God will not permit your foot to stumble; God who guards you will not fall asleep. Indeed, the one who guards Israel never slumbers, never sleeps. The Lord serves as your guardian. God is at your right hand to serve as your shade. The sun will not strike you during the day, nor the moon during the night. The Lord will protect you against all evil; God will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and your going both now and forevermore.
We know that the pagan gods sleep. Our God does not. We know that the pagan gods mock and deceive humankind. Our God does not. We know that the pagan gods care more about themselves than they do the mortals whose lives they control. Our God does not.
God says: I love you more than you can imagine. My heart aches when you are sad. I grieve when you suffer in any way. I rejoice when you laugh. When the deserts of life wear you down I want to shelter you in my shade. When evil prowls its earthly domain I am ever alert to warn and protect you. I mark your lying down and your rising. I mark your going out and coming in. I mark your tears and your laughter. I mark all . . . because you are all to me.
It is too easy to forget that God is constantly with us. We too quickly plan our day and leave God out of our activities. We too often act as if we must protect and save ourselves. When we mark our days with little “God appointments” . . . we also mark God’s presence . . . and we remember that to God, we are all.
To explore how to best mark God’s presence in our lives, typeGod Time in the blog search bar and examine your day in a new way.
Tomorrow, retreating from the world for a little time . . .
Why do the nations rage and the peoples devise futile plots? The kings of the earth rise up, and the princes conspire together against the Lord and against his Anointed One: “Let us finally break their shackles and cast away their chains from us”.
Jesus came into the world to set us free from all the fears and anxieties that enslave us. He lives and breathes with us that we might believe that we do not need to pay homage to any of the little gods the nations, the peoples and the princes have established. Jesus is the Anointed One who comes to tells us that there is only one law to follow . . . The Law of Love.
God says: As I have said so many times, it is confusing to sort through all the little gods you have chained yourselves to: the god of time, the god of space, the god of power, the god of control, the god of fear, the god of fame, the god of glamour, the god of wealth, the god of status and so many more. There is only one God and I Am that God. There is only one law, The Law of Love. There is only one dominion, the Kingdom I invite you to build with me. I have broken your chains just as I broke the chains of Paul and Silas. Trust in me and put aside your little plans. Allow me to cast away the chains that are too heavy for you to lift.
We need no plots, no schemes, and no tricks to be one with God. We need only surrender, obedience and love. Let us trust the one who forgives endlessly. Let us rely on the one who judges mercifully. And let us follow the one who unlocks all chained and secret places.
Type the word plots or schemes in the blog search bar and examine how we separate ourselves from God . . . and how we might allow God to release us from our personal prison.
To read the story of Paul and Silas’ miraculous release, see Acts 16.
Israel has a choice to make. and each of us has this same choice.
Every morning when we wake and rise we greet the day and the Lord with evidence of our choice. As we dress, as we eat, as we prepare to go into the world. Every action we take is a sign to God of what he means to us.
As we go to school or enter work places and as we unlock doors and prepare for the day, we are an expression of God’s love for humanity and creation.
As we interact with colleagues and students we tell God what we think of our relationship with God and others.
As we write and administer assessments, evaluate work – that of others and our own – we use the measuring stick with which we will be measured.
As we end our work day to move back into our homes, we see God in the way we live, the people and things which have import for us.
As we bend on our knees or sit in our chair, or lie on our bed to recall the day, we see what treasure we have stored up in heaven to return to God.
We each have choices to make. As Psalm 1 tells us, we are a forest of trees planted along the bank of the river that flows to the New Jerusalem. We are to bear fruit many-fold according to our gifts. We bear this fruit with great Hope.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed is the one who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on God’s law day and night.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like the chaff which the wind drives away. For the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Dearest Lord, may we produce fruit in abundance for you in due season. Not when we wish, but rather as best suits your plan for all of us . . . inyourdueseason. May we choose light when we rise, light as we go about our day, light as we tuck ourselves into hearth and home. May we never stray from you, from your truth, from your Way.
The wicked will not stand firm at the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
We live by a code that is judgmental and vengeful. Jesus came to live among us in order that we might learn to live in a new way, The Way of Love.Old Testament thinkers might want to exact an eye for an eye; New Testament thinkers will want to pray for the wicked as Jesus advises.
God says: I know that the temptation is great to condemn those who do evil but I alone will judge. What I ask of you for those who are lost is your prayer and intercession. I know that you desire to know me so that you and I might truly be one. I know that you work hard at quelling your desire for revenge. I love for this struggle to remain close to me. And I know that you struggle to open closed doors so that my light might enter. I love you for your persistence and dedication to The Way of Love despite the obstacles it presents to you.
