A prayer from Leaving Ruin, using the thoughts and the cares of the book’s main character, but modeling a life of prayer for us:
Dear God,
Sometimes we don’t know what to believe. Bless the people who live there, with their loss, and their dark days of wandering. We don’t know what to do with our weakness, our pain—too much to bear—but we know you are faithful, the God who is more powerful than all the hurt of the world combined.
Heal us, lift us, hold us together when we come apart, and use us to heal, as we have been healed. May we know your grace, and know that what life we have is of you—indeed, the very touch of your hand. Bless Alex, Lord, and take his soul to be at peace. And thank you that his despair, his pain, became a treasure in the hearts of his friends.
And for Jerri, Lord. Send Jesus, and let him meet her, and may he tell her just who he is, so that she may be sure in her faith, and rest.
In Jesus,
Amen
I often pray that God will make Himself tangible to those who are hurting. I know that is a bit different. I long for times when God seems so real to me like the pillow under my head when I need comfort, like the arms of a friend in a hug I desperately need.
Please let God fill you so you can fill others. Please don’t give up on yourself b/c there are others who may need you. Today, if you don’t get style points, just get through and love people.
Hang on, there is more to do and see and love and live for!
Shiann
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Hopeful truth ...
Meditate on the word of God with me:
Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here."
And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."
So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
When we read healing stories in the gospels, we often observe that faith on someone’s part is necessary for healing to take place. Which is true. Yet this account at least describes some other actions that led to healing.
First, there is the recognition that we have a problem. Bartimaeus understood that he had a problem. Blindness.
Bartimaeus also understood that there was something other, something different about Jesus. This is where faith operates: God has the power to do that which we as human cannot. Yes, we are amazing imagers of God. Yes, we can think amazing thoughts, and we can do amazing deeds. Yet not everything lies within our power. Faith in the steadfast love and in the healing power of God is necessary.
Yet there is another need. Bartimaeus had to act. No one else was willing to plead the case of Bartimaeus. No one else was willing to carry Bartimaeus over to meet Jesus. It was the responsibility of no one else to name the obvious need for healing: blindness. Thank God, that Bartimaeus did what he needed to do.
One of the most surprising statistics I ever encountered in my professional career had to do with the success rate of counseling and therapy. It didn’t really matter what kind of facility in which the sessions were conducted. There wasn’t a lot of difference in success between varied methods of therapy. The personal attributes of the counselor had a surprisingly limited effect. The number one determinant of the success of any coaching or counseling process was the answer to this question: does the client want to get well?
For many of our boys, these same problems hinder their complete healing. We may be able to help them somewhat, but until they recognize that they have a problem, until they believe that it will take something more than their own power to fix it, until they do something in response to these realities, and until they decide that they want to be well, any real change or healing is stymied.
The trick is to tell the truth in a hopeful way and avoid unhelpful truths. What does the unhelpful truth look like? “Bartimaeus, you are blind and you can’t do anything about it.” We also need to make it clear that we are presenting what appears to be true from our perspective.
What does the hopeful truth, well presented, look like? “Yes, Bartimaeus, it appears to me that you are blind, but Jesus has the power and the desire to heal you.”
May we always work to keep hope and truth connected in our lives and in the lives of those whom we love.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here."
And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."
So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.
Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
When we read healing stories in the gospels, we often observe that faith on someone’s part is necessary for healing to take place. Which is true. Yet this account at least describes some other actions that led to healing.
First, there is the recognition that we have a problem. Bartimaeus understood that he had a problem. Blindness.
Bartimaeus also understood that there was something other, something different about Jesus. This is where faith operates: God has the power to do that which we as human cannot. Yes, we are amazing imagers of God. Yes, we can think amazing thoughts, and we can do amazing deeds. Yet not everything lies within our power. Faith in the steadfast love and in the healing power of God is necessary.
Yet there is another need. Bartimaeus had to act. No one else was willing to plead the case of Bartimaeus. No one else was willing to carry Bartimaeus over to meet Jesus. It was the responsibility of no one else to name the obvious need for healing: blindness. Thank God, that Bartimaeus did what he needed to do.
