your children who will be worshipping You around the world in various places and ways. I pray for all those who will come into Your presence with joy, and also for those come to You with deep grief. I know You meet each and every one of us where we are and at the deepest point of our need.

Help us to seek not what we can get out of the services or come to worship to be spectators seeking to be entertained but how we can outgive and outserve one another as we seek to please and glorify an audience of One.

Lord, I pray that in any case of division or strife within Your body, we will choose instead to leave our offering and go and be reconciled with our brothers and sisters wherever possible first before entering into true worship. I pray You will move to heal broken families and restore broken marriages. I pray You will deliver people from all sorts of addictions and bondages.

Above all, call out people in Your midst to the mission field and to the ministry. Call out those who don’t yet know You in faith to trust You for salvation by calling on Your Son Jesus Christ. May the worship we bring not cease at 11:00 or 12:15 or whatever time the service ends but carry on throughout our day and into the next week. May our worship not just be songs and music but lives surrendered and hearts laid down at Your altar.

Bless and multiply Your Church. Redeem and restore us. Rebuke us wherever necessary. Be mindful of our frailty and fallenness and come among us to make us more like You. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Love Standing in the Very Teeth of Suffering

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“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. The cross was the proof of His love – that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary’s cross, though “legions of angels” might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process” (Elisabeth Elliott).

Pain isn’t always bad. Sometimes pain means that healing is taking place. Those with broken bones can attest that while the breaking of the bone is painful, so is the healing of the break. But while neither is pleasant, the pain of healing must take place for there to be mending, or else the bone stays broken.

We are the same way. We’re broken. God is healing us. There’s pain involved in that process, but it’s better than the pain of remaining broken. And sometimes for a bone to set and heal properly, it has to be re-broken so it will mend properly.

If you want the ultimate picture of suffering in love, look at Jesus. God did not spare Jesus one moment of suffering, but He instead spared us from the worst of it. While we still undergo pain, God made sure that the worst of it fell on Jesus. He went through hell so we won’t have to. That’s love.

On a side note, parents that never allow their children to suffer or even be inconvenienced aren’t necessarily doing them any favors. Just as the butterfly’s struggle to emerge from the cocoon strengthens its wings to fly, so children struggle to become adults who are strong enough to think and live apart from their parents and on their own.

And for the record, I don’t believe the idea that God never gives us more than we can handle. He never gives us more than He can handle. Sometimes, it’s more than we can bear on our own, so we’re forced to rely on the God who made us to sustain us. That’s when we become more like Jesus.

Revisiting Downton Abbey

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Recently, I’ve started rewatching the Downton Abbey series from Season 1, Episode 1 to the very end. This time around, I have a bit of a different perspective because I have seen the series through all the way to the last movie, so I know how the story ends. And for those who still haven’t seen it, there are spoilers ahead (although if you still haven’t seen any episodes, it’s really not my fault, is it?)

That makes a difference. While I can commensurate with Bates and his early struggles, I’m not quite as anxious about his future. I see the daughters acting a bit spoiled, but I remember that’s not how they turn out in the end. That helps when I lowkey want to slap one or two of them upside the head.

The same applies for life. I’ve read the last pages of my Bible, so I know how it all turns out. I know that while the current struggles may seem interminable, they aren’t the last part of my story. As a very famous writer once said, your story won’t end with ashes.

For the believer in Christ, it only gets better from here. I don’t mean that all your pain and suffering instantly ceases in this life, and the rest is sunshine and roses, but we know that this life isn’t all there is. In fact, every part of what seems like forever in this world will only be light and momentary troubles compared to the eternal weight of glory that’s coming.

Another bonus for rewatching a series is anticipating some of my favorite moments from the first time around. In life, we have those moments as well, although they’re not as easy to predict. There will be fleeting glimpses of heaven on earth in this life that will only serve to make us long even more for the real heaven and the new earth.

