I Will Rise

Micah 7:8

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.  

One of my favorite lyrics is in a newer Needtobreath song called “Who Am I”. My kids know the specific line by heart after hearing me blurt it out at random times almost daily. While reflecting on God’s love for him in the light of his tribulations, the singer cries out, “You grow your roses on my barren soul.” When looking out across what can be a very barren landscape without and within, it is important to know this truth: God can bring dead things to life. As we look to the scriptures, may we find hope that He can grow the fruits of the Spirit right where we are, even if the circumstances do not appear to sustain life.

First, we look to Ezekiel 37 and the Valley of Dry Bones. Led by the Spirit, God brings Ezekiel to the middle of a valley filled with dry bones. He then leads Ezekiel back and forth over these very dry bones to ensure Ezekiel does not see a glimmer of life. Then the Lord asks Him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel replies, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The Lord then asks the prophet to speak to the bones on His behalf and to tell them that the Lord will now make breath come into them and life. Ezekiel obeys the Lord and then watches as the bones, then tendons, then flesh come together. Then last, the breath of God enters in, and the army of dead dry bones becomes alive. Brothers and sisters, I pray that our faith in the hearing of His word grows so that from this day forward if the Lord asked us, “Can these bones live?” we would answer, “Yes, Lord, you can bring dead things to life.” 

Second, we look to Job 19 as we read of a man who has been broken down on every side and whose hope has been pulled up like a tree. While facing imminent death Job rejoices,  

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." Job 19:25-27

Dear friends, if Job found hope in his Redeemer in these circumstances, we can find hope in ours as well. May we be honest about the reality of our circumstances: We serve a living God who brings dead things to life!  

Third, we look to 2 Corinthians 4. There is surpassing power, power greater than that of death, that belongs to God. He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. May we not lose heart though our outer self is wasting away because our inner self can be renewed day by day. For the light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. God can grow roses on our barren souls.

To the lonely, the sick, the poor, the hopeless, the restless, the joyless, the dying...for whatever is dead in you, we have Jesus. He can connect us to streams of living water even in the desert, producing the fruits of His Spirit. Seek the Lord. God can bring dead things to life. May we share this testimony in truth and love.

 —Roger Garrison

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

The God Who Spoke the Ebb and Flow of Water

On my best days, I am quite confident that the God who spoke the ebb and flow of water, air, nature, and the cosmos is altogether trustworthy to hold and shepherd the seasons of my simple life. But there are those other kinds of days. Days when my faith must hunker down under full-scale bombardments of doubt and discouragement. Days when holding to the goodness and veracity of God takes all the determination and good confession I can muster. Days when I wield the sword of God’s Word with tired hands and steely grit.

While I often label the easier days as my “best days,” perhaps I have it perfectly wrong. When I arise from faith’s foxhole, and I see my true faith in the light of day, I know that those are my real “best days.” It is in those days that I see the difference between what I think I believe and the steel of faith that He has grown in me over time. I get to see how deep my trust in my Father, who orchestrates the seasons of my life, truly runs, and I am encouraged, yet challenged, to keep growing for I am weak, but yet I am stronger than ever before.

I have sometimes thought, and heard from others, that God, in effect, is too busy to see and act in in the small details of life. But I refuse to succumb to the cynicism of doubt even when my battles are fierce and seem darkest to my soul.

God lets us know, in His word, that He counts the hairs on our heads, cares for us more intimately than He does nature, saves our tears in a bottle, dries our tears, speaks specifically to willing hearts, knows us within our mother’s wombs, lavishes love on us, comforts us, and effectively prays through us when all we have is incomprehensible groans. He also tells us that He sees us, searches our hearts, works within and through us, names us in intimate ways known only to us, and celebrates our overcoming victories. See for yourself as you engage His Word. It’s all there and more. 

Thinking about it, I will choose to call all my days – all of them - my best days. I will press on into the love and purpose my Father has for me. I will remain on the path toward greater faith and trust in His care and love for me. I choose to call all my days, best days, and I will continue to grow in steely confidence that the one who invented seasons knows my seasons and is carefully tending me as His beloved child.

We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them.

I John 4:16 (The Passion Translation)

—George Davis

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

Happy Birthday to Me!

So here I am, 90 years old, and feeling sort of all right, and wondering if I should feel different somehow, or what. My mother lived to be 102, and died in her own bed, and with her total mind, and I wonder if I will match her. Aside from forgetting a name, or  where I left something, my mind seems to be clicking along fairly well, except when my daughter needs to help me with finding my way in and out of my computer.

There are things I wish I could still do. When we lived in Minnesota I recorded text books for the blind, and I’d love to still be doing that. I wish I could still sing, but COPD and oxygen 24/7 have disabled my vocal cords. And three knee replacements along with not enough exercise (my bad choice) have limited me somewhat, but I have canes and an electric scooter. And I have two daughters here who take me wherever I need to go. I do have a car myself, but why should I want to cause my kids any stress? I’m happy. And GOD IS SO GOOD! My children had a wonderful dad. I miss him. But I’ve had four wonderful sons, and two precious daughters, and best of all I have my Savior, Jesus Christ, to love me and guide me. Who could ask for more?

 — Norma Stockton

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

Tracing Back the Source of Peace

Nothing makes us more aware of our need of peace than intense turmoil. Your high school child dies in a party shooting. Your spouse dies suddenly. A family member attacks your opinions or your faith. You transition from one job or community to another location. You get married but don’t know how financial needs will be met after the honeymoon. You find out your spouse has cancer. Some destructive secrets come to the light. You have a miscarriage for 4th time. Believe it or not, these are situations I have come into contact recently and I could add a few more. Chaos is real, and I am sure you can fill in the blank here with a few of your own difficult experiences.

So I was looking for peace this past week and considering any truth God would offer to me in my search for some peace. God gently led me to Psalm 119:165:

“Great peace have those who love your law;

    nothing can make them stumble.”

As I reflected on this verse, I saw that tracing peace to its source begins with inclining our hearts toward the instructions God gives us. Furthermore, the kind of consideration we give to His instructions is essential to our experience of peace. The author of this Psalm clarifies that it is not just knowing what God says but loving what God says. What we see here is both a relationship to truth and a relationship to a Person, God. To disconnect our love for God and lean only on His truth would leave us vulnerable. God’s revelation is closely connected to His character, and as we know God and experience Him personally we then develop this deep love for His truth, His instructions.

Peace has another element. At least in this verse, we are promised that as we love God’s instructions we will be kept from stumbling. Notice that the verse does not guarantee that we won’t be shaken. The shaking will come, but we will not be allowed to stumble. Oh, this brings so much comfort to my soul. I hope you find comfort and hope in knowing that God loves us through His instructions and finds a way to keep us from stumbling.

What turmoil are you experiencing in these days?

What kind of shaking are you facing?

Where are you seeking your peace?

Great peace. Great peace! Great peace is what God offers to us as we allow our love to be anchored in His instructions.

Peace to you.

—Diego Cuartas

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.