Word in Action

Several Sundays ago, I went to the Set Free church. Set Free is a mission ministry for homeless men, run by men who were formerly homeless. They have two shelters in town and hold church services in one of the buildings on Sunday morning. After being in a place that has such big production services, with full rock band and lights and video, it was nice to attend a service with just a handful of people using nothing but our voices to praise the Lord.

After the service, I met a man named Bill. Bill used to be in a quartet and he told me how his quartet sang at his wedding. The only song they knew at the time was Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. He also told me that they held their wedding in a coffee shop, one that was created for homeless people to have a place to hang out in. Because of this, none of his wife's wealthy friends wanted to come to the wedding. Bill told me they went out and invited all the street people they could find, and they came to the wedding instead. Bill also told me that they hadn't planned a reception, but someone donated a bunch of bagels and drinks and so they were able to provide food for their wedding guests. A band that had been in town also offered to play at their reception. So this wedding, that was originally planned to be very small and could have turned out to be a disaster, became an event much larger than they could have imagined, and a direct reflection of the story in the Bible.

I don't know Bill well enough to know how much truth is in his story. But I want it to be true. And I believe he believes everything he remembers about it. This story is a great example of how God is the same today as He has always been. The great works He performed in the times of the Bible, He is still performing now.

But it doesn't stop there. Sadly, Bill's marriage wasn't nearly as perfect as his wedding, and he and his wife are no longer together. It's hard to imagine how someone could experience something so perfect, something so obviously ordained by God, and still walk away from it. Yet people do that every day. God continues to perform miracles, yet people reject Him, they mock Him, they tell Him He doesn't know what He's doing. Even as we fail daily and sin, we are discrediting God's perfect design. A great experience, a miracle, helps in strengthening our faith, but it does not perfect that. Perfect faith can only come through time. Bill still has faith, which is an amazing thing. I hope that when the miracles in my life turn to imperfections, I can say the same thing.

Tonight, while I was working, I was listening to Sam Cooke songs on Napster. His rendition of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" came on, a version I hadn't heard before. Now, when I think of this song, as I suspect many people do, I think of it as it is portrayed in the Lion King, all sad and gloomy and with a lot of woe is me angst. I've always thought of it as a self pity song. But in Sam Cooke's version, the tempo and vocals are much more cheerful and he ends the main riff with "glory, Hallelujah!" At first this seemed to be somewhat of an odd phrase to add to the song, but then I changed my perspective of the lyrics and it made perfect sense.

When sung as a praise, it could be taken to mean he recognizes the hardships he's had to go through in life, and is grateful that no one else has had to endure it. This would imply that although he is struggling on the inside, on the outside he still appears strong. Not a fake strength to put on a happy face, but a strength that can only be found in having the joy of the Lord. It reminded me of the passage where Jesus instructed people not to tear their clothes and put on sackcloth when they mourn, as was the custom. Just because we're going through hard times it doesn't mean we should throw ourselves pity parties and let everyone know about our trouble. This is not to say that we can not employ the help of trusted and faithful friends when necessary. But the purpose of our trials is not to gain the sympathy of others, but to produce endurance, according to the book of James. It is my prayer that I can sing joyfully about the troubles I've seen and, when reflecting on them, cry out "glory, Hallelujah!"

This past week I was a small group leader for vacation bible school. I taught a group, primarily of boys, who had just graduated from 4th grade, so 9 and 10 year olds. Each child had such a unique personality but they were all some of the greatest kids I've ever worked with. One boy in particular caught my attention. He reminded me of the type of kids that would be my favorites when I worked at camp, except this boy was much more well behaved. One thing that struck me was that whenever we finished doing something, whether it was an object lesson during small group time or a craft, he would ask me if he could throw it away. I told him he could if he really wanted to, but asked if he had anyone he could give it to and he said no. On the second day they made bandannas in craft time. He threw it away, but I went back and picked it up. I think he saw me as I was folding it and put it in my pocket, but didn't say anything. The fourth day, they made bible covers. He asked me again if he could throw it away, but this time I asked him to take it home with him so he had time to think about it, and then if he really didn't want it, he could throw it away there. He smiled and said ok. The next day they made necklaces in crafts. This time he didn't ask me if he could throw it away.

I don't know if anything I taught this week about the bible sunk in with any of them. But it was such a blessing to me to watch him, and the rest of them, come out of their comfort zones and allow me to care for them. It's my prayer that by showing them that they're worthwhile to me, they learn to discover their own worth, and realize that they're also worthwhile to God.

No no no, you can't handle this

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13


If verses had feelings, I think this one would lament over being constantly misunderstood. Often times we think back to this, especially during times of trouble, and think of it in reference to our own personal strengths. We look at it as God’s kudos to our ability to handle tough times and when it’s over we thank God for believing in us if we succeed, or questioning His confidence if we don’t. Yet this verse is not about what we can or can not accomplish, as the rest of the Bible makes very clear. Verses like Philippians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Isaiah 40:29. Even 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns us not to become too confident in our own power.

