The Loneliness of the Soul

Lately, I've felt lonely, like I'm pulling myself through a desert, parched and wanting. The irony of this loneliness? It's there, even when I'm surrounded by a crowd or with someone who cares for me. My heart echoes into a solitary darkness even then.

This experience has sent me into contemplation of a type of loneliness we don't mention much. I've named it "the loneliness of the soul." Someone recently reminded me of the character I most identify with in The Lord of the Rings--Frodo. Throughout the story, Frodo carries a heavy burden in the form of a ring, and the farther he carries it, the weaker he becomes. The following quote from Frodo in the third movie hit me like a gut punch: "I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. Instead I'm naked in the dark. There's nothing. No veil between me and the wheel of fire! I can see him with my waking eyes!" Frodo is with Sam, his most loyal friend in the world, and still, he's alone, naked in the dark, because the war resides in his soul.

Our world abhors loneliness. It's almost a crime to be lonely or admit you feel lonely. We're supposed to be happy, community driven people, and to confess you still feel empty, well, that brings a thud down on the party. I think it's even more anathema in Christian circles. You have Jesus with you so how could you ever feel lonely?

I decided to see if there were people in the Bible who felt lonely. Here are a few I found:

-In Genesis 29, Leah is lonely. She is unloved by her husband even when she has baby boy after baby boy for him. She longs for his love but she cannot get it.

-In 1 Kings 17, Elijah is alone in the wilderness, feeling like the only one left who stands up for the Lord.

-In Psalm 142, David feels that no one notices him, that no one cares for his soul, that he has no refuge.

-In 2 Timothy 4, Paul felt deserted during his imprisonment.

-Even Jesus felt alone, crying out in Matthew 27, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Each of these people were not actually alone as we usually define the word. Leah was surrounded by an entire camp. God told Elijah there were other people following Him. Jonathan was David's closest friend and supporter. Luke was with Paul. Even some of Jesus' friends stood at the foot of the cross near him. So why did they feel lonely?

There's a loneliness that comes from the distress of the soul, when the soul feels empty and void. Why does it feel this way? Because as much as we may not be alone physically, no one else is able to feel exactly what we feel. No one else can walk in our soul. We feel the pain, suffer the darkness, crack because of the thirst. As much as people care for us, they do none of these with us. We suffer internally, and as such, we suffer alone. This is the loneliness of the soul. In more modern terms, it might look something like the following:

-An ex-wife feels lonely after her divorce, losing love, tenderness, and trust.

-A teenager feels lonely when depression and self-worth overshadow difficult years.

-A mother feels lonely when her child rebels and denies the sacrifices she has poured out day after day.

-A father feels lonely when his only child dies, and he passes an empty bedroom every morning.

And so on. Trauma and grief are a path walked in the inner man and we walk alone.

So how do we make it through?

Each of the Bible characters mentioned previously found an answer in their God. Leah praised the Lord. Elijah heard the whisper of God's voice. David cried out to God in prayer. Paul recognized God stood at his side. Jesus committed his spirit to the Lord.

First, like our Biblical examples, we must put our souls in the hands of our God. We must recognize that although we feel the loneliness of our soul, the Holy Spirit is there within. God knows what it is to face the loneliness of the soul. He understands our pain. He listens and hears our cries.

What of the people in our lives who reach out to care for us? What can they do even if the loneliness persists in their presence? I think in reality, they don't need to say very much at all--they simply need to be there. When Frodo felt the overwhelming darkness of his burden, what did Sam do? He picked Frodo up. He carried Frodo when his friend couldn't take another step. He was there. I think that more than anything makes all the difference. Be there for those lonely in soul. Listen to them. Pray for them. Carry them when they can't carry themselves.

I'm lonely in my soul. There is grief and trauma and pain that is making itself particularly known right now. My loneliness isn't a sin; it's a consequence of a broken world. Instead of pretending loneliness away, covering it with a smile and the pretense of being happy, I think we'll heal faster if we admit it, become vulnerable, and tell others we feel "naked in the dark." And then... Redirect to Jesus. Ask for prayer. Listen to the counsel of the Spirit. And let others carry you when the burden of your lonely soul is too much for you to bear.

Matthew's Box

 
Recently I've fallen in love with a TV show called The Chosen. If you haven't been made aware of its existence, I highly recommend it. The show relates the story of the gospels from the perspective of those chosen by Jesus. It's a unique take. Usually series or movies that focus on Jesus do so mainly from his point of view. Few that I have previously seen attempt more than a cursory glance at the backgrounds of the people surrounding Jesus, and those that have often stray far from the biblical canon.

The Chosen, on the other hand, sticks close to the biblical canon, imagining background details that are probable, and so doing, fleshes out the experiences of the people who walked with Jesus. Peter comes off as impulsive, extroverted, a go-getter in over his head. That definitely fits what we know of him from scripture. Andrew is immediately captivated by the Messiah. This squares with the Bible's record as well. Mary Magdalene overflows with love and gratitude for the man who released her from torment. Thomas, the doubter, already finds himself overwhelmed with indecision. Nicodemus seeks out the new teacher in Galilee, desperate for answers to stirring questions. Every character in the show is carefully crafted and honestly approached. And then there is Matthew...

I started watching The Chosen expecting characters like Mary and Peter and Nicodemus to exhibit the characteristics they did. I was overjoyed to view a production that handled them so well and then some. What I didn't expect was my favorite character in the series to be the tax collector who's personal story in the gospels is relegated to one singular event.

Who was Matthew? We know he was a tax collector and not well liked by his community. He was part of the group the Pharisees despised when they questioned Jesus eating with "tax collectors and sinners." His choice of career was a betrayal in the eyes of many as the man took their money and gave it to Rome. That's about all we know about Matthew, and I had never pondered beyond these details. Then The Chosen came along and set my mind spinning.

Much of Matthew's character in the show relates to his profession. He's good with numbers and record keeping. The Chosen interpreted the character as so talented with calculations, he falls somewhere on the autism spectrum, not entirely socially aware and caught up in his own mathematical world. He's also fastidious and a bit of a dirt-o-phobe. This avoidance of filth is made all the easier because of his wealth. He's served Rome well and is reaping his rewards. He's hated, but that doesn't stop him from doing his job. How in the world would a man like this end up a disciple?

