Read 1 Kings 19:1-8
Have you ever had a really bad day? A day when nothing seems to be going right? In the scripture above, Elijah is having one of those days…just after he had experienced a glorious victory. Now Elijah is on the run – he’s in danger, he is alone, and perhaps he’s even convinced that God has abandoned him. So much so that in verse 4 of chapter 19 he says, “I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life (this is too much); I am no better than my ancestors." He’s sitting in the desert, with no food, no water, and his servant is a day’s journey away, if he's even was waiting for him at all. Elijah thinks that no one really cares if he lives or if he dies. But, believe it or not, Elijah’s real problem is that he has lost his focus on God, on God’s provision, and on his purpose according to God’s will. He has gotten sidetracked by the storms of life and has focused on feeling sorry for himself, focusing on his limitations rather than the limitless potential we have with God in our focus…God on our side. We see this many times in Scripture, times when people lost sight of God due to the distractions around them and started to sink into a sea of self-doubt and self-pity. Elijah has lost his focus on God. He has forgotten how God had taken special care of him during a previous three-year drought, being fed by ravens and a widow. Many times, we too can become like Elijah. As we face the storms in our lives, the challenges in our lives, we can begin to look for the answers somewhere else…somewhere other than God. We forget all too often what God has done for us. And when that self centeredness happens, we are blinded from seeing how God is continuing to work in our life, and we end up like Elijah, crying out, “I have had enough, Lord. This is too much. I’m no good at this. I quit.” But the good news is…God did not abandon Elijah and he will not abandon you either. God loves you. Look at what God has done for you… "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) By God sacrificing his one and only son, he shows you he has your back that he is always on your side. He shows you that you have a reason to keep going, to keep moving forward in the name of Jesus. What may be impossible for us when we try to go it alone is not impossible when we lean on God’s unfailing love and support. As you keep your focus on Jesus, the bread of life, you will find that he will always give you strength for the journey, no matter how difficult or overwhelming it may seem.
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During last weekend’s running, I was consumed with thoughts of the upcoming Lenten season and the many ways we might approach it. As always, thank you for supporting my efforts to be a positive and encouraging force for those within my sphere of influence.
History is filled with examples of people who started out humbly, rose to greatness, then came to the end of their life battered and broken. At the end of Luke 19, we see such an example in Scripture. Jesus, one who had received praise from thousands, one who was cheered on as a potential hero, would soon be abused and cast aside by the same people who had earlier cheered him on. On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the crowds waved palm branches shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” They were cheering him, praising him…but then something happened…all that cheering and praising stopped. Jesus didn’t gather troops. He didn’t lead a political rebellion. He didn’t defeat the Romans. He didn’t do anything they expected. Instead, he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. He taught that giving out of poverty was worth more than giving out of abundance. He taught that in order to be great, you must first be a servant. Jesus did everything the people didn’t want or ask for, and so the cheering stopped. When God does what we want, it’s easy to cheer. But what about when he doesn’t do those things? What happens when you experience trouble? Do you stop cheering? Sometimes God does give us what we want, but more importantly, he always gives us what we need. But so many times our wants get in the way of our ability to see our needs. The same thing happened to the crowds that lined those Jerusalem streets to cheer Jesus. In order for God to be a hero in our lives, an icon of hope, and a Savior for the world, we cannot approach him on our own terms. Many people come to Jesus from different backgrounds, but as Christians we are betting our eternal life on Jesus’ words in John 14:6 that "He is the way, the truth, and the life." Lent is coming, presenting a life-changing message on Jesus’ terms. Will you cheer…or will you be silent? I love being a part of a large group of runners, whether it be a pace group in a specific race, a running club, or part of a social network where runners are present. The encouragement I receive in such groups is immeasurable, allowing me to forge ahead when the going gets tough. In addition, it’s wonderful to have cheering supporters on the sidelines. Even if I never get to run another Boston marathon, I will never forget all those cheering fans, sometimes 5 to 10 people deep, lining the streets, all wanting the best for those running the race.