One of the most surprising statistics I ever encountered in my professional career had to do with the success rate of counseling and therapy. It didn’t really matter what kind of facility in which the sessions were conducted. There wasn’t a lot of difference in success between varied methods of therapy. The personal attributes of the counselor had a surprisingly limited effect. The number one determinant of the success of any coaching or counseling process was the answer to this question: does the client want to get well?
For many of our boys, these same problems hinder their complete healing. We may be able to help them somewhat, but until they recognize that they have a problem, until they believe that it will take something more than their own power to fix it, until they do something in response to these realities, and until they decide that they want to be well, any real change or healing is stymied.
The trick is to tell the truth in a hopeful way and avoid unhelpful truths. What does the unhelpful truth look like? “Bartimaeus, you are blind and you can’t do anything about it.” We also need to make it clear that we are presenting what appears to be true from our perspective.
What does the hopeful truth, well presented, look like? “Yes, Bartimaeus, it appears to me that you are blind, but Jesus has the power and the desire to heal you.”
May we always work to keep hope and truth connected in our lives and in the lives of those whom we love.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Monday, October 19, 2009
An ancient story ...
Some stories are true, not just because they were true once, but because they happen more than once, each telling true in its own way.
There is an ancient story, told again and again. In one of its more recent tellings, this huge black man, John Coffey, is sent to a Louisiana prison for murder. The irony is that he was not the killer of the young victims, but one who sought to bring back to the living those who were dead. As those responsible for John’s keeping soon discover, he does have the power to bring back those recently dead, at least in the case of Mr. Jingles. His power of healing, though, is thoroughly amazing. As a part of the healing, John takes the sickness and pain into himself in order to free the sufferer.
In the end, though, the head guard, Paul, finds that he must “kill one of God’s true miracles” for a crime that he did not commit. Paul offers John escape, even though he realizes that this will cost him his job, and perhaps time in prison. Yet John declines. This simple man is weary from carrying the wickedness, the evil in the world that surrounds him. So he dies a horrible and public death, an innocent suffering for a crime that was not his.
Does this story sound familiar? It should. It was told hundreds of years before even Jesus was born:
Isaiah 53:4-12
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Before Jesus, who knew what this story meant? Did anyone struggle to believe that this could ever be true? Since Jesus, this story has credibility. Since Jesus this story has power even though it has been told more than once. It still rings true without being trite. Interestingly, the newer stories told in our lifetime tend to echo the story of Jesus. Is it coincidence, after all, that John Coffey’s initials are what they are?
Even though the story of the suffering servant has been told more than once, it is the story of Jesus that gives all of the other stories believability and meaning. Because God might choose to die for his people, it becomes believable that one person might choose to die for another. That kind of sacrifice is now plausible.
Yet must we die in order to live a sacrificial life? Or is that question an oxymoron?
Jesus said that one who would keep life would lose it, but that one who would lose life may keep it. If we stop for a moment and think about what we have learned about our faith, we realize that God calls us daily to sacrifice our wishes, our way, our will, and yes even our life for others. If we live the story of Jesus, we do this for our children. We do this for our family. We do this for those to whom we minister.
If we live the story of Jesus.
Blessings,
Ron
There is an ancient story, told again and again. In one of its more recent tellings, this huge black man, John Coffey, is sent to a Louisiana prison for murder. The irony is that he was not the killer of the young victims, but one who sought to bring back to the living those who were dead. As those responsible for John’s keeping soon discover, he does have the power to bring back those recently dead, at least in the case of Mr. Jingles. His power of healing, though, is thoroughly amazing. As a part of the healing, John takes the sickness and pain into himself in order to free the sufferer.
In the end, though, the head guard, Paul, finds that he must “kill one of God’s true miracles” for a crime that he did not commit. Paul offers John escape, even though he realizes that this will cost him his job, and perhaps time in prison. Yet John declines. This simple man is weary from carrying the wickedness, the evil in the world that surrounds him. So he dies a horrible and public death, an innocent suffering for a crime that was not his.