Type the word light in the blog search bar and explore God’s world of love. Or click on the image above and explore God’s creation through photography.
The faithful one is like a tree planted near streams of water, which bears fruit in its season, and whose leaves never wither. In the same way, everything the faithful one does will prosper. This is not true of the wicked, for they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
We have been counseled to remain apart from those who delight in evil; we have been urged to maintain a close relationship with God. Jesus, the Word Among Us, reminds us that we must do more than love those who love us; we must pray for those who wish us harm.
God says: I know that evil frightens you and this is as it should be. But will you do more than avoid evil for me? Will you pray for those planted in dry places? Will you intercede for those who wither and die? Will you think of them and pray for them as they fly like chaff in the wind? Will you call them back to me?
Jesus tells us that much is expected of those who have been given much. (Luke 12:48) He says the same to us. Jesus asks the man he cured of demons to return home and tell how much God has done for him. (Luke 8:39) He asks the same of us. The resurrected Christ reminds Peter to feed the flock. (John 21:15-25) He also reminds us.
Type the word chaffin the blog search bar and examine how we might be chaff that flies before the wind or the word of God with Christ.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
Nor sit in the company of scoffers.
Our first steps into darkness are so often imperceptible; the first encounters are brief and even tangential to our lives; later we find ourselves standing around the office water cooler or coffee pot; and finally we become a member of the group who gossip, criticize and deceive.
Rather, the faithful delight is in the law of the Lord, and on that law they meditate day and night.
When we remain in God and filter all of our actions and words through the Law of Love incarnated in Jesus, we see the subtle slide from its beginning.
God says: I know how much you like to be a part of the crowd; I too, like to be in the company of others. I also know how gentle is the beginning slope of the slide into darkness . . . and how steep is this same slope once the light begins to wane. Abide with me, re-read the words spoken by Jesus, allow the Spirit to dwell in you . . . and you will see where these secret slides are hidden.
It is possible to find friends who enact God’s compassion, who critique with kindness and who speak truth gently. Enter the word friendin the blog search bar and reflect on what our relationships say about our image of God.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)
Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:15)
And after leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. (Mark 6:46)
The Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. (Matthew 12:14-15)
Jesus withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village named Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. (John 11:54)
When Jesus heard what had happened [to John the Baptist], he withdrew privately by boat to a solitary place. (Matthew 14:13)
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. (Mark 3:7)
James Tissot: Jesus Commands his Disciples to Rest
Recently in our Noontimejourney we have examined how to best survive the ups and downs of a life lived in discipleship. We have reflected on how to best withstand the plots and schemes devised by the discontented. We have focused on how to best respond to God’s call. And through all of this we may find ourselves exhausted. If this is so, we must do as Jesus and his companions did . . . we must go apart for a time.
If you are able, make the intentional effort of leaving one day a week to re-connect with the treasure of yourself. If you have spent much time with chores and tasks, put them aside and go out into the world to experience the gift of connecting with others. If you need time on your own, set yourself apart for a time either alone or with someone with whom you need to re-connect. Put away anything that takes you away from restoring your soul and re-filling your well. Our world draws us into or out of ourselves in such alluring ways that before we notice, we have either detached ourselves from human community or we have thrown ourselves entirely into it without listening to our hearts. What we seek today is a bit of balance for with balance comes wisdom and peace.
To help us reflect, let us look at some of the images created by James Tissot, and let us remind ourselves that we are in each of these scenes. Let us thank Christ for walking with us each day even when we forget his presence. And let us carry Christ to others as we have been asked to do.
James Tissot: Jesus Teaching by the Seashore
If you have a favorite citation from scripture in which Jesus withdraws for a time either alone or with his disciples, insert it in the comment box below. If you are more visual, search the net for another of Tissot’s scenes from The Life of Christ and share that link in the comment box.
May each of us come away with Christ for a time, may each of us restore the soul and settle the heart, and may each of us enjoy a day of peace and balance.
James Tissot (1833-1902) was “a nineteenth-century French painter who for the first part of his career had a reputation as a ‘French society painter [whose subjects were] the costumes and manners, occupations and pleasures of the French capital’s elegantes.’ This all changed in the early 1890s when Tissot renewed his ties to the Catholicism of his youth after experiencing a vision during a Mass when the priest raised the host. For the rest of his life, he devoted himself to the series of religious paintings numbering in the hundreds given here. Tissot’s lasting reputation rests on this series The Life of Christ on all periods of Jesus Christ’s life from the Annunciation to the Resurrection”. (Berry)
This Psalm is full of advice about how we are to calm our fears, unburden our hearts and unbend our stiff necks. It is a practical list of specific strategies for a universal audience . . . rich and poor alike!
