Please forgive the delay posting this morning’s post. I awoke today, with a passion to write something more timely.

I keep watching as hurricane Florence approaches the Carolinas, watching in awe of the size of the storm, and in deep concern for all that is within its path. I am thankful for the downgrade in intensity, but profoundly aware of the damage it will cause. I continue to pray for safety for people who will feel its destructive force: those who stayed in their homes, first responders, members of the military, and others. I pray for people who are displaced, seeking shelter and protection, unsure of what they will experience now, and what they will return to once the storm passes. I pray for communities that will be affected for years to come, long after the national meteorologists and news media move on to other stories and most of us forget about the long road of recovery. I pray for my own family and friends who need safety and direction. I look upon this vast storm and I pray.

This is not the only storm in my prayers this morning. I am also praying for families that are walking through the storm of grief, storms of physical struggles, along with storms in thought and spirit. These are not just generic prayers for nameless people who are struggling, they are prayers for people I love, for whom my heart breaks, and, beyond my prayers, I feel helpless. Storms remind us of our vulnerability and our weakness, yet I offer what strength I can as I hold each person and situation before God.

I know that many in our current culture remain unimpressed with the offering of thoughts and prayers. I realize that they see this as nothing more than words, and sometimes they are right. When we are honest, we know that the offer to pray for others can be the ultimate Christian brush-off, that keeps us from being truly invested in the needs of others. However, that does not mean that all prayer lacks power and significance. Yes, for some, an offering to pray may be an act of avoidance, but for many of us, our prayers are a sign of our deep, and passionate, investment in the lives of those who matter to us, and to God. Praying may be some of the greatest work we do, for while we cannot change every storm people experience, God can.

I’ve been privileged to share in prayer with people who profoundly care about the needs of others. I listen to the deep cries of their hearts, and see the tears that flow from their eyes as they carry those they love to Jesus. They know their weakness, but they trust in God’s strength. There is nothing passive about their prayers, instead, they are putting all of their trust in the Jesus who speaks to storms and they obey him. Like the story in the Bible of the people who tore the roof off of a house to get their friend in front of Jesus, they are committed to carrying the ones they love into his presence, with the unwavering belief that he can make a difference.

Part of what makes today’s thoughts timely to me extends beyond the pending impact of a hurricane. It is also timely because my wife and I are about to go for her two-year, post-cancer check up. At this time in 2016, we were in the midst of a powerful storm. We were weak, and fighting our fears as we faced the struggle ahead. We had faith, but thank God we were not alone. There were people in many places who were fighting with us in the storm.

You may ask, “did those prayers make any difference?” Absolutely! We felt them in countless ways. God gave us peace in the storm, offered miraculous provision and direction, and brought us safely though. I am not denying the gifts of the medical community and others, but there were just too many moments where we saw God move in our circumstances where there was no other explanation than the power of prayer. God responded to the prayers of God’s people, and this was not the only time. God is faithful, and our prayers make a difference.

So, I am going to continue to pray for those facing storms today. I am going to keep believing in God’s ability to be peace in the storm, and speak peace to the storm. I am going to keep tearing the roof off buildings and pressing through whatever walls I need to in order to bring those I love, and the whole world before God. I will be relentless in my petitions, because I know the heart of God, I know the power of the Holy Spirit, and I know that God moves in the mightiest of storms. I will be God’s answer to prayer where I can, and where I am helpless, I will put my full hope in the One who is not. I will continue to trust the Jesus of great compassion, who looks at the immensity of the storm and says, “Peace! Be still!” I pray you will join me.

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Worry, it affects us all at various times in our lives. Some experience it more than others, and its impact varies from person to person, but in every case, worry steals from us. It steals our joy, our energy, and our peace. The worst part is worry has no power to make any impact on our future situation. It only changes our present.

The late Corrie ten Boom said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strengths.”

During vacation, there was a sign just outside of my bedroom that read, “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” At first, I thought it belonged inside the bedroom, to be seen as you began the day, but as the days passed, I realized it was in the perfect spot, serving as a reminder before sleep that whatever worries consumed the day were already lost time, and carrying them to bed was only a prescription for lost rest. God willing, tomorrow would come, and no amount of worry would change the day in any way.

