Walk This Way

There is an old comedy/vaudeville gag, where a character enters a stately home, or an office, or arrives at an important event. They are greeted by a “straight man” character, who tells them to “walk this way”. The “straight man” then turns and begins walking in a manner that uses exaggerated mannerisms. The comedic character doesn’t just follow in the general direction of the other character– s/he imitates the exaggerated mannerisms as well.

In the last of three prayers from the song, “Day by Day” (see this past Monday and Wednesday), I want to explore how to “follow Thee more nearly.”

I have this quibble with the song lyrics– I know that “nearly” rhymes with “clearly” and “dearly”, but it is not grammatically correct, as it implies that I almost, not quite, but nearly want to follow Jesus, instead of saying that I want to follow Him more closely, or become a better reflection of His character. That said, I sometimes think that I fall into the comedic trap of thinking that “walk this way” merely means following Christ with exaggerated mannerisms– I follow “more nearly” when I should be following more closely.

man wearing black leather jacket riding cruiser motorcycle on road

Years ago, a good friend of mine suggested that I read a book called “God On a Harley” (Review and summary here) It is a fable, and an interesting read. I don’t recommend it for theological content (the Christ it presents is more of a New-Age life coach, not a Messiah), but I’m glad I read it for two reasons: It challenged my conventional view of Jesus, and it challenged the way I thought about discipleship. At the time I was reading the book, I was also considering making some big changes in my life– changing careers, moving away from my home town, and trusting God to be “sufficient” in my singleness and lack of guaranteed income.

photo of a woman passing through the alley

When we talk or think about Jesus’ time on Earth, we generally focus on His birth, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection. We don’t usually think of His everyday life…where He ate or slept or how He lived. If He were to walk among us today, He wouldn’t appear like the paintings we see– flowing long blond hair (which has always been inaccurate), white robe and sandals. He might wear a T-shirt and jeans, ride the bus or subway train, and hang out at Starbucks or the corner convenience store. Jesus didn’t live in a “holy huddle.” And, though He famously walked on water, He mostly walked the streets. He lived and walked and ate and spent His days among ordinary people–in fact, it was His willingness to eat with and talk to the marginalized, the forgotten, the ostracized people of Him time, that got Him in trouble with the religious leaders and those in power.

I don’t think Jesus in our time would be a tattooed, beer swilling, biker– but I’m convinced that He would be found sharing a story or a pizza with one; and with the kinds of people many of His “followers” would shun. The Jesus I want to follow “more nearly” is Holy, but He is not “Holier-than-thou.” I can’t follow Jesus more nearly if I’m following an image that only exists in a picture or my self-righteous imagination. In my youth, I had a picture of what “following Christ” looked like– but it was more about following expectations and selfish desires– successful career, marriage, giving to the “right” charities, becoming a pillar of the community. There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but if God calls me to serve in humble (even humiliating) ways, doing thankless tasks, and spending time, not helping the needy at my convenience, but truly serving– pouring out my time and my heart until only His strength keeps me going–I have learned the joy and honor that transcends anything I once imagined.

I’m not a biker, but I love the image of Jesus on a motorcycle, asking me to come along for a ride. If I want to follow Him “more nearly,” I couldn’t come up with a better metaphor. If Jesus came and asked me to ride off with Him on a Harley, several things would happen that relate to discipleship:

