Good, But Wrong

So it was, on the eighth day,

that they came to circumcise the child;

and they would have called him

by the name of his father, Zacharias.

Luke 1:59, NKJV

The eighth day of a baby boy's life was a great day of celebration for a family. Not only was it the naming day, but it was also the day of covenant. As Hebrews had been doing for 2000 years, the family of Zacharias and Elizabeth gathered for the cutting of covenant--a small medical procedure, the removal of flesh, the spilling of blood, and the seal of commitment between God and His people. That baby boy would grow up marked for the rest of his life with the sign that he belonged to God's chosen people.

And as good relatives often do, these relatives started suggesting names for the baby. You know the drill...everybody wants a namesake, everybody has a recommendation. Some want the baby to have a chic and fashionable name. Others think it's time to revive an old and not-often-used moniker. Either way it can be an oddity. But then someone in the crowd looks at Zacharias with his wrinkles and long white beard, and at Elizabeth with her silver braids and liver spots, and they realize that this is a one-time event for this family. They will likely never have another child--so this son, this firstborn and only son, should be given his father's name.

Had they taken a vote, I'm sure everyone would have agreed. Except that was not what God wanted. Zacharias and Elizabeth had very specific instructions from God, instructions on what to name their baby. And therein is the Biblical proof that good ideas from well-intentioned people aren't necessarily the best or even right thing to do.

The Open Hand of God

David had some pretty bad days during his lifetime. His father forgot about him. His brothers despised him. His father-in-law king tried to kill him. In a very short space of time, he lost his parents, his wife, his best friend and his Spiritual mentor. One time while away in battle, a band of raiders burned his town and stole his family and the families of his 600 men--who then turned against him and wanted to stone him. The closing years of his reign were defined by dysfunction, devastation, and rebellion. He lost four sons and a daughter. He even lost the kingdom for a bit. And there was almost always somebody somewhere who wanted to kill him.

And during those dark days, David did what he always did...he got alone with God and a guitar and sang about his situation. Some of those songs are recorded in Scripture. Consider these excerpts from Psalms 141, 142 & 143.

Deliver me, O Lord...

Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me!

I will cry out to the Lord with my voice;

with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.

I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare before Him my trouble.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

then You knew my path...

Look on my right hand and see,

for there is no one who acknowledges me;

refuge has failed me;

no one cares for my soul.

The enemy has persecuted my soul;

He has crushed my life to the ground;

He has made me dwell in darkness,

like those who have long been dead.

Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;

my heart within me is distressed.

Answer me speedily, O Lord;

my spirit fails!

do not hide Your face from me...

Deliver me, O Lord...

In spite of all the blessings of God, when time and time again the Almighty had come through for David, there were still days when David's heart broke under duress and distress. There were still days when the weight of worry and anxiety and doubt and fear overwhelmed him. There were still days when life seemed to much for the man after God's own heart. And what did he do?

He went to the Lord.

Our hard times, our bad times, our dark times...they are real and very serious. But we can choose how to face them and deal with them. We can choose to endure with God. Or we can choose to abandon all hope and cave under the pressure. We can throw our hands up in the air and say, "I quit!" Or we can set our face like flint, take our stand, and trust the Lord to come through for us. Either way, we're eventually going to die. But we can choose to go out in defeat, or in a blaze of glory.

I started to blog today on some of those verses above, particularly from Psalm 143, because my spirit is overwhelmed within me, and my heart is distressed. But I kept on reading, and I'm glad I did, because it was in Psalm 144 & 145 that I found my true relief. Not in crying to God about my situation, by in telling my situation about my God.

Blessed be the Lord my Rock,

who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle--

My lovingkindness and my fortress,

My high tower and my deliverer,

my shield and the One in whom I take refuge...
I will sing a new song to You, O God;

the One who gives salvation to kings,

who delivers David His servant from the deadly sword.

I will extol You, my God, O King,

and I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You,

and I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised...

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

slow to anger and great in mercy.

The Lord is good to all,

and His tender mercies are over all His works.