For a man that has calculated his entire life, who has achieved his goals through logical mathematics, Jesus is a conundrum. When Matthew observes Peter's miraculous catch of fish at his calling and witnesses the paralytic rise and walk, his entire world is shaken. Everything had found a place in his mental box, tallied and computed by his talented mind. But miracles? Those shouldn't happen. They don't make any sense, and their existence torments Matthew, making him question all he's based his life on.

I found myself on the edge of my seat watching The Chosen, eagerly awaiting the day Jesus would pass by Matthew's booth and utter those two inevitable words: "Follow me." When the moment arrived, my wide smile practically leaped off my face. I watched this man throw all his achievements away in a moment, drop everything, and follow the Messiah who had blown his ordered and perfect world to smithereens.

I think what struck me more than anything was how presenting this character this way challenged so many people's conceptions of Jesus. Many cannot abide anything that doesn't fit within their mentally constructed boxes. Logic, reason, order. Nothing is allowed to burst the seams of this box. So if it does, then it is summarily rejected.

The irony is that what Matthew chose to do is utterly rooted in logic and reason. He had seen. Even when others challenged him, trying to convince him he'd been tricked, he knew he hadn't. He couldn't deny what his eyes beheld, what his evidence added up to. So when Jesus calls him, it's only logical to follow the one who can call up miracles with simply his word.

Why do I follow Jesus? My faith isn't blind. It's based on evidences such as the world's design, historical records, archaeological discoveries, biblical consistency. But it's even more than these. If I limited God to these tangible proofs, I'd be missing out. God surpasses these with miracle and spiritual transformation. He shatters my box, making my choice clear: either scramble to put the pieces back together or step beyond the borders to possibility.

What is your box? What things have you told yourself don't fit inside? If you've allowed God in, have you attempted to lock him up to meet your expectations?

I have a suspicion that just like Matthew in The Chosen, we all have boxes. Maybe it's personal logic and reason. Maybe it's the plan I had for my life. Maybe it's no disturbance, smooth sailing, only positive experiences. But if it's one thing I know from the Bible, from the gospels, it's that God isn't in the habit of squishing himself into our boxes. He rips them right open. And when he does, we can assure he's waiting right outside, hand outstretched, ready to speak a simple command: "Follow me."

If we do, we might just be surprised what deep abiding satisfaction we'll find.

Advent: Hope

A voice calls aloud,
Declaring His coming.
Victory for God,
Expunging the darkness.
Now is the day,
Time bows to His will.

Heaven
Offers
People
Eternity

Did Mary Know? Yes and No and Maybe

I've run across a bit of criticism of the song "Mary, Did You Know?" this Christmas, mainly asserting that Mary did know everything the song asks, so the questions in it are silly. This caused me to seriously ask, "Did Mary know?" In doing so, I discovered the answers aren't as black and white as we'd like them to be.

First off, we must start with the context of the song. Our human tendency is to forgo context and interpret things we read or hear without it, but this approach often leads to erroneous assumptions. Context is essential to determining the meaning of something. If we take a look at the lyrics of "Mary, Did You Know?" we observe the song never answers its questions. So on the surface, we don't know if the song means to answer "yes" or "no," even though many seem to assume the song's answer is "no."

In considering the context of the song, we must also consider its author, who wrote the song and is the source of its meaning. I found, in fact, that Mark Lowry didn't pen the questions assuming an answer of "no" to all the questions. Here's what he's said:

"In a conversation with my mother, I remember she said, ‘If anyone on earth knew for sure that Jesus was virgin born - Mary knew!’ That was a profound statement that stuck with me. One thing they couldn’t take from Mary was that she knew her Child was not ordinary. At the cross on Mount Calvary, while Jesus was dying, her silence was a great testimony to the fact of who he was and is. He said to them, ‘When you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’ Of course, for this they nailed him to a cross, and his mother never said a word."

For Lowry, he wasn't inspired by what Mary didn't know, but what she did know. She did perceive some of the profound implications about the baby she had born. He goes on to say that he started to think of questions he would have liked to sit down and ask Mary, to talk to her about what she understood.

So did Mary know? It turns out the answers to the song's questions aren't across the board "yes" or "no." Let's take a look at them.

"Did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water? Did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand? The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak." As far as we know, Mary wasn't given specifics about each miracle Jesus would perform, but did she know that he would perform miracles? It's likely she knew he would work miracles, but as the questions in the song are specific, it's unlikely she knew the exact miracles he would perform. The answer could be "No, she didn't know the exact nature of all his miracles" or "Yes, she probably had some idea he'd perform miracles."

"Did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?" Yes, she knew this from Simeon when Jesus was presented at the temple if not before. Though we don't know she understood the how.

"Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?" Maybe. Once again, we are never told biblically if she understood the exact nature of the how.

"Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? You've kissed the face of God. Did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? The sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am." If Mary understood all the implications of what Gabriel told her, then yes, she understood these things. Did she comprehend in every way the enormity of who Jesus was? Perhaps. We aren't told how deeply she understood.

"Did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?" This one is quite interesting to me because in Mary's day many thought the Messiah would be a conqueror to defeat their oppressors. Did Mary know that Jesus wouldn't rule the nations right then, but in the future he would return to rule? Once again, we aren't told exactly what she thought.

I really like this song because I, like Lowry, would love to sit down with Mary and ask these questions, to hear her say, "I understood this and this. I had a feeling he'd do this and I was sure he'd do this. This never crossed my mind and I was so surprised when he did this." And even deeper, "Here's how I felt about everything my son and savior did."

In conclusion, this song does not deserve the criticism that has been leveled at it. It isn't as straight forward as it seems and it isn't telling us Mary knew nothing about Jesus. It asks us to consider Mary and ponder what she knew and how much she knew. And above all, it reminds us that we do know. We look at the babe in the manger at Christmas and we remember the God man, the miracle worker, the Savior, the one who will return to rule. That is the profound meaning in the song that can strike the heart of all of us.

Emmanuel: A Poem for Strength

Emmanuel.
God with us.
In the haze of brokenness
In the chokehold of hurt
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
When the death announcement comes
When a loved one passes
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
When the divorce papers arrive
When a marriage dissolves
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
When the prodigal runs
When a wanderer never returns
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
When the diagnosis terrifies
When a body weakens
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
When the boss beckons
When a job fails
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
Bearing the burdens
Shouldering the pain
Emmanuel.

