Believe You Will Receive

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

When you go to God in prayer, what do you ask for?

For yourself?  For others?

Healing?  A better job?  Restored relationship?  Travel mercies?  Blessings for spouse and family and friends?

And, when you have asked for in prayer doesn't turn out the way you hoped, how do you react?  Are you disappointed?  Angry?  Bitter?

Do you stop asking God for anything anymore?

Or, worse, do you stop praying altogether?

Because, His answer is "no"?

And, you don't get what you want.  Right then.  Right now.

I have been there . . .

Wallowing in self-pity.  Immersed in the dark night of the soul.

Not.  Asking.  For.  One.  Thing.

Until . . .

Something so momentous, so unimaginably wonderful happens.

Something I have asked for.  So long ago, I cannot recall when.  Exactly.

And, I see . . .

In His time, in His way, in His great love, He answers me.

Shows me why "thy will be done" is the perfect prayer.

Always.

He gives me the love of my life.  The joy of my heart.

Danny.

And, today marks seven years since we exchange wedding vows.

Where two become one.

Because, God joins us together.

Happy Anniversary, my Love!

~
How have your prayers been answered?

Will you pray with me?
Father, You know our needs before we ask.  Help us to accept Your answers to our prayers be they a "yes" or a "no".  Let us always trust in Your plan for our lives.  Thy will be done.  Amen.

Readings
Psalms 51:1-18 (19-20) or 69:1-23
Lamentations 1:1-2; 6-12
2 Corinthians 1:1-7
Mark 11:12-25  

Hosanna in the Highest!

Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Zion!
See, your King comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


Palm Sunday.

The most bittersweet of all services . . .

The Lord Jesus, riding humbly on a donkey, enters Jerusalem.  Is greeted by wildly cheering crowds.

"Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna in the highest!"

Palms are waved jubilantly, then strewn with cloaks along His path to quell the rising dust from so many feet.  Running to meet Him.  Walking beside Him.  Following behind Him.

Shouting!  Laughing!  Rejoicing!  The people welcome their Redeemer King.

The Messiah.  Triumphant.  Righteous.

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"


The Light of the World.


The One who will save them.


And, then, when the dust has settled . . .


In the span of just days.


This very same crowd, whipped into a frenzy by the authorities, shift their allegiance.


Turn on the One to whom they had turned.


"Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!"


And, there is beating.  Scourging.  Mocking.  Jeering.


Darkness falls.  


All is lost . . .


We mourn His suffering.  We weep for His pain.  We die with Him.  And, into the tomb, we follow Him.


And, wait for the light to shine once again.


For, unlike His scattered and despairing disciples, we know what they did not:


The joyous outcome.


"Alleluia!  He is risen!  The Lord is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!"
~
Will you be attending services during Holy Week?


Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, You sent Your only Son, Jesus, our Lord, to die for us that we might be reconciled to You once and for all.  Let us with humble and reverent hearts reflect upon His suffering and sacrifice as we prepare to celebrate Easter.  May we never cease to be thankful for the greatest love ever shown to the world.  Amen.


Readings
Psalms 24, 29 or 103
Zechariah 9:9:12 (morning)
Zechariah 12:9-11, 13:1, 7-9 (evening)
1 Timothy 6:12-16 (morning)
Luke 19:41-48 (evening)

 

This, Too, Shall Pass . . .

2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

And, since nothing else that I see merely through the senses can or will persist, He alone is. ~Mohandas Gandhi

There are days I wax nostalgic.  Wishing I could see again the landmarks in my life which are no more.

The home I grew up in.  Where I even raise my own children for a time.

Bulldozed.  Along with the entire neighborhood to make way for town-houses and condominiums.

My elementary school.  Leveled.  For a shopping center and restaurants.  The playground, a parking lot.

The overgrown horse track, its original, cyclical path barely visible beneath meadow grasses.  Where my brother and I romp and run with abandon.

Occupied now by a hospital.

The vast acres of forest behind our house.  Where ancient hardwoods, some with trunks six feet in diameter, stretch their worshiping branches toward heaven.  The winding paths we explore with my dad.

Chopped down.  Hauled away.  The ground upon which they proudly stood, graded for a baseball field and tennis center.

Changes.  All in the name of progress.

And, a reminder . . .

That everything we can see is temporal.  Fleeting.

