Linnea's Lines

The Red of Love

Love—deep red love— 
came struggling through 
the pressure of the birth canal 
and landed safe in loving hands
that washed away the blood
and held him close.
They did not know, not yet,
that Love’s own blood
would someday spurt
from lashes to his back,
from nails plunged straight
through his own hands,
and through his feet—
blood of Life and supreme Love
that would bring hope to anyone
who trusted in his words
and in the power of his shed blood
to wash away the curse of sin.
It sealed a covenant of peace
between the Lord and his dear ones,
a document of liberation
signed in crimson blood,
the red of Love.

Blood is not usually something we love to talk about. But that can change! Being involved in the process of translating the Bible into the Nyarafolo language has put me on a steep learning curve, and the importance of blood is one part of that climb.

One of the most significant elements for me was learning about “covenant.” It is a concept we only mention these days when we apply it to marriage. And yes, marriage is a legal agreement—a covenant—between two people, with promises to support one another and stay together. But this year during the Easter season as I contemplated Jesus’ last words to his disciples and the incredible significance of his death, this struck me: a new covenant was being made between God and the humans who would accept the criteria.

In the early 2000’s, Moïse and I were launching into translating the Old Testament, just after Mark’s Gospel had been translated and printed. We realized that the New Testament would not be easily understaood without the background of the Pentateuch. So Genesis was the challenge before us, full of new terms to understand.

The hardest one was “covenant.” When we asked other team members for suggestions, the most popular proposal was a Nyarafolo term that meant “promise.” It didn’t seem to fit in logically for me, but we went with it. We were working in association with SIL (Wycliffe Bible Translators), and they require that each translated section be checked by a consultant before it is given to the people. When the consultant was meticulously going through the first part of Genesis with us, we got to chapter 15 and whammed into the problem of “covenant.”

“The word you have chosen in Nyarafolo means ‘promise,’ you tell me. But what would happen if someone were to break their promise?”

The team’s answer was, “Well, you wouldn’t be happy with them.”

“So, no consequences?” the consultant asked. “That seems weak, because this covenant was actually a legal agreement that included promises if it was kept, and consequences if it was not respected.”

That led to another long discussion. The one word that seemed to fit the bill had been pushed away by the Nyarafolo team because it was an agreement that was negotiatied with other local gods in the traditional religion, a practice that is still ongoing. But the debate came to a wonderful conclusion when Moïse told how his family had previously needed to renew their contract yearly with the god of their farmland territory in order to have a good harvest. One year his grandfather was standing by the stream that bordered their land, and when he threw the sacrificial chicken into the water a crocodile appeared, grabbed his leg and pulled him into the stream. He was able to kick loose but limped the rest of his life. And the crops failed; the family lost all they had. They knew that some family member had done something forbidden in the agreement.

Moise was just about ready to underline the creepy occult background to this when he stopped, choked up. “Wait!” he said. “This one in the Bible is different: it is not a human reaching to a god, it is God reaching to Abraham to make this agreement! He is not far away—he is the one initiating the relationship with a human! We have to use this word!”

So yes, it is the word in the Nyarafolo biblical text, and it has great impact. Nyarafolos assume that God exists but is far off, so only local gods can be interacted with. The Bible’s message is the opposite. God is always reaching out to humans.

And here is an element that struck me: I suddenly saw a crucial link myself between blood and a covenant. Read Genesis 15 and you will see it. Abraham wanted to know how he could have descendants, and Yahweh told him they would be as numerous as the stars. Abraham believed God’s promise “and it was counted to him as righteiousness” (15:6). Then Abraham was required to gather certain animals and cut them in half. He lined them up. The blood must have been flowing into the path between them. When it got dark, God revealed the hard trials that would be coming to his descendants, 400 years of affliction but afterwards they would have a land of their own. A smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the bloody animal halves, and the covenant was sealed.

The Hebrew word for “covenant” is berith, “derived from a root which means to cut, and hence a covenant is a cutting, with reference to the cutting or dividing of animals into two parts, and the contracting parties passing between them, in making a covenant (Gen. 15; Jer. 34:18, 19).”[1]

And the Nyarafolo word for “covenant” is nyakungɛngɛ, which means “cut-mouth-give.” Interesting links there! They also cut the neck of the sacrificial animal so that blood flows, then agree to the words the mouth speaks! This opens understanding to what the Scripture is telling us about the extreme importance of a covenant agreement!

When Yahweh offered his crucial covenant to the people of Israel through Moses, blood also sealed it:

³ Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” ⁴ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. ⁶ And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” ⁸ And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” (Exod. 24:3-8 ESV)

The shedding of blood for those ancient covenants in the Bible has great relevance for the application of that term to the new covenant that Jesus sealed with his own blood. We hear about it when we take communion, following the process that he went through with his disciples during that last Passover dinner he shared with them. He shared the bread, his body broken for them, then the wine:

²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Lk. 22:20 ESV)

The wine represents his blood, shed on the cross for us. And that new covenant is the one we agree to when we come to Jesus, repent of our sins, give ourselves to him! He sealed it with his own wounded body and his blood. We enter it, this eternally valid legal contract that gives us life forever with him!

What Israel forgot, and what we often forget, is that a covenant comes with consequences for those who act against its requirements. Deuteronomy is full of those, and in one section where Yahweh was laying out the consequences of disloyalty to him when Israel turned their backs on him to serve other gods, it says:

²⁴ all the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ ²⁵ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt . . .((Deut. 29:24-25 ESV)

On the other hand, there is so much in that covenant to benefit those who are faithful:

All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. (Ps. 25:10 NIV)

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (Isa. 54:10 NIV)

And Yahweh made it clear, through the prophet Jeremiah, that he was going to make a new covenant:

³³ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:1 ESV)

Knowing him personally was going to come with the forgiveness he would offer! When Jesus was explaining that the new covenant was in process right then, he said:

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matt. 26:28 NIV)

I hope you’ve walked this far with me in this reflection on the deep meaning of the kind of death Jesus suffered, one in which blood flowed from his back as he was whipped, and from his hands and feet nailed to the cross. There is so much more to explore here, because we Gentiles are also offered participation in this covenant—which is why we are reflecting on this together. We are also his people! And we believers participate in the covenant that brings us into relationship with the God who brings us peace and everlasting life and shows us how to live for him. The person who wrote the book of Hebrews underlines this in their farewell:

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:2 ESV)

Amen! May it be so for each of us!