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I ran across this poem today and thought it was worth sharing. It’s a beautiful picture of the unfailing love of God toward His children. It’s written from God’s perspective, and feels very biblical in the way it describes God’s tender care toward those He has loved and redeemed. I pray these words will sink deep into your soul, and you will know beyond doubting the amazing love of God for you tonight.

“My beloved child,

I AM …Yahweh …
the One who is always with you,
the One who does not leave you.

I am not distant from you.
I have drawn near…
closer than your breath …
closer than your own thoughts.

And I am your Go’el …
your Kinsman-Redeemer.

I am not a stranger who rescues from afar.
I have bound Myself to you as family.

You are not alone in your story.
You never were.

I have taken full responsibility for you.

When something was lost …
I saw it.

Every place where your heart was left unprotected …
every place where fear entered …
every place where love should have held you and did not …

I did not turn away.

I became your Family-Redeemer.
I say to you:
What was lost, I will restore.
Not only what can be seen…
but what was taken deep within you:
your sense of safety …
your tenderness …
your ability to rest in love.

I am restoring these …
gently… patiently … surely.

Where you have felt bound …
by fear,
by anxiety,
by striving.

I do not stand over you in disappointment.

I come close to you.

And I say to you …

I have paid for your freedom.
You do not have to carry this alone.

I am not asking you to free yourself.
For I … Yahweh …
am your Redeemer.

Where your heart has felt alone…
where you have wondered if anyone would truly stay …

Hear Me:

I, Yahweh … am your nearest One.

I do not withdraw from you.
I do not grow weary of your need.

I draw nearer … still.
I hold you … as My own.
I am the One … who restores your future.

Nothing in your story has disqualified you.

I am weaving beauty …
where there was sorrow …
fruitfulness …
where there was loss …
legacy …
where there was fear.

You will not end in lack.
You will end … in fullness.

And I stand for you.

What has wounded you …
matters to Me.

I am not indifferent to your pain.

I am your Defender …
not with harshness,
but with steady, faithful love.

You are safe with Me.
My dear child …
You do not have to strive to be redeemed.
You are not reaching for Me …
I have come for you.
I have always been the One who comes.

So rest …
in Me.

Let your body learn what your spirit is beginning to know:

You are not alone.
You are not unprotected.
You are not forgotten.

You … are Mine.

And I … am your Go’el …

the One who comes close …
the One who takes personal responsibility for you …
the One who restores all that was lost.

Stay with Me, My beloved.

I am here.

I will not leave you.

I never have.

I have loved you …
with an everlasting love …
and you …
are Mine.

Your loving Father,
Almighty God” (Kirk Dearman).

This Extraordinary Day

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“Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely” (2 Thes. 1:11-12, The Message).

The extraordinary day referred to is when Jesus comes back for His own. That’s what it all hinges on. That’s what we’re living for in these last days. Today was a good reminder as my church celebrated multiple baptisms across all nine campuses. We were celebrating new life from death and hope born from despair. Baptism is a symbol of an inward change that has already taken place, and a public declaration of faith.

I get excited whenever I heard of one more person who is bold enough to proclaim that they have chosen to follow Jesus. Every single one is a victory. Every single one is one less destined for hell. Every single time without fail heaven throws a party, from the celebrity getting saved to the former addict being transformed to the homeless person finding a home in Christ.

It only gets better from here. I’m not naive enough to think that the rest of this life will be sunshine and puppies and rainbows, but I do know that joy is just around the corner. Glory is waiting on the other side of the mountain we’re all climbing up. For those in Christ, the best is yet to come.

God is not looking for rockstars but for those who will be obedient and faithful even when no one is watching. He’s searching the whole world looking for those whose hearts are steadfast toward Him and Him only. I pray that you and I will be the ones who will choose to serve the least and the lowest as much as the most famous. May we never stop running toward the finish line of grace as long as He gives us breath.

The Difference

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I’ve been reading through 1 Corinthians in my yearly Bible reading plan. One takeaway is that the Church Paul is talking about looks a lot different than the Church I see most of the time. At least to me it does.