And even those verses would have been enough, but I still wasn't through reading:

The Lord upholds all who fall,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

(Thank you Lord, because I'm feeling mighty low!)

The eyes of all look expectantly to You

(After all, where else would I look?)

And You give them their food in due season.

(You always have Lord, and I know you always will)

You open Your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

gracious in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

to all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

he also will hear their cry and save them.

The Lord preserves all who love Him,

But all the wicked He will destroy.

And there it is. The Lord is good, and He knows what He's doing. And He is still going to come through for me. Just as He always has. It might not look like what I thought it would look like, but when the Lord opens His hand and begins to pour out the blessings that satisfy, who can complain? Those blessings are infinitely good and beyond compare! The sun is going to set on the trials of today, and tomorrow the sun will rise again to newness of life. And me with it. Because God is on my side, and He never fails!

They Rejoiced with Her

When her neighbors and relatives heard

how the Lord had shown great mercy to her,

they rejoiced with her.

Luke 1:58

This verse makes me wonder if Elizabeth's pregnancy was the best kept secret in the community. After all, upon becoming pregnant, she hid herself for five months, and in the sixth month, her cousin shows up pregnant, young and unwed. Perhaps they were both hiding out as a result of their conditions. But once Elizabeth's baby had been delivered into the world, the secret was out! In our world, cute little invitations showing babies dressed in blue booties would be sent out via mail, or perhaps just a quick pic snapped with our iPhone and sent to everyone in our contact list with a txt: wehadababyitzaboy! As the child's eighth day approached, neighbors and cousins began to gather for the bris--the circumcision and official naming. And since the birth of John was likely at Passover, it made it easier for all the out-of-town relatives to join in the event. I'm sure that Mary's parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna, were present, perhaps even discovering their daughters condition (I like to take a little dramatic license in imagining the scenario). But regardless of their reaction to Mary's news, they were really there for Elizabeth. And the Bible says they rejoiced!

The friends and neighbors and relatives rejoiced because the Lord had showed Elizabeth "great mercy." I took a moment to look up the meaning of the word, in a Biblical sense. It means: kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to help. Those visiting Elizabeth knew that she had spent a lifetime in barrenness. But like Sarah, like Rebekah, like Rachel, like Mrs. Manoah and Hannah...God had seen their pitiful condition and stepped in to do something about it.

We need to remember that about God. Sometimes we get too focused on the aspects of God as lawgiver and judge, as the stern father figure, the enforcer, the punisher. He is a God of justice, of holiness and high expectation. But His justice is defined by his love toward us. When he looks upon our human condition, he does so with kindness and a desire to help. Which is ultimately what this entire story is about. For God so love us that He gave His only son for us. What grace! What goodness! What mercy He has shown us!

Now that is in the context of precious salvation, and everyone is always happy about that. But what about the kindness and good will and help that He shows others around us when we ourselves may be in a time of misery and affliction. Can we rejoice and be glad over the blessings of others?

Can we rejoice over the healing of our neighbor when we are suffering in our illness?

Can we rejoice over the blessing of our friend when we have so much lack?

Can we rejoice over the success of our relative when we have encountered another setback?

Elizabeth's friends and family rejoiced. They were happy about the baby God had finally given her. There were songs and laughter and tears and gifts. Everyone wanted to see the baby, to hold the baby, to look for Elizabeth's eyes in his, or Zacharias' nose, or some else's mouth or ears. And he was oh-so-precious, and what-a-treasure, and such-a-beautiful-baby-boy!

The Bible reveals relationship between the people of God that celebrates oneness and community. We are to laugh with those who laugh, weep with those who weep! We are to rejoice over the blessings of God toward one another, even as we wait for God's blessing to come upon us. Because one day, the Lord will look upon our miserable condition and say, "You know what? I think they've gone through that long enough. I'm gonna step in and turn that thing around!" Turn your frown upside down people! God is on your side, so everybody else might as well be!

As a friend of mine used to say: Nothing bad ever happens to me; ALL things work together for my good. Someone's gonna get blessed today, and it might as well be me! But until that day comes, I'm going to rejoice with those who are getting blessed.