[1] M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 164.

Photo: ancient Hebrew scroll, Adobe stock images

Open Home, Open Heart

The travelers walked in the front door, 
hot and dusty after hours on dirt roads. 
Mom always found room at the table, 
one built for her by Dad, big enough 
to welcome at least a dozen guests. 
She added another vegetable, salad, bread—
done! There was always enough.

Then, grown up, it was my turn.
I learned to serve the local friend
who showed up right at mealtime,
thirsty, hungry, startled that we knew
an open home was an essential virtue,
a demonstration of community,
a value held dearly: test of character.

Our village friends showed us more,
caring for us when we stayed all night.
A brother would move out of his hut
so that we could rest in that space.
Or a sister would open her hut to me
to stay the weekend, along with others.

They had little, but love overflowed.
We were each given names, accepted,
honored as one of them. Open hearts,
open homes—we kept on learning.
We opened our door to welcome them.
It became our way, too, as it should be:
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself!”

This past Sunday, Mothers’ Day, one of the men in our “Grow Group” (adult Sunday School class) asked each of us to share something we had learned from our mother. I wish I had remembered this one! Our family lived in a town that was on the main road between three countries and several major cities, so many other missionaries would be passing through. And many were coming for medical help or to have babies at this safe hospital. Mom’s open door to visitors made it easy for me to put that same practice into effect in my life.

Our Lord sent Glenn and me back to that same part of Africa, but with the charge to focus on the Nyarafolo people who lived all around that town where I had grown up, Ferkessédougou. Those people taught us even more.

Out in the villages, near their farmlands, they lived in simple mud-brick huts. We needed more immersion in the language, so our language helper eventually let us stay overnight with our toddler daughter in his man-hut; he moved out to live with other family. We brought a gift of fish, something they craved (and good protein). They shared their meals with us, and their time. They did not yet know Jesus, so by welcoming us they were not sharing with people in their faith community or their ethnic group. In fact, we were Whites, which automatically linked us to those colonist masters who had been so brutal. At first they were polite to us as we came to spend a few hours, waiting to see what kind of people we were. And friendships began to form in amazing ways when they at last accepted us as overnight visitors. They were planting seeds of love, and so were we.

Later, when I began asking questions to dig into cultural values, I learned that if anyone shows up at your door as you are ready to eat, the right response is to offer them a chair at the table. There it was: offer a sleeping space to the visitor, a place at the table to the person in front of you.

At the same time I dug into one of those books that was mentoring me: Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Mains. I was being shaped.

Living this way definitely makes me think of the command given to those following Yahweh:

“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD (Lev. 19:18 NIV)

So loving others definitely reaches beyond taking in a traveler that is a good friend. It includes “love your enemy,” that person who opposes you, otherwise why would the preface to the command include not seeking revenge or bearing a grudge? Jesus made sure that this was understood when he was preaching on the mountainside:

⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you. ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt. 5:42-45 NET)

People obviously had been reinterpreting God’s command to love their neighbor. They said it only applied to those who are lovable, who are like you and who are loving toward you. Jesus turned that upside down. Father God is not like that. The sunshine and rain, both necessary for the good of people, are not withheld from those who do wrong. Be like him! Show love to those who oppose you! Be merciful.

Someone recently told me that it is not possible to feel love for someone who has hurt you deeply. Yes, if love is defined just as that emotional bond that you feel for a spouse or parent or child, or even a best friend, that positive leap of your heart is not what you feel when you see that person who has criticized you unfairly or withheld what you deserved. No, when Jesus said to love your neighbor as you love yourself, he was talking about a kind of love that is communicated to us in the New Testament through the Greek word agape. The various lexicons try hard to define it. The Friberg Analytical Greek Lexicon speaks clearly to this situation of loving the neighbor who is kind and the one who is not. Then agape means:

“especiallly . . . love as based on evaluation and choice, a matter of will and action.”

In other words, even if that person does not deserve that you show them acceptance or even help when they need it, you choose to do so. Why? Jesus told us why: we are to be like God, who values people for being people. Of course discernment is also necessary, knowing what is truly helpful for someone, and when a person is dangerous. That requires Spirit guidance.

Jesus was challenged for teaching this radical love, so to make it reach yet further he told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The shock of his choice of the “good guy” as a Samaritan is lost on many of us. That ethnic group was looked down on by the Jews that were his audience that day. The last thing they would expect would be to have a Samaritan show such kindness and generosity to an injured man from a different group, lying on the street. How would Jesus tell that parable to an American today? Which ethnicity would he make the “good guy” to show you that this command is not about loving only people who are like you? It is about disregarding class and ethnic barriers, reaching beyond them to show compassion. It is “a matter of will and action.”

When it is your decision to reach out to help someone, it is free choice—a different version of freedom than the world most often cites:

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5:13 NET)

By serving one another, by loving a neighbor who is brought into our lives, by showing love through action, we live out the reality of God’s loving open arms. He loved us so much that he took on human form, a body so minute compare to his magnificent essence, and lived a simple life of barefoot travel and suffering, and died for us—wicked as we are (Romans 5:8). He showed us the ultimate form of self-sacrifice for the good of others. He himself is love, and we are on a life path to be like him:

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph. 5:1,2 NIV)

By walking in the way of love we are obeying our beloved Jesus. When we truly love someone, we long to delight them. And in his last evening with his disciples he underlined how key this is!

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love (Jn. 15:9,10 NIV

This Mystery

It’s a mystery of unity 
beyond my understanding: 
One God, three Persons, 
One Essence in deep harmony, 
working together as one 
to build a home in me 
and move in permanently!

You live in us, each one
a piece of your Family,
each one with access to
the heart of the Father,
the love of the Son,
and the intimate reality
of your Spirit as our guide.

And yet it is reciprocal,
this miracle of unity!
I am in you, my Savior!
Attached to you
I drink you in, so
somehow we are “one”,
living life together, forever!

