Monday, April 6, 2015

The Value of the Valley


 
I am stubborn and rebellious and it takes me a long time to learn anything, BUT over the past 10 or so years,  I've learned that my greatest spiritual growth has occurred while I was in the valley. "Valleys" are those times when God allowed me to face seemingly impossible obstacles in order to stretch my faith. Sometimes my obstacle was something from my past that reared its ugly head to wreak havoc on my present. Several times, the obstacle was illness. There were times when broken relationships caused more pain than I thought I could bear. No matter the specific circumstance,  most often, the greatest obstacle for me to overcome is fear of the unknown.
 
Not knowing the outcome of a situation causes me a great deal of anxiety. I have found myself wondering "what if I do this 'God's way' and it all blows up in my face?" or "If I handle this the way God expects, will I still get the result I want?" I suppose I'm really asking, "Is God trustworthy?"

I've learned that a trip through the valley has tremendous value, especially when it comes to learning to trust God. 

In the valley we face our fears. In the valley, we hang on when nothing makes sense, trusting only that God is in control, that He has a plan, and that His plan is best. We close our eyes and cling to the Father while our world seems to come crashing down, trusting that HE is in control. We allow ourselves to be pushed past comfortable to the point of pain because we trust that God knows things we do not, can see the outcome we cannot, and that the pain we are going through will be worth it.

In the valley we confront our demons. We make peace with our past and learn to trust God with our future. Our faith is stretched and strengthened and our hearts healed in the valley. A walk through the darkest valley will challenge our belief, expose our doubts, and reveal those things in which we have misplaced our trust. I found the answer to the most important question I've ever asked there.

"Can I trust God?"
 
I've learned that the answer to this question is a resounding yes! In the valley God proved that He is indeed trustworthy, that HIS way is truly and absolutely the best way, and that He has a plan and a purpose...and ultimately it is to bring HIM glory.


Thinking back over Easter weekend, I am reminded of Silent Saturday. What a valley those who loved Jesus were in. I try and remember this when I am in a valley. God has a plan. Just because I can's see Him at work doesn't mean He has abandoned me. I;ve learned that a trip through the valley is good for my soul. It makes me cling to Jesus, reveals His working in my heart, and prepares me for what ever He has planned for the rest of my days.

I am not insinuating that a trip through the valley will make all troubles disappear. When we emerge from the valley, things will not likely be "good as new". Spiritual healing doesn't erase the past. We will bear the scars of living life.... but we will be spiritually stronger, we will be freed from bondage, we will be healed.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Christ the Lord is Risen today!!!

FINALLY!
It's Easter! I have barely been able to contain myself! I've waited for today allll week!!!!!!! Here's what I've been waiting for....

John 20

The Empty Tomb

20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed[a] from the tomb. So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”
At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went home again.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.
15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”[b]—which means “Teacher.”
17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what[c] He had said to her.

OH! How I love Jesus! IS that not he most precious picture? Can you IMAGINE how poor Mary's heart must have jumped from her chest when she heard the LORD say her name??? Oh! How He loves us! He always takes that extra step to show His absolute love for us. I am moved to tears of sheer JOY picturing Mary as The Lord of all Creation spoke her name. What an Awesome God we serve!

IT'S SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!
God is alive!
Death is Defeated!
Hope of Heaven is given to all who believe!


It's Sunday.
The day My Lord and Savior defeated death so that I could have life.

Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day

Read more: Casting Crowns - Glorious Day Lyrics | MetroLyrics
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He's coming back. Not as a baby. Not to be crucified on a cross. This time He will come and claim His people for Heaven. Satan will be defeated once for all. And we will live in Heaven for all eternity. Oh Glorious Day!!!




Saturday, April 4, 2015

Silent Saturday

It's Saturday.
Some call this Holy Saturday. There is debate as to where Jesus was on this day. Whether he descended to hell and freed the righteous who'd died before His time, descended into hell and broke through the gates and cleaned house, ascended into heaven, or was simply lying in wait for the resurrection, the point of the matter is, He was dead. We will leave the speculations on what he did with that period of time until we get to heaven ourselves and can ask.
 
It's Saturday.
We are hunting eggs and visiting with friends and family,  but this is quite different from what went on the FIRST Holy Saturday.
 
Imagine what those who loved Jesus most went through. They loved Jesus the man. Son, Brother, Friend, Teacher. They loved Jesus the Messiah. Healer of the sick, Defeater of demons, Conqueror of death, Redeemer, Savior, Lord. They loved Him, as much as I have loved any person in all my life.
 
And He is dead.
 
How they must have agonized. How they must have grieved. All their hopes and dreams were buried with Jesus. You can read what Scripture says about this day here.
 
