Facing the Emptiness

Facing the Emptiness

"And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5a (ESV)

I have baby onesies with no pudgy legs to fill them, and a space where I hung dresses for a job I didn’t get.

Having empty space in our lives, doesn’t mean we’re called to endure emptiness. Once, a woman wept outside an empty tomb and was met by the hope of the world.

Remember Mary, the shamed woman whose heart was seen by Jesus? In him, she was most likely cherished for the first time. Soon after, she witnessed the desire of her heart mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross.

Mary’s new identity was mercilessly pinned to a piece of wood.

All her hope was in Jesus. And now it hung lifeless for the whole world to see.

Our desires may be holy and epic!

For me, wanting to adopt is that one desire I feel I’ve been watching die a gruesome death. It’s out of my hands. All I can do is stand aside and feel the fool for believing. Have you ever felt this way? That God entrusted you with a longing, but it seems a no-go?

I’m guessing Mary may have felt this way. She proclaimed the hope of the world had come, and the next day they rolled a stone—sealing his grave.

Still, she knelt outside the tomb, where her unmet expectations lay buried and dead.

Dying to self is a true death. And it’s ok to treat it that way. As long as we don’t forget: we worship a God of resurrection!

Mary went to Jesus’ tomb, terrified and confused to find it hollow. She pleaded with the angels, asking where they’d taken him. (John 20:11-18). It’s not that she wanted Jesus to be dead, but it’s what she expected.

Sometimes, we focus on the hollowness of a situation and miss the hallelujah!

We’re so much like Mary. If we’ve watched a desire of our heart be abused and buried, we visit the grave expecting it to stay that way forever.

We forget what hope looks like. When this happens, we can miss it staring us in the face.

Hope looks like Jesus.

Hope is Jesus.

Mary didn’t even recognize Him when he appeared to her outside the tomb. She mistook him for the gardener (John 20:15). She was seized by the fact things didn’t remain irredeemable. The world was whispering, ‘What’s the point? What you hoped for is still dead.’

But the world lies. There’s always a resurrection. Whatever’s lifeless, looks different after revival.

Jesus looked different. He was glorified. (Philippians 2:20-21) I think it’s why Mary didn’t recognize Him right away.

It’s the same with the desires of our hearts. It’s not that they aren’t lovely, but God has something planned to take our breath away! Something we haven’t considered. Something impossible.

This. Is. Faith. Standing outside a graveyard and believing resurrection will come.

We’re completing our Foster Certification. Something—mind you—we said we’d Never do. God, through the past five years of loss and frustration, has been tirelessly crafting our powdered dreams into something completely different than what we expected to see. The idea of becoming Foster Parents was our equivalent of Mary mistaking Jesus for the gardener. We initially flipped out, “Where have you taken our dead dream?” I just wanted to remain face down, ugly-crying like Mary.

Sometimes, it’s easier to sit in disappointment then to step into the unknown. This is a big unknown for us. But I know the sweet face of hope. I refuse to mistake Him.

We’re approaching a desolate space and expecting the impossible to happen.

We’re expecting God to resurrect all that was lost.

We’re expecting desires to look different.

Standing right in front of us, could be the glorified, holy, resurrected will for our lives.

by Jenna Masters

Rejoice!

Rejoice!

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

“Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Palm branches and cloaks where laid on the ground hailing their King. “Hosannah in the highest!” The cheers rang out for all Jerusalem to hear. The excitement in the air was palpable and felt by almost all who heard and saw Jesus arrive on a donkey. Some came because they heard of the miracles and healings. Others came because they wanted deliverance.

But, not everyone was celebrating. There were those whose blood boiled with anger and hate. How dare he? That upstart is not our king. Our messiah will not be riding on a donkey but on a stallion with a legion of warriors to win our freedom! These men—who should have known the prophecies—were blind and hard-hearted—dominated by greed and power, pride and arrogance. They willingly turned away from God and followed Satan instead.

That was then. Sadly, it is now, too. Many start to follow Jesus like he is Santa Claus, asking for many things—from money to healing—never wanting a relationship, having only surface faith that wants a god made in their own image. These fall away when God doesn’t do what they want. Sadder still are those who deny his existence at all, creating idols out of money, power, and possessions—things made by man. Their anthem: “I Did it My Way,” famously sung by Frank Sinatra.