Yes…there is great power in encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The Greek word translated as “encourage” in this passage is in a present and active tense. It speaks to the need to do it now and to do it often. It is not meant to be accidental but very, very intentional. In fact, I like how Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this passage says it, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out…” Let’s be creative in the way we encourage others! In our competitive world it’s easy to laugh at each other, to discourage each other, to seek to be successful at the expense of others. But for those who seek a better way of life, I beg you to spur on your fellow runner, your fellow man and woman, to greatness. Sometimes I have found that near the end of a marathon, a cheer from the crowd or another runner has been the one thing that’s kept me moving forward. It’s the same way with life. Train like heck to run the race of your life, but encourage others to do the same…to run the best race they could possible run and to live the best life they could possibly live. God bless and good running! “The Lord is my Guitar Teacher,
And nothing can be better. He makes me go to the right notes, He leads me to the correct strings. He gives me courage in life. He guides me on the stages, For His sake. Even though I miss notes, I show no fear, for you are with me, Your notes and chords they comfort me. You let me jump up and down mightily in the presence of my critics, And I don’t get scared. My skills are increasing. Certainly exciting and successful times will follow me all the years of my life, and I will dwell in the Guitar Hero Hall of Fame forever.” Years ago, a middle school boy in my youth group wrote the above translation of Psalm 23. The goal was to show the importance of understanding Scripture by putting it in his own words, digging deeper into the valuable insights that were presented about the nature of God, the nature of human beings, and the relationship between the two. Psalm 23, this psalm of David is written from the perspective of the “sheep” and is very intimate, reflecting God’s care and concern for each and every last sheep…each and every one of us. The scenario given would have been pretty common at the time this psalm was written, so people would have been able to understand and relate to it very well…unlike us twenty-first century Americans who don’t hangout with shepherds and sheep very much! So much may be gleaned just from first verse – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The first half of the verse implies how the Lord our Shepherd protects us, takes care of us, nourishes us, and guides us. During my past few daily runs, my devotional thoughts have included: How has God been a Shepherd to me? How does the Lord protect me? Care for me? Provide for me? Guide me? And in turn… How might I "shepherd" others towards a better way of life that glorifies God in the process? The second part of the verse contains words translated as “not want.” Does that word want, as it appears in the original Hebrew, mean the same thing as the word want does today? I think it means more a “lack” of things, and even more than that, I think it means that our Good Shepherd will not allow us to lack for anything He believes is necessary for us. May you be lacking in nothing that you need according to the Lord’s vision for the whole of His creation. God bless and good running! Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David. 1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. This election season was one of the most divisive in history. For 18 months, negative campaigning ruled supreme, with many American citizens making the choice to vote for the candidate they disliked the least. So many people became hateful toward the other side that I wondered if our country would ever be able to unify around whomever was elected. In contrast, during my morning run, I meditated on Psalm 133 - a psalm about true unity, the unity of the Spirit, a unity that gives strength and on which God pours out His blessing. Unity is always good in the work and influence of a community. My best races have been run in a pack, with other like-minded individuals encouraging me on, as I try to do the same for them. United, we can accomplish much, but divided we bring strength to the chaos of this world. But we must also see that the psalmist is not speaking about uniformity in Psalm 133. There is a difference between unity and uniformity. We were not meant to be a bunch of cookie-cutter people. Unity is an investing of people’s passions, ready to work together, according to each one’s unique gifts and graces. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35 Unity takes practice and effort. May we begin practicing unity by sharing hope, peace, love, and joy…together…today. "God Is On Our Side"
Psalm 30 A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. 1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. 4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7 Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. All of us have bad days. All of us get discouraged. All of us get down on ourselves and the world around us. That’s why we can identify with the psalmist as he shares his inner most thoughts in Psalm 30. Ultimately, he speaks of his return to spiritual health, but there is a process he goes through to get there. In verses 6 and 7 he says, “When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.” The psalmist seems to begin with an arrogant attitude. When times are going well, we tend to become arrogant too. We start thinking life will always be this way, which leads us to start depending more on ourselves and less on God. “I will never be shaken.” In fact the psalmist says he was shocked when his life started to fall to pieces, “…but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.” In such moments of disbelief, perhaps it is then we realize we are at rock bottom and like the psalmist we offer God a desperate prayer for help. In verses 8 through 10 he writes, “To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” He prays that God will provide and be all he needs in his time of trouble. In addition, it seems as though the psalmist learns some valuable life lessons from the experience. In verse 5 we read, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” God is blessing us even in the midst of our greatest challenges and though struggles may come, God's favor will prove superior. |
Bio
I am a UMC pastor, appointed to serve as a chaplain for two senior adult living communities. My wife is a general music teacher and middle school band director, and we have two sons – 18 and 14. Archives
March 2020
Reflections From The Run
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