Control Buttons

I wish there were a “pause” or a “mute” button embedded in my arm.

Mrs. Blab caught me at the grocery store. She started telling me about her no good son. I imagined myself sliding back my sweater sleeve and pushing the mute button.

When I got home, the grocery bag ripped and a can fell on my foot causing some choice words to escape my mouth. I wish I could have again pushed my sleeve back and hit pause before it hit my foot so I could plan out a better, more appropriate response.

Buttons like this would be handy because I don’t wait well. I didn’t want to have to wait while listening to Mrs. Blab’s frustrations, or have to wait before reacting to my foot pain.

Catherine Marshall said, “Waiting works. It is a joining of a man and God to achieve an end.”

I like that.

I actually DO have a button for these situations. It’s a “wait button” that is connected to God, which is wired to patience, and embedded in my heart.

Lamentations 3:25- The LORD is good to those who wait for Him.

Now if I could only learn to use it.

Watchmen of the Lord

The Watchmen of the Lord

I often can’t sleep at night.

Insomnia used to be a frustration for me until a RLC friend lent me a book about being a watchman of the Lord.

Ezekiel 3:17

 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.”

God appoints watchmen (and women) who will stay awake and who will keep their eyes fixed on the horizon scanning it for dangers approaching the camp.

I invite all of you who have those nights of sleeplessness to turn the annoyance of it around and to start praying with me. Let’s be watchful. Let’s pray for our church and our pastors. Let’s pray for our enemies, for our children, and for ourselves. Let’s pray, using this quiet time while the world slumbers, to draw near to God. Even in the wee hours, God is there waiting for us. When we see evil approaching, let’s sound the alarm! Let’s look at our sleepless nights as a time to take our turn interceding on behalf of the body of Christ!

Will you watch with me and pray?

The Transition

The Transition

Good morning, Father.

My eyes are stuck shut.

My muscles are tired and stiff.

My hair! It’s standing straight up from the shock of the restless night. My face has new lines and folds from being pressed into the pillowcase.

I look as good as I feel.

I have no idea what today will bring which makes me fearful.

What tragedy or unforeseen calamity is crouching at my door waiting to devour my children or me?

I feel exposed and vulnerable in the mornings.

My soul feels the crush of life’s responsibilities, Lord, because during the night my hope changed hands. I switched from trusting You with my life to putting my trust in myself.

Forgive me, Father. Mornings are always where I have to shake my befuddled self and remember that rolling the earth on its axis is not my job. I am not the manager of the cosmos.

“Find rest O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6

Thank You, Lord.

Let’s start this morning over again.

My hope comes from You.

The List

The List

A friend gave me a book called “11,002 Things to Be Miserable About”.  It consists of page after page of things that are humorous and not so humorous such as:

Segregation

Rotten bananas

Bats that get stuck in your hair

Burnt toast

Running out of oxygen at the top of Mt Everest

Some of the things listed are laugh out loud topics and some things give me pause, but it’s the things not mentioned that truly make me feel miserable. 

Things like:

The lost perishing without making Jesus the Lord of their lives,

The gospel being against to law in certain countries,

Prayer being banned in public schools,

Not being allowed to display a nativity scene in a public place.

To someone else, is my list as trivial as the one that lists “split ends”, “bridezillas”, and “road rage”?

We all have our own personal lists of upsetting things. The crucial question is, what to do about it? Maybe I can’t do much about my own list but one thing I can do is put it to prayer because if there IS something I can and should do, God will reveal it.  Then the next question is- will I obey?

The Either/Or Game

The Either/Or Game

Have you ever played the either/or game? It’s a simple game composed of asking questions such as: Which flavor ice cream do you prefer, chocolate or vanilla? Would you rather go on a vacation to the mountains or the ocean? Which team do you like, the Dodgers or the Giants? It’s fun to play because you learn something about the people you’re playing with and often there is a lot of discussion about the choices and why one of the choices is so obviously the better choice. 

Jesus posed a similar kind of “either/or” scenario to the crowds, but it was not intended to be a game or looked upon as merely lively banter. He wasn’t asking what kind of dessert they preferred- figs or dates? He said, “…he who is not with me is against me.”  This either/or statement had (and still has) an eternal answer. Your response to this statement reveals where and how you will spend eternity. It is without a doubt the most important choice you will ever make. You are either with Jesus or against Jesus. There is no middle ground. There isn’t a third choice. Which will it be?