First, I have to commit. You can’t “sort of” ride along — you either get on the bike or you stay behind. You might know all about the motor, you might know how to ride, you might know the traffic laws, you might even watch a video of someone riding, but you won’t experience the horsepower under you, the wind in your face, the road slipping away behind you. The same is true of the Christian life. You can know about God; own a Bible– even memorize it; you can sing God’s praises, all without experiencing a relationship with Him. But you’ll never know the full power of His grace and acceptance until you commit.
Part of that commitment is to be willing to go when and where He’s going…you can’t go on the ride and stay at home. You can’t go two hours after He does. And that brings me to–
Trust! You won’t get on the bike if you don’t trust His ability to drive and His wisdom in knowing how and where to go. Once you’re on the bike, hanging on from behind, you can’t see all of the road ahead. You can’t steer or hit the brakes. In my own experience, I ended up leaving teaching after seven years with no “safety net.” I had no job waiting in the wings, no money saved up, and no “plan” other than to take whatever honest work I could find and follow God’s leading. I learned by experience that I can trust God’s ways to be better than mine; better than my expectations!
Riding together takes teamwork. Just because God is doing the driving and steering doesn’t mean that I just sit back and watch the scenery (though I can do a lot of that, too). If I’m not paying attention at curves, intersections, stops, turns, etc., I can throw everything off-balance.
Riding together, with my arms wrapped around Him is the closest I can “follow” Jesus. It’s not about what I know, or what I can “do” for God– it’s choosing to be in a deepening relationship with Him. As I live with Him, listen to Him, and trust Him, the knowing and doing will come naturally.

I want to follow with abandon– not just to walk several steps behind, or wander in His general direction, or watch what He’s doing from a distance. I want to hang on and share the adventure. That’s the way I want to “walk” with Him. That’s my prayer, “Day by Day.”

June 6, 2025 0

Three Things I Pray…

In the Broadway musical, Godspell, there is a simple ballad, “Day By Day,” in which the singer(s) express a desire to be closer to Jesus. Day By Day/YouTube There are three “prayers”– 1) to see thee more clearly; 2) Love thee more dearly, and 3) follow thee more nearly. I have heard various opinions and critiques of the musical, from the use of clown makeup and vaudeville tunes, to the marginal grammar of this song. But I’d like to spend some time digging in to the three simple prayers.

Today, I want to look at (literally) the first prayer– “to see thee more clearly”. There is one prayer, but I think it can be broken down into two parts.

First, I want to SEE God. God is Spirit–an invisible essence– and yet he manifests himself in a million different ways all around us. God is in the inky, endless blackness of a moonless night, and in the vibrant colors of spring blossoms; in the glaring reflection of the sun off the lake, or the gray and palpable mist over the meadow. He is in the wrinkled face of my neighbor, and the exuberant smile of a toddler, and the beauty of a horse running or an eagle soaring. But I can see all of this and more and still not see God. I can focus on the creation and miss the creator. I can focus on the beauty and learn nothing of the artist. I can see the amazing variety of people in the world– skin tones and eye shapes, facial expressions, and body language, dimples and hairstyles and nose-wrinkling, and hand-wringing, and miss the Love of God for each one.

Sadly, I can sing this prayer, pray for insight, and still miss seeing God. I can trample His creation, dismiss His presence, and hate the people He loves enough to die for; people who bear the stamp of His image.

And I want to see Him “more clearly”–I want to see him as he really is, and not as I imagine him to be. We live in an age of glossy retouched photos of models and celebrities; we “see” their image, without knowing what they truly look like, and without knowing anything about who they really are inside. In many ways, God is only slightly less invisible than the real people around us. How many people do we ignore in a day’s time? How many do we glance at, only to get stuck on a single detail (a hair on their sweater, or something caught in their teeth, or a receding hairline or blotchy face). How many people surprise us by not being like the image they project? I don’t want to see a Photoshop Jesus; a glossy, smiling image of someone who says only what I want to hear, and looks like nothing ever touches him. I want to see the Jesus who wept over the death of his friend; the Jesus who laughed with delight as he talked with children; the Jesus whose eyes were full of compassion even as he was dying on the cross. I want to see the Living Word of God.

Jesus is close– closer than we think. I want to spend today seeing him more clearly.

June 2, 2025 0

ACT-ing On Prayer

Pursuing a lifestyle of prayer means more than just coming to God with a list of requests and a couple of scattered “Thank You’s” every now and again. Prayer is a discipline– that means being a disciple of prayer! How can I learn to pray for effectively? Commune with God in a richer and more satisfying way? There are many tools and methods that can help with this. One of them is called the ACTS method.

