Looking for the New Year
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NRSV) 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
It is December 30, 2018, and as this year draws to an end we begin to wonder what the new year will bring.
In today’s scripture, the prophet Isaiah was speaking to a people who had been in captivity for around 70 years. Some of those orginally taken from their homeland had died, others were born into captivity, but almost all had given up the hope of ever returning to their homeland.
Yet, God offers hope through His words to Isaiah. He reminds the people Who God is. He is the Everlasting, the Creator of all the earth, and not only does He not grow weary, but He gives strength to those who have reached the point of exhaustion. How do we receive the strength needed for every situation? We wait upon the Lord Who will renew our strength.
Wait. For many of us, waiting is one of the hardest things we can do. We wait for the birth of a new baby, and our anticipation is almost more than we can bear. We wait to hear whether our jobs will remain secure, we wait to hear what the doctor says about our test, and now we are waiting to see what the new year brings.
May I share with you that waiting upon God is the best way to approach whatever lies ahead? Many of us have the wrong idea about waiting. We see waiting as sitting passively until something happens. Not so! When we wait upon God there is a hope, an expectation, because God’s promises will always be fulfilled!
Let us purpose in our hearts today that as the new year begins, we will look forward to God renewing our strength, and we will walk in His might, His power, and His grace. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, today is a day of expectation. May we live in Your Word and by Your Word as we say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019 with hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Child Born FOR Us
Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV) 2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
4 For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
It scarcely seems possible, but we are just five days away from celebrating Christmas. In the midst of our preparations, I would ask that we take a moment to prepare our hearts for the real Christmas, and few verses carry the meaning of Christmas like Isaiah 9.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the coming King, and he reminds the Jewish people that not only had they lived in the darkness of being held captive in a foreign land, but their souls had grown dark. God’s chosen people needed the light that can only come from the Son of the Living God.
“And He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” At a time when life seemed hopeless for the children of God, Jesus came and nothing has ever been the same.
Is the world still filled with darkness? Undoubtedly it is, yet because of Jesus we have a blessed hope that His light can overcome the darkness. Because of Jesus we can be assured that our circumstances do not have to destroy us. Because of Jesus we understand that the miracle of Christmas is still alive.
As we count down the days and the hours to December 25, may we take time to focus on the reason for the season, and may we continue to look forward to His return. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Father God, help us to put aside some time each day to spend time with You, to remember that Christmas was when the light came into the world, and that light has never been diminished. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Accepting What Is
Be Still and KNOW that I Am God
Psalms 46 (NRSV)
God’s Defense of His City and People
To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
Here we are again, in the midst of the Christmas rush. Yet, if we will redirect our attention away from the hustle and bustle and toward God, He urges us to be still.
Psalm 46 was written during a time of war. The Assyrians were a mighty war machine, mowing down the cities and even kingdoms that lay before them. This psalm reminds the people that even in the darkest hour, God is our refuge, our hiding place, and he is our strength. Pause for a moment and think of what these words can mean in your life today.
When we look at the circumstances that surround us, we see reason for fear. But God does not want His children to live in fear. So we are reminded that there is a river that flows from the throne of God, What does that river bring? In Revelation 22 we are told it brings life. There may be death and destruction all around us, but God offers life.
Is there a way to live trouble-free while we are in this world? We know there is not. But it is not our troubles that define us, it is the way we react to everything around us. When we live in fear, we are not trusting in God. When we live in constant fighting, we are not allowing God to bring peace. When relationships shatter, we forget that grace coves a multitude of sins.
When we are told to be still, it is not an instruction to rest, to do nothing, but instead, we are being told to recognize that God is sovereign, He is our King, He is our deliverer. When we pause to consider the works of God, to remember He is our very present help in the time of need, then the troubles which overwhelm us begin to shrink in proportion to who God is.
Today, I invite you to “be still, and know that He is God.” In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, may we pause today, in the midst of everything going on in our lives, and understand just what it means to be able to approach you and call you “Father.” Instead of going ahead of you and asking you to bless our plans, may we come to you first, asking you to place the right plans and desires within our hearts. In jesus’ name, amen.
To Whom Do We Give Thanks
1 Chronicles 16:8-10 (NRSV) 8 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him,
tell of all his wonderful works.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Larry and I just returned from a visit up north to our son and daughter-in-law. As a pastor, I was asked to give thanks for our Thanksgiving meal and, of course, was glad to do so. It was a rare treat to visit our family in Maine, and we had a great time.
I have been thinking a lot about giving thanks. This particular scripture is an account of the festival celebrating the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The praises offered here give us a model for the manner in which we should praise the Lord our God.
When we give thanks to God we are to call on His name. Too many people today, if they give thanks and praise at all, choose to thank the universe, or perhaps some unknown entity. I entered into a discussion on Facebook over the Thanksgiving holiday regarding the level of discomfort people who are not Christians are made to feel when dining with Christ followers. Whether they are atheists and have no belief at all, or agnostic and simply claim not to know enough to believe or disbelieve, they made it quite clear that they can hardly stand to be in the presence of Christian prayer.
Instead, they prefer to thank “Mother Earth,” (say yuck three times) or the “Source of all”, and any mention of Jesus, the Christ, sends them spinning. I stated I had a difficult time understanding how we give thanks to a being that has no name. You see, to me, one of the wonderful things about being a Christ follower is the intimacy of the relationship we are offered.
After hearing the point of view of those who have a great disdain for Christians and our traditions of praying before our meals, I purposed that from now on, if I am in a gathering where people of other faiths (or no faith) might be present, I will offer my prayer of thanks to my God, but preface my prayer by offering those who do not believe as I do a moment of silent prayer. You see, even though our challenge is to spread the gospel throughout the world, we will never make a difference by utilizing our faith as a stick with which to beat unbelievers over the head!
David had one of the most intimate relationships with God that can exist. He was the apple of God’s eye as we see in 1 Samuel 16. Was David perfect? We know he was not, yet he had a perfect love for God. When David called his people together to celebrate the return of the Ark, he did so with prayer and with singing, extolling God for all of His wonderful works. And, he reminded us that if we seek God with our hearts, then the necessary response is to praise Him with all of our hearts. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, today we come to you offering the thanks that you deserve. While our minds are limited by our ability to understand your ways, our hearts are filled by the Holy Spirit and it is He Who illumines our understanding. May our hearts be full of praise each and every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Seeking Holiness 