Does this story sound familiar? It should. It was told hundreds of years before even Jesus was born:
Isaiah 53:4-12
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Before Jesus, who knew what this story meant? Did anyone struggle to believe that this could ever be true? Since Jesus, this story has credibility. Since Jesus this story has power even though it has been told more than once. It still rings true without being trite. Interestingly, the newer stories told in our lifetime tend to echo the story of Jesus. Is it coincidence, after all, that John Coffey’s initials are what they are?
Even though the story of the suffering servant has been told more than once, it is the story of Jesus that gives all of the other stories believability and meaning. Because God might choose to die for his people, it becomes believable that one person might choose to die for another. That kind of sacrifice is now plausible.
Yet must we die in order to live a sacrificial life? Or is that question an oxymoron?
Jesus said that one who would keep life would lose it, but that one who would lose life may keep it. If we stop for a moment and think about what we have learned about our faith, we realize that God calls us daily to sacrifice our wishes, our way, our will, and yes even our life for others. If we live the story of Jesus, we do this for our children. We do this for our family. We do this for those to whom we minister.
If we live the story of Jesus.
Blessings,
Ron
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ephphatha ...
Certain words have a particular importance to Mark; one of those words is “release.” Listen for the word in this text, and consider what Mark may mean by using it. Hear the word of the Lord:
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go — the demon has left your daughter."
So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.
Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Mark 7:24-37 - NRSV
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go — the demon has left your daughter."
So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.
Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Mark 7:24-37 - NRSV
Monday, June 29, 2009
Joy comes in the morning ...
Hear the word of the psalmist speaking to God:
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
It is unfortunate that so many think that heaven and hell
are both future tense. As if delaying their enactment
denied in some way their reality.
Yet this psalm clears up this wrong thinking;
Sheol, hell itself, is something that we can experience,
even now, even in this very time and place in which we live.
Sometimes circumstances place us there, and only
the love of God can restore us from the Pit.
Yet in my experience, more often we confine ourselves
to hell on this earth by our own attitudes, our own choices,
our own refusal to let go of paralyzing pain
and putrefying grudges from the past.
We have to want to get well for the healing of God to help.
The good news is that God wants to help if we want to heal.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
There is a time for tears; we may even baptize ourselves in them.
Yet even that implies a rising, a resurrection to a life,
Full of joy for us and full of favor with God.
Only tears of joy are appropriate to paradise –
there’s no crying in heaven …
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I shall never be moved."
By your favor, O Lord,
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
The extent of my wealth doesn’t matter;
if I have the favor of God, then I am prosperous,
prosperous enough to praise God until I leave
whatever heaven I have to earth to find
the more permanent version.
What pain do you need to let go of?
What personal hell do you need to vacate?
The grace of God calls you to be in his presence
and know the joy of being content in his providence.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Psalm 30 – NRSV
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
It is unfortunate that so many think that heaven and hell
are both future tense. As if delaying their enactment
denied in some way their reality.
Yet this psalm clears up this wrong thinking;
Sheol, hell itself, is something that we can experience,
even now, even in this very time and place in which we live.
Sometimes circumstances place us there, and only
the love of God can restore us from the Pit.
Yet in my experience, more often we confine ourselves
to hell on this earth by our own attitudes, our own choices,
our own refusal to let go of paralyzing pain
and putrefying grudges from the past.
We have to want to get well for the healing of God to help.
The good news is that God wants to help if we want to heal.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
There is a time for tears; we may even baptize ourselves in them.
Yet even that implies a rising, a resurrection to a life,
Full of joy for us and full of favor with God.
Only tears of joy are appropriate to paradise –
there’s no crying in heaven …
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I shall never be moved."
By your favor, O Lord,
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
The extent of my wealth doesn’t matter;
if I have the favor of God, then I am prosperous,
prosperous enough to praise God until I leave
whatever heaven I have to earth to find
the more permanent version.
What pain do you need to let go of?
