10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11
Dear God, when I read this story this morning, my first thought went back to what I prayed a couple of days ago about the Magi: Who did they think they were worshipping? What did they think their act of prostration and gifts to him were accomplishing? In their minds, whom were they worshipping and honoring? I will bet it wasn’t an immaculately conceived son of yours who would live a humble life, teach, die, and then resurrect for their opportunity to relate to you directly. For their great-great-great-great grandchildren to be invited into knowing the Living God.
And the truth is, I have no idea what I am doing at any given moment. I am as ignorant as these men. Even in what I think I know of you, I am still woefully ignorant. I know that huge chunks of my theology are wrong. How could they not be? I know I probably make as big of mistakes as these men likely made then. If they had known their visit would lead to slaughter of all of the young boys in the area, would they have made the visit at all?
Father, what I bring to you is an earnest heart. I love you. I really want to do what you need me to do in this world. And I am confident that I miss ten times as many opportunities as I catch. Please redeem my mistakes and bless the few victories I make. Lord, I give you my heart. That is what I lay before you. Use the small life you have given to me as you will.
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:3
Dear God, before I read Piper’s commentary on this verse, I want to sit with the last five words: as was everyone in Jerusalem. As word spread about the magi being in town and looking for the newly born “King of the Jews,” what were they thinking? And I want to put a pin in these people for if we talk about the flight to Egypt and the killing of all the young boys, but for now I want to consider what their hope and fears were. Herod’s are pretty easy to figure out. He just saw a threat. A threat to himself. A threat to his bosses in Rome. A threat to his lineage.
But for “everyone in Jerusalem,” what were they “deeply disturbed” by? Did they even want a Messiah, or was the status quo more comfortable? Were they afraid of war? Were they willing to possibly pay the price they thought they would be asked to pay in following a Messiah into battle against the Romans? This is what I assume they were thinking.
And then there is the reality. If they had recognized what Jesus actually came to do–to offer a path to the controlled burn I talked about yesterday–would they have rejoiced instead? Would they too have sought out the baby? What kept all of them from going to Bethlehem and following the magi?
There is so much here that is me. Afraid of the word it will take to follow you. Afraid of risking what I have. Afraid of what would be new. Yes, I might be living in a pit, but the pit is home now. I’ve made it work. What would my life look like if I were to upset all of that to do something you’re calling me to do?
Okay, I just read Piper’s commentary, and it lines up remarkably with what I just said except he was more articulate about it:
There are two kinds of people who do not want to worship Jesus the Messiah. The first kind is the people who simply do nothing about Jesus. He is a non-entity in their lives. This group is represented by the chief priests and scribes: “Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.” Well, they told him, and that was that–back to business as usual. The sheer silence and inactivity of the religious leaders are overwhelming given the magnitude of what was happening
Compare that with the reaction Herod and the rest of Jerusalem: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” In other words, the rumor was going around that someone thought the Messiah was born, and everyone but the chief priests took note. Why did they not go with the magi? There were not interested. They did not want to worship the true God.
The second kind of people who do not want to worship Jesus are those who are deeply threatened by him. Herod was deeply afraid–so much so that he schemed and lied and then committed mass murder just to get rid of Jesus.
Father, I think I am going to lean on the serenity prayer this morning. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:2
Dear God, I focused on these verses yesterday, but John Piper is keeping me here a day longer, so I want to take this time with him to sit with the idea of the Magi.
One of the things Piper suggests is that while Luke tells us about the Shepherds, Matthew tells us about the Magi because Matthew is careful to include the Gentiles in his message about Jesus. Jesus’s story opens with these Gentile worshippers, and Matthew ends to book with Jesus sending the disciples out to the world. It’s why I’m here today. Who would I be without you? I don’t even know how to answer that question, but I know you are everything to who I am.
I really like what Piper has to say today. I want to quote part of today’s entry here:
I want to exhort you not to become preoccupied with developing theories that are only tentative in the end and have very little spiritual significance. In fact, I will risk a generalization to warn you: People who are exercised and preoccupied with such things as how the star worked and how the Red Sea split and how the manna fell and how Jonah survived the fish and how the moon turns to blood are generally people who have what I call a mentality for the marginal…What is plain concerning this matter of the star is that it is doing something that it cannot do on its own: it is guiding magi to the Son of God to worship…So the lesson is plain: God is guiding foreigners to Christ to worship him.
