Read Job 13:20-14:22
I had a friend when I was younger. His name was Kurt. Actually, I was good friends with his brother Daryl, but I knew Kurt well enough to call and be called friend. One day I found a message on my answering machine from my friend Mike: Kurt had killed himself. He had never been able to overcome is nagging, persistent depression. One day it overcame him to the point of exhaustion. His story ended.
Depression is nothing to scoff at. What accompanies depression are nagging and haranguing thoughts of death. Look at Job 14: 1) Man…is of a few days and full of trouble (1), 2) he does not endure (2) 3) his days are numbered (5) 4) he breaths his last and is no more (10) 5) he lies down and does not rise (12) 6) if only you would hide me in the grave (13) 7) if a man dies, will he live again? (14). Job is very unhappy with life, but who could blame him?
Not every person of a depressed nature ends their life. Some do, some do not. Some try, some fail. In this happy land of opportunity resides some of the most depressed people on the planet. For all that this world has to offer we still suffer from a nagging inability to find happiness. Job expresses the thought well in verse 22: “He feels but the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”
There are various ways depression is explained. Some is because it is a rainy day and we are bored. Sometimes it is due to chemical imbalances in the brain (they make pills to fix it!). Sometimes it is due to remorse or guilt for sin. Whatever the cause of depression, whatever form its expression takes, it is all bad and nothing to be taken lightly.
Life is so frail and so foolish. Life is so full of twists and turns that one day we can be the most carefree person on the planet and the next living in utter, self-imposed solitude. Job, however depressed he may have been, was a trooper though. For all of his unhappiness he is a fighter. He says, “All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.”
David Atkinson speculates that Job might even be thinking of resurrection. I think I agree with Mr. Atkinson’s speculation if for no other reason than it is true. You see, this is another expression of Job’s hope and faith. Furthermore, it is an expression of resolve, endurance and contentment. Job may not have enjoyed or even liked God’s silence, but Job could endure and would wait because He had hope that God would one day enjoy his creature once again.
Christians share this conviction too. Though we are outwardly wasting away inwardly we are being renewed. Paul wrote, “If we have been united with him in his death we will most certainly be united with him in his resurrection” (Romans 6:5) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
Prayer Thoughts
Pray for someone who may be depressed. Pray for their healing. Pray for their hope. Pray that they might know Jesus Christ. Peter’s words on this subject are so beneficial because our hope is not stagnant, but living, vibrant and animated, alive and well.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
What Faith Is
Read Job 12:1-13:19
It is hard to avoid the clear meaning of the book of Job. The story of a man who was at the height of glory was stripped of all his glory. His glory was smeared with the stuff of death and devastation but it did not awaken in him anger for loss but reaffirmed his hope in God. I never see Job angry about his loss, just angry about God’s silence.
I spent today (4/29) at the hospital with my family. My brother-in-law had a small surgery on a tumor on his brain. The doctors did what is called a needle biopsy. He took several samples of tissue from the tumor and sent them to a pathologist for tests.
I spoke with my brother today after his surgery. He has asked that I baptize him. He also referred to his sister as his ‘beautiful sister’ and his girlfriend as his ‘sweety.’ He smiled a lot too. He was cordial. I even heard him utter an apology to my other brother-in-law for something.
When we suffer it has a way of changing our perspective on a great many things. We start to view relationships differently than we did before we suffered. We start to view people differently than we did before we suffered. In fact, we start to take on an entirely new attitude towards everything in life when we suffer. At least that is how it has frequently worked in my life.
Bobby said something interesting today. He said that when all of this is over if he starts to slip back to his old ways we should remind him of what he said today. I think I will.
But today read what Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15a) Did Job always trust God? Surely. Did he trust him more after his world collapsed? I think he did. Job had the foundation already present in his life. But maybe this time of suffering rattled something in Job’s life. As they say, when you get to the bottom there is nowhere to look but up. This seems only to be half the story though because Job is a remarkable character and not nearly that shallow. As I said, Job already had the foundation in his life. He trusted and hoped in God with possessions and would do so without possessions. Job’s life was not defined by his possessions. It was defined by his unalterable trust in God.
Job is expressing something that you and I call faith. This is Job’s way of saying, “despite what my eyes behold, despite the pain in my flesh, despite the fact that God will give me no answers…yet, I will hope in him.” Faith is trusting that all things make sense to God even when they do not make sense to us. The just will live by faith and if there has ever been a more remarkable statement of faith it is this one. How many people can honestly say that their faith will remain in God, perhaps even stronger than before, after they have suffered such devastation? And how can they say this if they never suffer such devastation?
Prayer Thoughts
Walking by faith and not by sight is not as difficult as people want it to be. The just will live by faith because eyes of faith have insight into things that the eyes of the flesh are simply not privy to. Pray that, like the servant of Elisha, your eyes will be open to see the power of God in your life. Renew your hope in God and soar on wings of Eagles. Put your hope in God, even though for now, he may be slaying you. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
It is hard to avoid the clear meaning of the book of Job. The story of a man who was at the height of glory was stripped of all his glory. His glory was smeared with the stuff of death and devastation but it did not awaken in him anger for loss but reaffirmed his hope in God. I never see Job angry about his loss, just angry about God’s silence.
I spent today (4/29) at the hospital with my family. My brother-in-law had a small surgery on a tumor on his brain. The doctors did what is called a needle biopsy. He took several samples of tissue from the tumor and sent them to a pathologist for tests.
I spoke with my brother today after his surgery. He has asked that I baptize him. He also referred to his sister as his ‘beautiful sister’ and his girlfriend as his ‘sweety.’ He smiled a lot too. He was cordial. I even heard him utter an apology to my other brother-in-law for something.
When we suffer it has a way of changing our perspective on a great many things. We start to view relationships differently than we did before we suffered. We start to view people differently than we did before we suffered. In fact, we start to take on an entirely new attitude towards everything in life when we suffer. At least that is how it has frequently worked in my life.
Bobby said something interesting today. He said that when all of this is over if he starts to slip back to his old ways we should remind him of what he said today. I think I will.
But today read what Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15a) Did Job always trust God? Surely. Did he trust him more after his world collapsed? I think he did. Job had the foundation already present in his life. But maybe this time of suffering rattled something in Job’s life. As they say, when you get to the bottom there is nowhere to look but up. This seems only to be half the story though because Job is a remarkable character and not nearly that shallow. As I said, Job already had the foundation in his life. He trusted and hoped in God with possessions and would do so without possessions. Job’s life was not defined by his possessions. It was defined by his unalterable trust in God.
Job is expressing something that you and I call faith. This is Job’s way of saying, “despite what my eyes behold, despite the pain in my flesh, despite the fact that God will give me no answers…yet, I will hope in him.” Faith is trusting that all things make sense to God even when they do not make sense to us. The just will live by faith and if there has ever been a more remarkable statement of faith it is this one. How many people can honestly say that their faith will remain in God, perhaps even stronger than before, after they have suffered such devastation? And how can they say this if they never suffer such devastation?
Prayer Thoughts
Walking by faith and not by sight is not as difficult as people want it to be. The just will live by faith because eyes of faith have insight into things that the eyes of the flesh are simply not privy to. Pray that, like the servant of Elisha, your eyes will be open to see the power of God in your life. Renew your hope in God and soar on wings of Eagles. Put your hope in God, even though for now, he may be slaying you. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
Those with whom Wisdom will Die
Read Job 11:1-20
Throughout the first 10 chapters we have heard from several different points of view. This is the first time we have heard from the person named Zophar. I don’t know about you, but I sort of wished it were the last time I heard from him. He is the one time of person that, even if the others could be tolerated, no one wants around when times are tough.
He is the one person who has never drunk from the cup of affliction. He has never had a bad hair day in his life. He has never had so much as a splinter of affliction and yet he seems to have all the answers. He is the quintessential know it all. Job recognizes him as much in chapter 12 verse 2: “Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!”
There seems to be no indication that Zophar is concerned with Job’s plight at all. He seems to be the type of person who enjoys talking just so his voice can be heard. He resorts in the end to calling Job a liar (11:11), an idiot (11:12), and a sinner (11:14). Sort of makes one wish they were in the story too just so they could enjoy the fruits of this man’s insolence. (That’s sarcasm.)
He also argues that the mysteries of God are far too deep for anyone to understand. Have you ever talked with someone who just kept on telling you over and over again that God is far too mysterious to understand. That you simply have to take what he is giving and leave it at that? That is the answer of someone who has no answer. That is the answer of someone who wants to do no work at all to understand the suffering a person is suffering. That is the answer of someone who just likes to talk. That is the talk of someone who sits in the ash heap just so they can say, ‘See, I told you so.’
When I am going through a difficult time, I do not want someone to sit across from me and tell me things that I already know (12:3). Nor do I want that person to tell me what I need to do to enjoy life again. Furthermore, I do not want that person telling me these things just so they can be right and I will be wrong. I do not want a person spouting off the latest escapist psychological babble. No, I do not want those sorts of people around me at all. I do not need people like Zophar, and sometimes they seem to be in such abundance.
When I am going through a bad time I want near me what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
For some reason, that makes much better sense than anything Zophar had to say.
Prayer Thoughts
We all know someone who is going through a bad time. Pray for mercy in their lives. Pray that the people around them will be more than Pez-dispensers of theological witticisms. Pray that they will be people of empathy and compassion and comfort. Pray that is who you will be also.
Throughout the first 10 chapters we have heard from several different points of view. This is the first time we have heard from the person named Zophar. I don’t know about you, but I sort of wished it were the last time I heard from him. He is the one time of person that, even if the others could be tolerated, no one wants around when times are tough.
He is the one person who has never drunk from the cup of affliction. He has never had a bad hair day in his life. He has never had so much as a splinter of affliction and yet he seems to have all the answers. He is the quintessential know it all. Job recognizes him as much in chapter 12 verse 2: “Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!”
There seems to be no indication that Zophar is concerned with Job’s plight at all. He seems to be the type of person who enjoys talking just so his voice can be heard. He resorts in the end to calling Job a liar (11:11), an idiot (11:12), and a sinner (11:14). Sort of makes one wish they were in the story too just so they could enjoy the fruits of this man’s insolence. (That’s sarcasm.)
He also argues that the mysteries of God are far too deep for anyone to understand. Have you ever talked with someone who just kept on telling you over and over again that God is far too mysterious to understand. That you simply have to take what he is giving and leave it at that? That is the answer of someone who has no answer. That is the answer of someone who wants to do no work at all to understand the suffering a person is suffering. That is the answer of someone who just likes to talk. That is the talk of someone who sits in the ash heap just so they can say, ‘See, I told you so.’
When I am going through a difficult time, I do not want someone to sit across from me and tell me things that I already know (12:3). Nor do I want that person to tell me what I need to do to enjoy life again. Furthermore, I do not want that person telling me these things just so they can be right and I will be wrong. I do not want a person spouting off the latest escapist psychological babble. No, I do not want those sorts of people around me at all. I do not need people like Zophar, and sometimes they seem to be in such abundance.
When I am going through a bad time I want near me what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
For some reason, that makes much better sense than anything Zophar had to say.
Prayer Thoughts
We all know someone who is going through a bad time. Pray for mercy in their lives. Pray that the people around them will be more than Pez-dispensers of theological witticisms. Pray that they will be people of empathy and compassion and comfort. Pray that is who you will be also.
Eloi, Eloi Lama Sabachthani
Read Job 9:1-10:22
If there is anything in this world I dislike with a fiery passion it is being alone. There is nothing, in my opinion, worse than being alone. We live in a place where being alone is often lauded as helpful and beneficial. But we also live in a place where a person can be sitting in a stadium full of thousands of people and still be alone. True, there are times when we need to be ‘by ourselves.’ It just seems that we have increasingly managed to cut ourselves off completely from one another and thus we are often ‘lonely.’
I hate being alone and I am certain that Job felt much the same way, but with a slight twist. Let me ask: Have you ever found yourself to be in a situation where you wish God would come down and speak to you face to face? Job did, and yet he still says, “Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.” (3) After all, he says, “He is the maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” (9) How could anyone stand in God’s Presence?