I remember when I was growing up and I would pass a church building and automatically assume that it was good. I assumed that everybody there loved Jesus and believed the Bible and tried to live godly lives. Now, it seems that whole denominations have gone off the rails into something that resembles the Christian faith in name only.

Even in most so-called evangelical churches, it seems there is very little emphasis on actual discipleship or evangelism. Most people sitting in the pews (or chairs) have no idea what they believe or why they believe it. And most of them are prey to being deconstructed by the world and social media because they have no solid foundation for their faith.

Maybe instead of trying to criticize lost people for acting lost, we should be more concerned that the Church doesn’t act like the Church must of the time. Most of us — including me — don’t act like Christ very much. He showed compassion and also spoke the uncomfortable truth. He loved sinners yet would not let them remain in their sin but instead called them to repentance.

I don’t want a return to the hell and brimstone sermons where everything fun was sinful. I do think we’d do well to bring back a measure of church discipline. We would do well to remind people that while hell and the devil aren’t everywhere and everything, hell is still real and not everyone goes to heaven.

Jim Elliott once said that he hoped God would make him a signpost in the road where people he met would be forced into a decision either for or against following Christ. He didn’t want to make people feel good or comfortable but to remind them of eternity and an incredible future for those who say yes to Jesus.

God, please revive Your Church and make her more like You. Help us stop trying to be relevant and trendy and to start being faithful and obedient. Remind us that peole all around the world are losing their lives for Your sake and for the sake of the gospel. Help us to be that bold and brave never to deny You even in the face of pain and suffering. Thank You that You will one day restore and redeem all that is broken, including Your Church. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Worry vs. Prayer

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Ann Voskamp said to be a prayer warrior and not a panicked worrier. I think about that a bit lately. One does absolutely no good but only keeps you up at night and keeps you from focusing on what matters. One is the way to the throne of grace where we find help in time of need.

Worry changes nothing. Prayer changes everything.

Worry makes you sick. Literally. Over time, your body will start to manifest symptoms of sickness if you let worry consume you constantly. Prayer on the other hand transforms you. It changes the way you see everything, including your problems.

Worry is a way of looking at the world without God in it. It’s funny how all your anxiety-laden possible outcomes end up with it being completely up to you to fix everything. Prayer shows that not only is God in the picture, but He has already made a way through. He has already overcome. The victory is not only possible but certain.

Worry comes natural. It’s a default setting for every single person born after the Fall. We’re hard-wired to worry and fret and to be anxious over every little thing. But prayer is a discipline that requires work. To get better at praying, you have to pray. You have to learn from others who are older and wiser and who have spent a lifetime learning how to pray. You have to be immersed in the Word of God to know the will of God to pray in the name of Jesus.

But the good news is that you don’t have to be good at praying to pray. You can choose today to pray instead of worrying. Today can be the day that you say to Jesus, “Teach me to pray as you taught the disciples.” And He will do it.

In the words of the great theologian M. C, Hammer, “You got to pray just to make it today.”

Good words.

Nearer Home

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O’er the hill the sun is setting,
And the eve is drawing on,
Slowly drops the gentle twilight,
For another day is gone,
Gone for aye, its race is over,
Soon the dark’ning shades will come,
Still ’tis sweet to know at evening,
We are one day nearer home.
Still ’tis sweet to know at evening,
We are one day nearer home.

Nearer home, nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know
We are one day nearer home,
Nearer home; nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know at even,
We are one day nearer home.

Something else I read about Elisabeth Elliott recently said that one of her favorite camp songs growing up was called Nearer Home. It was something she evidently thought about quite a bit as she grew older and started losing her memory due to dementia. This speaks to anyone who is facing their own mortality or the mortality of a loved one. We as believers in Christ are truly getting nearer home each and ever day:

“One day nearer, sings the sailor,
As he glides the waters o’er,
While the light is softly dying,
On his distant native shore,
Thus the Christian, on life’s ocean,
As his lightboat cuts the foam,
In the evening cries with rapture,
I am one day nearer home.
In the evening cries with rapture,
I am one day nearer home.