The ties that bind us firmly
the Enemy cannot sever,
a spiritual communion
beyond dreams, a promise
you made to your disciples
who wrote it down for us.
And they knew that it was true.

The disciples were surrounding the table, listening. They did not realize this was their final feast with the Master before he would be arrested and crucified. Jesus was saying words of teaching and encouragement that had to be overwhelmingly difficult to digest:

He had said he was going away. He told them that he was preparing a place for them and that he was actually “the way” to that place. He would be there with his Father—and if they knew him, Jesus, they would have seen and known the Father, God! It had to blow their minds. He explains:

¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves. (Jn. 14:11 NET)

And then he promises that he will send them the Spirit, who will actually live in them forever!

¹⁶ Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever– ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. ²⁰ You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. ²¹ The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. (Jn. 14:16-21 NET)

Did you catch that mystery in verse 20, the unity Jesus said would happen that would make community life with the Trinity a reality for the disciple?

²⁰ You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you.

I have been contemplating this for years. Chapters 14 to 17 in John have been one of the most comforting places I’ve found in the Scriptures. After I lost my first pregnancy in the seventh month, I memorized Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17. His desire for union in the Family, his picture of the individual believer living in him and him in them, is so very reassuring of his love in this very hour. He even told his Father:

²⁰ “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, ²¹ that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. (Jn. 17:20-23 NET)

So we are included! We read the words that John and other witnesses wrote and we believe in the Way, Jesus, who is in the Father. And the Father is in him. Their Spirit, the Spirit of truth, lives in us! And a crucial aspect of this relationship is that we believers be “in” this Father/Son/Spirit three-in-one God! It is indeed a mystery, even when we are living it. He lives in us and we live in him. What does that mean? I will take us to the words of a biblical scholar who explains it well:

What it means for Christ to dwell in believers is clear enough: with the coming of the Spirit to dwell in believers, Jesus also may be said to dwell in them because of the unity of the Spirit and the Son. However, what it means for believers to dwell in Christ is more difficult to explain. At one level, it appears to be a metaphor for loyalty and obedience to Christ—at least, this is what Jesus stressed about believers abiding in him. The key text is 15:4–10, where, describing the disciples’ relationship to him in terms of branches in the vine, Jesus says that they ‘remain’ in him by allowing his words to ‘remain’ in them (15:7), and implies that this is the same as abiding in his love by obeying his commands (15:10). However, more than loyalty and obedience is involved in their being ‘in’ Jesus, as his prayer in 17:21 indicates: ‘Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us.’ It is perhaps best understood in terms of a union brought about by the coming of the Holy Spirit.^[1]

So although we cannot understand it all, when we belong to Jesus, his Spirit lives in us, and because of that, we are “in” Christ too.

What a privilege to be invited into this sacred harmony, this home, to live there every minute, to share it with the Trinity!

Are we living it out? Are we resting there, conversing with them in our home, reflecting God’s glory? That is yet another deep subject to explore.

Let’s revel in this privilege of being unified with God this way! We live in Christ, attached firmly to him (the parable of the Vine in in John 15, is a key part of this teaching). You and I are both part of this Family and this mysterious union. What grace!

And yet it is reciprocal,

this miracle of unity!

I am in you, my Savior!

Attached to you

I drink you in, so

somehow we are “one”,

living life together, forever!

^[1] Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J. Schnabel, Second edition, vol. 4, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2017), 355–356.

Image from Pixabay

When My Heart Shrivels

When my heart shrivels 
thirsty for intimacy 
stretched by demands 
pressured and pummeled 

I come to you. 
Here in your Presence 
hope is re-seeded 
when I remember 

your love surrounds me
your power protects me
your tenderness holds me
your truth directs me.

And you are God:
the One who made me
the One who sent me
always with me.

Under pressure? Facing demands? Feeling dry spiritually and emotionally, squeezed out?

There are days like that–we all face them sometime!

I admit there were moments when I was serving as a missionary that I felt like that. That is why I wrote the poem “When My heart Shrivels.” And there have been days like that here in the States, where “retirement” has become instead “retreading\:” getting back into being an exegete for Bible translation in Africa, but doing it with an online connection that may or may not work (very unstable on their end).

And then there are the days when the news squeezes the breath out of you: wars killing the innocent, rulers using their power to crush the hopes of the vulnerable, the rich skating through life with no concerns while the poor lose their access to healthcare.

Where is God in all this? The truth is, even when we cannot feel it, he is always with his dear ones. He is not a Father who is absent, always traveling and involved in business while his children struggle to grow up. He is not far away!

A conversation I had with a five-year-old the other day brought this reality to mind. She was staying overnight and had gotten up for breakfast. I was in the kitchen; she asked where my husband (a beloved “grandpa” to her) was. I said he had just finished his Bible study and prayer, and was upstairs getting dressed.

“So did he use his headphones?” she asked.

“You mean, to pray?” I answered. “No, he was just talking with God in his insides, in his heart and mind. God hears it all! In fact, he is always with us—he even knows how many hairs are in your head—he knows everything about us!”

“So no headphones?!” she exclaimed.

She knows that often people like to use headphones when communicating with a family member far away, using a computer. And “Grandpa” is often listening to things on his computer, wearing headphones. But this was a revelation to her: God is not just up in heaven, distant! He is beside you! He can hear your voice, even a silent prayer in your thoughts.

In fact the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples before ascending into heaven were these:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt. 28:20 NIV)

Always! Until this world as we know it ends!

There are two psalms that speak vividly to this issue. They underline God’s presence in the midst of personal distress and loss of hope.

Asaph, in Psalm 73, is wrestling with the way everything seems to be going right for the wicked who are prosperous, proud, and “with arrogance threaten oppression” (v. 8). People admire them and support them, seeing all their success and wealth. Whereas Asaph admits that in spite of trying hard to “keep his heart pure” and his actions righteous (v. 14), he suffers every day.Then he confesses that ultimately God will hold those wicked bigwigs accountable (vv. 16-20), and wishes he had not slipped into such bitterness. He grabs onto what would give him comfort in the middle of this swamp of evil, speaking to his God:

²³ Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Ps. 73:23-28 NIV)

In Hebrew culture, the “right hand” was symbolic of action, particularly good action. With God beside him every moment, directing his life, “forever” carries a sense of delight and promise for Asaph. It is by being near Yahweh, King of the Universe, that he finds shelter from the storm, a secure refuge.