To place our hopes in what we see is but vain pursuit.

But, to place our hopes in what we don't see is to know.

He, alone, is . . .

Eternal.
~
Do you have favorite landmarks from childhood which no longer exist?

Will you pray with me?
Help us to remember, Father, that the things of this world are passing away.  Let us not cling to them.  Instead, may we keep our eyes fixed on that which we cannot see and place all our hopes in You.  Amen.

Readings
Psalms 137:1-6 (7-9), 144 or 42, 43
Exodus 10:21-11:8
2 Corinthians 4:13-18
Mark 10:46-52   

"Pretty Woman"

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.


Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.


In sorting through photos, I find one of me taken about thirty years ago.  What it is doing in this particular collection is a mystery.  What's not a mystery is how much I've aged.

I stare at the young, smiling face as if she is a stranger.  Is this really me?  Really?

Oh, what a difference three decades make!

I look in the mirror, searching for that young lady.  Do I see her?  Can I find her?

I gaze at the photo again, then back at the mirror.

I hear my mother's voice, "It's not what's on the outside, but on the inside that counts."

And, beauty is only skin deep . . .

I can't help but laugh at my own silly vanity.  Which, of course, accentuates every crinkle and wrinkle around my eyes.  My battles scars.  Purple Hearts.

For our bodies are but jars of clay.  Chipped and cracked with the passing of time.

Worn and weary vessels which will one day split and shatter.

And, free our souls from their earthly bondage . . .

I look at the young me.  Pretty on the outside.  Hurting, confused and lost on the inside.

For she had yet to accept Christ in her heart.

I look at the now me.  Aging on the outside.  Content, at peace, filled with love and conviction on the inside.

Because, Jesus is the Lord of my life.

And, I realize with a smile.

I'm not getting older.

I'm getting better . . .

 ~
What does the phrase "to age gracefully" mean to you?

Will you pray with me?
 As our bodies age, Father, help us to accept ourselves and others for who we and they are on the inside and not on the outside.  Let our inner beauty, the treasure You have given us, shine through to others no matter how old or how young they are.  Thank You for all the blessings of this life.  Amen.

Readings
Psalms 22 or 141, 143
Exodus 9:13-35
2 Corinthians 4:1-12
Mark 10:32-45 

"We Know Where the Spirit of the Lord is . . ." Part II

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Greatly troubled after reading Rachel Held Evans' post, "15 Reasons I Left Church" (See link in yesterday's post.), Pastor Emily writes not a rebuttal, but an invitation to our church.  And, many warm and wonderful reasons why she choose to stay.

Even when those disenfranchised by legalistic churches might as, as some of her friends do, "'Why would you stay in a place that is broken beyond repair?'"

Her answer is simple.  Straightforward.

"Because, I believe that with Jesus, nothing is beyond repair . . . if I walk away from the church, it will never change.  But, if I stay inside and work and pray and live out my call, maybe through me and those with me, God can change the world."

What follows are points which Emily makes about our church that any of those "eight million twenty-somethings" who have dropped out of corporate worship would find appealing.  Refreshing . . .

• You don't have to "check your brains at the door".
• You experience unconditional love.
• Questions are both expected and encouraged.
• It is human nature to doubt.  Bring yours on!  We'll tackle them together.
• "We are a 'permission-giving' church."  Is there a ministry you wish to start?  A class you want to teach?  An outreach program that touches your heart?  Share with us and go for it!
• We want you to "hear God's call and follow it".
• We "believe in the power of grace, mercy, and forgiveness and that the message of Christ can change the world".  That, together, we can bring God's kingdom just that much closer to a reality in this world.

And, if these qualities stand tall and firm and lovingly in our church, certainly there are thousands more like us around the world.

With arms wide open in welcome to all God's children.

Just as they are.

And, who know that the Spirit of the living God writes not on tablets, but on the human heart.
~
Is there a church out there that is right for you?  Will you seek one out?

Please join me in prayer:
I thank You today, Father, for the ministries of Pastor Emily and Pastor Wallace, and others like them who lead their flocks with love and compassion.  Who welcome us with all our questions, our doubts, our fears, our hopes, and our dreams.  Who know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  Amen.