I like the idea that I don’t have to try to wrap my mind around the miracles of the Bible. Partly, I suppose, because they are miracles and, by definition, are not understandable. But there is a great overriding message in the Bible that you are moving history forward regardless of the mistakes we make along the way.
And I was just reminded in my thoughts that I am so small. I am literally 1/7,000,000,000 of the earth’s human population right now. You, on the other hand, are the only God, and you are amazing. You are simply amazing. And you’ve done amazing things. The coming incarnation of Jesus is the pivotal moment in our human history. Amazing. The grace you give us through Jesus is amazing.
That leads me to a thought my wife gave me yesterday morning. She was talking about controlled burns as part of land management. There were huge grass fires in the Texas panhandle a few years ago, and they were destructive because they were not controlled, but the results were still amazing. Streams appeared that hadn’t been there before. New plants grew. We talked about how that is like what repenting before Jesus is like, but controlled. When the alcoholic or addict of some sort hits bottom, sometimes it can be like an uncontrolled burn that destroys a lot, but if they find help at the bottom. If they find a higher power. If they find you, then you can help them restore what was burned. But for the person who is convicted and invites you in for a controlled burn of their heart. For you to burn away the chaff. To search our hearts and cleanse the clutter. Well, streams of living water will start to flow that we had no idea were even there.
Father, these magi didn’t know what they were doing back then. They just knew they needed to act and so they did. I’m sure their conversation was interesting as they left for Jerusalem. They didn’t know what they would find. I’ll pray later about what their conversation must have been like as they left for home, but for now, I will just sit with them in their ignorant compulsion to seek you out.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2
Dear God, I looked a day ahead and saw that Piper waits until tomorrow to get to verse 3. I haven’t read his commentary yet, but I am assuming he wants us to just sit with the eastern wise men for a while.
It’s too bad we don’t get more of their story. Who were they? Where were they from? What were they studying that brought them to Jerusalem? If they knew enough to go to Jerusalem, why didn’t they know to go to Bethlehem? And how did the star thing work? I just looked it up to make sure, but these verses in Matthew about the wise men are the only mentions any of the Gospels make about the “star.” Funny how we’ve brought that forward and made it such an important part of the story. How did it become part of the story for these men?
So what were they expecting as they walked to Israel? What did they have in mind? And why did they go? Were they trying to curry favor in advance from this new king? Is that why they brought gifts? Were they assuming the new parents would be powerful, and they were wanting to impress them? It’s probably the most mysterious part of this story for me. They had just enough information to put them into action, but not so much that they had a grasp of what was happening. As I told a friend yesterday about myself, you had them on a need-to-know basis, and there was only so much you needed them to know.
Oh, how that is me sometimes. Sometimes, I feel you encourage me into action, and I have no idea why. I was telling that same friend about something you got me to do against my will a couple of years ago. I felt the urging from you and I resisted it. Then I asked my wife about it and she agreed with you. That made me angry. I asked some coworkers about it, and they agreed with you and my wife. That made me really angry. So I did the thing, but I was angry about it. I mean, I was physically, emotionally angry. You remember. But then, not even a week later, you revealed to me why you had me do it, and it was so important that it had been done. So important! I honestly don’t know what things would have looked like if I hadn’t done it.
Father, I am as ignorant as those “wise men” were. For all their wisdom, they only had one very tiny piece of the picture. They knew about a star and a king. They knew they should bring gifts. They didn’t know how you needed those gifts to be used. They didn’t know what difference this would make in Mary’s and Joseph’s lives. They also didn’t know that their visit would lead to a slaughter of children (we tend to forget that without their visit, Jesus wouldn’t have been on Herod’s radar). So help me to simply be faithful today, to not resist you even when what you’re asking me to do makes me angry, to worship you, and to love others. And please lead me into a peace that only you can give.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:8-15
Dear God, I just read Piper’s commentary on verses 12-14, the ones on which he focused today’s entry and which I highlighted above. He leaned into the “peace” the angel promised. He noted the angel did not offer peace to the whole world. It was peace for those with whom God is pleased. Of course, I talk about peace a lot in reference to the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22. Of the nine fruits Paul lists there, I feel like peace is the one I cannot fake or will myself to. Peace only comes from you.