The other psalmist who underlines this constant nearness of God is David. In Psalm 139 he starts out with a detailed account of the way Yahweh knows everything he does and every thought he has. If he gets up or goes to sleep, if he says anything or thinks anything, Yahweh knows all about it. He admits that this is beyond understanding. There is no place on earth where God is not there, no place where anyone could hide from him. This is his “omnipresence.” Is that a scary thing? Yes, if you are among those disobeying him and wish he didn’t see you! But for those who know Yahweh personally, is it precious reassurance:

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. ¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸ Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand– when I awake, I am still with you. (Ps. 139:1 NIV)

Wow! David thinks back to the truth that the Creator put him together, formed his being, in his mom’s womb! He made him to be who he is. He knew him even then, and not only that, God knew what his life was going to be like—he prepared him for what was in the plan!

This psalm became my go-to place for processing hard times and resting my anxious thoughts. Sure, I was often living far away from my usual supportive cohort and family, even an ocean+ away from them. But I was never away from my God. He is not limited by geography, phone connections, internet stability. He is actually right here, wherever I am—wherever you are! The fact that he knows everything about how I am made, right down to my physical body (formed by him in the womb) and my life cycle from start to finish, affirms the truth that he is the one in charge of everything about me and will take care of me. He stays right beside me, whether I’m asleep or running through a field in the night (afraid of snakes), whether I am at work trying to do my best or resting in my chair to enjoy the company of friends or read a book.

Evil is still active in our world, but in the end, he is the one who will take care of the wicked (vv. 19-22). He sees me, inside and out, and yes, he holds me accountable too! I’m so glad he is forgiving and the one who offers empowerment. He knows my heart intimately. And that is not scary, but deeply reassuring—when I am walking life with him. He will show me how to change course or behavior, and the will walk with me all the way through my life path to the end goal:

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23-24 NIV)

All of this is true for you if you are a daughter or son of this loving Father!

That is where there is peace in the midst of turmoil or bigger-than-me challenges. And what makes this yet more personally thrilling is that Jesus has made these promises even more astonishing. We will be digging into that!

Serve the Word!

This is our calling 
when we follow Jesus: 
we are “servants of the Word.” 
He is the Word! 
He speaks to us, 
through Scripture texts 
(the written Word) 
and also through his Spirit, 
our Counselor, our Guide.

He lives inside me,
makes my heart’s eyes
see the highlights
he has stroked across
those texts so relevant
to me, my life.
Do I take note?
Do I get up and follow through?

How do I feel the nudge,
or hear that still small voice
that is the GPS 
showing the path ahead;
note the amber alert  
when danger is near;
hold to the word of truth
that tells me to go,
to keep on running 
to spread the news?

My part is to be still,
to stay attached
and welcome his instructions
and then to carry through.

My inner ears will learn
to carefully discern
that precious voice
that worms its way
through all distractions
to direct my moves,
my steps, my words –
to guide my growth
in this profession,
this divine obsession:
that I might learn the ways
to be a servant of the Word!

Easter worship brought intense joy as we contemplated all that Messiah Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, and reveled in the truth that he is alive! Then his last words to his disciples hit me in a very personal way: “I am now the authority over the universe, the Savior of the world! Go and tell this news to everyone, your kind of people and those who are very unlike you, even far away! I have died and risen for you all, for them all, and I long to offer them the gift of life that never ends! Cling to this: I will walk with you and guide you the whole way. Just serve me, doing what I give you to do.” (my interpretation–see Mat 28:18-19).

His disciples wrote his words down so that they could be passed on. They also did as the Master had said, traveling to many places in the Roman Empire including Greece and Lebanon to tell people the Good News about Jesus. Thomas went to India, Matthew to Mediterranean regions and Ethiopia. All were martyred except John, who nevertheless was confined to the island of Patmos because of his faith.

This has always underlined for me the truth of the historical account of the resurrection. If it were not true that Jesus died and rose to life, and had then told his disciples to go spread the news, would these men have given up their lives rather than be killed or imprisoned? No! They had known Jesus intimately and experienced his living presence after his resurrection. It was worth losing their lives. It was also worth doing exactly what he had said to do. One of them stayed in Jerusalem to lead the church there and do what the Lord gave him to do. The rest scattered, wherever they were led to go.

They were serving the Word of God! As John, one of them, wrote in his introduction to his written account of Jesus’ life and ministry:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Jn. 1:1-5 NIV)

And Luke, making sure that his friend, Theophilus, would know the whole truth about Jesus, started his book by writing:

I have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. (Lk. 1:1 NIV).

The disciples themselves told the congregation in Jerusalem that this was their priority:

We ourselves will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.”

If it had not been clear to them that the “word” was Jesus himself, this calling would not have meant so much. They had known him intimately, and they knew that God had communicated his good news of salvation through Jesus, through his teaching and his life. To serve the word was to serve him! I would write it this way: to serve the Word was to serve Jesus! And that was what life was now about.

Is that our passion too? Do we do what he says to do, go where he wants us to go, live out his love? When he is the Master, that is our life work. We can trust his goodness and his plans, since he is God and God is completely good. And God is love! He has given himself for us. We need to give ourselves over to him in gratitude and joyful obedience!

So how can we know what he is telling us to do? First of all, let him renew us, change us. When our inner focus switches to him we will be able to discern how he is leading. Paul put it this way:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2 NIV)

The world is enticing, with all that it offers in the way of fun and riches and even power. But walking with Jesus requires turning our backs on those as goals. They are not what we are to spend our lives grasping for. Instead, when we are transformed we will learn to listen to our Master and recognize when he is the one speaking. He is the Word, the one trustworthy Word, and he does gift each of us with ways to spread his Good News. He will empower us to bless others, to serve them with the best of food: the bread of life and living water! Remember these words:

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (Jn. 6:35 NIV)

Let’s keep on serving the Word who supplies us with all that we need to accomplish what he has planned for us! May we each learn the ways he has in mind for us to be a servant of the Word!