ACTS is an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. And praying in this order can radically transform the way we enter into prayer and the way we respond to God’s answers. On a busy day, I often start prayer with my supplications– my requests, my needs, my hopes and desires. I may be approaching God, but my thoughts and heart are all about “what’s in this relationship for me!” “I want healing for ______, and protection for my family, and a resolution to this problem at work, and…”

But the ACTS method flips this order–it starts with Adoration. It begins by coming to God and acknowledging who HE IS. Worship will outweigh worry. Adoration accentuates God’s Ability and His Authority over whatever is on our mind. It also leads naturally into

Confession. Not the kind that masks false humility– “Woe is me, I’m so unworthy. I am a worm, and I don’t deserve to be happy or free or victorious in Christ.” Rather, confession comes as we recognize who we are in relation to God. We are not worthy of God’s blessings in our own righteousness, but IN CHRIST, we are able to come boldly before God in dependence and joyful acceptance of HIS righteousness. And we can’t accept it if we are still hanging on to old habits and sinful ways of thinking. We must agree with God, let go of whatever is holding us back, and gladly prepare to move forward!

Now we are in Thanksgiving mode. We are reminded of God’s mercy, and His faithful care of us. He has been faithful to answer prayers in the past, and to be with us, even in times of trouble and seeming silence. He IS there. He DOES listen. His mercies are new every morning! (Lamentations 2:22-23)

NOW, we are ready to present our Supplications. In fact, we are ready to follow the direction of the Apostle Paul, when he told the Philippian believers: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV).

There are many times when we pray in desperation or in a hurry about a specific need, when this approach can be modified. But for deep prayers during a quiet time, or in a small group, the ACTS method can really boost our connection with the Holy Spirit. We begin by thinking we are praying about “something,” and are amazed to re-discover that prayer is really about “someone!”

I have found that such prayers also cause me to more readily ACT in the matters I bring up for request. I’m not just turning them over to God because I am helpless and He is my last resort. Even when I “know” that is not the case, when I focus on the problem and not the Provider and Protector, I forget that He can give me the power to “do all things” (see Philippians 4:13) in Christ’s strength and for His Glory!

May 28, 2025 0

Memorials

Today is Memorial Day. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the American holiday, also known as Decoration Day, it is a day set aside primarily to honor soldiers who were killed in battle. In recent years, it has come under some criticism from those who feel that it celebrates a culture of war, or that it places too much focus on the past– especially a past that has been idealized at the expense of progress. Instead, it has become a time of recreation– backyard barbecues, beach parties, and bargain hunting at flea markets and yard sales.

But much of the real focus of Memorial Day has been lost. Memorials should not be used to idolize or idealize the past; but they serve a purpose in reminding us of hard lessons and the need to keep learning from them. Memorial Day is not about being thrilled or puffed up by our past– it is to be reminded of both the good and the bad, and the need to see the larger picture. We have inherited both freedoms and frustrations; triumphs that came at the expense of others, and trials that will impact future generations. It is right and good that we take time to reflect on such things.

The Bible gives us several examples of memorials– signs and altars and ceremonies that are meant to call things to memory. Some of the memorials involve battles, but many more involve both promises and prophecy. We are to remember God’s faithfulness; His power to rescue, redeem, and restore.

Our greatest memorial as Christians, is not a soldier’s tomb– it is the Empty Tomb! It is the reminder that our greatest battle has already been won, and the one who died to bring us the victory has conquered both Sin and Death.

For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life. (John 3:16 KJV)

Memorial Day is also a good time to remember others in prayer– pray for those who have lost loved ones in the service of our nation; but also those who sacrifice daily for their families, communities, and around the world. Pray for wisdom and opportunity to serve others around us better. Pray for healing and grace– for those who fight internal battles with unforgiveness, betrayal, guilt, vengeance, and more. And don’t forget praise– thank God for His redemptive plan; for the victory won; for the sufficiency of His grace. Thank others around you for their services and sacrifices. Finally, as we honor the sacrifices of others, let’s look for ways we can serve one another better.