What personal hell do you need to vacate?
The grace of God calls you to be in his presence
and know the joy of being content in his providence.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Psalm 30 – NRSV
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A prayer for the day ...
O Maker and Creator,
With your gifted hands you have shaped
The space, the creation that surrounds us:
Stars above, skies around, and soil beneath.
From the earth below you have formed earthlings,
And into that still clay you have breathed life,
Sustained life, empowered life to bring life.
O mighty one, the mighty things you have done -
Just weeks ago, that which you have done
So many times: you gave us a life.
Once again you brought life into our midst –
Beautiful, amazing, resilient life –
Another life to join those other beautiful children
Who bless us with their presence.
Now we are on the very eve –
Soon, and very soon, you will bless us again.
We beseech you for a safe arrival for this little one –
Healthy and whole bring this child into our midst.
As you bring life, protect life –
Keep those we love safe as they experience
The miracle of this moment.
You expand the boundaries of our community;
We pray that you grow our hearts as well.
Open our hearts for another life, another child.
One man is the father, one woman bears the child,
Yet each child has a community of faith-fathers,
Each precious life, a congregation of spirit-mothers.
As you end birth pains for mother and child,
we ask you to end other pains long suffered –
We ask that surgeon’s skill and your mighty hand
Bring healing to our brother,
Who has held fast in the hour of hurt.
Sustain life, enable healing, strengthen body, and
Erase pain with health, purpose, and joy.
O Maker and Creator, heal our troubled hearts.
May your steadfast love beckon us from loss,
Drawing us into your gentle, loving presence,
Changing the ragged holes in our hearts from
Bottomless pits of pain and pity and might-have-been
To deep, cool wells of love and compassion –
Knowing care for our fellow-sufferers.
O Maker and Creator,
Use human hands you have gifted and shaped
To do your work amid the creation that surrounds us:
From the stars above to the soil beneath,
Bless your earth by the hands of your earthlings –
Until that day when you rescue our spirit, the breath of life,
And sustain our life into eternity, empowered forever.
From your mighty hand we ask these gifts,
Amen.
Blessings,
Ron
With your gifted hands you have shaped
The space, the creation that surrounds us:
Stars above, skies around, and soil beneath.
From the earth below you have formed earthlings,
And into that still clay you have breathed life,
Sustained life, empowered life to bring life.
O mighty one, the mighty things you have done -
Just weeks ago, that which you have done
So many times: you gave us a life.
Once again you brought life into our midst –
Beautiful, amazing, resilient life –
Another life to join those other beautiful children
Who bless us with their presence.
Now we are on the very eve –
Soon, and very soon, you will bless us again.
We beseech you for a safe arrival for this little one –
Healthy and whole bring this child into our midst.
As you bring life, protect life –
Keep those we love safe as they experience
The miracle of this moment.
You expand the boundaries of our community;
We pray that you grow our hearts as well.
Open our hearts for another life, another child.
One man is the father, one woman bears the child,
Yet each child has a community of faith-fathers,
Each precious life, a congregation of spirit-mothers.
As you end birth pains for mother and child,
we ask you to end other pains long suffered –
We ask that surgeon’s skill and your mighty hand
Bring healing to our brother,
Who has held fast in the hour of hurt.
Sustain life, enable healing, strengthen body, and
Erase pain with health, purpose, and joy.
O Maker and Creator, heal our troubled hearts.
May your steadfast love beckon us from loss,
Drawing us into your gentle, loving presence,
Changing the ragged holes in our hearts from
Bottomless pits of pain and pity and might-have-been
To deep, cool wells of love and compassion –
Knowing care for our fellow-sufferers.
O Maker and Creator,
Use human hands you have gifted and shaped
To do your work amid the creation that surrounds us:
From the stars above to the soil beneath,
Bless your earth by the hands of your earthlings –
Until that day when you rescue our spirit, the breath of life,
And sustain our life into eternity, empowered forever.
From your mighty hand we ask these gifts,
Amen.
