Al, my youngest son, leaves for college this week. He was baptized as an infant, and, of my three sons, he's the only one who was homeschooled since kindergarten. He's my baby.
And he's ready for college. My approach to homeschooling, from the beginning, was to teach and prepare my sons with the knowledge and learning that I wished I'd had before college.
It was an ambitious plan, but a "plan" no less.
And I tell young homeschoolers, "Don't look at what other people do. Look at your children, your strengths. And remember your end goal. Education takes time, and children learn at different levels. Enjoy it."
That being said, my greatest enjoyment has been seeing Al grow as a Christian.
Al reads the Bible every day. He's read the Lutheran Confessions, and numerous other Lutheran theology and Christian books. I can't keep up with him!
And just yesterday he said, "I finished reading Broken and I was putting it back on the shelf when The Lutheran Difference and The Hammer of God [by Bo Giertz] fell on my foot."
The Hammer of God fell on his foot! Are you kidding me?!!
Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29
We all have life experiences, both normal events and out-of-the ordinary trials, and God's Word is like a hammer that crushes us in the midst of it, and then brings life.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
God's Word is wisdom; God's Word is truth; it's comfort; it's hope. It's what we live on; it's life.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
My pastor once said, "God's Word always nourishes. God's Word is never without effect."
That's so true. God's Word creates faith, grows it, and sustains it.
I know the law and my sins thru His Word, and, I know the gospel, the Good News of Jesus, thru His Word.
And I think of Al...actually having the Hammer of God, the book, hit him...and I think of God's Word, the genuine Hammer, hitting him, each day, and leaving it's mark, affecting his life.
Blessed is the man...[whose] delight is in the law of the LORD...Psalm 1:1-2
There's no better college send-off than to be hit by the Hammer of God.
Throughout our days, may the Hammer of God fall on each of us, and continue to do so, until that day when we leave this life and join our Lord.
Amen.
My reading for today was Luke 22 - the chapter includes Jesus's words to Peter, "Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but I've prayed for you...that your faith may not fail."
As I thought about Peter and being sifted like wheat, I thought about me. Many days it seems that Satan is sifting me. I say that, not because the incidents and issues I face are difficult. I say it because of my response.
You see, when "life" happens, I don't respond as a baptized child of God. The "selfish me" takes over, and I react sinfully.
I start to doubt my faith, my God, what I'm doing. And I want to run away.
I don't pray, "Lord, I know You and trust You." Instead, I think, "I'm done; I'm out of here." Just like Peter.
After the Luke reading, I turned to Psalm 137, which is a hard and depressing Psalm.
The Psalmist laments that he and the people are exiles in Babylon, exiles because of their sin, their idolatry. Life isn't good, and the future doesn't seem hopeful.
On top of it all, the Babylonians want the Israelites to sing a song of Zion, a song of their Lord. And the Psalmist can't sing these songs...
How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? Psalm 137:4
To sing to the Lord, in the midst of sin and exile...
My sin, which never seems to end.
And yet, I will sing His praises, in my exile in this fallen world. For I know the hope of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. He has not left me alone.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. Psalm 103:10-13
Even as I struggle, even as I sin and want to run away. Like Peter, in trials, I fail...
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
Prayer from the Lutheran Study Bible notes for Psalm 137:
O Lord, as we, too, are exiles in this ungodly world, teach us to mourn for our sins. Give us the gift of repentance, so that we may escape the judgment we deserve. Deliver us from our captivity to sin, through Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Several times each week, I have the privilege of praying with and for people. Oftentimes, I'm praying with people I don't know and for their specific requests. And it's scary.
As a Christian, I know that God listens to and answers my prayers.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14
I also know that God often answers prayers in ways that we don't expect; but the people I pray with don't know that. And because of that, my faith is tested during these prayers.
What if I pray and God doesn't answer a prayer with a positive outcome? What type of testimony is that to other people? How will they believe?
But I've found that God doesn't leave me "alone" when I pray. Lately, I've "heard back" from people whom I've prayed for...and God has answered their prayers, with specific answers and provision.
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake… Ezekiel 20:44a
For His name's sake, He answers. And my faith is strengthened.
This month, my pastor's sermons have included a three-part prayer.
One part is, "Grant me I pray Oh Lord...A greater faith in Your power."
I've been thinking, "What does a greater faith look like? How does that come about?"
And while considering those questions, I opened and read from Praying Together by Megan Hill:
At
it's heart, prayer is an invisible act of faith in an unseen God, and
praying with others strengthens our own faith and silences our nagging
doubts.
Praying together, sharing our prayers with others, is a way that God strengthens our faith.
Hmmm...life is chaotic. I struggle with how my Christian journey is going. Am I growing in faith and encouraging others? Most often, it's lonely and hard, and I seem to fail.
In my Christian experience, I've participated in very little corporate prayer.
Maybe it's because...praying aloud with other people is intimate and personal. I'm talking to my God, and I can't be fake.
Maybe it's because...people are afraid and just don't know how to pray with other people.
Maybe it's because...prayer is foreign. Do most Christians spend much or any time in prayer? There have been periods in my life when I didn't pray.
I think Megan Hill is correct...
First, in praying with another person, I'm invited into that person's relationship with our Lord. And that experience is faith strengthening.
Second, our Lord is all wise and knowing. He acts in response to prayers and acts in amazing ways!
And - I'm smiling right now, because He answers in ways that I don't expect. It's humbling, and it's also faith strengthening.
In the early church, we find the believers together in prayer.
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 1:14
I pray for myself, my church, and all Christian churches to be devoted to prayer...for the strengthening of our faith and for His name's sake.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I'm not a cat person. But we've had a mother cat and her six kittens living under our back porch for a couple of months. And they're so cute - four gray and two black kittens.
We're working with our neighbor, who's husband is a veterinarian, to catch the cats, especially the mother, and to get medical attention for her. So, we've alerted other neighbors not to feed the cats, making it easier to catch them.
The kittens are now thin and looking for food. And last night...the mother was lying on our porch and letting four no-longer-baby-kittens nurse from her. I couldn't watch, and see their hunger and do nothing. So I shut the blinds.
The past few days, my Bible readings have been about Jesus teaching lost and hungry people.
When he saw the crowds, [Jesus] had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36
Jesus healed the hurting, fed the hungry, and comforted and taught the crowds. He provided for those in need.
And just about every week, I meet people who say something like...
- I believe in God.
- I'm spiritual but I don't go to church.
- I talk to Him, and He takes care of me.
- I'm a good person.
I know they're hungry, and I know what they're missing. Paul said...
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15
Jesus came to die for sinners...not for good people, not for people who are spiritual, who believe in God or pray, but for sinners, sinners who are hungry and in need of forgiveness and salvation.
And, He's entrusted His message of salvation to the church, to Christians, to me.
But the truth is, I often have more compassion for hungry cats than I do for lost people.
When I hear people speak about "being spiritual" or "being a good person" I don't always recognize their hunger. And I'm often too distracted or just selfish to respond with the truth of God's Word.
At other times, my faith is weak, and I don't speak up. I also need to know His comfort.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort
those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Heavenly Father,
Forgive me for not caring for people, for not sharing Good News with them, for my weak faith. I pray for the wisdom, courage, and faith to share Your truth. Give me opportunities to care for and share with others who need to know Your mercy, forgiveness, and love.
In Jesus's name.
Amen