May 26, 2025 0

“Little” Prayers

Do you ever wonder if your prayers are “too little?” Are you bothering God, pestering him with requests to help you find your misplaced keys, or help you make the green light on your way through a busy part of town? After all, God is the ruler of galaxies– there are over six billion people, let alone the cattle on thousands of hills, sparrows, and lilies of the field for him to consider just on our planet.

I know many people who find it awkward, or even impossible, to offer up “little” prayers. They believe that God is too busy, too important, and “too Holy” to be concerned with their petty wishes. I know others who pray about almost everything– what flavor of ice cream to choose; what color nail polish to wear; whether to join their friends for a game of Monopoly or a trip to McDonald’s… Is there a happy medium; a guideline on what constitutes an “appropriate” subject for prayer? Is there such a thing as a prayer that is “too” little to bring to our Father?

I don’t think so. I think there are prayers that exasperate God because they are selfish and prideful. I think there are prayers that come to God with disrespect and disbelief, and a lack of consideration for who he is. But I think those who come to God asking for his help, his wisdom, his grace, and his protection– no matter how small their request may seem–bless the heart of God and receive his full attention.

God constantly uses the small and seemingly unimportant things of this world to make huge statements of great value. Consider sand. Sand is almost everywhere– it is under our feet, blowing in the wind, all along the beach; it gets in our shoes, between our toes, even in our hair! Sand seems unimportant, even annoying sometimes. We use it for all kinds of things, most of which we consider unimportant– sandbags for weight, sand to play in, or build a temporary sand castle. We use sand to make glass, or to polish stones, or to keep time. A single grain of sand has no value to us, except in the rarest of circumstances, when it becomes the nucleus of a pearl. But God sees each grain of sand. He knows the value of sand. In explaining to Abram about his promise, God said that he would make Abram’s descendants like the grains of sand– beyond counting!

God uses tiny seeds to produce and reproduce big harvests. God uses bugs and insects to create amazing (and sometimes terrifying) structures–giant anthills, enormous beehives and hornet nests, spider webs and more. He uses the simple and even foolish things of this world to confound the wise.

Moreover, God delights in the little things– the details and minutiae. King David, and later Jesus, would be moved to compare our day-to-day living to that of grass, and common birds, and flowers– not because we are not important to God, but because THEY ARE– if the things we take for grated are under God’s constant care, how much more are we!?

Lastly, God ASKS us to be faithful in the little things–to care for the grass and sand and flowers in our midst– to offer up the little prayers and share our “small” concerns with him. I like to remember childhood, and the shared delight of my parents when we made “little” discoveries on nature walks, or learned to make cookies, or grew another inch. It was much easier for them to tie our shoes, but they loved watching us learn to do it. God doesn’t want us to hide in a corner and try to figure out all of life before we come to him. He wants to teach us, help us, and celebrate the small victories with us– as well as the great triumphs.

I think our society has lost its appreciation for the “small” moments and the “stuff” of life. We try to cram our lives full of importance and purpose, only to find it slipping through our fingers like sand.

“Father, thank you for being a God of galaxies and grains of sand. Thank you that no detail is too small for you to notice; that you care about each one. Help me to see the blessings in the “little things” and to seek you first– with my praise and with my ponderings, life’s triumphs and its trials.”

