For a couple of posts now I’ve been referencing Colossians and Ephesians, where Paul tells us to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We looked at spiritual songs and psalms, and now we’re going to look at hymns.

Hymns are the songs of the church. They are usually comprised of several verses and sometimes a chorus and share one of three experiences: our calling out to God, God speaking to us, or our experience of God in relationship.

I recently talked with my friend, Charlotte, to get some perspective on what hymns mean to her and others. She said that hymns speak to what you’re going through. They help her become in tune with God through the music and lyrics. A week or two before, she had the opportunity to sing in church. She had been going through a rough time and God had laid on her heart the need to be thankful even in tough times. It’s important to thank Him for everything He's done, as well as everything He is going to do. Hymns are uplifting she said, “and help to get me out of the doldrums.” She went on to say that she wrestled with her hymn choice for a week or two. In the end, the music selection just came together.

After talking with many people about their experience with hymns and hymn singing, it has become clear that they speak so well to the heart. As to a favorite hymn, Charlotte said she has too many. It depends on what’s going on in the moment. Hymns help all of us communicate to God what we’re feeling. It’s all about the message of the song.

One of the most popular and well-attended events that we do at our church are hymn sings. My husband and our pianist host one about once a month. It has been so meaningful to so many, that the ones who come return and bring friends. We’ve even had guests from other churches attend. All of us share the common need to be heard and to be seen. Through hymns we can share our testimonies which allows us to be heard and seen. These hymns are testimonies of the heart.

Not only are they important as testimonies and as communication, but they are important in a corporate setting, like church services. Singing together is comforting. We all breathe together as one, which causes hearts to beat together. Hymns promotes congregational unity and a spirit of shared theology. When you are singing and relating to the lyrics as a group, you are developing what you believe. It is proven that most people remember songs better than they remember sermons.

​Hymns also create opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth in the congregation. This is true whether your church sings old hymns or new hymns. In fact, there are many new hymns that are wonderfully articulate about our experience of God and His lovingkindness toward us. Some of my new favorites are “Christ Be In My Waking” by Stewart Townend, and “Hear the Call of the Kingdom” by Keith and Kristin Getty. And I have old familiar favorites like “In the Garden,” “Praise to the Lord,” and “The Old Rugged Cross.” What hymns speak to you? How have you been changed by hymn singing? Feel free to share in the comment section on the website. I look forward to hearing from you.  
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When I was a young, single seminary student, I often had evenings to myself. I did fill a number of them with activities with friends and studying. But what I really, really enjoyed was having a “date” with God. Yes, you read that right! These dates turned out to be great adventures at times. We had a zoo in the city and I got myself a season pass one year. I loved (and still love) spending time in nature and reflecting on God and His infinite creativity through creation. I also enjoyed going to the local coffee shops to sit and read my bible and pray. One day I decided to make these even more intentional times with God.

​You can never run out of passages to read in the bible. There’s just so much to learn and so much to help you deepen your understanding of God. Among my favorite things to read are the books of poetry, namely Psalms and Proverbs.

There may be no more beloved book of the Bible than the book of Psalms. I would guess that probably every Christian has turned to them at some point in their lives. And I bet off the top of your head, if you were asked which is the most famous psalm, you would probably respond with Psalm 23. It has been memorized and quoted and read and studied so many, many times! It is such a comfort when we face times of trouble. And I’ve heard it read at more funerals than I can count. And it’s only one of 150 total psalms.

The psalms are a collection of poetry written over time by several different authors. Many of them are attributed to David. They are broken into four or five books and make up the Hebrew songbook. I also find it fascinating that they have survived centuries, unlike some of the ancient Greek writings which have been lost to time. And even though we don’t know exactly what they must have sounded like, we are given clues to how they should be used: some are written to specific tunes, some are accompanied by instruments, and some are to be sung responsively. Almost all of them are prayers. And being prayers, they are a guidebook on ways to pray.

As prayers, they show us how to praise God for His creation, attributes, and character. We learn how to meditate on His splendor and excellence. We learn how to trust Him to love us, provide for us, protect us, defend us, and restore us. They build our confidence in God. Praying the psalms was something that I incorporated into my dates, and I learned through praying the psalms, that we really can go to God with all our emotions, even the messy ones. David really let all his feelings out when he prayed: anger, frustration, depression, joy, and adoration.

I have many favorites. Psalm 1 speaks about the blessings of believing God and learning His ways, and how when you are rooted in His ways you are secure. Psalm 91 speaks about His protection over every aspect of our lives. I have prayed Psalm 91 many, many times, especially when I am fearful of illness or attack from the enemy. Psalm 103 reminds me that God is not only full of lovingkindness, but that He refuses to remember my sins. He separates them from as far as the east is from the west. I often spend time meditating on the psalms, because I need to be reminded of how good God is. We all do. 

When I was single, I wanted my personal devotion time with God to be special and memorable. I wanted it to become something I looked forward to doing. So, when I planned out “dates,” I selected a location, made my dinner or other meal plans, dressed up, and went by myself with my bible and study material. It really helped me sense the Lord’s presence. I could picture Him sitting beside me or across from me. As I prayed, I opened with praise and moved into my requests. I asked Him to open the scriptures to me and to help me know Him better. And He did! They were such peaceful, reflective times. I didn’t feel alone, even though physically I was. But I knew He was with me. I was able to practice listening to His voice and I waited to hear the answers to my prayers.

I’d like to share with you a date that I planned for an evening when I couldn’t go out.

Attire: bright summery clothing, florals
Youtube video: a beach with waves, but no background music (nature only)
Drink: Cran-pineapple juice with addition of coconut flavoring (you can use your own discretion on what kind of coconut additive you use)
Reading: Psalm 104
Goals: meditate on the greatness and vastness of God, meditate on His creativity, meditate on His love for all His creation and His loving care for them.
Notice verse 15 speaks of communion with wine, oil, and bread. This is a great time to celebrate communion.
Verses 27-30 show how God cares for even the animals. He “filled and satisfied them with good things.” I was especially blown away with how God not only provides, but He provides good things.
Verses 31-32 speak of His power.
Pray: verses 1-4 and 34-35 and take time to sit in silence with the sound of the waves while you listen for God’s voice.
Sing: “Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” from the hymnal

This is just an example, but you can be so creative with your dates with God. He wants us to seek Him and He promised we can find him. Enjoy getting to know Him better. My prayer for you is that you will draw closer to God as you read and study the psalms and that you will deepen your relationship with Him.

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I received my calling to ministry when I was around 12 or 13 years old. I remember being at an all-night prayer vigil at my church during the time my parents had signed our family up to come and pray over something significant that was happening. I don’t remember now what we were praying about, but I do remember the Lord prompting me to go to the piano in the choir room and play. I started playing “Father, I Adore You,” a song with words by Terrye Coelho Strom (1972). I hadn’t had any music lessons, I didn’t know how to play the piano, but I was able to pick out the notes from what I remembered in our worship service. I began singing along and I remember the Lord telling me that He wanted me to sing for Him. This was my introduction to ministry through music. But the Lord didn’t stop there… He later gave me the gift and ability to sing Spiritual songs. That sounds really mysterious, doesn’t it?

​Spiritual songs, Spirit songs, or songs of the Spirit are simply spontaneous songs that the Holy Spirit gives us to sing. There is a lot of precedent for this in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Miriam, Moses’ and Aaron’s sister, sang a song of victory when the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh’s army. In Exodus 15, verses 20-21 it says, “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. Miriam answered them, ‘Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.’” And in the New Testament, Mary’s song was a spontaneous burst of praise to the Lord, after being told she would be the mother of Messiah. Zacharias sang as a prophecy about Jesus’s birth and ministry and the role of John the Baptist. In fact, in the case of Mary and Zacharias, the Bible specifically says they were singing after being filled with the Holy Spirit.  