For me, when I read this story, I wonder why these guys? Why go to them at all? They weren’t told to do anything. They weren’t told to go check Jesus out. They were just told about him. Were they the only ones the angel(s) appeared to that night? Are they just the only ones who went and told Mary and Joseph about it so it go recorded later by Luke. If they had just gone back to sleep, we’d never have known about this angel visit.
I like the idea that these guys were part of a bigger plan on your part. They were no threat to anyone, including Mary and Joseph, so they wouldn’t try to take the baby away from them like other more prominent people might have tried to do. And they were a source of encouragement to Mary and Joseph as they sat there in the place where Jesus was born, trying to make sense of their lives. They didn’t know it, and they probably never knew it, but you used them to bless Mary and Joseph that night because, in my opinion, they needed a little encouragement and a little blessing.
Father, use me today. Love others through me today. Help me to understand exactly what you have for me to do in the lives of everyone I encounter, including the donors I write letters to. I will be spending time with family later. Help me to be exactly what you need them to have from me. Love them well through me. Be glorified through me. Make me a servant to them.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
Luke 2:6-7
Dear God, as I read this passage this morning and tried to remember back to the time in the hospital after our son was born, I had one specific memory. I remember holding our son, looking at him, and just wondering how I would mess up. Oh, how I didn’t want to mess up. In those first few moments of his life, I knew they would be the only moments in which I hadn’t made a mistake raising him. But to some extent, I was destined to fail him. I didn’t want to, but I did. I mean, I’m human, right? There is no way to not fail. We have all failed as parents in some way or another. None of us do it all right.
So as Mary and Joseph sat there and looked at their new baby, what must they have been thinking. I’m sure they both felt incredible pressure, knowing who he was. This was God’s son, for crying out loud. Your son! You, incarnate! And they were now responsible for him. How would they raise him? Were they really up to it?
Oh, and they were poor. How would they provide for him? How would they educate him. He was never easier to take care of than when he was in Mary’s womb. But now he was here, and he had to be dealt with. His needs had to be met. What unique needs would he have.
Then there might have been some doubt on Joseph’s part. What was he doing here? Was Mary really telling the truth? Did your angel really appear to him in a dream, or was it just a dream? As Joseph looked around the room they were in, whether it was a stable or a tent, I’m sure he wondered a lot of things. It reminds me of the 4Him song “Strange Way to Save the World.” The chorus:
Why me? I’m just a simple man of trade Why him? With all the rulers in the world Why here? Inside this stable filled with hay Why her? She’s just an ordinary girl I’m not one to second guess what angels have to say But this is such a strange way to save the world
So before the shepherds get here tomorrow, I want to just sit in this uncertainty. The insecurity. I’ve been hearing the phrase “imposter syndrome” a lot lately, and I’m sure Joseph and Mary felt it in that moment. How could they not?
Father, I failed my children in a minimum of hundreds of ways over the last 28 years. My wife did too. And they failed us as well. We fail each other. I’m sorry. I did my best. I know Mary and Joseph did their best as well. Most parents do. But from Adam and Eve through today, we all make mistakes. Give us your grace. And give us grace for each other. Give me grace for my wife and children, and give them your grace for me.
2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
Luke 2:1-5
Dear God, I like that John Piper paused here before Jesus was born just to spend a little time with Mary and Joseph before Jesus was physically in their presence.
I remember the time before our first son was born. There was so much anticipation. I told my wife over and over again, “I just can’t wait to meet him.” He was so close and yet so far. I can’t imagine what Mary’s and Joseph’s anticipation was like. What would it be like to meet your son? The Messiah? Sure, they didn’t understand the purpose of his incarnation, but they understood who he was. What would he look like? Would he glow? How would they raise him? What were their responsibilities in educating him? So many questions for this young couple.
And then there might have been doubts–at least on Joseph’s part. Did he really hear the angel right? He had been asleep after all. Was it just a dream? Was he being played by Mary? I would have doubted if I had been him.
