Time To Dream Again

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Jesus, in Luke 12:32)

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:17b-21)

“Whenever I’m upside down, if ever I’m turned around, I will pray. And when I wake up smiling, the world’s a different place; only when I choose, only when I use my eyes to see Your beautiful face…Help me to let go of all these distractions, leave them far behind, and dream again.” (Phil Keaggy)

For many of us, so far this has been a summer of loss and sadness. From tragedies involving children, to neighbors and loved ones succumbing to disease before what we would consider “their time,” our hearts have been heavy. In the midst of our necessary grieving and letting go, I believe the voice of the Lord would speak to us, gently but clearly, with a message of fresh hope: This is not the end, child. Continue to trust in Me. Feel the warmth of My embrace. Fix your gaze on My goodness. Remember My faithfulness. All is well, and will be well. Lift your eyes to dream again—to envision the “good plans” that I have for you in the coming season as you walk with Me. I will be with you always.

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to shore. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly to venture on wider seas where storms will show Your mastery; where losing sight of land we shall find stars. We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes; we ask You to [lead us into] a future of strength, courage, hope, and love.” (Sir Francis Drake, 16th-century English sailor; courtesy Dan Miller)

The Father and His Children

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship [adoption]. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ” (Romans 8:15)

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

“Look at how great a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:1-2, Holman CSV)

“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child and having God as his Father…For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God the Father.” (J.I. Packer, in Knowing God)

In the wake of Father’s Day, consider that Jesus, during his earthly ministry, related most frequently to God as “Father” in a way that we might say “Papa” or “Daddy.” This new, intimate approach to the Most High was radical, even revolutionary. Jesus opened the door not only for us to receive salvation and eternal hope, but also to know God more closely than had been previously imagined—to know Him as Heavenly Father. If our relationship with our earthly father has been stormy, strained or even nonexistent, it can be difficult to embrace God as a “father.” God knows this, and His heart of tender love and compassion is full to overflowing for the “fatherless.” Even if we’ve had a great dad on earth, the fatherhood of God is far deeper and richer still. All of us can come to know God more intimately as we soak ourselves in the many Scriptures that describe His incredible love and tenderness, His instruction and correction, His wisdom and guidance, and His embrace of all who are in Christ as “sons and daughters.”

Heavenly Father, we call you Father and thank you for lavishing your unfathomable love on us. For sending Your only Son as a sacrifice to rescue us from the power of sin and death, we are eternally grateful. We bless you and seek to glorify your name today. Amen.

Expanding Our Vocabulary

Over and over, the Scriptures instruct us to offer the highest praise to God, whose greatness is unmatched, whose love is unfathomable, whose grace is unlimited, whose compassion is unfailing, and whose mercies are new every morning. Meditating on the timeless, living Word of God helps us to build a rich vocabulary of praise that we then offer back to the LORD. As we internalize passages such as the ones below, we find that praise, gratitude, and a deep sense that all is well begin to replace fear, anxiety and despair. We become less self-centered and more other-centered, motivated to spread the love that we ourselves have received as a free gift from God...

Psalm 111
Praise the LORD.
I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate…
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.”

Jude 24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our LORD, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Revelation 7:11-12
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Heavenly Father and Mighty LORD, we praise you this day for every attribute of your greatness. As we draw near to you and seek to expand our vocabulary of praise, may the honor and glory that is due your name be continually on our lips. Amen.

In Memory of Gary Sowell

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

“You [God] will increase my honor and comfort me once again.” (Psalm 71:21)

“…you will be remembered by the LORD your God.” (Numbers 10:9)

On this Memorial Day, my thoughts return to the great uncle I wish I could have known. In the early 1940s, Gary Sowell left the dark-sand soil of Kershaw, South Carolina, the rural farming community of his youth, and never returned. While serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II, his plane went down and he was lost at sea. My 90-year-old grandmother still gets misty-eyed when she speaks of her brother. She keeps his black-and-white photograph framed in her living room. Crisply uniformed, he smiles a broad smile of clear-eyed promise. I wonder, behind the eyes, how deep the awareness ran of the sacrifice that might be required of him. I never had the privilege of meeting or knowing the man whom I would have called “Uncle Gary,” but I have seen his face, his kindness, his courage, and his love embodied in his sisters and brothers (my grandmother, great aunt and great uncles). Today, especially today, I give thanks for his willingness—and for the willingness of so many, many others—to serve heroically, selflessly, bravely, and all too often sacrificially.