​These biblical examples are not the only places you can hear spiritual songs. You can find a lot of spiritual songs in the African American traditions. These are songs which spoke to people’s experience of God in their struggles. Some African and Arab people groups still use this style of singing to express their faith. They began as spontaneous songs and are highly improvisational.

Maybe you’ve sung spirituals before and/or are familiar with that style. I love singing spirituals. One of my favorites is “Give Me Jesus.” They speak to my heart and bring me comfort when I’m struggling with something. I have also been privileged to sing spontaneously as the Holy Spirit directs me. Around the age of 14 or 15, during family worship time, the Lord prompted me to begin singing. I didn’t have a hymnal in front of me; my family was not musically inclined at all. Music for me is an absolute gift! I could hear the music in my mind, so I just opened up my mouth and started to sing, “Alleluia, alleluia.” It was spontaneous and it sounded complete and composed, as if someone had written it and I had learned it. This was my introduction to spiritual songs.

Have you ever allowed the Holy Spirit to sing through you? As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. Are you afraid to try singing a spiritual song? I still sing them from time to time and I never feel as if I’m being overpowered or forced into it. It’s more like a nudge or a prompting from the Spirit to sing. And I can usually hear the music in my head. I always feel completely safe and comfortable. After all, these are a form of praise to my Lord and Savior.

I have not had a lot of opportunities to sing these in public, but I’m about to start sharing some with you on Facebook and eventually on YouTube. I hope you will be blessed by them and maybe even inspired to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading in your own life in the area of praise.

I hope this blesses you and will encourage you to trust the Holy Spirit as He directs you. And if you aren’t musical, don’t worry. He’ll direct you in bringing glory and honor to the Lord in other ways. 


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One of the hardest lessons in my journey of faith has been trusting the Lord’s promises, even though the fulfillment is taking a really, really long time. Well, that’s my earthly opinion. According to 2 Peter 3:8, “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

​My husband Jeremy and I attended the loveliest service on a Thursday evening following a Mother’s Day. It was held in a church in High Point, North Carolina and was called the “Hannah Service.” We were greeted by the pastor and invited in as if we were friends. We made the decision to attend for a couple of reasons: the Hannah service is intended to comfort parents who lost children through miscarriage or accident or other circumstances, or who suffered through infertility; both of those applied to us, as you’ll see. The sanctuary was decorated simply with a rugged wooden cross draped in white, and the communion table set with a smaller central cross, black cloth, and stones. A large candle sat in each window and was flanked on each side by three candles. The service itself was very reflective and opened with responsive prayer where hurt was acknowledged, and God was asked to give us comfort. A lady sang “Precious Lord” and accompanied herself on guitar. One of the Reverends gave the homily where she spoke of her own loss and how as a doula, she gives comfort to mothers giving birth. She instructed us to light candles placed in the windows, as many as we liked, while the music played softly. We were encouraged to take as much time as we needed and were provided with individual lighters.

This was a very special service for Jeremy and me. Years ago, when we first started trying for children and weren’t having success, the Lord spoke to me and told me He would give me a child. I clung to that promise with all my heart. We never suffered a miscarriage, but month after month and year after year nothing happened, and it really began to wear on us. We talked for a long time about options and after examining our finances decided that we would attempt adoption through fostering. In North Carolina foster parents are required to foster for six months before adoption can be finalized. After going through the background process and months of training, we had a placement of three little girls (siblings). Two of the three had special needs, one of the two severely so. To say it was challenging is a gross understatement. We felt the pressure of the agency requirements, the pressure of having never been parents and feeling very much out of our depth, and the pressure that came from handling constant sibling fights. Jeremy butted heads with the oldest on multiple occasions. Even though we asked for help and suggestions from the agency, we were met with disapproval and eventually the girls were removed from our care. It is a much longer, painful story, but it left us devastated. We were so hurt that we couldn’t imagine pursuing adoption ever again.

When the time came to light the candles, we each lit one for each of the little girls we had loved and lost. We stood there with tears running down our faces and let the love of the Lord wash over us while we remembered and reflected. It was a very moving service. So much so, that much like a Tenebrae service, all participants left in silence.

In a Tenebrae service, Christians gather to remember the Lord’s sacrifice on Good Friday. It is a quiet reflective service where we consider our past sinfulness, how we were forgiven, and think of the time our Lord spent in the grave before His resurrection. The service is lit with candles, and they are extinguished one by one as Christians pray and meditate. By the end of the service, the sanctuary is dark, and the people leave in silence. There was the same heaviness in the Hannah Service. Despite the heaviness, however, both of us felt comforted and as if healing was happening.

The evening of the Hannah Service was rainy. The rain began about the time we arrived at the church and continued until we got back home. It seemed so very appropriate. On the drive home, the sky took on a brown-greyish color. Rounding a corner close to our house, we saw the largest, most vibrant rainbow we had ever seen. So vibrant, that we could even see the blue and violet stripes which are normally too pale to be really visible. I could hear the Lord say to me, “what I promised I will fulfill.” Just like the rainbow in the bible is a symbol of the promise He will never flood the earth again, to me it was a symbol that He will fulfill His promise to me. After all, the Lord is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. He cannot lie. If we are unfaithful, He is still faithful because He cannot deny Himself. It is literally impossible for God to break His promises!

So what does that mean for me in the now? I realized a few months ago that I had made my desire for a child an idol. It was one of the foremost desires in my life. I began to think I could not be fully happy until I had my child in my arms. But here we were after losing the children we loved, and we could not comprehend the idea of going through adoption again. I surrendered my desire, my heart, and my will to the Lord and turned loose the need to know when and how it would happen. In letting go, I found great comfort in knowing I didn’t have to try anymore. I could just rest in knowing God will come through for me. Maybe not right now, but definitely in the future. Though the time seems long to us, I can trust my loving Lord will restore the years the locust has eaten and give us our child when the timing is perfect. After all, His timing is perfect! 


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Salvation belongs to the Lord! Today we celebrate our Lord’s victory over sin and death. Today He has put them under His feet. That’s a way of saying, they are the dirt beneath His feet, unworthy of acknowledgment. Unworthy of attention. No further recognition needed.

His victory was so complete that we need do nothing except bask in His absolute perfection and power. But do we do that? Do we really understand that this is His finished work? We can add nothing to it. We can claim no victory of our own. And yet we try to give attention to the very enemies He defeated. We refuse to believe we are forgiven. Psalm 46:10 says, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” We don’t have to work for forgiveness. Jesus became our sacrificial lamb when He took our place on the cross. Our responsibility is to believe that He saved us from our sins by taking the punishment for us, dying, and rising again as the ultimate victor on the third day. Today is our third day. Today we look at our wonderful Lord and see that He is powerful and mighty to save. “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” Ps 118:14

I sometimes think back to my days as a young Christian when I struggled with the idea that I was completely forgiven. A preacher back then told us that if we didn’t remember to confess every sin we had ever done, we weren’t really saved. I felt so guilty every time I messed up, that I begged for forgiveness over and over. I wept and wept thinking that I was causing the Lord pain and anguish again and again.  Then I learned that this is not the case. When I say that Jesus’ work on the cross is a finished work, I mean that nothing needs to be done again. My sins, and yours, were forgiven past, present, and future by His one act of obedience. It’s important for me to confess when I’ve messed up, but when I do, I also acknowledge that I have already been forgiven. The act of confession draws us into a closer, more trusting relationship with God. It takes away our
pride, which is a major barrier to fellowship with Him.  