You can link to Pastor Emily at Revive Worship here:  http://worshipatrevive.com
Or, at www.kennesawumc.org

Readings
Psalms 131, 132 (133) or 140, 142
Exodus 7:25-8:19
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Mark 10:17-31    

"We Know Where the Spirit of the Lord is . . ." Part I

2 Corinthians 3:3
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Are you a Christian who no longer attends church?  When did you leave?  More importantly, why did you leave?

In a recent post, writer/speaker Rachel Held Evans lists and discusses 15 reasons why she left her church at the age of 27.  She is one of, as she states and I quote, "eight million twenty-somethings [who] have left the church, and it seems like everyone is trying to figure out why".  (I have provided the web address for Ms. Evans' blog at the bottom of this devotion.)

Two of Ms. Evans' reasons hit close to home.  Why?  Because, these are the same sentiments I've heard expressed repeatedly from Facebook and blogging friends who also dropped out of church and have yet to find welcome in a new one.

Those reasons are:

• "I left the church because sometimes I doubt, and church can be the worst place to doubt."

• "I left the church because my questions were seen as liabilities."

The common thread for Ms. Evans and my friends is this:  All dropped out of legalistic churches.  Those which prefer the laws on the tablets, not on the hearts.  Where pastors preach the "shalt nots" with a fury and conviction that must never be doubted.

Never be questioned.

To do otherwise is to commit heresy.

And, the naturally curious, sincere seekers, who love the Lord, who desire a closer walk with Him, are shushed, shunned, and, finally, driven away.

Where are these to go now?

Is there any hope for them?

Is there a church somewhere, anywhere, that would welcome their doubts?  Invite their questions?

Would take them in, just as they are?

The answer is a resounding " YES"!


A "yes" I will gladly share in tomorrow's blog.
~
Are you a Christian who no longer attends church?


Will you pray with me?
I pray today, Father, for all Your children who earnestly seek You, but have not found You in places of worship.  Comfort and guide these little one as they struggle with doubts and questions.  Lead them to other Christians who will welcome them, embrace them, just as they are.  Amen.


Readings
Psalms 119:145-176  or 128, 129, 130
Exodus 7:8-24
2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6
Mark 10:1-6

Link to Ms. Evans' blog:   rachelheldevans.com/15-reasons-i-left-church

"Won't You Fly High, Free Bird?"

Psalm 124:7
We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler's snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.

My father is an avid gardener.  One year, he decides to plant some blueberry bushes in our yard.  Nothing is tastier or more tempting than blueberries picked at the peak of ripeness from one's very own garden.

They give home-grown tomatoes a run for the money!

But, as much as we love blueberries, so do the birds.  We lose most of our first crop to their voracious appetites.

The next year, Dad decides to foil our feathered friends.  He drapes a fine-mesh netting over the bushes to protect the ripening fruit from being consumed by unwanted guests.  The net reaches from the top of the bushes to the ground.

Almost . . .

Colander in hand, I stroll from the house toward the blueberry bushes to collect the perfect ones.  It is a sweltering summer's day.  I am sweaty and uncomfortable, but the vision of Mom's blueberry pie keeps me focused on the task at hand.

As I draw near the bushes, there is a startling commotion beneath the netting.

A little bird, panicked by my approach, flails its wings vainly against its mesh prison.  Chirping manically, it frantically flutters, again and again, trying to escape.

To no avail.

I realize the bird must have slipped in under the net.  Now, in its fear and agitation, it cannot recall the way out.

I have to remove the net to free it.

Moving slowly so as not add to the poor creature's terrorized state, I grab the net from the bottom and lift it gently upwards.  The bird, not knowing that freedom is close at hand, beats its wings in furious retreat.

Entangles itself further in the fowler's snare.

It isn't until I have withdrawn the net completely from the bushes that it finally flies away.

And, the blueberries are all mine.
~
When the troubles of life entangle you, do you turn to the Lord for help?

Will you pray with me?
Too often, Father, we let the snares of life bind us.  Like the trapped little bird, we beat our wings hopelessly, trying to escape our fears or solve our problems on our own.  Remind us, dear Lord, that You are always there to free us when we turn to You in faith and trust.  Amen.

Readings
Psalms (120), 121, 122, 123 or 124, 125, 126, (127)
Exodus 5:1-6:1
1 Corinthians 14:20-33a, 39-40
Mark 9:42-50