I remember when I was walking through the valley one time. I remember going out to a deserted place and yelling at the sky and the stars in the cold night air. There I stood, leaning against my car, shivering in the chill nighttime air, screeching like an infant. I remember the stars just staring back at me, not moving, not diminishing their glow, just staring. I am sure they did not hear me, and even more certain they did not care. I wonder what would have happened if God had come down that night or if He had cracked the sky and spoken to me. “Though I were innocent, I could not answer Him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.” (15) I would not have been so bold, probably, more frightened than anything—if not dead.
There are times when we do feel this way. That is, that God is so far away, so distant, so removed that we are convinced that He does not exist or that He has totally forsaken us or handed us over to complete destruction. We have all felt that way at times; I am sure of it. I am reasonably convinced that sometimes we feel like Jesus did on the cross: “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani.”
Remember the opening chapters though. God had not abandoned Job nor had Job abandoned God. Job felt God was distant, but I think deep inside Job knew God was there or else he would not have said as much as he said. I picture Job weeping as he screams, crying as he talks, panting and clutching his face when he whispers. So in his grief and sorrow and pain and despair he prays. Chapter 10 is the prayer he prayed.
What else is a person supposed to do when they feel left alone to the devices of destruction? Where else can we turn? To whom can we go? I notice that Job is never told his words were wrong by God. I truly believe God wants to know exactly what is on our hearts. I truly believe He wants us to “give free rein to our complaint.” (10:1). I believe it would be better for us to tell God than to tell someone else. At least God will understand; at least God is not indifferent. "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Prayer Thoughts
Perhaps today you are harboring some pent up resentment or anger. I encourage you today to “speak out of the bitterness of your soul” (10:1). God is concerned that you communicate with him. He wants to hear what is on your heart and mind right now. So tell Him.
If there is anything in this world I dislike with a fiery passion it is being alone. There is nothing, in my opinion, worse than being alone. We live in a place where being alone is often lauded as helpful and beneficial. But we also live in a place where a person can be sitting in a stadium full of thousands of people and still be alone. True, there are times when we need to be ‘by ourselves.’ It just seems that we have increasingly managed to cut ourselves off completely from one another and thus we are often ‘lonely.’
I hate being alone and I am certain that Job felt much the same way, but with a slight twist. Let me ask: Have you ever found yourself to be in a situation where you wish God would come down and speak to you face to face? Job did, and yet he still says, “Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.” (3) After all, he says, “He is the maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” (9) How could anyone stand in God’s Presence?
I remember when I was walking through the valley one time. I remember going out to a deserted place and yelling at the sky and the stars in the cold night air. There I stood, leaning against my car, shivering in the chill nighttime air, screeching like an infant. I remember the stars just staring back at me, not moving, not diminishing their glow, just staring. I am sure they did not hear me, and even more certain they did not care. I wonder what would have happened if God had come down that night or if He had cracked the sky and spoken to me. “Though I were innocent, I could not answer Him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.” (15) I would not have been so bold, probably, more frightened than anything—if not dead.
There are times when we do feel this way. That is, that God is so far away, so distant, so removed that we are convinced that He does not exist or that He has totally forsaken us or handed us over to complete destruction. We have all felt that way at times; I am sure of it. I am reasonably convinced that sometimes we feel like Jesus did on the cross: “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani.”
Remember the opening chapters though. God had not abandoned Job nor had Job abandoned God. Job felt God was distant, but I think deep inside Job knew God was there or else he would not have said as much as he said. I picture Job weeping as he screams, crying as he talks, panting and clutching his face when he whispers. So in his grief and sorrow and pain and despair he prays. Chapter 10 is the prayer he prayed.
What else is a person supposed to do when they feel left alone to the devices of destruction? Where else can we turn? To whom can we go? I notice that Job is never told his words were wrong by God. I truly believe God wants to know exactly what is on our hearts. I truly believe He wants us to “give free rein to our complaint.” (10:1). I believe it would be better for us to tell God than to tell someone else. At least God will understand; at least God is not indifferent. "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Prayer Thoughts
Perhaps today you are harboring some pent up resentment or anger. I encourage you today to “speak out of the bitterness of your soul” (10:1). God is concerned that you communicate with him. He wants to hear what is on your heart and mind right now. So tell Him.
Monday, June 28, 2004
When Being Right Does Not Matter
Read Job 8:1-22
There is a serious problem with writing devotions about the words of Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. The problem is that they say many things that are absolutely true. Most of what Bildad says in this chapter is absolutely true. The problem is the premise upon which his words are built.
Here in chapter 8 verses 5-7 are important: "But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be." Again, there is nothing necessarily wrong with this statement except that it is said based upon the erroneous assumption that Job had sinned and thus incurred God's displeasure. Ironically, as we have seen, it was not God's displeasure that caused Job's suffering but rather his (God's) firm belief that even if such things did happen, Job would not blaspheme. This proved to be true despite the enemy's best efforts to prove otherwise. So it was not God's displeasure that brought about Job's suffering, but rather, God's pleasure.
Job does not even disagree with anything that Bildad says. 9:1 says, "Indeed, I know that this is true." Job's issue is that his experience did not seem to match his beliefs. Job probably cannot even begin to imagine why a person would be saying such things. Bildad did not say anything that Job disagreed with, but when a person is suffering do they really need us to offer our opinion of why things are the way they are? "Job, your children got what they deserved" (vs. 4). Are those really the right words for the occasion? I think not. Maybe the statement was true. So what? There are times when we need to speak in tones of love and affection instead of orthodox theology.
Does it seem to you at times that the people who minister and counsel you have no idea where you are? You come to Church or Bible School and you may as well be invisible, right? Do you feel as though your pain, your hurt, your suffering and affliction have gone unnoticed by those you trust the most?
It does not take a special gift to know what people are suffering. All one has to do is look and listen. It does require a special gift to say the right thing at the right time. It does require a special gift to know when it is time to talk and time to be quiet. Bildad would have been a better friend that day had he simply maintained his peace. His thoughts that day, however true they may have been, failed to counsel Job because they did not really understand where Job was at that moment. Job may as well have been invisible. Bildad could see himself and his orthodoxy, but he may as well have been speaking to the wind.
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today that when you are called upon to be a friend that you listen attentively. Pray that God will instruct your wisdom and your words will be comforting and blessed instead of calloused and boorish. Be helpful by meeting the sufferer where he or she is at not dragging them up or down to where you are. All they need is someone to listen and be compassionate no matter how orthodox, right, or otherwise you may be.
There is a serious problem with writing devotions about the words of Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. The problem is that they say many things that are absolutely true. Most of what Bildad says in this chapter is absolutely true. The problem is the premise upon which his words are built.
Here in chapter 8 verses 5-7 are important: "But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be." Again, there is nothing necessarily wrong with this statement except that it is said based upon the erroneous assumption that Job had sinned and thus incurred God's displeasure. Ironically, as we have seen, it was not God's displeasure that caused Job's suffering but rather his (God's) firm belief that even if such things did happen, Job would not blaspheme. This proved to be true despite the enemy's best efforts to prove otherwise. So it was not God's displeasure that brought about Job's suffering, but rather, God's pleasure.
Job does not even disagree with anything that Bildad says. 9:1 says, "Indeed, I know that this is true." Job's issue is that his experience did not seem to match his beliefs. Job probably cannot even begin to imagine why a person would be saying such things. Bildad did not say anything that Job disagreed with, but when a person is suffering do they really need us to offer our opinion of why things are the way they are? "Job, your children got what they deserved" (vs. 4). Are those really the right words for the occasion? I think not. Maybe the statement was true. So what? There are times when we need to speak in tones of love and affection instead of orthodox theology.
Does it seem to you at times that the people who minister and counsel you have no idea where you are? You come to Church or Bible School and you may as well be invisible, right? Do you feel as though your pain, your hurt, your suffering and affliction have gone unnoticed by those you trust the most?
It does not take a special gift to know what people are suffering. All one has to do is look and listen. It does require a special gift to say the right thing at the right time. It does require a special gift to know when it is time to talk and time to be quiet. Bildad would have been a better friend that day had he simply maintained his peace. His thoughts that day, however true they may have been, failed to counsel Job because they did not really understand where Job was at that moment. Job may as well have been invisible. Bildad could see himself and his orthodoxy, but he may as well have been speaking to the wind.
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today that when you are called upon to be a friend that you listen attentively. Pray that God will instruct your wisdom and your words will be comforting and blessed instead of calloused and boorish. Be helpful by meeting the sufferer where he or she is at not dragging them up or down to where you are. All they need is someone to listen and be compassionate no matter how orthodox, right, or otherwise you may be.
Hugging Lepers
Read Job 6:1-7:21
As I read through the book of Job my mind always asks the same question: Which is worse, Job dead or Job alive? When I read: "When I lie down I think, 'How long before I get up?' The night drags on, and I toss till dawn. My body is clothed with worms and scabs my skin is broken and festering" (vs. 4-5), I have to agree with Job that perhaps it would be better to be dead. Suffering sometimes corrupts thinking which is why we must sfocusedssed on Jesus at all times.
Verse 14 is a great verse, "A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty." Job was experiencing great trauma in his life. He could not sleep, he could not eat, his body was ravaged with sores and living insects. All he asked for was that his friends be with him during his time. Remember for the first 7 days they were, but then things started to change.
His friends were showing no sympathy to Job. They were, however, accusing him of everything wrong. They were saying to Job that the reason he was in such a pickle was because he had sinned and this was punishment for his sin and that as soon as he repented everything would be right as rain in his life again. Job was maintaining that he had not sinned. In chapter 5:27 we read: "We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." They were not bringing the best of times to Job who was obviously enduring the worst of times. How easy it must be for the wise to offer such counsel when their bodies are free from festering wounds. What seemed so obvious to Job's friends was in fact painfully wrong. At least we know because we are watching from the outside.
It seems that Job was not interested in such violence though. Job maintained his innocence all throughout the book. At this early point in the book Job was saying, “Look, I do not need a lesson in theology or morality maintenance. What I need are friends who will comfort me.” He just needed someone to come and hang out with him for a little while. Just someone to put their arms around him and weep. We, however, sometimes find it easier to point out the 'obvious' than to risk defiling ourselves by hugging a leper.
Have you ever felt that way in your own life? You know the times when you are feeling really low, or something bad is going on, or you are just completely at an empty loss and what is worse you have to suffer the indignity alone? You know those times when your friends thought they would 'help' but only suffered your pain to make you feel even worse? You know those times when your friends tried to be helpful and understanding but only felt like sitting around and pointing out all the things that you could have done to avoid the trouble in the first place? Yes those are the types of people that Job is dealing with here.
Job has very few nice words for his un-understanding friends. "You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend" (vs. 27) Friends are important and valuable. As a friend learn when it best to talk, what to say, and when it is altogether more valuable to your friend to simply be quiet and suffer with them for a little while. Often it is much better to love lepers than it is to lecture them. In fact, it always is.
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today for a friend that you have who is encountering crisis at every level of existence. Pray then that you can be a better friend to that person. Ask God to guide and direct your thoughts, words and actions towards that friend so that they may have better things to say about you than Job has to say about his friends. Pray that you will be wise in your choice of words. Pray that you will be a loving listener and a compassionate companion.
As I read through the book of Job my mind always asks the same question: Which is worse, Job dead or Job alive? When I read: "When I lie down I think, 'How long before I get up?' The night drags on, and I toss till dawn. My body is clothed with worms and scabs my skin is broken and festering" (vs. 4-5), I have to agree with Job that perhaps it would be better to be dead. Suffering sometimes corrupts thinking which is why we must sfocusedssed on Jesus at all times.
Verse 14 is a great verse, "A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty." Job was experiencing great trauma in his life. He could not sleep, he could not eat, his body was ravaged with sores and living insects. All he asked for was that his friends be with him during his time. Remember for the first 7 days they were, but then things started to change.
His friends were showing no sympathy to Job. They were, however, accusing him of everything wrong. They were saying to Job that the reason he was in such a pickle was because he had sinned and this was punishment for his sin and that as soon as he repented everything would be right as rain in his life again. Job was maintaining that he had not sinned. In chapter 5:27 we read: "We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." They were not bringing the best of times to Job who was obviously enduring the worst of times. How easy it must be for the wise to offer such counsel when their bodies are free from festering wounds. What seemed so obvious to Job's friends was in fact painfully wrong. At least we know because we are watching from the outside.