May 19, 2025 0

The Prince of Peace

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11(ESV)

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (ESV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 (ESV)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (ESV)

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains…²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. Matthew 24:4-8; 21 (NIV)

One of the prophetic names given to Jesus in the book of Isaiah is “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And yet, Jesus did not bring an end to the Roman occupation of Judea while He walked the earth. He did not end slavery or war or oppression. He did not bring the kind of “peace” that most of us look for even today. We live in a world of war, dissention, upheaval, and chaos. There is hatred, injustice, slavery, abuse, and oppression, and none of the efforts to bring peace in our world have succeeded in wiping out any of these evils. In the nearly 2000 years since His crucifixion and the rise of the Christian Church, these evils have remained. Great strides have been made over the years– slavery is officially outlawed in many areas of the world; human rights have been codified. Humanitarian efforts have greatly decreased the number of people who die of starvation and disease, homelessness and exposure to the elements. But there are thousands, and indeed hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are refugees from their home countries, who are denied human rights, who live in fear of bombing raids and terrorist attacks.

Where is the Peace?

Jesus spoke freely of the tribulations His followers through the generations would face. He never promised us a world without any trouble. He promised that, in this life, we WILL have trouble. And it will increase over time. People will grow suspicious, hateful, and cold. Nations will rise up against other nations; families will be divided in such a way that one’s greatest enemies will be their closest relatives! Wars and natural disasters will intensify. And ONLY Christ’s return will stop any of it. Human efforts may make a difference for a short while, or make a small difference for a long while, but nothing we can do, single-handedly or as a human race, will deliver us from the evil that lives in the human heart. In fact, we often delude ourselves into thinking that we can change the world on our own; we seek to force our plans on others “for their own good,” little knowing that we may be sowing the seeds of bitterness, backlash, and revenge.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. He will administer perfect peace and justice when He returns. And in the meantime, He offers us an inner peace that passes all understanding. We can experience peace as bullets whip around us; as we are being misunderstood, mistreated, and abused; as we face injustice and oppression. We can do this because Jesus gave us the example. He did not fight back or even complain as He was arrested, falsely accused, sentenced, and executed. He did not seek to force everyone to accept His rightful claims. He did not even protest the unjust treatment of His people by the Romans.

What He did instead was to focus on God’s mission– He interacted with those who were suffering; He healed the sick; He brought comfort to those who were grieving. He brought sinners to repentance and sought to make peace between individuals and God. Jesus is the Prince of real and lasting Peace– not just peace in “our time” or peace for a generation, but eternal and everlastingly joyous Peace. This is the kind of peace that sees trouble and tribulation for what it is– temporary and transformational. Suffering can make us bitter or better, and Jesus shows us how to experience the latter. When we protest instead of pray, we forfeit that peace. When we pray, we gain wisdom in how to stand firm against injustice without losing our own peace and perspective.

These are not peaceful times, but we can still experience peace, hope, trust, endurance, joy, and light in the days ahead, thanks to our Prince of Peace.

May 16, 2025 0

When “Mother’s Day” Hurts

Yesterday was Mother’s Day here, celebrating and honoring the mothers in our lives. Mother’s Day can be a wonderful day of celebration. But it can also be one of the most painful days of the year. Millions of women each year face acute heartbreak on this day– instead of celebration, they face the haunting memories of abandonment or separation, infertility, miscarriage, infant deaths, broken relationships, missed opportunities, regrets, suicide, and the loss of their own mothers. There are no cheery greeting cards or perky flower baskets that can erase that kind of gut-wrenching pain– no pithy words or consolation gift that makes this day easy or comfortable.

I have an awesome mother-in-law, the world’s best sister, world-class sisters-in-law, a remarkable step-daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and a host of other wonderful women in my life. I love being an auntie, step-mom, daughter-in-law, (step) grandma, great-aunt, and great-grand-aunt! I love that I am still in touch with former students and story hour kids, Sunday School and Bible School attendees, and others I have had the honor to mentor. So I celebrate Mother’s Day and honor those people and all the ways their lives have impacted mine, and (hopefully) my life has connected with theirs.

But none of that chases away the ache of never having a child of my own– never knowing the joy of tucking my own child into bed; never being able to kiss away a boo-boo or a bad dream and say the words, “Mommy loves you.” None of that will bring back my beloved mom or grandma my favorite aunts, mentors and friends who are gone. I miss them more each year; I miss their wisdom, their strength, their comfort.

