Engulfed

¹ If the LORD had not been on our side—
let Israel say-

² if the LORD had not been on our side
when men attacked us,

³ when their anger flared against us,
they would have swallowed us alive;

⁴ the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,

⁵ the raging waters
would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the LORD,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷ We have escaped like a bird
out of the fowler's snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.

⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Engulfed.

For our family right now, the preparation of the new house, packing, and subsequent moves are engulfing.

For Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the reality of what he was facing must have been engulfing.

For my sister-in-law on the USNS Comfort engulfed in seeing so many Haitian children who are amputees with so little hope.

For new parents facing the engulfing possibility of an ill newborn in the hospital for another month.

For a husband engulfed in the reality of raising his preschool children with his mentally ill, soon-to-be ex-wife.

For two families engulfed in the news of kidney cancer and its implications.

For Moses seeing the burning bush engulfed in flames - and the armies of Pharaoh engulfed in the reemerging waters of the Red Sea.

It is easy to be engulfed by the world, but the Psalmist reminds us that God is on our side. In fact, the Psalmist reminds us that IF the LORD had not been on our side we would have been swallowed up by our circumstances. BUT, God is the one who has not let us be captives, who has been and continues to be our help. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Surely, that kind of power and love can - and will - help us when we are engulfed by life.

It is easy in the midst of engulfing life circumstances to lose focus on our peace, our anchor, our rock. Sometimes our anchor is our spouse, holding on to us, encouraging us. Sometimes our rock is a friend or relative who says or does the right thing at the right time, acting as a great blessing. But always our Rock and our Redeemer invites us to come into his arms of love and to rest in the shadow of his wings. This invitation is to Peace that passes all understanding, to gaze only on His Face and to let the rest of the world fade away.

O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer, the Maker of heaven and earth, the giver of all good things, the Lamb of Salvation, the Spirit of Peace; thank you for being our help. Thank you for your faithfulness and love, your encouragement, and your power poured into our lives. When we are engulfed in the cares, the trials, the struggles, the chaos of this life, help us to release it to you and to focus on your peace and goodness. Jesus, calm the storms in our lives, and help us to cast all our cares upon you. Praise be to the God who is on our side! Amen.

Free life

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you....It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life...Use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows...Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. (from Gal. 5 MSG)


I continue to wrestle with the concepts of liberty and freedom in a civil/national context and the concept of freedom through the grace of Christ in a spiritual context. I do not claim to understand it all, but I will say that I want the freedom that comes through living out Christ's grace. I don't know how to do it fully and completely, but I seek after it anyway. Will you join me?

God who came to proclaim release to the captives, help us to embrace the fullness of your abundant life lived through faith in Christ's grace. Help us to live that out as we serve one another in love. Spirit, animate and motivate us to the furtherance of your Kingdom. Amen.

Comfort

^1-2 "Comfort, oh comfort my people,"
says your God. (Isa. 40 MSG)

"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls." (Ruth 2 NIV)

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. (Ps. 23 NIV)

⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life. (Ps. 119 NIV)

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

My sister in law is a psychologist on the US Navy ship the COMFORT which is helping the people of Haiti right now. While I haven't watched all the reports about the situation in Haiti, I did watch when she was quoted on the NBC Nightly News broadcast Monday night. And I have read her Facebook posts and her emails - mostly telling how much great work they are doing, how proud she is of the Navy and the people there, and how utterly exhausted she is.

I read a report about the many people of Haiti who are now multiple amputees. With very little support for prosthesis, handicap accessibility, and medical follow-up care, I wonder if or how they will survive long term.

I hear about the 300,000 children who are now orphans there - up from 100,000 before the earthquake.

I hear of a government so corrupt for so long that this nation has had the poorest "standard of living of any country in the Western Hemisphere."

Jesus calls us to care for the widow, the orphan, the downtrodden... and I see the people of Christ's Church doing just that work through groups like International Aid and Compassion International.

My prayer is that God's people would step up and care for their brothers and sisters in Haiti. My prayer is that voodoo and other non-Christian religions would be wiped out in the Light of God. My prayer is that the widows, the broken, the orphans, the lost, the homeless....all of God's created peoples would be comforted by the Comforter Spirit and the work of Christ through his Church.

Old dogs

"Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." (Mark 14 MSG)

God, we want to be alert - be ready for what you are doing - but we know we fail at this. We want to be ready for whatever you send to us, but when it comes we don't always like it. We want to be always aware, but we find ourselves spiritually asleep, distracted, or even running from you. We admit we are sometimes as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire. Following you and being the Kingdom to those around us can be hard work and we lose our focus.