So, keeping in mind that we are completely forgiven, we are taking time to bask in Jesus’ resurrection today. Does it surprise you to know that there are people who say that they believe in Jesus, and truly love Him, but do not believe in the resurrection? Some find it difficult to understand, like poor doubting Thomas. But our great hope of salvation hinges on this. If there was no resurrection, then Jesus was just a great person and teacher. If there was no resurrection, there is no hope for us after death. If there is no resurrection, then evil and death would have the final say. The disciples would probably have gone back to their previous occupations. Saul would never have become Paul. The persecution of the church, both in bible days and in the world now would be pointless. Hear this word from Psalm 149:4, “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” Jesus’s resurrection is the capstone of our faith. It is the ultimate point upon which we can declare that we who believe in Jesus will also live. Jesus, Himself, said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” 

A few weeks ago, we looked briefly at the story of Lazarus, where Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” This is where we get the understanding of eternal life. It’s here that Jesus gave us a peak at what was coming for Himself, a hope beyond the grave. His resurrection was a restoration of the life lost when Adam and Eve sinned. 1 Corinthians 15 verses 21-23 reads, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.” God had Jesus die on a tree so that you and I could be restored, and restitution would be made for what was stolen from the garden.

Today I want you to take a moment to ponder if you really believe Jesus’s story. It’s the reason we are here today, but it needs to be settled in your own heart and mind. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s really that simple. If you have not proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and if you don’t believe in your heart that He lives, then I pray that today you will make peace with the mystery and magnificence of it all and put your trust in Him.

​I chose Jesus as my Lord many years ago and that changed my life. I don’t just believe in the resurrection, as Adam Hamilton in his book, “The Way,” says: “I’m counting on it. I’m counting on the fact that there is always hope. I’m counting on the fact that God walks with us through hell and back again. I’m counting on the fact that God forgives our sins and that He’s the God of the second chance. I’m counting on the fact that ultimately, we don’t have to be afraid. I’m counting on the fact that sin and hate and sickness and death will not have the final word. When we walk in the footsteps of the resurrected Christ, we walk with hope.”
Let us pray: Father, today we confess and declare that Jesus is our Lord. We choose to believe that He rose from the dead and lives victoriously as our mediator seated at Your right hand. Thank You that He defeated sin and death once and for all and that we stand before You completely forgiven. Strengthen our understanding and belief in Him. We pray this in the strong and mighty name of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior, amen. 
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One of the hardest lessons we learn in the Christian life is how to trust God and learn to let Him handle our situations. Why is that? After all, when we become Christians, we are putting our faith (meaning our trust) in Him for salvation. We’re okay with doing that, but we aren’t ok with trusting Him in the day to day, minute to minute parts of our lives? Why do we have such trouble letting go? Why do we feel the need to control what we can’t really control? And how do we get to the point where we can fully trust Him?

Our desire for control keeps us from fully trusting God. Even as Christians, we struggle with this desire, even though it isn’t realistic. We want things the way we want them. We don’t want to admit that our way is not necessarily the best way, or that if we let go things might actually be better than we can make them. A prime example from the bible of someone who needed control were the Pharisees. They were not just the keepers of God’s law; they were also the interpreters. They incorporated regulations on interpretation into the written law, making it even more burdensome than what God gave Moses. The original intention of the regulations was to clarify the law, but instead it made it extremely complicated. One of the ten commandments is to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. They were not to do any work on the Sabbath. To interpret this, they created thirty-nine subcategories and subrules, including how many steps you can take and how many letters you can write. In Savannah where I grew up, the local Jewish community had markers on telephone posts in their neighborhood that served as a boundary of how far they could walk on the Sabbath. I remember my parents pointing them out to us when we drove around the city looking for garage sales on Saturdays.

Fear is a barrier to trusting God. King Hezekiah was on his deathbed and was told by God through Isaiah that he needed to get his house in order because he was about to die. Hezekiah was so distressed that he began to pray for mercy and reminded the Lord how faithful he had been. Before Isaiah could leave the premises, God told him to go back and tell Hezekiah that He had heard Hezekiah’s prayer and would grant him another fifteen years of life. You could say Hezekiah was overwhelmed. He asked for a sign that God would fulfill this promise. God graciously granted him the choice of having the sun move forward on the sundial or move backward. Hezekiah chose backward and it did so. I think he was fearful that the promise was too good to be true. Doesn’t that remind you of us as human beings? We want to trust, but we’re so fearful that we often become paralyzed and want extra proof that God is really as good as the Bible tells us He is.
Fear is never from God. It is a weapon that the enemy uses to keep us from trusting God and following Him in obedience. The enemy has paralyzed most of us at some time or other with fear. Sometimes fear of failure, sometimes fear that God will punish us or be angry with us in some way. Sometimes the fear is insecurity mixed with pride. We feel insecure about doing what we need to do, and we don’t want others to know we might mess things up, so we just don’t try. But the Bible promises us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.

Look at Thomas in the New Testament. He had just gone through the death of Jesus, the One Thomas chose to follow, the One whom he followed for three years. Jesus his Master, Teacher, and Friend. According to the gospel of John, even though the disciples told Thomas that Jesus was alive and had appeared to them, Thomas didn’t believe it. He bluntly stated that he would not believe until he had proof, that he could see the imprint of the nails and put his finger in those imprints and his hand into Jesus’ side. His pride and fear were holding him back from believing. So when Jesus shows up a week later and tells Thomas to come check Him out, then Thomas believes and calls Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus tells him that those who don’t see and still believe are blessed. Friends, we can be those who don’t see and still believe. This is faith. It is the evidence that God is doing things we cannot see. When we choose to trust Him, we are proving that He is indeed working. We are exhibiting faith. 

I’ve talked about what keeps us from trusting the Lord. Now let’s examine the benefits of trusting Him. If you have your bibles, open up to Psalm 112 which we read earlier this morning. I’m reading from the NASB. Look at the psalm beginning from verse one. “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.” To fear the Lord is to worship Him. Jesus defined this for us when He was tempted in the desert after His baptism. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6 which says, “Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only.” But when He quoted it, He said, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” So when we worship God, giving Him the honor He is due, we are fearing Him. It’s a reverential awe of how magnificent He is, not a feeling of fear or dread. And remember, because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross, He is not angry with us. His wrath was poured out on Jesus. So according to this verse in Psalm 112, we are blessed when we fear Him. To delight in His commandments is to enjoy, believe, and trust His words. Especially His promises to us.