Emmanuel.
God with us.
Ever present
Endless love
Emmanuel.

What Color Is Jesus?

"For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only son

that whoever believes in him should not perish

but have eternal life."

John 3:16

One of my favorite Christmas songs is rarely heard these days, but I have always been touched by its meaning, and I'm afraid it isn't PC. Today's culture in America is hyper aware of the differences between races and colors of people. There are some valid reasons for this. At the same time, it seems we are so focused on differences that we often forget vital similarities.

In the Christian realm, especially at Christmas and Easter, we hear complaints that Jesus shouldn't ever be portrayed as white. To be more specific, as a Western European looking Jesus. Culturally and racially, Jesus was a middle eastern Jew. He probably had dark hair and brown eyes and skin tanned and roughened from work and exposure to the elements. But you know what? It doesn't bother me if artists depict Jesus as Western European.

That last statement will come as a shock to some people. Our culture has trained us to be upset about saying things like that. I'd like to explain why it doesn't bother me, and I'd like to do it by using that favorite song I mentioned in the first paragraph.

The song is an old one called "Some Children See Him," and its lyrics are as follows:

Some children see Him lily white,
The baby Jesus born this night.
Some children see Him lily white,
With tresses soft and fair.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
The Lord of heav'n to earth come down.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
With dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond-eyed,
This Savior whom we kneel beside.
Some children see Him almond-eyed,
With skin of yellow hue.
Some children see Him dark as they,
Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray.
Some children see him dark as they,
And, ah! they love Him, too!

The children in each different place
Will see the baby Jesus' face
Like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
And filled with holy light.
O lay aside each earthly thing
And with thy heart as offering,
Come worship now the infant King.
'Tis love that's born tonight!

The point of this beautiful song is that children all over the world see Jesus as they are. He is like them, but even more. He reaches out to them with his heavenly grace. Jesus, the song asserts, is love for us all.

That's why I don't mind art that presents Jesus in different hues. My favorite Christian artist is Indian. In all his paintings the people look Indian, and this is no surprise considering he himself is Indian and draws upon his culture in his paintings. And yet, his imagery and symbolism is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he depicts the figures as Indian does not take away the truths inherent. To me, it adds to them. Jesus is for Indians as much as he is for anyone.

I have several Chinese paper cuts from when I lived in China that represent various Bible stories. In all of them, Jesus looks Chinese. Does this bother me? No, because once again it is an expression of Jesus as born for all, saving all.

I adore expressions of Jesus from various cultures, including Western Europe, because Jesus is not owned by one culture. Jesus came for everyone. "Some Children See Him" expresses this truth beautifully. It's love that's born tonight, love for every race and every culture, and no matter how we see Jesus in our minds, he is born for us.

Jesus looked like a middle eastern Jew, and we can guess at specifics, but in truth, the Bible doesn't reveal anything about Jesus' physical attributes while he dwelt among us in the first century AD. On the other hand, we are given a description of Jesus when he appeared to the disciple John in a vision:

"[I]n the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength." Revelation 1:13-16

It is interesting to me that some get upset about the depiction of Jesus when Jesus clearly is going to return his own unique brand of color. He will be the perfection of man and the power of the divine in one. We will bow before him, awed by our Savior in all his might and glory. He will not be defined by one culture or race. He will be salvation and love for every man.

And for this reason, when it comes to Christmas, when it comes to Jesus, I appreciate Jesus in all colors and races. It reminds me of the truth: Jesus is not reserved for one nation or people, but is available to the entire world if they would hear his voice and follow him. And that brings me the greatest joy this time of year and always!

George Bailey Christians

It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie. You've probably seen this popular holiday classic and know George Bailey is its hero. The trouble is, he doesn't know it for most of the movie.

You see, George spends most of his life hoping to get out of his small hometown of Bedford Falls and as he tells his father, "do something big and something important." Unfortunately, life keeps throwing George curve balls. His father dies and he doesn't go to college so he can run his father's Building and Loan, a business needed in Bedford Falls so people don't have to live in the slums of rich Mr. Potter. He gives his college money to his brother Harry, waiting for Harry to come back and take over the Building and Loan. Instead, Harry gets married and his wife's father offers him a job, a good one George knows his brother should take. Then George gets married, misses out on his honeymoon to save the Building and Loan, and ends up even more tied to "this crummy little town." Finally, after all this, and a world war he can't fight in because he has a health issue, his world comes crashing down when he is accused of embezzling from the Building and Loan by a devious Mr. Potter.

George has experienced some good times, but from his point of view, life's been mostly bad. He's failed at everything he wanted to do. He hasn't done anything big or important. His life is one disappointment after another. At his wit's end, he decides to kill himself.

If you've seen the movie, you know our hero is in for a surprise. Clarence shows up, an angel who wants to help George see the value of his life. When George says it would have been better if he hadn't been born, Clarence gives him the gift of seeing what life would have been like without him.

It isn't pretty. Turns out George had more influence in the lives of people around him than he knew. His younger brother died at the age of 9 because George wasn't there to save him from drowning. This means the men Harry saved as a pilot in World War II died as well. Mr. Gower the pharmacist ended up a prisoner and broken man when George didn't stop him from putting poison in a medicine bottle. His mother is old and bitter, her son and husband long dead. Mr. Martini, Ernie, and countless others live in slums because the building and loan closed up when George's father died. Mr. Potter has turned the town into a cesspool.

It's here that Clarence utters one of my favorite lines: "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" George has left a hole. He never understood how every person he met was affected by him, how a life in a little town actually did matter.

Clarence's conclusion is "You see, George, you've really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?"

In America, in much of the Western World, there is a focus on doing something "big and important." We have the mind of George Bailey. We laud those who seem to do the big things, who get famous and noticed. Then we compare ourselves and well, we don't measure up. Our life is so...small.

Christians fall into this trap. They imagine something big they will do for God--be a missionary, start a humanitarian organization, build orphanages in a needy place, bring hundreds of people to Christ, lead a church. They feel guilty when someone tells them if they really lived a Christian life, they'd do something big for God, they'd follow the dreams "God has given them."

