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“One Small Child” by David Meece

25 Dec

https://youtu.be/L9iVEF9H-PQ

“One Small Child” by David Meece

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a Savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small Savior of life

One king bringing his gold and riches
One king ruling an army of might
One king kneeling with incense and canglelight
One king bringing us life

See Him lying a cradle beneath Him
See Him smiling in the stall
See His mother praising His Father
See His tiny eyelids fall

See the shepherds kneeling before Him
See the kings on bended knee
Oh, See the mother praising the Father
See the Blessed infant sleep.

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a Savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small Savior of life

Ooo … Oh … Oh … Oh …
One small child Oh …
One small child Oh …

Dear God, this is one of my favorite Christmas songs. It first came out in 1990 on an album from Word, for whom I worked at the time. Until this moment, I had no idea David Meece actually wrote the song. I thought it was a remake of an older song.

I like several things about the poetry in this song. The first stanza plays with the word “small.” A small child, dream, hand, and savior. I guess everything starts small. Even the nonprofit where I work, which has become a large, complicated operations, started with a small idea given to a woman by you–get some doctors to volunteer one night a week to see people who are poor and don’t have insurance. A seed of an idea. A seed of faith that grows.

The next are the kings. There’s a king bringing riches (one of the wise men), there’s one ruling an army (Herod), there’s one kneeling with incense, and then there’s one bringing us life.

The next stanza has “him and his.” Jesus lying in the manger. Jesus smiling. Jesus’s mother. Jesus falling asleep.

The next stanza is about worship. Shepherd kneel. Kings are on bended knee. Mary praises you. Jesus sleeps.

I have chills while I picture the scenes. Father, help me to be humble today. Help me to be humble with my wife, my children, my family, and my friends. Glorify yourself through my life. Increase as I decrease. Thank you.

In Jesus’s precious, precious name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 25, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Secular Christmas

24 Dec

Dear God, I was thinking abut topics for my prayer time with you today, and then it hit me. It started with how I feel about Christmas Eve now vs. when I was a child.

When I was little, it was all about the presents that were coming for me and the presents I was giving others. Presents, presents, presents. Then, when I was about 9 or 10 years old we started doing church on Christmas Eve. Christmas started to take on a more appropriate celebration of Jesus’s birth and incarnation. Later, as I moved away, it became about going home to visit for the holidays and then taking my wife and eventually children to visit our families at some point around Christmas. Jesus was still there, but there were, I don’t want to say “obligations,” because the word is more positive than that. I suppose there were emotional pulls to try to see family.

Of course, then we had children and it became about making it fun (and yet somehow meaningful in a Jesus-centric way) for them. Outside of my own childhood years, those might have been my favorite. It was a lot of fun to shower them with love, and they were young enough where they could receive it with complete joy.

Now, I am at the age where the kids are living in other places and there aren’t really things they want that they don’t just buy for themselves. This is the first year for my wife when both of her parents are gone. In fact, she told me it struck her that she doesn’t have anyone to buy a Christmas present for from her family of origin this year. That’s a weird feeling that I haven’t experienced. So we have each other. It’s Christmas Eve. I saw my parents briefly yesterday, in a safe, socially-distanced way. Our son and his dog will be here for the day tomorrow. And we will Zoom with my family of origin and our daughter tomorrow as well. We bought some presents for our children and my parents to express our love, but it’s more about the thought of the gift rather than what the gifts are. It’s different.

Which leads me to what I want to talk about this morning. I realized that all of the cultural Christmas things I have been experiencing over the last four weeks are completely secular. The TV shows and movies have nothing to do with you. In fact, I looked at the top 10 Christmas movies as rated by some group. They were 10.) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 9.) The Nightmare Before Christmas 8.) A Christmas Carol (1951) 7.) The Apartment 6.) Elf 5.) The Muppet Christmas Carol 4.) Home Alone 3.) Miracle on 34th Street 2.) A Christmas Story 1.) It’s a Wonderful Life. Even A Christmas Carol, in any of its renditions, really doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s about the human heart, but nothing about reconciliation.