“And there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

This side of the resurrection we know Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing he would die. He died taking the sins of the entire world with him. But death did not win, nor did sin. Resurrection Sunday also arrived triumphantly. Jesus triumphed over death and sin. Satan did not!

Please allow Jesus Christ a triumphant entry into your lives, your hearts. I did, and my life was transformed from doing it my way, to living each moment in faith and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ the KING of Kings!

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we proclaim) because if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one is justified and with the mounth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says ‘Everyone who believes in him will not to be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew or Greek for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8 - 13

by Eve Montano

The Sin of Pride

The Sin of Pride

“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:26

There is a person in my life who, I’m ashamed to say, has not often been the recipient of forthright forgiveness from me. Just as I think I’m getting over one thing, something else happens to set my anger flaring once again. I will be the first to admit that it is not a righteous anger. It is often a selfish anger that comes from feeling wronged, or a despising anger that comes from feeling right. And as I have sat back at times and reflected on resetting expectations and letting go of old hurts, I’m surprised to realize that I often don’t want to let go. It’s almost as if I enjoy my negative feelings. And there’s a part of me that relishes the self-righteousness feeling that goes hand-in-hand with my hard heartedness. Not altogether unlike a pig happily rolling around in the muck. But the question that remains is: why?

The best answer I have is: pride. To let go means I might have to admit to not being right. To change means admitting that my ways are not perfect, nor am I. And to set aside my negative feelings means letting go of my self-pity, which is just another form of pride. In fact, John MacArthur confirms my thoughts when he says, “Pride, I am convinced, is the primary reason most people refuse to forgive.”

If we fail to forgive, we remain unrepentant in the sin of pride. What then shall be the antithesis of this sin? How do we repent from it, when so often it is extremely difficult to put our own hurts aside and give the other person grace when they seem so undeserving? Jesus gives us the answer: humility. Andrew Murray captures it well, “Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.”

CS Lewis—who calls pride “The Great Sin”—says this, “It is comparison [to others] that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.” Can you imagine? As humility personified, Jesus did not see himself as better or above any other!

“Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself Nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He Humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8

If Jesus did not put himself above any other, then surely we—as we are ever transformed into his image—should be able to set aside the pleasure of our own pride in thinking we are better or above anyone else. When we offer forgiveness, it is not in obedience or submission to the person needing forgiving, but in obedience to Christ, whom we love and who gives us the ultimate example of forgiveness and humility.

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

by Siara Borning

Son Of David

Son Of David

“Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:46-47

In the tenth chapter of Mark we follow Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. Other sources tell us it took approximately six months to walk the distance from Capernaum. Along the way he continued healing those in need, and expounding on life-giving truths. Among those truths…

“it is impossible for man to do anything to save himself, but with God all things are possible” (10: 27)

and

“even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45).

The Jews of that day recognized both of those titles, Son of David and Son of Man, to be references to God’s promised Messiah. According to the site, gotanswers.org, when Jesus used the phrase, Son of Man, he was assigning the Son of Man prophecy in Daniel to himself.

“In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the cloud of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

We don’t know anything about Bartimaeus’ history. But we can know something of the area he lived in. Jericho was the site of Herod’s winter palace. It was a resort town for the wealthy and political elite, protected by a garrison of Roman soldiers. The main travel route from the East to Jerusalem passed through it. Dangerous elsewhere, the road close to the city was safer and homeless outcasts took their places alongside the way. Their only hope was to receive something from the wealthy travelers to help them survive another day.

Foot traffic swelled as Passover neared. It was one of three feasts in the year mandated by God for the Jews to celebrate in Jerusalem. The approaching sound of a band of travelers would warn the roadside dwellers to get ready. According to Luke’s account (Luke 18:35-43), when Bartimaeus heard the sound he asked what was happening. He was told Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

The blind man immediately called out, but he didn’t call the name he’d been told. He persistently called out “Son of David, have mercy on me.” He was brought to Jesus and his sight was restored.

“Your faith has healed you,” Jesus said. What faith? This is most likely an uneducated man, definitely a dweller in the lowest socio-economic level of the day. But, by using the title, “Son of David,” Bartimaeus expressed his faith in Jesus—the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the seed of David who would reign forever.