Here's the problem--most Christians are George Bailey. Life has played out for them in unexpected ways. They're stuck by circumstances. What they thought would happen didn't. They aren't a hero; they're just an "ordinary yokel."

If you believe this, you believe a lie. You are a George Bailey, Christian, but you aren't an "ordinary yokel." You are George because "your life touches so many others." Your life has done something "big and important" even if it doesn't look that way to the world. Every day you live, every day you cling to Christ, every moment you do an act of kindness, you have done something important.

In the end of It's a Wonderful Life, George is saved by his friends who recognize all he has done for them. His brother Harry gives a toast "to my big brother George: The richest man in town." It's no coincidence Harry calls George his "big" brother. It means more than age; it means George is actually as big as he wanted to be. In fact, he's rich, because he has used his life to touch the people around him. He's given of himself, his time, and his heart. He did it in a "crummy little town" and his friends couldn't be more grateful.

Christian, you may think your life is nothing. You may see what others do and think because of how your life has worked out, you've done nothing. This is not true. Your life has touched so many. If you were to leave, a gaping hole would remain behind. Never believe the lie your life is a throwaway. Your purpose from God is wherever you are. Forget the shouts of big and let God use you now.

Entertainment: How Much Poop Is Too Much?

When I was a teenager, I heard a speaker use an illustration that has stuck with me. He asked, "If I offered you a cookie, would you eat it? What if I told you I put some poop in it?" His analogy alluded to our entertainment choices. The point was poop is still poop even if it's disguised to look delicious.

Later in my twenties, I once discussed entertainment with my father. He wisely questioned why Christians ask how close to the line we can get. If we love our God, wouldn't we want to get as far from the line as possible?

You see, here's what I believe is the hardest thing about entertainment in the life of a follower of Christ--we love it. We are really good at justifying why entertainment that has poop in it is okay. I've often wondered, what if we met Jesus in his physical body and asked, "What must I do to be saved?" And he said, "You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’" And we said, "Yes, I've done those." And Jesus replied, "One thing you lack, stop spending your time on movies and TV and video games and follow me." Ouch. How many of us would honestly be able to leave behind our favorite entertainment for Jesus? The rich young ruler, whom the preceding is based on, was challenged by Jesus to give up what was closest to his heart--his riches. From my observation, entertainment is the dear love of many Christians.
 
So how much poop is too much poop? Well, as we all know, people have different convictions in entertainment. The trouble is, this fact itself is often used as an excuse for eating poop. So, instead of telling you how much is too much, I'll present a good way to evaluate entertainment choices.

I find asking, "Does this entertainment glorify God?" isn't that helpful because we're also really good at justifying how non-poop parts of a pretty poopie entertainment can glorify God. We try to wrestle some redeeming aspect so we can justify our enjoyment.

Here is a more direct question: "What does this entertainment claim is good and right?" What is this entertainment trying to tell me? What does it want me to believe? Sometimes we have to dig to discover the answers to these questions, but most of the time, I find the answers obvious. Entertainment champions ideas. What are those ideas? Once I know what the entertainment is championing, I ask myself if I can champion that as well. If I am a Christian, I ask, "Is this something God champions?" And if it isn't, then why am I trying to get close to the line? Why am I not trying to get as far away as possible?

Some will still defend their entertainment, claiming they are just learning about the world through this particular entertainment. I find this argument fairly weak. People who tend to use this defense usually have no valid explanation of how this entertainment is making them a better witness. They just want an excuse to delve into poop. There may be a select few people out there who need to see various entertainment to interact with unbelievers, but most of us aren't going to have that problem. Your lack of seeing poop isn't going to keep you from sharing the gospel. It's never kept me from witness at all. If I haven't seen something, I say I haven't and the topic of conversation moves on. Not seeing poop is rarely a deterrent to a relationship.

Years ago, I decided that no entertainment was better than Jesus. At the time, I let go a book series I had become obsessed with. I asked God to remove my desire for it, and he did. I have never felt such freedom. Even now, I find the grip of having to see, watch, or play something doesn't hold me. I don't have this obsession to date my TV at the same time every week or get that game the minute it is out. I am not controlled by entertainment. I control my entertainment.

How much poop is too much? I think you already know. I think as you ask yourself the question, the Spirit brings poop to mind. The more vital question then is, "Do you love poop more than Jesus?" And if you don't, then what are you going to do about it?

A New Year

"O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
   except the days that are passed in thy presence,
   in thy service, to thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
   sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit
   to supply every thought,
   speak in every word,
   direct every step,
   prosper every work,
   build up every mote of faith,
   and give me a desire
      to show forth thy praise;
      testify thy love;
      advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark upon the unknown waters of this year,
   with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
   thee, O Son, as my helm,
   thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
   my lamp burning,
   my ear open to thy calls,
   my heart full of love,
   my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
   thy comforts to cheer,
   thy wisdom to teach,
   thy right hand to guide,
   thy counsel to instruct,
   thy law to judge.
   thy presence to stabilise.
May thy fear be my awe,
   thy triumphs my joy."

--"New Year" from The Valley of Vision

Contemplation at the End of the Year

I plan to take some time to get quiet and contemplate at the end of this year and the beginning of the new one. To that end, here is a puritan prayer to direct hearts and minds to what really matters.

"Year's End" from The Valley of Vision

O Love Beyond Compare,
Thou art good when thou givest,
when thou takest away,
when the sun shines upon me,
when night gathers over me.

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,
and in love didst redeem my soul;
Thou dost love me still,
in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me another year,
leading me through a twisting wilderness,
in retreat helping me to advance,
when beaten back making sure headway.

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;
I hoist sail and draw up anchor,
With thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past.
I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.

If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,
thou wilt be with me in them;
If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation,
I shall not drown;
If I am to die,
I shall see thy face the sooner;
If a painful end is to be my lot,
grant me grace that my faith fail not;
If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,
I can make no stipulation;
Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,
as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

Praise and Thanksgiving: Increase My Love

"O MY GOD,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
      my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
  for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
  and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
    in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
  ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
  ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
  ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
  crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
  for adorning it, sanctifying it,
    though it is fixed in barren soil;
  for the body thou hast given me,
  for preserving its strength and vigour,
  for providing senses to enjoy delights,
  for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
  for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
  for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
  for a full table and overflowing cup,
  for appetite, taste, sweetness,
  for social joys of relatives and friends,
  for ability to serve others,
  for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
  for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
  for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
  for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
  for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language
    to express,
  for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time
    and eternity."