So they traveled to Bethlehem as a newly married couple and found a place to live for the short-term. Where was that? I have imagined it was a camp for the others like them on the edge of town. They were poor. They probably couldn’t afford regular lodging. Well, we know they couldn’t because we will find out later that while they were there and Joseph tried to find a reasonable place for her to give birth there was nothing available. So they had to use the unreasonable. Their tent with a manger brought in as a crib? Maybe. Maybe it was in a barn, but that seems like a weird choice given their options. Either way, they were solving problems as a couple for the first time. They were ignorant. They had no idea what they had gotten into or what was ahead of them. They just knew they were seemingly part of something extraordinary.
How does this apply to my life? Well, I remember the ignorance of that time in my life. Thinking back on it reminds me that I am still ignorant. I think I know so much, but I don’t. I don’t know what you are doing right now. I look around my life, and I celebrate a lot of it, but there are parts I lament as well. I don’t know how it all fits together. I don’t know what you are doing in my little, insignificant life that is just one of over 6 billion in this world right now. What this story about Mary and Joseph makes me think about this morning is that it was okay that they were ignorant, and it is okay that I am ignorant now. I don’t have to know what is going on. They didn’t either. They just had to be faithful. I just have to be faithful. What is it you have me to do today?
Father, I give this day to you. Love through me. Live through me. Heal me and those I love from our sorrow. Comfort us. Let your truth reign. Bring to light what is hidden so that we might all be healed, and then take that healing and offer it to others who need the healed version of us. But I also want to thank you for how you are not wasting this pain. Thank you for using it to shape me into something that is more humble, compassionate, and loving.
Dear God, I am getting a late start on Advent, but this book (Joy to the World by John Piper) just came in yesterday, so I am going to look at the first three days of it this morning. I want to be very intentional about this Advent season.
Day 1: Luke 1:16-17
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
What a good and hopeful prophecy. I wonder how Zechariah would have felt had he known how this would all play out. A son who appeared a little crazy out in the wilderness. Ultimately beheaded. Yes, all of these prophecies came true, but the package and what the eyes would see would certainly have disappointed him and Elizabeth. It would have broken their hearts. I am sure this prophecy from the angel planted visions in their head of how this would look. Perhaps that’s why they were older when this happened. Maybe you didn’t want them to live to see it. Maybe you didn’t want them to accidentally stop it from happening. Perhaps that’s why John didn’t have siblings as well. By the time he was living out this prophecy thirty years from now, there were no immediately family members to get in his way. Perhaps Elizabeth’s barrenness for so long was also calculated. All of the lamenting she did for all of those years about not being able to have a child might just have been a necessary part of your plan. My wife and I were praying about something together just fifteen minutes ago. Something that brings us heartache every day. But maybe this situation is exactly what you need it to be. Maybe our influence on something would get in the way of what you are trying to do. Perhaps you are protecting something from me.
Day 2 Luke 1:46-55
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
46 Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. 51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. 52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. 55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
When I read this passage just now, it reminded me of Hagar and her angel visit in Genesis 16:13: 13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” What it feels like to be seen by you! For Mary, something even more extraordinary is going on. She is coming to terms with what her path forward will be like. With who this baby will be. She probably spent the days between her angel visit and her arrival at Elizabeth’s going over everything in her head. Had she told Joseph already? Had she told anyone? But then, arriving at Elizabeth’s and getting the affirmation that Elizabeth knew what was going on and knew it was good just helped her explode with joy into this song, mixing in a little Psalm 146.
It can be amazing to feel your affirmation. I have to say, I have felt it in several work-related things over the last year. I’ve seen you answer prayers. Even this morning, I was thinking about ow much better something is now than it was in January, and then I realized it was probably you saying, “Yes,” to my prayers. Thank you. Really, Father, thank you!
Day 3: Luke 1:68-71
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. 72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— 73 the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. 74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.
76 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. 77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
Ironically, it looks like these first three days are all about Luke 1, so I guess it worked out anyway. I realized several years ago that Zechariah actually has the wrong idea about what you are going to do through John and Jesus. He thinks that the physical domination by Rome and others is about to end. But that’s not what you have in mind. John is here. Jesus is coming. But even Zechariah doesn’t really understand what that means.