Blessings,
Ron
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Break forth like the dawn ...
Saturday's scripture is worthy of careful meditation:
Isa 58:6-9
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
NRSV
Blessings,
Ron
Isa 58:6-9
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
NRSV
Blessings,
Ron
Friday, July 11, 2008
Restoration at homecoming
Greg sends these devotional thoughts for today:
The joy of restoration may show up in our loves in many different ways. We may be restored to health, our relationship with another person may be restored, or we may be restored into communion with God. Knowing God as our restorer, as the one who sets things right in our lives, reveals this joy to us. Hear a psalm about the restoration of homecoming:
It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion's exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of nations -
"GOD was wonderful to them!"
GOD was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
And now, GOD do it again -
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
so those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
- Psalm 126, The Message
What about God's restoration of our lives, giving us fresh starts? We often miss the joy, and opportunity to praise God, for the second chances we are afforded.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went into the temple courts, walking, and jumping, and praising God.
- Acts 3:6-8 (italics added)
Yesterday we contemplated the joy that accompanies God's forgiveness of our sins and transformation of our hearts. We noted that this transformation erases the distance between us and God, bringing us closer to the joy of Heaven. Today we will focus on the joy we find in the process of restoration by which the gap between God and us is bridged.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
- The Song of Simeon
Simeon speaks these words in Scripture when he sees Jesus for the first time (as a baby). Simeon has such joy because he has seen God's restoration of all mankind to Himself, saying "my eyes have seen your salvation".
God's restoration is good news, joyful news, because it signifies that things have been set right. Disability, disease, captivity, broken relationships, and sin may threaten to overwhelm us, but God will restore us. We may walk through the valley now for a time, but we will be restored to God, and thus completely restored when we pass from this world to the next. None of these factors has the last word on our lives, because God is a fixer, someone who makes things whole again. We cannot ruin our lives forever, because God will take us back, and will restore us if we depend on him whole-heartedly.
In fact, the joy of restoration is, at is heart, the joy of being made whole. God makes us whole again by healing relationships, mending broken hearts, saving from sin. He brings us back to what we originally were - what we were intended to be. This is causing for rejoicing!
May you know the joy of healing and of restoration today.
The joy of restoration may show up in our loves in many different ways. We may be restored to health, our relationship with another person may be restored, or we may be restored into communion with God. Knowing God as our restorer, as the one who sets things right in our lives, reveals this joy to us. Hear a psalm about the restoration of homecoming:
It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion's exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of nations -
"GOD was wonderful to them!"
GOD was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
And now, GOD do it again -
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
so those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
- Psalm 126, The Message
What about God's restoration of our lives, giving us fresh starts? We often miss the joy, and opportunity to praise God, for the second chances we are afforded.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went into the temple courts, walking, and jumping, and praising God.
- Acts 3:6-8 (italics added)
Yesterday we contemplated the joy that accompanies God's forgiveness of our sins and transformation of our hearts. We noted that this transformation erases the distance between us and God, bringing us closer to the joy of Heaven. Today we will focus on the joy we find in the process of restoration by which the gap between God and us is bridged.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
- The Song of Simeon
Simeon speaks these words in Scripture when he sees Jesus for the first time (as a baby). Simeon has such joy because he has seen God's restoration of all mankind to Himself, saying "my eyes have seen your salvation".
God's restoration is good news, joyful news, because it signifies that things have been set right. Disability, disease, captivity, broken relationships, and sin may threaten to overwhelm us, but God will restore us. We may walk through the valley now for a time, but we will be restored to God, and thus completely restored when we pass from this world to the next. None of these factors has the last word on our lives, because God is a fixer, someone who makes things whole again. We cannot ruin our lives forever, because God will take us back, and will restore us if we depend on him whole-heartedly.
In fact, the joy of restoration is, at is heart, the joy of being made whole. God makes us whole again by healing relationships, mending broken hearts, saving from sin. He brings us back to what we originally were - what we were intended to be. This is causing for rejoicing!
May you know the joy of healing and of restoration today.
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