--From The Valley of Vision

Christians ARE Pro-Life

I wish secular bloggers and posters, not to mention some Christian ones, would stop listening solely to the mainstream media's version of reality. Mainstream media reports on a small slice of reality pie and it tends to like its slice juicy and messy. Juicy and messy sells. Juicy and messy racks up likes and shares. Juicy and messy riles up and keeps people returning for more. But juicy and messy isn't the whole pie.

It's not uncommon for me to read a comment or post or blog that chastises Christians for "only being pro-life when babies are in the womb." We don't care about people when they aren't in the womb, I'm told. We don't care about unwed mothers. We don't care about the poor. We don't care about the marginalized. Is this true?

Here's the thing. People who claim the Christian faith (some of them probably really are of the faith, some of them probably aren't) and who do or say awful things, they are the juicy and messy slice the media loves. They are encouraged to spout and rage to bring in the masses to a journalist's news source. We humans tend to love bad news. We love gossip. We love hate. We love grumbling. We love pain. And we especially love pointing fingers at others so we can forget about our own failings.

I have never been interviewed by the media. No one puts a mic to my lips when I donate boxes of baby clothes to a crisis pregnancy center. No one walks beside me to ask why I am on a Hike for Life raising money for women with unplanned pregnancies. No one stands outside the food bank I stepped into to deliver toothbrushes, shampoo, canned goods, ready meals, and asks for an interview when I emerge. And no one gives me a pat on the back and a "let me report this" when I give my life to the two little souls in my personal care who need me pretty much every hour of the day. The media doesn't get juicy from little, insignificant me.

Most Christians are like me. Everyone I know serves others in some capacity. Some work at crisis pregnancy centers. Some adopt orphans. Some raise money for organizations and resources to help unwed moms. Some have put their heart and souls into ministries who help the marginalized, refugees, sex trafficked women and girls. Some go overseas, short term or long term, aiding the poor and needy around the world. Some serve in the local community, taking meals to the elderly, helping children who need school supplies and after school care. Some use their skills as doctors or carpenters or electricians to care and build and aid. Some look for those that need help around them and lend their hearts and hands. And some like me who have their hands and lives full to the brim with the children in their care find ways to help the wider world as best they can and long for a time they'll have more margin to do even more.

What's the truth? The truth is most Christians are pro-life. We're not going to be lauded. We're not going to be interviewed by the media. We're the part of the pie they don't have much interest in. Once in a blue moon, they might care. But most of the time, this just won't be the case. So bloggers and posters and commenters, please stop saying Christians aren't pro-life unless you are in a womb. It just isn't true. And Christian, you keep doing what you are doing. Be God's hands in a needy world. Fix your eyes on your Savior. Remember that even though your part of the pie isn't lauded, you are seen and known by the one who truly matters.

It's Either All About Grace or It Isn't

Much of the church these days proclaims that God is a God of grace, that the church should be about grace, that grace is a message needed in a dying world. I've heard a lot of sermons and read a lot of articles about accepting the downtrodden, opening our church buildings to anyone, being the hands of Jesus to the sinner, showing people a God who hasn't written them off. Trouble is, I don't think we really believe this. At least, we often don't act like it.

We are human and our sinful humanity unfortunately means that the concept of mercy and grace run right up against our sin. We easily expect mercy and grace for ourselves, but we have a hard time giving it to people who have hurt us, people who are against us, people we don't like. We often operate under a double standard where I get grace, but you don't.

I think the reason grace is hard for us is because we think giving people grace is excusing sin. But that's not true. Grace doesn't excuse sin. Let me say that again: Grace doesn't excuse sin. Grace takes care of sin. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ died to get rid of sin. His grace wipes sin away. To give grace is not to say that someone's sin didn't matter. It mattered a whole lot--our Savior died to take care of it.

God's grace does not excuse sin, but a lot of people we meet haven't been saved. They aren't under God's grace as far as Jesus' sacrifice. Does grace apply to them? "[God] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). All throughout the Bible there is a focus on God's desire for people to be saved and God draws his people into this desire by commissioning us to speak his truth about grace. Verse after verse speaks of Christians denying themselves for the good of the unsaved. Jesus modeled his love for the unsaved, eating with those despised. Think of the worst person you can, then think of Jesus sitting and eating with this person. Through this image we get a sense of what it truly means to be the hands of Jesus in a fallen world.

The truth is, there are a bunch of people we personally know and even those we have never met that we despise and we don't want love or grace extended to them ever. And we certainly don't want to be the conduit of love and the mouth that speaks grace. There's an entire book written about a man just like this. His name was Jonah and he was called to go to a people he hated and had no desire for their salvation. He tried to flee and got swallowed by a fish, then spit out. He agreed to go. He proclaimed the need for repentance and the people he despised repented. And Jonah got mad. He grumbled and complained. He was more concerned about a plant to shade him than a people's destruction: "Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:2-3). But God responded: "You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" (Jonah 4:10).

People on this earth face consequences for sin. Sometimes they are spared those consequences, sometimes not. Regardless, Christians are called to be people of love and grace and truth. We speak truth about sin, but we also extend grace. We show people that God hasn't written them off. We aren't called to go around making sure people repay their debts to us and God (Matthew 18:21-35). We are called to extend the same forgiveness that has been given us to others (Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

Grace is hard. Mercy is hard. Ultimate mercy and grace took the death of a sinless God-man. They don't excuse sin; they acknowledge it and take care of it. They reach a hand down to sinful man and whisper, "God is still here. God sees you in all your ugliness and he still opens his arms. Come, let him enter in." If people are to hear this message from us, then we must guard our hearts and minds and mouths. We must remember what God was willing to give those we consider the most despicable, indeed, even us in our most despicable. If it's all about grace, we have no other option.

Bullied Into Disobedience

I was listening to Wayne Braudrick, a local pastor, on the radio the other day. He recounted several stories of Mexican Christians who have been tormented, kidnapped, even murdered, for not bowing down to drug cartels. He quoted one Mexican Christian who is quite vocal and was questioned about his boldness. His response was "I will not be bullied into disobeying God." As Wayne talked on, my mind stayed on that quote and its truth: bullied into disobeying God. Isn't that much of what we face these days?

