"But I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: the stedfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV)
This passage is written from a very dark place. In the previous passages, the writer (Jeremiah) is engrossed in lamenting the failed glory of a once vibrant republic (Israel and Judah). At present, the writer is faced with peril at every turn and even worse a company of his own people clamoring for his life. In his darkest hour, he begins to think about the one thing that has never failed him, his God.
Fast forward to the present day as I am completely drawn to the fact that though the writer faced perilous times his reason for hope is just as relevant to me. I stop to think for a moment why God does what he does. (don't we all?) One fact is inescapable to me...His faithfulness still is great! I don't know how one argues against that. After all, the sun still rises in the morning, the flowers still bloom in the spring, and the seasons keep changing.
What's my point? I guess its to say that if the seemingly mundane has a rhythmic resonance to it, that no matter what, it will still come to pass. What is to make me think that I'm going to be left abandoned to the situation that seems bleak around me? As I grow older I understand more what the writer pens, "but I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope." Or as another writer put it, "And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here to day and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you..." (Matthew 6:30) This my friends is why we hope.
-Amen
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Sought and found
"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 AMP
I remember years ago I lost a set of my car keys and I went about the entire house searching for it. The search was so pronounced that I looked in places that I haven't even looked at in years. Unfortunately, my search produced no results and I was left wondering and searching for something that could not be found.
While I would never liken my search for car keys to a search for God I won't forget the sentiment of loss I experienced looking for what I thought was a vital necessity for my life to function properly. A car was necessary to get me to work, and to places of commerce where I could purchase things that were of importance to me, or even go to places of worship. Though I needed to get around in my car without my key I was completely at a loss, until I was able to replace the key.
I wonder if sometimes our search for the practical things we believe are of vital importance for us could be diverted to seeking God in the same manner. It's hard to comprehend how one can look for something replaceable with such fervor and not devote that same focus to seeking God. It's truly an indictment on the status of what we elevate as important.
Each time I lose my way, I stop to reflect on that feeling I had when I looked for those keys, and it helps me recalibrate my focus on what's most important. I start to think about if I lost my connection to God like I loss that key I would be worse off than anything that key would ever provide me. The great thing about God is that He always makes himself available for us. Never once in any passage of scripture can you find where God does not make himself available to those who seek Him. That is a tremendous encouragement and comfort. Makes me want to undergo the search daily, so that I experience the things that are truly vital and necessary for my life.
I remember years ago I lost a set of my car keys and I went about the entire house searching for it. The search was so pronounced that I looked in places that I haven't even looked at in years. Unfortunately, my search produced no results and I was left wondering and searching for something that could not be found.
While I would never liken my search for car keys to a search for God I won't forget the sentiment of loss I experienced looking for what I thought was a vital necessity for my life to function properly. A car was necessary to get me to work, and to places of commerce where I could purchase things that were of importance to me, or even go to places of worship. Though I needed to get around in my car without my key I was completely at a loss, until I was able to replace the key.
I wonder if sometimes our search for the practical things we believe are of vital importance for us could be diverted to seeking God in the same manner. It's hard to comprehend how one can look for something replaceable with such fervor and not devote that same focus to seeking God. It's truly an indictment on the status of what we elevate as important.
Each time I lose my way, I stop to reflect on that feeling I had when I looked for those keys, and it helps me recalibrate my focus on what's most important. I start to think about if I lost my connection to God like I loss that key I would be worse off than anything that key would ever provide me. The great thing about God is that He always makes himself available for us. Never once in any passage of scripture can you find where God does not make himself available to those who seek Him. That is a tremendous encouragement and comfort. Makes me want to undergo the search daily, so that I experience the things that are truly vital and necessary for my life.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Thank God!
"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT)
At the end of the day what matters most in life is us taking a moment to appreciate what God has done for us. Many of us begrudge this fact by saying, "well my life isn't what it's supposed to be, and things around me aren't all that great." My answer to you is...perhaps that's true, but is that a result of what God has done? Or what you have done yourself?
I've grown to find that at least in my life when things go wrong, I had a lot to do with it. Conversely, when things start breaking my way, curiously I had nothing to do with it. I maintain that typically the cause of my demise is... well... Me. I guess that's what compels me to write. Not because I want people to read about me for me, but instead serve as a warning for what not to do when all you want to do in your life is work out your own problems and issues.
This passage of scripture matters in life because it sums up the purpose of why we live. It gives us perspective that in this world there IS a greater power at work within us, doing things we can't even come close to doing on our own merit if we allow it.
I stand in awe of the greatness of God because he took a guy like me and placed me in places I never dreamed I would have been. The world needs to know this because this is actually a person giving credit to someone other than themselves, which was supposed to be the point all along.
At the end of the day what matters most in life is us taking a moment to appreciate what God has done for us. Many of us begrudge this fact by saying, "well my life isn't what it's supposed to be, and things around me aren't all that great." My answer to you is...perhaps that's true, but is that a result of what God has done? Or what you have done yourself?
I've grown to find that at least in my life when things go wrong, I had a lot to do with it. Conversely, when things start breaking my way, curiously I had nothing to do with it. I maintain that typically the cause of my demise is... well... Me. I guess that's what compels me to write. Not because I want people to read about me for me, but instead serve as a warning for what not to do when all you want to do in your life is work out your own problems and issues.
This passage of scripture matters in life because it sums up the purpose of why we live. It gives us perspective that in this world there IS a greater power at work within us, doing things we can't even come close to doing on our own merit if we allow it.
I stand in awe of the greatness of God because he took a guy like me and placed me in places I never dreamed I would have been. The world needs to know this because this is actually a person giving credit to someone other than themselves, which was supposed to be the point all along.
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