Tag: Faith

Held. Helped. Healed.

A decade ago (or thereabouts) some brothers met me at the altar of the church I once pastored and prayed for a healing in my life. A saint who pastored me was present on that Sunday morning and suddenly had a ‘word’ he felt compelled to share:

Scott, when your healing comes it won’t be based on your faith but through the faith of others.”

Fast-forward to last month, roughly a decade later.

I was in the throes of one of my most mystifying physical trials in a long history of afflictions, mostly known and often avoidable, the first clues of which manifested the week of Christmas. Starting with sudden – I’ll take care not to overshare here – gastric discomfort then sharp, stabbing pains down my left side, I reckoned I might be joining the ranks of gluten and/or dairy allergy unfortunates and thusly changed my diet posthaste.

Alas, there was near-immediate relief. For a week.

It’s return came with medieval unkindness; there was non-stop nausea, intestinal, ah, belligerence and that infernal left-side pain. After a date night with my beloved I went straight home and to bed. For the next two months I was homebound, bed-ridden and pathetically infirm. Only Sandy and I will ever know the hopeless existence that commenced and emanated from that bedroom. I couldn’t lift a cup to my lips the pain was so great. I could barely tolerate food. Dry-heaving became my frienemy throughout the ordeal. Turn me to change the bed’s draw sheets? Forget it. I couldn’t. Just…couldn’t.

Sandy had to wait on me, hand and foot, week after arduous week, for which she NEVER, EVER complained. 

 Let’s hear it for the Sange:

  

 Yepsiree…no doubt… 

 Here’s what you might be thinking (unless you’re still distracted by Ryan Gosling in a tux, ladies):

Boy, Scott, I’ll bet your bedroom was a holy of holies and your bed the mercy seat whereupon you lay suspended between the cherubim, earth and glory. Certainly you floated above us all in rarefied air.

It’d sure be cool to spin my story that way, let me tell you, but most days I felt like I was this guy:

 

 

 Day turned into night, night labored till dawn, day after day, the same drab and hopeless scene stretched before me, leaving my soul rasping and gasping and bereft. If I lay utterly still the hours were tolerable but woe was me if I had to shift in bed even a few inches. The doctors were befuddled. There were CT scans, ultrasounds, upper endoscopies, colonoscopies, blood and stool tests. Each revealed nothing except mounting bills. Hope hardened and Heaven seemed light years removed. Worship eluded me. I wasn’t mad at God – far, far from it! I don’t believe I even once doubted His goodness. What I did doubt was healing, so began processing what life might look like as a bedridden saint. Frankly, I’d rather I just died.

So, no, no holy place and no ascending incense. I did sense some winged creatures hovering most days, but more in line with:

 

 

 So, yeah, you get the idea. 

 
However… 

 Ministering priests began to tromp around on the temple grounds one day in very late February. When Hope seemed bleakest, my priests began stoking the fires, laying the coals of infused incense, offering the breads on the altar, running the oil to the lamp stand, and presented their prayers befor the Lord. Yes, many intercessions had been offered up for me but in one concentrated 24-hr period it was exponential. Texts, voice mails, notes, tweets, direct messages – whatever mediums were available – were laid as my mercy seat upon which the Christ of Comfort took His seat for me, and from which His healing power flowed to my bed of affliction. 

 There’s a miracle story that Dr. Luke weaves into his gospel tapestry that fits well here.

Seems there was a paralyzed man who needed Jesus’ redemptive touch. He obviously had friends who cared about him for we find their faith in its creative zenith as they Mapquested™ Simon Peter’s address and four-man lifted and carried their disabled friend to his front door in the village of Capernaum. They’d heard Jesus was holding court and believed their friend had a shot if they could only get him near to the Healing Man. 

 Big obstacle. The house was crowded. Even the overflow rooms were packed. What to do, what to do? 

They eyed an outer staircase that led to the roof.

Why not, they thought.

Removing tiles, whether thatch or true tiles, they created an opening just wide enough to lower their buddy to a sliver of space at the feet of the Son of Man. I’m sure Jesus stopped in mid-sermon when He heard the overhead commotion and looked up. I’ll bet a smile widened on His face as the Father revealed His plan to Him in that moment. 

