“… turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,…”

        Proverbs 2:2

 

 

Yesterday, a friend came to me and asked me if I’d pray for her young cousin, who is very far along in her pregnancy.  She was told at a recent appointment that  some of the baby’s organs are outside of the baby’s body, and that the prognosis for survival is grim.  In fact, she was advised to start making funeral arrangements.

She went on to say how devastated she is.  She said that her cousin has always dreamed of having a baby girl (she IS having a girl), and that “dream baby’s” name was always Evie.  Her cousin is going to name this baby Evie, and is handling all of this horrific news with courage and great grace.

Some Christians, I’m sure, are pronouncing that the baby will be fine, that all the parents need to do is believe in that healing and it will come to pass.  Now, I’m not saying not to believe in miracles, because I am living proof that they happen everyday.  In Jesus’ day, if he said, “ Go and return home.  I have healed him,” then at least you could believe He said it.  I would say that hearing God AUDIBLY say those words to you, if you’re being 100% honest, doesn’t happen too often, although I’m not ruling it out.

The thing is I’ve heard many people say that God told them this or that person was going to be healed of their sickness, and a few months or even weeks later, that person died.  And I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the kind of healing they were talking about!  God didn’t make broad promises about healing…he made specific ones to specific people.  But He DOES promise never to leave us and never to forsake us. 

I’m not trying to get into a debate about faith and healing.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that we need to be more careful and sensitive to people who are in pain and are grieving.  If you say to someone that all they need to do is have faith and their loved one will survive and recover, what do you then say to them after their loved one doesn’t recover?  Doesn’t survive? Is it now THEIR fault?  If only they would’ve believed… I have heard people say these things to people and have had them said to me on occasion.  And the result can be devastating for that person.

I’ll tell you who shows real faith. It isn’t the person, well-meaning or not, who proclaims something they feel is true to people in pain.  It is the young, pregnant mother, who in faith, is naming her daughter Evie, the name she always dreamed of for her child.  She’s doing so not because she’s sure God is going to save her, but because this IS her child, for however long God allows her to be.  Faith is evident in the peace she is demonstrating in light of the dismal path in front of her, and in the strength she is showing her family each and every day as she waits until it is time to have this baby.  Imagine it.  All the pain you’ve been warned of is creeping closer with each day, and still, she has peace.  THAT’s faith.

 

“10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Philippians 3:10,11

For whatever reason, these verses have been dancing around in my head for the last few days.  The first five words really sums up Paul’s heart, and mine, too. I want to KNOW Christ. To really, really know Him!  The  Greek word for “know” used here is one that implies an intimate knowledge, like that of a husband and wife.  Paul wanted to know all the intricate details of Jesus’ nature.  Some would say that he already did know Him that closely, but Paul wasn’t satisfied…he wanted more.

I have an elementary education degree (which I’m not using…don’t be mad, Dad!), and to get that degree, I had to study all of the different theories of learning…yawn.  But to sum it all up nice and neat, there are really two types of learning: passive and active.  Passive learning is exactly what you’d think.  It is reading, listening, and watching. Some people are passive learners, but the majority are active learners.  This type involves doing and experimenting.  The theory behind active learning is that people learn the topic beyond just facts and figures, but then know how to apply that knowledge to other subjects and can teach it to others…that’s how complete the learning can be.

I think that’s another good way of looking at the word “know” in this verse.  Whether it’s patience, faith, forgiveness, mercy, gentleness…what better way to teach us about the very character of Christ than by making us apply them to our lives?  It becomes so much more than “head knowledge”. 

This type of learning also involves trial and error, by the way.  And that’s why, no matter what you do, you can’t seem to escape tragedy, betrayal, sickness, and death.  Because He is still teaching us, still giving us intimate glances into who He is.   A gift, in light of our present troubles.