Verse two reads, “His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.” Again, we see we are blessed by trusting Him. Here He’s promising that those who honor and worship God, who trust His very words, will see their descendants blessed also. Now it’s becoming a generational blessing.
Now look at verse three: “Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.” Wealth and riches represent God’s provision for us. Over and over in the Bible God tells us that He will provide for His own. We’ll come back to this in a few minutes. As for the second part of the verse, remember that when we place our trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are given His righteousness as a new identity. When it says that “his righteousness endures forever,” it is saying that the righteousness imparted to us through Jesus can never be taken away. That means that we are in right standing with our Heavenly Father. When He looks at us, He sees the sacrifice of His beloved Son and He takes immense pleasure in our trust in Jesus for salvation.
In verse four we see, “Light arises in the darkness for the upright.” The upright is another way of saying the righteous. It means that when we worship the Lord and delight in His commandments, God reveals Himself to us. He is the light. Through the act of worship, we see Him in a new and fresh way. When our focus is on Him, we stop dwelling on the dark thoughts that invade our minds. And we see that Jesus is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

Back to trusting God for provision. Look at verse five. “It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment.” God promised to provide for us. But He isn’t providing just so we can amass wealth and go on vacations and retire early with a mansion and a fancy car. Those are good things, and the Bible says that God gives good things for us to enjoy. However, it’s important to understand that He provides for us so we can be a blessing to others. When we bless others, we are shining His light and showing His love. To help people learn about God’s love for them is the best benefit of trusting Him for provision. 
And there are more benefits: the second part of verse five and verse six says “he will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord. His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.” In other words, peace accompanies trust. When we trust the Lord we are choosing to let go of fear, anxiety, and worry. Say Philippians 4:6-7 with me, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” How do we gain that level of trust? By worshipping God through praise and thanksgiving. We thank Him in advance for answering our prayers. And by allowing ourselves to have a hopeful expectation of good.  

When you trust someone, you have it in your mind that they will be good to you. You don’t worry about them being cruel, or unkind, or thoughtless, or about them disregarding you in any way. Our heavenly Father is like that. He’s good all the time. Turn to Matthew 6:25-34 and let’s read this: “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Here Jesus describes how the Father knows what we need before we even ask. He cares for all the creatures in the earth, whether or not they work for a living. That’s what it means when it says the birds of the air neither toil nor spin. They aren’t trying to earn a living, and yet they completely trust Him to care for their needs. We can trust His care for us. He is a good, good Father. If he cares that much about the creatures of the earth, and they don’t even know to not trust Him, can’t we trust Him to take care of our every need? 

I want to tell you a story about someone who trusted God without having to have a sign or proof that God would come through for him. Elijah trusted the Lord to care for him for deliverance from his enemies and for his physical needs. Let me set the scene. He shows up in 1 Kings seventeen where he condemns King Ahab and Queen Jezebel for not only encouraging idol worship, but for making it legal in Israel. He proclaims to them that there will be a drought in Israel and that it will not rain again for three years, until he (meaning Elijah) declares that rain will come. That is an awesome act of faith. Elijah is pursued by the king and is hidden by the Lord at the Brook Cherith where he is fed by ravens. Sure enough, after three years King Ahab seeks out Elijah. After these three years, Ahab is still plotting to kill Elijah. Elijah told him to have the prophets of Baal show up at Mount Carmel. This is the famous show down: Elijah instructs them to make an offering to Baal and to call on him, while he and the Israelites built an altar, saturated in in water until there were pools of water around it, and declared that the god who answered is the one that they should follow. The prophets of Baal cried out all day long, but there was no answer. Elijah cries out once and says, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” Fire from the Lord fell on the sacrifice and consumed it, even though the wood and stones were soaked. When the people saw it, they repented. He looks at King Ahab and says, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”

Elijah goes to the very top of Mount Carmel and prays and then says to his servant, “Go look toward the sea.” The servant sees nothing. Elijah continues to pray and sends the servant back seven times. The seventh time a cloud appears, and the rain comes. Elijah did not require a sign from God. He trusted that what God told him earlier would happen. Even though it didn’t appear that anything was happening, he kept on praying and trusting.  

Another example of someone who trusted without a sign was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Gabriel appears to her and tells her she’s going to be pregnant and have the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah. Mary points out that she’s a virgin and asks how it’s going to happen. Now keep in mind that Mary is a teenager. This is not her asking for a sign. It’s her asking how in the world this is going to take place when the laws of nature say otherwise. God graciously allowed Gabriel to explain it to her. And she courageously says, “Let it happen to me as you have said.” Contrast her trust in God with Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. When an angel of the Lord appeared to him to announce that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son who would prepare the way for the Savior, Zacharias demanded a sign to prove what the angel said was true. Because of his self-righteous attitude, he became mute until the naming of John. Now, sometimes God will give a sign. Looking back at King Hezekiah, we see that the Lord allowed him that reassurance of having the sun move backward. But the reason we need to trust Him, is so our faith can grow. Faith and trust are intertwined. They aren’t two separate doctrines. When we have faith, we are trusting. When our faith grows, and we have learned to trust God, we can move mountains.

I participated in a bible study last year by Priscilla Shirer called He Speaks To Me. In it she said, “We should have a childlike expectation that God not only cares about us, but He will come through for us.” Just like a newborn that can do nothing for himself and is utterly dependent and expectant that his parents will come take care of him, we should look to God like that. While I have never had a newborn, I do have a cat who is dependent on me for food, water, and comfort. And Her Majesty lets me know when I haven’t fulfilled one of her requests! But I care for her because I love her. It gives me a little glimpse of how God is training me to trust Him. I know I can come to Him with anything, and He hears me. I wish I could stand here and tell you that I completely trust God in all things. However, like you, this is a life-long journey for me. I’ve learned over the years that my worry (my lack of trust) impedes God’s work in my life. I used to find myself worrying over all kinds of things: finances, health, health of my family, my relationships… The more worried I was, the less I saw progress in those areas. I worried a lot over our finances early in our marriage. You’ve heard me say before that as seminary students we were poor. The more I trusted God to provide for us, the more I stopped begging and stressing over whether or not He would come through for me, the sooner I saw things happen. In our church in Marion, Virginia, I prayed for a way for me to add income. I surrendered myself to the possibility of having to do something I didn’t want to do for a living. The jobs in that area were few and the only opportunities would have placed me working on Wednesday nights and Sundays, which I did not want to do. I surrendered my trust by asking God to open a door for me. And He did! He opened a door for me in an unexpected way. One of our church members ran a wedding shop and needed some extra help. She asked if I might be interested in helping her organize a few things and change her window display. I went into it thinking I was merely helping a friend. I was surprised when she gave me a paycheck and then discussed regular hours with me. God showed me I could trust Him to provide in a lean time with a good job.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” In other words, come to Him with childlike faith and trust that, just like Priscilla’s baby knew she would care for him, and my cat knows I will care for her, God will take care of you and your needs. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to figure out how He’s going to do it. You just need to know that as your Heavenly Father, He wants to prosper you and not to harm you. He wants to give you a future and a hope. Just ask Him to open the door and when He does, step through.

Ultimately the decision to trust God is up to you. You can choose to live in fear, anxiety, and worry. Or you can choose to believe what the bible says about Him. That He will provide for you, care for you, defend you, and bless you.

Let’s pray: Father, thank You for proving Your faithfulness to us over and over and over. You never needed to prove Yourself, but You did it anyway. Help us to trust You. Help us to walk through the doors You are opening for us. Thank You for giving us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. Thank You for calling us and helping us to trust You to lead us in Your mission for the world. We pray in Jesus’s name, amen. 
​Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

I grew up in a strict fundamentalist Baptist church in Savannah, GA. The church was the largest in the city at the time and also served as a venue for Christian concerts and productions. All through my adolescent years I remember a variety of preachers and musicians who were invited as guests for Sunday worship. Many were brought in for special occasions like revivals. All of them had testimonies to share. In our church, we loved to hear stories of redemption, but if we were the ones making the mistakes, it was the biggest and the worst and we would have to work for forgiveness and prove ourselves again and again. We even had a guest preacher entitle his sermon, “Show me, don’t tell me.” This encouraged such ongoing feelings of frustration and guilt that I felt I was somehow losing the love and favor of God every time I messed up and as a result, slipping further and further away. It made me feel condemned and like a failure, and as a result, I worked harder than ever to earn God’s forgiveness. The same forgiveness that according to Ephesians, He offers to us as a free gift.