 “You will heal this man, spirit, soul and body, My Son,” He heard. 

 
Yay! And it’s the Sabbath, and there’s an entourage of Pharisees sitting here! Even better! 

 
(I’m sure Jesus was truly jazzed, because, well, Pharisees…) 

 Luke is careful to report that Jesus was moved by the faith of this pathetic man’s friends. Just so, I only had a spittle cup’s worth of hope for my own healing, but God blessed me with an army of ministering priests who showed up together and carried me to the mercy-seat of Jesus, believing as one that there was Gospel Hope for me. 

 Within 24 hours of this prayer barrage, I had no more debilitating pain. 

 I could turn myself. 

 I could bathe myself. 

 I could dress myself. 

 No doctors, no medicine, no therapy. 

This miracle is solely attributable to Jehovah-Rapha, my Healer.

A friend recently asked me about that decade-ago exchange, about my healing coming based on the faith of others not my own. She asked if I thought this was that. I don’t know, quite honestly. If it isn’t, it’s enough. More than! Whatever God decides, I’m at peace with it. But somehow I believe an even greater healing is coming. Henceforth, I’m waiting for some friends to call me someday and say:

Scott, how do you feel about rooftops?”

 

God Is Not Finished

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If you’ve managed to string together some years of living, you can’t deny the times you’ve stood at a crucial crossroad and asked, “How will I get through this?”

And yet, here you are.

There’ve been some Goliaths here and there, some Waterloos, a Gethsemane or two, and perhaps even a dark night of the soul to spice things up. But you made it. You’re here and in one piece. Yes, you’ve accumulated your share of scars, a wine cellar of bottled tears, and there might even be a hint of PTSD, but the fact remains, you came through. It wasn’t bootstraps or fine breeding that got you through, either. It was God.

I’ll tie a bow on this four-part “God Is Not…” series with this final faith-building installment. In preparation for whatever Everests or Hades that loom before us in 2015, whatever crises of belief to assay our faith, God has already won the day and we are citizens of His unshakable Kingdom.

So what have we learned about God-in-crisis? What is the climate in the throne room when the fury of hell is unleashed? What can we expect from Him as the days grow more uncertain, as frightening darkness encroaches, as alarms are sounding, when even the experts are turning to gloom-and-doom forecasts?

We’ve learned that:

  • God Is not nervous in the least

    • The Psalmist says He even “laughs” in the face of the would-be oppressors – but smiles on His own, because

  • God is not aloof and uncaring

    • He looks intimately upon us as we toil and strive against the onslaught of waves – and He’s not at a loss…for words. He will stand and shout at the storm “Enough!” and carry us through.

  • And, God is not handicapped

    • All the resources of glory are at His disposal and in full operation to countermand the wickedness of evil’s hate against His own. He is not self-absorbed but “will fight for you.” (Exodus 14:14)

And the word that feeds our soul today is,

  • God Is Not Finished

Paul, the apostle of suffering, said he’d been shipwrecked three times, was once set adrift at sea and, at other times, experienced “dangers at sea” – all in one paragraph (2 Cor 11:25,26). He and the sea didn’t get along too well, it would seem.

Acts 27 gives a harrowing account of one such shipwreck. Luke accurately recounts that Paul was a carefully-guarded prisoner and was loaded onto a cargo ship for an appointment with Caesar in Rome. His case as an insurrectionist against Rome was going to be reviewed by a Roman court with Caesar himself presiding.

It wasn’t the best time to be sailing on the contrary Mediterranean and Paul suggested to the captain they might find a harbor to winter in. The captain considered it but sought other counsel and was told the ship was sturdy to face whatever the sea could throw at it and, besides, weren’t they under some time constraints to deliver their charge? You guessed it. They pushed on – straight into the teeth of a nor’easter.

For two whole weeks they battled and toiled and despaired. They didn’t see the sun for fourteen straight days but fought through night-like conditions 24 hours a day, without food as the all-hands-on-deck situation kept them active and occupied. This was a once-in-a-lifetime storm that terrorized even the most hardened veteran sailors. And there was Paul.