I so desperately want to know Him!  I want to have His heart, His mind, His Spirit!And I honestly do usually feel closer to Him when I’m suffering.  I think He comes close to me in those times, like a kiss on my forehead…

When I keep this verse in the front of my mind, it makes the day I’m in take on a new meaning.  It’s no longer just pain, or just frustration.  It’s an opportunity for him to expose Himself to us…and it’s a lesson.  So study Him!!  KNOW Him!!!

 

My friend, Rhonda, is a runner.  She probably runs every day, and even has taught her young daughters the joy and challenge of the sport.  In fact, they often run in 5k’s together on the weekends.  The bible has an awful lot to say about running:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12: 1,2

The chapter before is famous for all of its famous leading characters in their own stories.  And these are some in the “cloud of witnesses” the writer is speaking of. Imagine.  You are on a road, about six miles away from completing your very first marathon.  The sides of the streets are filled with strangers and dotted with familiar faces, or at least some that feel familiar to you. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, just to name a few.  And then there are all those people from our own lives who ran their races with great faith despite all of the pain and fear that ran with them. They are all there, watching you run, and cheering you on to the finish line.  To me, that is so comforting.

So, because we have the encouragement of all of these faithful men and women whose stories awe and amaze us, we are told to throw off all of the things which are holding us back.  Runners, cyclists, and swimmers all wear minimal, tighter clothing ( no Speedo jokes, please!), because it makes them more aerodynamic, and therefore, a little bit faster.  But some of us show up to our own race with backpacks FULL of fear, bitterness, rage, self-pity, and the list goes on…And sometimes we don’t have enough room in our backpacks for all of it, so we carry it in our arms, until we can barely walk, let alone run.

The next problem lies in the last half of the verse: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  I don’t know about you, but when the terrain in my life is rocky and unstable, my first instinct is to bow out, or give up.  I never saw that as clearly as I do now, since having my strokes.  I let that nasty thing walk all over me sometimes!  The other problem is understanding this next part:  “….the race marked out for us.” The race marked out for YOU and the race marked out for ME!  We each have our own roadmap to follow, and though none are exactly the same and some may appear easier than yours, you CANNOT run someone else’s race, and if you examined everyone’s journey, you wouldn’t want to!  We must learn to stop looking around us, and look….where? Well, the next verse answers that .  Jesus!

When I was in labor with my first child, I wanted to be strong and brave, so I declined an epidural for the first eight grueling hours!  At one point, they stuck me in the bathtub, hoping that would lessen the pain for me. Ha!  What a joke. Just to get through intense pain, I started staring at the towel rack on the wall ahead of me until the pain finally subsided.  I don’t know why, but it seemed to help.  In the same way, we are told to “fix” our eyes on Jesus, the one who carved out that very path you are running on, and the one who decided just where to place YOUR finish line.  You can trust Him. You can count on Him to hold onto all of your stuff until you’re done.  And when the crowd (or “cloud”) is chanting your name, I pray that you and I would hear His voice sing out above the rest.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.

Psalm 25: 16, 17

A few weeks ago, my husband, kids, and I were traveling back home after visiting relatives at a family reunion.  About halfway home, the sky suddenly changed color right in front of us.  It was the charcoal gray that warns of storms ahead.  Directly above us was bright sun, splintering us with its heat.  In fact, all of the sky was bright light, except for the road ahead, where we would soon be.  For the next hour, we were poured on, slapping the vision out of us, and then there would be a spurt of sun.  But it was gone before we even had a chance to say, “Whew!  That was some storm.”   We got a beating, cloud after violent cloud.  The rain almost seemed to physically hurt me, with the force that it hit the vehicle time after time.  Every time the sun popped out just for a moment, I started to feel relief because that would mean we would soon have visibility again. But, the sun was a vindictive tease that day, each time it hid again behind that mountain of clouds.

I think we often find ourselves in these kinds of storms that beat us with all of their force, take a quick breather, and then come back  to seek to finish us off.  The last couple of years have felt like that for me.  It has been one heartbreak, overwhelming challenge, traumatic event after another.  Maybe you can relate to that feeling of trying to maintain some kind of order while being blown completely off the road by the winds of the storm you’re in. We often have hurricane seasons that sometimes last years. 

I’m not sure if it’s spiritual amnesia or just plain weariness, but in these storms it seems as though we’ve forgotten how to get through it.  We either commiserate with people,   or we wallow, sleep too much, eat too much, or drink too much.  All those songs we know that speak of faith, hope, courage, and love seem to sound so much better when we are not currently in a place where we desperately need them. They just aren’t, well….enough.

This kind of reminds me of Namaan.  He had leprosy, and was told if he dunked himself in a smelly river seven times, he would be healed.  He was turned off by this.  Because it was smelly and gross?  Maybe.  But I think it had to do with the fact that it seemed too easy.  It MUST  take more than that.  But sometimes it really is as simple as a swim, or as simple as a song, a scripture, or a prayer. 

Some days, I read the lyrics to old hymns…I always find a kindred spirit in the writers of them.  Their words, based on their lives, give me hope that I will one day see the sun again.  The bible gives me vision past the torrential downpours that just don’t ever seem to let up.  So, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how hopeless I feel (David felt hopeless, by the way.), I KNOW it will end soon, and I also know I’m not in it all alone.  God is right there, keeping the winds and rain from destroying me.  I’d love it if He just moved the clouds away, but He isn’t doing that.  And I HAVE to trust that that is best right now. So, if you are in a series of storms and you don’t think you can go any further…don’t turn to the things which simply “feel” better, but trust the One who controls the rain. 

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Dear, Marcia,

You’ve been on my mind and heart ever since you sent that note to me, apologizing for things that happened when we were literally just children.  That note meant so much to me…not because I held onto to any of those events, because I haven’t.  It meant something to me because here is ( can I say this?) an atheist, asking for my forgiveness about things which happened a lifetime ago,and I know several “Christians” (self-proclaimed or genuine: not for me to decide) who have purposely, in their adult life, done and said very hurtful, damaging things and will probably never come to me with any sort of apology, and certainly not one as sincere as yours.

So, as I’ve been thinking about you, and the things you’ve said which indicate you don’t believe in God, I realize a couple of things.  The first one is this.  Atheists are less about not believing in something, but probably more about not trusting.  If I’m wrong, please tell me.  It’s just that most people who say they are atheists usually will soon tell you about an event (or a person, or both!) which turned them away from God in one way or another.

And the second thing is that I’ve realized I owe YOU  an apology.

I’m sorry for never really being an example of what it means to look and  BE like Jesus, in my words or my actions.  I’m sorry for sometimes laughing when the crowd was laughing, at someone’s expense.  I’m sorry for not being brave in my faith as I should have, and as I wanted to….

I apologize for every time I swore or did other things that were disrespectful and enmeshed me further into the things of this world, and only widened the gap between God and myself. 

I’m sorry, too, for all the times I supported decisions or policies, not thinking of how it was offensive or hurtful to you.

And I am so sorry for all the times I sat down with the crowd instead of standing up alone.  My heart breaks for all the times I may have had an opportunity to share who Jesus is with you, but instead chose the cowardice of silence.

I do sincerely apologize to you and to everyone else who knew me back then, and now, too.  So, this time I hope YOU can forgive ME.

 

With the deepest of regrets,

Pami

Challenge:

Look back at your life and see if one of these notes, or maybe many of them, is needed to be written.  Then write it.  Then….send it!!  If we all took the time to admit our mistakes to those who are placed in our lives, it can only bring about healing.

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. “

                                                                                                                                                           Psalm 150:6 

     I have an enemy.  A ruthless one, as enemies usually are.  He has stalked me all of my life, no matter what I do, he is always lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to paralyze me once again.  And he’s like that, too.  He carries around tazers that stun me out of my mobility and leave me hanging onto whatever is close by, no matter how unstable it is.

His name is fear.

       He has shown up in varying people and circumstances over the years, and he’s so talented that he can show up in many forms all at the same time!  There are normal fears that plague me, like the future, money, my children, and the list goes on and on…. But there is this.  The fear of death.  I’m not really afraid of death, but the impact it would have on my family.  Okay, I’m a little afraid of death itself…I don’t want it to be painful and I don’t want it to be drawn out.  If you’ve had a serious illness, like cancer, that you’ve recovered from, you can probably relate.  You’re in good health now, but what if it comes back?  What if this time, I don’t get to make it?  I have had those thoughts alot this past year, and lately they are attacking with a vengeance!  I’ve now had three strokes, one that nearly killed me…how many more times before my body just…gives up?  Gosh, I know this isn’t pleasant, but I PROMISE it gets better, so hang in there with me, okay?

     A synonym for the word “fear” is “dread”.  Dread can be described as a “distressing emotion; heavy and weighted.”  That is a great description! There is nothing heavier than carrying the burden of fear.  And even though God promises to make our burdens light, I’ve never really known how to make that happen until now.  I will share my little secret with you,  so listen up!

     At church this morning, I was feeling very heavy with this fear who loves to bother me.  I prayed before we began…I play trumpet on our praise team, and I wanted to reflect in my heart what we were singing.  So, the first song was “With Everything”.  The first lines are:  “Let hope rise, let darkness tremble in your holy light…” I was desperately praying these words over my life while we were singing them.  And then there is this part to the song that is simpy “whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa”.  Now, there doesn’t appear to be any spirtual depth to those words at all!  But then our pastor, and my lifelong friend, said something like this:  ‘Singing the word ‘whoa’ requires you to push breath out of your body’, then he quoted the verse above.  I think sometimes praise is just about breathing…giving him every breath, even if you’re unsure of everything else.When you push those “whoas” out of your lungs, you do somethingn pretty amazing.  I was singing those “whoas” until my heart was emptied out of all of its fears.  And then I picked up my trumpet  and POURED my heart out to him some more.

      You see, I emptied myself of my fear by giving it to him in the form of praise.  I love God.  I love how He uses our pain to bring out something beautiful.   I am quite sure this is not the last battle with this form of fear, or any fear, for that matter.  But I do hope I remember to physically PUSH breath out my body to praise Him, the One who loves me, because love is the thing which conquers fear!

       Challenge:  If fear is strangling you today, take hold of words of hope and shout them, sing them, whisper them, whatever!  But whatever you do, keep on breathing!!

     I am a bit of a sponge.  That is, I have a nasty habit of immersing myself in the pain of other people.  I do it to the point that I kind of feel like whatever has happened has actually happened to me.  Walking in other people’s shoes is often painful.  Literally.  But then, there are times when it is, well, just plain fitting.

A few years ago, a friend and I were talking about people in the bible.  And he asked me  when I read, which character did I identify with in the story.  Was it the hero, or was it the “villain”?  This was such a good question, and I’m pretty sure it changed my spiritual life forever! Now, every now and again I would put myself in the role of each character, as any good sponge would do.  But did I do it consistently?  No.  When I started to do so, I was seeing some things for the very first time!

When I read the story of David and King Saul originally, I saw myself as a young David, being treated cruelly by a deranged leader. ( I’ve had a couple of those.)  But more recently, I see now the jealousy and insecurity of Saul, and how that very much mirrored my own life.  Samson and Delilah.  It was alway easy for me to see myself in Samson’s weakness, but I had failed to see how I sometimes sought to manipulate others, like Delilah,  to get whatever it was I thought I needed.

     And the good old Israelites of Exodus.  It is easy to see ourselves in the role of an overworked, overstressed Moses, but not so easy or pleasant to see ourselves in the less attractive role of the whiny, dissatisfied, and often selfish Israelites.

     It kind of reminds me of a verse in I Corinthians 13:    For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.  If we see only one side of ourselves, the one that doesn’t need changing, then we have very blurry vision.

Some often refer to the bible as God’s “love letter” to us.  Remember. Love is honest and only speaks truth.  Did you ever think, ‘what’s God thinking about what I’m taking away from this story?’  I have.  And sometimes I think He probably sounds a little like this:  “Wow, that is very insightful, what you’ve learned about Moses in this story.  But guess what.  That’s not who I wanted you to see!  I wanted you to see YOU, and you aren’t looking in the right place!”

What I’m about to say may hurt some feelings, but here I go.  Maybe the first step to change the self-righteousness that is SO associated with the church (and rightly so), is to start to see ourselves for who we really are, and put ourselves in the RIGHT shoes!

Challenge:  When you read the bible, put yourself in the place of every character in the story.  When you come across one that is uncomfortable and is squeezing you a little too tight, pay attention!  Those just may be your shoes!

Acts 8:5-8  ”  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.”

Acts 8: 26-40 “26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:  “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.”

      I know alot of people, including me, love to hear the great stories and adventures of Peter, James, and John, Jesus’ closest circle of friends.  It must have been amazing to have been so close to Jesus and experience his love and grace firsthand.

     But personally, my favorite disciple is a bit lesser-known.  He was definitely one of the twelve, but besides a passing remark made by him once or twice in the gospels, he is only “featured” once in the bible.  And it is in chapter 8 of the book of Acts.

     First of all, I love how the chapter starts off.  It begins at an ending, actually.  Specifically, the ending of Stephen’s life.  Stephen is the first man killed for the cause of Christ, and what results is widespread persecution of the church in Jerusalem.  This caused the disciples and the other christians to scatter to other towns and provinces.  Now, what happens when a bunch of “on fire” christians scatter and spread out???  Tons of amazing things!!  For example, Philip goes to Samaria, a well-known enemy of most Jews at that time.  That doesn’t deter Philip in the least.  It says that the multitudes (which is……well, alot of people!)  listened intently to Philip’s message, were saved and many were healed.  And Samaria was now a city of joy!  Philip did not consider the Samaritans to be any further away from God’s grace than he himself had once been, so he preached with great affect!  Because of Philip’s open heart, so many more were saved!

     Wait!  I am seriously just getting started!!

     Later on in the chapter, we get another glimpse into what kind of man Philip was.  An angel of God instructed Philip to go down a desert road toward Gaza, which Philip did without a question.  He then has an amazing conversation with a member of the royal guard for the queen of Ethiopia, which leads to his salvation.  And THEN, God just “caught him away” and he wound up in another city!  Some translations say he “snatched him up”.  Can you imagine that?  There are definitely some days I wish he would pluck me right out and get me to where I need to go without all the travel.  If you have young kids, you feel me.  But I think the point of God snatching him up has a little more significance than just cutting down on travel time.  You see, earlier he told Philip to travel down a desert road, and God designed it so a man was waiting for him who, as a result of their conversation, turned his life over to the living God!  There was a purpose in the journey.  And when he snatched him up, God must not have needed him on the road, but needed him to get where God wanted him to be.  God doesn’t waste time.  If we are on a long road, I’m guessing it must be for a good reason!

     I am sooo not done! 

     In Acts chapter 6, there is the story of the apostles choosing a group of men, Spirit-filled men, to take on the task of feeding the widows among them, which according to the story, sounded like a pretty big job.  Stephen, the first martyr, was one of those men.  And after much research, I am pretty certain that our Philip was also one of them.  Now, the apostles did not want that responsibility because they wanted to focus on preaching and teaching the Word, which was very wise of them to do.  So they appointed this group to take it on themselves.  Serving is not everyone’s first choice in the list of things to do for God.  Some might prefer something a little more in the limelight, something that brings the approval of others.  But Stephen and Philip, who were both speakers who led many to the Lord, were happy to take on this new role, because they were obviously very humble men, who only cared about God’s opinion!

     You see, I used to feel a little bad for my man Philip, because he wasn’t included in alot of the “high profile” stories in the gospels, and got very limited mention in the bible as a whole.  But I am pretty certain Philip never once gave that a thought.  I’m sure Philip was excited to be used to the extent that he was (Hey, remember?!  He got “snatched up”!!!!!!!  Who else can say that? ), and to have spent personal time with Jesus, and to see the mighty works Jesus did.  Philip was a humble and, above all, an obedient man!

Challenge:

Don’t question the work God gave you, or wish for some other work that might have more impact.  Your obedience is all He needs to accomplish His works, both big and small.  And we might not ever know, on this side of Heaven, just how big it really is!

I promised a good friend that I would not put this off any longer ( shout out to John Bailor!).  So, here I go!  Back before my stroke, I used to love to read His Word, and used to love to teach it, too.  In fact, I wrote many of the bible study material we used at our church.  But now, comprehension is a huge challenge for me, and I am ashamed to say I haven’t read it much because it bothers me not to understand it anymore.  Lately, however, I have decided to fight back and regain the things I can through practice and perseverance.  And I know that many people are intimidated out of reading the bible because they don’t believe they will understand it.  So, I hope we can learn together, a verse at a time.  I’m definitely not saying I will be right on everything, so if you feel the need to correct me, please do! ( If you don’t, that’s like looking at someone with spinach in their teeth and saying nothing.  Trust me, we ALL would want to know!)  But PLEASE be gentle with me, because I am just learning.

Hebrews 4: 12, 13, 16

12″ For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  

16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

     I chose these verses to begin this blog because they have always been some of my favorite scriptures.  I like how the bible is described as “living and active”.  It immediately reminds me of another verse:

John 1:1

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

     If we believe Jesus died and was raised again and now LIVES in us, and if we understand that Jesus is the Word itself, that is how we can truly believe that the bible has relevance for our lives today, even though the words were written at least 3,000 years ago.  It’s living and active because Jesus is living and active in each of us who belong to Him!  That is always so cool to me! 

     That brings us to the next verse!  Isn’t this exciting???  Did you shout ‘yes’?  Good!  Okay.  I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve spent alot of time in hospitals lately, but this verse always brings up an image of a doctor, performing surgery.  It says it dissects soul and spirit, joints and marrow.  You don’t get any deeper than marrow in the human body.  And if you have an infection in the marrow, you are in VERY poor health, because if it’s in there, it is most likely many other places inside of you, as well. 

     If you don’t go to the doctor and have him run detailed tests, you may never know about your illness….until it’s too late.  It’s the same way for our spiritual life.  I think we sometimes don’t read because it’s difficult for us to comprehend, but I think it is more common for us to avoid the Word because we don’t want to see what it might reveal about us.  Many times, when I was in a bad place, I would struggle to get right with Him and try to read His Word again.  But the first words I read were always addressing the sin in my life. Over and over.  Every time.  So now I understand that approaching Him honestly and admitting to being sick is the only way to get healing, and the only way to move closer in my relationship with Him. 

     Verse 13 is pretty simple, and a little scary, too!   it’s basically saying we’re naked.  But even more than that, if you continue along the “surgery” train of thought, it’s as if we were cut open.  Butterflied, (like the shrimp), if you will.  ALL of me is exposed, right down to my bones, and deeper still.  He sees and knows it all, and we are ultimately only accountable to Him for every last bit of what he sees in there.

     BUT!!  Verse 16 is here to save the day!  It says if we approach Him, confidently knowing he will forgive and restore us, we will receive mercy (not getting what we deserve) and grace (getting what we don’t deserve)!!  This should help alleviate some of our fears to read the bible, because we know if he reveals something to us, he can also remove it and redeem us! 

And we will have a clean bill of health!!!

Challenge:

Let’s not run today from the truth God is revealing to us.  Instead let’s come clean, and have a little surgery!