God's Word Always Fits

For quite some time I have been reading Psalm 91 and replacing the pronouns with the name of a friend of mine.  She has been going through some "stuff" and the passage fit.

This morning I before I turned to the Psalm--you would think I'd have memorized by now--I thought of another friend who was facing a violent hurricane for the first time after a recent move to Texas and another friend who was in the hospital with a brain bleed.

3 people
3 very different problem
1 passage
Words of comfort for all

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

Berries and Breakthroughs

While picking berries this morning, I was thinking about being told "No" when all I really wanted was a resounding "Yes." In retrospect, I have to admit that many of those "No" answers were a blessing. I really didn't need or even want what I asked for. Other times the "No" meant a time of growth and later understanding.  Then there were the times that seemed a mystery, even arbitrary. Yet, my trust in God won't allow for arbitrary. So that is where my thoughts roamed as I reached for each juicy red raspberry.

I really didn't have any particular instance in mind. I was just wondering. Wondering why some prayers are answered immediately. Wondering why some are answered eventually Wondering why some are put on hold. Some yeses, some noes, some just wait.

Then a thought.  I have taught early childhood education for 25 years. The faces of several former students came to mind.  Through the years I have had a handful of students who for one reason or another were never taught the meaning of "No." Sometimes there was no carry through leaving the word meaningless. Sometimes the word was rarely spoken leaving it a foreign language. These kids had a really tough time learning to deal with the structure of a school environment.  Life as a student was not what they expected and they pushed back. Until they realized the meaning of "No" and accepted it, life was miserable.

Without explanation. That was what I often expected from these 4-6 year olds. We talked about the why, but I needed them to accept that sometimes there is a "No" without explanation.

So right there in the berry patch I realized that I was really just a 6 year old asking why. Yet sometimes there is a "No" without explanation.  Nothing arbitrary. Just a loving God who knows what is best for me.  A loving God who knows what would happen to that 6 year old child in me if she were not reigned in.

So Right But Yet So Wrong

The chief priests and the Pharisees are furious.  This man from Galilee is upsetting the system.  People are making all kinds of claims about him.  Some even say he is the long awaited Messiah. How can this be?

The religious leaders call a meeting.  They need a plan.  Jesus has to be stopped. During this meeting Caiaphas, the High Priest, makes an incredible statement.

"You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Unknowingly Caiaphas had become a prophet. He and the others wanted to get rid of the threat to their way of life, their way of thinking, their nation. One man vs a nation. They choose their nation. Jesus must die.

Yes, Caiaphas, you were so right. It is better for one man to die for the people. 
Yet, so wrong. Not because you and your group decided he was a threat and needed to die. He died to save us. Jesus died. He saved a nation. He saved a world. He save mankind.

2000 years later, I read your statement.  I already had the spoiler alert.  I already know what you said to Jesus when they brought him to you late one night.  I already know what you helped set into motion. The "menace" you tried to get rid of for the sake of your nation fulfilled your prophesy.  You were so right yet you were so wrong.

John 11:45-53
Matthew 26: 62-66

They Know

The demons said their name was Legion because there were so many of them.  Jesus was about to send them packing! Away from the men they had been tormenting. They begged to be sent into a nearby herd of pigs. The book of Luke says they didn't want to go into the bottomless pit. Jesus agreed to their request. The entire herd was drowned.

Before they left the man, they said screamed at Jesus, "Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God's appointed time?"

Torture
BEFORE GOD'S APPOINTED TIME
They know

Matthew 8:28-34
Luke 8:31

Winning the Fishing Lottery

They had been out all night. Even though the nets were empty, they still needed to be cleaned. A night of hard work, with nothing to show, and still the nets had to be cleaned.  Jesus stepped into Peter's boat and asked him to push it out into the water. This is where he sat and taught the crowds.
And Peter listened.  He may have gone back to cleaning the nets. More likely he was still sitting in the boat with Jesus.. But he listened. Imagine his surprise when Jesus was done talking to the crowd and said to go out where it was deeper and let down the nets to catch some fish. In typical Peter fashion, he argued with Jesus. "We worked hard all night and didn't catch a thing." Then he added, "But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."  Peter had listened.

Peter and his partners were about to win the biggest fish lottery they had ever seen. The nets were so full they began to break. It took 2 boats to bring in all the fish. Water sloshed over the sides as they headed back to shore. The boats were on the verge of sinking under the heavy load. Peter was awestruck.

When the boats came to shore, Peter and his partners (James and John) left everything.
Their numbers were just called in the fishing lottery and they walked away.
This was their biggest catch ever and they turned from it.
They had won! Yet, they followed Jesus.
They left everything. Everything!

They left their world behind and became a different kind of fishermen.  Jesus told them now they would fish for people.

Lives changed forever.

(Luke 5:1-11)

Nine Months of Thoughtful Reflection

Zechariah got shocking news. His old age was about to be turned upside down. His wife Elizabeth would soon have a son. It was a culture where being barren was looked down upon. Now an angel was telling him his prayer was answered.  They would have a son. His moment of doubt cost him his voice and maybe his hearing. He had nine months to think, ponder, and reflect.

He let Elizabeth know the baby would be named John.
He watched as Elizabeth's relative Mary came and told her own astonishing news.
He watched. He thought. He prayed.

Nine months later his voice was restored and he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
His chains of doubt were broken and replaced by a prophecy. I like the way the New Living Translation puts it. "He has sent us a mighty Savior." Other translations say "He has raised up a horn of salvation." (Luke 1:69) Salvation was no longer something to look forward to in the future. Salvation had come. Zechariah got it. Despite the fact, Mary had not given birth.  Despite the fact, that it would be about three months before Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Salvation was now.

Salvation has come.

Running in the Family

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. Luke 1:35-36

Mary got the astonishing news that she would soon be pregnant. What's more, her baron relative Elizabeth was also pregnant.

Babies
Cousins
A prophet
A Savior

Their story doesn't begin here.  Their story begins in the generations before. In the mothers and fathers with great faith, who passed on that faith to their children and their children's children.  

A family grounded in faith. 


A family chosen by God. 
A family to birth a child to prepare the way.
A family to birth a child to save the world.