Nearly two weeks of this and Paul was in his quarters one night when he was visited by an Angel who told him,

Don’t fear this storm, Paul. You will not die and none of the other 276 men will die, either. You are destined to speak to Caesar and to Caesar you will go!”

Paul believed God and shared this news with the crew later that night.

“Men,” he said, “God has told me we will not die. Look, you haven’t eaten in two weeks, so eat!”

It was a strange thing to say. The boat was still being lashed by rains and wind and the waves remained mountains of fury against them, but in the midst of it all, as Paul surely had to shout to be heard, there was the promise of deliverance – and the respite of food.

I think we’re in a calm before the storm hits. Indeed it’s coming and it’ll be unlike any past storm we’ve come through before. I believe we’ve foolishly pushed out from Crete instead of listening to the warnings of God, trusting rather in the size and seaworthiness of our vessels. Consequently, there are frightening days ahead – days of peril and dashed hopes. But even in this, God is not absent. His hands are not tied. He will come and save us because we have islands to save and Caesars to stand before and Romes to invade and snakes to shake off our hands – because Acts doesn’t finish with chapter 27 but moves seamlessly into chapter 28.

But the cost will be high.

Remember, it is not the storm – or the size of it – that dictates the outcome. That’s the Lord’s call. Some of us will have to swim for our lives, some will cling to planks and others will have to fight for mere scraps (Acts 27:44) – but God has spoken, He is not finished, and we will make it to shore.

Amen.

• • • •

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:

Under the shadow of thy throne,
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while troubles last,
and our eternal home!

- Isaac Watts

10 Things Your Thanksgiving Table Needs

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What will be at your table today?

Like 90% of Americans, you’ll likely go traditional, serving turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, perhaps a casserole of either beans, squash, sweet potatoes – or all three! Then, of course, topping it all off with the famous pumpkin and/or pecan pies.

It’s not likely your table will resemble the first thanksgiving meal in 1621. That three-day feast, shared between pilgrims from England and Wampanoag native Americans, featured duck, goose, mussels, lobster, hollowed out pumpkins filled with milk, honey and spices, formed into a custard then roasted in an earth oven; turnips, corn mush sweetened with molasses, onions, beans, turnips; gooseberries, raspberries and grapes…and, maybe, just maybe, a few wild turkeys.

I thought today we might center around the other factors of this beloved holiday feast: what happens around the table, besides just the eating part.

Let’s zero in on 10 things that could elevate your dinner to an even higher, more memorable, place.

Let’s talk etiquette.

No, not which fork you start with, or what that sideways utensil at the top of your plate is for; not about napkins on the lap or elbows on the table, or the proper serving size. Or whether you pass clockwise or counter-clockwise.

No, not that kind of etiquette.

Let’s talk etiquette of the heart.

Let’s talk about how the redeemed grow together and relate to one another as true family.

What’s Around The Table of the Redeemed?

  1. Centerpiece

    2. – points to CHRIST, make Him attractive; make Him the point; don’t make Him just a small part of your day, make Him the main point of the day; make Jesus the cornucopia of your fellowship

    2 Corinthians 4:7 – Jesus is the bounty in the horn of bounty!

    This day is not about you grandstanding, soap boxing, grabbing the spotlight and being the center of attention.

    Find the Jesus in the ones around the table and nurture that in your conversation.

  2. Head Chair

    3. – who serves?

    Matthew 23:6-11

    The Norman Rockwell iconic painting “Freedom from Want” has the Dad wearing the suit reaching for the carving utensils. He’s the head of the household and yet he’s given to the role of serving the turkey.

    In the economy of the Kingdom, we would do well to remember the ones with delegated power are the ones with the responsibility to humble themselves to work for those with none. Pastors aren’t celebrities, they’re servants. Bosses aren’t bossy, they’re busy…making sure their charges are exceeding their own expectations. Husbands aren’t ruling over their wives, they’re laying down their lives for their wives…

  3. Place-Settings

    4. – tables and settings are usually set up for even numbers; make your table ‘odd’ or uneven as a reminder you don’t belong in the family either, but grace has set a place for you, too.

