A Burglar in the House?

 

                                                                                                                                    

 

                                               

 

                                                    

Intense sharp barking in the middle of the night could only mean one thing. There was a burglar in the house! And in the minds of the two little dogs the burglar was me! 

 

How was I - a mild mannered senior adult - mistaken for a burglar?  I was pet sitting for my friend’s two dogs. During the day, I had fed the dogs, taken them outside, given them treats.  At the end of the evening, I sat on the sofa peacefully watching a movie with a dog leaning on either side of me.  It was apparent that they liked and trusted their “substitute dog mom”. Then, when I got up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, they appeared to have forgotten who I was.  They were convinced that I was a stranger in the house who intended to do harm.

 

So often we are like that with God.  He gives us gifts every day.  In the good times, we sit with Him and enjoy His company.  Sometimes, in His sovereignty, He allows difficulties to enter our lives. How quick we are to doubt His goodness. How quick we are to forget all the gifts that He gave us the day before. Instead, we are convinced that He intends to harm us.  

 

Back to the dog story...Are you wondering how I convinced the dogs that I was not a burglar? I spoke the words beloved by dogs everywhere - “Do you want a treat?”  The barking stopped in an instant and two little dogs were sitting at my feet with eyes pierced on the treat container in my hand. I gave them the treats, petted them and took a little time to reacquaint them with their “substitute dog mom”. When I got up the next morning, two little dogs with wagging tails greeted me.

 

How does God respond when I question His goodness and believe that His plans for me are harmful? Often God responds with kindness.  Romans 2:4 says “It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance”.  He continues to give us good gifts. A beautiful sunrise. A phone call from a friend. Just the right song on the radio. A delicious meal. Sweet smelling flowers.  He opens our eyes to the good things in our lives each day. He kindly reminds us of His love and His care for us. As we gaze upon Him, we sit at His feet and trust Him once more.

 

 

 

 

Come

                                                                           

 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28(NKJV)

 

“Come!  All you have to do is come!  If you are weary, come!  If you are discouraged, come! If you are afraid, come! If you mess up, come!  You don’t have to do anything else - just come!”

The young preacher almost burst with enthusiasm as he preached a message that seemed to consist of nothing more than a repetition of the words “just come”. As a young Christian visiting a new church, I was not impressed. In fact, I remember thinking that I could have preached a better sermon myself.

 

 

Fast forward more than 30 years.  As a senior, more mature Christian I can’t tell you how many times that sermon has crossed my mind. Throughout the years, I have heard many elegant, 3 point sermons with multiple Bible references. Most of those sermons are no longer in my memory. But the sermon by the young preacher repeating the words “just come” remains with me.

 

 

Why? Because it is true.  For many years, I thought that I had to do something before I came back to God. When I messed up, I would try harder the next day. Inevitably, the next day I would fall flat on my face. I struggled so hard, but I could never get it all right.

 

The good news is that I don’t have to struggle. Jesus already lived a perfect life when He walked on this earth. He already took my punishment when He died on the cross. All I need to do is to admit that I am wrong then run into the arms of my Father. He is standing there ready to welcome me. All I have to do is to just come.

 

What good news!  What amazing grace! Coming to Christ for salvation is a gift - not something that I earn. My ongoing relationship with God is also by grace alone. When I sin, I just need to admit that I am wrong, then “come - just come”.  It’s that simple. The young preacher was right after all.

 

 

  

Even There

                                                                                                       

 

“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”Psalm 139:9-10 (NKJV)

 

The night seems to go on forever. Tossing and turning. Worrying and fretting. What if the plane crashes?  What if I get COVID?  What if I lose my job?  What if my health declines?  There is no end to the “what ifs” that can keep us awake at night.

 

None of us knows what tomorrow holds. Unexpected things can occur at any time. Sometimes good things happen.  Some things happen that are not so good. Life is unpredictable. This can be exciting. This can be scary.

 

Psalm 139 talks about a scenario in which  I “take the wings of morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea”.  The psalm doesn’t give me any details of what life would be like in such a remote location. But it does say one important thing.  God is there. No matter where I go in life, EVEN THERE I will find God. He is there, and these things are true:  “His hand shall lead me” and “His right hand shall hold me”. 

 

I don’t know what life will look like today or tomorrow or next month or next year.  But I do know that God will be with me.  He will lead me. He will hold my hand as we walk together. He will comfort me when I am fearful. He will hold me up if I start to fall.

 

Having this promise makes the future seem less scary. I can sleep better at night knowing that wherever life takes me, He is there. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness and your unfailing love.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brute Beast

                                                                     

 

“I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; You hold me by my right hand.” Psalm 73:22-23(NIV)

 

The little girl kicked and screamed.  The ball was in the street, and she wanted it. Her father said “no”.  The child cried; the father kept holding her hand. The little girl whined and pleaded; the good father held onto her hand. The little girl called her daddy “mean”; the good father kept holding her hand. There was danger in the street; the good father will never let go of her hand.