My lips will speak words of wisdom. My heart is full of insight. How does the psalmist arrive at such understanding and perception?
I will turn my mind to a parable. . . Story telling is a popular pastime in a culture in which most of the population is uneducated and beyond their entertainment value, parables are used to instruct the illiterate using the technique of comparison to teach. As we read, hear or form parables of our own the burden of our worries lifts.
With a harp I will solve my problems . . . Music soothes the soul, as we know, and the ancient Hebrew people understood this. The harpand flute were used in ancient cultures to both entertain and to quiet the soul. Saul calls for David and his harp when he is troubled (1 Samuel 16:23). There are at more than a dozen references to praising God with the harp in Scripture and here the psalmist calls for the use of its comforting tones. As we sing to God and praise God’s wisdom and power and goodness the problems that besieged us begin to dissolve.
Why should I fear in evil days the malice of the foes who surround me, men who trust their wealth and boast of the vastness of their riches . . .Finally the psalmist tackles problems common to all humanity from the earliest stories in our culture to the present day: envy, greed, pride, an attitude of self-sufficiency, a desire to control. As we come to realize that no one – not even the super-rich – can avoid the great equalizer, death, we find new energy and rise to new life.
But God will ransom me from the netherworld; he will take me to himself . . . The Old Testament psalmist foretells the coming of Christ with his story of healing, restoration and resurrection. The psalmist assures us that as we come to fully understand that God alone creates and God alone saves, nothing that takes place in evil days will be able to strip the promise of life eternal from us.
And so we pray . . .
Eternal and powerful God, open our hearts to receive your wisdom as we sing your praise with harp and flute.
Loving and healing Christ, open our minds to your parables that teach us how to flourish as we grow and blossom with your wisdom and insight.
Abiding and consoling Spirit, open our souls to your loving presence as we learn to abide only in you.
O Lord, you are my God, I will extol you and praise your name; for you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of old, faithful and true.
When life takes a sour turn we have a number of paths from which to choose and even though we might not see them clearly, these opportunities to journey with God are always present. Over the last several weeks we have examined how to deal with calamity, dark plots, loss and schemes and we have seen that the bread of life, our new manna, always appears when we find ourselves in exodus. As we move away from the enslavement of paralyzing fear we know that we must take our small footsteps toward our well-deserved freedom; yet each of these small step is an agony when we believe we are traveling alone. Too often crisis comes upon us with overwhelming anxiety and fear. Too often this fear becomes doubt. And too often this doubt convinces us that we are best to travel without companions of any kind. If this is our thinking . . . we know that we must make an adjustment to allow God’s wonderful plan for us to unfold.
We may be tempted to turn away from people, places or events that bring us happiness thinking that we somehow “jinx” ourselves by anticipating joy and goodness. And when we do this we avoid God’s wonderful plan for us.
We may shrink back from the offer of a traveling companion thinking that we can “go it alone” or that “we are better off not weighing anyone else down.” And when we do this we reject the opportunity for God to visit us with a healing, itinerant angel.
We may avoid sharing our sorrow and grief with others, or we may believe that we are not deserving of a traveling partner who will accompany us through the sticky patches of life. And when we do this we shut ourselves away from the small miracles that God works as we share our pain with our traveling companions.
We may punish ourselves believing that we have been fooled as does Jeremiah when he cries out: You duped me, O Lord and I let myself be duped (Jeremiah 20:7). For this reason we may shut ourselves away, we may “tough it out” or we may even try to pretend that all is well. And when we do this we deprive ourselves of the gift of sharing our yoke with one who bears all burdens well.
I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
When we refuse all offer of alliance we refuse God’s wonderful plans and perhaps we are thinking that we are too exhausted or too inept to fight the battle that looms ahead. And when we think this we forget that . . . The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,: when you would turn to the right or to the left”. (Isaiah 30:20-21)
God turns all harm to good. God is faithful and true. God is compassionate and just. God is good and gentle. God is powerful and tender. God is our rock that does not move and upon which we build a strong foundation. And God is also a shield we carry into any battle that looms ahead.
So let us acknowledge the gift of God’s presence, let us open our hearts to the one who created us, and let us willingly receive the gift of God’s wonderful plan.
If we want to begin a journey but still do not see where or how to take the first step, we can click on theJourneys of Transformationtab on this blog and choose a path.
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