Parade of the Lamb

Two disciples, eyes full of questions, 
brought him the donkey and her child, 
gave him a hand, and he sat on the colt  
(never ridden before) and began trotting 
towards Jerusalem, the City of God, 
its King displaying humility. 
He breathed in deeply, then exhaled,
moving toward his finish line
where the last scenes of his incarnation
would play out in horror.

The crowds were dense by the city gates,
come to celebrate this great Feast
when the Passover lamb would again be killed,
memory of rescue from their chains.
Those who loved him felt portents
swirling: Why a donkey? Why a parade?
Some, inspired, took off their cloaks
and spread them on the path ahead
to be clopped on by donkey hooves.
Palm fronds waved in joyous arms,
some thrown down, a carpet, too.
People now began to chant
songs drawn from prophetic Word:
Here comes the King in David’s line!
Praise him, envoy of  I AM
who just raised Lazarus from his tomb!
Praise him in the highest heavens,
praise the one who brings us peace!

His heart was heavy as he rode.
The crowd was happy now, but knew 
just half the story, hoping this
would be the day when all would change.
Yes, their king was riding in! 
But they had no idea he
would be the final sacrifice,
Passover lamb for all the world,
that this was God in human flesh,
come to be killed by their own hands
when it would suddenly become clear
that his goal didn’t match their dream
of earthly freedom, battles won.
They would shout a different song,
disillusioned, blind, distraught.

He knew this, but he moved ahead,
bracing for insult and pain,
suffering to fulfill God’s plan.
“Hosanna!” was the people’s cry,
“come save us!” If only they had known
that rescue was indeed his goal!
There were a few who saw his grief.
They’d heard him speak of gruesome death
and stored that deep inside their hearts,
questions roiling in their minds.

Now, we know. We celebrate
the slaughtered Lamb, Messiah, Lord,
the Most High King, our Rescuer!
He let us kill him, knowing that
he would transform malign intent
into a gift of freedom—Home!
If one thinks it clearly through
and realizes who it was
who rode the donkey through the songs
and palm parade, to face the cross
and hang to die, to bring us peace.

This week is one for contemplating the Lamb of God, sent to be our “once-for-all” sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) Those of us who did not celebrate Passover like the Jews did in their ancient history can miss the powerful symbolism. The metaphor began when Yahweh liberated his people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:4-14). The lamb’s blood on their doorpost protected them from death; those without that proof of a lamb sacrifice died. It was a strong message that was to be remembered every year at the Passover feast.

Then Jesus came. He fulfilled so many prophecies that week as Passover approached. This slaughter of an innocent lamb, which could not have any blemish, is the one that captures my heart this year. If I had had to kill a lamb each year at Passover it would have broken my heart. Lambs are so cute, so beautiful and helpless. Jesus knew that he had been sent to be the final lamb sacrifice, the one that would bring true protection from death—eternal death—to those who would accept his own blood as their salvation. He gave himself to offer them that.

It was, of course, not only rescue from death but also the promise of life forever with him. That we will celebrate next Sunday. This week as we move towards the remembrance of his death on the cross, may his humble obedience to God’s plan flood us with gratitude. He knew what was coming: emotional, spiritual and bodily suffering of incredible magnitude. But he got on that donkey’s colt and entered the city, willing to fulfill the requirement out of love for us, eyes on the ultimate goal. He did come to save us. Let’s be deeply moved with thanksgiving:

. . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2 NAU)

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival (1 Cor. 5:7b-8a ESV)

*Photo credit Kat Smith

Keep on Running!

Run! Run! Run! 
The track is long 
getting longer 
not what I 
expected 
but this is race 
to the finish 
step by step 
to the goal 
He put in place. 

He planned out
the path ahead
prepared his runner
with practice runs
and breaks for rest
time to eat 
be refreshed
water for thirst
then shows the path
so run! Run! Run!

I’m not actually a runner—I much prefer speed walking—but I definitely relate to all the imagery in the Scriptures about running the race. Life that has purpose is like that: you have a goal, and reaching it takes energy and commitment. It includes a goal for service here on earth. It is also that ultimate goal of joining our Lord in life forever.

When my Master made it clear that he wanted me to analyze an unwritten language and produce its alphabet, then clarified that he was leading me into Bible translation in that language, I had no idea what a long race he was telling me to run.

As with any race, there are moments when it is fun, full of discoveries as you go around a corner and see something new or exotic, or maybe you hear the voices of faithful companions cheering you on with encouragement or prayer, or see someone personally touched by your race and its goal. Here’s an example of that last one: a newly translated psalm was read to a Nyarafolo group and a woman burst out, “I had no idea you could talk to God like that, pouring out your feelings, not just creating an elaborate prayer!” And someone else, hearing a New Testament passage, said: “So that is what that verse meant—I always wondered!”

We knew we were working for our Master and he had purpose in all the long days of plowing through details, dealing with edits and figuring out how to communicate key meanings. But it definitely took perseverance. That word has become a banner for me, an underlying principle which reminds me that spiritual work, ministry for Jesus, is a long-term investment. And it is not done for nothing:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV)

It may seem ironic that we are to be “immovable” while working hard. Work takes activity, right? But here it means we are to remain solidly committed to the task given us. We need to keep on applying ourselves to what the Master puts before us. In the imagery of the race, we run hard, we keep on running even when we reach a challenging section of the path that requires leaps or swerves. This is what the writer of Hebrews was underlining by remembering how so many faithful followers of the Lord had kept on keeping on, putting their faith in the Lord:

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2-2 NIV)

Jesus showed us how to run. He knew that he was here for a very special purpose, so he ran through every hard space and even up to that agonizing death, reaching the finish line set before him. He knew what joy was waiting for him past what looked like the end to those on earth watching him be murdered. He knew that he would rise to life, and that his death and resurrection would offer amazing gracious rescue to anyone who would accept it. So he threw off the hurts and the slander of those opposing him. He accepted the tough path. He did not give up. He made it to the goal and brought us the path to Life!

