The "Fat Lady" has a Final Note but Never the Final Word

S - 2 Kings 20:5-11 (NLT): ""Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will do this to defend my honor and for the sake of my servant David.' “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil." They did this, and Hezekiah recovered! Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "What sign will the LORD give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?" Isaiah replied, "This is the sign that the LORD will give you to prove he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?" "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied. "Make it go backward instead." So Isaiah asked the LORD to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!"

O - This story is such a strange and dynamic mix of heaven and earth. Hezekiah is told that his time is up, he's sick and should put his house in order … the fat lady is warming up. With her prelude in his ears he convulses a prayer which heaven not only hears but honors. Fifteen more years are decreed for him and the prophet is sent back to recalibrate the previously delivered message. He will be healed … but in three days AND an ointment is to be applied AND the sun will be "moved back" a bit to confirm that this is all true. If the Lord is willing (and he was) to move the shadows (i.e. the sun) why does Hezekiah have to wait three days to be healed and why is there any need of medical intervention? The Scriptures do not give us any reason for this particular recipe which may be a part of the point. The Kingdom of God and the God of it is not primarily efficient. Neither are his decisions and activities subject to our approval or preferences. He is engaged with us and our world, requires us to ask, is always willing to move heaven and earth for the sake of those who love him back AND his ways are his own. We're not told why Hezekiah has to wait three days only that he does. Far from whimsical or arbitrary, we are called to believe for what we pray and that he is working EVERYTHING for good and for the good of those who love him back and stay called according to HIS purpose (e.g. Romans 8:28).

A - Our assignment, my assignment, is not found in the how or when but believing THAT the Lord will work. When we ask (and if something is not going to happen it shouldn't be because we didn't ask) we are required to be humble enough to accept the Lord's reply and the way he wants to answer. His ways are his own. He calls us to himself not a formula and to his ways (and still no formula) … and whosoever will may come.

P - Lord of heaven and earth,

I am so very grateful for your ongoing interface with earth and with my very little life. I admit that your ways are your own and that you call me to yourself and to your ways. Lord, for all that I am asking, I am believing that you are working and I welcome you and the way you want to answer. I will do whatever you want me to. I will take you at your word and continue to ask big because nothing is too hard, nothing is impossible, nothing is too wonderful for you.

Ignoring the Fat Lady,

Steve

The Conflict We Can't Avoid: Folly or Faith?

S - 2 Kings 18:29-30, 32b, 19:10-11, 14-15a (NLT): "This is what the king says: Don't let King Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. Don't let him fool you into trusting in the LORD by saying, `The LORD will rescue us! This city will never be handed over to the Assyrian king.' … "Don't listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying, `The LORD will rescue us!' … "This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don't let this God you trust deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have crushed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? … After Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed …"

O - This type of confrontation (Sennacherib against Hezekiah) is not a relic of ancient history reserved for ancient kings. It is the conflict of the god of this age against the real God, the God of all of the earth. Every man, woman and child will find themselves caught in this conflict at one time or another. It works on all levels of this age from the individual to the corporate to cities, states and nations. The voice of this age offers the same basic rationale to us all. It calls us to not believe, not trust and not obey the Lord. The voice of the world (even the religious world), the Devil and our own fallen selves offer the same basic reasons to not believe the Lord which Sennacherib screemed at Hezekiah:
1. You don't have enough power on your own.
2. You are no different from all the others who have been conquered/failed.
3. The Lord won't rescue you.
4. Trusting God will only end in self-deception (foolishness and folly).
5. This whole thing is inevitable you might as well give up right now.

A - All of these tap into the fear we all carry. Only the first of them is currently true - we don't have enough power on our own. This should not surprise or intimidate any follower of Jesus because we all know this to be true. Nevertheless, this truth seems or appears to give credence to the rest. The second is partially true because we are no different in ourselves, but Jesus makes the difference, changes the whole dynamic and "un-casts" whatever dye was previously cast. Our assignment in and through this conflict is the same one we have in peaceful seasons as well: believe, trust, obey. Those who belong to the Lord and trust him find the same conclusion recorded in Scripture - Sennacherib cannot win and Hezekiah cannot lose.

P - Lord of all and Lord of me,

I am hearing Sennacherib's voice. I am facing Sennacherib's army and I am not strong enough to resist nor defeat him. I am no different from any other on the face of this earth … I am a sinner, I am failed and flawed and I have many times done what I should not do and failed to do what I should. Nevertheless, with you all things are possible and because of your relentless love, unflickering mercy and amazing grace I am with you and you are with me. Lord, I believe and am trusting and will obey. Hear and see the taunt, show me my part in your deliverance. I am asking, seeking and knocking and humbling myself to receive your answer however you chose to give it. I re-present my request for new wineskins, mulberry trees in the ocean and for that which is too wonderful for me. I am looking to you and waiting with you, for your deliverance and provision and your way to be revealed. Lord, I will follow you no matter where you lead me and no matter what I face.

