21 March 2012
"But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you."
We may feel forsaken at times. Circumstances may be dire. We must learn to remember that the LORD is near. The infant must learn that its mother still exists even when she cannot be seen. We must learn that the LORD has not forsaken us even when we cannot see his workings.
"In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you"
He meets all of our needs in Jesus. That is why St Paul reminds us that the day of salvation is now. He says that now is a time of great favor. He is "near to all who call upon him," whether they see him or not. He stands ready to lift up all who are bowed down.
"For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes."
Our problem is not that we can't find life. Our problem is that we prefer passing things to life. We wander in deserts and trudge up mountains when the LORD has cut a clear and well-watered path to life, with pasture along the way. We don't see the LORD standing ready to help because we are so fixated on the things of the world.
Our own will is flawed and does not pursue life. But Jesus is our example of a will totally surrendered to the Father. From the Father and through this surrender he has life in himself. He seeks the will of the one who sent him. If we surrender our will to Jesus he will give us his perfectly surrendered will and enable us to seek life along the smooth path he has prepared for us, the path we would never find following our own desires.
"Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted."
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
20 March 2012
20 March 2012
"Do you want to be well?"
Jesus knew the man had been suffering for a long time. He saw the longing in his eyes for the healing pool which he could never quite reach in time. He knew that his own efforts where never going to get him to that pool. On his own he could never make it to a place where he could be healed. But Jesus is the water of life, of which that pool was only a dim reflection, and so he said "[r]ise, take up your mat, and walk." The water of life finally came to the man after years of not being able to get to it in time on his own. This water is the only true source of our own life.
"There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High."
There is no other stream like this that can gladden and give life. We look to many different sources to quench our thirst and yet the LORD sets before us the one river which can truly meet our needs.
"Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail."
Jesus is the source of our life. He makes our waters fresh and gives growth to our fruit and leaves. This fruit is superabundant, growing monthly rather than seasonally. Even more importantly, this fruit is used to make the medicine that the world desparately needs. It may
seem incongruous that a river can be so important to the city of God but it is not. The river is there precisely because "God is in its midst" and therefore "it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn."
Let us remember that the porticos were normal means, not for natural healing, but supernatural. Even so they were not the LORD's chosen instrument for everyone. Rather than clinging to how we expect him to work in our lives let us cling to he himself.
"The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob."
"Do you want to be well?"
Jesus knew the man had been suffering for a long time. He saw the longing in his eyes for the healing pool which he could never quite reach in time. He knew that his own efforts where never going to get him to that pool. On his own he could never make it to a place where he could be healed. But Jesus is the water of life, of which that pool was only a dim reflection, and so he said "[r]ise, take up your mat, and walk." The water of life finally came to the man after years of not being able to get to it in time on his own. This water is the only true source of our own life.
"There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High."
There is no other stream like this that can gladden and give life. We look to many different sources to quench our thirst and yet the LORD sets before us the one river which can truly meet our needs.
"Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail."
Jesus is the source of our life. He makes our waters fresh and gives growth to our fruit and leaves. This fruit is superabundant, growing monthly rather than seasonally. Even more importantly, this fruit is used to make the medicine that the world desparately needs. It may
seem incongruous that a river can be so important to the city of God but it is not. The river is there precisely because "God is in its midst" and therefore "it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn."
Let us remember that the porticos were normal means, not for natural healing, but supernatural. Even so they were not the LORD's chosen instrument for everyone. Rather than clinging to how we expect him to work in our lives let us cling to he himself.
"The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob."
Monday, March 19, 2012
19 March 2012
19 March 2012
"The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness"
We know that the LORD has made promises to us. It seems like we always assume they are for mankind in general and not for us in particular. We see these promises about posterity to Abraham and an heir to King David and we note them as interesting historical anecdotes. We forget that in these
promises the LORD is establishing a life line to each one of us individually.