It seems that Job was not interested in such violence though. Job maintained his innocence all throughout the book. At this early point in the book Job was saying, “Look, I do not need a lesson in theology or morality maintenance. What I need are friends who will comfort me.” He just needed someone to come and hang out with him for a little while. Just someone to put their arms around him and weep. We, however, sometimes find it easier to point out the 'obvious' than to risk defiling ourselves by hugging a leper.
Have you ever felt that way in your own life? You know the times when you are feeling really low, or something bad is going on, or you are just completely at an empty loss and what is worse you have to suffer the indignity alone? You know those times when your friends thought they would 'help' but only suffered your pain to make you feel even worse? You know those times when your friends tried to be helpful and understanding but only felt like sitting around and pointing out all the things that you could have done to avoid the trouble in the first place? Yes those are the types of people that Job is dealing with here.
Job has very few nice words for his un-understanding friends. "You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend" (vs. 27) Friends are important and valuable. As a friend learn when it best to talk, what to say, and when it is altogether more valuable to your friend to simply be quiet and suffer with them for a little while. Often it is much better to love lepers than it is to lecture them. In fact, it always is.
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today for a friend that you have who is encountering crisis at every level of existence. Pray then that you can be a better friend to that person. Ask God to guide and direct your thoughts, words and actions towards that friend so that they may have better things to say about you than Job has to say about his friends. Pray that you will be wise in your choice of words. Pray that you will be a loving listener and a compassionate companion.
The Rebuke of the Almighty
Read Job 4:1-5:27
This is a long reading section for today and I will not try to focus on the entire 46 verses that you have just read. Instead I would like to focus only on verse 17 of chapter 5.
Now, we know that Eliphaz and his friends end up being quite in the wrong in their understanding of Job’s plightn (we read the end of the book, right?). Nevertheless they do have, at times, important and valuable insights into the nature of suffering. The end of chapter 5 is a great example of such crystalline wisdom. Verse 17 says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
There is a radical theology in Christianity that teaches God does not punish people when they sin. After all, we are Christians and when we sin it is already taken care of through the redemptive work of Jesus. It is a mistake to say, so the theory goes, that suffering is ever caused by sin. I hasten to disagree. I believe that the Scripture clearly teaches that there are consequences for our sin that sometimes go beyond even ourselves. Consider the story of David in 2 Samuel 24 where we are told that he counted his fighting men in direct contradiction of God’s command. Punishment was not for David alone but for all of Israel. A plague came upon the land for 3 days and we are told that 70,000 people died as a result.
In the New Testament we see much of the same thing. Hebrews 12 for example says, “‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father.” (vs. 5b-7) And what of Annanias and Sapphira who 'lied to the Holy Spirit' and were pronounced dead on the scene? Clearly, sin had something to do with their suffering.
But, this is not to say that every form of suffering is from God. This is not to say that every form of suffering is discipline. This is not to say that every disciplinary action of God is because of sin. It is to say that God does correct those he loves which is what Eliphaz is saying. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
What it does mean is that not all suffering is bad, if any of it is bad. Blessed is a powerful word much like the word used in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It means that God is looking upon us with an approving eye. Correction is not meant to destroy, but to correct. We should be thankful that God loves us enough to correct us even when it hurts. I cannot think of a scenario when my children have been disciplined and it did not hurt me as much as it hurt them or more. Nevertheless, my children, in order to learn and grow, must at times endure my discipline. Suffering produces perseverance but it does not end there. In the end suffering produces a hope that does not disappoint because it is God himself who inhabits the hope and brings it to fruition.
Prayer thoughts
What areas in your life are in turmoil? Has God ever disciplined you? Think about what you have learned from your experience and thank God for it. You are blessed for having been loved so much. Pray for those enduring discipline today. (Don't get me wrong, our sin has been paid for on the cross. As we shall see later, it is precisely that God does not give us what we deserve that makes Christianity so viable. We call it grace, and it is wonderful. Correction and discipline are God's tools used for making us like Christ.I am not talking about eternal discipline, but temporal discipline meant to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness. Sin has consequences--even for the saved. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered..." Hebrews 5:8.)
This is a long reading section for today and I will not try to focus on the entire 46 verses that you have just read. Instead I would like to focus only on verse 17 of chapter 5.
Now, we know that Eliphaz and his friends end up being quite in the wrong in their understanding of Job’s plightn (we read the end of the book, right?). Nevertheless they do have, at times, important and valuable insights into the nature of suffering. The end of chapter 5 is a great example of such crystalline wisdom. Verse 17 says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
There is a radical theology in Christianity that teaches God does not punish people when they sin. After all, we are Christians and when we sin it is already taken care of through the redemptive work of Jesus. It is a mistake to say, so the theory goes, that suffering is ever caused by sin. I hasten to disagree. I believe that the Scripture clearly teaches that there are consequences for our sin that sometimes go beyond even ourselves. Consider the story of David in 2 Samuel 24 where we are told that he counted his fighting men in direct contradiction of God’s command. Punishment was not for David alone but for all of Israel. A plague came upon the land for 3 days and we are told that 70,000 people died as a result.
In the New Testament we see much of the same thing. Hebrews 12 for example says, “‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father.” (vs. 5b-7) And what of Annanias and Sapphira who 'lied to the Holy Spirit' and were pronounced dead on the scene? Clearly, sin had something to do with their suffering.
But, this is not to say that every form of suffering is from God. This is not to say that every form of suffering is discipline. This is not to say that every disciplinary action of God is because of sin. It is to say that God does correct those he loves which is what Eliphaz is saying. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
What it does mean is that not all suffering is bad, if any of it is bad. Blessed is a powerful word much like the word used in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It means that God is looking upon us with an approving eye. Correction is not meant to destroy, but to correct. We should be thankful that God loves us enough to correct us even when it hurts. I cannot think of a scenario when my children have been disciplined and it did not hurt me as much as it hurt them or more. Nevertheless, my children, in order to learn and grow, must at times endure my discipline. Suffering produces perseverance but it does not end there. In the end suffering produces a hope that does not disappoint because it is God himself who inhabits the hope and brings it to fruition.
Prayer thoughts
What areas in your life are in turmoil? Has God ever disciplined you? Think about what you have learned from your experience and thank God for it. You are blessed for having been loved so much. Pray for those enduring discipline today. (Don't get me wrong, our sin has been paid for on the cross. As we shall see later, it is precisely that God does not give us what we deserve that makes Christianity so viable. We call it grace, and it is wonderful. Correction and discipline are God's tools used for making us like Christ.I am not talking about eternal discipline, but temporal discipline meant to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness. Sin has consequences--even for the saved. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered..." Hebrews 5:8.)
Is There a Reason to Continue
Read Job 3:1-26
Have you ever wished it for yourself? Has life ever been so horribly disfigured by tragedy and tribulation that you decided you would be better off dead? If it has not then what would it take? Have you ever taken the time to think about what your limits actually are? My son has taken to this line recently. I cannot begin to imagine what would anger a six year so much that he would invoke these timeless words, but something did. It is a dad’s job to make certain he understands what they mean and persuade him that they are inappropriate at almost any age.
Job is so despondent that he wishes he had never tasted of the joys that have lead him to the sorrows he is now experiencing. I wonder if life ever truly gets that bad? Solomon, the man who wrote the Ecclesiastes, said, “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion.” So, life is worth living no matter how bad it gets. Even when life seems to be thrusting every possible combination of devastation and destruction our way it is still worth living.
Now, I do not suppose that Job actually wanted to die. We say things like that too sometimes, “Oh, this hurts so bad I wish I were dead.” I finished An Army At Dawn (Rick Atkinson****)the other day. This is a remarkable book about soldiers who fought in North Africa during World War II. You can bet there were many of them who, at times, wished that they were dead. It is kind of hard not to feel that way when you are reduced to holding your own bowels in your hands after enemy shrapnel tears a hole in your gut. Still I am not certain Job literally wanted to be dead. Perhaps he just wanted to vent his frustration for a little while. Perhaps death would have been a better option for Job. Who knows? One thing is for certain: Job does go on living and we know he will because God made the enemy swear that he would not take Job’s life.
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Job’s thoughts at the end of the chapter are sullen, morose and full of sadness. He asks why a man who is longing for death not only lives on but is actually given light as if he were going to continue on in his trial. Job’s guess, with which I agree, is that suffering is bad enough, so do we really need someone to throw light on it so that we and everyone around can see the suffering? Is the pain not enough that there must also be announcements and spotlights pointing at the sufferer?
And what about the man whose way is hidden from God? Why is life even wasted on such a person? In Job’s thinking, if God is not even bothering to find this person (‘whose way is hidden’) then why bother to shower the person with life? For this person whom God has ‘hedged in’ the question Job seems to be asking is ‘if God is against us who can be for us?’ Should not life just be extinguished if God is against us? There are no comforts for Job. No food, only sighs. No water, only groans that pour out of him like water. What a miserable situation Job found himself in that day.
Is there any hope for the person in Job’s position? Is there any hope for the person who has no peace, no rest, but only turmoil and a feverish disquiet? Is there any relief from such a distraction and interruption of life? To the point: When a person finds themselves in such a position, and they go right on lingering near death’s door but never quite crossing the threshold, and God continues to give life to the person even though God seems distant, and the person seems to be in the spotlight, is there a reason to go on? Is there a reason to continue? Do you have any reason to persevere? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today about the limits in your life. Talk to God about what you think would push you over the edge. Pray for someone who is at the edge. Help that person see that there is a reason to continue despite appearances to the contrary.
Have you ever wished it for yourself? Has life ever been so horribly disfigured by tragedy and tribulation that you decided you would be better off dead? If it has not then what would it take? Have you ever taken the time to think about what your limits actually are? My son has taken to this line recently. I cannot begin to imagine what would anger a six year so much that he would invoke these timeless words, but something did. It is a dad’s job to make certain he understands what they mean and persuade him that they are inappropriate at almost any age.
Job is so despondent that he wishes he had never tasted of the joys that have lead him to the sorrows he is now experiencing. I wonder if life ever truly gets that bad? Solomon, the man who wrote the Ecclesiastes, said, “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion.” So, life is worth living no matter how bad it gets. Even when life seems to be thrusting every possible combination of devastation and destruction our way it is still worth living.
Now, I do not suppose that Job actually wanted to die. We say things like that too sometimes, “Oh, this hurts so bad I wish I were dead.” I finished An Army At Dawn (Rick Atkinson****)the other day. This is a remarkable book about soldiers who fought in North Africa during World War II. You can bet there were many of them who, at times, wished that they were dead. It is kind of hard not to feel that way when you are reduced to holding your own bowels in your hands after enemy shrapnel tears a hole in your gut. Still I am not certain Job literally wanted to be dead. Perhaps he just wanted to vent his frustration for a little while. Perhaps death would have been a better option for Job. Who knows? One thing is for certain: Job does go on living and we know he will because God made the enemy swear that he would not take Job’s life.
__________________________________
Job’s thoughts at the end of the chapter are sullen, morose and full of sadness. He asks why a man who is longing for death not only lives on but is actually given light as if he were going to continue on in his trial. Job’s guess, with which I agree, is that suffering is bad enough, so do we really need someone to throw light on it so that we and everyone around can see the suffering? Is the pain not enough that there must also be announcements and spotlights pointing at the sufferer?
And what about the man whose way is hidden from God? Why is life even wasted on such a person? In Job’s thinking, if God is not even bothering to find this person (‘whose way is hidden’) then why bother to shower the person with life? For this person whom God has ‘hedged in’ the question Job seems to be asking is ‘if God is against us who can be for us?’ Should not life just be extinguished if God is against us? There are no comforts for Job. No food, only sighs. No water, only groans that pour out of him like water. What a miserable situation Job found himself in that day.
Is there any hope for the person in Job’s position? Is there any hope for the person who has no peace, no rest, but only turmoil and a feverish disquiet? Is there any relief from such a distraction and interruption of life? To the point: When a person finds themselves in such a position, and they go right on lingering near death’s door but never quite crossing the threshold, and God continues to give life to the person even though God seems distant, and the person seems to be in the spotlight, is there a reason to go on? Is there a reason to continue? Do you have any reason to persevere? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)
Prayer Thoughts
Pray today about the limits in your life. Talk to God about what you think would push you over the edge. Pray for someone who is at the edge. Help that person see that there is a reason to continue despite appearances to the contrary.