Nearer home, nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know
We are one day nearer home,
|Nearer home; nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know at even,
We are one day nearer home.

Nearer home, yes, one day nearer,
To our home beyond the sky,
To the green fields and the fountains,
In our Father’s home on high,
For the heav’ns are growing brighter,
And the lamps hang in the dome,
And our hearts are growing lighter,
For we’re one day nearer home.

Nearer home, nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know
We are one day nearer home,
Nearer home; nearer home,
Oh, ‘tis always sweet to know at even,
We are one day nearer home.

Father, be near when my feet
Are slipping o’er the brink,
For it may be I am nearer home,
Nearer now than I think” (Alice Carey).

Continuing to Trust

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I ran across something recently that floored me. It’s one of those Paul Harvey-type of stories that always end with something along the lines of “and now you know the rest of the story.”

The gist is that you can trust God when life doesn’t play out like you thought it would or even how you planned for it to go. You can script your plans down to the nth degree, but still life happens and plans change and you end up in a place you never thought you’d be. What then?

Stay the course and trust God. Or better yet, trust God more than you trust in your plans. God is the only one who never changes. He’s the only one who sits outside of history and knows all of it. He sees the big picture, including how it’s all going to play out. Trust Him.

“A young Dutch apprentice named Wilhelm wanted to become a preacher. In 1879, his zeal brought him to the coal fields of southern Belgium as a missionary. Miners and their families were captivated by the young man’s selflessness. As often happened, there was a mining disaster, and scores were injured. No one fought harder to save the miners than Wilhelm. Afterward, villagers flocked to hear his sermons. When a church official visited the village, they found Wilhelm living in a tiny hut, dressed in tattered clothes. When questioned about what he had done with his salary, Wilhelm said he had given it to the miners and their families. The church official determined Wilhelm had misused the funds and dismissed him from his position. He felt dejected—perhaps even abandoned by God.

Late one afternoon, Wilhelm watched an old miner bending beneath the enormous weight of a full sack of coal. He pulled an old tattered envelope from his pocket and began sketching the figure of the man. Every day, he used his pencil and paper to sketch more of the villagers, whom he had come to love. Through the majesty of his art, he was able to share God with the villagers. Much later, his sketches and other artworks found a wider audience. The young man who wanted to be a minister was Vincent Wilhelm Van Gogh.

Through the circumstances of his life, Van Gogh came to know the sovereignty of God in a very personal way. The Lord’s plan for the young Dutchman was different from what he had anticipated, and it was revealed to him little by little as the minister-turned-artist continued to live out his faith in the Lord. He had not been abandoned, and neither have you. God is near, always loving, always ready to offer His mercy and compassion in your need. Just as He had a plan for Wilhelm, He has a plan for you and for this nation. Continue to trust Him.”

Different Kinds of Friends

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I wrote this a while back, but it’s still true. God places people in your life for different purposes and for different seasons. Not everyone who is in your life will stay there. Some were meant only to stay for a little while and teach you a specific lesson. Some are meant for a lifetime, but they are precious and few:

You will have several different kinds of friends over your lifetime. God uses each kind to play a part in your life.

You have specialty friends, like work friends or church friends that you only see at specific places (like work or church).

You have seasonal friends that come into your life for a short season to help you grow, to help you through a trial, or to teach you a lesson.

You will have social media friends who you only interact with over Facebook or Instagram. Most of these you will never actually meet in person.

You have secondary friends where you step in when their regular friends aren’t around.

Each friendship is valid and each one can be a blessing if you can appreciate it for what it is instead of wishing it were something else or something more.

But best of all are the special friends. Those are the ones who will go out of their way to make time for you, who will always seek you out and make you feel welcome no matter where you are. Those are for a lifetime.

You can appreciate your specialty, seasonal, and secondary friends, but you cherish and honor your special friends, because they are precious and rare.

Above all, you can even be a friend without receiving friendship in return. You can love and give, expecting nothing in return but the knowledge that God loved you like that when you were least deserving and lovable.