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Today’s Readings: 2 Kings 5, 1 Timothy 2, Daniel 9, Psalms 117-118

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.” (2 Timothy 2:8-10)

I must admit, I left writing to the last minute this week! Of course our Heavenly Father is always looking for ways to draw us nearer to him, and he’s got me tonight. I spent the majority of the last 3 days driving our van with our very spicy two year old in the back. She was a flower girl in a family wedding so she and I went on a very long journey to Topeka, KS to be a part of a very special day. Many miles later, I’m sitting down with my Bible and cup of water to connect with you and His word. This was my first read through, and what did I find? The very words I heard and prayed on at the wedding this weekend! This Bible Journal project has been such a blessing to me. Even on a night like this one, when I’m tired and not sure what to write about, God takes up the pen and sends a message.

I love that God gently nudged me to see this passage again. When I heard it during the wedding, I immediately thought about the surface level implications. God wants us to come to him as ourselves with modesty and with raised hands. He wants us to show him that our love for him is genuine. I heard the thread that reminded us all that a marriage is about bringing one another closer to God through good works, not just putting on fancy dresses and jewelry. Today, I’m hearing another deeper level of communication from my Father. He begins this passage by asking us to come and pray without anger or quarreling. I considered this even more tonight in the context of our first reading from 2 Kings 5. Naaman is suffering from leprosy but is hesitant to dip in the Jordan 7 times as God commands in order to be healed.

How many of us come to the alter carrying anger? How many of us are desperate for healing but aren’t quite ready to follow God’s path to get there? When families get together, there is always a Naaman. There is quarreling and old anger that wells up. God gives us an opportunity in 2 Timothy to come to Him with our hands raised, without the distraction of braids and golden rings. This weekend I witnessed some healing that I know was initiated by His love. Our family was broken many years ago by some infidelity, some lies and subsequent divorce. This event brought those people face to face for the first time in a decade, in a church. And in that church, we heard those words from 2 Timothy! And after that ceremony, there were some handshakes and even some hugs! Like Naaman, our family has carried this burden for years. When we come to the alter to pray and to give ourselves to Him, He heals us. At the end of the night, I said my goodbyes. Without fear or hesitation I opened my arms to the one that began this hurt so many years ago. Within that hug, I heard the words, “I love you.”

If you are hurting GO to Him. If you think that the pain is too deep, if you think you have been suffering for too long GO to Him. Ask him for healing and then follow his commands. There is hope in our Heavenly Father’s love.

Today’s reading:  2 Kings 3; 2 Thessalonians 3; Daniel 7; Psalms 114–115

It is 8pm on Wednesday night and I’m sitting down to write my post for this week. I just walked in the door from the third funeral visitation I’ve been to in the last ten days.  I still have one more to attend on Friday.  I don’t particularly like attending these events, as they tend to drain my emotions and make me really tired.  But I still try really hard not to miss them.  I believe God puts different people in our path for different reasons.  I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able come along side grieving family and friends, remember loved ones, and help provide comfort by speaking about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Yesterday, my friend Jane texted me for ideas on scriptures to use for her father’s funeral. One of the suggestions I gave her was Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven – a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

When we read through Ecclesiastes back in April, I wrote about this passage. I talked about how the poetic rhythm of Solomon’s journey through life’s different seasons is comforting.  More important than the rhythm, however, is the incredible hope found in the illustration of God’s sovereignty.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us that there is a season or time for EVERYTHING.   As we journey through life, we experience a variety of different events, both good and bad.  Because God is sovereign, meaning he has supreme power and authority, he has the ability to weave ALL these events together to accomplish his purpose.  Aren’t you glad life isn’t just a series of random events?  To know a master architect is fitting the pieces together for me is the hope I need to keep going, especially when I’m facing something as traumatic as the death of a loved one.

Like most people, I consider death and the memorial services that follow, to be one of life’s bad events. The room is filled with sadness, lines are long, and it is always a challenge to find just the right words to say.  In reality, the words of comfort or encouragement I have to offer aren’t really mine.  If it wasn’t for the faithfulness and care of a holy and gracious God, who sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord, I’m not sure what I’d say.  Thank you God.

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory… (Psalm 115:1).

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2 Kings 1; 2 Thessalonians 1; Daniel 5; Psalms 110–111

As I continue to read through the old testament, I have a tendency to become discouraged. Mostly because I cannot figure out why the kings don’t get it.  They repeat the same mistakes, over and over. Occasionally, one will appear to be different, attempting to do good. But, his efforts are often half-hearted and almost always stamped out by the next generation. This pattern will continue through our reading of 2 Kings and into Chronicles. As you read the stories, pay attention to these three common threads.