Friday, June 18, 2004
Some Things to Remember About Suffering
Read: Job 2:1-13
As if things could not get any worse for Job. But who are we to underestimate the sort of damage the enemy will inflict upon God’s people? We never can be too cautious because he is always creeping about searching for someone to devour. The enemy is ruthless in his efforts to destroy us, and he will stop at nothing until he has managed to assemble a sizeable group of wayfarers to join him.
Let’s think about Job’s suffering again today. I noticed a couple of helpful things that may help us in our own suffering which, in its own way, is like that of Job’s.
First, I notice that the enemy knows no limits on his own (vs. 4). He is not bound by morality, conscience, or ethics. He is the father of lies and when he lies he speaks his native tongue. A little bloodshed does not bother him or make him queasy. He likes when people hurt and hate and harm. I also notice that he seems to think very lowly of us poor, hapless humans. He seems to think that when it comes to you and me the only thing that matters is our flesh. He seems to think that we hold nothing else in higher esteem than our own flesh. To be sure, some do. He seems to think that when it comes down to it we would rather live now only. This begs the question, “Do we?” What matters more to us: life now or life forever? What are we holding onto hope for? “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13)
Second, I notice that there are divinely imposed limits (vs. 6). Well think about it: If the enemy killed Job how could the point be made? It seems that the enemy here is only seeking vengeance for losing in chapter 1. It is good to know though that there are limits imposed by God for our suffering. The Bible says that God knows our limits. Paul wrote, ‘God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’ Again, this is God’s opinion of you. What matters is what God thinks you can handle. If you are experiencing it, that should be enough.
Third, the enemy will use anyone and anything at his disposal to accomplish his ends. His ends always justify his means. So, in his efforts to get Job to ‘curse [God] to [his] face’ notice how he even employs Job’s wife, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (vs. 9) I here in the voice of Job’s wife, satan who is ruthless. The same thing happened to Jesus when he was on his way to Jerusalem. Satan employed Peter, ‘Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Jesus replied, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:22-23) We have to be wary of those whose voices echo the voice of the enemy.
Fourth, I notice that God also sent Job comfort (vs. 11-13). True, later on they will be more pain for Job to endure but at least for the first seven days they had the nerve to sit in the dust with him, weep with him, and mourn with him. It is especially helpful when we are suffering that there are people around to strengthen and encourage us. The book of Hebrews says that we should ‘remember those who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.’ (Hebrews 13:3) We stand side by side with the body of Christ, lest we forget to whom we belong.
When Renee was suffering from Hodgkin’s disease we were never a minute alone in our trial. We lived in Michigan by ourselves away from our family. The other day we were looking through some old cards from when she was sick and we found cards from people we have never met who were praying and suffering with us. We were never alone because even though God allowed us to suffer immensely he also provided for us comfort, support, limits and the strong realization that there was more to life than we had first assumed. God brought glory to His name through his people. He will do the same again. ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. They have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.’ (1 Peter 1:3-7)
Prayer Thoughts on Job 2:1-13
Someone you know is suffering right now. Take time to pray for them right now. While you pray ask God how you might bring comfort to that person. Then set about the business of being a comfort bringer into that person’s life. You may never know how much you helped that person but trust me you will make a difference. Send a card, a letter, a package, call or visit. But remember, just do it.
As if things could not get any worse for Job. But who are we to underestimate the sort of damage the enemy will inflict upon God’s people? We never can be too cautious because he is always creeping about searching for someone to devour. The enemy is ruthless in his efforts to destroy us, and he will stop at nothing until he has managed to assemble a sizeable group of wayfarers to join him.
Let’s think about Job’s suffering again today. I noticed a couple of helpful things that may help us in our own suffering which, in its own way, is like that of Job’s.
First, I notice that the enemy knows no limits on his own (vs. 4). He is not bound by morality, conscience, or ethics. He is the father of lies and when he lies he speaks his native tongue. A little bloodshed does not bother him or make him queasy. He likes when people hurt and hate and harm. I also notice that he seems to think very lowly of us poor, hapless humans. He seems to think that when it comes to you and me the only thing that matters is our flesh. He seems to think that we hold nothing else in higher esteem than our own flesh. To be sure, some do. He seems to think that when it comes down to it we would rather live now only. This begs the question, “Do we?” What matters more to us: life now or life forever? What are we holding onto hope for? “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13)
Second, I notice that there are divinely imposed limits (vs. 6). Well think about it: If the enemy killed Job how could the point be made? It seems that the enemy here is only seeking vengeance for losing in chapter 1. It is good to know though that there are limits imposed by God for our suffering. The Bible says that God knows our limits. Paul wrote, ‘God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’ Again, this is God’s opinion of you. What matters is what God thinks you can handle. If you are experiencing it, that should be enough.
Third, the enemy will use anyone and anything at his disposal to accomplish his ends. His ends always justify his means. So, in his efforts to get Job to ‘curse [God] to [his] face’ notice how he even employs Job’s wife, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (vs. 9) I here in the voice of Job’s wife, satan who is ruthless. The same thing happened to Jesus when he was on his way to Jerusalem. Satan employed Peter, ‘Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Jesus replied, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:22-23) We have to be wary of those whose voices echo the voice of the enemy.
Fourth, I notice that God also sent Job comfort (vs. 11-13). True, later on they will be more pain for Job to endure but at least for the first seven days they had the nerve to sit in the dust with him, weep with him, and mourn with him. It is especially helpful when we are suffering that there are people around to strengthen and encourage us. The book of Hebrews says that we should ‘remember those who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.’ (Hebrews 13:3) We stand side by side with the body of Christ, lest we forget to whom we belong.
When Renee was suffering from Hodgkin’s disease we were never a minute alone in our trial. We lived in Michigan by ourselves away from our family. The other day we were looking through some old cards from when she was sick and we found cards from people we have never met who were praying and suffering with us. We were never alone because even though God allowed us to suffer immensely he also provided for us comfort, support, limits and the strong realization that there was more to life than we had first assumed. God brought glory to His name through his people. He will do the same again. ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. They have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.’ (1 Peter 1:3-7)
Prayer Thoughts on Job 2:1-13
Someone you know is suffering right now. Take time to pray for them right now. While you pray ask God how you might bring comfort to that person. Then set about the business of being a comfort bringer into that person’s life. You may never know how much you helped that person but trust me you will make a difference. Send a card, a letter, a package, call or visit. But remember, just do it.
God's Opinion of You
Read Job 1:1-22
Job is without a doubt one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Some suppose it to be the oldest of all the books of the Old Testament. In this first chapter we are introduced to the main character of the story (although I would be quick to add that God, even though silent most of the time, is still present and must not be forgotten when you read). The man’s name is Job. We are all familiar with the first two and the last chapter of the book. I hope to introduce you to the wonders of the entire book.
This first chapter is a strange chapter. You and I stand on the outside of the story and get a bird’s eye glimpse of something that even Job was not privy to: the scene in heaven. I think that what we see taking place in heaven is quite shocking even for the veteran of Job’s story. Who would expect that God would even entertain the enemy for a moment let alone challenge him to a duel of sorts? Yet that is precisely what happens.
It seems that everyone has an opinion of Job in this story. The author has an opinion: “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (vs. 1) Job had an opinion of himself: “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” (vs. 5, my emphasis.)
The enemy had an opinion of Job: “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not placed a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (vs. 9-11). His enemies have an unstated opinion since they rob him. And his children have an unstated opinion too.
But there is one opinion in the book that matters and it belongs to none of these people. Rather it belongs to God: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (vs. 8, my emphasis). Can you imagine the weight of that opinion? Too often we are so entranced by the terrible plight of Job and his terrible losses that we take no notice whatsoever of God’s opinion of Job. And yet it is precisely God's opinion of Job that matters more than any other!
Can you imagine if God had this same conversation with the enemy today about you. Would he say the same thing about you? Is God’s opinion of you so like Job’s that he would use you as an example to prove a point to the enemy? If God were having this conversation right now with the enemy what would he say about you? Would he entrust you to carry out such an important mission? Would he trust you to suffer such loss and still be able to say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (vs. 20)
I suppose we often believe that suffering is some form of punishment and that it is to be avoided or defeated at all costs (this is the mantra of many popular television preachers & healers). I like to think that when we suffer it is God’s way of saying, ‘I trust you.’ Suffering hurts and no one here is suggesting otherwise. Still, we remember the words of the apostle, ‘Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.’ (Romans 5:3-5). A key to remember, when suffering, is that it’s not about us. God trusted that Job would bring glory to God’s name. He did. If we, like Job, bring glory to God's name then does it matter what suffering we must endure for the Name? How will you respond?
Prayer Thoughts on Job 1:1-22
Today, pray about the situation you find yourself facing. Perhaps without you even being aware of it God is using you to silence the voice of the enemy. Perhaps God is allowing you to suffer because he knows you will not fail. Perhaps he is allowing the enemy to subdue you because he knows you will not curse God but will instead worship and praise him and thus bring glory to his holy Name. Soli Deo Gloria!
Job is without a doubt one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Some suppose it to be the oldest of all the books of the Old Testament. In this first chapter we are introduced to the main character of the story (although I would be quick to add that God, even though silent most of the time, is still present and must not be forgotten when you read). The man’s name is Job. We are all familiar with the first two and the last chapter of the book. I hope to introduce you to the wonders of the entire book.
This first chapter is a strange chapter. You and I stand on the outside of the story and get a bird’s eye glimpse of something that even Job was not privy to: the scene in heaven. I think that what we see taking place in heaven is quite shocking even for the veteran of Job’s story. Who would expect that God would even entertain the enemy for a moment let alone challenge him to a duel of sorts? Yet that is precisely what happens.
It seems that everyone has an opinion of Job in this story. The author has an opinion: “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (vs. 1) Job had an opinion of himself: “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” (vs. 5, my emphasis.)
The enemy had an opinion of Job: “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not placed a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (vs. 9-11). His enemies have an unstated opinion since they rob him. And his children have an unstated opinion too.
But there is one opinion in the book that matters and it belongs to none of these people. Rather it belongs to God: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (vs. 8, my emphasis). Can you imagine the weight of that opinion? Too often we are so entranced by the terrible plight of Job and his terrible losses that we take no notice whatsoever of God’s opinion of Job. And yet it is precisely God's opinion of Job that matters more than any other!
Can you imagine if God had this same conversation with the enemy today about you. Would he say the same thing about you? Is God’s opinion of you so like Job’s that he would use you as an example to prove a point to the enemy? If God were having this conversation right now with the enemy what would he say about you? Would he entrust you to carry out such an important mission? Would he trust you to suffer such loss and still be able to say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (vs. 20)
I suppose we often believe that suffering is some form of punishment and that it is to be avoided or defeated at all costs (this is the mantra of many popular television preachers & healers). I like to think that when we suffer it is God’s way of saying, ‘I trust you.’ Suffering hurts and no one here is suggesting otherwise. Still, we remember the words of the apostle, ‘Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.’ (Romans 5:3-5). A key to remember, when suffering, is that it’s not about us. God trusted that Job would bring glory to God’s name. He did. If we, like Job, bring glory to God's name then does it matter what suffering we must endure for the Name? How will you respond?
Prayer Thoughts on Job 1:1-22
Today, pray about the situation you find yourself facing. Perhaps without you even being aware of it God is using you to silence the voice of the enemy. Perhaps God is allowing you to suffer because he knows you will not fail. Perhaps he is allowing the enemy to subdue you because he knows you will not curse God but will instead worship and praise him and thus bring glory to his holy Name. Soli Deo Gloria!
Preview of the Gospel According to Job
I have enjoyed not only the writing of this devotional but also the reading of Job. I think what I enjoyed the most about the book is the growth of Job and his unwavering commitment to his integrity. True, Job does not understand a great deal about what was going on in his life (or a great deal of what he was saying either for that matter), but Job was a man who was fiercely devoted to his integrity and I admire that about him. His example for us is important because he was not unwilling to learn, be corrected, challenged or grow in his faith.