Father, as I sit here at the beginning of Advent, I find that I really don’t understand any more about what is going on around me than Zechariah did. Than Mary did. So what am I to do? Worship. I am to worship. I am to comfort those who mourn. I am to be gentle and a peacemaker. I am to forgive. I am to trust in you and have faith in you. I am to be your worshipper, and accept that you are God and I am not. Help me to live into what you need me to be.
5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:5-13
Dear God, I was reading something from Tony Campolo yesterday out of Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus Really Meant what He Said? about Jesus being your presences among us. You are the God of the Old Testament, triaging the continual mistakes of the Israelites, but when Jesus showed up, he showed us who you really are. You are loving and compassionate, but you also do not suffer hypocrisy. This story is an example. When this powerful human approached you, he found a God who respected and appreciated his humility and faith. You also, I think, liked the fact that he was there out of compassion for his servant (slave?) and not for himself.
My wife and I were talking while we drove to family for Thanksgiving, and while we were talking about you I mentioned to her that I know you are good and loving because the closer I get to you the more loving and compassionate, without judgment, I find myself being. You put on skin. You didn’t only show up to live and be a sacrifice, but you shared through our own paradigm of life through a human life lived what your nature is. You are amazing. You are good. I’m so grateful for a God who loves and forgives.
Father, thank you that you have as much compassion on me this morning as you had through Jesus’s earthly body on that centurion 2,000 years ago. I am grateful for your love. Help me to share that love with others.
Dear God, I want to quote the movie Jesus Revolution. I was thinking about it this morning after I just saw a headline on my news feed from a reddit thread called “Am I the A*****?” It’s a place online where people bring their anger and hatred and look for redemption and affirmation among others who are angry and bitter. For some reason, when I saw it I thought back to this scene in Jesus Revolution. This is just a little clip, but it doesn’t have everything I was looking for. It cuts off just a little too soon:
Lonnie Frisbee is talking to Chuck Smith, the more traditional pastor. He’s explaining the hippies to Chuck:
“It reminds me of the words of Jesus: ‘To what then can I compare this generation? What are they like?’
“I was up in San Francisco for long time, living in in Haight Ashbury. In the Streets. All over. Man, we did everything and everyone. But that was the point. You see, the drugs. It’s a quest…For God.”
I look around me now as I enter this season of advent and I see people putting their faith in so many things. It might not be drugs. It might be a politician or political power. It might be money. It might be sex. And those idols start to let them down so they get angry. They get so angry. That’s what it feels like to me right now. It feels like I see so many people who are angry, and they are looking for you. They just don’t know they are looking for you.
My wife and I were talking yesterday about different forms of prosperity gospel. Some are more obvious and some more subtle. The more obvious ones say, “Do X and God will give you success.” Usually money. The more subtle ones will tell you that there is a formula for a successful life. This is one I bought into for a while until I was disillusioned. I was worshipping you, but I expected you to deliver me the family life I wanted. I wasn’t as focused on career, but I had an ideal of what a family could and should be, and I was incredibly disappointed in you when it didn’t turn out that way.
Of course, the reaction to an idol that disappoints us isn’t always anger. It can be depression too. Isn’t it interesting that more people in developed countries need antidepressants than those who live in undeveloped nations? We have everything at our fingertips while the person in the undeveloped nation has to struggle for something as basic as clean water. And yet we are the ones who suffer from anxiety at a higher rate. My uneducated guess is that they simply don’t have time to worry. They just struggle. It’s also interesting that those are the areas of the world where your church is growing. I know I always grow more when I am struggling.
So now I am waiting on Jesus during this season of Advent. I feel like I should maybe be doing something special here like I did with Lent. I’m not sure what that is, however. I have a devotion on the way that I will see if it helps. That’s what I did for Lent. But I know I want to continue to root out my own idols, expose them, reject them, and banish them. I want to be at peace with the path you have for me. I want to be willing to risk everything for you. Not my family, of course, because they are your highest calling to me. But if doing what you want me to do costs me reputation, money, comfort, security, etc., then I want to be willing to put that on the table. Thoughtfully. Prayerfully. Intentionally. I want to do exactly what you want me to do. Use the next 25 days to transform me into the next step of who you want me to be.
Emails to God 