In spite of the infidelities upon infidelties of which our history tells, the LORD desires to make all peoples his family. "It was not through the law" and could not be. Such a gift can never be earned. If it is left to our abilities we fall short. Yet in the absence of the law of God's household how can we truly be his family? That is why he continues to make his promise throughout the ages. He raises up men like Abraham and David who strive to follow him. Even they fall short but the they realize that all blessings rest on the initiative of God's promise.
"It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith."
Faith allows us to receive the promises of God as a gift while still making the efforts in our lives that love demands. We won't be trying to earn our salvation. We will be secure since we know that we are God's family.
"I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever."
We will have the confidence of Joseph who was obedient to the angel's words. Did he thereby earn his place in the Holy Family? No, but the trust he had in God was part of the path by which that family was realized. In our daily lives the permanence of the God's kingdom can be a firm foundation for us.
Let us also say: "You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior." He does not establish his
throne as a historical novelty. He establishes it to bless us. From it he welcomes us into his
family and, by his promises, gives us the confidence to live and abide in him. We will know that his "kindness is established forever".
"The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness"
We know that the LORD has made promises to us. It seems like we always assume they are for mankind in general and not for us in particular. We see these promises about posterity to Abraham and an heir to King David and we note them as interesting historical anecdotes. We forget that in these
promises the LORD is establishing a life line to each one of us individually.
In spite of the infidelities upon infidelties of which our history tells, the LORD desires to make all peoples his family. "It was not through the law" and could not be. Such a gift can never be earned. If it is left to our abilities we fall short. Yet in the absence of the law of God's household how can we truly be his family? That is why he continues to make his promise throughout the ages. He raises up men like Abraham and David who strive to follow him. Even they fall short but the they realize that all blessings rest on the initiative of God's promise.
"It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith."
Faith allows us to receive the promises of God as a gift while still making the efforts in our lives that love demands. We won't be trying to earn our salvation. We will be secure since we know that we are God's family.
"I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever."
We will have the confidence of Joseph who was obedient to the angel's words. Did he thereby earn his place in the Holy Family? No, but the trust he had in God was part of the path by which that family was realized. In our daily lives the permanence of the God's kingdom can be a firm foundation for us.
Let us also say: "You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior." He does not establish his
throne as a historical novelty. He establishes it to bless us. From it he welcomes us into his
family and, by his promises, gives us the confidence to live and abide in him. We will know that his "kindness is established forever".
Sunday, March 18, 2012
18 March 2012
18 March 2012
"But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy."
It sounds like this would have been a good time to give up. They he been given a fair chance and they had ignored it. Now there was no remedy and the world they knew was crumbling around them. But the LORD's desire is always to save even when things are hopeless from a human perspective. Even, or perhaps especially, in Babylon we can learn to place Jerusalem ahead of our own joy. In so doing is the only way we will know that joy which we seek and not ruin it with infidelities.
It was hopeless for us as well. We were "dead in our transgressions". The palaces, walls, temples, and precious objects of our past lives could provide no surety without the LORD. Even so, just as God sent Cyrus to rebuild his house for a purified people so too did he send his Son Jesus not just to rebuild our past lives but to raise us up that we might be "seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus".
With Cyrus he fulfilled the words of Jeremiah and we can see that he had always had this plan to restore his people. In Jesus we can see that the plan goes back even further.
"For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them."
He has always had such great plans for us. He knew from the beginning that we would rebel and yet his plans remained unchanged. As we come to know his steadfast love for us let us come to trust in his plan for our lives. God delights to save us. He didn't send his son grudgingly but because he "so loved the world".
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him."
"But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy."
It sounds like this would have been a good time to give up. They he been given a fair chance and they had ignored it. Now there was no remedy and the world they knew was crumbling around them. But the LORD's desire is always to save even when things are hopeless from a human perspective. Even, or perhaps especially, in Babylon we can learn to place Jerusalem ahead of our own joy. In so doing is the only way we will know that joy which we seek and not ruin it with infidelities.