The book of Job is a book that discusses the reality of suffering in our world. To be honest though suffering is at best a minor theme in the book. True Job suffers a lot. Of this there is no mistaking. But read the book carefully in light of chapters 1, 2, & 38-42. What we learn in chapters 1 & 2 is that the enemy is involved in suffering. It strikes me though that God gives the enemy permission to afflict Job. I believe that the enemy does not really care one way or another if his case was won. I think he simply enjoyed watching Job suffer.
The conversation between Almighty and the enemy is intriguing. The point of the conversation was not whether or not a person could suffer, or should suffer or even whether or not a person could endure suffering as such. The point of the conversation between Almighty and the enemy was whether or not Job would curse God just because he was afflicted. The enemy wrongly believed (evidently on two separate occasions) that the only reason Job served God was because of the stuff Job had. The enemy wrongly assumed that it is impossible for a human being to love, worship and serve God out of pure motives, that is, without being bribed by God. This is not only a shallow opinion of Job, but, even worse, it is a shallow opinion of God. A careful reading of the book of Job shows that the book is much, much more about God Almighty than it is about Job or any man or woman who suffers. What is at stake here is God's right to run the universe the way He sees fit.
Nevertheless, this begs the question: What is your motivation for serving God? Suppose the worst case scenario happened in your life as was the case with Job. If all you possessed and loved was suddenly taken away from you would you continue to love and serve God or would you fall away, curse God and die? What is the boundary in your life? Is it your possessions? Is it your children? Is it your wealth? Job had all of these things taken from him through no fault of his own and yet he remained faithful. “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (And yet, I think the reverse is true too. What if you were a poor person who was suddenly inundated with great wealth and success. What would your response be then? Would you forget God? Would you curse God? Would you credit him with your wealth or yourself? “Suffering”, then, takes on a new meaning. What are your limits? “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9) Suffering is thus a very relative term.)
We are asked throughout the book to evaluate our situation. Suffering comes for a variety of reasons but if the book of Job teaches anything about suffering it teaches that God is Sovereign. Sometimes we suffer simply because God has soveriegnly said, “Have you considered my servant______?” In this light we suffer because in doing so we bring glory and honor to God as did Job. No other questions need to be asked. And as far as I can tell, the only thing the Bible really says about suffering is this: Suffer faithfully and expect it: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13) “So, then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19) Even Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 must be carefully spoken because there Jesus speaks to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, not to those who suffer in general. (Although, read 1 Peter 4:12-19, 1 Peter 2:13-25 for wise counsel on the issue of suffering and how to do it.) Suffering, in the church should be viewed as a badge of honor. But I think there are too many preachers preaching that God’s plan for our perfection does not include suffering. They are sadly in opposition to the teachings of Scripture.
I do not expect that my paltry words will answer every question you have about Job or suffering. Nor should you expect me to talk about every passage in Job. What you should expect is to be challenged to read the entire book and meditate on the thoughts, actions and life of Job and somehow to become like Christ in your own life and faith.
The book of Job is a book that discusses the reality of suffering in our world. To be honest though suffering is at best a minor theme in the book. True Job suffers a lot. Of this there is no mistaking. But read the book carefully in light of chapters 1, 2, & 38-42. What we learn in chapters 1 & 2 is that the enemy is involved in suffering. It strikes me though that God gives the enemy permission to afflict Job. I believe that the enemy does not really care one way or another if his case was won. I think he simply enjoyed watching Job suffer.
The conversation between Almighty and the enemy is intriguing. The point of the conversation was not whether or not a person could suffer, or should suffer or even whether or not a person could endure suffering as such. The point of the conversation between Almighty and the enemy was whether or not Job would curse God just because he was afflicted. The enemy wrongly believed (evidently on two separate occasions) that the only reason Job served God was because of the stuff Job had. The enemy wrongly assumed that it is impossible for a human being to love, worship and serve God out of pure motives, that is, without being bribed by God. This is not only a shallow opinion of Job, but, even worse, it is a shallow opinion of God. A careful reading of the book of Job shows that the book is much, much more about God Almighty than it is about Job or any man or woman who suffers. What is at stake here is God's right to run the universe the way He sees fit.
Nevertheless, this begs the question: What is your motivation for serving God? Suppose the worst case scenario happened in your life as was the case with Job. If all you possessed and loved was suddenly taken away from you would you continue to love and serve God or would you fall away, curse God and die? What is the boundary in your life? Is it your possessions? Is it your children? Is it your wealth? Job had all of these things taken from him through no fault of his own and yet he remained faithful. “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (And yet, I think the reverse is true too. What if you were a poor person who was suddenly inundated with great wealth and success. What would your response be then? Would you forget God? Would you curse God? Would you credit him with your wealth or yourself? “Suffering”, then, takes on a new meaning. What are your limits? “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9) Suffering is thus a very relative term.)
We are asked throughout the book to evaluate our situation. Suffering comes for a variety of reasons but if the book of Job teaches anything about suffering it teaches that God is Sovereign. Sometimes we suffer simply because God has soveriegnly said, “Have you considered my servant______?” In this light we suffer because in doing so we bring glory and honor to God as did Job. No other questions need to be asked. And as far as I can tell, the only thing the Bible really says about suffering is this: Suffer faithfully and expect it: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13) “So, then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19) Even Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 must be carefully spoken because there Jesus speaks to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, not to those who suffer in general. (Although, read 1 Peter 4:12-19, 1 Peter 2:13-25 for wise counsel on the issue of suffering and how to do it.) Suffering, in the church should be viewed as a badge of honor. But I think there are too many preachers preaching that God’s plan for our perfection does not include suffering. They are sadly in opposition to the teachings of Scripture.
I do not expect that my paltry words will answer every question you have about Job or suffering. Nor should you expect me to talk about every passage in Job. What you should expect is to be challenged to read the entire book and meditate on the thoughts, actions and life of Job and somehow to become like Christ in your own life and faith.
Devotions from a Previous Day
I will begin posting some devotions that I wrote about two years ago. The first set I will be posting is from the book of Job. I am going to clean them up a little, but those of you who know me know how much I like raw writing. See you soon.
DG
DG
Monday, June 14, 2004
Breathing without Air
Being a dad is probably one of the most disconcerting parts of existence. Not every one is a dad, but many are. I did not plan to be a dad. I am sure I was there when it happened. I guess, when I think about it a little more, I did not plan any single aspect of my life. I did not plan to be here as a child. I did not plan to be here as an adult. When it gets right down to brass tacks, I did not ask for any of ‘this’. I am resigned, though, to the simple fact that I am here and that there is nothing I can do to change any of it. You might say, in a manner of speaking, that I am helpless, defenseless and completely at the mercy of God. I cannot control my leaving of this world any more than I could control my being brought into this world. Honestly, I cannot even control the every day ‘everydayness’ of every day. I can sequester myself in a cave I call a house but even then the house might collapse on my head—then what would I do?
I started by saying, ‘being a dad is probably one of the most disconcerting parts of existence.’ True, I did not choose to be a dad—this does not mean that I am unhappy that I am—just that I did not sit down and calculate what it would cost and what toll it would take on my physical and mental being to follow through with it. Being a dad takes so much out of me each day that at the end of the day I am not simply tired, I am a mere apparition of myself, a ghost, a spirit of a ghost. There is the constant worrying (who among us dads does not worry?) that gnaws at the heart and soul like a disease hungry for flesh. An accident prone son climbs a tree, a dependent son goes to a friend’s house, an independent son wanders off with a friend and is neither seen nor hear from for several minutes. Where are they? What are they doing? I know I came in with three sons, where’s the other two? How many snakes did you catch? You drank what? All these worries—it is no wonder that men become bald and women’s hair grays—all these worries add up to another day in the life. “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.”
It is the little things that kids do each day that delights me. It is a little sock left in six or seven corners, under couch cushions, or crammed inside of shoes that is delightful. It is a pocket full of crayons that turn the inside of a clothes dryer all the colors of the rainbow--and then some. It is the catching of 15 or 20 small snakes, housing them inside a camping cooler, and threatening (promising) to dump them on the ‘loser’ of a game inside the house. All of these things and many more add up to a delightful day around my house. Sons are a heritage from the Lord even if we see entirely too much of ourselves in their radiant personalities and trucker like attitudes. (I know that is not fair to truckers—maybe, sailor like mouths would be better.) I was delighted to learn the other day that my eleven year old is not the only eleven year old who possesses a razor like tongue that can, and often does, slice off the deadliest vitriol and anger. A thought just occurred to me: Sons are a heritage from the Lord. I take this to mean that we should enjoy all of these tiny moments that make children children and learn with them and from them as we train them how to be us. He does not say children will be a heritage or have been or were, but are. Every waking moment of their presence, of their now, is a blessing. When we arrive at the time when is turns into then children may be something else, but for now they are a heritage, a reward. I wonder what I did to deserve such precious, priceless, princely, inestimable, and irreplaceable gifts from God? Nothing. “He has scattered his gifts abroad to the poor, his righteousness endures forever” and “God’s gifts and call are irrevocable.”
Being a dad—who can even begin to understand what it means? I became a dad when the only training I had was the 18 years I had spent accusing my dad of not knowing how to be one. To paraphrase a statement I once heard attributed to Mark Twain: When I was a child I thought my dad was the stupidest man on the planet; when I became a dad I realized that it must be hereditary. It is amazing how smart we think we are until we are put into a position designed to show us that we are not. It is humbling having to crawl back to dad, tale tucked firmly between legs, eyes red from crying, and admit that he had actually been right--especially when one is 30+ years old. It is amazing that God permits any of us to take the fresh young minds and hearts of children and shape them into something that he will ultimately use for his purposes. If I were God I would snatch all those newborns away from their parents and have them raised by angels or Mary and Joseph. Instead God allows humans to be parents. He allows us to purposely mess up His world with our ideas of parenting and child-rearing. (As an aside, I read in the news today about a atheist from California who declared himself to be ‘the best parent in the world’ because he took a lawsuit to the US Supreme Court to have the word ‘God’ struck from the Pledge of Allegiance. He lost his case. He also stated that he raises his daughter 10 days per month due to his divorce from his wife. I hope his daughter grows up to be a missionary.)
Well, I think I have rambled along for quite enough time today. These are just a few of the thoughts I have been sloshing around in my head for a while. I do not profess to being a perfect or even a good parent. All I know is that parenting is quite a tremendous responsibility. Every single ‘yes’ and ‘no’ we utter to our children shapes the future of the world. What a terrible responsibility we have to shoulder. Glad am I that God has not asked me to do it alone. Glad am I that God takes as much of the burden of raising children as we do. If I think three children is a load, I cannot imagine how God feels to be raising several billion or trillion people all at once. Wow. He is a Mighty God. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Parenting apart from faith is like trying to live apart from oxygen: it is suffocating.
I started by saying, ‘being a dad is probably one of the most disconcerting parts of existence.’ True, I did not choose to be a dad—this does not mean that I am unhappy that I am—just that I did not sit down and calculate what it would cost and what toll it would take on my physical and mental being to follow through with it. Being a dad takes so much out of me each day that at the end of the day I am not simply tired, I am a mere apparition of myself, a ghost, a spirit of a ghost. There is the constant worrying (who among us dads does not worry?) that gnaws at the heart and soul like a disease hungry for flesh. An accident prone son climbs a tree, a dependent son goes to a friend’s house, an independent son wanders off with a friend and is neither seen nor hear from for several minutes. Where are they? What are they doing? I know I came in with three sons, where’s the other two? How many snakes did you catch? You drank what? All these worries—it is no wonder that men become bald and women’s hair grays—all these worries add up to another day in the life. “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.”