I probably need to go back and watch The Nativity. It was a really well-done depiction of Mary and Joseph’s journey up to Jesus’s birth. I think I’ve watched it twice. I supposed I should have watched it more. Why haven’t I?

Father, I really do want to spend this day in gratitude for you. My wife is important. My children and family of origin are important. Helping a family that is unknown to me with Christmas presents is important. But I don’t want to take you for granted any more than I already do. I am really grateful to you. Please help me to love you and then channel your love to others. And thank you for Jesus’s incarnation.

I pray all of this in Jesus’s name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 24, 2020 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

Luke 2:8-20

23 Dec

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 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.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:8-20

Dear God, yesterday I took this story and spent some time with Mary and Joseph. Today, I want to look at it from the perspective of the shepherds. First, I acknowledge that I probably don’t know enough about shepherds and their lives in this era. But going back to my question yesterday of, “Why did you appear to the shepherds and have them go to see Jesus?” I want to ask this question again from their perspective. Why these guys?

First, what were your options? Local synagogue leaders, the local political officials, the wealthy community leaders, Joseph’s relatives (presumably he had relatives there for the census too), etc. Why didn’t you choose any of these people? When I ask it this way, the answer is pretty obvious: they would have laid their own agenda on top of yours. Church leaders might have tried to take the baby from Mary and Joseph. Local political or community leaders might have tried to prop up Joseph and Mary in an effort to train the child to one day be their leader–ultimately keeping them from being able to flee to Egypt or completely altering the life Jesus led as he grew up. Even his relatives would have been excited about the Messiah being born to their family and they might have tried to influence the rest of Jesus’s life.

Then there are the shepherds. Unassuming. No agenda. No power or prestige. No reason for anyone outside of Mary and Joseph to even believe them. Heck, they could have been drunk and hallucinated the whole thing. No, these were the perfect people to hear about your son being born.

I think every pastor in town would like to think you would have come to them with the news. I would like to think that I would be trustworthy with the news of Jesus being born. But all of us are likely to lay our own agendas, visions, and preconceived notions on what this child’s life should be like. Look at Zechariah and his prophecy over John. A lot of it was wrong. He didn’t understand. No one did. How could they. You needed someone then who wouldn’t try to apply their own ideas and understandings to the situation. How much is that true now as well? How often do I get in the way of your plans with my own “wisdom” and agendas.

Finally, I want to look at what it did for these men in particular. How did they see you differently? What were their conversations like as they went back to the fields? We know they went back praising and glorifying you. Was that the first time in a long time they had done that? Were you more real, more important to them now than you had been the night before? How did this transform the rest of their lives? Their families?

Father, when I come across the moments in my life when you show up, help me to just praise and glorify you. Help me to let go of trying to lay my own plans on top of it. Even at work right now, you did great things for us this year, and there are times I allow myself to become burdened by what I’m supposed to do with the gifts you have given to the organization where I work. But I don’t know, and when I do that it steals the joy from the moment. I forget to worship and glorify you. I don’t forget to be thankful, but I also don’t stop to simply accept the provision and pray for how you want it used. So I pray for that now. Help our organization know how to use the donations of money and time that you bring to us. Help me to know how to glorify your name so that you are always increasing and I am decreasing. Help me to approach life like a shepherd and not like the people from whom you kept the knowledge about Jesus’s birth.

I pray all of this in Jesus’s name because you reconciled me to yourself through his sacrifice and power as your son,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2020 in Luke

 

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Luke 2:8-20

22 Dec

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 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.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:8-20

Dear God, the things we always miss in the telling of this story is the “why.” Why did you have the angels appear to the shepherds? I have a theory, and it’s only a theory. In my mind, much like Hagar after she ran away from Sarai got an angel visit and she called you “the God he sees me” (Genesis 16:13), Mary and Joseph were in a terrible spot. They had agreed to follow your requests and be the parents of this baby, but now they found themselves alone without family, in a stable with their new baby. Was this really your plan? Were their previous visions of angels just weird dreams? Was there any part of Jospeh that was once again doubting Mary’s story?

Then these men show up and tell everyone their story. It was not only remarkable, but it contained a few things:

  • Third-party verification of what Joseph and Mary had each heard separately.
  • Affirmation of who this child was.
  • The knowledge that you knew exactly where they were in that moment (a stable) and that was okay.