Maybe because of my own experience, I’m more attuned to it, but I see and hear a lot of pain around this time each year. My heart goes out to all of the women with empty arms– the women who had to bury a huge chunk of their heart along with a child they can never hold; the women who had to say goodbye to the only one who could ever reassure them that, “Mommy loves you.”

My prayer today is that you would know that even in those moments when your heart is crushed, and your arms ache to hold or be held, that you are not alone; you are not forgotten. God knows the aching loss of seeing his only son on the cross as he took his last gasping breath before he died. Jesus experienced the sting of rejection from the people who should have called him brother, and “Father.” Throughout the Bible, God gave us examples of women (Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary and others) who knew the ache of barrenness, rejection, strife, and loss of children. God saw their pain; he heard their cries of distress and their prayers. He sees you too. He hears you. He loves you beyond anything you can imagine, and beyond where any grief, guilt, or despair can take you.

More than this, he has promised to be close to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the broken-hearted, and to those who need rest and comfort. He promises his presence, and he promises to turn our mourning into joy and bring us peace. He is eager to restore us, to renew our strength, and to reassure us that we are loved with an everlasting love. God created us in his image– and that includes the image of a mother hen gathering chicks, It includes the image of Mary who wrapped the God of the Universe in swaddling cloths and tucked him into a manger of hay, and who watched as that same God of the Universe died for her.

God knows the passion, the pain, and the pure love of a woman’s heart– even when “Mother’s Day” hurts.

May 12, 2025 0

Following Christ Like You “Meme” It

For a change of pace, I thought I’d pass along a few memes and sayings about prayer and the Christian Life:

The best vitamin for a Christian is B1!
It’s harder to stumble when you’re on your knees.
Church isn’t the same unless U-R in it!

A clear conscience makes a soft pillow.
God answers “knee-mail”
Christians “keep the faith” by sharing it with others
Prevent truth decay– brush up on your Bible!
Can’t sleep– try counting your blessings.
If you don’t want to reap the fruit of sin, stay out of the Devil’s orchard.

Seven days without prayer makes one “weak.”
Son screen prevents sin burn.
Is prayer your spare tire or your steering wheel?
God’s Garden: Lettuce be kind; pray for peas; squash gossip; turnip for church!

Some people forget how to pray until the cop makes a u-turn…
Come to Church as you are– you can change inside!
Waiter: “Jesus, how would you like your steak?” Jesus: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
God wants spiritual fruit–not religious nuts.

May 7, 2025 0

Holy!

“‘Holy, holy, holy|
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”
Revelation 4:8b (NIV)

Not so much a name of God as a description of His Character, the word Holy means “sacred, separate or set apart, morally blameless; complete; whole; lacking nothing; worthy of worship.” God is Holy. There is no force, no person, no entity who can rival God or be a peer of God. Satan is not God’s equal. Sin, death, evil, none of these can successfully oppose God, or cause Him to stumble or challenge Him. God is Supreme– Alone in His Power and Glory and Sovereignty.

I pray to a Holy God. I pray with the guidance of His Holy Spirit. I follow Christ, who demonstrated Holiness in human form during His time on earth. Sinless perfection, He walked among sinful men and women, healing, teaching, and showing perfect Love and Mercy.

We live in a world that constantly questions this aspect of God. How can a Holy God allow people to suffer injustice, doubts and struggles, and even death? Surely, this is a mistake! God must have failed at some point, or we would live in a perfect world.

God doesn’t make mistakes! And sometimes, that is a concept that can be difficult to fully comprehend. Yes, we know God is “good.” And we know He is powerful. But He is so much more than that. He is without guilt, without doubt, without confusion, without failure. When I see and experience injustice or disease, disappointment, misunderstanding, exhaustion, grief–these are not from God. They come from a fallen world in rebellion against our perfect maker.