It is the little things that kids do each day that delights me. It is a little sock left in six or seven corners, under couch cushions, or crammed inside of shoes that is delightful. It is a pocket full of crayons that turn the inside of a clothes dryer all the colors of the rainbow--and then some. It is the catching of 15 or 20 small snakes, housing them inside a camping cooler, and threatening (promising) to dump them on the ‘loser’ of a game inside the house. All of these things and many more add up to a delightful day around my house. Sons are a heritage from the Lord even if we see entirely too much of ourselves in their radiant personalities and trucker like attitudes. (I know that is not fair to truckers—maybe, sailor like mouths would be better.) I was delighted to learn the other day that my eleven year old is not the only eleven year old who possesses a razor like tongue that can, and often does, slice off the deadliest vitriol and anger. A thought just occurred to me: Sons are a heritage from the Lord. I take this to mean that we should enjoy all of these tiny moments that make children children and learn with them and from them as we train them how to be us. He does not say children will be a heritage or have been or were, but are. Every waking moment of their presence, of their now, is a blessing. When we arrive at the time when is turns into then children may be something else, but for now they are a heritage, a reward. I wonder what I did to deserve such precious, priceless, princely, inestimable, and irreplaceable gifts from God? Nothing. “He has scattered his gifts abroad to the poor, his righteousness endures forever” and “God’s gifts and call are irrevocable.”
Being a dad—who can even begin to understand what it means? I became a dad when the only training I had was the 18 years I had spent accusing my dad of not knowing how to be one. To paraphrase a statement I once heard attributed to Mark Twain: When I was a child I thought my dad was the stupidest man on the planet; when I became a dad I realized that it must be hereditary. It is amazing how smart we think we are until we are put into a position designed to show us that we are not. It is humbling having to crawl back to dad, tale tucked firmly between legs, eyes red from crying, and admit that he had actually been right--especially when one is 30+ years old. It is amazing that God permits any of us to take the fresh young minds and hearts of children and shape them into something that he will ultimately use for his purposes. If I were God I would snatch all those newborns away from their parents and have them raised by angels or Mary and Joseph. Instead God allows humans to be parents. He allows us to purposely mess up His world with our ideas of parenting and child-rearing. (As an aside, I read in the news today about a atheist from California who declared himself to be ‘the best parent in the world’ because he took a lawsuit to the US Supreme Court to have the word ‘God’ struck from the Pledge of Allegiance. He lost his case. He also stated that he raises his daughter 10 days per month due to his divorce from his wife. I hope his daughter grows up to be a missionary.)
Well, I think I have rambled along for quite enough time today. These are just a few of the thoughts I have been sloshing around in my head for a while. I do not profess to being a perfect or even a good parent. All I know is that parenting is quite a tremendous responsibility. Every single ‘yes’ and ‘no’ we utter to our children shapes the future of the world. What a terrible responsibility we have to shoulder. Glad am I that God has not asked me to do it alone. Glad am I that God takes as much of the burden of raising children as we do. If I think three children is a load, I cannot imagine how God feels to be raising several billion or trillion people all at once. Wow. He is a Mighty God. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Parenting apart from faith is like trying to live apart from oxygen: it is suffocating.
Psalm 98--Sounds That Matter
The last several days have been sweltering hot. The heat has been grueling, scorching, blazing—almost unbearable. Yesterday I planted tomatoes in my garden—without a shirt on my back. By yesterday evening my back was as red as hot coals crackling in a bed of fire in the midst of a volcano. It hurt too—a rather annoying pain that prohibited comfortable sleep and left me longing for sheets made of ice from the arctic. I was foolish to be out without a shirt and I knew it. Just Monday I went out in the yard and tilled and raked the soil in preparation to plant my garden and the top of my bald head burned to a red crisp. I thought maybe things would be different yesterday. They were not. I hoped for a tan—instead I was burned. I guess you might say that 93 million miles is just a wee bit too close to the sun for the thin layer of cells we call skin. For a proper tan, I might do well to move to another planet and…no that would not work either.
___________________________________
I live beside a four lane highway called Route 20 or North Ridge Road. It is not a terribly busy road all the time but there are days and nights when the traffic is thicker than the blood coursing through my veins. It’s not that it really bothers me. One gets used to all sorts of distractions and eventually learns to filter them out so that what is really important may be heard with clarity and pellucidity. Some call this selective listening; I call it wisdom. If I were to spend all day long trying to decipher and quantify every sound that I heard I would surely go mad. There are some sounds that I am particular fond of and enjoy listening to. Let me share some thoughts with you.
I enjoy the sound of a breeze blowing through the soft summer leaves of the trees in my backyard. I love to hear their rustling in the wind. It is a sound reminiscent of applause—as if the trees are applauding something or someone. Why shouldn’t they? They have everything in the world to applaud: “He makes the clouds his chariot, and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes the winds his messengers and flames of fire his servants.” I suppose there is probably a good chance that when the wind blows through the trees, the trees, having heard a wonderful message from God, simply burst into applause. That’s what I imagine anyway.
I enjoy the sound of rain pelting the wet, or dry, earth. It’s like listening to a sparkler burn its way down thin wire stick towards the small hand of the delighted child who watches it. Or, maybe a little less esoteric, is when it sounds like a bowl of rice krispies, crackling and popping a bowl of cold morning milk. Splashing rain is definitely a sound worth listening to. It is well worth the wait during a long dry spell to hear rain at the end, or to see a cloud as small as a man’s fist rising on the horizon. Sometimes I simply sit or lay in the silent dark of the evening, after the kids are asleep, the television is turned completely off, and stillness has settled like dew, and listen to the rain bespattering the earth. Times of refreshing come from above when the heat crosses the thin line from comfortable and benevolent to afflicting and malevolent.
I enjoy the sound of the singing birds that populate my backyard. My backyard is shaped nearly perfectly. Along one side is a row of trees. Along the backside is a row of trees. The trees are tall and hide a plethora of birds from robins to orioles to sparrows to woodpeckers and although I am not certain I have heard a woodpecker singing, I am certain I have heard him playing his drums. There are hummingbirds and blackbirds and jays and cardinals and probably a finch or two. Down the road, a couple of houses away, there is a rooster that crows frequently. I can’t tell you which ones sing what or why. I only know that the nearly perfect shape of our yard, combined with the brick back wall of the church form a natural, oddly shaped amphitheater in which the bird songs echo all throughout the day. In the morning, when all is still, the cacophony of bird songs is a delight to my ears. Birds know how to worship and rarely hesitate to do so.
I enjoy the sounds made by a flowing body of water. It matters little if it is a creek, a stream, a river or a trickle of water falling through the metal shell of a downspout. I lived in a house one time, only once, that had a rain drain running through one of the walls. Every time it rained we were treated to a sound that resembled an old fashioned aquarium filter. We thought we were fish, and looked forward to the time when the roof to our house would be opened and some food dumped in by a large hand. For some reason that sound is so comforting and relaxing and reassuring. Probably this is the number one reason why fish are able to live inside glass houses filled with water without going insane. Fish that live in aquariums have a lot of faith. They have no idea if I will ever make them share space with a shark or if my benevolent hand will withhold from them their ‘frosted-fish-flakes’ and milk. Fish live by faith—especially fish living in aquariums. It is probably a good idea to live like fish—sometimes.
One last sound I want to tell you about is the sound of music. I know why the ‘hills are alive’ with it, it’s because music can be, and is, made without the voices of humans, without instruments, and without all the technical, electrical gizmos that we humans feel so compelled to employ. The hills are alive with the sound of music because everything makes music. We might even hear it if we take the time to listen. Listen to the birds singing. Crouch down beside a bee dancing on a flower and listen to his wings vibrating the air. Sit quietly at night listen to the crickets as they violin their way through the darkness. Raise your hands with the trees and break out in raucous, spontaneous applause. Walk beside a babbling brook and count all the different percussion sounds. Music is so wonderful because it is never inappropriate. Weddings, funerals, parties—you name the time and place and music makes an appearance; it is never uninvited.
Music seems to be that one thing that we can all agree upon. You know what is thrilling? When I listen to the birds, they are never out of tune. When I listen to the crickets they are never out of time. When I listen to the streams or creeks or brooks, they are never out of tempo. Everything blends together in a mystical, probably divine, harmony that humans can only create on pieces of line paper with thousands of tiny ink blotches that to the more culpable among us resembles a Rorschach test. But in the world without notation and clefs and flats and sharps, every instrument knows its part without even having to be told. It knows, it plays, and never skips or misses a beat. That is beautiful and something far beyond my comprehension—I, who must have and live by a written schedule and sometimes have to be told what to do and when and where. Yet we are at the top of the food chain.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98 NIV)
___________________________________
I live beside a four lane highway called Route 20 or North Ridge Road. It is not a terribly busy road all the time but there are days and nights when the traffic is thicker than the blood coursing through my veins. It’s not that it really bothers me. One gets used to all sorts of distractions and eventually learns to filter them out so that what is really important may be heard with clarity and pellucidity. Some call this selective listening; I call it wisdom. If I were to spend all day long trying to decipher and quantify every sound that I heard I would surely go mad. There are some sounds that I am particular fond of and enjoy listening to. Let me share some thoughts with you.
I enjoy the sound of a breeze blowing through the soft summer leaves of the trees in my backyard. I love to hear their rustling in the wind. It is a sound reminiscent of applause—as if the trees are applauding something or someone. Why shouldn’t they? They have everything in the world to applaud: “He makes the clouds his chariot, and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes the winds his messengers and flames of fire his servants.” I suppose there is probably a good chance that when the wind blows through the trees, the trees, having heard a wonderful message from God, simply burst into applause. That’s what I imagine anyway.
I enjoy the sound of rain pelting the wet, or dry, earth. It’s like listening to a sparkler burn its way down thin wire stick towards the small hand of the delighted child who watches it. Or, maybe a little less esoteric, is when it sounds like a bowl of rice krispies, crackling and popping a bowl of cold morning milk. Splashing rain is definitely a sound worth listening to. It is well worth the wait during a long dry spell to hear rain at the end, or to see a cloud as small as a man’s fist rising on the horizon. Sometimes I simply sit or lay in the silent dark of the evening, after the kids are asleep, the television is turned completely off, and stillness has settled like dew, and listen to the rain bespattering the earth. Times of refreshing come from above when the heat crosses the thin line from comfortable and benevolent to afflicting and malevolent.
I enjoy the sound of the singing birds that populate my backyard. My backyard is shaped nearly perfectly. Along one side is a row of trees. Along the backside is a row of trees. The trees are tall and hide a plethora of birds from robins to orioles to sparrows to woodpeckers and although I am not certain I have heard a woodpecker singing, I am certain I have heard him playing his drums. There are hummingbirds and blackbirds and jays and cardinals and probably a finch or two. Down the road, a couple of houses away, there is a rooster that crows frequently. I can’t tell you which ones sing what or why. I only know that the nearly perfect shape of our yard, combined with the brick back wall of the church form a natural, oddly shaped amphitheater in which the bird songs echo all throughout the day. In the morning, when all is still, the cacophony of bird songs is a delight to my ears. Birds know how to worship and rarely hesitate to do so.
I enjoy the sounds made by a flowing body of water. It matters little if it is a creek, a stream, a river or a trickle of water falling through the metal shell of a downspout. I lived in a house one time, only once, that had a rain drain running through one of the walls. Every time it rained we were treated to a sound that resembled an old fashioned aquarium filter. We thought we were fish, and looked forward to the time when the roof to our house would be opened and some food dumped in by a large hand. For some reason that sound is so comforting and relaxing and reassuring. Probably this is the number one reason why fish are able to live inside glass houses filled with water without going insane. Fish that live in aquariums have a lot of faith. They have no idea if I will ever make them share space with a shark or if my benevolent hand will withhold from them their ‘frosted-fish-flakes’ and milk. Fish live by faith—especially fish living in aquariums. It is probably a good idea to live like fish—sometimes.
One last sound I want to tell you about is the sound of music. I know why the ‘hills are alive’ with it, it’s because music can be, and is, made without the voices of humans, without instruments, and without all the technical, electrical gizmos that we humans feel so compelled to employ. The hills are alive with the sound of music because everything makes music. We might even hear it if we take the time to listen. Listen to the birds singing. Crouch down beside a bee dancing on a flower and listen to his wings vibrating the air. Sit quietly at night listen to the crickets as they violin their way through the darkness. Raise your hands with the trees and break out in raucous, spontaneous applause. Walk beside a babbling brook and count all the different percussion sounds. Music is so wonderful because it is never inappropriate. Weddings, funerals, parties—you name the time and place and music makes an appearance; it is never uninvited.