 

So often I am like that child.  I see something I want. I try to get it.  I pray for it. I struggle. I know that God answers prayers, but He doesn’t seem to be answering this one.  I think that God is unfair. Inwardly, I whine and plead. I am very much like the little girl in the story.

 

The Psalmist identifies a person with this attitude as being a “brute beast”.  A brute beast is defined as “an animal destitute of reason”.  Like a brute beast, I ignorantly believe that I know what is best. But the Lord sees the danger that I am unable to see.

 

In Scripture, God is often described as holding my hand.  This is reassuring when I am afraid.  It is encouraging when I am lost.  It is comforting when I feel lonely. In those times, I am thankful for His loving hand on mine.

 

However, when I have sinned, when I want to do things my way, when every part of me wants to get away from Him...then, His hand on mine feels restrictive.  The “brute beast” in me kicks and screams and struggles to get away.  But the good Father keeps holding my hand.

 

When the little girl gets older, she will know that the hand holding her back was a hand of love. 

 

Lord, help me to recognize the depth of your love and of your wisdom. When You say “no” to something I want, may I trust You. May I find joy in Your Presence and be grateful that Your hand is holding mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moonlight and Sunrise

                                                                 Moonlight and Sunrise

 

“The day is Yours, and Yours also the night; You established the sun and the moon.” Psalm 74:16(NIV)

 

I stop and gasp out loud as I see the moon suspended above the western horizon. It is so brilliant, so huge, so magnificent!  At the same time, the eastern sky reveals a hint of pink in anticipation of sunrise.

 

It only happens one day a month.  And only when there are no clouds in the sky.  The position and size of the moon astound me. My sense of awe only increases as dawn begins in the east.  Beauty awaits me in either direction during my 6 a.m. walk.

 

My spirit praises God for His beautiful creation.

 

As I look towards the moon, I thank God for watching over me throughout the night.

 

 As I look towards the sunrise, I thank God for the gift of a new day of life.

 

 What a perfect ending to the night! What a perfect beginning to the day!  Praise God for His awe-inspiring creation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sparrows

                      

                                                                    Sparrows

 

When I scroll through Facebook, I always pause at nature photos.  Recently, I came across a number of posts featuring  birds from all over the world. One photo of Grandalas birds from India particularly captured my attention. The photo showed a number of small blue birds in a tree. The color of the birds was a strikingly brilliant shade of blue. I shared the post and got many “likes”.  Other viewers were also intrigued by these beautiful birds.

 

When Jesus walked on the earth, He often referenced things in nature to illustrate God’s character. When He taught about the depth of the Father’s care for us, He said that not one sparrow falls to the ground without the Father noticing. (Matthew 10:29).

 

Sparrows.  They are found in every continent of the world except Antarctica . There are sparrows in cities as well as in the country.  They are tiny and brown.  They are ordinary. Somehow, I doubt that I would get as many “likes” for a photo of a sparrow as I did for the exotic blue birds from India. Yet, it is the lowly sparrow that God chose to mention in the New Testament.

 

Some people in our world are like the brilliant blue Grandalas birds from India. They stand out in physical beauty or in talent. They capture the world’s attention. Like the exotic blue birds, they are admired by many.

 

Most of us, however, are more like the sparrow.  Ordinary.  We live out our lives but may never be showcased on tv or written about in the newspaper. Yet, like the sparrow, the Father’s eye is on us.

 

I am glad that when Jesus described the Father’s tender care, He spoke of sparrows. God loves the ordinary as well as the exotic. 

 

The next time you look outside and see a sparrow, pause and thank the Father for His tender care.

Shouts of Joy

                                                                  

“He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zechariah 3:17

“Daddy!” The little boy shouted as he ran into the arms of the soldier standing in the school auditorium.  The child did not know that his dad was coming home on leave. The surprise reunion was held during a school assembly and was broadcast on the evening news.  The boy’s shouts of joy touched the hearts of all who heard it.

How do people generally respond to good news? Smiles and words of happiness are common .  But it takes something special - like an unexpected arrival of a deployed father - to bring shouts of joy.

The Bible says that our Heavenly Father is so glad to see us that He greets us with shouts of joy.  He is never too busy. He is never annoyed that we are back again. His expression of delight doesn’t lessen no matter how many times a day we run to Him or how many times we stumble and fall. He shouts with joy whenever we come into His Presence.

How would our lives be different if we really believed this?  We would spend more time  with the One who loves us deeply.  We would quickly turn to Him with our problems.  And we would run to Him with our joys. We would completely trust this God whose love is so extravagant.

The Apostle Paul prays that he might “know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). How can we know a love that surpasses knowledge?  In the next verse, Paul  describes God as One who is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20).   

My prayer is that the God who can do all things would show me more of His love. Even though human ears cannot hear the sound, I pray that my heart would believe that He is shouting with joy as I turn towards Him.  Let’s join together in this prayer.