Along the way, Jesus did have moments of great encouragement has he saw people healed, as he saw crowds gather to soak in the truth of his messages, and also when he went away to quiet places to be refreshed in the Presence of God. He knew who he was and why he had become a human. All of it was a part of his race.

So it is with us. We gladly gobble down the nourishment he gives us, strength for the race. We rest in his loving care when we stop striving on our own and converse with him. And we keep on running the path that he lays out for us, trusting his guidance. He has promised:

I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. (Prov. 4:11-12 NIV)

On those days when we have clear direction, we soak in the joys of ministry, of seeing fruit. Then there are also days of strenuous training when the Master builds up our endurance so that we can run longer stretches or deal with more uphill slopes. All of that is training that is normal for athletes; they have to build up their strength in order to compete. And we are definitely in a kind of race and need to have our strength and agility increased. He said we would not stumble, but that is if we rely on the wisdom he provides. We have to listen to the Coach! As Paul said:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

This race requires strict training! It demands self-discipline which is actually a willingness to release control of my own self to the Coach. When an athlete goes into training, he is directed into grueling practice sessions to build up strength and competence.

So it is with us as we run this spiritual race. We must relinquish our selfish yearnings and instead enjoy the delight of delighting our Leader, our Coach and Sustainer. He does give joy! We are to remember to thank him for the joy of knowing him, the joy of knowing what he is saving for us as a prize, the joy of living life with purpose that is far beyond anything this world can offer. Someday all the darkness will be gone and we will live with him in the kingdom of light. For now, we do all we can to respond willingly to the coaching of the Spirit and run the path set before us wherever it leads, trusting him. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians can become our prayer for ourselves as we run this race:

[I] continually ask God to fill [me] with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that [I] may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that [I] may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified [me] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. (Col. 1:9b-12 NIV)

Let’s keep on running!

*photo credit Daniel Reche

Our One Hope

This is not what I thought it would be, 
a quiet safe place with time to rest 
and peace my constant cup of tea. 
Instead I toss and turn, my heart 
churning with yearning for that 
final resolution of these conflicts,
a revolution that turns the world
upside-down, filtering out the evil
and cleansing the cup so it can fill up
with harmony and purity, with love
that heals the hurts and starts
a whole new space, one blessed
with holy truth, security.
This is no usual war, no common
battleground where drones can see
insidious manoeuvers of the enemy.
No, it’s in the air! It’s everywhere,
in hearts and minds, targeting souls,
spreading fear and power grabs 
so that worlds rip and shred apart.
We cannot win without the aid
of One who rules the atmosphere,
the ins and outs of every home
and ups and downs, the One who knows
the ways the Enemy uses ruse
 to conquer for his purposes
the human race. So we cry out
to you, the Sovereign King,
our only hope when we see dreams
go up in smoke! Bring out your guards,
defend your own! Devastate
the darts that come with poison
intent to bring us down!
You have soldiers we can’t see
but we know they can overcome
the wiles of the Unruly One
and all his nasty hidden troops!
Our hope is you! Just you!

Do we believe he is God Almighty? We sing it. Do we live it?

These past two weeks I was involved in the official checking of our translation of Isaiah into Nyarafolo. The true meaning of one of the names of God came up when the consultant asked my co-translator, Moise, and I, why we had chosen to render “YHWH sabaoth” as “Yahweh the Commander of Heaven’s Armies.” Sure, that’s what the name means in Hebrew, but doesn’t that scare people, he asked?

Moise chuckled. “No! They never reacted in fear when they heard it!” The Nyarafolo people are constanly aware of the spiritual forces all around them. Their traditional religion requires all sorts of sacrifices to various gods for different needs, and dangers from tripping up keep them in fear. When they realize that in Christ they are now serving the God in charge of the heavenly armies, they know they are in the hands of the One who can defend them and win over those lesser spiritual beings. They know the reality of spiritual warfare.

In English most translations render this as ”LORD Almighty” or “LORD of hosts”—in French, it is often “SEIGNEUR de l’Univers.” These all capture some of the relevant truths communicated by that name. Yahweh is all powerful, and reigns over the universe. He is lord of hosts, but growing up I always wondered who those hosts were: armies everywhere? crowds?

I processed the truth again this week. When we serve the One who is commander of his own huge and mighty army of beings we know are his loyal servants, the angels, the spiritual forces are the ones who need to be scared. We, Yahweh’s loved ones, are protected.

And when we are his servants, under the command of the One who rules his army of heavenly beings, we are also told to wear armor that is based on our faith in him. That brings hope in the crises as he tells us how to be prepared when battling these evil entities we cannot see:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12 NIV)

The New Living Translation does translate this name more literally: “the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” LORD stands for his name, the “I AM,” YHWH. More and more preachers and translations are ceasing to hide God’s real name, the one by which he revealed himself to humans from the time of creation to Noah, Abraham and Moses (Genesis 7-9, 12-15; Exodus 3, especially verses 13-14). God is the one who always has been, who is, who always will be, and his name is YHWH: the I AM. An English pronunciation of the Hebrew tetragrameton YHWH is Yahweh. (A misunderstanding of the later Hebrew written form that added the vowels for adonai, “lord”, led to the pronunciation “Jehovah.”)

When Israel began to suffer extreme threat from enemies, it was Yahweh the Commander of Heaven’s Armies who spoke to them again and again through the prophets. They needed to know that whatever armies came against them, they had be completely loyal to the Commander; then they could be saved. When they chose not to trust him, there was an inevitable consequence: the enemy would win. Under the Commander’s protection they would win. This brought confidence in both rescue and justice:

O [Yahweh, Commander] of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. (Ps. 84:12 NLT)

For [Yahweh, Commander] of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted. (Isa. 2:12 NLT)

So, bringing this home to our contemporary world, we must remember who it is that sends us into battle, or hides us in his protection, or takes down the wicked forces. He is truly ruler of the entire universe, which includes the earth and the spiritual domain. What we see as corruption, power grabs and cruelty by the powerful here on earth is a result of sin and the machinations of the Enemy to do all he can to tear down what is right and mess up this world. He will not win in the end, but right now we are in a constant battle, whether we are aware of it or not. Remember:

We tend to attribute the waves of evil around us to human brokenness, which is not wrong—it is just a war that goes way beyond that into the heavenly realms. I am reminded of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, in which he imagined how a more experienced devil would coach a novice in strategies to make his assigned human wander from the Truth and be corrupted. If you haven’t read it, pick it up! For those of us who live in Western cultures, it opens the curtains between the physical and spiritual worlds and makes the spiritual battle very real.