​The funny thing is, I’m not alone. I’ve heard from people a lot over the years about how condemned they feel. This comes not only from the non-believers, but also from Christians. They have a hard time getting past their mistakes and failures. It seems to be a common feeling that most of us experience at one time or other. I bet a lot of you have tried and tried to earn God’s favor and to make up for your mistakes by making God promises that you’ll try to keep so you can do better. Unfortunately, this almost always leads us back into a defeated cycle of works, which is doing things through our own self-effort to be pleasing to God. See, people like to be self-righteous. It’s hard for us to hear that we can’t fix our sin by doing something to make it better. Or that we should be forgiven forever without us having to do something about it. But we can’t. We’re helpless to fix our situation. That’s why Jesus had to take that penalty from us. Let me say this clearly: You cannot earn or deserve the love and forgiveness of God. He gives it to your freely through belief in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. That goes for non-believers and Christians alike.

Back in the Old Testament, the Israelites had been delivered from Egypt and had been wandering around in the wilderness and finally made it to the foot of Mount Sinai. This whole time, they had been grumbling and complaining about different things, but God showed them His mercy and grace and provided food when they were hungry, water when they were thirsty, protection from the sun as a pillar of clouds, and warmth from the cold desert nights as a pillar of fire. At Mount Sinai, God reminded them about how He had delivered them from Pharaoh with mighty power and signs and wonders. He told them if they would keep His commandments, that He would make them His special treasure, and a kingdom of priests to Him forever. Now remember, God already knew their hearts. He knew how quickly they were forgetting what He did for them. This was a test. The Israelites responded back that any commandment that God gave them, they could keep. I don’t know if you can hear the arrogance in their voices. In Hebrew, it is very clear that they were determined to set aside His provision and grace and keep every law by their own self-effort. They could have waited to find out what the covenant would be before they responded. They could have said, “We haven’t been able to survive out here without You! There’s no way we can keep a commandment if You don’t help us.” There was a decided change in the way God began to handle them after this. Next, He told Moses that no one could approach the mountain, or they would die. He spoke through a thick cloud and there was thunder and lightning. This is when the old covenant came into being. Under the Old Covenant, this covenant God made with Moses when He gave the Ten Commandments, every act of sin would have to be atoned for. That’s why the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy have rules and consequences for breaking those laws. We call them the books of the Law. Under the Law, a person who sinned had a penalty they had to meet. If they stole, they had to replace what was stolen (usually up to five times as much), if they killed, they faced death. For other sins, they had to offer an unblemished animal to be sacrificed in their place. Hebrews 9 verse 22 says that without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. So, let’s look back at Hebrews chapter 9, verse 7: “but into the second [inner tabernacle, the Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters [and then only] once a year, and never without [bringing a sacrifice of] blood, which he offers [as a substitutionary atonement] for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.” This is what the Old Testament priests did to atone for the sins of the people every year. It was a lot. And keep in mind, this law was given not for salvation, but to make people aware of what sin is. It was never intended to save us. It is good, it is holy, but it is unbending.
This is where salvation through Jesus comes in. We cannot save ourselves, but He can! He offers us salvation as a free gift by believing in Him as Savior and Lord. Once we have done that, we are free from the condemnation of the Law.

Romans chapter 8 says this, (from the Amplified version of the Bible) “Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do [that is overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power]. In other words, Jesus took the penalty for the sins we committed: past, present, and future. The Father had to punish sin because it broke His beautiful, perfect, and holy law, and caused destruction and consequences to the very ones He loved so much: people.

Thankfully, Jesus came to be our permanent High Priest. I talked about how the Old Testament priests had to offer sacrifices yearly for the forgiveness of the sins of themselves and people. But through Jesus’ own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, and secured our eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls was a temporary sacrifice for people’s cleansing. But when our Lord shed His blood, it was permanent and much, much more powerful because through the eternal Spirit He offered Himself without blemish to God, to cleanse our conscience from dead works and to serve the living God. So instead, Jesus became our sacrifice. Our lamb. Our High Priest. It’s all about His finished work on the cross and not about our self-effort or self-righteousness. 

God righteously judged sin in the body of Jesus when He hung on the cross. That means He will not judge you for your sins again. To do so would be unjust and God is not unjust. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice.” In other words, you won’t be punished for your mistakes and failures. I bet that put a new thought in your mind: What? So, no one will be punished? Well, not exactly. For the non-believer, they are still under condemnation. Remember the passage we read earlier said for “those who are in Christ Jesus.” If a person does not believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord, he or she will still face judgement. But the final judgement will not be about the individual sins that are committed. It will be about whether they chose to be in a relationship with Jesus and receive His free gift of salvation. To ultimately reject Jesus is to consign your life to destruction. Think about the Pharisees. They lived lives devoted to God. They were responsible for keeping the Law and interpreting it. They went as far as tithing a tenth of their herbs and wore special shoes on the Sabbath so that a nail from their shoes wouldn’t dig a trench, thus creating work when they should be resting. And yet, they not only rejected Jesus, they rejoiced to see Him put to death. They had no love in their hearts for Him. All because He revealed that their self-righteousness wasn’t good enough and that they needed to believe in Him.

So, what about us as believers? What does this mean? It means that even when we do sin, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Remember the woman who was caught in adultery and thrown down at Jesus’ feet? The Pharisees were using her as a way to test Jesus to see what He would do. See, according to the law, since she was caught in adultery, the penalty was stoning. So Jesus could very well have said, stone her, she’s guilty. However, He simply answered the Pharisees, “whoever of you is without sin, cast the first stone.” Not a one of them did! They knew they were guilty of sin too. They all cleared out in a big hurry. He asked the woman who was left to condemn her. She had to answer, no one. But remember what Jesus did that was so remarkable? He looked at her and said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” What grace and love and gentleness! Our Lord told us that He did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save it.  So here is a beautiful of example of a woman who believed Him and accepted His free gift. While the bible is quiet about whether she went back to her lifestyle of sin, I don’t believe she did. I believe she was changed by His mercy toward her. If we choose to reject His mercy and grace and continue in our sin, we open the door for the very thing we want to avoid… condemnation.

This may have stirred up some questions: Shouldn’t I ask for forgiveness again and again when I mess up? Yes, so long as you understand that you are forgiven already. As a Christian, when we ask for forgiveness, we aren’t so much asking to be forgiven as we are opening a door to conversation with the Lord about how we understand our mistake and talk about how He will restore us. It’s a relationship where we can admit our failures without fear and be open to our Father’s tender mercy and healing touch. Besides, confession is good for the soul. It frees us from the burden and guilt that we carry around. And it frees us to ask forgiveness from others that we wronged. And here’s another thought for you: as a Christian, you are no longer a sinner. Your identity is now a son or daughter; a believer in Jesus who is a joint heir with Him (Romans 8:17). You will mess up because you won’t be perfect until we get to heaven. But that just isn’t who you are. When the Father looks at you, He sees His child who was bought by the sacrifice of His beloved Son. He sees the blood that Jesus shed for you and remembers how Jesus took your place on the cross. Because you believe, you are holy and righteous like Jesus. Let’s look at some more verses that will confirm this: 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 1 John 4:16-17 says, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.” And 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (meaning Jesus) who was born of God keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”  

So, if I’m forgiven past, present, and future, does it really matter if I sin? After all, it’s clear I’m forgiven anyway. I can tell you it absolutely matters! First, a person who truly has a relationship with Jesus should not want to intentionally sin. Sin always hurts someone else, even if you think you’re only affecting yourself. From my own experience, I can tell you that when I realize what I’ve done, I’m deeply grieved, especially by the hurt I’ve caused. The sacrifice of our Lord which paid for our sins and failures was tremendous and we cannot take it for granted. Also, we will face a different judgment, unrelated to judgment of sins, called the Bema seat. This is where our actions as ambassadors for Christ during our lives determine our reward. In the NIV, Psalm 62:12 says, “and with You, Lord, is unfailing love;” and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” And in Matthew 16:27 it says, “For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.” 

This brings up my second point: while God has forgiven you and will not punish you for your sin, if you continue down this path, He will chastise you. Chastisement, or discipline, is intended to get your attention and bring you back to repentance. Hebrews 12:5-6 says, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” You might say, “Wait a minute, didn’t you just say He won’t punish us for our sins anymore?” Yes, I did. But chastisement is a preventative measure to help a person learn not to make the mistake again. It is the act of a parent toward a child. Which reminds me of a very memorable punishment my mother came up with to stop me and my sisters from lying. I admit it! As a child, I lied about stuff. I lied to get out of trouble, and I lied to get attention. My mother was so frustrated, that she came up with a tangible way for me to understand the damage I was doing to myself and others. She got a bar of Lava soap, sudsed it up, and washed my mouth out with it once she caught me in a lie. You would think the taste alone would be enough. However, she wanted me to remember the lesson. So, while I stood at the sink with the soap foaming in my mouth, she looked me in the eye and said with her voice of doom… “This is what a lie tastes like in the mouth of God!” I never forgot that illustration and did my best not to lie anymore. It definitely got my attention! That was an act of chastisement at its finest. Punishment, on the other hand, is an act of retribution meted out by a judge. As a Christian, you will not be judged, but you will be corrected. You are family and you are deeply loved. On a side note, if you have been abused by a family member, you might have some difficulty seeing the difference. Please understand that our Heavenly Father loves you and is not out to get you. Look at verse 11 of chapter 12: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” I bet a lot of us can look back at our lives and say we have learned from being corrected.

So what about the consequences of my sin? Does that mean I won’t have to face the consequences? Sorry, but once you made a decision to sin, you set things in motion to have consequences. You are free from condemnation and judgment, but you are not free from the effect of your actions. That is why sin is so awful. It always affects others. There will always be consequences to our sins, even if it takes them a while to manifest. However, you can ask the Lord to help you with the mess you made. Remember, He has already forgiven you and is waiting to pour out His love and mercy. He will help you through the storm and get you back on the right track. Speaking of the Lord helping us out of the mess we have made, think about Zacchaeus in the bible. He was not only a tax collector, but he had defrauded people of their money in excess of what they paid in taxes. This is why when he was changed by the grace and mercy of Jesus he said, “Behold Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” Zacchaeus hurt people, but the Lord got him on track. Jesus’ response to the situation was that salvation had come to that house!

I want you to think back to the story of the prodigal son. This was a parable that Jesus told. The father in the story represents our Heavenly Father. Wouldn’t you agree that Jesus, who knew His Father intimately, would be able to describe Him the best? In the parable, the son demands his inheritance and runs off to pursue his passions. Eventually he winds up impoverished and starving. So he decides to throw himself on his father’s mercy and return home. He even recites what he’s going to say when he gets there: “Father, I have sinned against you and against heaven and I am not worthy to be called your son…” By the way, there is no evidence that the son is repentant. At this point, he’s motivated by hunger. Speaking of repentance, I want to touch on that, too. Repentance literally means to change your mind. It does not mean weep and wail and throw yourself on the floor to show how sorry you are. When you were a child and you apologized, your mother or father may have told you to “try it again, like you mean it.” They know if you are sincere in changing your mind and attitude. Just like that, when you have truly repented, you have changed your mind about doing something or changed your mind about how you thought about someone. That’s why part of salvation involves repentance. We have to change our minds about sin and change our minds about Jesus. When we choose Him as Savior and Lord, we have made a decision to trust Him instead of ourselves. We have made a decision to reject pursuing a life where we are rejecting God.

Back to the story of the prodigal: The son is on his way back home where he hopes he will at least be welcomed as a servant. Meanwhile, the father has been waiting for him to return the whole time. He not only rejoices to see him, but he throws a huge celebration. The son did nothing to earn or deserve the father’s love, compassion and mercy. But the father loved him all the same and was delighted to have him back. That’s exactly how our Heavenly Father thinks about you and me. Remember, when He looks at us, He sees the sacrifice of Jesus and sees us as His children. 

I’m reminded of the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” by Stuart Townend (1990). Check out YouTube.com to hear this beautiful song. Remember God is not angry with you and He’s extending a period of grace so that many can be saved. Let us pray: Our gracious, loving Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be the payment for our sins. Thank You that through His sacrifice we can come to You confidently and know that as believers we are forgiven and not under condemnation. We praise and honor You today for Your deep, deep love for us. In Jesus name, amen. 
​Photo by Adriana Aceves on Unsplash

I was inspired to write this episode after working on a piece of music in our church choir called, “And the Father Shall Dance,” by Mark Hayes. It is an absolutely beautiful picture of how our Heavenly Father delights and finds great joy in redeeming His children. The text is taken from Zephaniah chapter 3 and says, “Sing for joy, Daughter of Zion; shout loudly, Israel!  Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy… The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in His love. He will delight in you with singing.” This song spoke to me on so many levels.

First, there is the dancing and rejoicing of the Father over His children who have been restored. This is a beautiful picture of how He rejoices when one lost soul is saved, or when a wayward child has come home. It is echoed in the parable of the prodigal son, with which most of us are pretty familiar. The beauty of the story of the prodigal son is partly that the son has repented and come home, but also that the Father has been patiently waiting for his return and when he sees him, he runs to him and celebrates. Luke 15:10 says, “There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” We’re told that God is love, but here we see it illustrated. He rejoices! That’s like saying His heart is so full it is bursting with joy and gladness and He can’t help but celebrate. Also, He doesn’t condemn. For Christians who have wandered away, while there are consequences to our actions, there is no longer condemnation, because Jesus already bore that condemnation for us. That’s why it says in Romans, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” So the Father isn’t waiting to tell the son how disappointed He is in the son’s actions. He isn’t waiting to punish the son because Jesus already took that punishment. He is just overjoyed to have His wayward son back home.

Second, the restoration itself is multi-faceted. Zephaniah was prophesying the restoration of Israel after their coming exile to Babylon. At the time he wrote his prophecy, Zephaniah was living during the time of the kings, and in particular, King Josiah. King Josiah began reforms for Judah, broke down the altars to the pagan idols, and turned the nation back to worshipping God. This came after the reign of several wicked kings who not only worshipped idols, but who also did horrific acts like sacrificing their own children for these pagan deities.  Judah and Israel had split from each other by this time, but both went through periods of deep rebellion against God, followed by warnings from the prophets and then harassment from other nations, before they repented only to start the whole cycle again. Ultimately the entire nation was captured and sent into captivity in Babylon.  An exile reading the words of Zephaniah while in captivity would have this message of hope. The restoration also applies to those who have and will become Christians. Notice that the passage says, "The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy." We were once slaves to sin and death, but now that we are redeemed through the blood of Jesus, we are free and restored because Jesus took our punishment for us. When we choose to rebel, God lovingly brings us back to Himself. In fact, it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.  I may have said it before, but it bears saying again. Repentance is literally “changing your mind.” This means that you have changed your mind about your actions/thoughts/feelings and instead have focused it back on Jesus.

Third, this song calls to mind the image of Mount Zion. Mount Zion is referred to in the bible over and over as God’s holy mountain. Zion is another name for grace, which we know means God’s abundant, free, lovingkindness, mercy, forgiveness, and favor. So if you think about a whole mountain full of goodness… And here the writer is speaking to the “daughter of Zion.” That means Daughter of Grace or highly favored one.  It is another name for Israel, but the name extends to Christians as well. There are actually two mountains that are referred to often in the bible: Mount Sinai, where the 10 commandments were given, and Mount Zion.  Mount Sinai represents the self-effort, labor, condemnation, and guilt. Mount Zion represents grace, the gift of forgiveness, provision, aid, freedom from guilt, and redemption.
While I was singing this song, I was reminded of the testimony of a sweet lady named Kasey. She made bad choices as a young adult, which resulted in her running from God. But one day, the Lord called her back to Himself. Here is her testimony:

I was saved when I was nine years old and went through a lot of spiritual growth as a youth and teen. However, when I turned twenty-one, I decided to do my own thing. I didn’t want to worry about consequences or what would happen, I just wanted to live my life. So I did. I was very promiscuous and this continued until I joined the military and met Monte, who is now my husband. I knew I was doing wrong, but my actions had become a habit that felt good.

Believe it or not, I was always sorry about what I was doing and I repented every time. Because I am a Christian, I didn’t want to be a hypocrite either. I kept my Christianity a secret, in the sense that I didn’t tell anyone that I was one. I didn’t deny it, but I didn’t go out of my way to tell anyone either. I didn’t even try to witness. My life was very stagnant. I did finally stop my destructive behavior, not because I had a change of heart, but because I was married and loved my husband.
It is the absolute mercy and grace of God that I didn’t suffer some of the more serious consequences of promiscuity. I could have gotten pregnant, gotten an STD, or fallen into drugs and prostitution.

When I moved to New York the Lord put a dear lady named Anna in my path. She was a strong Christian woman who lived in the same duplex as me and my family. One of my first encounters with her was when she left cookies and her phone number at my door. After that act of kindness, I felt I had to talk to her and get to know her. She immersed me in Christ centered living by inviting me to church and bible study. She never once pressured me, just always offered up the opportunity as “hey, let’s go do this together.” Her kindness and non-judgmental compassion caused me to yearn to have Christ be the center of my life again. I had so much shame that I had no need of someone to bring an “intervention.” It was a gentle tug from Jesus in the end that really got me back on track. I heard Him say to me, “I am still with you and I love you in spite of what you have done. I can look past this sin and still love you.”

The culmination of my return to Christ was a bible study of Hosea. Hosea is told by God to go and love a prostitute named Gomer and to have children with her, because this was a symbol of God’s love, mercy, and grace to Israel and the world. It is a picture of how He feels about us, no matter what we do or how we sin. His grace and passion for me gave me back the love for Him. I was changed because He first loved me.
I love the beauty of Kasey’s repentance and the loving and beautiful way the Lord restored her. Just as the Father rejoiced over her return to Him, He will rejoice again for every sinner who repents. 

Thank you Lord for Your heart of love and compassion and Your unfailing patience with all of us who have gone astray at some point in our lives. Help us to hear Your call to return and help us to see and feel Your loving embrace when we do. We pray this in Jesus’ name. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” This is from 2 Corinthians chapter 1. I know most, if not all, of you have been through some kind of struggle or hurt in your life. If you know our Lord, then you also know how wonderfully comforting He is. I’ve felt Him right beside me in my darkest moments of hurt and disappointment, and also in my greatest times of loss. 

This week I want to talk about how God comforts us when we’re hurting. When things feel the most bleak, when we’ve been betrayed, or our plans fall through in a spectacularly bad way, He is right there with us.  After all, Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us. He can identify with our pain because He was rejected and despised. Can you imagine coming to set your family free from prison only to be told to your face that you aren’t the one they want? Even when you tell them your plan and promise it will work and they still refuse to believe you? It was like that for Jesus. He came to earth with the greatest rescue plan to save mankind from their prison of sin and death. He went to the Jews first, because they are His special possession, His very own chosen people. But even though they had the scriptures telling the very story of how He would make this happen—actually verifying everything that He said and did—they still didn’t believe. The Pharisees in particular went as far as accusing Him of being from satan. The Son of God being told He was from satan! Oh yes, my friends, He is well acquainted with sorrow and grief. He knows what it feels like to be hated and hurt and abandoned. Even His closest friends (yep, the disciples) ran off and left Him as soon as soldiers arrived to arrest Him. That’s quite a blow. 

But just like the passage from 2 Corinthians assures us that those of us who suffer will be comforted, and that those of us who suffer will comfort others, our Lord models that perfectly for us. He went through suffering so that He can comfort us when we suffer. Jesus went through physical, mental, and emotional suffering.  Have you experienced any of that? I know I have! Today I want you to hear from Melody from North Carolina. She went through an experience of deep hurt, embarrassment, and emotional anguish.

"I went through a time when I was without God and apart from God. I almost got married. I have to say almost because I was in a situation where there were a lot of alcohol involved and a lot of things I’m not proud of, because during this time I was running away from God. But I was actually going to get married to this man. I was not a heavy drinker, we’d go out a lot, but he had a drinking problem and he would drink until he was soused or the money was all gone. I very often drove us home because I was the soberest one. I probably took a few risks. It was not a good time and I didn’t realize I was not happy. I thought marriage was what I needed to do. We came down to the wedding rehearsal and I had asked my fiancé to not drink tonight of all nights. I remember asking him, "please don’t drink during the rehearsal." Well, he showed up completely blasted, staggering around, and smelling awful. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life and I started thinking that night… when is a good time for me to get divorced? Two years from now, three years from now? I was at my absolutely lowest point. I realized how crazy that sounded, that I was in the middle of my wedding rehearsal and I was already planning my divorce. I was not happy. This man I was about to join in matrimony didn’t have respect for me at all. I went through a really tough emotional time. I was crying and upset, my mom was there and she was upset. I was embarrassed, mortified. I had nothing left and could go no further. I felt like I was at the bottom. I had no idea what to do. I had people on one side saying breaking it off. Others were saying its ok, go ahead and marry him. I remember thinking in the back of my head, go ahead and marry him and save face and divorce him later. I had all these wild thoughts running through my head about what I should do and who I should talk to.

For the first time I had to be alone. I remember going into my sister’s room and sitting on her old comforter. To this day I can remember the look of her room and the colors. For the first time in a long time I got on my knees and starting praying. I laid it all out before God and told Him I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I begged Him to help me decide and know what to do. To help me figure this out. If anyone has doubts that God exists, I can tell you for certain He does. This was the first time I heard His voice. It was not something I imagined in my head or something I made up. I remember the look of my sister’s room and the power that came down in those words. The power and the love was indescribable. It was so humbling when I met God. And to this day I still tear up because I can say, He was there. All the things I had done and ignored and fought, I could be a child of God again. It was an amazing night. He told me, “Don’t do it. Don’t go through with it. Trust me. Don’t do it.” It was a major leap of faith to fight the urge not to lose face with all those people. I called off the wedding and it was the best decision! Sometimes when He answers prayers, it may not be the answer you want, but it is the answer you need. Life after that brought me right back to God and to the church. And I found happiness and found my comfort in the Lord when I went back to Him."

