Waiting for the dawn

I'm playing catch-up in my Tuesday night Bible study so I just ran across this.

Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Have you ever waited for dawn to come? The image here is of the watchmen, who sit at the city wall and watch for enemies through the night. Dawn means safety and success. For some reason, this really hit me with a couple of different memories in my life where I literally waited on the sun to rise, believing that sunrise meant safety and success. The first time was after a sleepless night with a very sick father, watching with my mother. In my mind, the changing of the nurses which coincided with the end of the first chemotherapy treatment around 7:00 a.m. was a goal, something to aim for that meant safety and success. Of course, at that point, on that night, in my youth, I knew that God was going to answer my prayers in just the manner I intended them: miraculous healing if that was what was required.

Just before that goal, when the sky was brightening, my father died. I don't remember sunrise or really much of anything until that afternoon, sitting on my mother's patio, stunned at how God seemed to have ignored my prayer. I really don't think I'll ever forget that night or the feelings of expectation...sunrise meant a new day, another reason to hope. And I completely understand the feeling of expectation the psalmist describes. We are to anticipate God's answer in exactly that manner as it means safety and success.

So then...why do prayers go unanswered? Are they unanswered? This was a hard lesson and it's one I'm still learning. In that case, that prayer was answered, not in the way I intended, but in the best way. It just took a few more times of watching for the sun to rise to understand it better, to understand why and how I can put my hope in the Lord.

Galatians--Week 4--Paul gets personal

In Chapter 4 of the letter to the Galatians, Paul completes his argument on grace's superiority over the law. To this point, Paul has been more like a lawyer arguing a case, but at this point, his tone changes to that of a concerned friend. There are 3 different ideas in this chapter:

Heirs vs. slaves-

4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

During this time, children were often taught and guided by trusted slaves until they reached a certain age. While they were under this control, they lived like the slaves did. And then when they reached the age, they became full heirs of their fathers. In fact, they were always heirs, but they lived under the restrictions that slaves lived with until the time came. Paul is saying that if we choose to live under the law, we are still slaves. The time has come, God sent His son at the perfect time, so that we could live as heir instead of slaves.

17. What does it mean to be an heir? When I hear "heir," I immediately think of rich relatives and stunning fortunes bequeathed in the last will and testament. Since I don't have any of those, that must come from the movies. But this is sort of like that, because we are heirs to treasures that we can't even see yet. While we're here, being an heir is good but someday being an heir, or a child able to call God "abba" or "daddy" is going to be out-of-this-world!

Making it personal here...

14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Paul changes his tone here to that of a confused and wounded friend or parent, someone who cares deeply what happens to these believers. How could they forget everything they did for him and what he taught while they were together?

And an OT analogy to round things up.

28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Remember the story of Hagar and Ishmael? Paul uses Hagar and Sarah to illustrate life under the law, where man struggles to make his own plans to accomplish what he wants. That's Hagar's story. The contrast is following God's miraculous plan, represented by God's promise to Abraham and Sarah. Having a baby at 90...pretty much gotta be a God-thing. All believers are descendants of Isaac, not Ishmael, born of God's promise, not man's plan.

Seeing people the way God sees people

Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This was one of the verses that we studied over the weekend at the singles retreat and it reminded of something someone told be about trying to see people the way that God sees people. And really, I think if we could see the hearts of men and women around us, we'd all be moved to compassion too.

One of the examples that comes to mind is a church friend that I've alternately liked/envied. She's beautiful, really smart, has a great, close, loving family and seems very spiritually mature. And yet, she's single. Like me. As always happens when I start comparing myself to others, I don't measure up and that opens the door to all kinds of terrible feelings. And she has had nothing to do with any of it.

Then I spend time with her and realize she has her own issues...what she doesn't like about her face or her body, places where she admits she needs to work on her life, and she's facing her own battle...a parent with cancer. I have been there. Twice. I understand the battle. No matter how much you know God and love God and want God's will, you still want to ask questions and demand answers.

