Category Archives: Scripture

Escaping Aggravation

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What do you find aggravating?

For many, the myth of Sisyphus captures the essence of frustration. Sentenced to roll an immense boulder to the crest of a hill, he looked on helplessly as the task was reset over and over again.

Within Scripture, the imagery of frustration, frequently portrayed by the Old Testament prophets, involves fields and vineyards that will be laboriously watered with one’s sweat, only to see the fruit harvested by conquering enemies.

The book of Ecclesiastes opens with eleven verses of 360-degree madness: Circles upon circle upon circles:

  • Generations passing.
  • Sun rising and setting.
  • Winds blowing.
  • Seas filling and emptying.
  • Desires motivating and remaining.
  • Ingenuity creating and re-creating.

Solomon, the king of wisdom, makes an observation (1:14) that is equal parts of sour reflection and sober recognition: We are all belted to a merry-go-round. And minus some serious center of orientation, vanity spins on the horse beside us.

Said another way, we are all within inches of living very frustrated lives, existing in ways that feel akin to “chasing the wind”.  This is a path all-too-easily found.

This is why Ecclesiastes often seems so depressing, because here we have Solomon, gifted more wisdom and wealth, power and pleasure than perhaps any other man or woman in history, and HE (of all people) speaks fluently of the vanity of life.

But the careful reader of Ecclesiastes must not miss verses like Ecclesiastes 2:26:

“For to the one who pleases Him, God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner, he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God.”

The statement is not that life must be frustrating.  The statement is that life will be frustrating, to the extent that our goals and motivations are self-centered.  To the one bent on pleasing God, a path radically different from “vanity” opens itself wide.  It is a path where genuinely impacting learning takes place and where profound joy is tasted.

And it is a path readied for those eager to cast down self-imaged idols, in exchange for an existence centered around living out our parts as people bearing the Divine image.

And that is the opposite of vanity in every way.

Closing a Massive Gap

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A favourite Scripture for many is Isaiah 55:8-9:

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Typically, this passage causes reverence, even worship toward this God so vastly different from ourselves.  Any who choose to pursue Him will experience wonder and taste mystery; sometimes the encounters are downright bewildering, but the sentiment in Isaiah 55 is that we are grateful that God is unlike us.

Within context, the surrounding verses place the emphasis squarely upon God’s unlike-us characteristics toward compassion, pardon, and forgiveness. In these ways particularly, God’s ways are vastly removed from ours. And that is reason to praise him.

But when we are not hailing hallelujahs, we may be moaning for mercy. The possibility of enjoying intimacy and walking closely with this God of outrageous grace hinges upon significant shifts in our mindsets. To the extent that our touch is ungracious with our fellow creatures, we can expect Creator God, the One who deals in the currency of grace, to undertake the work of renovating our lives with an incessant force.  Among the first parts of Creation that the Creator longs to make new are the hearts of those who wear His name.

His thoughts may not be our thoughts, and His ways may not be our ways.  But you can bet that He is dedicating His power and focus to closing that massive gap.

Tuesday Trick: Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

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In a change-up that would cause envy in any MLB pitcher, today’s Tuesday Trick detours a million miles from the typical tidbits about productivity or technology, all the way to the realm of biblical preaching.

From the Gospel Coalition comes this brief (maybe 10 minutes) interview with Owen Strachan, professor of theology and church history at Boyce College, on the challenge but importance of preaching Jesus Christ from the Old Testament.  How does one do it, while being faithful to the context and message unique to the Old Testament period and writings, while allowing Jesus to be the interpretive lens, the Logos, for God’s entire Story?

To the pastors out there, if you’ve ever wondered how to faithfully preach Christ from the three-quarters of Scripture that aren’t blatantly zoomed in on him, then THIS may be helpful.

 

Safe

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Last week, my wife gave birth to our third daughter.

As I held this sweet and tiny bundle today, she sneezed several times, creating snotted nose and running eyes. Unfazed by such substances (Super-Dad I am!), I began swiping and wiping “sans Scotties“. My daughter held stone-still as I cleaned her nose.  But my movement toward her eyes caused a forceful flinch. An audible word escaped my mouth:

“Safe.”

Gently, I urged her toward stillness, “You are safe, my dear one.”

And she took me at my word.

As she stilled, I re-approached. She locked her gaze on me and watched intently as I de-gunked her eyes.  Not a jump, nor a jitter.

Her small shining eyes upon me made wonder:

  • What can she possibly grasp on this day?
  • Can she know with confidence that her Dad will do her no damage?
  • How certain can she be that this still-blurred figure holding her will bring healing rather than harm?

Truths be told: Very little, she cannot, and uncertain at best.

Those dark reflective eyes displayed my face and forced forward a question: How still can YOU lie?

The everything-Maker and forever-Father envisions for us dreams that dwarf our drafts.  He then moves, absolutely aware of what is required to transport us from our “here” to His “there”.  Intimate inspiration, divine discipline, and everything in between: He will use every means necessary to move us.  God’s touch is precise, His nudging as nuanced as need be. He can wield the stick, tend the heart, or de-gunk the eyes, whatever it takes to poke and prod us toward our destiny of overflowing and overwhelming life.

And our “forever issue” is trust.

  • Can I trust Him?
  • Will He hurt me?
  • Does He have my best interests in mind?

Today, my friends, take this to heart: You are safe in God’s hands.

In fact, a more secure spot does not exist.

Rest in it. Revel in it. Look upward at the still-blurred Presence of your Creator, and dare to take Him at His word:

For I know the plans I have for you: Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Call on me and come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Editing this post earlier, my nine-day-old daughter was still in my arms, silently studying my face. Was she certain of my love for her? After barely a week, she cannot know for sure. Yet her peaceful expression spoke to the childlike nature of faith: Here she was in her entirety, in my hands, awaiting me to lovingly touch and teach as I see fit.

That is what good fathers do.

That is what YOUR Father is moving to do today.

Hold still. Trust Him.

“You are safe, my dear one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding Life within Lament: How the Bible’s Bitterest Book Breathes into Our Souls

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Last week, our church’s Scripture schedule walked us through Lamentations, a killer of a book whose editors in today’s market would surely have chosen a different title!

Whatever the case, through this prophetic piece of piercing poetry we plodded.  (Use of alliteration: Check.)

Unbeknownst to the casual Bible reader, a famous excerpt of Scripture comes from Lamentations.  Chapter three, to be exact.  Recited or sung alone, these well-known words are inspiring and hopeful.  But found within their devastating context, they are nearly other-worldly.  In an exercise that often assists my Bible-reading efforts, here is my re-phrasing of Lamentations 3:19-33:

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the choking bitterness on which I gag.  My soul cannot forget; I am bent and broken within myself.  Yet one thing I call to mind, and hope breathes.

Yahweh’s love remains, steadfast and without ceasing. His mercies never end, renewing with every dawn.  Great is Your faithfulness!  My soul declares, “Yahweh is my allotted and sufficient portion; I will steadily hope in Him.”

Yahweh’s goodness is tasted by those who wait for Him; His presence is perceived by those who seek Him.

It is good that one should quietly await Yahweh’s salvation.  It is good to bear His life-giving yoke.  Even if the yoke arrives with suffering, sit in silence and feel its weight. Despair not, for hope is here.  If the yoke arrives as a blow, offer your cheek to your striker, for Yahweh will not endlessly rebuke. Though He grieve you, His compassion is complete, according to His plentiful and steadfast affection.  He is not eager to afflict or grieve the children of men.