It was hopeless for us as well. We were "dead in our transgressions". The palaces, walls, temples, and precious objects of our past lives could provide no surety without the LORD. Even so, just as God sent Cyrus to rebuild his house for a purified people so too did he send his Son Jesus not just to rebuild our past lives but to raise us up that we might be "seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus".
With Cyrus he fulfilled the words of Jeremiah and we can see that he had always had this plan to restore his people. In Jesus we can see that the plan goes back even further.
"For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them."
He has always had such great plans for us. He knew from the beginning that we would rebel and yet his plans remained unchanged. As we come to know his steadfast love for us let us come to trust in his plan for our lives. God delights to save us. He didn't send his son grudgingly but because he "so loved the world".
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him."
Amen. Save us, LORD!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
17 March 2012
"Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else."
They took so much pride in being correct in their ways that they had no room in their hearts for others. If their own efforts, being supposedly so perfect, were of such value then how could they do anything but despise everyone else. That is why humility is more important than sacrifice.
"For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
The externals not only don't help when our hearts aren't right, they can actually be a hinderance if they become a source of pride. Often he will let us come to grips with our own weakness, but only so he can save us.
"He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence."
Let us ask him: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner" because "a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn." Once our offenses are wiped out and we've been washed of our guilt we can once again see the meaning that the externals were meant to have because "the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
"Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts."
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else."
They took so much pride in being correct in their ways that they had no room in their hearts for others. If their own efforts, being supposedly so perfect, were of such value then how could they do anything but despise everyone else. That is why humility is more important than sacrifice.
"For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
The externals not only don't help when our hearts aren't right, they can actually be a hinderance if they become a source of pride. Often he will let us come to grips with our own weakness, but only so he can save us.
"He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence."
Let us ask him: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner" because "a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn." Once our offenses are wiped out and we've been washed of our guilt we can once again see the meaning that the externals were meant to have because "the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
"Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts."
Friday, March 16, 2012
16 March 2012
16 March 2012
"We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
"We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
We do this so much though it is seldom explicit. The things we work at and put effort into often take the place in our lives that should be the LORD's. We so worry about the outcomes of circumstances that we prove that the LORD does not yet hold first place in our hearts. We think that we can ensure our efforts bear fruit just by willing it. We think that the fruit of our efforts is really our own to spend on our passions. May the LORD remind us: "Because of me you bear fruit!" The compassion which the orphan receives, who has nothing to offer of his own, calls us to humility. In humility we can recognize the source of our life. Fortunately the LORD is waiting to heal our defection. He wants to be the dew that gives us life as we blossom into all he intends us to be.
He did all that was necessary to set us free before we could even recognize his voice. Let us remember the freedom he already gave us and let us ask him for the freedom we do not yet have. As long as we are still carrying burdens we aren't meant to carry in our own Egypts he will continue to offer us rescue.
Let the LORD be first in our lives. May he be the only one we worship. Then we too will not be far from the kingdom. He wants to feed us with the best wheat and honey from the rock. Then, finally, we will come to know and understand his promise to love us freely.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
15 March 2012
15 March 2012
"Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper."
"Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper."
We have these blessings set before us. Why are we so quick to harden our hearts when we see the LORD speaking and working. Those around us open their mouths to praise God who were formerly mute to him. Are we amazed or are we instead resentful of the one who has been set free?
Even though we see God's works we forget that they are his. We go so far as to attribute them to Beelzebub when they aren't those for which we'd hoped. Why do we demand a sign even after he has just given us signs? Why does the LORD have to speek words to us when he knows we won't listen?
The LORD gives us blessings which we protect by recalling them in praise and thanksgiving. The Enemy steals these and along with them our joy and trust in him. This happens when we forget to be thankful and recall the work of the LORD in our lives. The Enemy then takes those treasures from us. He causes us to envy that work in the lives of others.
It becomes as if "word itself is banished from their speech".
But there is one who is stronger and he "he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils." If we cling to his word and "come into his presence with thanksgiving" then we will be safe from the Enemy's snares.
Then we will know that "it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons" and that the Kingdom of God has come upon us.
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