So what is this verse about, if not about our strength? What is our “ability”? I believe it is our measure of faith. James 1:2-3 tells us that trials are considered the testing of our faith. And it is through faith that God can make good on His promises. Do I truly believe that I can do all things through Christ? Sure, I may have the faith to get through a bad day or two, but what about dealing with the betrayal of a friend, the loss of a loved one or supporting myself and my family through difficult financial times? What will my attitude look like in those situations? When faced with issues of pride, greed, selfishness, lust, anger or bitterness can I pray for wisdom as James instructed, and pray without doubting?

Many times we must allow ourselves to get to the place where we realize that we are insufficient to make it through the struggle before God can provide us an escape. James also reminds us that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (4:6) and “humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (4:10). When we humble ourselves, we give Him free reign to do what needs to be done, with no interference from us and proud minds. In reality, there is no circumstance that we can’t bear, as there is nothing that is too big for Him. The only limitation is in how much we trust Him to provide for us in all situations.

Reality Check

My job has become a big source of discontentment and frustration for me. I think in many ways it always has been. Even before I moved into a help desk position, people would come to me for help with things they could just as easily do on their own. Although, now that my job title includes the word "help" in it, it seems all I do is spend my day cleaning up other people's messes. And generally it is the same handful of people. I continue to delete the mistakes of the same people, reset the same passwords, explain the same steps to the same person for the umpteenth time. My impatient nature often gets the best of me, and I find myself praying, asking God for the patience to deal with the people who just don't get it. It's at that time that God reminds me that I've been praying for patience since I was a child. I've learned that lesson many times, yet I continue to fail and need to ask Him to fix my problems. It puts my job situation in a much different perspective.

Q and A

"Do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." Luke 12:11-12

Peter tells us that we should always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15). And for the most part, I think I am, if asked the right question... It's fairly easy to give an answer as to why I believe in Jesus. I've experienced Him, I live in Him, I sing about it every day. But what about the things that I understand but have a hard time putting into words? Questions about theology or doctrine I don't know well enough to discuss, or issues and questions about God's motive that I can't answer without speculating. What about those who don't ask at all but still need to hear?

My talents lie in strengthening and encouraging other Christians, but my skills are often lacking in reaching out to the non-Christian. Sometimes I find myself shying away from opportunities to speak, especially when there is a small window of opportunity, because I don't know the answer and am afraid of showing the person a false image of God. I worry because I don't know what direction the conversation will take, and therefore avoid conversation at all. When I think of being prepared, as Peter said, I feel like I need to have every word for every possible outcome ready before I speak my first word. But I must remember Jesus' promise to His disciples. Sometimes we are taught, not only at that very hour, but at that very moment, what we are to say. This is how we can be certain that the words are from the Spirit, and are not our own. And sometimes the Spirit won't give us the answer right away. Not because God has failed us, but because the best thing the person could hear at that moment is "I don't know." As Christians, we do not have all the answers, nor will we ever have them all. But we must be willing to seek out those answers and share them with others, knowing with confidence that our knowledge comes from our Lord.

Miracles

Sometimes I forget that God is a God of miracles. The days of prophets and apostles are gone, and thus so are the miraculous gifts given to man. But God doesn't need the hands of man to accomplish great tasks. But he does need our obedience and prayers. Not need as in He can't do these things without them. But, as He did with Abraham and Moses, God can change His mind when we align our will with His and ask Him to make it so with boldness and confidence.

The prayer of Jabez was grossly misused several years ago, but its lesson is no less true. He prayed for God to increase his land, not for the sake of fame and riches, but for health and safety, and God granted his request. We do not know why God said yes, but we know that Jabez's prayer pleased him. Later in 1 Chronicles, we see that God answered the prayers of the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh and gave them victory in war because they trusted in Him (5:20). It's comforting to know that God still works in that way. James tells us that when we ask for something, we should already believe it has been done. Sometimes that type of faith can be harder than faith in anything else. We've become so jaded in the disappointments brought on by the people of this world, we hold back in our prayers because we don't want to set ourselves up for disappointment. Yet in doing so, we forget the true nature of God. He is not like man, who inevitably lets you down, either purposefully or unintentionally. God will always give us what we need, and when He says no, it is because He has something better in store. Like the Israelites, we must trust in Him.

Recently, I have been making an effort to be more bold in my prayer life. This is especially difficult for me, as I'm generally not bold in asking for anything in general, let alone from God. But twice in the last few months I have prayed with confidence for the healing of another, and both times God made it so. I am continually amazed at God's grace and tenderness, as He reminds me that He is still the God who does miracles and patiently waits for me to be ready for Him to work miracles in my life.