Music creates order out of chaos; for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous. (Yehudi Menuhin (1916-) US-born British violinist. The Sunday Times, 10 Oct 1976)
Music seems to be that one thing that we can all agree upon. You know what is thrilling? When I listen to the birds, they are never out of tune. When I listen to the crickets they are never out of time. When I listen to the streams or creeks or brooks, they are never out of tempo. Everything blends together in a mystical, probably divine, harmony that humans can only create on pieces of line paper with thousands of tiny ink blotches that to the more culpable among us resembles a Rorschach test. But in the world without notation and clefs and flats and sharps, every instrument knows its part without even having to be told. It knows, it plays, and never skips or misses a beat. That is beautiful and something far beyond my comprehension—I, who must have and live by a written schedule and sometimes have to be told what to do and when and where. Yet we are at the top of the food chain.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98 NIV)
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Death & Culture
The Flower
A flower grows above the spot
Where my body was buried and left to rot.
A stone is near where my head should be,
But I am not here--no I am free.
A flower bloomed in the crusty dirt,
Where my rotting flesh is free from hurt.
The Culture
It is said that where
There is death
There flies a bird
Called vulture.
So what can be said,
Of all those birds,
Circling over our Culture?
[I will have some new thoughts soon. Thanks for the letters of encouragement. DG]
A flower grows above the spot
Where my body was buried and left to rot.
A stone is near where my head should be,
But I am not here--no I am free.
A flower bloomed in the crusty dirt,
Where my rotting flesh is free from hurt.
The Culture
It is said that where
There is death
There flies a bird
Called vulture.
So what can be said,
Of all those birds,
Circling over our Culture?
[I will have some new thoughts soon. Thanks for the letters of encouragement. DG]
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
The Groaning of the Ugly
We took a hike the other evening with the boys. We walked along the flooded river and listened as it barely made a sound rolling through the crack in the earth called a ‘bed.’ We walked for a while on a twisty path lined on both sides with tall grass, wildflowers and an assortment of weeds that I cannot begin to properly identify. Trees grew tall on both sides. I agree that I should be able to dazzle you with the specific identities of the trees we saw, but alas, I cannot. I will call them Bill, Hank, George and Jim. Henrietta, Marietta, and Georgette. Those names ring with more beauty than Spruce, Maple, and Oak. Every now and again we would amble down a short scramble and march right up next to the river. We traipsed through the mud and through the calf-high river bank weeds hoping to catch a glimpse of a snake or a turtle or a spider weaving a web. We saw a few footprints from unidentified walking objects, but that was all.
Along the path we spotted some large leaf plants. Tucked inside one of the giant leaves was a spider’s nest and a small, ferocious looking spider. Near the stem of the leaf was a small frog. I am not sure if he was waiting for a meal of spider’s legs and eggs or if he had wandered into the wrong domicile and been bitten by the tiny eight legged vampire of the garden. He was quite placid—as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean. The spider was jumpy—true, nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous. They stared at each other but that was about it. No conversation, no tea, no jokes or ‘how’s the kids’ conversations took place—at least not that I could hear. We wandered on leaving the spider and the frog to stare at each other until one should make a foolish mistake, or until the other acts upon the foolish mistake already made.
The path abruptly changed. What was once smooth, fairly wide, level and definable suddenly changed into a corrupted landscape pocked with tree roots and rocks and covered with a slippery clay and ascending. The path suddenly became much more difficult to navigate. We pressed on because we had a goal in mind. Up, up, up we trudged to the top of a small ridge shaded by a thin line of trees growing like protuberances off of a vertebrae. At the top we rested for a mere moment before sliding down the other side and dodging still more trees and tree roots. At the bottom we spotted what we had been looking for—a beautiful stepped waterfall falling between the shoulders of two medium sized hills. Below the falls was a shallow pool of murky brown water.
It was worth the trip. Before we could reach the falls we had to climb over a hundred fallen, dead, bleached tree trunks. We had to walk through some shallow water. It was worth the climb. The small enclave of tranquility was worth all the work it took to get their. We were invited in to see something remarkable that can only be seen with an exhausting amount of climbing and walking. And the amazing thing is that after arriving at the destination all we could do for a few moments was stand and stare and comment on how beautiful such ugliness was. It’s not like there was any color beyond the green leaves and brown pinecones that hung on tree branches and were scattered around the floor. And the rocks were everywhere. Tons and tons of rocks littered the place where we stood staring at water falling from a place we could not see. Still, it was worth the stare.
Amazingly enough beauty if often found among the objectionable. Sarah McLachlan questioned in a song from the CD ‘Surfacing’, ‘Is misery made beautiful right before our eyes?’ The river was ugly. The path was ugly. The spider was ugly. The poison ivy was…well, poison. The rocks were broken. The water was not potable. The trees were broken and fallen and mere skeletons of something that was once strong and proud. Honestly, there was nothing beautiful about the adventure we took that evening. There was something beautiful at the end though, something not touched by the frozen hands of man or carved by the edge of a blade. It was just water falling from one smooth table of rock to the next until it could fall no further. Then the water was no longer unique but mixed with other brown murky water that would soon become part of the river and washed away into oblivion. I wonder how long before a single drop of that water returns to the top of the hills and splashes down from rock to rock all over again.
Misery is made beautiful right before our eyes. God takes the ugliness of death, the anger of hatred and the misery of suffering and transforms them into hope, faith, and love. Then again, our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Too, the creation awaits for redemption. I thought I heard the groaning of the earth the other day when we walked through the woods, beside a river, among the trees and with the insects and animals. All we can do is wait and hope.
Along the path we spotted some large leaf plants. Tucked inside one of the giant leaves was a spider’s nest and a small, ferocious looking spider. Near the stem of the leaf was a small frog. I am not sure if he was waiting for a meal of spider’s legs and eggs or if he had wandered into the wrong domicile and been bitten by the tiny eight legged vampire of the garden. He was quite placid—as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean. The spider was jumpy—true, nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous. They stared at each other but that was about it. No conversation, no tea, no jokes or ‘how’s the kids’ conversations took place—at least not that I could hear. We wandered on leaving the spider and the frog to stare at each other until one should make a foolish mistake, or until the other acts upon the foolish mistake already made.
The path abruptly changed. What was once smooth, fairly wide, level and definable suddenly changed into a corrupted landscape pocked with tree roots and rocks and covered with a slippery clay and ascending. The path suddenly became much more difficult to navigate. We pressed on because we had a goal in mind. Up, up, up we trudged to the top of a small ridge shaded by a thin line of trees growing like protuberances off of a vertebrae. At the top we rested for a mere moment before sliding down the other side and dodging still more trees and tree roots. At the bottom we spotted what we had been looking for—a beautiful stepped waterfall falling between the shoulders of two medium sized hills. Below the falls was a shallow pool of murky brown water.
It was worth the trip. Before we could reach the falls we had to climb over a hundred fallen, dead, bleached tree trunks. We had to walk through some shallow water. It was worth the climb. The small enclave of tranquility was worth all the work it took to get their. We were invited in to see something remarkable that can only be seen with an exhausting amount of climbing and walking. And the amazing thing is that after arriving at the destination all we could do for a few moments was stand and stare and comment on how beautiful such ugliness was. It’s not like there was any color beyond the green leaves and brown pinecones that hung on tree branches and were scattered around the floor. And the rocks were everywhere. Tons and tons of rocks littered the place where we stood staring at water falling from a place we could not see. Still, it was worth the stare.
Amazingly enough beauty if often found among the objectionable. Sarah McLachlan questioned in a song from the CD ‘Surfacing’, ‘Is misery made beautiful right before our eyes?’ The river was ugly. The path was ugly. The spider was ugly. The poison ivy was…well, poison. The rocks were broken. The water was not potable. The trees were broken and fallen and mere skeletons of something that was once strong and proud. Honestly, there was nothing beautiful about the adventure we took that evening. There was something beautiful at the end though, something not touched by the frozen hands of man or carved by the edge of a blade. It was just water falling from one smooth table of rock to the next until it could fall no further. Then the water was no longer unique but mixed with other brown murky water that would soon become part of the river and washed away into oblivion. I wonder how long before a single drop of that water returns to the top of the hills and splashes down from rock to rock all over again.
Misery is made beautiful right before our eyes. God takes the ugliness of death, the anger of hatred and the misery of suffering and transforms them into hope, faith, and love. Then again, our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Too, the creation awaits for redemption. I thought I heard the groaning of the earth the other day when we walked through the woods, beside a river, among the trees and with the insects and animals. All we can do is wait and hope.
Fastballs and Birds
(I wrote this just last week when I was feeling sorry for myself. The birds helped me to remember.)
It is green out now. Spring has sprung. The sun is warm during the day and the air is cool at night making perfect sleeping weather. There are a million birds in the backyard singing their praise. They whistle and chirp. They search all day for their food. They rest. And in the morning, before the dawn, they start their singing all over again. They have no sense about them. “Stupid” they are called by the intelligent of the intelligent. All those birds do is sing and worship. What a waste of such fine talent. They could be making millions recording records and selling them to a salivating public. They waste their talents in a pathetically dreary backyard in a pathetically boring town on the lake. Only a few ears hear their songs. They could be singing in a zoo or at an opera house or in a small suburb. But they choose obscurity—a place where the yard is safe, the food is plentiful, and the trees are tall. Silly birds. If only they knew what was out there—beyond this world they have chosen to nest in. Here the only danger they face is from a cat that is too fat to chase them up a tree and too heavy stepped to sneak up behind them from the grass. “Pounce” is no option for the cat; flying is always an option for birds.
I can hear those birds singing. Sometimes I wish I didn’t. But I have no right to silence those birds. They are not singing for me. Furthermore, the birds have no more right to ask the bird-maker to make them into something else than the clay has a right to say to the Potter ‘make me something else.’ The Bird-maker makes the birds the color He wants, He gives them a voice that He wants to hear, they live where He chooses for them to live. Birds. Who would’ve thought that birds would be so important? Yet not one of them, not one, falls to the ground apart from His knowledge. Who would’ve thought that birds could hold such a special place in the eyes of the Maker? Am I less important than a bird? Am I any less created than a bird? Did not the Bird-Maker also form me with as much care as He did the bird? Birds! Who would’ve ever thought that a handful of feathers could be so valuable to the Maker? Who would’ve ever thought that the Creator of the universe could weep a single tear because a bird falls to the ground or is embedded in the grill of a Red Chevy Chevette, or is pulverized by a Randy Johnson fastball? I hope in my moments of misery and self-centered wheezing the birds sing all the louder. Sometimes when we are too introspective we do not hear the birds singing, we don’t listen, but they do not stop. I hope they do not stop for a moment. Even though the birds do not sing for me they remind me that God is good and that if the birds are significant enough, and do not complain but sing, then perhaps I should not do less. God forgive me please.
It is green out now. Spring has sprung. The sun is warm during the day and the air is cool at night making perfect sleeping weather. There are a million birds in the backyard singing their praise. They whistle and chirp. They search all day for their food. They rest. And in the morning, before the dawn, they start their singing all over again. They have no sense about them. “Stupid” they are called by the intelligent of the intelligent. All those birds do is sing and worship. What a waste of such fine talent. They could be making millions recording records and selling them to a salivating public. They waste their talents in a pathetically dreary backyard in a pathetically boring town on the lake. Only a few ears hear their songs. They could be singing in a zoo or at an opera house or in a small suburb. But they choose obscurity—a place where the yard is safe, the food is plentiful, and the trees are tall. Silly birds. If only they knew what was out there—beyond this world they have chosen to nest in. Here the only danger they face is from a cat that is too fat to chase them up a tree and too heavy stepped to sneak up behind them from the grass. “Pounce” is no option for the cat; flying is always an option for birds.
I can hear those birds singing. Sometimes I wish I didn’t. But I have no right to silence those birds. They are not singing for me. Furthermore, the birds have no more right to ask the bird-maker to make them into something else than the clay has a right to say to the Potter ‘make me something else.’ The Bird-maker makes the birds the color He wants, He gives them a voice that He wants to hear, they live where He chooses for them to live. Birds. Who would’ve thought that birds would be so important? Yet not one of them, not one, falls to the ground apart from His knowledge. Who would’ve thought that birds could hold such a special place in the eyes of the Maker? Am I less important than a bird? Am I any less created than a bird? Did not the Bird-Maker also form me with as much care as He did the bird? Birds! Who would’ve ever thought that a handful of feathers could be so valuable to the Maker? Who would’ve ever thought that the Creator of the universe could weep a single tear because a bird falls to the ground or is embedded in the grill of a Red Chevy Chevette, or is pulverized by a Randy Johnson fastball? I hope in my moments of misery and self-centered wheezing the birds sing all the louder. Sometimes when we are too introspective we do not hear the birds singing, we don’t listen, but they do not stop. I hope they do not stop for a moment. Even though the birds do not sing for me they remind me that God is good and that if the birds are significant enough, and do not complain but sing, then perhaps I should not do less. God forgive me please.