Thanks so much for sharing, Melody! What a wonderful, loving, and comforting God we serve!  He was right there beside her through her trial. This reminds me a verse from Ps 18. In verse 6 it says, “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help; From His temple he heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.” In Psalm 3 the bible says, “O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” When the passage says “salvation” here, in the Hebrew it literally says, salvation, deliverance, or help, meaning to be rescued from distress or danger. What’s really cool, is that the Hebrew reading of this word is the feminine version of Yeshua, which is the Hebrew word for Savior. So it would mean, “many are saying of my soul, there is no Savior or Salvation from God” for the psalmist. Or if we applied it to our situations, our enemies would try to say we are foolish for believing God is going to save us, when our situation is really out of control. But what we know as Christians, is that our God, our Savior Jesus Christ, has already saved us and will rescue us from our troubles. Even if we bring the trouble down on our own heads. 

When we looked at the testimony of provision, I quoted from Benjamin Franklin, who said, “God helps those who help themselves.” Remember, this is wisdom from a worldly man who may not have had a relationship with God. This is not what the bible tells us. Again and again the bible shows us examples of how God rescues His people. If you aren’t convinced, look at the Israelites in the books of Judges, Kings and Chronicles. There are multiple stories of how God’s people turn away from Him to chase after false gods (aka, man-made objects that they chose to worship). Their enemies came after them and oppressed them.  Time after time, they called on the name of God for help and He graciously rescued them. He has a never ending, never giving up kind of love for His people. Even after they went into exile for continued disobedience, He eventually brought them back out and restored them to their land. 

Yes there are consequences to our actions. But there is abundant grace, loving kindness, forgiveness, and mercy available from God. You do not have to make yourself better and you do not have to try harder to receive it.  It is a free gift. I recently read a lovely book by James Bryan Smith called, “Embracing the Love of God.” In it, he recounts an incident where he had gotten the idea that God was angry with him because of his failures. As a result, he withdrew from God and even stopped talking to Him for a while. Then one day, he decided to face God again and came before the Lord with repentance and confession, repeating over and over, “I am so sorry, please forgive me, I know I can do better…”  The Lord answered by giving him a vision.  Here it is in his words: “When I closed my eyes I saw a lush green field, with the wind blowing through the high grass. Jesus was standing off in the distance and He began walking toward me. As He got closer I began pleading once again, ‘I am so sorry, please forgive me, I know I can do better…’ Jesus never said a word in response. He just kept walking toward me, looking straight into my eyes. When He got near me He lifted me up from the ground and hugged me. For the next five minutes I was hugged by God. No words were spoken, but a feeling of warmth and love and acceptance penetrated my lonely, restless heart.”

Friend, Jesus loves you. He loves you in the middle of your messes. He loves to comfort you. He is present with you when you hurt. He is ready to wrap His arms of love around you. Don’t be afraid to let Him heal your hurt. He is gentle and kind and sweet.

Let’s pray: Dear Lord, thank You for loving us even when we are unlovable. Thank you for being an ever present help in times of trouble. Thank you for comforting us and being the friend who sticks closer than a brother. Take away our fear of punishment and remind us that You took that punishment for us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Embracing The Love of God: The Path & Promise of Christian Life, by James Bryan Smith.
HarperCollins Publishers, 1995
   

​Welcome back to Testify to Grace! Last week we heard from Marilyn in GA about how the Lord delivered her from danger. This week I want to talk about the how the Lord provides and the testimony that comes from sharing His goodness. The Lord is so good to us! He loves His own and provides for us generously out of His abundant riches.

Many Christians have the erroneous belief that God only helps those who help themselves.  Guess what? That idea came from Benjamin Franklin—not the bible, not God. Benjamin Franklin used the phrase in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” published in 1736. So many have bought into the idea that they have to work to earn God’s love, approval, and provision. But that’s just not true. The bible in Ephesians clearly tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” That’s from the NAS version.  I like the NLT version also, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

In other words, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. And not only that, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. He already loves us. Think about a really good parent… not just a good parent, but a great one. Children don’t have to do anything to have their parents love them. Their parents just do. It’s the same with God. When we become His children through faith in Jesus, He is ready and waiting to bless us with good things. God has abundant resources at the ready. Let’s look at Psalm 103. Starting in vs 1, it says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

We know that the Lord pardons our iniquities. That’s another word for sin. But some people live as if they have not been forgiven. Did you know that the Lord has forgiven all of our sins: past, present, and future? That’s right! Let’s see what the Bible says about it. Hebrews 10: 11-12 and 14 says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (they’re talking about Jesus here) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Jesus became the perfect flawless sacrifice whose effect has no end, even though those of us who have been forgiven may mess up again. Our mess ups don’t change the fact that we are forgiven forever. And as for our sin, verse 12 of Psalm 103 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

Isn’t that great news? A lot of people would say that knowing that gives people freedom to go right out and sin some more, because after all, if everything we do wrong is already forgiven, why worry about what we do. But I say in return, that a genuine Christian will not want to deliberately sin, and for those of us understand the freedom of forgiveness, it’s the best, most comforting feeling to be able to run back to God and know He doesn’t condemn us. Paul reassures us in Romans chapter 8 where he says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And in verse 31 he says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” I’m pretty sure all things means: All Things.

He is that good and He’s ready to bless us. I’d like to share with you a story from my own experience where the Lord provided for my husband Jeremy and me. We were seminary students and living at the poverty line. I graduated from seminary before Jeremy and got a job at a law firm. Jeremy had a part time job at a wonderful, but tiny church in Decatur, Tx. When the recession of 2009 hit, I lost my job and then couldn’t get another. That put us living on one income—his part time church job. We could barely afford the gas to get to and from the church on Sundays and Wednesdays. And it was a 45 min drive! We were looking at having to eat canned beans or maybe ramen and Jeremy still had a couple of semesters of seminary to get through. We couldn’t afford the tuition or the books either. I poured my heart out to God and told Him how worried I was about surviving. The Lord impressed on me the need to mention our finances as a prayer request at church. The very next time we were at church, I brought it up as soon as the pastor asked about our prayer needs. A dear couple approached me privately and let me know that the Lord had spoken to them and they wanted to help. They financed the rest of Jeremy's education and bought us groceries and gas until we were able to get back on our feet. We were overwhelmed with how good the Lord is!  It was one thing for the couple to help us with groceries and gas and a whole other level of goodness for them to finance the education. That is the Lord’s abundant provision!  

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” I’ve told you about how He provided for our financial need. Let’s look at an example of His abundant provision in the bible. In the book of 1 Kings, Elijah, a prophet of God took a stand against the evil king Ahab and his even more evil wife Jezebel. He prophesied that there would be no dew or rain for several years until he gave word. This was a time that was meant to remind Israel about who provided for them, while showing God’s great power. During the famine, Elijah visited a widow in Zarephath.
​Let’s read together starting in verse 8: “Then the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.’ So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, ‘Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?’ As she was going to get it, he called to her, ‘Bring me a bite of bread, too.’  But she said, ‘I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.’ 
But Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!’ So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”  Talk about a miracle! Can you imagine being that widow and seeing how the Lord provided day after day?

I will never forget how the Lord provided for me in my extreme need. I also won’t forget all the other ways He has come through for me. There have been times when the money was tight, but it was always just enough—just like the widow with her flour and oil. There were times when I needed wisdom and He gave it. There were times when I needed a friend and the Lord gave me several. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He is my Shepherd and He will provide all of my needs.

Photo on link by Daria Mikhailova on Unsplash