Sanctus Dominus est (Holy is the Lord),

Steve

Every Day is a Bull Market in the Kingdom of Jesus

S - Rev. 5:9-10 (NIV): " And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” "

O - The new song is inspired by an "old" theme - the worth of the Lord. The Greek term means weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much; it is a conclusion reached by engaging a process of accurate assessment. It's "finding" can be negative or positive depending on the results of the assessment. There are literally endless reasons the Lord is worthy. He really is wonderful, tender, merciful, magnanimous, faithful, brilliant, patient, powerful, good, loving, mighty and holy. Nevertheless, the conclusion reached by the assessment in this song cites none of these and zeroes in on only one specific conclusion. Jesus is worthy because he was slain, purchasing people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation with his blood. "Purchased" is a verb which means to buy or redeem. It references one who is active in the market place in the process of buying and selling and includes the idea of those who haunt or hang around there. This facet of the worth of Jesus did not come out of the resource of his person, a distant purchase out of his "wealth" executed by a servant or representative. Jesus personally engaged the market place of humanity and purchased by his blood (the currency of grace) that which was already his by right. Thus, having set up an account which cannot be exhausted he himself still haunts the market place of the human race looking to redeem any and all. The result of his entrepreneurial activity ends with the highest rating possible. Jesus is worthy!

A - This facet of the Lord's worth requires me not only to rejoice in the intent of his purchase (to make us a kingdom of kings and priests) and the dignity of this purchase (enabling all people with the privilege of choice according to grace) but the medium of his purchase - his blood. This means that I, in the service of his person, must not refuse him any request, shrink back from any circumstance nor falter under any pressure concerning my own person. “Whether we live or whether we die we belong to the Lord.” Because Jesus is worthy and because God has a will on earth and because he is purposeful in everything he causes and everything he allows I willingly give myself over to his designs to be spent however he wishes. I welcome his will even if it means trial and pain and apparent loss. I willingly give myself over to whatever he prefers because he is worthy and I am privileged to follow, to trust and to obey.

P - Holy Lord, most Holy Lord,

You alone are worthy of my praise. Holy Lord, most Holy Lord with all of my heart I sing: Great are you Lord! Worthy of praise! Great are you Lord; most Holy Lord. Thank you for allowing me to rehearse, proclaim, dialogue with others and be recalibrated in the truth: when I fear the Lord I NEVER have to be afraid. So, today (every day) enable me to turn away from the seductive imposition of those circumstances and people which really have no ultimate power over me; to refuse the worry which distracts, disables and wants to drive me. Rather, according to your worth and in the power of your resurrection life allow me to turn to you and boldly, confidently and lovingly live out the wholesome dread of being disconnect from the One I love … the One who has loved me first, most and refused to change his mind. Dearest and Almighty Lord, I welcome this fear, this holy fear inspired by and sustained in your love to rest upon me, shape my thoughts, attitudes, words and actions. Enable me to love you back in this way.

Steve

Jesus' Prayer: "In them" not just "Amen"

S - John 17:1-5, 25-26 (NIV): "“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. … “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” "

O - Jesus uses the noun Father six times in his 26 verse prayer which does not end with an "amen" but an "in them." He has made, and will continue to make, known his Father to those who believe in order that the Father's love for Jesus and Jesus himself would be in us. This is the Lord's desire to this very day. We need to welcome his activity to continue to make the Father known to us - not just an intellectual rehashing of what we already know but a fresh and vibrant experience in his awesome person. Without the direct touch of his spirit what we know, wonderful and true, does not work in us as it ought to. It is his person, face to face, which transforms … renewed minds are to be led to transforming touches of his person -- God's gift, the gospel, is a person! Jesus also used the noun "glory" six times. And verse four confirms that bringing God glory is all about completing the work he has for us to do; which is not the same as doing everything that could possibly be done. The touch of God's Spirit includes both release and restraint … and in this dynamic is the glory he seeks. Today, God is seeking glory in and through my life even as I am seeking his will, his touch and the presence of Jesus in me and through me. This is all a miracle, the kingdom, the only hope I have, we have, our world has and Jesus is fully prepared to love, shepherd and touch the world. The point of his prayer, and this should be the point of mine, is "in them" not just an "amen."

A - Today I need to and want to live out my believing in the way which moves toward an "in them" and not simply an "amen." Just like Jeremiah at the potter's house, I am the clay and his work in me will always involve showers of grace and shaping in his image. I welcome this even when I don't like it or cannot explain it. I admit my need of ongoing experiences in his presence and love so that the result of kingdom information would consistently be producing in me and through me kingdom transformation.

