They all look alike to me

He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. Psalm 147:3,4

At first glance, these two verses don’t seem to connect. They seem disjointed. But maybe not. In fact, I think verse four actually validates verse three.

There are billions of stars and for the most part, they all look about the same. Yet, God knows each one by name. As insignificant as some distant star is on the backside of the universe, it is important enough to God to have a name. He made it and it has purpose.

How much more is He attentive to the person who suffers the pain of a broken heart? They are not forgotten. Not lost in the crowd. They are not cast aside like worthless trash, although that may be how they feel. To Him, each person is priceless.

Like the stars, there are billions of people, yet he knows each one by name. Each has significance. Each life has value.

… for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Psalm 139:14

He knows your name, my friend, and He cares about your needs. “He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.”

Keep your trust in Him today!

 

Wanted: Dead or Alive. Preferably Dead!

As Saul and his men began to close in, David tried his best to escape, but it was no use. But just then, a messenger reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again, so Saul quit the chase and returned to fight the Philistines. 1 Samuel 23:26-28

Who said God has no sense of humor?! I got a chuckle reading this passage today. It is so full of irony.

Think about it. David has two major enemies; the Philistines, who have his picture on every post office bulletin board in the land, and Saul, who sees David as a threat to his throne.

So Saul chases David down and corners him. No way of escape, no place to hide. David is toast.

Then Saul’s cell phone rings. Satellite images show Philistine troops unexpectedly amassing on the Israeli border. Saul has to pull back from his assault on David and return to the Pentagon.

The Philistines actions have unwittingly allowed their arch rival, David, to escape the hand of Saul!

The irony blows me away!

When David was trapped, I’ve got to believe he was praying. “O God, send someone to get me out of this mess! You saved me from the mouth of the bear and from the lion. You spared me from Goliath, the Philistine Giant…”

And I can imagine God saying, “Philistine? Did someone say Philistine? Hmm, I’ve got an idea…” and he uses one of David’s enemies to spare him from the other.

So where are we going with this? What is the message for us today?

When you and I are in trouble, we should never limit the way God can rescue us. He may send help from the least likely place. The last place on earth you are expecting. Just keep trusting Him. You never know how He will come through!

 

24/7/365

She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus but she did not recognize Him… She thought He was the gardener. John 20:14,15

Mary Magdalene was standing at the tomb weeping because it was empty and she supposed someone had stolen the body of Jesus.

Interestingly, Jesus was standing right over her shoulder, in fact He spoke to her, but she mistook Him for the gardener. She didn’t recognize her closest friend.

Maybe her eyes were so full of tears she simply didn’t get a good look. But I suspect there was more to it than that.

I think she was so consumed in her sorrow she paid no attention to the one behind her. She was too caught up in her own emotions.

It makes me ask myself, when I am faced with a crisis, how often do I become so self absorbed that I fail to recognize Jesus standing over my shoulder? How often are my eyes so blinded by fear or pain that when He speaks, I mistake Him for the yardman?

Jesus promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. Through good times and bad… and especially in bad, He’s right by our side. 

Twenty four, seven, three sixty five. And an extra day on leap year, He is there.

 

Trust me on this one

But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” Mark 5:36 (LB)

Jairus, the leader of the local synagogue, came to Jesus for help. His twelve year old daughter was at the point of death and she needed a miracle.

It’s interesting Jairus would turn to Jesus. Most synagogue leaders saw Jesus as an adversary. When you think synagogue you think Sabbath. You think Jewish customs and traditions. You remember Sunday morning headlines: Jesus breaks Sabbath!

The Jewish leaders were intent on discrediting Jesus. Sabotaging His ministry. Even plotting His death.

But Jairus was desperate. His daughter was dying. Doctors couldn’t help. There was no medicine, no further treatment. So he swallowed his pride and turned to Jesus.

It must have been humbling. How, he wonders, will Jesus respond? What will Jesus say? “Hey. Don’t I know you? Yeah. You’re the leader of the synagogue. You’re the guy who tried to throw me headlong off a cliff the other day.”

“Who, me? Oh, that’s a guy who looks a lot like me. I get that all the time.” 

But in desperation, he humbly asked Jesus to come and heal his little girl. Forget the past. Forget the differences of theology. He had a problem and only Jesus had the solution.

Thankfully, Jesus responded the way he does with all who turn to him with a broken and contrite heart. In His mercy, He offered to heal the little girl.

But then the text message came through, “It’s too late. The girl is dead.”

Jesus told Jairus, “Ignore it. Put it on vibrate. The girl will live. Trust me on this.”

And Jesus touched the girl and she sprang to her feet, alive and well.

So, what is the application? How does this apply to us today?

There may be things we no longer trust God for. Things we have given up trusting him for. We hear the words, “the girl is dead” and we become discouraged and give up.

Today, Jesus is saying, “Ignore the detractors. Don’t believe the circumstances. Things are not always as they appear. Trust me on this one.” 

O God, forgive us for the times our faith has wavered. Forgive us for our lack of trust. You have always proven yourself faithful and you will continue to be faithful until the end. Amen.

