Faithful God

     In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth).  He was punished for chronic deceitfulness by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever. On Sunday morning I felt a little bit like Sisyphus. On Friday and Saturday I had been able to blow and rake and gather up the leaves in our yard – very thankful for the excellent weather conditions for doing so. Finishing a job like that always feels good. But on Sunday morning a very light blanket of leaves was spread over the lawn again. Maple trees in Maine take their sweet time in shedding all of their leaves. But waiting for the last leaf is always risky weather-wise. I knew it would happen, but it was still a bit deflating.

A man I know has spent much of his life feeling like he is always taking one step forward and two steps back. For every bit of “progress” it seems like there is a commensurate falling behind. The level of frustration can be mind-numbing for him. We can feel this way in life – financially, relationally, and spiritually. There are times of spiritual growth that inspire and encourage us and lead us to feel very close to God. And then there are “desert” experiences of spiritual dryness when we don’t seem to be able to hear or see God and wonder where He’s gone. We fall back. Some people have even wondered if they’re still Christians.

It is awesome to know that, while we may have our rollercoasters and “hiccups” in life, God is faithful. There has never been the slightest moment in eternity when God has not been faithful. While our experience can sometimes serve to get our eyes off of Him and His faithfulness, His Word will always remind us that His faithfulness is unchanging. Every discouragement we encounter… every setback… every failure… is an opportunity to sing – or at least to remember - the words of Thomas Chisholm: “Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father… There is no shadow of turning with Thee… Thou changest not, Thy compassions fail not… As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!”

I typically want to sing that when I feel His faithfulness. The words come more robustly to my lips. But I need the words more when I am in the pit of discouragement… when I feel like I am going the wrong way and don’t seem to be able to change my circumstances. It is when I am “in the valley” that my soul needs restoring. And in those moments, the words of Chisholm’s song and so much of Scripture are no less true. They are as true as they have ever been. God is faithful! So may the Lord help me, by His Spirit, to see that truth all the time. And may He protect my heart from the efforts of the enemy to blind my vision from seeing it. Thank You, Lord!

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV) ⁹  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

1 Kings 8:56 (NIV) ⁵⁶  "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.

Psalm 36:5 (NIV) ⁵  Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 89:1 (NIV) ¹  I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV) ³  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

PRAYER:  Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth… Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow… blessings all min with ten thousand beside. Thank you, Lord, for Your great faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Making Things Right

            Do you believe that one day God will “make all things right”? Day after day we see injustice all around us. Some of it brings us to tears because it just seems so unfair. One of God’s attributes is that He is just. In many of the psalms are appeals to God to act on behalf of those in need: of those who are suffering at the hands of others. The cry goes out to Him with the hope that He will make things right. The way that evil seems to prosper makes some people wonder if there even is a God. People wait years and years for justice that never seems to come. And the longing of the child of God who is a victim of such injustice… is for God to intervene in his/her helplessness. But how long is too long to wait?

            Last week an envelope addressed to me from the District Attorney’s office in Ellsworth was delivered to the church building. As I looked at it I became very curious why I would be receiving anything from the DA’s office. As far as I knew, I wasn’t in trouble for anything. When I opened the letter I received quite a surprise. Inside it was a letter and a check made out to the church for $450. What in the world was this all about? Why should we be receiving such a letter and check? Well, early in 2002 the church became a victim of theft by deception and we were defrauded out of some money that we though was buying us “advertising” space on a display at Hannaford. It was all a hoax. The person responsible was tried, found guilty, and sentenced many years ago, and I had long forgotten about it, and never held out much hope that the church would ever receive any restitution. And now, almost 12 years later, a form of justice was served. The attempt was made to “make things right.” I’m glad for the church to receive this check, unexpected as it was.

            Twelve years seems like a long time, but it’s nothing compared to the wait of others for some injustice to be made right. Our hope and our confidence is that God, who is sovereign and all-knowing, will make all things right. It may be that there are some kinds of justice that will never be served in this life. Some situations will never be resolved or reconciled until eternity. But we serve and know the God of Abraham, who asked (rhetorically, knowing the answer to be “Yes”), “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

            We may have confidence in God to do what is right in His time and in exactly the right way. This is one of the foundations of hope in our lives. We may be helpless, but God is not. We may want “immediate results” from God, but He sees the whole picture and He will not let one molecule of injustice prevail. While we wait in hope, faith gives us assurance that God does all things well, and He will not miss anything. This does not produce feelings of glee in us. We are not bent on revenge such that we take joy in someone’s punishment or judgment. But we do trust the Judge of all the earth to do right. And in that trust we can find peace when we are a victim of any injustice and when we question the profusion of evil in our world. The Scriptures help us.

Psalm 94:1-11 (NIV) ¹  O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. ²  Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. ³  How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant? ⁴  They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. ⁵  They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. ⁶  They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless. ⁷  They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed." ⁸  Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? ⁹  Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? ¹⁰  Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? ¹¹  The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

Romans 12:17-19 (NIV) ¹⁷  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV) ¹  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

PRAYER:  Lord, I rest in you. Thank you for peace while the world around me is going haywire. My hope is in you, and I that you that you, the Judge of the earth, will do right. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

            In the fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the wicked witch uses a mirror which speaks every time she looks in it. When she asks it (“Mirror, mirror, on the wall…”) who the most beautiful woman in the kingdom is, she is used to it telling her that she is the fairest. This continues until one day when the mirror, which cannot tell a lie, informs her that Snow White has become the fairest.

            A good mirror is honest. It tells the truth. I don’t always like it, but when I look at my mirror in the morning it does nothing to hide my flaws or cover up things that I wish were not there. Some mirrors make people look slimmer… or at least we tell ourselves so. We may be tempted to buy and use such mirrors. But really, how good is a mirror that isn’t honest? When dirty or fogged up, our mirrors aren’t very useful. Nobody I know uses a carnival mirror in their home. It’s fun in the funhouse to look at our distorted images and have a laugh. But one thing we need in a mirror is an image that is not distorted.  The passenger side view mirror on my car warns me that it doesn’t tell the truth. It tells me that objects are really closer than they appear. If I ignore the warning and believe what I see in that mirror, I could end up dead. Manufacturers and scientists trust in mirrors in telescopes and cameras and all kinds of devices. Remember when the mirrors in the Hubble telescope had to be repaired (or replaced?) because they were defective?

            Like it or not, a good mirror is true. It is honest. It does not distort what it reflects. The Word of God is like a good mirror. It tells us the truth about ourselves. It exposes our sinful attitudes and practices for what they are. It doesn’t distort our failures and deficiencies before God. It tells us the truth about our universe, our world, about human existence and humanity’s problems. If you want to understand your world or even yourself, read the Word of God. It does not lie. And, most importantly, it tells us who God is and what He has done to show His marvelous grace to us. It tells us about His true nature and being, along with His works in creation and in history. If you ever read your Bible and feel like you “don’t like” what you’re reading (or that it makes you uncomfortable), ask yourself what truth is this “mirror” reflecting, and let God’s Spirit teach you its significance and value, and what your response should be. You can rely on it.

James 1:22-25 (NIV) ²²  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

Psalm 19:7-8 (NIV) ⁷  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. ⁸  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you that your Word is truth. When it ‘hurts”, lead me to you for healing and correction. When it instructs, help me learn. When it commands, lead me to obey. When it commends, may I glorify you. When it speaks, open my ears to listen. Thank you for all that your Word does. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott