Empty me

Waiting to see Your face

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation —
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid? 
² When evil men advance against me
    to devour my flesh,^[a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
    they will stumble and fall. 
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear; 
though war break out against me,
    even then will I be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask of the Lord,
    this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life, 
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble 
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
    and set me high upon a rock. 
⁶ Then my head will be exalted 
    above the enemies who surround me; 
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; 
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me. 
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his^[b] face! ”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger; 
    you have been my helper. 
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    O God my Savior. 
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord;
    lead me in a straight path 
    because of my oppressors. 
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    breathing out violence.

¹³ I am still confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord 
    in the land of the living. 
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Lamentations 3

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, 
    for his compassions never fail. 
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; 
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him; 
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly 
    for the salvation of the Lord. 
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence, 
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust —
    there may yet be hope. 
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, 
    and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For men are not cast off
    by the Lord forever. 
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love. 
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to the children of men.

³⁴ To crush underfoot
    all prisoners in the land,
³⁵ to deny a man his rights
    before the Most High, 
³⁶ to deprive a man of justice—
    would not the Lord see such things?

³⁷ Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it? 
³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come? 
³⁹ Why should any living man complain
    when punished for his sins?

⁴⁰ Let us examine our ways and test them, 
    and let us return to the Lord. 
⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to God in heaven, and say:
⁴² “We have sinned and rebelled 
    and you have not forgiven.

⁴³ “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
    you have slain without pity. 
⁴⁴ You have covered yourself with a cloud 
    so that no prayer can get through. 
⁴⁵ You have made us scum and refuse
    among the nations.

⁴⁶ “All our enemies have opened their mouths
    wide against us. 
⁴⁷ We have suffered terror and pitfalls, 
    ruin and destruction. ”
⁴⁸ Streams of tears flow from my eyes 
    because my people are destroyed.

⁴⁹ My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief, 
⁵⁰ until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees. 
⁵¹ What I see brings grief to my soul
    because of all the women of my city.

⁵² Those who were my enemies without cause
    hunted me like a bird. 
⁵³ They tried to end my life in a pit 
    and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴ the waters closed over my head, 
    and I thought I was about to be cut off.

⁵⁵ I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit. 
⁵⁶ You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷ You came near when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”

⁵⁸ O Lord, you took up my case; 
    you redeemed my life. 
⁵⁹ You have seen, O Lord, the wrong done to me. 
    Uphold my cause! 
⁶⁰ You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.

Rusty prayers

This past weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with my niece and nephew at camp.  This is the same camp that I've grown up at and the same camp at which I've been involved in the preschool ministry for years.  Thus, between auntie times, I naturally wandered over to the preschool room to lend a hand to the teachers and love on my kiddos.

There's one little boy in the class whom I've come to know over the past few years.  Rusty is a boy who's full of energy and spunk.  This past year, Rust was also diagnosed with brain cancer and only given a small change to live; this news didn't really sink in until I saw Rusty at camp this week.

At first, I didn't even recognize him! His skin had become a sickly shade, he'd lost all of his hair from chemo, and he was covered with scabs and bruises from countless treatments.  Weakened by the cancer and its treatment, the boy who once raced around the room now struggled to slowly place one leg in front of the other.  there's one thing, though, that hadn't changed about Rusty.  despite everything, the kid didn't loose his spunk!  Nope, he was still the same playful, excited,energetic, joyful Rust that I'd known the previous two years.  The cancer hadn't stolen his joy!


Usually when I see kids in pain like this, my first response is heartache and anger at the injustice of one so young having to face such big struggles.  And while my heart goes out for Rusty, mostly what I feel is hope and anticipation; the kid who had a 5% chance of making it to this past Christmas was well enough to ask his parents to take him to camp to play between treatment.  Sure, he's fragile and we had to be extra cautious with hi, but his spirit is so full of life it's hard not to be hopeful!  Through Rusty, I was reminded that nothing is impossible with God, that God has conquered disease and death. And so I pray that by camp next year Rusty will be back to his old self, not just in spirit, but also in health.  I have no idea what God has planned for rusty or How He will use him, but I know that my God is the God of miracles.  And thus, I am hopeful!

Please join me in praying for Rusty.  Praise God that the cancer hasn't dampened his spirit!  Please pray for continued healing and joy for Rusty. For more information and other ways to get involved, check out rustyshope.com

My Prayer

As if there were no God

Lately I've heard it argued that human beings would be much better off if there were no God. If there were no God, we wouldn't have to worry about securing our eternal state; we could live this life as if it were the only one, ultimately doing as we pleased.  I heard it argued that if there were no God, we would be free to live happier lives because we won't have to worry about trying to please God or live up to His standards, that people won't be so guilty all the time; ultimately, if there weren't a God, this world would be a much happier place.

If I'm honest, I have to admit that sometimes I fall into this lie.  When temptation strikes, it's easy to justify that my way is better, that God's simply trying to spoil my fun, that whatever I want to do truly isn't "that bad".