Know what breaks my heart? Verse 61.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.
Oh, those poor women. Can't you just see them sitting there outside the tomb, hopes shattered, grieving the loss of the One they loved so very much. I imagine them alternating between sobbing and staring at the closed tomb with blank faced disbelief. What must have been going through their minds?
 
My heart breaks for those who loved Jesus on Saturday.
 
There are times in my life (I've even recorded some since I began writing) when I felt as though God was sitting back with a grin on His face as if to say, "Watch what I'm about to do."
I feel like this was the ultimate example of that. I imagine all of heaven and creation held its breath as it awaited the Lord's Resurrection.
 
But I get ahead of myself. It's still Saturday.
 
I love Saturday in all of its agony because Saturday tells me that God's got a plan. He IS in control. My heart is shattered for those who loved Jesus so much because I know that they don't know that He is coming back. I want to call out to them over the ages and say "Hang on!!!!! Sunday's Coming!!!!!! He's coming back!!!!! It's not over!!!!! Just hang on til tomorrow and everything will be all right!!!!" I'm on the edge of my seat, about to burst with excitement because I know what's coming! I know what they are in for tomorrow and my poor human heart wants so much for Saturday's grief and morning and agony to be over because I know that the JOY of seeing Jesus again will erase the pain of  today! But we aren't there yet.
 
It's Saturday.
The day that reminds me to hang on and trust in Jesus, God's got a plan, He is in control.
 
It's Saturday.
The day that God shows me that He allows unbearable suffering because HE knows it will be insignificant compared to the JOY at the end! All our suffering here will not even be a memory when we meet Jesus face to face in Heaven! 
 
I'm getting ahead of myself again.
 
It's Saturday.
(But Sunday's Coming!)

Friday, April 3, 2015

Thoughts on Good Friday

It's Friday. Good Friday.
Tonight my son is going to Prom. School is out. Spring is in the air. Tomorrow we will have our city-wide Easter egg hunt.On Sunday, my youngest will have her 10th birthday. Life is good and I am thankful. I am thankful for this life I've been given and for all the amazing people God has given me to share it with. Today I am also consciously thankful for the gift of forgiveness and eternity in Heaven and am more aware of the sacrifice that was made for me to have these gifts than I am on most days. 

It's Good Friday. The day we recognize as the day Christ Jesus was crucified. What a terribly wonderful day. Images from The Passion of the Christ blur through my thoughts. Images of a beaten, broken, bruised, crushed Jesus are in the forefront of my mind. The Biblical account of Good Friday is here.

So much happened in one day! At daybreak, Jesus goes before Pilate. He hears all the accusations made against Him and does not defend Himself, does not call out His accusers. I can't imagine how his heart must have ached knowing how the people felt about him.  I guess he already knew how they felt. Still, it must have hurt to hear them call for His death. I've often wondered how "fully God and fully man" works here. Did His understanding of mankind's need for a Savior outweigh their hatred of Him? Did His understanding of Satan and Hell give Him compassion for those who betrayed Him, beat Him, and, ultimately, killed Him? Since He died for us, I believe that this is the case. These are things that would be attributed to Him being "fully God". So then, how does the "fully man" fit in? Did He fully feel the deep sting of betrayal, fully experience the brokenness of His human body? Was He left breathless from the weight of the hatred spewed at Him? He must have felt it all as any of us would...since He was paying the price for our sin. My heart breaks to think about these things. My Lord, My Jesus, My Savior, the Creator of the Universe, broken and beaten....for me.

Judas hangs himself today too. I feel sorry for Judas. I really do. He realized, too late, that he'd made a grave error. He tried to make it right, but the Sanhedrin would not turn from the plan they'd put in motion. Judas had no hope. There was absolutely nothing he could do to make it right. My heart breaks for him, mainly because I know that, without Jesus, I too would be without hope. There are things I've done that can never be made right, but, thanks be to God, Jesus died and paid the penalty for my sin, rose on the 3rd day and defeated death and the grave so that I can live eternally in the presence of my Lord in Heaven! How precious it is to me that this was included in Scripture. One more example of our utter hopelessness and our tremendous unfathomable need for a Savior.
 
But I get ahead of myself. It's still Friday.

My Lord has been condemned to die. He was so hated and despised that the people set a known murderer free and asked that Jesus die in His place. (I just realized that this is another clear picture of what Jesus did for all of us. Barabbas did NOTHING to warrant his freedom. Jesus died in his place.)
 