It was a powerful reminder for me each night. I tend to default to more worry than I wish I did. It is an area of growth I continue to pursue in prayer and action. That simple, wooden sign became a reminder for my evening prayers to relinquish tomorrow into the hands of God so that I could enjoy a peaceful rest and embrace a deeper trust in God to be greet me in the morning with all I needed for the day ahead. No matter what awaited me, fretting over it would not prepare me to overcome, it would only weaken my ability to meet the challenges in the strength of my faith.

The Bible repeatedly declares, and illustrates, the call to release our anxiety and place our trust in God. It is too easy to envision the negative possibilities that may arise, but far more powerful to contemplate the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in us, and in our future. God is not surprised by the circumstances in our lives, nor is God fretting over the solutions to possible problems. God is the answer to those problems. If God is not worried, and the Spirit dwells in us, we are more than able to face whatever life brings our way.

Often, during funerals, I quote selected verses from John 14. One of the most powerful points Jesus makes is in the words, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” These are deeply comforting words, but they were not spoken just for time of mourning. The peace of Christ is a promise for every moment in our lives. The very peace that sustained Jesus in the midst of everything he faced, is lovingly given to us so that we are not captive to fear, anxiety, and worry. With his help, we can be anxious for nothing.

God’s track record in our lives is perfect. When we look back at the things that once consumed us with worry, we can see the many times we came through. What we thought would be our undoing, is now a testimony of another victory in Jesus. The journey may not have been easy, but the result is no less affirming. God is faithful.

I would love to tell you that the sign I came to love changed everything, that I no longer worry and live in Christ’s perfect peace. I still have a long way to go, but that nightly inspiration was another reminder, another God-sign, inviting me to remember that when I worry, I am not to be anxious. Instead, I am invited to share my concern with the Savior and trust my future to him.

Today, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday, but here you are. The possibilities are before you. Yes, the possibility of difficulties exist, but so do the possibilities of blessing. The potential for suffering is present, but so is the potential for joy. Best of all, whatever comes our way, we are not alone, nor are were meant to face it alone. The power of almighty God is with us.

So, let’s embrace this day. Let’s savor all the beauty it has as we allow our souls to be at peace with the very peace of Christ. Our worry will not help us, but God will. Above all, let’s not try to carry two days at once. We need our strength for today, not today and tomorrow. When we find anxiety creeping into our thoughts, we can turn our worry into a prompt for prayer,. As we pray, we can release our worry into the hands of God, and we can receive divine strength for moment we are in. God will guard our hearts, and the peace that passes all understanding will be given to us. It is a holy, and wonderful, trade, and it is ours for the asking.

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“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

God finds unexpected ways to get your attention, and if you are willing, your awareness Divine presence will teach you everything.

The morning was fairly routine. There were a number of things on my “to-do” list, but I began with some time alone with God on our front porch. It’s become a bit of sacred space for me as I enter God’s presence to the sound of birdsong, roosters crowing, and squirrels chattering. I even get some of nature’s visitors who join me for devotions. I love reflecting on Scripture and praying in the stillness of this serene environment.

This morning, God’s inroad was going to be different. It seemed like every other morning, but I struggled to stay focused. The list of things I needed to do kept creeping into my thoughts and I would need to re-center. Then came the noise. It was not a loud noise, just a persistent, rhythmic squeaking. I thought it might be the neighbor’s chickens at first, but it was too uniform and constant. Honestly, in my distracted state, it was annoying.

Looking up from my prayers, I found the source. A lone child on our church playground was fully enjoying one of our swings. I thought, “this can’t last much longer,” but it did. I was about to abandon my devotional time and launch into work, when I realized God was speaking, and speaking through the noise of a swing. While I was busy seeking some deep insight, this precious child of God was embracing pure joy. It was as if God kept saying, “Quit trying so hard, and savor my presence.” So I did, and it was far better than what I planned.

We can get caught in our efforts, however well-intentioned, and miss the revelation meant for us. God is always speaking to us, sometimes in ways we don’t expect and may not be listening to. If we will remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, our senses will be heightened to recognize when something ordinary is anything but that.

Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we need the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened so that we can see God’s revelation. It may not be a child or a swing set, but God invites us to live with eyes of wonder to see, and experience, the joy of the Lord. We need our spiritual disciplines, including reading the Bible and prayer, but we will also benefit from open hearts to hear what God is saying to us through the world around us. While that revelation will never oppose the Word of God, it will help us discover a deeper awareness of God’s word to us.

Today, may the Spirit help us remain open, attentive, and receptive to what God is saying to us through all of life.

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As I approached the end of May, I started feeling ill while at our regional conference. Suddenly, I was in the back of an ambulance with possible heart problems. Thankfully, that was not the problem, but I was diagnosed with pneumonia and excessive medication for blood pressure. There were still many tests ahead, but the initial news was good. Those tests would turn out to be a confirmation of good health.

Two weeks after my trip to the emergency room, my wife woke me with a bad cough, feeling like she had bronchitis. We went to the emergency room, where I dropped her off and parked the car. When I came inside, she was already in a room with five people working on her. It turned out she was in a-fib, in serious condition. After some extensive treatment, the situation was fixed, but the lab work revealed problems with her kidneys. This led to a kidney biopsy and other tests. While there was no kidney disease, there was some significant damage. 

We breathed a sigh of relief, only to discover that she had a growth on her tongue. We made what we thought would be a quick trip to the doctor, and many appointments and test later, we discovered that she had stage 3 oral cancer on her tongue. This led to the removal of one-half of her tongue and major reconstruction. We are still in a lengthy recovery process at this time.

It was a wile six months, and we are just beginning to recover from it. The question in the comment raised all those months ago is appropriately relevant. Does God cause bad things to help us grow? My answer, is, “No.” While it is possible that God would allow some things into our lives in order to challenge us, the bad things we experience are not from God! At the same time, I can see numerous ways in which God used our adversities to help us to grow. 

Our faith grew as we watched God bring us through each challenge. Out trust grew as we watched God’s provision helped us face each step. Our community grew as hundreds of people joined in prayer with us for healing and provision. There are countless testimonies we continue to share, and we both know that we are stronger as a result of our journey. I would never ask for it, nor would I wish it on anyone, but we cannot deny the good that came from adversity.

Without listing every blessing, allow me to express it this way. Last year started with a major car accident that totaled our vehicle. The result was a much better and dependable vehicle, which was a tremendous blessing as we faced these challenges. My trip to the ER made me take a hard look at my life, priorities, and lifestyle. Many necessary changes came from this reflection. My wife’s heart issues revealed the kidney problems which would not have been discovered until they became much worse, and without our knowledge of her heart and kidney issues, her cancer surgery could have turned out quite badly. In addition, there are already other people who have found strength and direction through our story.

Did God cause our difficulties? No. Did God use them for good? Absolutely!

When we face adversity, it is important to remember that God really can make all things work together for good. Our adversities can drive us closer to him, and can cause us to look deeply at our lives. God doesn’t cause bad things, but God does make beautiful things out of our brokenness. 

As we begin 2017, may our faith be strong as we trust God to bring us through and to make us stronger in the process.

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One of keys to going deeper in our faith is a commitment to press into God. The concept of pressing in is often hard to fully understand and can sound like just another piece of Christian jargon. Once understood, however, it becomes a powerful tool in creating a robust Christian life.

So, what exactly does it mean to press into God? Is it reading more Scripture, extending our time in prayer, or being more active in church, or is it something different? While it may include some of these things, pressing in is not just about doing more, it is about persistently cultivating an awareness of God’s presence and savoring that relationship in every circumstance.

If you’ve ever made microwave popcorn, or watched someone else make it, you already know something of the nature of pressing in. The process is fairly simple. You place the bag in the microwave in the proper position, set the timer for the time listed in the instructions, and allow the popcorn to heat and to pop. It is that simple.

