Hope In the Lord
(NRSV) Lam 3:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
If you have known me long, you realize that hope is a recurring theme in my writing. So why would I read Lamentations if I am seeking hope?
I read Lamentations because it is one of the sixty six books of the Bible and, as Paul said in his letter to Timothy (NRSV) 2 Tim 3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Therefore, I include all of the Bible in my studies.
Lamentations is not an easy book to read. We find the prophet Jeremiah walking through the remains of his beloved Jerusalem, once a vibrant city, but now desolate and in ruins.
In the book of Jeremiah we see a young man called by God to proclaim His word to a people who had turned their backs on God. Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” because the message he had to deliver was truly almost more than he could bear.
During Jeremiah’s formative years, he was in training to be a priest having been born into the tribe of Levi. When God called him to be a prophet instead, Jeremiah protested, but ultimately acquiesced. It is during Jeremiah’s lament over Jerusalem that he acknowledges God’s love and faithfulness.
I am thankful for the words of the prophet who spent so much of his life literally weeping over the separation of his people from God, but who could also proclaim that God’s love was steadfast and new every morning.
On this, another cold day in Arkansas where more freezing rain has been predicted, I encourage each of you to take a moment to find your hope in the God whose “mercies are new every morning.”
In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Faithfulness of God
(NRSV)Isaiah 55: 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
In Arkansas we are experiencing a rare snow. Since I am retired I can sit in my recliner and appreciate the beauty without being inconvenienced in having to navigate the icy roads.
When I see snow-covered ground and trees, the landscape seems so pure and clean that I am reminded of the renewal that comes when God waters the earth. And I read this scripture found in Isaiah that at first reflects the differences that exists between man and God. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, God’s ways are not our ways. YET, just as the rain and snow do not return until they have watered the earth, God’s word that issues from His mouth shall not return to Him void. In other words, God’s Word will always accomplish what He intends.
How comforting is that?
And I just want to say, Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Longing For God
(NRSV) Psalm 42:1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
Ps 27(NRSV) 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, do I seek.
I am in a season of my life where my longing for God is almost overwhelming. I seek out men and women who preach repentance, reconciliation and God’s supernatural love. I listen to hymns that mirror the scriptures and even those praise and worships songs from the ‘70’s and ‘80’s that do the same. I spend more time not just reading the Word, but meditating upon the eternal truths found therein. I do all of this to draw nearer to God.
In my lifetime I have been in many Bible studies. I have taught Lenten studies and Advent studies. I have taught the parables and the beatitudes. I have taught about the Rapture of the church and the Second Coming when Jesus establishes His kingdom on this earth.
I have taught about forgiveness using David and Saul as an example. I have taught about the trust exhibited by Gideon, and the faithfulness shown by Hannah when she left her toddler son, Samuel, with the prophet Eli to fulfill her promise to God.
When I read God’s Word I begin by asking the Holy Spirit to allow me to understand the scripture in the same manner as those who wrote it. I pray that He keeps me from interjecting my prejudices and beliefs into the content so that the Word remains pure and untarnished by my human understanding.
And I revel in the Word being alive. I know this to be true because I never grow tired of the content. There is a familiarity in the stories, but at the same time there is a newness as God enlightens my understanding to new revelations that had previously been hidden.
So today as I read another passage it is with the expectation that I will continue to learn and be filled with the joy that comes from walking and talking with my Lord. And listening—always listening.
In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Seeking God With Your Whole Heart
(NRSV) Jer 29:11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the LORD
Jeremiah 29:11 is a well known verse, and many people have it displayed in their homes, their offices, anywhere they can be reminded of God’s steadfast love. But the verse that follows is just as significant.
Jeremiah was speaking to the people in exile in Babylon. Consider that during their 70 years of captivity in Babylon, many had lost their faith. There was no temple in which to worship, there were even decrees making it unlawful to worship anyone but the king.
Think of the impact seventy years in captivity in a foreign land would have on your life. The food, customs, language and culture would all be different. Your children and grandchildren would be assimilated into this unfamiliar way of living and it would be a struggle to maintain the faith and traditions to which you hold dear.
I will tell you as someone raised in a Christian family, with Christian friends who all practiced the same Christian values, I am finding myself more and more out of step with the culture and mores in the 21st century. I sometimes feel like a stranger in a foreign land. But I know, believe and understand that my God, the one, true and living God, is unchanging and if I continue to seek Him with my whole heart I will find Him.
Today I encourage you to meditate on God’s Word, sing songs of faith that align with the Word and pray, pray, pray. Pray the Scriptures, pray from the depths of your spirit and pray a simple one sentence prayer just to thank God for today. And when you pray, remember to listen.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Time is Now
(NRSV)Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
During this section of Isaiah, the prophet is speaking to the remnant of Israel, those who have survived the Babylonian captivity, instructing them to forsake their sinfulness and return to God. The call to return to God is urgent and requires immediate action.
When our son, Jonathan, was around three, I heard him saying to his father, “Dad, you’re just piddling and wasting my time.” I don’t recall what Larry was doing that prompted such a response, nor do I know where Jonathan heard that phrase, but it was clear he was growing impatient.
As we focus our attention in 2024 upon strengthening our relationship with God, we need to understand that He has given us all of the tools we will ever need to know Him, to love Him and to follow Him. Sixty-six books of the Bible encapsulate history, mystery, drama, love stories, loyalty and betrayal, but all come together to show us Who God is and who we are in Him.
Who is God? He is the creator of the universe, He is love, He is the Alpha and the Omega, He is unchanging, He is all-knowing, He is incomprehensible yet He wants us to seek Him out.
Who are we? We are His workmanship, we are created in His image, we are a new creation in Christ. We are these things and so much more.
I invite you to join me this year in answering God’s call to seek Him while He may be found. Let us use the Bible as our guidebook and prayer as our method of communication as we commit to a closer, more intimate walk with God.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Seeking Holiness 