So now Mary and Joseph have their affirmation. And not only for the moment, but for the future as well: “Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” She thought about them when the wise men showed up. She thought abut them when they went to Egypt. She thought about them when they lost Jesus 12 years later. She probably thought about them when she doubted Jesus’s sanity. This was a huge gift for her.

So why these guys? Well, maybe I’ll talk a bout that tomorrow. For now, let me just sit with the idea that you see me, you love me, and you send me affirmations I probably sometimes miss. You are so good. I’m sorry for how I fail. I really wish I was better for you, for my wife, for my children, and for everyone around me. Help me to be better.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 22, 2020 in Luke

 

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Luke 2:1-7

20 Dec

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 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. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 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 2:1-7

Dear God, I’m so grateful to Luke for recording all of this. And it always amazes me how efficient biblical writers are with their words. He tells this particular part of the story with 130-ish words (depending on the translation). I probably need to be a lot more efficient in my own writing and storytelling.

Isn’t it interesting that you have this story for us at all. If it were up to me to give believers in Jesus a handbook, I would have just given them Jesus’s teachings. Here’s what he said about this. Here’s what he said about that. Instead, we get these stories about everyone around him. His second cousin, Elizabeth and her son John. His disciples. His mother and father. His siblings. The Pharisees like Nicodemus. Pilate. In this case, we have two real people responding the real challenges. They made the best of a bad situation, but you weren’t the first person to be laid in a manger and you won’t be the last. It’s just that stories like this help us to understand we are not alone. It’s possible to do it right and still face struggles.

Father, help me to face my life the way these two parents did–one moment at a time. They had their dreams and thoughts about what and who Jesus would be (and they were mostly wrong), but they had a problem to solve and provision from you to seek. And you provided. You provided a manger. Later, you would provide gold and other gifts from the wise men they could use to fund their escape to Egypt. They didn’t have to know the future or your plan. They just had to be faithful. Help me to be faithful today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 20, 2020 in Luke

 

Luke 1:68-79 — Zechariah’s Prophecy

18 Dec

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Dear God, there is so much joy here. Zechariah had been silenced for presumably a year or so and now he could speak. It was time to worship. It was time to praise. Sure, he got some things wrong in this prophecy. He didn’t know what kind of lives John and Jesus would lead. He didn’t know how they would end. I’m sure he didn’t see John’s beheading or Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. But that stuff doesn’t really matter. He was taking the information he had at the time and worshipping you with it.

There is so much for which I have to praise you. There is also so much I do not know. I can praise you for providing for the work we do with our patients. I can praise you for loving us well. I can praise you for thus far answering our prayers for a coworker’s husband who is in the ICU with COVID-19. I can praise you for donations that are supporting our work. I can praise you for the chance to share your love with others. I can praise you that my wife and I are safe, that our children are safe, and my parents are safe. I can praise you that my father-in-law’s passing was quick and merciful. I can also beseech you on behalf of my niece and her fiancé who have COVID. I can ask that you keep those who were with them over the last two weeks, including my parents, safe. Please, Father, have mercy on them. On all of them and the ones I know of who are struggling in a myriad of ways.

Father, I don’t have to know where all of this is going or how it all works out. I don’t need to prophecy or know the future. I just need you in this moment. I trust you to provide from there–and if not financial or physical provision, peace and comfort. Thank you for being a God who grants all of these things and who even cares to listen to this prayer today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2020 in Luke

 

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Luke 1:46-55 — The Magnificat

16 Dec

Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Luke 1:46-55

Dear God, it’s been almost ten years that I have been hanging out and worshipping with Catholics. While I’m not Catholic, my wife started visiting a Catholic church in 2010 and was confirmed Easter 2012. For my part, I went the the Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults (RCIA) with her, but decided there was enough different about my personal theology that I shouldn’t be confirmed. I even did a series of posts called “Supporting My Wife Going Catholic” that corresponded with a series she did on her blog about “Going Catholic.”