A few days later Jesus would weep over Israel as he descended the Mount of Olives, because they didn’t know what day it was. They should have known the prophecies in Daniel and been expecting him.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25

The Priests should have known. The Pharisees should have known. The Scribes should have known. They had the scriptures and they studied them. Those who should have seen were blind.

But Blind Bartimaeus saw Jesus with the eyes of faith and received life-changing sight. He saw and followed Jesus.

With man this is impossible. But the One who was about to lay down his life as a ransom for many, accomplished it.

This holy season may we remember that our circumstances—which may seem impossible—are under the control of sovereign God. Love for us sent Jesus to the cross. May we receive his mercy and forgiveness, and walk confidently in his grace. May our hearts be full of praise and thanksgiving. With God all things are possible.

by Marilyn Allison

Schizophrenic Faith

Schizophrenic Faith

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

Definition: “Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.”

Bear with me, please. Recently I spent time wrestling in prayer over a concern (aka worry). I started with complete trust in God over the situation, then found myself with the mindset—I’ve got to fix this. It came to me that—from Heaven’s view—I might appear to have “schizophrenic faith”. I know that is an oxymoron, but in my life, I have more often looked like Peter before Pentecost than after… “What was I thinking? Why did I feel like that? Why did I act like that?

As a believer in Jesus Christ, when I look at the waves in life, I can begin to sink back into old ways. Then, like Peter (blub, blub), I remember to cry out to the Lord.

There He is. God, himself, shows up with his hand extended once more. He is not huffing at me things like…what were you thinking…why did you feel and act like that?

Instead, what often “blows me away” is the love and undeserved grace extended by that nail-scarred hand.

When I am fixated on solving my own problems without consulting him, I become consumed with worry and—dare I say—a “demonic” drive to solve an issue or “get on a fast train to Georgia.” My powerless attempts threaten to suffocate me and I begin to gasp for the holy air of faith.

Neck deep in “hot water,” I finally get on my knees, bow and ask the keeper of the stars to right my world. And he does.

I am beginning to understand that position is key. Oh, not physically bowing, but bowing my heart and will to His sovereignty.

Be still and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10

“Shut my mouth!” I am not God.

When I try to push against a falling mountain, I need to stop thinking I am the one who can hold it up. I need to stop thinking I’m the one who can change the heart of a prodigal who is straining to pull away from God, bridge the chasm of a broken marriage vow that registers 7.8 on the Richter scale of my heart, or the pain of an incomprehensible death of child or spouse.

My first response is to cave in, like the mountain, then the crushing blow begins to melt me like a long burning candle. That’s when I become pliable and ready to bend. If I rear up in resistance, I prolong the sweet surrender that acknowledges: only God can fix this.

Isn’t that why I felt such joy when I first heard He loved me so much that He sent his only Son to die for all of my sin and brokenness?

My mountain of sin and shame began to dissolve into the hands of Almighty God. My Savior, Jesus Christ, came to rescue me—not just for that moment of salvation—but for every broken moment I will face in my race of a lifetime.

Can you hear the gentle whisper when you bow? Sometimes I do. It is as if His warm, sweet breath is blowing peace over my soul.

This whisper sometimes proclaims loudly when I bow—I Am God, I will be exalted in the nations, and I will be exalted in you.

Wow! If the nations are just a speck of dirt, then I must be smaller than the tiniest atom. Yet, God’s vision is focused on me and my world.

Those who have run the race and are at the finish line (Hebrews 12) know this. They are jumping up and down, waving arms and shouting, “Keep in the race, Don’t quit, you’ve got this!”

It is all true. Jesus crossed the finish line first and He has you in the palm of His Hand.

He will give you what you need to faithfully finish the marathon of a lifetime for His glory. But you have to reach with faith for the baton. Take it, trusting Him to get you over the falling hills of life onto the path of righteousness again. Remember—as New Bailey so helpfully taught, “Faith is not a feeling”. Faith is a choice—no matter how you feel.

Choose to believe…

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Paul was inspired by God to write this. You have God’s word on it. You can—and I can—do all things through Jesus Christ, who will strengthen us.

by Darla J. Short-Lewis