Except we once did! Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, and God provided for their every need. They didn’t need clothing– it never got cold, and the insects, animals, and plants posed no threats. They didn’t need the Law, because they walked with God and knew only good. They didn’t need jobs or houses, money or banks, governments, medicine, dictionaries, alarm clocks or Wikipedia. God didn’t sin– they did. And God didn’t get caught by surprise by the Fall– He already had planned for mankind’s redemption. God didn’t fail. He was, is, and will always be Holy.

This also means He is always “wholly” sufficient for our every need. Even the needs to be understood and to be rescued from our own failures. God, who is Holy, sent His Holy Son to live IN our fallen world– to taste OUR failure, and to set things right. Whatever we suffer now is not God’s “fault,” and it has already been made right in His perfect plan. He understands our temporary pain and suffering differently than we do, because He sees the finished product– our renewal, redemption, and “perfection” in Him!

So I am very thankful today for the Holiness of God. It is something I cannot fully understand until I experience it first-hand, but I can trust in it, put my hope in it, and LIVE in the promise of it, even when I stumble, fail, and struggle.

For more on the Holiness of God, see https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-is-the-biblical-definition-of-holy/#:~:text=If%20you%20think%20God%20is%20concerned https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-it-mean-to-be-holy.html

May 2, 2025 0

A Mighty Fortress

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

I love old hymns– I love music in general, but there is something powerful and “grounding” about old hymns and ancient praises that stick with us through thick and thin.

Martin Luther, author of “A Mighty Fortress”

This ancient (nearly 500 years old!) hymn has been attacked often. I saw an article recently that said it should be kicked out of hymnals and never sung. The author’s reasons: It had “old” words and it was gloomy and aggressive in its tone. True, it has words like “abideth”, “grim”, “kindred”, “battle”, and “doom”. (Although the song has been “rewritten”– not only translated into English, but “modernized” to take out the “old-fashioned words”–it’s not like you have to put up with the archaic words you don’t like or understand.) And it isn’t an upbeat anthem about dancing and lifting our hands in celebration. It’s not about daisies and unicorns and good vibes. It was written in a time when worship wasn’t about luxurious auditoriums and customized T-shirts with your church’s logo. Worship wasn’t “cool”–it was deadly serious.

And this hymn doesn’t celebrate the kindness and gentleness of God. It celebrates His Strength and Power; it celebrates Him as a warrior and a conqueror. It also reminds us that we have an Enemy; that we are involved in a pitched battle between Good and Evil– a battle we cannot win in our own power and with our limited resources.

Good hymns are not just there to help us celebrate the good times; they are there to remind us to keep going during the struggles and bad times that are sure to come in life. It doesn’t help that many times this hymn gets shortened. If you only read or sing the first and last verses, it can be confusing. It sounds grim. It assaults the ears and its words pound into our seemingly safe and comfortable worship.

In its entirety, however, the hymn reminds us of a very real spiritual battle being waged for our souls, and the victory that is already ours through Jesus (“that little word!”). Jesus is not just a “crutch” for weak sinners. He is a mighty fortress for battle-scarred and wounded warriors. He is a refuge in the middle of a field of war between good and evil, and the garrison for the army of Goodness. He is the battlefield hospital, providing healing; he is the supply station, offering armor and weapons of war.

The outcome of war is already decided– the victory is sure–but the battles are still raging. Innocent people are dying today in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. History has left us with few illusions about lasting peace in this world. That doesn’t mean that we should not work to pursue peace in our time. But it does mean that our real peace comes from seeking shelter within the “never failing” bulwark that is Christ Jesus, and drawing power from Him to go back out and fight the battle before us.

God is our Fortress and our Deliverer (2 Samuel 22:2). He is an ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and His Name is our strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Today, I will take shelter in the Hope and Promise of God as I pray. I need not fear or be depressed about the evil in this world. God still Reigns!

April 25, 2025 0

Tag: Jesus Christ