Some things you can do today:

1. Think of something in your life that has died; a dream, a goal. Now ask God to renew your vision and restore it to life.
2. Begin to trust Him for the answer. Don’t focus on the circumstances - they will pull you down. Look to Jesus - He will lift you up.

 

Those Pesky Little Bees

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. John 15:1,2

If there is one thing I do not like, it is bees. I don’t like the way they buzz. I don’t like the way they flutter their wings around my leaves. I don’t like the way they track pollen from other trees all over my flowers. And let me tell you about their stingers. I do not like the way they…. they…. Wait a minute. Come to think of it, there are two things I really don’t like. Bees and those…. those dreadful shears. In fact, the bees really aren’t that bad. But let me tell you about the shears. Oh, boy! Could I write a book about those shears!

I remember it like it was yesterday. Must have been two summers ago. Or was it three? Started out like any other Saturday morning. Just another lazy day standing in the backyard with the other apple trees, Phil and Sally. That’s when I saw Him coming out of the shed carrying an unusual object. What it was, I had no clue but I didn’t give it much thought.

There He was, eying Sally’s branches as He crossed the yard. Sally is the tree right over there. No not that one. That’s Phil. Next to Phil….. She’s the one with all the luscious, juicy apples hanging from her limbs!

Now, let me tell you, Sally didn’t always produce so many apples. I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately. She used to be like the rest of us. An apple here, an apple there. But look at her now, laden with fruit! Why, she’s the envy of us all. But there I go, getting sidetracked. Let’s see, where was I? Oh, yes. That Saturday morning.

He was walking across the yard, looking at Sally, top to bottom. Now, I have to say, as trees go, Sally was quite a looker. We all admired her. She had more branches than the rest of us. And her leaves? They were full and lustrous. When it came to backyard barbeques, He always put the picnic table under Sally. She gave the most shade. And the birds? They would build their nests in Sally’s branches. She offered the most shelter.

So there He was, looking up at her branches. Admiring their beauty, no doubt. Then, He did the unthinkable. He took that object, reached up, and lopped off one of her branches, then another, and another. If I live to be fifty, I’ll never erase that picture from my mind. He took those shears, as they came to be known, and snipped here, cut there, systematically, methodically, limb by limb, branch by branch. When He could reach no higher, He climbed atop the picnic table and cut some more.

I awoke the next morning hoping it had been some horrible dream but as I gazed across the yard, I knew it was no dream. It was a nightmare. There stood Sally, a mere skeleton of her former self. Naked. Humiliated. Looking very much alone.

Winter passed and with the spring, Sally began to sprout new growth. Although a shadow of her former beauty, at least she was taking on a bit of color. Meanwhile, I found myself assuming more of the role she once played. I provided shade for the picnics. The birds nested in my branches. But as healthy and lustrous as my leaves were, Sally again became the focus of attention. Why? Well, as I said earlier it was because of her new found zest for growing apples. How she does it, I just don’t know. Why can’t I produce fruit like that? But there I go, running off on another tangent. I was telling you about the shears.

One day last summer, He came out of the shed and headed my direction, eying my branches as He crossed the yard. Something told me it wasn’t my beauty He was admiring. Sure enough, to my horror, I saw in His hands, the shears. If I could have turned pale, I suppose I might have. The trouble with being a tree is that you can’t run and hide. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been afraid of a little pain, but nothing I’d been through prepared me for what was to follow. He took the shears and began to cut. A branch here, a limb there. Next He was atop the picnic table, reaching to my upper extremities. With each deft cut, I winced in pain. My beauty was being stripped. My security taken. Everything I held near and dear was being removed.

Winter passed and it was a cold one. And although I am sprouting new growth, I have no idea what the future holds. Or if there will be a future? I often wonder what life is about. What is my purpose for being here? Or do I even have a purpose?

But wait a minute. What is that buzzing sound I am hearing? Oh my goodness! Is that the fluttering of little wings? Perish the thought! Those pesky little bees have returned!

 

Been there, done that!

Okay, it’s true. I have a bit of male chauvinism in my blood. Not much. It doesn’t come up often. But I have to be honest, I have issues when it comes to female football analysts.

There’s one on ESPN, I forget her name, but when I see her breaking down the X’s and O’s, telling why the slot back should have zigged instead of zagged, I’m thinking to myself, “What do you know about football, lady? You never strapped on the pads. You never been hit by a 240 pound linebacker. You wouldn’t want to break a nail. Besides, they won’t let you carry a bag that matches your shoes!”

There, I got that off my chest! Feel better already.  

Actually, she knows the game a hundred times better than most guys do but her knowledge is academic. She didn’t learn it by experience.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against book-learning. But there’s something to be said about learning through experience. Next time I travel to the Mainland, I hope the pilot didn’t get his license by reading a book. “How to Fly Jumbo Jets for Dummies.” I’m hoping he has logged a few thousand hours in the cockpit.

That’s what I like about Jesus. Though He is the Son of God, He knows what we face from day to day from personal experience.