All of that said, I’ve learned that the Magnificat (as this is called in Catholic Circles–I’ve always seen it referred to as “Mary’s Song”) is an important piece of the New Testament to Catholics. We are in a couples group with the church that meets once a month called TOOL (Teams Of Our Lady). I’m the only non-Catholic in the group, but they are gracious and have shown no problems accepting me as part of their family. Anyway, as part of the meetings, we close each one with a recitation of the Magnificat. I had never thought of this piece as being so important. Growing up Baptist, we just aren’t as in to some of the Advent things, and we certainly aren’t as focused on Mary, but I’ve found some real appreciation for the perspective of appreciating Mary and seeing the world through her lens (I have to add that I also have just as much appreciation for Joseph and who he was as a man).

So for this “song,” I think you first have to start with the singer. A poor girl who met an angel one day. The angel tells her that her cousin Elizabeth is going through a miraculous pregnancy of her own so I assume Mary figures Elizabeth just might believe her tale of a virgin conception. So she heads to Elizabeth’s and as soon as she enters the room she is affirmed. Any fear she had on her journey is washed away as soon she greeted Elizabeth. She didn’t even have to say, “I have something to tell you.” She just greeted Elizabeth and Elizabeth felt her baby leap and “was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” k

So that’s the stage for Mary’s response. She praised you, acknowledging her joy, love, and probably relief. Then she says everything she believes about you. You are loving. You are just. You are holy. You are mighty. You will love the Israelites and provide for them. Her knowledge is imperfect. She would never imagine what your real plan was. But that’s okay. She didn’t have to. She just knew that you were moving and she was a part of it.

Father, I don’t pretend to play 1% the kind of role in your plan that Mary and Joseph played, but I know you’ve given me a life to live. I don’t know where it is going or how it all works out. I don’t know what tragedies might be awaiting me or those I love, but I believe that nothing happens outside of your view. So help me to do my part. I acknowledge that you are loving, just, holy, and might. You love me, even as a Gentile. You provide for me–if not in this life, in the one to come. Use me in whatever way accomplishes your goals and plans for the world.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2020 in Luke

 

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Matthew 2:9-15

13 Dec

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

Matthew 2:9-15

Dear God, it was probably right about 20 years ago that I asked myself about those gifts from the wise men for the first time. What was that about? I’m sure they brought them out of honor, but I’ll bet they ended up being used for more practical things. For example, it doesn’t say how much gold they brought, but I would think it came in handy when it was time to head to Egypt. The same with the other gifts. This flight to Egypt was so spur-of-the-moment that I’m sure Joseph didn’t have money saved up for it. But here you go, bringing some men from far away to meet a need that not even they knew they were meeting.

My wife and I sat down today to do some year-end giving. While we supported some nonprofits that are not in our town, most of the money stayed locally. For some, the donation will be a drop in the bucket. For others, it might enable them to do something they didn’t realize would need done. We just bring our gifts to the table and turn them over to you. How they use them under your authority (whether they acknowledge you as their Lord or not) is totally up to them. We give the money freely and expect nothing in return.

As someone who receives the gifts of others to run our ministry, I try to be cognizant of spending the money with honor. I’m not a miser with it. I try to be fair to employees and clients alike. If there is a need, I want us to be available to meet it. I want to glorify you, and I want those who partner with us to feel the joy of the good that their money does in the world.

Father, there have been countless times (literally countless) when you have shown up with a resource either in my personal or professional life that made all of the difference in the world. There was the year we had really low donations, but two bequests (decisions that had been made by the donors years before they died) made all of the difference in our success. In my personal life, I’ve seen you bring me jobs or opportunities right when I needed them. And I’ve tried to be generous back, although I know there are times when I am still selfish and self-indulgent with the gifts of time and money you give to me. So I guess my prayer is that I recognize you as the giver of all of the things that I see and perceive as good around me, and I also recognize that the challenges and struggles around me are also meant for my good. You are my God, and I will ever praise and trust you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 13, 2020 in Matthew

 

Isaiah 7:10-25

11 Dec

Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead. ” But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted. “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!” In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places. In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River —the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people. In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left. Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey. In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver, will become patches of briers and thorns. The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.