In reality, though, God isn't a tyrant.  God is love (1 John 4:8).  God is a Father who provides good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:7-12; Luke 11:9-13; James 1:17).  I know it's a cliche argument, but it's one I'll risk repeating to tired ears; God's plans are better than ours.  He knows better than us what's good for us, not only in the moment, but in the long term.  He's shaping us in ways we don't yet understand, asking us to trust the Potter until we take full shape. His ways are higher than ours; we need only to trust Him (Isaiah 55:8-9; Proverbs 3:5-6).  Like a loving father, God understands that our actions have long term consequences; He can see how the "harmless" act of today is going to cause us agony and heartache tomorrow, how our iniquity will ultimately lead to death (Ezekiel 18:24-30.  Like a loving parent, God sets up rules to protect us from the fallenness of our world; a parent doesn't tell her child to wait until the cookie is cooled to take a bite because the parent wishes the child to be unhappy in the moment but because she doesn't want the child to get burned.  So it is with God.

Now, this is all nice on paper and in theory, but in real life it just doesn't pan out, right?

I mean, it's fine when a man and woman compromise their sexual boundaries in the heat of the moment because they're in love, right?  What harm could it really do? It's fine when a single person, not knowing how to respond to her sexual desires, watches suggestive romance movies and fantasy about her sexuality with her future husband, right?  Speaking of fantasy, it's fine for a man let his mind wander to the sexual possibilities between him and his girlfriend; after all, thoughts never hurt anyone, right?

Except when those compromised boundaries result in marital problems for the man fifteen years later when he compares his wife with his first love and cause the woman to run to self-destructive behaviors to try to deal with her grief and shame.  Except when the woman's husband fails to live up to the impossible standards of movie fantasy, creating a rift in their marriage that ultimately leads to divorce.  Except when such thoughts cause him to dishonor his girlfriend, overestimate the level of their real relationship, and cause him to pressure her into acts she's against.

Okay, lust has it's apparent downfalls, but what about other sins?  What about greed and gluttony?  Surely there's no harm in financial success, in striving for more and working as hard as it takes to get it.  But what if that striving causes one to overlook the important things in life; what if a wife and mother gets so wrapped up in proving herself through her work that she forgets and ultimately loses her husband and kids?  What about the one who's so focused on getting ahead that he becomes discontent with any amount and becomes depressed at what he views as his poverty?  What about the one who sacrifices the well-being of other humans in order to make the most profit?  What about the children and wife who lose their beloved father and husband much too soon because he was consumed by trying to satisfy his hunger for the world's treasures?

There's no harm in sloth though, right?  You've worked hard most of the time; surely you deserve a break.  Just a day off here or there, a nice summer vacation like when you were a kid, a year's sabbatical to rest up so you can best prepare for the hard work that you're destined to do in the future. God commands us to rest, right?  But what happens when that "rest" leads to an attitude of entitlement?  What happens when parent and child swap roles because the parent declares she's cared for others long enough and now deserves to be waited on?  What happens when one's decision to take a break from live pulls his family into a tailspin of poverty?  What about the distracted student who forgoes assignments for social media and video games and throws away thousands of dollars of tuition money?

I could go on with the damages of envy and wrath and pride, but I think you get my point.  Far too often I've seen the devastating effects of sin destroy lives around me.  Time and time again life has proven to me that God's ways are perfect, that His ways are much better than mine, that ultimately it's been to trust His timing and His plan than to give into the temptation of today's pleasures.  The the temptation be strong, ultimately they're not worth it.

Papa, thank You for Your perfect plan.  LORD, lead and guide me for Your name sake.  You are mighty to save. Papa, please help me say no to sin and yes to You.  Your ways are higher than mine; forgive me for trusting my own understanding.  Please teach me to instead trust You, LORD.  Give me the strength to trust You more each day.  Give me the strength to say no to temptation, trusting that what You have planned is better.  Where You lead, LORD, I will follow.

HALF

Well, today was the day, a day that I've been been anticipating and training for for months now.  Today is the day that I ran my first half marathon!  As I've said numerous times before, I'm constantly amazed by all of the things that God has taught me through this silly hobby.  Today was no exception.  Running has not only been a great way to relax and let off steam but also a way for me to test my limits, to push myself further than I think I can go.  Today was no exception to this; as I hit mile 11, I started to feel the muscles in my leg tense and spasm, started to feel the exhaustion and heat of the morning.  Those who know me know I'm incredibly determined, sometimes stubbornly so.  Again, today was no exception.  As I struggled through the last few miles, I pray for strength and energy to accomplish what I'd set out to do, even if I had to crawl to do so.  The last mile or so wasn't pretty, but I finished!  By the grace and strength of God, I finished.

As challenging as they may be, half marathons are nothing compared to some of the challenges of this life.  And just as He got me through this run, I trust that He will get me through whatever He takes me to.  When life becomes impossible to do on my own, I lean on the One with whom nothing is impossible.

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.   Exodus 15:2

Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.  1 Chronicles 16:11

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of  whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1

Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually!  Psalm 105:4

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:!0

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights (or distances in the case of this morning ;-)) Habakkuk 3:19

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