“For since He Himself has been through suffering and temptation, He knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and He is wonderfully able to help us.” Hebrews 2:18

He came to earth, strapped on the pads, took the hits. He felt the pain. He knows the feeling of loneliness, rejection, betrayal. Whatever it is you’re facing, He can relate.

Now He stands ready to help. To provide a way of escape. 

“He is faithful, and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure, but will provide for us a way of escape.” I Corinthians 10:13

Next time you’re facing that 240 pound linebacker, look to Jesus for help. He will make a way.

 

Idols? What idols?

But when all was going well, your people turned to sin again…. yet whenever your people returned to you for help, once more you listened from heaven, and in your wonderful mercy, delivered them. Nehemiah. 9:28

In those few lines, you pretty much have the history of the Children of Israel. God would bless them with peace and prosperity. But then they would forget about Him and fall into sin. So God would allow them to come under enemy attack. 

Someone stands up and says, “Maybe it’s because of the idols we’ve been worshipping.” Another guy says, “What idols? I don’t see any idols. Unless you’re talking about that golden calf everyone is dancing around.”

So they humble themselves, seek forgiveness, lose the idols. And once again, God comes to their rescue. Peace reigns. Prosperity is restored. A chicken in every pot. Two cars in every garage. Everything is hunky-dory. Too hunky-dory, because they fall right back into sin.

And the cycle repeats. Second verse, same as the first. 

Well, it’s easy to find fault with the Israelites but in a way, we’re not much different. The job’s good. The wife’s happy. The kids ain’t misbehavin’. And we become spiritually complacent. We’re not on our knees in prayer because, what’s there to pray about? Everything is good. And without knowing it, we begin to slip from God.

So in His wisdom, He sends a little pain. A little mini-crisis. Or a major one. Now, we’re crying out to God. “Help! Where are you?”

When He doesn’t answer, we do some introspection. Look inside. See if there’s anything going on that might be displeasing.

After discovering thirty or forty things we repent, ask forgiveness, lose the golden cow. And true to His promise, He comes to our rescue. Sound familiar?

Today’s verse says, “When all was going well, your people turned to sin again.”

Sometimes, I wonder if we need a little pain. A few trials and tribulations. To keep us on our knees. To remind us of our constant need for him.

Hmmm?

 

God is good?

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19

Whoa, wait a minute. What did you say? Run that by again in slo mo.

…those who suffer according to God’s will…?

I hope you’re not saying it’s God’s will that we suffer. After all, God is good, all the time. At least, that’s what the song says.  How can it be His will for us to suffer?

Right now, I’m picturing an athlete who suffers during training so he or she can win the gold medal. A student pulls an all-nighter in order to ace the exam. A businessman works long hours to become successful.

The common denominator? They are all willing to suffer in order to reach their goal.

As a Christian, I have a goal. It is to become more like Christ, who, oh, by the way, could write the book on suffering. My goal is to be conformed to His image. To receive His approval. Ultimately, to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

So if it takes a little suffering to reach my goal then, hey, bring it on.

Can’t believe I said that!

 

We’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. Exodus 14:13

The scene was the shore of the Red Sea. The Israelites were fleeing Egypt and they took a wrong turn and ended up in a cul-de-sac. Mountains on the left and right, the sea in front, Egyptian army tanks coming up from behind. What could be worse?

Actually, that was the least of Moses’ worries. It wasn’t what was on the left or right, or in front or back that had him biting his nails. It’s what he was standing in the middle of – two million angry Israelites. They hadn’t had their espresso and they were in a rotten mood.

“Yo, Moses. You bring us out here in the desert to die. What’s up with that?”

Credit Moses for not panicking. He had been through tough times before. And he had seen God come through. God had never failed him and Moses couldn’t see it happening now.

One of the best lessons we can learn when we are in a tight situation is to think back. Think back to the times God came to our rescue. Remember his faithfulness. His answers to our prayers. Often in ways we never expected. Then try to remember when He ever failed us. “Hmmm? I’m drawing a blank!”

I’m preaching to myself today. I’ve got obstacles I’m facing – Red Sea in front, Egyptians in the back. But here and now, I remind myself, “Del, don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today!”

 

I’ll pray for anyone but him

Then when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his wealth and happiness. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before. Job 42:10

I find it intriguing that God turned Job’s fortunes around when Job prayed for his “friends.” For the past forty or so chapters, these so-called friends have been badmouthing him, telling him what a scumbag he is, what a worthless excuse he is for a human being. Talk about being kicked when you’re already down. They not only kick him, they get in the SUV and back over him a couple times.

Why is it we can be so brutal when it comes to letting others know their faults and failures? I’m speaking of people we love. Our spouse. Our children. It’s so easy to hurl insults at each other not realizing that each time we do, we erode the foundation of our relationship. Each stinging critique chips away at the mortar that holds the structure together.

The message I am getting today is to pray for those who despitefully use you, as Jesus once said. I’ve done that in the past, but only halfheartedly. I cannot say I have prayed sincerely for those who have hurt me. Why? Because I really don’t want God to bless them. They don’t deserve it.

But Job prayed for his friends and when he did, God restored his wealth and happiness. It makes no mention of whether God blessed the friends, but He definitely blessed Job.

Hmmm?