Let's face it, Christian, we aren't loved by a lot of people. And as much as we like to blame Christians for this (we're an easy scapegoat--you'll always find unhealthy people in a place designed for those who need a doctor), a lot of the anger and hate directed at us comes from people who want to force us to think and believe and act like they do.

If the way to death is wide and the road to life is narrow, it really shouldn't surprise us that a majority of people these days want to make us be like them. They despise the narrow road and they despise its travelers more. And many of them are not content with scorn from afar. They have a mission to force those on the narrow road over to the wide road. And this leads them to become if not physical, verbal bullies.

If you don't believe what they do, they will call you ignorant, intolerant, radical. If you don't act like they do, they will call you bigoted, unfeeling, cold. If you don't jump on their bandwagons, they will call you anti-progress, anti-modernism, antiquated. If you dare to say you believe in the Bible, they will call you stupid, dumb, naive. They will berate and berate and berate. And they hope, if they keep it up long enough, they'll knock you flat and you'll drag your sorry self over to the wide road.

Many do fall down and crawl penitently over to the wide road. When they get there, they are so praised and loved, they feel good about it. They make up reasons they really didn't disobey God, reasons why the wide road is actually the right one. They figure if the majority is on the wide road, it's got to be the right one. And they look back at the narrow road and point fingers at the bigoted, ignorant rabble they used to walk with.

Yes, Christian, you will be bullied. If not in person, certainly by media, especially social media. You'll be lambasted for taking certain stands and speaking certain truths. You'll be chastised by those who are sure they are right and you are the problem with the world today. They will harangue because they want you to stop doing what you're doing and believing what you believe.

But you know what? I have decided that like the Mexican Christian, I will not be bullied into disobeying God. Those on the wide road can stomp their feet and point their fingers and shout angrily. They can rant on social media, roll their eyes, and call me whatever they want. I will not be bullied into disobeying God. I will not be bullied into compromising Biblical truth. I will not be bullied into changing my life to make myself more comfortable. No. My God is my God and His truth is truth and I will not be moved.

I Admire Job, But Don't Make Me Be Him

You know what the worst part of growing up is? Facing the demolishing of your expectations. When you're in your twenties, the world seems pretty much all for the taking. Young love feels like it will last forever. Opportunities look like they will always come your way. The future is a bright place waiting for you to make your mark. I well remember that time.

But then the years pass and suddenly dark things start to happen. Friends you didn't expect to die so soon, do. Young love transforms, now commonplace and banal. Perfect children don't materialize (or if you face infertility, don't exist at all). The career so open for the taking becomes drudgery. A disease drains energy and finances. Oh, there are good days, days you smile and enjoy life, but there is dark and it is so very dark. The life you expected has disappeared. And perhaps you resent those whose lives seem to have turned out exactly as they wanted.

The truth is, for some of your fellow humans, life threw curve balls (maybe even for you personally). And as much as we Christians like to tell each other we trust God and his will for our lives, we don't like that he let the curve balls get to us. As much as we say we don't believe in legalistic tit for tat, we do. We've unconsciously determined we deserve smooth sailing: a perfect marriage, maybe a little arguing here and there, but an inexhaustible supply of forgiveness and thus abolished hurt. Children who are easily obedient, sweet cherubs, because we'd parent the right way. Careers that fulfill us, our contributions valued and lauded. And faith? Well, God makes that easy, after all, he's a perfect being so I can't help but love Him.

I recently read an article about a couple thrown a curve ball: their oldest daughter died of a sudden asthma attack. It was gut wrenching for them. The author noted that everyone at some point faces the confrontation of fears or the abandoning of destinies. That part gave me pause. Abandoning destiny? Then it hit me. He and his wife can't go back. They can't get their daughter back. They never wanted to face life without her. They never wanted to confront her death. They never wanted this. This was not the expectation of what life held.

Christians laud heroes of the faith and pretty much all those heroes stand up under suffering. Joseph sold into slavery. David hounded by Saul. Esther married off to spend her life in a harem. Jeremiah preaching and enduring hate to speak God's truth. Saul thrown in prison for releasing a woman from Satan. These heroes inspire us. "Yes, yes! They are faithful. Yes!" We love to see Job declare, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord." "Yes, Job! Don't listen to your wife who wants you to curse God and die." But then our own dark hits and we find we admire Job, but we don't want to be him.

We don't want to be Hosea, faithful to a faithless spouse. We don't want to be Hagar, mistreated and sent away with our child. We don't want to be Elijah, standing up for faith and taking a hit for doing so. We don't want to be David, facing the disasters of a rebellious child. We don't want to be Job, our home destroyed, our wealth gone, our children dead. Not only do we not want it, we never thought God would make us go through it in the first place.

When expectations are dashed, when this smooth life turns out not to be so smooth, it can kill spirit and soul. The worst is when things happen that you cannot fix. When the miscarriage happens, when the child dies, when the child strays, when the spouse changes, when you stop being loved. Where is our faith in the midst of the deepest dark, the abandoning of our destinies?

The author of the article I read faced his pain head on. As much as it hurt, he didn't shove it away; he lived in it. It hurt, it stabbed, it crushed, but in he went. My life verse is Hebrews 11:13: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth." Most of the heroes of faith didn't see what God promised. Abraham didn't see his descendants as numerous as the stars. Moses didn't see the Hebrews take the Promised Land. Jeremiah didn't see Israel return after 70 years of exile. Isaiah didn't see Jesus born and die and save. And yet, these and more were living by faith when they died.

This is what gives me the courage to face the pain head on, to live in the death of expectations. I look to those I admire, who faced the dark and kept on trusting. I take comfort that I do not walk alone. I journey with a cloud of witnesses "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). I choose to see the joy on the other side of the dark.

Does this mean the dark is easy? No. The dark is dark, but there is a glimmer in a faithful heart. I hold to that glimmer. Some days the tears drench, the knees bruise as we fall, and our breath is taken from us, no words for the pain we endure. Sometimes all we can do is fix our eyes on Jesus ahead of us and Job, Hosea, Hagar, Jeremiah beside us. We cling to the promise that our victor will be victorious and some day the dark swallowed up in the city that has no need of the sun for the glory of God is its light and the Lamb is its lamp.