Outwardly, she has it all together and is in control. I do too. Inwardly, I suspect she's a little more disordered. I don't know about her, but this is a choice that I make daily...to look like I have it under control.

When I think about the groups I'm around and how many of those people are fighting their own battles, it really does break my heart. I understand how Christ could have compassion on those and call us to reach out them. To do so, I have to get out of my own head and build the relationships. That's the only way to find out what's in the heart.

God is good

I just got home from a retreat with the singles group from my church. Before we left, we met to talk about what we learned on the trip. And I have to say that I am reminded again that God is good. I'm certain there's a name for whatever my problem is but situations like this fill me with anxiety. For weeks before, I was excited by the thought and then the day dawned and I was filled with dread. This happens time and again in my life. I'm sure I have some disorder, but I'll just stick with "shy" because it sounds sorta cute.

The cause: I have an almost unchanging conviction that I am less...less interesting, less funny, less likable. And it takes me a while to work out of that shyness around any group. I've been a part of the singles group for a year. One year of listening and inching out time and again. But this weekend was a little bit of immersion...new people in unfamiliar surroundings. And then there were swimsuits involved.

I will say this about me...I don't back down. Usually. I soldier on, grimly determined that I can make it through no matter what, it'll be good for me, etc. And this weekend, I was reminded again and again that God is good. He called me to live in community with people like these...fun people, funny people, people who will encourage me and together we can accomplish great things.

Again I was reminded...God is good. And what He calls me to do, he will give me the power to do. And I did it. And I expect my relationships with this part of my Christian family to be different. It's difficult to be inauthentic with someone who's seen you in a bathing suit.

Bumper sticker theology

I saw this on a car parked outside my dentist's office on Monday and I've been thinking about this bumper sticker since then. I wish I'd had a chance to find out more about the person driving. This was just one of a collection of slogans stuck to the bumper but this is the one I remember. It reminds me of our conversation about the Galatians and of another Ghandhi quote about being the change that you want to see in the world. I guess I remember this because it's a little shocking and at the same time a great reminder that the world is watching us every day to see how we are different.

I thought the second sticker was both funny and sad at the same time. I think there are people all over the world who believe that looking busy is all that really matters...doing the right things, checking off the list of to-do items...that's what really matters. But Jesus sees the heart and it really doesn't matter. I think my bumper sticker would say "Jesus is Coming. BE BUSY."

Galatians-Week 3-How many sons does Father Abraham have?

To finish up Chapter 3, Paul writes:
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

16. So we're all "heirs according to the promise." What's the promise?

Thanks to Jesus, we're all heirs, God's chosen people through Abraham. John 1: 12 says: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

We believers have been clothed with Christ. Whatever is in Christ belongs to you and to me if we believe: the love of the Father, access to the Father, the full resources of the Father.

And even more importantly...there is no distinction in our new family. Superficial and temporary differences have no place in our body.

How does the law lead us to Christ?
External conformity to the law is easy. What about internal conformity?

One last comment on the law...here's what Jesus said about it (the Message version):
Matthew 5:17-20

"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.

"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

Christian the Lion

I'm sure you've seen this because I'm always the last to know, but I needed a hankie to watch it. And then I researched to see if the story is true. And it is, and that just breaks my heart. For some reason, if this was a story about people who found each other again, I'd just think, "Oh, that's nice." But add an animal to it and I could just sob. And then there's the cheesy and yet heartfelt music and sentiment. I just cry. To find out more, you can search "Christian the Lion" and go to the Wiki page or the Snopes.com page to find out more. And then I launched into "Deep Thoughts" about pets like Christian the Lion and Darcy the Dog. I still don't know what I think.

Beth Moore's study listed this verse in her discussion of song. In the video,she mentions C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, asking the question "What if they were on to something?" It looks like, at the very least,all of creation will worship Christ at His return.

Revelation 5:13 (New International Version)
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

From the Message:
I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders—ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand in full song:

The slain Lamb is worthy!
Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength!
Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!
Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:

To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
For age after age after age.
The Four Animals called out, "Oh, Yes!" The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped