Hurry Up and Wait!

Years ago my parents were starting to add on to their house. I was just a kid, perhaps 12, but I remember helping prepare the house and the yard. We had a carport (that ages me some doesn't it!) that Dad and I took apart and then began to work on the cement pad, breaking it up. What a job!

Ever broken up cement before? It's not easy. We dug around it, set up jacks under it and swung heavy sledge hammers to crack and break it up. Then we'd put it into a pick up and take it to the dump. It was a lot of work, especially for a 12 year old. I don't remember how long it took us, more than a weekend I'm sure. We felt great accomplishment. (Or was that just rest for sore muscles?)

It isn't all that amazing that cement takes so much work to break. It's meant to be solid, strong, dependable. But be careful where you plant trees. Along another part of the house were a small maple and redbud tree. They were just saplings, nurtured for years. But then they grew, tall and wide, providing beauty in the spring, shade in the summer and brilliant colors in the fall. (and the added work of raking.) But something else happened, quietly, unexpectedly, without notice or warning. The sidewalk buckled and cracked. There wasn't a shovel or a jack or a sledge hammer. There wasn't sweat or sore muscles, yet the cement lay in pieces, the hidden work of tiny tree roots burrowing through the ground.

Now that is amazing power, so subtle, so quiet, so methodical...

...so God-like.

Ever find yourself in a difficult situation that you couldn't wait to get out of? You pray and pray, expecting God in a chariot of fire to blaze out of heaven to sweep you away to safety and peace, but end up waiting and wondering if God is even listening or caring? Months and years of suffering with cancer or joblessness, or broken relationships, or hardships, poverty, etc. and where is God in all of this?

Isreal and Judah asked the same questions. The great Assyrian superpower had flexed its muscles and shown off its domination over the world, taken Israel into exile and had Judah (especially Jerusalem) surrounded. And the people prayed, "where are you God?" They wanted, needed for God to break the cement that had been poured around their feet, to break the chains of bondage, to set them free. And the years dragged on.

Nahum broke onto scene to speak clearly to Israel and God's judgment on Assyria. He came to bring hope to a people who were devastated by peril and oppression. God is "taking the yoke from your neck and splitting it up for kindling. I'm cutting you free from the ropes of your bondage."

Not like a sledge, but with the slow, subtle power of a tree root God was working, behind the scenes, silently, methodically. Then when the time is right, breaking Assyria and ushering in freedom.

And God still is...

...in your bondage, in your struggles, in your seeming hopelessness, God has heard your prayers and is working on your behalf.

"God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, no matter how desparate the trouble." (Nahum 1:7, The Message)

So, hurry up and wait! God is working just beneath the surface of what can be seen, to bring you to peace.

Depend on it!

Peace ><>
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Shout Outs & Props

You've no doubt heard these terms and wondered what in the world they were saying? "I'd like to give a shout out to my peeps." Interpreted this is simply, "I want to thank all of those who love and support me every day." It's an offer of thanks, of praise, respect. "Props" are similar signs of proper respect, recognizing someone who has done something significant for you or in other words, "propped up" a circumstance through leadership or decisions or action. "I'd like to give props to the President for the way he handled the days after 9/11." A Shout Out and a Prop are new ways to communicate.

It's not unlike what the Psalmists are saying to God in many of their songs.

"You made me so happy, God I saw your work and gave you a shout out.
Props to You for your magnificent work, God!" (Psalm 92:4, my translation)

Whether it's "shout outs" or "props" or more traditional words, God deserves our praises. But I wonder if we praise enough? I know I don't.

I love to sing, in the car, at home, in my office. There's always music playing somewhere, even if it's only in my head. And my favorite songs are praises. I sing praises all the time. ("Shout out to God with a voice of triumph; shout out to God with a voice of praise" has been going through my head all morning.) But I admit that when I pray, I'm not as likely to include these words of praise and thanks.

Do you?

I mean really give "shout outs" to God?

I believe that we ought to give God props constantly, because we don't often recognize the things God is doing for us and in us. We ought to give shout outs to God just because of the very nature of God. (See Psalm 93 and others) When we see 60 degree days in November; when we see the vivid colors of fall; when we just miss causing or being in an accident; when things go our way; when we wake up successfully; when we succeed; when we fail; when we're happy for anything; when we feel joy; when we feel peace; when we experience love; when we show grace; when we receive it, we ought to give a shout out or a prop to God.

"Come, let's shout praises to God,
raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let's march into his presence singing praises,
lifting the rafters with our hymn.
Why? Because God is the best,
High King ove all the gods.

So come, let us worship: bow before him,
on your knees before God, who made us!"
(Psalm 95:1-2,6, The Message)

We have much to shout about.

Props to God!

Peace ><>
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Just Listen to that...

Can you hear it?

Listen carefully?

I knew it would finally come, it just took awhile. But now the sound is pretty nice.

It's commercials about cars and soap and feminine hygiene products. I'll take these any day instead of the attack ads from political candidates. They are finally over!

It makes me wonder who these people are who run for office when they are so caught up in telling us just how bad their opponents are. Is it a cover up for their own deficiencies? Probably. American politicians have saddened me, because in many cases the one who gets elected is the lesser of two evils! And that's not the way the system is supposed to work. If we truly have a representative government (at least that's the idea.) then I don't like what our candidates say about the people they are representing! It doesn't say much about us.

So, we elect people who are willing to bash their opponents, develop suspicion and attack the character of people in their own district. (who they will represent if they win!) Is this what we have become? Is this a reflection of us? Or have we created a monster in the politics and politicians of this nation?

I didn't plan to get into a political debate this morning, rather to check our morals and standards against those who are supposed to represent us and against the standards God has required of us.

What does God require of us?

"...He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously." (Micah 6:8, The Message)

God wants us to be fair. A just life is one that rises above the junk of this world, that looks after the needs of others as much as for the self. It is life according to the golden rule, respect, and honor. It's a life of hospitality and welcome. It is a life of defense, but not defending the self, rather the neighbor. That's fair in God's way.

God wants us to be compassionate. Something that compassion is not is harmful. The Hippocratic Oath a doctor lives by states, "I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous." In other words, to do no harm and to perform service that shows compassion. It was written by Hippocrates around 400 B.C., long before Jesus taught how to love God's way. Compassion is the way to be more fully human in the way God created us to be.

God simply requires us to love, in action!

Okay, so many of the politicians don't represent us very well. At least they don't give us a very good example. But they should remind us that we are to live differently, not because it's the way we are, but it's the way we want to be, the way God wants us to be...

...just, compassionate, loving...

...just like God.


Peace ><>
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Finished Before the Start

Two people stand side by side in the big city marathon awaiting the starting gun. The first is mapping out the course in her mind, setting the tempo before ever taking the first stride, anticipating the gun, the rush of bodies moving rythmically together, the accomplishment of each mile marker, envisioning the finish line and the joy of completion. The second person, too, is anticipating the starting gun, wondering what on earth he's gotten himself into, if he'd trained enough, if his feet will ever quit hurting, whether he can even make it to the 13th mile marker, let alone the finish line, anticipating the pain in the legs, the tightness in the chest, the loneliness of the road for the next several hours.

Which one does the best? It's hard to tell, but it doesn't matter who comes in first, one will enjoy the challenge of the marathon, the other will not. One is in it for the challenge, the other isn't sure why. Both will embrace the finish line, only one will enjoy the race.

Which one are you?

Okay, so I've never trained and ran a marathon. I've thought about it and then thought better about it. I've never been much of a runner. Tried it, hated it. I'm not talking about running anyway, rather about anything we do.

"Here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live." (Eccl. 5:18-20, The Message)

That's what Solomon figured out. Sure he had a lot to enjoy as King, with all the stuff he had, but at the same time he had been very dissatisfied with life (as the book of Ecclesiastes reveals.). What he discovered, though, was about the attitude in which we live, that it makes all the difference. I believe that if you view life with a good attitude, you will find much joy. But to view life with pessimism leads to discouragement and a "see I knew this would happen" outlook. They're done even before they even start!

Now, I'm not a "glass half full" type of person, I'm a "hey, there's still water in the glass!" guy. To me, it's all about attitude.

God has given us so much. It's ours to enjoy, so we should! But at the same time we must remember from whom it came. God wants us to enjoy what He has given and not worry about tomorrow. What we do with today is so much more important.

Today is started. Anticipate the rush of possibilities. Breathe in deeply God's blessings and enjoy it!

Peace ><>
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Where are You, God?

It's amazing to me where God is found, and it's not always in the most conspicuous places. I believe God is discovered in answered prayers and poured out blessings, but we don't expect prayers' answers to to include illness, or blessings to be hardship. And so we often cry out, "where are you, God?"

I know you don't pray for illnesses or hardships. That's nuts! But sometimes to get from where we are to where we are going is on a long, bumpy road.

And it's on that road that we find God.

Israel and Judah(the North and Southern Kingdoms after the country split in two following King Solomon's reign) had a difficult road to travel. They created it for themselves. They forsook the very God who had blessed them and then they prayed for God to get them out of the mess they created. But God wasn't interested in giving them grace that had no accountability, which meant that their prayers were answered, but not in the way that they expected or desired. They wanted peace from their enemies and asked that God would defeat those who rose against them. God gave them peace, but in exile, living amongst those who were their enemies. They wanted a renewed faith. They got it, but not in Samaria or at Bethel or Dan (the Capital of Israel and their temples) or in Judah or Jerusalem. They got it in Assyria and later, Babylon as they grieved and repented.

I've heard many people's prayers, including my own, that called for rescue from the mess we've created. "Look at what I've done, God. Fix it for me!" is a common prayer in our arsenal. But it rarely works. God would rather walk with us down the difficult road, because it's there that we can learn to trust God, and the value of obedience.

"Where are You, God?" Right where God needs to be. Along side us, waiting for us to seek His help, refining us, remaking us into a stronger, more faithful people if we'll accept God's answers to our cries for help, down the more difficult road!

Cry Out!

He's here.

Peace ><>
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