There are times when we have truly felt the resistance of the Enemy to our work of translating God’s Word into Nyarafolo. We would get to key points, ready to finish a certain book or move ahead to complete the New Testament or Psalms, and the attack came: a translator fell off his motorcycle and ended up with severe back injuries that incapacitated him for months; a mysterious fire was sparked inside the translation office at dawn and destroyed many of our commentaries and dictionaries as well as a translation desk, severely damaging the electrical wiring and ceiling; just as we hoped literacy work was taking off, we discovered that the man hired to do it was morally corrupt . . . the list goes on.

I was constantly reminded that this project was the Lord’s. He had launched it and would finish it. We needed to be sure that we were wearing all of our battle and defensive gear:

¹³ For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, ¹⁶ and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. (Eph. 6:13-18 NET)

We pressed on, praying continually, supported by the prayers of many of our friends and “companions of the Road.” The Word is still being completed in the Nyarafolo language, and attacks continue. But the New Testament, Pentateuch and Psalms is in print, in the hands of the people, and the harvest is increasingly visible! God, Yahweh the Commander of Heaven’s Armies, will complete what he has started!

Where do you see ongoing spiritual battle in your life, your community, your world? Make sure you constantly wear your armor and are ready to act as the Commander says to. And “with every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert”! The warfare is ongoing, but we know who is in charge every step of the way: Yahweh, the Commander of Heaven’s Armies!

*If you would like to hear more of the exciting story of how the seed planted in this people group, the Nyarafolo, one of the “least-reached,” is in a season of harvest, you can hear it from my husband and I and the descendants of the first missionary to the Nyarafolo this coming Friday! We will be interviewed live on WorldVenture in Review:

http://www.worldventure.com/events 10 a.m. EDT, 9 a.m. CDT, 8 a.m. MDT, 7 a.m. PDT

At Pisankaha, January 2025: Lori Gould McKee, Greg Gould, Baba Philippe (son of one of the first Nyarafolo believers) and Hannah Gould

Power Paradox

When I let go 
take my hands off 
lose control 
then I am weak 
powerless to 
influence 
situations 
fix the problem 
do it my way.

Then paradox
takes over:
his hands firmly
in control
he is strong
powerful
able to
accomplish
the miracle required.

And there’s 
a corollary:
when I live
within his grace
I have his power
to use for him:
the paradox
of mutuality—
Christ in me.

Have you come up against a situation where you become aware that you, by yourself, cannot do what needs to be done? I’ve often been there, wondering how I can meet the challenge. My own resources, whatever they are, are either disregarded or insufficient. I feel that I’ve been preparing for this but now find that I cannot change a thing. I pray, and this is what my Master tells me: when you realize that you are too weak to push that heavy obstacle off the path, lean on me—let my powerful hand help you, let it do the work! It’s like the times I’ve begged my husband to come help me open a jar lid that is absolutely stuck and my hands are too weak to turn it; I take my hands off, he puts his strong fingers around it and there! It turns! Or I am struggling to take suitcases to the car, wondering who is around, and my son comes running up to take the heaviest ones out of my hands and carry them for me!

A key element here is belief that the person coming alongside you is strong enough to do what needs to be done. The more we grow in our faith in God, the more we learn that he is always able to do what is essential. True, he will do it his way, in his timing. But he does use his humble servant to get the job done when it needs to be done, when that servant leans on him for strength and direction. But if the servant insists on doing it on his own, refusing help or guidance, he can easily fail. He may push that obstacle with all that is in him, but nothing is accomplished.

Paul had to learn this the hard way when his arrogant self-reliant pride had to be crushed so that he could recognize his own insufficiency and rely on his Lord (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Whatever his weakness (a “thorn in the flesh”) was, when he recognized it and gladly accepted the Lord’s strength instead, he found joy in that tough situation:

But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:9 NIV)

He would “boast” about how he could not do his service on his own! That is a huge step, a growth in humility and recognition of human inadequacy, as well as growth in knowing God and his desire to give his servant the strength that is needed.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor. 4:6,7 NIV)

As we become increasingly close to God we learn to recognize his goodness and power that are shown in how the Messiah lived and worked. Paul even explained that although his light shines into us, we are just like clay jars that only show some of that glory. God alone can display his immense glory. But the light that we do radiate to the world reveals that it is no mere human gift: it is extraordinary light since it comes from God himself!

When we feel weak, like a clay jar that has no light in itself, it causes us to turn to the source of light and strength—like turning on a strong electric light when a little candle burns out, leaving a room dark. We have to believe that God who rules the universe is the one who can do what we ourselves cannot do. And going through the process of learning to rely on him, recognizing our “weakness,” is an essential learning curve in our spiritual journey.

So when we are in a place where we sense strong opposition from the Enemy, we ourselves are weak in comparison. We probably even look weak to the world around us. Why? Because we are obeying God, faithful to him, and this makes no sense to them. For example, we are not to retaliate in a way others may consider normal, because our Master has told us to love those who oppose us! We are to speak the truth in love rather than in derogatory put-downs. We are not to bear grudges, but forgive. All of that can be interpreted as weakness.

Christ himself did not retaliate when he was cruelly sent to the cross, knowing that his death would accomplish salvation for whoever would believe. He had not hidden who he was, but the very people who should have believed that he was Messiah rejected the truth and killed him. That did not destroy God’s plan or his power: Jesus was raised to life and now lives in us when we put our trust in him! As we serve him he empowers us.