Kings have a way of using God’s good things for their own aggrandizement      For example, today in 2 Kings 1, Belshazzar occupies the throne. He is enjoying the good life and taking full advantage of his reign as king. In order to prove his greatness above all others during a party, he ordered the treasures of the Temple of Jerusalem to be brought out for the guests. It wasn’t enough for Belshazzar to simply use them for the party. In fact, while drinking from them, “they drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” Daniel 5:4 (ESV).  These acts clearly illustrate contempt of Godly things.

The reign of a king is temporary.  Maybe you didn’t notice, but they all die. In fact, many of them come and go without any fanfare at all.  During their reign, however, they make short-term decisions, based on their short-term world-view.  Their goal is simple.  To maximize their existence.

Contrast these kings’ short-term world-view with Jesus’ eternal world-view.  His decisions and actions are clearly different, focusing not on his own existence but on the eternal existence of all people.

God invites them to participate in His work.  Throughout these stories, God attempts to get their attention. He does it often through the voices of others, generally called prophets. They are the ones that know God’s word and will. Even though the king may have asked a prophet’s advice, they rarely listen, attempting instead to preserve their own ego’s, status and power. They refute and disclaim the advice of the prophets, always with predictable consequences. In the end, they are forced into humility by others, or they die an early death.

Jesus invites us to participate in His work too.  In fact, not only are we promised forgiveness, we are also given new life.  According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are a “new creation.”  Think of all the good things that we can do.

Today’s Readings: 1 Kings 20, 1 Thessalonians 3, Daniel 2, Psalm 106

“For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:7)

I just love these words from Paul. I read this chapter over and over this week, imagining myself as a new Christian in Thessalonica. Well the truth is, I am one of those new Christians. I’m just in Bloomingtonica. This weekend marks 5 years since I first made a real change for Christ. At that time I was at a lifetime low. Our son had been sick, very sick and then we were dealt a second blow. Almost by accident our pediatrician heard a heart murmur and what followed changed our lives forever. Our ten month old had two small tumors in his heart. My world crashed down around me. I couldn’t understand how a generous, giving and loving God could do something so cruel to mother and her baby. I turned from Him. I felt guilty and ashamed as if I had done something wrong earlier in my life and now I was being punished.

Often, as Christian’s I think we fall into that misconception that turning to God will help us to escape our suffering. I can remember praying harder and harder, longer and longer and being so frustrated that I wasn’t seeing any “results.” I’m smiling as I write this because of course, now I know that God used this time in my life to save my life. God rescued me through the strength and the powerful witness of another Christian. Now I understand that God doesn’t promise an easy life. He doesn’t promise to rescue us from darkness. Instead, he gives us power to grow through our suffering. Just as Paul says,

“We have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.”

He’s saying that as Christian’s it is our responsibility to encourage one another through persecution and suffering. And then he points to the great joy we feel to see another person come to faith in Jesus Christ in the midst of pain. This week, I had the opportunity to take our son who is now five to Disney World. We couldn’t afford it, but God made a way. A hurricane hit, but God made a way. Hours before we were supposed to leave, he started bleeding…we called his doctor on Saturday night and through the love and compassion of many health care workers, God made a way. On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of waking my child who has endured endless suffering to tell him his dream had come true. For three days our God held Oliver in his hand. The bleeding stopped, he had energy, he had endurance and he had joy. We watched live shows in which the villain was defeated every single time. We rode rides that made our hearts pound and our tummies flip. At the very end, while at a special Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom, we enjoyed a show at midnight. Oliver would want all of our readers to know that midnight is the latest he has ever stayed up…well except when he was in the hospital and the morphine wasn’t working (his words, not mine). He lasted until midnight out of shear determination, so that he could see the show called Happy Hallowishes. This show was a medley of all the best Disney songs while animation was projected onto Cinderella’s castle. After the songs came the most brilliant display of fireworks I’ve ever seen. I held Ollie the whole time because he was too small to see over the crowd. In the last few minutes I felt warm tears roll down his face onto mine. Our faces were pressed together as we watched the finale, our tears now mixing and falling to the pavement. Our villains have been defeated. Every single one of them. We know that there will be more pain on this earth. We know that Ollie will go back to the hospital time and time again. We know that there will be sadness and fear. But we also know that there is no financial barrier, no hurricane, no physical disease that our God cannot overcome.

Since that day when I first made an intentional change for Christ, I began living. Living for today, for the time we have now. Of course, I need reminders, all the time. That’s what my steady husband and Christian friends are for. Just as Paul says to the Thessalonians,

“…for now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.”

A few days ago, I met a mother that lost her son last month. Her son was 21, his flame blown out in an instant. She told me that her grief is insurmountable. She told me that some days she wonders what she did wrong, why God is punishing her. She’s full of guilt and sadness. I shared Paul’s words with her,

“For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:3-4)

We are destined for affliction while we are on this earth. The strength and power and absolute majesty is in the maturation of our faith and in our togetherness as Christian’s. We can do all things in Christ who indeed strengthens us…together.