P - Lord who is the Glory of God,

I praise you for this day and for your awesome goodness and kindness which is mine because of grace. Thank you for having a will on earth which includes me. I want to fulfill your purpose, to complete the work you have given be to do. I admit that this work is not always clear to me and yet I do welcome your release and your restraint. I admit that the glory you seek in my life is not fulfilled in a frantic do everything which is possible but rather to do everything which completes my assignment. Lord, I know so little about my assignment. Please shepherd me. I accept and expect your shepherding unto your glory and the good of all.

"in them",

Steve

Who's Your Favorite Drinking Buddy?

S - John 7:37-39 (NLT): "On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within." (When he said "living water," he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)"

O - Thirst is an ongoing reality for all who live on planet earth. We are designed to need to drink and to drink consistently. Jesus calls us to identify that we are thirsty, what we are thirsty for and where we will look to drink. Thirst is not a weakness it is a designed need. It remains a part of our existence and it remains for us to admit and confess this need. This is true in our bodies, souls and spirits … thirst is and thirst is a need. One's thirst (body, soul or spirit) and how it is quenched does affect the others. Living water has an exclusive source but its availability has been given over to public domain. Anyone who recognizes their thirst can come to Jesus for living water. Everyone who believes him has access to the only living thirst quencher there is. This is in keeping with Jesus who is life and with his kingdom where everything lives - stones, bread, sacrifices, faith, water, hope, etc.

A - Thirst is accelerated or diminished by one's activities and environment. This is true for body, soul and spirit. I need to be aware of both in all respects to my design and work with Jesus in living out the design he made. The environment of this season and my activities in learning new wineskins has definitely increased my intake requirements (soul and spirit). I need to (and want to) make sure I am keeping my life near him, in him and in line with his design. I get to love him back with all I am (body, soul and spirit) and he wants all of me to be as he intends. Drinking in all three realities is something he designed and something I not only get from him but get to do with him. He is never offended by my needs. One thirst (body, soul or spirit) is not another and all three must be quenched. How and even if we quench them has profound affect and influence on the others and the quenching of one does not eliminate or overrule the designed need of the others. There are moments/situations where the Lord can/does suspend or override certain body or soul needs (we call the miracles), but this is always a temporary arrangement and he insists we return to our design.

P - Lord who is Life,

Thank you for this new wineskin season and for the demands it contains. I admit my need, my thirst and the joy of living water. Thank you for making a way for my thirst needs to be met body, soul and spirit and for giving me/us access to you whenever I/we wish and as much as I/we wish. Lord, today is full and I am thirsty. Today has demands and my design requires drinking. I turn to you, to your awesome offer and supply and I will drink deeply. I will make sure that my soul and body are not neglected, since the higher does not stand without the lower by your design. Lord, I love you back. I invite you to come drinking with me … unto new wineskins, mulberry trees in the ocean and that which is too wonderful for me.

Steve

Chess for One?

S - John 3:31-36 (NLT): ""He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come from heaven. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything. And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them.""

O - These are the words of John the Baptist in response to his disciples' concerns over Jesus baptizing more people than John. They arise in the context of a dispute over ceremonial cleanings. John does not engage the topic of cleansing but goes straight to the person of Jesus. He identifies some key realities about Jesus and about us. Jesus:
1. Is from above.
2. Is greater than anyone else.
3. Speaks God's words.
4. Has God's Spirit without measure or limit.
5. Is loved by the Father.
6. Has authority over everything.

All people are called and invited to believe, even though like John we all have the limitations of being of the earth. Those who believe:
1. Discover that God is true.
2. Have eternal life.
3. Obey Jesus and experience eternal life.

A - While the fullness of eternal life awaits the day when Jesus returns the beginning of it, in earnest, knows no delay. Not only does faith in Jesus establish the immediate possession of such life (like the possession of citizenship with all its rights, privileges and responsibilities) it throws open the doors of his irrepressible life unto the ongoing experience of it. Jesus is not calling me to a primarily cerebral engagement but to a personal and dynamic relationship. Faith in Jesus is not like a one-player chess game where we play both sides of the board, one for us and the other for how we think he would play. Jesus makes his own moves, calls me/us to come near and experience his person, spirit, love, forgiveness, mercy, brilliance, joy, hope and the myriad of other awesome realities which flow from his person. Faith in Jesus is not merely a change in categories or a change in worldview … it is a change in worlds … born again or from above is how he describes it. Let the growth begin, the discoveries come, the joys and challenges engage. Faith does not make me a member of club but of a family. We are not the result of our wills but of his - and he has called all to himself.

P - Lord from Above,

I do praise you for calling me/us to yourself and to the new creation, the new world which flows from your life to us. Jesus, you do put the face on God and no one is greater than you. Thank you for not confining me/us to cerebral gymnastics and mere changes in category. Thank you for giving us your very self and for wanting the same from us. As you continue to work, as the Father works and as the Spirit works, I want to work with you. To do what you are doing when you are doing it and when you're not doing it, or anything else, to not make it up or force the issue. The real joy is not in any accomplishment or attainment … it is in you alone.

Lord, I run to you,
Steve