Since I saw the Passion, one phrase in this text has hung heavy in my heart. The phrase is found in
Matthew 27:26  Then he released Barabbas to them. But after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified. 
Mark 15:15 Then, willing to gratify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
 3 little words. They aren't even in Luke and John's accounts. 3 little words that mean my Lord was whipped with the cat of nine tails, the flesh was ripped from His back, He was beaten beyond recognition. I do not think that even my most gruesome imagining can touch the reality of the beating He received. All recorded in three little words. I'm sure that no further explanation was needed  when the text was written. However, in our time, not being familiar with "flogging", it is far too easy to look over those 3 little words without acknowledging the severity of the punishment our Savior received.
 
As I said, so much happened on that Friday. Too much to ponder here.
 
After carrying His cross (He was too weak to do it alone, so the Roman guards forced bystander to help Him), He was crucified. Again, the words have softened their blow over the ages. This was truly a horrendous death.
 
The last thing I want to mention is the beautiful gift Christ gives us on the cross. When He tells the thief "Today you will be with me in paradise". You can read Luke's account of it here. As if we needed any more encouragement to trust Him. As if what He'd already done was not enough, Jesus gives us this beautiful promise. It's as if He waited until He had our full attention and, before He drew His last breath, he said,  "Believe in Me. Believe I am who I say I am. Trust in Me and you will be saved."
 
And then the Lord of All Creation died.
 
It's Friday.
The day Jesus showed me how to defend myself against wrongful accusations.
 
It's Friday.
The day my Savior made sure that I understood that faith in Him is all I need to be saved.
 
It's Friday.
The day that the Creator of the Universe, the Master of all Creation, the Lover of my soul, was mocked, scorned, spat upon, beaten beyond anything I can imagine.
 
It's Friday.
The day that God gave His life for mine.
 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Maundy Thursday


It's Thursday.
Tomorrow is Good Friday.
Sunday is Easter.

But today is Thursday.
As the Easter Story plays out, tonight Jesus will have the Last Supper with the Disciples. Tonight Jesus will wash the feet of all the disciples, including Judas, the betrayer. Afterward, they will go to the Garden to pray. Finally, Jesus will be arrested and the disciples will be scattered. Peter will deny knowing Christ not once, but three times.

It's Thursday. I know how the story plays out. I already know how the story ends.  Still, my heart breaks for the disciples. They have no idea what horrors tonight will bring. They do not understand the events that are unfolding around them.

I cannot imagine how terrified they must have been when their Master, their Teacher, their Friend, was arrested.

But we aren't there yet.

First there's dinner. You can read all about it here.
Try and put yourself in that scene. Talk about the most awkward Dinner EVER! First, Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray him. They all say "not me" and when Judas says it, Jesus responds, "you have said it".  Wow. Can you feel the air being sucked out of the room? THEN they pass around the bread and the wine and Jesus tells them, his FRIENDS, that this will be His last supper with them. Honestly, can you IMAGINE?  I can try, but am sure that I cannot fathom the way the disciples must have felt.
Then, what must Jesus have felt? Knowing exactly how things were going to go down. Knowing that this was the end of His time with the 12. Knowing that they just didn't understand the enormity of the moment. Knowing how frightened they would all be. Knowing that they would die for their belief in Him. Knowing all the pain that would be endured, not only by Him, but also by all who loved Him. How His heart must have ached. My heart hurts just thinking about it.

Dinner ends, they sing some hymns, and go to the Garden. You can read the Biblical account of it here.

Things get worse for the disciples. Jesus has already verified that Judas would betray Him. Now, he tells Peter that he will deny him not once, but three times...before dawn! I'm sure that Peter, who loves Jesus, cannot imagine any scenario in which he would deny knowing his teacher and friend. Of course, Peter has no idea just how bad things are going to get. How it must have agonized Jesus to know that the 12 would be scattered, that Peter would be so afraid that he would deny being a disciple, that they would all be terrified.

In the Garden, Jesus tells Peter, James and John,  “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me."

What had Jesus swallowed up in sorrow? See what He does next...
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Wow. Just wow. Jesus knew everything that was about to take place. He understood. In the final hours, He asked the Father if the cup could pass from Him. That would be like me saying, "God, if there is any other way to do this, let's do it that way."  BUT Jesus doesn't wait for an answer. He doesn't try to formulate another plan. He doesn't analyze the situation. He says, "Yet not as I will, but as You will."  OH! To have that level of submission to God! Not what I want, but what You want, Lord.

Shortly thereafter, Judas shows up and kisses Jesus on the cheek and the Roman Guards take the Lord of All Creation away...and thus begins the most horridly beautiful 3 days in history.

It's Thursday.
The day Jesus showed me how to love those who betray me.

It's Thursday.
The day Jesus showed me what to do when my soul is swallowed up in sorrow.

It's Thursday.
The day Jesus Christ said "not my will but Your will" and, in doing so, chose to save my wretched soul.