God Didn't Abandon Jesus and He Doesn't Abandon You

I posted the following as a comment on an article about how God "forsook" Jesus on the cross:

Not one of the gospels says God "turned his back" on Jesus. Not one. This is an idea that got passed around and most Christians just accept. In fact, there is no commentary of the gospel writers on what exactly Jesus meant when he spoke the question, a quote from Psalm 22. The only context that can even inform us here comes from this Psalm. David expresses a feeling of God forsaking him. But has he been forsaken? NO! That is the point. David reaffirms God is faithful and does not forsake him in verse 24: "For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." If we hold this a Messianic Psalm then is all of it applicable? If so, then it matters that it states "he has not hidden his face from him."

The straightforward answer is we can't be certain exactly what Jesus meant when he used this phrase. The Bible never tells us anymore than that he said it. Did God "turn his back"? I hesitate to put an action on God that is NEVER stated in Scripture. The more complex answer is we can look to Psalm 22 for context. And in that context we can see that David felt abandoned. And we can also see that he was not abandoned. He asks the question, but the answer is not affirmative. We can say that Jesus felt abandoned. Was he abandoned? The Psalm reaffirms God's faithfulness and not hiding his face. Only Jesus can tell us exactly what he meant someday when we see him face to face.

There is nothing in the Bible to support that God abandoned Jesus on the cross. No author ever makes that assumption or says that. In our desire to figure out what Jesus meant we have made up this idea about God turning his back on Jesus. This is only speculation, and I would assert unsupportable speculation. Even worse, it hints at the fact that God abandons you, too.

The reason people usually give for God "turning his back" is he can't look on sin. This idea is also false. It gets pulled from one verse in Scripture from a book most Christians hardly ever read and probably haven't a clue what it's about: Habakkuk. Habakkuk 1:13a says, "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong". Seems straightforward. Or is it? If God can't see evil or wrong, he's doing a pretty terrible job of being himself. God looked at sinful earth before the flood (Gen. 6:11-12). God looked at the sin when the tower of Babel was built (Gen. 11:5). He looked on David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:9). And on and on and on. God looks at sin all over the Bible.

Just as we have to look at the context of Psalm 22 to understand the point of the Psalm, we have to look at the context of the verse in Habakkuk to understand it. It can't mean God never looks on evil/sin because he does. Some people then say, "Well, of course, God doesn't really have eyes, so he can't look at sin. What this verse really means is he can't be in the presence of sin." But is this supported by Scripture? God was in the presence of sinful Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). Adam and Eve hid from God's presence, but God called out to them. In Job, Satan comes into God's presence (Job 1). Jesus was fully God and he came into contact with sin constantly. This idea doesn't hold weight either.

So what does Habakkuk mean when he says God's pure eyes can't see evil or look at wrong? In Habakkuk 1, Habakkuk is questioning why God is putting up with all the sin and evil he sees around him. The nation of Israel had become full of violence and strife and injustice (1:1-4). So God answers he is going to send the Chaldeans to punish Israel (1:5-11). Habakkuk takes issue with this. The Chaldeans are horribly violent people. How can God punish Israel with those who are so evil? This is the context of Habakkuk 1:13a.

"A"? You see, there is a whole second part of this verse that doesn't get quoted often in this discussion. As always, it provides our answer. Here is the whole verse: "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?" Here is Habakkuk's question of how God can use the sinful Chaldeans to punish sinful Israel. The second part of the verse adds clarity to the first part. How does Habakkuk claim God is looking on sin/evil/wrong? Idly. He remains silent. In other words, Habakkuk is asking how God can look at this sin and be okay with it. Habakkuk knows God cannot look at sin in a positive light, so how can he be okay with the Chaldeans' sin? Habakkuk acknowledges in the second part that God is looking at sin!

The NASB translates this verse in a way that provides wonderful clarity: "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?" God cannot approve evil and he cannot look at wickedness with favor. God looks on sin and evil. He sees it. He punishes it. God doesn't hide himself from sin because it's just so awful it might stain him. He looks it full in the face and confronts it with his judgment.

Jesus took all the punishment of sin for us. He took the anger and wrath. Did he feel abandoned by God? Did he feel forsaken? Yes. Was he forsaken? Psalm 22 says no. Psalm 22 says God hears the afflicted, that God listens to his cry.

My friend, there will be days you feel abandoned and forsaken. In the midst of your pain, know that Jesus understands. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned and forsaken. You have your savior's understanding. But will God turn his back on you? No! God did not abandon Jesus and he will not abandon you.

Answers to the Christmas Story Trivia Challenge

If you haven't had a chance to try the trivia questions, see the previous post here.


Answers:
1. What is the English translation of Jesus' Hebrew name?
Jesus' Hebrew name is Yeshua, a common alternative form of Yehoshuah which means "Yahweh is Salvation." English translates this name as Joshua. Jesus comes from the Greek translation. Since the New Testament was written in Greek and was translated into English, we use the Greek as the basis for Jesus' name.

2.  When does Joseph first speak in the narrative of Jesus' birth?
He never speaks.

3. What animal did Mary ride from Nazareth to Bethlehem?
The Bible does not tell us how Mary got to Bethlehem.

4. What did the angels sing to the Shepherds about Jesus?
They didn't sing. The Bible says they spoke.

5. What did the Shepherds do after they had seen Jesus?
Spread the word concerning him or praised God.

6. Which angel was there when Jesus was born?
None is mentioned.

7. How many wise men came to see Jesus?

No number is ever given. Three gifts are mentioned, but not the number of wise men. There could have been more than three or less than three.

8. What animals did the wise men ride?

No animals are mentioned.

9. Where did the star the wise men had been following stop?

Over the house or place where Jesus was. At this point, we assume that Mary and Joseph had taken up residence in Bethlehem, probably because they had a new baby and family in Bethlehem and elected not to make the trip back to Nazareth. Thus it makes sense why Herod wanted to kill all babies 2 years and younger as he had inquired when the wise men first saw the star.

10. How did the wise men know not to go back to Herod?

They were warned in a dream. The Bible does not say who warned them, whether God directly, an angel or just a simple dream.

Bonus Question: Where did the innkeeper say Mary and Joseph could stay?