A Sense of Urgency
(I wrote this in April too. It was a good day.)
I wonder if the world will make it until 3004? That is about a 1000 years from now. It seems like a long time but I wonder if it really is. Maybe it is 3004 and we just don’t know it here on earth. It could be. For all that scientists tell us about the ability of man to travel in time and all that—well, I guess it could just as easily be 3004 as it could be 2004 as it could be 10004 if time were reckoned in that manner. A thousand years is a day, and a day is a thousand years. Who can tell the difference?
It is a weary life we live. I am not weary because I lack purpose or because I doubt my identity or because I live in fear of the unknown and the known. I am weary because all the stuff the world worries about has a tendency to weigh down the average traveler. This is the main reason I refuse to watch the news. Someone always wants to borrow my sympathy or my pity or my emotions to satisfy their own sense of urgency. This is not to say that I have no sense of urgency, just not about the same things the world worries about each moment of each day. Hurry up and get the story out; be the first to break the news; get the best pictures. Yee-haw.
I have a sense of urgency about all those (however few they may be) people I have planted seeds in. I see very little response to the work of the Gospel. This is my sense of urgency and I take no comfort from those passages that tell us ‘few will enter.’ I am unhappy about that even if there is little I can do to change it. I Can pray, and I do. Am I wrong to want to see more results from the work I do? Paul said he ‘wished he himself could be cut off from Christ’ to see the Jews accept Christ. I don’t even go that far; although, I wish I did. Probably I don’t work as hard as I think or as I’d like.
Leaves are starting to appear on the branches again. The trees are starting to sense that the sun will be dominant once again; that the snow is done falling; that clouds will soon be scarce. It is like they are awakening after a long winter nap. It’s like going to bed at night, in the darkness and mystery, and awaking in the morning to the light and full disclosure. I see a slight breeze blowing through the trees—another season has come and gone. Another season has awakened with the dawn. And with it the birds, the flowers, the sun, the leaves on trees and the grass in the dirt. Blue skies have erupted and sent the dark gray clouds of winter scurrying away. The watch on my desk irreverently keeps moving forward at the same steady pace that it did yesterday. There is no moment of silence for the death of winter (splendorous and glorious as it may be). Everyone is happy to see the spring sky, everyone that is except the unholy watch.
It is probably called a ‘watch’ because that is its way of reminding us to do just that—watch. ‘Pay attention to me’ it screams with every tick-tock of the second hand. ‘Look at me’ it whines as it glistens in the sweat smoothed over my wrist. ‘Watch me do my job’ it whispers as appointments and events make their way onto the list of ‘things to do and places to go and people to see today.’ And for goodness sake, it’s not like the watch is strapped around my ankle or dangling from my ear. It’s on my wrist where every slight movement of a muscle or tendon beckons me to glance and make certain it is still there. Or it reminds me of its presence on its own by gripping those tiny trees growing out of my wrist and pulling them out by the roots.
My life belongs to God. I write these random thoughts as practice for a day when I can write them with purpose. Until then even these uniform scribblings belong to the Savior. He is the Lord—The Alpha and Omega—of all that I do, write and say.
I wonder if the world will make it until 3004? That is about a 1000 years from now. It seems like a long time but I wonder if it really is. Maybe it is 3004 and we just don’t know it here on earth. It could be. For all that scientists tell us about the ability of man to travel in time and all that—well, I guess it could just as easily be 3004 as it could be 2004 as it could be 10004 if time were reckoned in that manner. A thousand years is a day, and a day is a thousand years. Who can tell the difference?
It is a weary life we live. I am not weary because I lack purpose or because I doubt my identity or because I live in fear of the unknown and the known. I am weary because all the stuff the world worries about has a tendency to weigh down the average traveler. This is the main reason I refuse to watch the news. Someone always wants to borrow my sympathy or my pity or my emotions to satisfy their own sense of urgency. This is not to say that I have no sense of urgency, just not about the same things the world worries about each moment of each day. Hurry up and get the story out; be the first to break the news; get the best pictures. Yee-haw.
I have a sense of urgency about all those (however few they may be) people I have planted seeds in. I see very little response to the work of the Gospel. This is my sense of urgency and I take no comfort from those passages that tell us ‘few will enter.’ I am unhappy about that even if there is little I can do to change it. I Can pray, and I do. Am I wrong to want to see more results from the work I do? Paul said he ‘wished he himself could be cut off from Christ’ to see the Jews accept Christ. I don’t even go that far; although, I wish I did. Probably I don’t work as hard as I think or as I’d like.
Leaves are starting to appear on the branches again. The trees are starting to sense that the sun will be dominant once again; that the snow is done falling; that clouds will soon be scarce. It is like they are awakening after a long winter nap. It’s like going to bed at night, in the darkness and mystery, and awaking in the morning to the light and full disclosure. I see a slight breeze blowing through the trees—another season has come and gone. Another season has awakened with the dawn. And with it the birds, the flowers, the sun, the leaves on trees and the grass in the dirt. Blue skies have erupted and sent the dark gray clouds of winter scurrying away. The watch on my desk irreverently keeps moving forward at the same steady pace that it did yesterday. There is no moment of silence for the death of winter (splendorous and glorious as it may be). Everyone is happy to see the spring sky, everyone that is except the unholy watch.
It is probably called a ‘watch’ because that is its way of reminding us to do just that—watch. ‘Pay attention to me’ it screams with every tick-tock of the second hand. ‘Look at me’ it whines as it glistens in the sweat smoothed over my wrist. ‘Watch me do my job’ it whispers as appointments and events make their way onto the list of ‘things to do and places to go and people to see today.’ And for goodness sake, it’s not like the watch is strapped around my ankle or dangling from my ear. It’s on my wrist where every slight movement of a muscle or tendon beckons me to glance and make certain it is still there. Or it reminds me of its presence on its own by gripping those tiny trees growing out of my wrist and pulling them out by the roots.
My life belongs to God. I write these random thoughts as practice for a day when I can write them with purpose. Until then even these uniform scribblings belong to the Savior. He is the Lord—The Alpha and Omega—of all that I do, write and say.
Red Breasted Robins
I will be adding a few posts that I wrote recently. I hope you enjoy them.--JLH
It is April, and it is cold. The sky is painted with a murky gray and it appears that it could rain or snow at any moment. There are patches of green grass and of course the pines are flashy this time of year as they stand forward against the pallor of the stripped down locusts and maples and cherry’s. Outside it is still and barren. I want to believe that even days like this have a beauty of their own, but that is far-fetched. It is a far cry from the picture given to us of another time that will be: “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.” Yes indeed, a far cry from that.
I see no leaves for the healing of the nations on the trees that stand silently against the sky. Yes I know in a month or two the leaves will be stretching out and applauding in the spring breezes, but today the trees are languid, and remind me more of Flanders than they do of Paradise. Today, unlike then, there is a curse and we must endure the seasons when green is like a rainbow and the red breast of the robin like the jewel encrusted breastplate of Aaron. Truly, we see only dimly, faintly.
I am weary. I wish the birds would sing, but all I hear is the monotonous drone of machine engines and the incessant pounding of their warning signals—they blare an obnoxious ‘beeping’ sound when in reverse. What strangeness it is that we have to announce to the world when we are going in reverse as a warning, but to announce when we are going forward is considered arrogant, boastful. I wish the birds would sing and the machines would break. I am weary of all such dilapidated imbalances. I wish I could live in a place where the machines are silent as death; a place where I could hear the heartbeats of my children; a place where the rush of life slowed to the pace of a lazy river. But that’s just me.
It is April, and it is cold. The sky is painted with a murky gray and it appears that it could rain or snow at any moment. There are patches of green grass and of course the pines are flashy this time of year as they stand forward against the pallor of the stripped down locusts and maples and cherry’s. Outside it is still and barren. I want to believe that even days like this have a beauty of their own, but that is far-fetched. It is a far cry from the picture given to us of another time that will be: “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.” Yes indeed, a far cry from that.
I see no leaves for the healing of the nations on the trees that stand silently against the sky. Yes I know in a month or two the leaves will be stretching out and applauding in the spring breezes, but today the trees are languid, and remind me more of Flanders than they do of Paradise. Today, unlike then, there is a curse and we must endure the seasons when green is like a rainbow and the red breast of the robin like the jewel encrusted breastplate of Aaron. Truly, we see only dimly, faintly.
I am weary. I wish the birds would sing, but all I hear is the monotonous drone of machine engines and the incessant pounding of their warning signals—they blare an obnoxious ‘beeping’ sound when in reverse. What strangeness it is that we have to announce to the world when we are going in reverse as a warning, but to announce when we are going forward is considered arrogant, boastful. I wish the birds would sing and the machines would break. I am weary of all such dilapidated imbalances. I wish I could live in a place where the machines are silent as death; a place where I could hear the heartbeats of my children; a place where the rush of life slowed to the pace of a lazy river. But that’s just me.
My Fish Are Always Hungry
My fish are like my cat: they are always hungry. It's like they know when I am near. Seriously. If I walk near the aquarium, they swim to the top and start barking and meowing for food. No, I do not have dogfish or catfish. Just some guppies that reproduce like rabbits. We started with 5. We now have about 20. Fish. I think the fish need a bigger home, although I am certain that once the house gets bigger the family will too. Funny, that.
The fish have their own semi-private world in which they live. They have yet to move in furniture or decorate the glass with obnoxious cloth that will fade on the side closest to the sun. They have not hooked up the internet or bought a surround sound system. And as far as I can tell, they have no interest whatsoever in finding Nemo. Then again, they are fish.
I wonder what it is like to live an entire life and never have anything to say or, worse, never having any way to say anything that might need to be said. "Don't go near that bubbling thing." "Don't eat that!" "Hey, that's your sister." I would hate to be a fish...today.
Why are fish named after other animals or things? Clown fish, dogfish, catfish, angelfish (why does anyone think angels look like that?), star fish (I have never seen a star that looks like that) and others. Maybe it is not that certain fish look like dogs or cats but the other way around: Maybe certain dogs and cats and others look like fish!? Who really knows? More than likely some genius out there will have the answer and inform me. Please accept my unconditional thanks in advance.
I have the same problem as my fish: I am always hungry. I am currently in the process of trying to change what my body hungers and thirsts for. I believe the best way to do this is by spending time fasting and thirsting. We humans are simply, entirely, pathetically, too quick to satisfy our hunger just because we can. Stale pizza and flat dr. Pepper do not a good meal make. They left me hungry, not satisfied. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled."
Until next time.
The fish have their own semi-private world in which they live. They have yet to move in furniture or decorate the glass with obnoxious cloth that will fade on the side closest to the sun. They have not hooked up the internet or bought a surround sound system. And as far as I can tell, they have no interest whatsoever in finding Nemo. Then again, they are fish.
I wonder what it is like to live an entire life and never have anything to say or, worse, never having any way to say anything that might need to be said. "Don't go near that bubbling thing." "Don't eat that!" "Hey, that's your sister." I would hate to be a fish...today.
Why are fish named after other animals or things? Clown fish, dogfish, catfish, angelfish (why does anyone think angels look like that?), star fish (I have never seen a star that looks like that) and others. Maybe it is not that certain fish look like dogs or cats but the other way around: Maybe certain dogs and cats and others look like fish!? Who really knows? More than likely some genius out there will have the answer and inform me. Please accept my unconditional thanks in advance.
I have the same problem as my fish: I am always hungry. I am currently in the process of trying to change what my body hungers and thirsts for. I believe the best way to do this is by spending time fasting and thirsting. We humans are simply, entirely, pathetically, too quick to satisfy our hunger just because we can. Stale pizza and flat dr. Pepper do not a good meal make. They left me hungry, not satisfied. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled."
Until next time.
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