Isaiah 7:10-25

Dear God, this is yet another verse taken out of context. The original “verse of the day” from Bible Gateway was:

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Modern Christians read that and think, “Jesus! Yay, Jesus!” Or they think, “See, there was prophecy about Jesus. Yay!” But this is one little verse of hope–actually, it was just a sign–in the midst of calamity. The setting was not good into which this child of a virgin would be born, and the prophecy doesn’t claim that the life circumstances of everyone around at that time will get better. And you said this to a seemingly good king who loved you.

I talked a couple of days ago about prosperity gospel and how much I am against it. Now, I find myself wondering over the last few months if we aren’t seeing the beginning of our own nation’s decline. Are we seeing a rotting from within? I even see it within the church. Divisiveness. Hatred. Satan’s Plan A is working to perfection, and things like social media are fueling it. The idea that our nation is called “The United States” is almost laughable because we are not united among the states, within the states, or even within communities. Everyone is fighting so hard for their own rights they are losing sight of each other, and social media seems to be the fuel.

Father, it’s funny that children want to have sex before they are ready and their parents want them to wait as long as possible. It’s because the parents know what’s on the other side of it. The irony is that they parents still practice as much sexual immorality as they try to prevent among their children. The same is true for social media. I was on a call this week where we talked about the dangers of social media among children and the mental health consequences, but when I brought up our own addictions to it as adults the conversation got uncomfortable and quiet. But right now it feels like the water is rushing through the dam and I have no idea how to stop it. I don’t know that it can be stopped, so I am just going to love you as best as I can today. I’m sorry for where I fail in these areas. I’m sorry for my own hypocrisy. I’m sorry I’m not a better ambassador for you. Please forgive me, and, Holy Spirit, please help me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2020 in Isaiah

 

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

10 Dec

Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Dear God, there sure are a lot of “prophets” running around, and they have a much larger voice than they used to because of our technology. But I have to say that I don’t think many of them are for real.

So what is the litmus test I use? How do I determine whether or not a “prophet” is to be embraced or shunned? I had a coworker come into my office a couple of days ago and tell me that her husband really wants to go and hear a pastor in another city who has a large following not only in his city, but also around the world. My personal opinion of him is that he falls into the category of “false prophet,” and I told her exactly what I though of him. Why? What is it about him that makes me reject him so thoroughly? Am I right or am I wrong?

First, I’ll categorize him as a prosperity gospel preacher. His sermons are all about the individual and the wonderful things you have for us here on earth. Now there’s a place for positive attitudes, working hard, self-discipline, etc., but I think characterizing you as being there to fulfill our dreams is false. At its most basic level, life is about us being here to worship and serve you, giving up our lives so that you might use us however you need to use us. Four hundred years of Israelites lived and died and slavery in Egypt so that you could build the Israelite nation. The widow who put her two coins into the collection serves as an example to us 2,000 years after her death, and yet she probably died as poor as she was when she woke up that morning that Jesus saw her. Frankly, I often look at my own life and wonder why I have it so good. Yes, my life has had challenges, but I cannot believe how good I have it.

So what does a real prophet do? One, I think they challenge me with my sin. They make me confront where I am failing you, my loved ones, my community, and myself. You did this through Moses, Elijah, Nathan, Jonah, and many other prophets. Second, I think they teach us to serve and to decrease as you increase. I heard a sermon a few months ago that I’ve mentioned in these prayers to you a few times by Andy Stanley called “Not in it to Win It.” In that sermon, he talked about how Jesus was willing to lose any number of battles so that he could win our souls. How much more should we be willing to lose battles too? Third, I think they teach us to die to our rights. Andy mentioned in that sermon that the church is at its worst when it is fighting for its own rights, but it is at its best when it is fighting for the rights of others. When we fight for our own rights then we start to look like the world. When we fight for others we look like Jesus. There are any number of truths that real prophets teach us, but I think that is a good start. In essence, it is all about you and not about us. It is about our utmost for your highest. It is all about us decreasing and you increasing.

Father, help me to find your prophets who can pour into my spirit, and help me to be someone who can bring your words to others. Be glorified through me. Love through me. Help others through me. For your glory’s sake, oh Lord. For your glory alone.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2020 in Deuteronomy

 
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