For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you. (2 Cor. 13:4 NIV)

Douglas Moo explains the “weakness” this way:

“The ‘weakness’ is not physical frailty or moral impotence but rather the ‘weakness’ of non-retaliation or non-aggressiveness before people and the ‘weakness’ of obeying God. People who are weak in human estimation because they seek to do God’s will are supremely strong. But that ‘weakness’ of Christ is past. Now he lives a resurrection life sustained ‘by God’s power,’ ‘the Spirit of holiness’ (Rom 1:4). As a result of his union with Christ (‘in him’) through faith, Paul shared the ‘weakness’ of Christ’s passion. But in his dealing with the Corinthians, he would be fully alive (‘we will live’), along with Christ (‘with him’), ‘by God’s power.’^[1]

In other words, Paul was stepping aside from wielding his own authority to let Christ’s authority be his constant direction and strength for the task. He made this clear when he wrote to the Galatians:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20 NIV)

So when we are “weak,” laying aside self-assertiveness to let Christ call the shots, we are now serving the Almighty, the God who is love, light and life.

LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. (Ps. 84:12 NIV)

How are we blessed? He is our Father, our Guide, and when we rely on him, his strength is active and he accomplishes his purposes even through us. We have joy in the reality of that relationship. I am repeating this to myself every day as I go through an extremely challenging time. He is my strength!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Ps. 28:7 NIV)

^[1] Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2097–2098.

Moaning in the Desert

Bleak, dry ground extending 
to every horizon, 
sun beating down—no shelter, 
no way to move forward 
but step by tired step, 
feet filthy, sore. 
No food! I just scraped 
the last dried scraps 
from my shoulder bag. 
My children are crying: 
where are we going? 
where is home? not here! 
Is there really a promised land? 

We saw what our God did:
he shoved our angry enemies
into roaring waters. They’re gone.
But all we see before us
is desperation!
My friends say so too.
We groan. Hold hands.
Did Yahweh save us
just to laugh while we cry,
stranded out in nowhere?
Our leaders have lost it.
They took us from our homes!
Sure, we struggled there too
but we had food to eat!
Now all we see is desert. 
Deserted. Hope gone.

What? They say to turn,
to face over there,
to come near to Yahweh!
How can that be? Oh wow! 
That cloud we followed
just lit up like a blaze!
What is going on?
Now they tell us we’ll be
eating all we want
when the sun goes down
and breakfast will be served!
Really? Out here in the dust?
And yet—look—it’s happening!
Unbelievable! But oh so real!
Yahweh is here after all,
even in this bleak desert!
       (cf Exodus 16)

Sure, the Israelites were grumbling. They had just run through a crazy path in the Red Sea with a wall of water towering each side of the wet sand. The Egyptian army was coming! It must have been exhausting, especially for women with children. Then there had been the huge sigh of relief when Yahweh did that miracle and crashed the water walls down on the enemy. They were finally safe! Miriam led the celebration!

After that they walked three days without finding water to drink. And the one source they found was Marah, “bitter”. Another miracle: God told Moses to throw a certain tree in the water, and wow! it was drinkable. Then yet more trudging, with rest at a lovely oasis, but they were told to move forward again. Now no end was in sight. The world around them was becoming increasingly dry and barren. Ah, the “Wilderness of Sin” it was called. And the people sinned.

Worn out, hungry, with no idea of how much longer this was going to go on, they grumbled and cast blame on their leaders, who said they were following Yahweh’s orders. I probably would have grumbled too. There was no map, no end in sight, no rest stops, nowhere to get supplies. Did Moses and Aaron really know what they were doing?

Then, speaking through those two men, their God Yahweh answered them.

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'” ¹⁰ And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ And the LORD said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’” (Exod. 16:9-12 ESV)

Now that was the first time that they had been told to come near to Yahweh! And he showed them visually that he was present, lighting up the pillar of cloud that that they’d been following. He truly is the God who loves being with his people. A verse that has influenced me all my life is this one:

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (Jas. 4:8a ESV)

What Yahweh promised the wanderers must have seemed impossible: dinner and breakfast for thousands of people there in the wilderness. But he did do what he had said: he sent a flock of quail huge enough to fill each Hebrew’s hungry stomach, and in the morning he rained down “bread” no one had ever seen before. They named it “what is that stuff?” (manna). And in spite of not having had anything provided for them until that evening and morning, they were now being tested. Did they trust Yahweh to provide manna again the next day too? He said that they had to trust him—if they gathered more than their family needed, it would rot. A test of faith it was indeed!

We may find ourselves in a place of similar testing. Will the Lord actually make a way through the wilderness? One of my childhood songs comes to mind:

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

all I have to do is follow!

Faith for today is mine all the way

and all that I need for tomorrow! (Sidney E. Cox)

Trust in God’s promise to guide us is something he teaches us as we follow him. To learn it, we have to practice it, stepping out in faith that he will provide what is needed. It’s easy to just recite The Lord’s Prayer without realizing that even there he was teaching us all to depend on him for “our daily bread.”

In order to demonstrate their trust that Yahweh would keep sending manna each day, the Israelites were forbidden from hoarding. They were not even allowed to save up for just one more day (except when the next day was Sabbath), and as day after day Yahweh came through with bread from heaven, they learned to let go of their need to do everything for themselves. “Let go, and let God!”

The Israelites had already seen God Yahweh destroy the enemies that intended to kill them. Their trust in his promise to bring them safely into the land he had prepared for them would be tested over and over, even after arriving there.

That kind of trust is a challenge for us, too, but Jesus made it clear that we need to trust our Father in heaven to be our provider and our rescuer. Another line of The Lord’s Prayer makes that clear:

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matt. 6:13 NET)

While they tramped through the wilderness the Hebrews were on a long learning curve, getting to know this amazing God who had saved them from slavery and slaughter, and who could feed them and give them water while they walked for years—no road, no way to know the future. But he did it, and the story was written down to teach us the same lessons. Our God is trustworthy; what he says he will do, he will do. It may not be the next day. Or even the next year. But we are not to doubt his goodness and dissolve in grumbling. The evil one would be very happy with that! Instead:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. ⁶ Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5,6 NET)

Putting these threads together, this is how we must grow in our intimacy with God and trust him. The context of that special verse in James gives perspective: we not only need to draw near, but repent and turn around, living wholeheartedly for our Lord.

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (Jas. 4:1 ESV)

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (Jas. 4:8 ESV)

We might feel like no end is in sight. There is one way to rest and to trust: we must count on our Sovereign God Yahweh to come through!

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