Now, imagine the instructions said to heat it in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes, but instead of setting the timer that way, you chose to set it for 15 seconds, then removed it, put it back in for 15 seconds, and repeated this action for a total of ten times. The total heating time would be the same, but the result would be far different. Instead of a bag of delicious popcorn, you would produce a bag of burnt kernels that never popped.

For many, the Christian experience is made up of occasional visits with God, rather than a continued life of staying in God’s presence. A devotional here, a church service there, mingled with an occasional prayer, will not produce the same results as soaking up God’s presence and saturating ourselves in the truth.

Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He was clear that our identity, direction and life were to be found in relationship with him. He also said, “My word is truth.” Which is why we need to keep ourselves immersed in God’s word. When we regularly fill ourselves with the word of God, and live in a dynamic relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, we are pressing into the presence of God. It is there that we are transformed.

Saturating ourselves with the truth may mean that we need to study more Scripture and pray more, but it may also mean that we need to meditate on Scripture, chewing it over and over to release its deeper meaning. We may need to memorize parts that strengthen our spirits. As the Psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. We may need more personal worship, more stillness to listen, more time spent in the community of faith, and more awareness of God’s presence. There is no formula, rather it is an intentional decision to seek God in all things, at all times, and in all places. Pressing in means that we do not shrink back, or settle for what we already have in our relationship with God. Instead, we consistently continue to cultivate that relationship so that better fruit is produced and in greater abundance.

The Scripture clearly states that, “we reap what we sow.” The more of our resources and ourselves we sow into our relationship with God, the greater the harvest of faith we will see in our lives, and the deeper that faith will become. As we press into God, we are filled to all the fullness of Jesus Christ, and his presence overflows our lives into our circumstances, our families, and the world. Regular visits with God are good, living in God’s presence is great. Deep faith requires the deep roots that come from saturating ourselves with the presence of God.

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“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come
and will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3)

God tells him to write down the vision and make it clear so people can read it. There is nothing hidden here. God wants the message declared so that no one can miss it. The revelation the prophet received is coming. It is on its way, and God wants the people to be ready, actively looking for it with expectation. Could it be that God is looking for the same thing to happen as we enter this New Year? Does God have a vision for the church and the world, and is he looking for us to declare it plainly so that others will see it?

As you might imagine, my answer to those questions is a resounding, “Yes!” The church of Jesus Christ is not meant to be a group of silent observers, hiding from the world. Of course, we are not meant to be obnoxious disciples condemning the world either. We are called to be witness of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are those who affirm to people the truth of God’s word, and point them to the Living Word. God is on a mission to radically transform the world one human heart at a time, and we are invited to be a part of that mission.

Disciples of Jesus need to look past personal preferences and popular agendas in order to ask the Savior what his desires and plans are. We want to know what is on the heart of God, so that we can make that our heart as well. The Bible says that Jesus, “ever lives to intercede for us.” (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus is praying for us and for the world. Doesn’t it seem like it would be a good idea to find out what Jesus is praying will take place so that we can join in that prayer, and join in the work to see it become a reality in the world.

As disciples, we are followers of Jesus. He does not follow our plans, we follow his. Then, God graciously extends the opportunity to us to become leaders for those around us as we make God’s revelation clear so that people can run with it. You and I are privileged to be witnesses, living billboards, which reveal Jesus and his message to the world.

God’s plan is taking shape and will come to pass. The promise is that the revelation is for an appointed time, but it will not delay. God will not be early, nor will he be late. The revelation, God’s vision, will come forth at just the right time. In the meantime, we wait, but we do so actively. We make God’s plan easy to see as people run by so that they can take hold of that vision and live it out in their lives in the world. When we do this, we become disciples of Jesus, who make disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world.

God’s New Year’s resolution for us is no small wish, it is a great vision from a great God. God’s revelation is sealed in Jesus Christ and empowered through the Holy Spirit. As we begin this year, it is time for us to go big in our faith and discipleship. Let’s do this!

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My wife and I just returned from a trip to our hometown. It was good to see family, visit some familiar places, and eat some favorite foods. We even brought some of those foods home with us. For me, it was also a kind of reset on my life. Something about being back in that environment reminds you of the steel-like strength that runs though you. It was a very visceral experience that helped me reconnect with who I am and where I am from.

Hopefully, each of us has a place like that, somewhere we can go to recapture our identity. It is a valuable gift to make a pilgrimage to places where we can look back and look forward at the same time; where we can allow the things that shaped us to give us fresh vision for our future. It was a special blessing for us to be there at the beginning of the New Year.

Spiritually, we need those reset moments as we make our way along our journey. In a way, this was the theme of many recent blog posts as we journeyed through Christmas and into New Year’s Day. This season is especially good at helping us reconnect with our identity in Christ, our place in the Christian story, and our relationship with others. However, holidays are not the only times we can connect with the roots of our faith. Every day offers us opportunities to engage God, and “reset” our faith.

Along with the regional foods we brought home, I also made sure to bring back some items with the Pittsburgh Steeler logo. Yes, there is a crucial game tonight, but I will not be there, and will likely be wearing these treasures in the privacy of my own home. Yet, they will remind me each time I wear them, or see them, of my roots. They will call me back to who I am, and to what I learned about myself on this trip.

Likewise, my Bible, my spiritual and prayer journal, my appointments with God, and every other spiritual reminder in my life, calls me back to my rooted place in God. Each of us can take advantage of these parts of our daily lives to allow the Holy Spirit to gently correct and inspire us. We can allow these points of connection to reveal God’s heart toward us and vision for our lives. Our prayer time can reorient our lives, our time in the word can strengthen and transform us, and our worship can reset our priorities.

There may be times where we need extend time with God to allow ourselves to become centered on the path once again, but the moment-by-moment course corrections are just as valuable. Each becomes a tool God uses to shape and direct our lives.

As we approach the end of the Christmas season, and embrace what awaits us in 2015, we can let God work in all our circumstances to connect us to him, to one another, and in ministry to the world. Just imagine what God is about to do, and who we are about to become in Christ!

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The story of Jesus unfolds one day at a time, just as our lives do. There was no button Jesus or his family could press that would leap them forward in the story. They had to walk out the plans of God in their lives like everyone else and there was a lot of waiting.

We often miss this truth as we reflect on the life of Jesus. The gospels tell the story of Jesus, but they do not all give the same amount of detail. Matthew begins with the entire genealogy of Jesus and then jumps to his birth, while Mark begins with John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism at thirty years old! Luke gives the longer narrative of Jesus birth, including the famous dramatic monologue of Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and John begins with a more philosophical reflection on the Word.

In every case, the story moves rather quickly and in just a few verses, or a couple of chapters at most, Jesus is a thirty year old man beginning his ministry. So, it is easy to see why we get the feeling that Jesus’ life was always full of ministry activity and moved along quickly. The truth is, it took the same time it take us, including time spent waiting.

Waiting is an important part of the spiritual life. In spite of living in a time where our digital world moves quickly, exploring the deep things of God comes by slowing down and waiting on God to speak and lead. This is exactly why the adult Jesus is seen making regular time away to wait in prayer. Waiting on God puts us in a position to hear the profound whispers of the Holy One in our lives, and to breathe deep the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Take a moment to ponder these few verses:

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27:13-14

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22

There are many more, but clearly, the Scriptures affirm the value of waiting on the Lord.

If you are anything like me, you can find yourself impatiently waiting for things to happen. I can become impatient waiting for my computer to start, and that takes less than a minute. We’ve been trained to expect things to happen quickly and to reject things, places, and people who make us wait, but this is exactly the opposite of what draws us to the deep revelation of God.

Whether it is making time in our daily devotions to quietly wait to hear from the Lord, or patiently enduring the circumstances of our lives as we wait for God to grow us and deliver us, waiting is essential to an intimate relationship with God. That, therefore, makes it an extremely valuable tool in living an effective, powerful, victorious Christian life.

We cannot rush God, so instead, we allow God to teach us how to patiently wait. Like Jesus, who grew one day at a time, so we trust our growth and our future to God as we wait upon him. We come before the Lord, still our hearts, and wait patiently for the still, small voice of the One to speak, and we savor the time in his presence. What a way to spend another day of Christmas, and what a good thought as we plan for a new year!

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