Heavenly Father and gracious Lord, we offer deep gratitude for all who have served, and for those who continue to serve, in the armed forces. We pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones, that you would shower them with comfort and hope. And we thank you again for the ultimate sacrifice: the suffering and death of your son Jesus, who laid down his life to rescue the lost from the power of sin and death. Amen.

Swear Word or Savior? -- Revisited

“…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…’ ” (Jesus, quoted in Matthew 6:8b-9)

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7)

Last October, our weekly devotional focused on the use of “Jesus Christ” as a curse, and on how his followers might choose to respond to hearing the name of our Savior spoken in a crude, casual manner. The other day I read a passage that challenged me to view this subject more deeply. These words from John Stott remind us that “misusing” God’s name is not just about the words we say, but about the life we lead:

“The name of God represents the nature of God. There is much in the Bible which commands us to reverence his name, and in the Lord’s Prayer we are taught to pray that his name may be hallowed. His holy name can be profaned by our loose language, and most of us could do worse than revise our vocabulary from time to time. But to take God’s name in vain is not just a matter of words, but also of thoughts and deeds. Whenever our behaviour is inconsistent with our belief, or our practice contradicts our preaching, we take God’s name in vain. To call God ‘Lord’ and disobey him is to take his name in vain. To call God ‘Father’ and be filled with anxiety and doubts is to deny his name. To take God’s name in vain is to talk one way and act another. This is hypocrisy.” (John R.W. Stott, Basic Christianity, p. 66)

Eternal God and Father, I for one am convicted that the way my life “speaks” too often does not bring honor or glory to your holy name. Thank you for the reminder that “hallowing” your name takes more than words. Deepen in me a desire to glorify you and “speak” your name honorably in all that I think, say and do. As I trust you to do so, I will rely on your grace and rest in your love. Amen.

There Is No Lack

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Paul, writing to the church at Philippi, Philippians 4:19-20)

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:6-8)

Which of these statements is most true of where you are this week?

A. My schedule is crammed with projects, meetings, and weighty determinations that give me a headache just thinking about them.
B. At least one big payment is due by Friday; the headache is spreading to my neck.
C. Demands are threatening to swamp my supply of time, talent, treasure and energy; is it still only Monday?
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above; I can’t think if a single challenge, need or uncertainty.

If you picked “E,” then Good On Ya! (Assuming you’re in touch with reality.) If you chose A, B, C or D, I pray you’ll join me in receiving great encouragement from a divine reminder: “Lack” is an unknown concept in God’s economy. More than enough resources exist to accomplish the purposes that He has established for our lives. As my pastor puts it, “God’s work done in God’s timing will never lack God’s supply.”[1] This is true for our vocations, our relationships, our finances, our families — for all of the areas in which we’re called to honor God by serving and loving others. Fear and worry need not bind us; they will melt away as we place (or re-place) childlike trust in the Lord’s goodness, believing that He will be faithful to meet us precisely at our point of need — and then allowing His perfect peace to wash over us as we wait. Our big question, then, is no longer a fretful one: “Where in the world are we going to come up with this?” but a contented one: “What amazing ways will God demonstrate His power and love by meeting our needs in this circumstance?”

Heavenly Father, thank you that you have apportioned enough time, talent, treasure, and other resources to complete your good, pleasing plans. As we draw near to you in reliance and gratitude, we will wait expectantly to see your mighty hand of provision at work in and through our lives. Amen.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER – MAY 1

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth.” (Elisabeth Elliot)

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” (Corrie Ten Boom)

“God warms His hands at man’s heart when he prays.” (John Masefield)

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil....” (E.M. Bounds)

“There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.” (D.A.T. Pierson)

“To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” (Billy Graham)

“Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.” (Oswald Chambers)

Every day is a great day to pray, but the first Thursday in May has been designated by Congress and the President as the “National Day of Prayer.” A number of prayer-focused events are planned throughout the land, including here in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Wherever you are on Thursday, I hope you’ll take time out to join with others and celebrate our freedom to seek God’s face on this special day of prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you that as those who seek you will cry out in prayer, you are faithful to hear us, and to meet our needs in accordance with your good, pleasing and perfect will. Receive the honor and glory due your name, not only on May 1, but every day, we pray. Amen.