Purify

Take away the dross from silver, and it will go the silversmith for jewelry.

Proverbs 25:4

In its natural state, silver is usually found embedded in rock and mixed with other elements and metals such as gold, copper, and zinc. It is mined as ore, carved out of the earth itself, and then subjected to an intricate refining process that will separate the silver from everything else to yield a purified product useful in many different ways.

As a precious metal, silver has long been used as a form of currency.

As a highly malleable metal, it is used in dentistry for fillings and in the manufacturing of vessels, tableware, armor and decoration.

As a catalytic element, it is used in the production of other useful chemicals.

As the most superior conductor of heat and energy, it is used in many electronic components.

As an anti-microbial element, it is used for medicinal purposes.

As a reflective, it is used in mirrors.

But before silver can be used, it must first be purified. And though there are several modern ways of extracting silver from ore, it’s the ancient Biblical way that has application through this Proverb.

In ancient times, the silver ore would be crushed and crushed and crushed again until it became a fine powder. Placed in a furnace at the right temperatures, and the silver and other metals would melt away from the rock. Add the appropriate agent, such as lye, and the other metals would be drawn away from the silver. Combine the silver with a suitable liquid, such as mercury, pour it into a container that is properly porous, and put it back in the furnace, and the silver with separate itself from all remaining dross, which is either absorbed into the pores of the refining vessel, or skimmed from the top. The end result is refined silver ready to be used.

And it is absolutely necessary for the refiner to sit and keep a watchful eye upon the whole process, because if the process exceeds the proper time or temperature, the silver will be harmed. The story is told of a silversmith who was asked about his craft, and at the end of explaining he added that he only knows when the refinement is finished when he can see his reflection in the silver.

How many times does the Scriptures tell us that God is acting upon us like a refiner’s fire? We are, each of us, in a process designed to remove from us all of the things that don’t belong. The crushing will be brutal, the separation arduous. The furnace will certainly be fiery hot and hard to withstand, and the removal of dross sometimes trying. But it is all for a purpose, so that we can be purified and useful in the Master’s hands.

Valuable and precious, for He gave His own life to save us.

Malleable, and therefore workable under His design.

Catalytic, thus causing a reaction when we are placed in the world.

Conductive, and thereby an agent of God’s power to demonstrate His truth.

Medicinal, for we bring healing through the atonement to both body and soul.

Reflective, so that we can show the world the reality of the One who lives within us.

Imperfect

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm 138:8

God has a plan, and His plan has been in place since before time began. From ages past into ages yet to come, He is unfolding His plan according to His own will and purpose, and there is nothing that happens that is not part of it. God has never been surprised, not even once. Because before He started start, He knew the end from the beginning. In fact, He is the End. And He is the Beginning. He is the First, and He is the Last. He is the Alpha and the Oomega, the first letter and the final one. We are simply living out the eternal plan of God.

It's difficult to get our minds around sometimes, because in our limited human understanding, we want to think that we have some semblance of control over our own lives and destinies. We want to believe that the choices we make are vitally important, world impacting decisions. And they are, but they were part of the plan before we made our grand entrance onto the world stage. If you ever doubt that God's plan is in full effect, just read ahead in Psalm 139. It says that He knows everything about us, including our actions, our words, and our thoughts--they were all written down before we ever drew breath.

We are the creation of God, designed by His sovereign choice, formed and fashioned by His careful and omnipotent hand, led and governed by the power of His deliberate will. As we live and move and have our being, we are simply fulfilling that which has already been written. I'm not saying that we are puppets on the strings of some cosmic puppetmaster; we do have free will. We can make choices for ourselves, decisions for ourselves. We can determine which path our feet will tread. But God already knows what we are going to do, and He is never ambushed by any sudden moves on our part. He is still the master of our fate, the captain of our soul.