    Your reservation is waiting…

    Luke 14:22-24

  4. Meat

    5. – this represents the rich and awesome, sometimes deep and often heavy, doctrines of God. We need to encourage our brothers and sisters to leave the paper plates and smaller helpings at the kids’ table, and to dive into the meatier offerings of the Life. You can find such in the apostolic writings and in the types and shadows of Messiah in the old scriptures.

    Hebrews 5:12-14

  5. Veggies

    6. These complement the rich foods that lie heavy on the soul and mind. These edify and strengthen the saints.

    Romans 14:19
    Hebrews 10:24 – think “stir up, whip up” potatoes!
    1 Corinthians 14:26 – look at these as a vegetable medley!

    Veggies prevent cancers, obesity, high blood pressure, eye diseases, bodily infections; provide fiber, vitamins, potassium, iron, contain no cholesterol, etc. They’re the perfect compliment to the meats of rich doctrine, and they’ll be found in the psalms, gospels and parts of the epistles

  6. Salt

    7. – salt as a covenant of peace

    Mark 9:50
    Ephesians 4:3

    The exchange of salt was an ancient symbol of friendship and even marriage commitment. If salt was left outside, in the elements, it would spoil and be useless. It needs to be guarded, shielded, covered, protected, like all our relationships.

  7. Seasoning

    8. – conversation among family, words of grace

    Colossians 4:6
    Proverbs 16:24

    ‘Seasoned with salt‘ meant be interesting, tactful, engaging; we are often guilty of benign, insipid conversation.

    Don’t drone on and be boring. If you’re not a skilled conversationalist, talk less, listen more.

    Say things that spark enlightenment, give encouragement, offer revelation, proffer instruction. Enough of meaningless small talk! And no long soliloquies and bloviated one-sided teaching, either! Sometimes verbal tweeting is perfect dialogue mechanics!

    A 17th century nun prayed:
    (language updated)

    Lord, You know me better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occassion. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful, but not moody. Helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but You know, Lord, I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the endless recital of details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others’ pains, but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occassionally, I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint – some of them are so hard to live with. But a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen

  8. Bread

    9. – sharing my livelihood and plenty with my brothers and sisters; generosity

    1 John 3:17
    Romans 12:13

    The Romans text, “show hospitality”, means to be fond of (friend of) guests, aliens, and strangers.

    Our English translations make it two separate ideas: share with the saints…and also practice hospitality. But Paul is saying ‘when you share with each other, hospitality is fulfilled’ or ‘you show hospitality whenever you share’ – not only money, but to share joys and sorrows as well.

  9. Wine

    – sweet fellowship; intimate communion

    Remember when Jesus served uber wine to the wedding guests long after the party had begun and the wine had played out?

    When His is served, the guests marvel that the host would save the best for last when it was customary to serve the very best initially.

    Our takeaway is to offer the 100-proof wine of Jesus’ Life to one another at all times, on all occasions, never withholding.

    Romans 12:10 – outdo each other…with wine-fellowship!

    All too often, this is the sentiment among the church homies:

    To live be above, with saints we love
    That will be glory!
    To live below, with saints we know
    That’s another story!

    Let’s turn that into:

    Blessed be the tie that binds
    Our hearts in Christian love;
    The fellowship of kindred minds
    Is like to that above.

  10. Second (and Third) Helpings

    11. – recognizing the generous blessings of God

    Read Romans 5:9-17 carefully and underline ALL the “much more” and “more than” phrases. It’s a beautiful way to see that our salvation is a MORE THAN salvation, always more, constantly blessing, taking us from heaping helping to heaping helping of glorious grace!

    To draw to an end (so I’m not grandstanding, soap-boxing and bloviating), let me offer this moving tribute to those who first settled our shores. Be blessed to know that – in their less than ideal situation of death and disease – they never forgot the MORE THAN of their salvation, that His love was more than enough to conquer their sadness and give them pause…to be overwhelmingly thankful.

    May His grace bring this to your remembrance as well.

    The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
    ~ H.U. Westermayer

    Selah, fellow pilgrims.

    Thoughts? Comments? Testimony?