Create in us clean hearts; focus our energy, minds, and hearts on things that are on your heart. Renew a right spirit within us that our spirits may be in step with yours. Give us the courage so see your world through the eyes of Christ. Pull us deeper in love with you so we pray constantly, trust thoroughly, and love completely. In the name of Christ. Amen

While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord*

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal. 5 NIV)

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Mt. 11 MSG)

^26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Mt. 8 MSG)

This day I am in a period of waiting -- sort of like waiting for the other shoe to drop but with some spiritual implications. My waiting also involves surrendering my hopes, dreams, and will to the God of the universe. His ways and thoughts are higher than mine (Isa. 55:9), he gives good gifts to his children (Luke 11:13), he calls us to give him our worries and to take on his "unforced rhythms of grace."

So we pray....

God of the Universe whose ways are perfect, we say "yes" and "amen" to your plan for our lives. Help us to trust you for all things, knowing that you want good for us. Today my husband and I wait to hear whether the offer on our new house is accepted. Grant us patience and peace. Today we wait for the results of voting for a Senate seat from Massachusetts, a race that has implications for the whole nation. Help us remember this country - these people - this race is all in your plan and that all things work together for good for those that love you. Today our church waits to see if a pastor we have called to ministry will say "yes" to our call. In our individual lives we wait - for an interim time to conclude, for a house to sell, for a call to be clarified, for babies to be born, for questions to be answered, for the infirm to be released into heaven. Help us remember as we wait that you are in the waiting. Empower us by your Spirit to grow in our capacity to wait with you. Help us remain hopeful, to serve you, to worship you, to be at peace. In the strong name of Christ I pray. Amen.

* "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y

Favor

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Gen. 6:8 NIV)

Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned...the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Gen. 39:4, 21 NIV)

Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. (Ex. 32:11 NIV)

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." (Ex. 33:13 NIV)

"O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." (Ex. 34:9 NIV)

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men. (1 Sam. 2:26 NIV)

The angel went to [Mary] and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28 NIV)

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)

Recently I was telling a prayer-warrior friend of mine about our family's search for a new home. She prayed that we would be favored by God. I'm not sure I've ever thought to pray for that. But it got me wondering about what that means.

One website explains favor as

...Favor is not always used in a comparative way toward others. It sometimes simply means that the one favored is shown kindness and treated with a generosity and goodwill far beyond what would normally be expected. This is generally the favor that we receive from the Lord. We are treated much better than we could expect...Also, it is important not to think of this favor in material or worldly terms. God's favor most likely will be given in spiritual blessings more than in material blessings. (http://www.learnthebible.org/favor-of-god.html)

So this is my prayer for you, for us, this week: that we would be favored by the Lord.

Mercy, Love, Compassion, Redemption, Grace-giving God,

For each of us there are in life decisions to make, challenges to face, difficulties to overcome. But You, who are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, know all these things and know each of us. For the gift of being held securely in the knowledge of your loving hand, we thank you. And, like Noah, Samuel, Mary, and others, we seek your favor. Show us kindness. Help us grow in wisdom and love. Pour out blessings upon us. And help us remember to rejoice exceedingly when we recognize your grace and favor poured out upon us. We pray boldly in the name of Christ. Amen.

Call of the Kingdom

1 Thessalonians 2:11-13 (NIV)

¹¹For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,¹²encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

¹³And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

Last night I was at a meeting at church where a (negative) comment was made about the city I live in (different from the city this person lives in). At the time I could only sputter that I had never been involved in any crime as this person associated with "my" city. But on the way home I was bothered by my response and realized that a better answer would have been to remind him that each of us need to be Salt & Light to whatever place we are - that we are each called to be ambassadors for Christ's Kingdom, no matter where we are.

There's a part of me that doesn't really understand what "Christ's Kingdom" is - and yet I want to be in it. The parables like the sower or the mustard seed don't completely explain it to me, although maybe I'm just dense. But it seems like being the Kingdom is about sharing God's love, grace, justice, and mercy to the people of our world.

So, in that spirit, I include the lyrics to a song that's been rolling around within me lately:

Copy to Clipboard Print

Hear The Call Of The KingdomHear the call of the Kingdom
Lift your eyes to the King
Let His song rise within you
As a fragrant offering
Of how God rich in mercy
Came in Christ to redeem
All who trust in His unfailing grace

Chorus:

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To be children of light
With the mercy of heaven
The humility of Christ
Walking justly before Him
Loving all that is right
That the life of Christ may shine through us

Chorus:

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To reach out to the lost
With the Father's compassion
In the wonder of the cross
Bringing peace and forgiveness
And a hope yet to come
Let the nations put their trust in Him

Chorus:

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

So, we pray, Lord Jesus,

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name...Amen.

"Hear the Call of the Kingdom"

CCLI Song No. 4930752
© 2006 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Stuart Townend

(If you want to watch this song in performance see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZCPsuCMUfY ).