Bringing in the Sheaves

A few weeks ago, I pulled this song out of the hymnal, threw it up on the wall with EasyWorship and got completely through the first verse and a chorus before realizing several folks in the congregation had rather perplexed looks on their faces. So I stopped and said, "How many of you know what sheaves are?" In a crowd of 15, maybe 5 raised their hands. So I took a moment to explain.

When field laborers used to gather the harvest by hand, they would bundle the stalks of wheat together and bind them in the middle so that they assumed a kind of hourglass shape. The bottom would spread out to hold up the wheat, and the heads of grain would wave in the wind. That bundle was called a sheave. So when we sing the song, "Bringing in the Sheaves", we're talking about our work in the harvest field of the world, gathering in the sheaves of souls that have been won to the Lord. After that brief explanation, people were grinning with understanding and singing the song like they meant it.

We've been through the years of Scripture choruses, and many contemporary worship songs are lifted right out of the Bible, but sometimes we forget that there were plenty of old hymn writers who penned their messages from the Word of God. "Bringing in the Sheaves" is one of them. Don't believe me? Turn in your Bible to the 126th Psalm.

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

"The Lord has done great things for them."

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are glad.

Bring back our captivity, O Lord.

as the streams in the South.

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth with weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

There have been many days I felt like I was in captivity, exiled from my homeland with not return in sight. But then one day, the clouds of life rolled back as a scroll and the sun brightened my day once again, and I caught a glimmer of hope in the future the Lord had prepared for me. And when I saw, I began to laugh and sing, and cry, all at once!

You see, when life doesn't go our way (and it often doesn't), we have some choices as to how to deal with it. We can throw up our hands in despair, sit down and surrender to our lot in life. Or we can keep on doing what we know to be right. To use the agricultural analogy of both the hymn and the Psalm, we've got to keep on sowing seed in our field.

Sometimes our seed falls by the wayside, for the birds to feast upon, never taking root at all. Sow your seed anyway!

Sometimes we go through times of drought, when the heavens refuse to give us rain and the crops wither and die before they can produce fruit. Sow your seed anyway!

Sometimes the plagues of locust and grasshoppers devour the tender shoots that had such promise, leaving us with nothing but a picked-over field. Sow your seed anyway!

Sometimes an unexpected frost kills the crop before it can really get started. Sow your seed anyway!

Sometimes in the dry heat of summer, a spark can cause the whole harvest to go up in smoke. Sow your seed anyway!

Sometimes too much rain can spoil the fruit of our labors before we can get it into the storehouse. Sow your seed anyway!

Because sometimes, when the golden heads of wheat are ripe and ready for harvest, everything goes according to plan, and the harvest is great indeed!

Sometimes we sow in tears, watering the soil and the seed with our grief, our sorrow, our pain. Sometimes those tears are tears of longing and desire, of petition and supplication before the Lord as we plant in the hope that this time the seed will produce an hundred fold. Sometimes those tears are tears of joy, because in visions and dreams we have seen the final harvest and we know that good things are on the way. Sometimes those tears are tears of regret over the harvests that have been lost in bygone days. And sometimes those tears are tears of fulfillment, because this time we know everything is gonna be alright!

It's good to sow in tears. Even when we go forth continually with weeping, bearing our seeds for sowing, those tears are useful. Without the tears, perhaps there would be no way of knowing if the desire of our heart was real. I tell you the truth, I can hardly ever go to God without tears in my eyes and streaming down my face--because I know the goodness of God and am so thankful. I know that I am blessed, and even in a season of sowing through bitter tears, I know that one day soon, I shall come again rejoicing with my sheaves in my hands!

The Presence

Then King David was told,

"The Lord has blessed Obed-edom's household

and everything he has

because of the Ark of God."

2 Samuel 6:12

I have always been fascinated by the Ark of the Covenant. It was a wooden chest, 4 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 feet high (roughly), covered within and without with gold. It had a lid of solid gold, topped by two golden cherubim whose wings touched over the top. It had rings at the four corners through which gold covered rods were placed so that the Ark could be carried on the shoulders of the priests assigned to it. When the Ark was stationary, it was to be placed in a fifteen-by-fifteen room at one end of the Tabernacle of Meeting behind a linen and embroidered veil. When in transit, the ark was to be covered by the veil, then a tarp of badger skin, and finally a blue cloth.

Inside the Ark were items of special import. First were the Tablets of the Law, the stones engraved with the Commandments of God. Next was a jar of manna, the bread that came down from heaven. And finally was Aaron's staff that budded to demonstrate the anointing upon him for leadership and priesthood. All of these are pictures of Christ as the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and Rod of Authority.

And it was between the Wings of the Cherubim that the visible manifestation of the presence of God, called the Shekinah, appeared to the High Priest, who could only go into that presence once a year to atone for the sins of the nation.

Everything about the Ark of the Covenant represented the very awesome power and personal presence of God in the midst of His people. For 500 years, it resided in the Tabernacle of Meeting at Shiloh. When the sons of Eli foolishly carried it into battle against the Philistines, it was captured and placed in the temples of their gods, where it wreaked havoc and disaster on the population. When the Philistines returned it to Israel, it was placed in the home of a priest and kept there for nearly 80 years until a king after God's own heart said, "I want God's presence in my city, where God can dwell again in the midst of His people."

After a disastrous first start, followed by a three-month delay while the Ark was kept in the home of Obed-Edom, David finally led the triumphal entry of the Ark of God into Jerusalem. Dressed in common priestly garments rather than the royal garments of his kingship, David sacrificed a bull and a fatted calf every six paces to the Lord, whirling and dancing with celebratory joy before the Lord. And though he left the Tabernacle of Meeting at Gibeon, David built a special tent on Mount Zion where the Ark was installed. And for all of his reign, David had direct access to the presence of God. Perhaps with his harp and nothing else, David would go in and sit in the presence of God, worshiping and serving before the Lord--not a priest in heritage, but a priest in heart.

200 years after that, after a temple had been built in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God, a prophet made this promise in Amos 9:11--On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old." And 800 years after that, James the brother of the Lord quoted Amos about David's Tabernacle when the disciples realized the Holy Spirit had been given to ALL believers in Jesus Christ--Jews AND Gentiles.

We don't have a visible, tangible relic in our religious tradition that contains or represents the power and presence of God. Instead, we have something much better. We have the Holy Spirit--the very power and presence of God--living inside of us! In vessels of earth, we hold the treasure of heaven. And that power and presence are available to all who come to Him. We aren't separated from God by a veil; we no longer have to have an intermediary. Jesus took care of that on our behalf, so that now we can boldly approach the presence of God to find His help whenever we need Him!

And how thrilling it is to know that the presence of God blesses my life, my house, and the work of my hands. He's not sitting on the far-off circle of some nebulous never-never land...He is here, and He is at work, and He is good!

Don't Forget

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 103:1-2

There are many benefits to having God as my God, to knowing Jesus Christ as my personal savior and closest friend, and to being full of His precious Holy Spirit. But since we are human, we often focus (mostly to our detriment) on what we don't have and think we want or need, rather than what we already have. But the Psalmist was good at redirecting those desires, when he commanded his own inner man to "Bless the Lord!"

What has God done for us?

He forgives ALL sin! There is no sin (well, save one--but David apparently wasn't aware of that sin) which God cannot and will not forgive. I look at my own life and marvel at all the things for which I have been forgiven. That mercy and grace, that precious forgiveness is available for all my idolatries and blasphemies and dishonorable activities, for my lying, stealing, killing, adulterating, and covetous ways--if I ever fall into all or even one of those sins. When I confess my sins, I rejoice that God forgives my sins and cleanses me from all unrighteousness. And then He forgets; I wish that He would make me to forget as well.

He heals ALL sickness and disease! The healing power of God has been manifested toward His creation through Jesus Christ, who was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, punished for our peace, and "BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED!" A very good friend of mine pointed out one time that this not only means physical healing of the body, but also inner healing of the soul. Thank God that He is more than able to take care of my healing from the inside out, from the outside in, and everywhere in between, because He is a healing God; and even when He doesn't immediately take away my pain or my illness, His grace is sufficient to see me through it!

He redeems my life from ALL destruction! The devil is a liar and a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. And where people are willing to be used by him, destruction lies in their wake. Situations and circumstances far beyond my control try to lay waste and wreak havoc. The storms of life can sometimes be devastating. But God is a redeemer, giving back what was stolen, building up what was broken down, mending what was ripped and torn, healing what was hurt! He restores, and refreshes, and renews!

He crowns me with loving kindness and tender mercy! Thank the Lord for His love and mercy, for without those two things how lost I would be. But God loves the unloving, the unlovely, and the unlovable. Though He is a just God who hates sin, He is also merciful and compassionate, not dealing to me what I deserve, but rather through great love ministering to me what I need. He lifts me up out of weakness into His strength; He is my glory and the lifter of my head; He is my righteousness! He knows my need, and He is able to supply it. He knows my request, and He is able to answer it. He knows my tears, and He dries every one. He hears my cry, my prayer, my call...and He speaks in response.

He satisfies my mouth with good things! We forget sometimes that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, and He doesn't do bad things to His people. Oh, I know that from my human perspective sometimes it doesn't seem so good, but the Lord truly knows what is best, and I have learned--indeed, I am still learning--to trust Him in everything He does, because He does all things well and none of His purposes are withheld from Him. But I also recognize in this verse that the satisfaction He gives is not only what I take in, but also what I give out. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart bless Your Name!!!"

And through ALL the blessings of God, He renews my youth. Sin and sickness, destruction, disappointment and pain sometimes heap the weight of years upon us, but as we seek the Lord, as we serve the Lord, as we satisfy ourselves with the Lord, we become young again, as when the world was new!

And we bless the Lord.

I've Found the Answer!

In response to yesterday's questions, let me post today's answers.

Lord, You have been favorable to Your land;

You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.

You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;

You have covered all their sin.

Selah.

You have taken away all Your wrath;

You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

Restore us, O God of our salvation,

and cause Your anger toward us to cease.

Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

Will You not revive us again,

that Your people may rejoice in You?

Show us Your mercy, Lord,

and grant us Your salvation.

I will hear what God the Lord will speak,

for He will speak peace

to His people and to His saints;

But let them not turn back to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

Mercy and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Yes, the Lord will give what is good;

and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before Him,

and shall make His footsteps our pathway.

Psalm 85, a psalm of the sons of Korah.

The answer is just too wonderful to to talk about.

How Long, O Lord?

Will the Lord cast off forever?

And will He be favorable no more?

Has His mercy ceased forever?

Has His promise failed forevermore?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

Selah.

Psalm 77:7-9

I don't know what was going on in the heart and life of Asaph the Psalmist, nor in Israel, when he wrote this Psalm. And I don't know how my circumstances, past, present or future, stack up against his. But I know that every time I read these words they resonate in me. Because sometimes I wonder...

Have I been too bad for too long, that I have lost my last chance?

Have I gone too far, done too much, that I cannot now or ever reclaim those things that are lost to me?

Have I made one too many mistakes, committed one too many transgressions?

Have I gone left too many times when I knew I should have gone right?

Have I so offended God, that no matter how much I cry and plead and beseech, He will not give ear to my prayer?

God, do you know what's been done to me?

Can you see how wounded and broken and in need of healing I am?

While you sit on your throne far removed from my mortal coil, do you care what really happens to me?

Is my heart important to you at all?

Life is full of questions. For the ones who don't know God, and even for the ones who know Him and don't care what He thinks, it is easy to simply make choices and go on with life no matter the results or consequences. Someone once shrugged to me and said, "There is no right or wrong; just choices we make, good or bad, and we learn from them and move on." Of course, that was said as they were walking out of my life. When you don't love the Lord enough to care what He thinks, you don't have difficult decisions to make. You just do what feels right, what pleases you, what appears to make you happy and satisfy your momentary appetites. And the world around us says that's okay.

But for those who love the Lord, He must be involved in every choice, every decision, no matter how large or small. It is good to ask the Lord for His permission; better still to seek His will. And when necessary, it is even alright to seek His forgiveness. The point being, He wants us to come to Him with our questions, our concerns, our griefs, our worries, and our fears.

He says, "Cast all your cares on me; I care for you!"

He says, "Don't worry about anything, rather pray about everything! Make your requests of me, and I will give you peace."

He says, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest."

We wonder sometimes, and we ask the questions, but the Word gives us the answers. God hears, and He understands. He is able and willing to reach down and touch us where we are, to be gracious to His children. He just says, "Come."

Well, Lord, I'm coming. I'm coming in faith believing. I'm coming with boldness before your throne of grace to find help and mercy because I'm in need. I'm asking in faith, I'm asking in the Name of Jesus, I'm asking without wrath or doubting. I'm not asking for my own selfish reasons, nor to fulfill my own desires. I'm not asking amiss. I'm asking because it's the only thing I can do that I know will work. I'm gonna ask and keep on asking. I'm gonna seek and keep on seeking. I'm gonna knock and keep on knocking. And I know that whatever you answer, whatever your let me find, whatever door you open to me...will be the right one.

More Magnificat

And Mary said:

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

for He who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who fear Him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

he has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of his mercy,

as He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever."

Luke 2:46-55

Mary's song is full of Gospel truth. Here are some examples:

• God regards the lowly.
• God extends mercy to those who regard Him.
• God meets the needs of those who trust in Him.
• God remembers His promises, and never fails to help those who need Him.

People who say that God is never there, that God has failed them in some way, that God can't help--or that He won't help, they just don't know. God is a good God who gives good gifts to His children. God is gracious and compassionate. He knows our name, our address, our phone number, our social security number...and He also knows the really important stuff like where we are right now, what we're going through, what we need, how we pray in the depths of our heart. And He cares enough to do something about it!

The Bible says that He is slow to anger, abounding in mercy. His love never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; instead His love and mercy are new every morning!

The Bible says that He is long-suffering, patiently waiting for people to come to Him because He doesn't want them to be lost.

The Bible says that He resists the proud, but He gives more grace to the humble, more grace to those who recognize their need for Him and come to Him that way.

God doesn't respond well to demands, threats, curses, and doubts. What He does honor is contrition, and recognition that He is Sovereign and can do as He wishes. He just wants us to be submissive to His will and accepting of His ways.

I can assure you, dear friends, that God is there for you when you need Him. But He is waiting for you to acknowledge your need and come to Him with no terms, no conditions, no strings, no requirements. He is waiting for you to say, "You know what God, I'm nothing, I'm nobody without you, and I obviously can't do for myself. I cannot control my world or my destiny, but I believe you have both safely secure in the palm of your hand. Please help!"

And Mary's song is full of praise to a Worthy God, for He is mighty. He does great things for His people. He is holy, and He has a holy name. He shows His strength, scatters the proud, puts down the mighty, but exalts the humble, filling them with good things! He is a wonderful God.

You're Gonna Get It!

A man will be satisfied with good

by the fruit of his mouth,

and the recompense of a man's hands

will be rendered to him.

Proverbs 12:14

There is a principle repeated oft throughout the Bible, summed up most familiarly by Paul in Galatians 6 when He said, "You reap what you sow." This can be a double-edged sword, cutting first one way and then the other, sometimes with blessing, sometimes with bitterness. We just have to keep God's principle in mind.

I want to reap a good harvest in life. I desire to pick ripe and luscious fruit from the trees of life's highway. I hope that my storehouse will be filled with plenty from the abundance of God's blessings. But what have I sown?

If I have sown to the flesh, the Bible promises me corruption. If I have sown the spirit, the Bible promises me life. But what if I have sown to both? What if I have sown both seeds of love and seeds of hate? Seeds of blessing, and seeds of cursing? What if I have scattered both wheat and tares?

In life, I'm afraid we all sow seeds whose fruit we later regret. But I am thankful for the grace of God, which is sufficient for all things. And the love of God which covers a multitude of sin. I may have to eat some bitter fruit, but God still has a way of turning it around for my good. So I try to listen and learn, and repent and forgive. And intentionally sow new seed in fresh fields in hopes that someday the harvest I reap tomorrow will overwhelm the crops of the past.

Which is why I try to sow love and blessing into people's lives. I don't always succeed, but I am failing less and less (thank God!). I try to speak words of kindness and encouragement, first of all because words of kindness and encouragement have been spoken to me. But also because I want the future harvest of kindness and encouragement. And blessing. And love.

And the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him, the verse says. That generally means people get what they deserve; they earn their wages. OH BOY! Am I in for it! It's one thing to speak, another thing completely to do. It's not enough to promise; we must also fulfill what we have said. We must practice what we preach.

Again, I'm thankful for the grace of God. He forgives sin and discharges debt and liberates captivity. He also forgets what He forgives, and He has a way of taking all things into His hands--the good seed, the bad seed, and even the ugly harvest--and turning them into something He can use.

I Know that You Are God

Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

There are so many good verses in this Psalm, so many things I could write about today. But it was those two little words that really caught my attention. Be still.

We live in a busy, fast-moving world. In town, the speed limit in most places is 40 mph; on the highway it's 70. I know of a couple of interstates here in Texas where they have raised the speed limit to 80 mph...which is good when you're traversing 300 miles of absolutely nothing! We have drive-through windows at restaurants, and microwaves in most of our kitchens. Last night I had a baked potato for dinner. What would have taken at least an hour in the days of conventional ovens took five minutes in the microwave. And under certain circumstances, I have been known to peer into the microwave impatiently wondering why two-and-a-half minutes was passing so slowly!

We have access to instantaneous communications. Instead of writing a letter by hand on paper made from real trees, sealing it in a self-addressed stamped envelope, and sending it by postal service that might take a week to get it to its destination, I can spend 30 seconds typing an email and hit send...knowing that within seconds, the recipient will have received my note. And instead of having to wait for them to go to the mailbox, retrieve their mail, sort through it, open mine, spend several minutes trying to decipher my chicken scratch, and then hopefully send a reply that will reach me in the next seven days, my correspondent can simply hit reply, type out an answer, and voila! What used to take two weeks has taken (optimistically) two minutes!

With the right service, you can carry a phone in your pocket to any spot on the planet and still be reached by those who want to talk to you. Of course, you can also screen your calls and turn your phone off if you don't want to be reached, allowing people to leave voice mail. If we don't have the time for a full-blown conversation, we can thumb out a quick text with lots of abbreviations and iconography. (although carrying on whole conversations this way can grow tedious). Instead of a five minute phone conversation to elicit a yes or no response, we can simply text. And it's convenient. That same phone can give you access to the information superhighway, because we are living in a digital age that needs no hardwired connection. Go to any number of news websites and you can find out what is going on worldwide in a matter of minutes. Use any number of search engines and you can find any piece of information that interests you.

Yeah, it's a fast paced world where things can change in a heartbeat...and you can know about them almost instantaneously. But in a faith based world, sometimes the real point is the wait.

I can communicate my data now. But sometimes I have to wait for the reply from the Highest Power.

I can make my requests known unto God, and even envision how He might answer. But sometimes character is built in the waiting.

I can be in the fiercest struggle of my life, in the deepest dark valley, tossed about on the raging waves of life's ocean, calling out to God and wondering why He has not arrived at my beck and call.

I can lay out all the truths of God's Word, and still be puzzled that the Word has not had an immediate result.

And while I'm calling out to God in the midst of my hurry, desperate in my hour of need, God is speaking in a still, small voice: Be still.

Stop your crying and calling and caterwauling. Be still.

Stop your planning and your figuring. Be still.

Stop struggling and fighting and straining. Be still.

Stop your running pursuit. Be still.

Stop talking and listen.

Stop thinking and hear what God has to say.

Sit down.

Close your eyes.

Be still.

"How long?" you might ask. Be still.

"God, I'm kinda busy here. I need an answer and I need it now. I really need for you to get off your throne and do something." Be still.

"But what am I supposed to do while I'm sitting here?" Be still.

"Be still? And then what?"

And know that I am God!

It is enough.

I Thirst

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5

We have sung the Psalm of David for more than a generation now: As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longs after thee! And yet until today I never understood the heart behind the song. This is not so much a personal acknowledgment of one man's desire for more of the Lord, as it is the desperate cry of a man in need to know His God.

David said that he panted after God like a deer fleeing the hunt. He thirsted for the presence of God, and wondered when he would next encounter the Lord. He was surrounded by enemies that mocked him, and his tears were all that nourished him. He recalls how it used to be, how wonderful it was to go with a multitude of worshipers into the house of God and experience his presence there. But now he is a man calling out to a memory: God, I want those days back!

Encountering the Lord is what I call a mountaintop experience. It is joyful and empowering, it is humbling and overwhelming. It is a great thing to be in the very presence of our Holy God, a wondrous thing. And how blessed it would be to stay there on the mountaintop, day and night, world without end, amen.

But I cannot stay here in this place with the Lord. I must move on, because there is another mountaintop to attain. There is a higher encounter, a deeper understanding, that must be had if I am to grow into the man God wants me to be. I must grow beyond the day of my birth. I must learn to trust the Lord in every rocky byway, in every dark valley, but I must also understand that I am on my way to higher ground! God doesn't desire a stagnant, stay-put people. He wants us to pursue Him from one mountaintop to the next, until at last we reach the heights of glory from which we will never descend.

David was not on the mountaintop when he wrote this Psalm. David was in a valley in the wilderness, cast down, unsettled, disturbed. Perhaps with eyes glancing back to a brighter day--like the day on which his father's voice called him to stand before the Prophet Samuel, or the day when the boldness of God rose up within him to confront a giant with a sling and stone--he recalls better times, and anticipates them again. Though he saw the lightning flashing, though he heard the thunder roll, though he felt the breakers crashing over his soul, he says, Deep cries unto deep! The depths of his soul still cried out for the depths of the the heart of the Lord. And in the darkness of his valley, David had the light of hope that sustained him.

He knew that the countenance of God was a blessing in life. Those eyes that never close still had him in sight. Those ears that never grew deaf still heard his cries. That reach without limit could still touch him wherever he was. And David's hope was in the Lord. The love of God would see him through the day, and the song of the Lord would see him through the night! Others might mock and question where his God was, but David knew.

And in the end of his song, he sings the refrain again, only this time acknowledging that the countenance of the Lord had brightened his own:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God;

for I shall yet praise Him,

the help of my countenance and my God!

Psalm 42:11

Magnificat

And Mary said:

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

For he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who fear Him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel

in remembrance of His mercy,

as He spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed forever."

Luke 1:46-55

I love it when a Psalmist or songwriter is moved by the Holy Spirit to recount all the things that God has done. Mary may have been riding a roller coaster of pendulous emotions, not to mention the physical, chemical and hormonal changes that were taking place in her body. She may have been apprehensive about her present and uncertain of her future. But when the Holy Ghost came upon her, all of that vanished away in a magnificent praise to the Lord who had chosen her.

All that was within her, everything that made her who she was as the woman God had selected for this privilege of bringing the Christ into the world, her mind, her will, her emotions, her innermost being--they all cried out to the Lord! "With every breath I take, I will declare God great! With every vital, life-giving force inside me, I exult with exceeding gladness in the God who has delivered, preserved and saved me!"

Those words tell us all we need to know about the uncertainty of tomorrow.

I may not have it all figured out. I may not have ever answer to every question, every solution to every problem. I may not have a strategy worked out in my brain for every potential possibility that may arise in my path. But this one thing I know: God is great and greatly to be praised! I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow!

Therefore my soul magnifies, and my spirit rejoices!

In the Land of the Living

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

that I would see the goodness of the Lord

in the Land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;

be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14

Sometimes serving God doesn't pay much, but the retirement benefits are out of this world. Or so they say. My mansion is not here, it's over on the other side. There's no treasure for me here, it's over there too. My robe, my harp, my crown...these I hope to receive when I see Jesus face to face, by and by, in the sweet land of rest.

But what about now?

Sometimes serving God is a thankless life. The world doesn't understand our desire for holiness. The devil hates our guts. The church often doesn't recognize service as much as it demands it. And all the blessings we thought we would receive once we started serving the Lord have yet to materialize. Where are the open windows of heaven? Where's all that bread that's supposed to come back on the tide? When will all things start working together for some good?

Simon Peter put it this way to the Lord one time. "Lord, we have given up everything to follow you, and we've not asked what's in it for us. But Lord, what's in it for us?"

Sometimes following the Lord means sacrifice. Jesus Himself said that if we wanted to be His disciple, we must first deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow after Him. He said, "If you love father, mother, sister or brother more than you love me, you're not worthy of me." But to Simon Peter he replied: "Simon, I promise that whatever you gave up in this life to follow me--friends and family, houses and land--you will receive it all back again, in this life AND in the one to come.

Life doesn't always go as you planned. Ask Jeremiah. Ask Noah. Ask Job. And sometimes there is a temptation to throw up our hands and say, "Nothing is worth all this trouble! I don't deserve this! God, where's my reward!"

But the Psalmist caught a glimpse of something when he wrote, "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path." Surrounded by enemies that slandered his name, David said, "I would have lost heart..." I would have given up. I would have thrown in the towel. I would have waved the flag. I would have sat down and said, I'm not going any further. It's just not worth it! "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed..."

Serving God takes a measure of faith. It involves trusting and obeying, and following even when we don't know tomorrow's destination. It involves listening to the Spirit of God and saying, "Yes Lord," even when we don't know what the end will be. But of one thing I am certain: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I know I won't have to wait until I'm dead and in heaven to taste the fruit of the land, to sample the milk and honey. There is a harvest to be reaped in this life, there are rewards bestowed in the here and now. I just have to wait for them.

And waiting is not the easiest part. But David encouraged us to be of good courage--God will strengthen our heart when we wait upon Him!