I am learning to put my trust fully and completely in Him. Sometimes I think I get a glimpse of God's plan opening around me. And just when I think I have things figured out, He smooths out a wrinkle in the page and suddenly what I thought I knew isn't necessarily the way things really are. Sometimes I make mistakes, sometimes I fail. But these also are part of the plan. They are bringing me to those places God has always known I would go, places where He can step in and do in my life what He needs to do. Every curve, every bend in the road, every pothole, every bump...God directs my path and orders my steps, and He knows very well the road I am walking. And He is using it to bring His plans to pass.

God will perfect that which concerns me.

He will bring all things together in Himself.

He does work out all things for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

What God has promised, He will also do.

What God has started, He will be faithful to finish.

For we are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ.

He didn't start this process in us to leave it half finished; He is working with the end in mind. He is merciful and compassionate, and He will not forsake the work of His hands. He won't discard us as a project impossible to complete. He won't give up on us.

And I won't give up on Him. I will continue to live, and wait while He perfects everything that concerns me.

My Dad

He was a bayou-swimming, forest-running, mischief-making youngster. Farmer. Cowboy. Bull-rider. Basketball player. Paratrooper. Soldier. Telegrapher. Policeman. Electrician. Welder. Construction foreman. Mason. Carpenter. Rattlesnake hunter. Arrowhead finder. Desert walker. Pastor. Teacher. Preacher. Missionary. Friend. Husband. Father.

He collected Lionel trains, stamps, date-nails, and sports cards.

He was always up for a fight--especially (in later years) if the cause was just.

He stood up for the little guy, the outcast, the hopeless case, the hardcase. He took in hippies and bikers and thugs, drug dealers and drunks.

He was scared of nothing. Discomfort didn't dissuade him. Hardship didn't phase him. Pain didn't give him pause. When he knew he was right, he went forward no matter the cost.

He pastored four churches that no one wanted, fought hard to keep them open and alive, and watched them thrive under the power of the Holy Spirit. He went to Russia three times, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to send to the work while the doors were open. He won hundreds of people to the Lord. He saw miracles happen in the blink of an eye. He saw demons flee at the name of Jesus. He saw the dead raised back to life by the power of God.

He exposed sin and stood for righteousness. He'd tell you the truth, even if it hurt him to do it. He had great patience with weakness, but no time for stupidity and self-righteousness. He was always in charge, always in the lead, always at the forefront of any crusade or quest, and people followed him.

Most of all, and most importantly, he was a man of God. I can remember the day he was saved, a miserable life transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and every day after that was a day lived in the Spirit. He studied his Bible so much, marking the things that spoke to him, learning from the living Word of God, that some of the pages in that Bible are unreadable today. He preached the Word and ministered in power. He was guided by the truth, and guided others with it.

As a father, he loved me. He prayed for me. He taught me and tutored me and mentored me. He spanked me when it was needed (and maybe a few times that it wasn't needed, but that may have been to compensate for all the ones I needed and didn't get), but he never abused me. He hugged me and told me how much he loved me, how proud he was of me. When I needed him, he was my fiercest defender, my staunchest ally, my strongest support. When I needed to be pushed a little harder to do what was right, he always knew just the amount of pressure to apply. He told me about Jesus, and without him, I would be lost and dying and on my way to hell.

He wasn't a perfect man, for there was only one who was perfect. He had flaws and failings (none of which are your business). But he was a faithful man--faithful to his God, his family, his calling. He never let up, not for a minute, until the day he closed his eyes on this life and stepped into the presence of the Lord.

There are days that I miss him, days when I long for one more earthly conversation, one more prayer, one more moment with my Dad. There are questions I'd like to ask. Counsel I'd like to receive. I'd like to watch Lonesome Dove with him one more time. What I wouldn't give to have my Dad wrap his arms around me in the hard times and say, "Son, God is faithful, and I know everything's gonna be alright!" But I also know that heaven is a wonderful place, and he wouldn't trade eternal life for this life for anything! Because of who Dad was, because he knew Jesus Christ as his personal savior--and made sure I did too--I know that our parting is only temporary. Because one of these days, the trumpet will sound, and Dad shall be raised to immortality, and I shall meet him again in the presence of the Lord.

But until then, I'll be the man he raised me to be.

Happy Father's Day!