Category: Spiritual Reflections

While looking out the window from a plane on a recent trip to Seattle, I took pictures of the sunset and the clouds. It was pretty up there and it felt so serene.

This text from Job 36:26-30 comes to mind:

How great is God — beyond our understanding!
The number of His years is past finding out.
He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams;
The clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Who can understand how He spreads out the clouds,
how He thunders from His pavilion?
See how He scatters His lightning about Him
bathing the depths of the sea.

Questioning God is not something that I do all the time.

When I do question, I don’t believe it shows mistrust but rather a relationship that we have built over time. God is beyond my understanding. Even the love He shows me is incomprehensible.

As a parent, I didn’t mind my children questioning me as long as it was for understanding and not irritation. Sometimes (for me) it was hard to tell the two apart. (laughing)

But God is different. When I question Him or get angry because I think He expects too much of me, He always shows me that I’m trying to get ahead of Him instead of following.

It’s hard to follow — at least for me. Especially when it seems like He’s an invisible “Person.” If it weren’t for the relationship we have established I would say that God is like the invisible man. But He is neither a man nor invisible in the way we understand it. He shows Himself quite visibly sometimes.

As part of my devotions, I keep a journal and make a list of people who I am praying for. Some are sick, others depressed, others need guidance, others — well, there are some I’m not sure what the problem is. Each name is written down and I pray specifically for what is going on in their lives (if I know what it is).

Yesterday I decided to review my list to see what the status was with each person. I dare say that about half of my prayers have been answered AND they have all been answered with a resounding YES. (Taking time to review life’s blessings is always a good thing.)

The problem sometimes is that God doesn’t always answer the way I think He should. Prayer for healing doesn’t always mean a person is healed, at least not in the way I think of healing. It may result in death. (I know, I know — now you don’t want me to pray for healing you might need.) But I need to keep the  big picture (if I can see it) in focus. Healing can be looked at in different ways. Death for one person might be better than endless pain. Agree? Disagree?

I can’t say that God has always answered in the way I wanted. Sometimes He tells me “no” and I go back to Him and want an explanation. Sometimes He gives it but other times He says “You need to trust me on this one.”

What I have learned in this relationship is that I don’t need to know everything. He has my best interest at heart. Whatever happens — God is in control whether it looks like it or not.

With my plane “sitting” on clouds I look out at the expansive sky and know that this child of God is in good hands.

“Master, master, we’re going to drown.”

On a boat trip across the lake a squall had started. Fear permeated the hearts of grown men as water lapped over the edge of the boat.

Sometimes that’s what life feels like for people. Like they are going to drown. Drowning in debt, drowning in fear, drowning in boredom — drowning.

Whether the situation is real or perceived doesn’t really matter. The pulse quickens, the chest gets heavy, eyelids droop, tears flow …

The problem with drowning is that we’re always looking at the wrong thing — we look at the circumstance. Yes, there is a squall. Yes, there is water in the boat. Yes, the sky is black. All true statements but none of them really matter.

What matters is what we have our eyes focused on. I’m no different than anyone else. I look at the situation and yell at the top of my lungs “I’M DROWNING!” Gasp, choke, gasp! Is anybody listening?

Nope. Usually people who are drowning are drowning alone. No one else knows.

For one split second though the face changes its gaze — UP! There He is.

Jesus is fast asleep. No worries. With simple trust in His Father He has His eyes fixed on the right person.

That’s all I gotta do.

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.  As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake so that the boat was being swamped and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked His disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water and they obey him.”  Luke 8:22-25

When I woke up today I didn’t feel very good. A cold is fighting to overtake me but I’ve been fighting hard against it.

Consequently, I decided to stay home today and rest. So I turned to the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University for my live stream sermon of the day. Clicking on the bulletin for the order of the service, I came across these remarks from the Pastor, Dwight Nelson.

“Look, I’m not suggesting that the just concluded Iowa caucuses and the upcoming New Hampshire primary are strategic pieces in some sort of apocalyptic end game. but I would invite you to ponder the power of the press and/or paid political ads.

Even the talking heads within the beltway of the nation’s capital this past week have been chattering in amazement over the swift collapse of one candidate’s heretofore anticipated victory in Iowa’s caucuses. Riding high in the pre-caucus polls, the candidate’s sudden tumble from prominence has been attributed by most news media commentators to the power of negative political advertising, financed by political action committees (so called “super Pacs”). The $2.8+ million that these technically “independent” super Pacs invested in Iowa alone are evidence enough of the power of negative advertising. i.e., it works!

What’s that have to do with the rest of us who will never touch $2.8 million in our life time? Stepping away from political allegiances or nuances, it does make you wonder, doesn’t it, how fickle we the public are, if three-weeks of non-stop television and radio ads can actually change our minds? Never mind those who justify this gushing of advertising dollars into a relatively, politically inconsequential rural state.

It still makes me wonder how easily swayable we Americans are to the power of the media, the press, the advertising agencies. Which being interpreted means, I wonder if, in a time of crisis or critical decision-making, a relatively small cabal of individuals—with the financial horsepower to back themselves—could sway an entire nation to pursue a particular course or come to a particular decision. I wonder if the American public (perhaps even the global public) could be as easily persuaded as the Iowans were.  Include some momentous catastrophe (financial, natural, political) and it wouldn’t take much to “guide” the public to a desired outcome, would it?

For all our crowing about the independent American spirit, the truth is that a stadium full of screaming fans can pretty much set the agenda for an entire city, can’t they? Apparently the apocalypse thinks so. In no uncertain terms Revelation 13 describes “all the world” (v 3) being led down the primrose path of disaster.

Which is why I love the corollary narrative in Daniel—the compelling story about three young politicos who refused to yield to the full-court press of the press and the government.  The entire nation (as it were) bowed down to the king’s golden image—but not Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego:
“Our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:17,18)  i.e., we will not be bought or persuaded away from our allegiance to the Creator.

God give us that threesome generation when we will need it!  But in the meantime, the next time the press or the super Pacs attempt to persuade you in 60 seconds what to think or do, do the Shadrach thing and simply refuse.  Your allegiance to God in the New year isn’t for sale, no matter when the world ends.”

Amen to that Pastor Nelson!

What would you do?

A treasurer steals money and his direct supervisor continues to trust him with the money. Sound absurd? Who in their right mind would make a decision to give money to a known crook?

Not only did the supervisor give the treasurer the money to hold, he also gave him other responsibilities.

The treasurer’s name was Judas. The supervisor? Jesus.

We wouldn’t normally treat someone like this but that’s what makes us different than Jesus. He thinks “outside” the box in His relationship with people.

An author shares their perspective:

“Judas was blinded to his own weakness of character, and Christ placed him where he would have an opportunity to see and correct this. As treasurer for the disciples, he was called upon to provide for the needs of the little company, and to relieve the necessities of the poor.” EG White

Day in and day out, Judas saw Jesus healing the sick, casting out devils and raising the dead. He walked with a miracle worker but he did not allow the character of Jesus to rub off on him.

We have to be careful that we don’t follow in Judas steps. Jesus sometimes allows us to be in places so that we can see our weakness and have an opportunity to correct it.