Very tricky question. First, the Bible never mentions an innkeeper. Second, the term "inn" is most likely mistranslated in English. Mary and Joseph were probably traveling with other family members and stayed with family in Bethlehem. The term "inn" does not need to refer to a hotel like we think of. Luke used the term for a guest room. The image of Mary and Joseph alone as Mary gives birth is highly unlikely. Family and/or midwives were most certainly present. Why Jesus in a manger then? Check out this link for far more detail.

How did you do? Comment below!

Also, check out this fun video that points out the myths surrounding the story of Jesus' birth as well as the true meaning of his birth.

Christmas Story Trivia Challenge

How well do you know the story of Christ's birth? Test yourself with these questions! Answers revealed tomorrow.

Rules:
1. You cannot look in a Bible
2. You cannot look on the internet.
3. You cannot look anywhere else. All answers must come from your brain only.
4. Be honest. If you look anywhere but in your brain, you can't count that as getting the answer correct.
5. You can pray :-)

Trivia Questions (All questions concern the Biblical account of Jesus' birth.)

1. What is the English translation of Jesus' Hebrew name?
2. When does Joseph first speak in the narrative of Jesus' birth?
3. What animal did Mary ride from Nazareth to Bethlehem?
4. What did the angels sing to the Shepherds about Jesus?
5. What did the Shepherds do after they had seen Jesus?
6. Which angel was there when Jesus was born?
7. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
8. What animals did the wise men ride?
9. Where did the star the wise men had been following stop?
10. How did the wise men know not to go back to Herod?

Bonus: Where did the innkeeper say Mary and Joseph could stay?

Love: Here With Us

"It's still a mystery to me

That the hands of God could be so small.
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky."

The story of Jesus sounds so impossible to uninitiated ears. God in a man? God as a baby? Impossible! But if an all powerful God exists, could he not accomplish such a feat? Once you accept the possibility of God, the possibility of a babe in a manger is a small step.

"It's still a mystery to me

How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time.

How His ears have heard an angel's symphony,

But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep."

Man longs for rescue. Literature, media, our hearts testify to such a longing, the good defeating evil, the hero saving the world. Could it be this desire is created within us from the time we are born? What greater rescue could there be than God, creator of time, commander of angels. Peer at the sleeping baby--he is the answer to our longing for salvation.

"Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King

Here with us, You're here with us."
 

Praise the Lord! The world is not lost. Evil does not have to win. A real hero steps into the scene. God is more than powerful--he is love. He reaches down to man, gifting his son, a king and a servant, to walk with us and draw us up from the dust and mire of the world.

"Jesus, the Christ, born in Bethlehem.

A baby born to save, to save the souls of man."

Story heroes snatch us from the jaws of physical death; Jesus snatches us from ourselves. From the sin that entangles, the self suffering of our natures, a sick soul in need of release. In so doing, physical death is also defeated, its sting obliterated. Eternal life, yes, with an eternally perfectly restful soul. What better news can there be than this Christmas truth?

(Quotes come from the song "Here With Us" by Joy Williams. You can listen to it here.)

American Christians and Habakkuk

God's plan moving throughout time is the foundation of the Biblical worldview of history. This does not negate man's choices, but means that God will work sometimes with and sometimes in spite of man's actions: "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Recently, I have been confronted by this truth once again and its impact on the Christianity of my nation.

Violence, aggression and crime seem to be the circumstances of the day. But then, when have they not? Not an age in human history has passed where they were not active in some fashion. Yet now we seem to face a different time, a time where a certain group of people wish the end of America and Christians. How are we to respond to this?

To answer that question, I have been drawn back to one of my favorite minor prophets: Habakkuk. His book is written as a question and answer session with God. He wrote at a time when the Babylonians were the rising foreign power. The good king of his own nation, Josiah, had died and a sinful, wicked king had taken his place. The nation was beset by greed, fighting, injustice and moral decline. The citizens of Judah spent their time on themselves and their pleasures and mocked the God who supposedly had the power to judge them.

I cannot help but see a comparison between Habakkuk's time and my own. We live in a time of many rising powers that are as powerful or more than America. We face the corruption of our government system so tied to lobbyists and powerful donors. Our nation is focused on hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure regardless of moral implications. And like Habakkuk, I hear many American Christians warning, "God will judge this."

Will he? He, indeed, may. I hear some long for such. "When will you take care of this God?" Habakkuk asks the same: "How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, 'Violence!' yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness?" (Habakkuk 3:1-3). Fed up with watching the injustice of his nation, Habakkuk longs for God's intervention. But God does not answer in a way that Habakkuk likes. God basically says, "I am going to take care of it. Babylon is going to rise up against Judah and invade." "Wait a second!" Habakkuk responds, "How can you use those horrible, immoral Babylonians against us?" What Habakkuk longed for suddenly doesn't seem so great.

American Christians are praying for revival, but we want it without suffering or trial or discomfort. We picture some spontaneous Holy Spirit descent that forces people to revive whether they like it or not. Our term revival comes from a time in history where this seemed to be the case. But we neglect the fact that revival, the awakening of the desire for the divine, often comes when people face pain, and I would suggest, even more so this way.

So what if God plans for America to face suffering and pain? Will you, American Christian, be okay with that? In her book, Smoke on the Mountain, Joy Davidman, wife of C.S. Lewis, speaks to this: "What, then, must we pray for? Nothing that we have not been told over and over again; nothing but 'Thy will be done,' even if his will is that we lose all that the last two hundred years have given us."

I find American Christians often act like God is obligated to keep them safe, to preserve their cushy way of life, their privileges, their benefits. When someone is elected they do not like, they do not understand how God would let this person reign. And even when wanting God's justice and praying for God's bringing down of evil, they want to be spared. "Discipline my country, God, but leave me intact."

Habakkuk knew he wouldn't be left intact. Yet even so, he trusted God in his plan. His trust resolved his fear:
"I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us.
Though the fig tree should not blossom 
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places." (3:16-19).

Could God use foreign nations and those of different religions to judge America and bring it back to him? Yes. And if he does, what, American Christian, will be your response? Will you trust God's plan or wring your hands in fear? Are you willing to accept that which you have prayed for even if it comes in a different package than you desired? If you are, then be at peace. Let your trust in God no matter what banish the fear. Be a light on a hill to those who fear in uncertain times and in so doing, draw others to him.