Radiant With Hope

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope” (Romans 15:13, PHILLIPS).

           
This was Paul’s prayer for the Romans, a group of Christians he had not yet met, but he knew they were a mixed bag---Jews and non-Jews ---and were tempted to look down on one another.  It was always the prayer of my dear spiritual mother for me.  She knew my nature---not a hopeful one.  Faith raises the Christian’s sights from the conflicts and discouragements that are our routine experiences in a broken world to Him who holds out the very real hope of triumph.  It is not a forlorn hope.  It is assured, for by His Cross and passion Christ has overcome the world.  This confidence is enough reason for joy and peace.  It is enough, if I dwell on it by faith, and by the Spirits power, to make even my whole life and outlook radiant with hope.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Prayer Unites the Heart to God

When we come to God as the humble publican, asking His mercy on us because we are sinners, we are agreeing with God’s estimate of us and asking for His remedy.  Thus at the onset we are at one with God.  Julian of Norwich wrote, “Prayer oneth the soul to God.  It is a witness that the soul willeth as God willeth.”

Learning to pray has been a lifelong course for me, taking me ever deeper into the mind of Christ, where I find how in need of revision are the patterns of my own thinking.  Often the things I have been praying about, things I thought needed to be changed, having remained as they were.  But my praying about them has drawn me to the Father, who then has another “chance” (if so I may speak) to change me into the image of His Son.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Power and Love

The most powerful people are not often the most loving, and the most loving people often seem quite powerless in human terms.  When the great question is raised:  Why does God permit suffering?  It is answered by some that He is powerless to prevent it, even though He may love us, and by others that He cannot possibly be loving, for surely He does have the power to prevent evil.

When Lazarus died the crowd of mourners was divided when Jesus wept.  Some took it as evidence of how greatly He had loved the man.  Others thought it a hypocritical gesture, since one who could heal a blind man certainly could have prevented this man’s death.

Jesus did indeed love Lazarus, and Mary and Martha.  He could have prevented his death.  But certain things, in a broken world, must be allowed to happen.  None of them, however, in the hands of a loving and powerful God and Savior, are beyond redeeming.  Resurrection is a far greater evidence of the power and the love of God than the mere aborting of catastrophes.  God, help us to remember this triumphant hope when we, too, stand weeping hopelessly.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Plunged Into Grief...For Your Good

This is a strange succession of words, isn’t it? What sort of person wants to see another plunged into grief? Jesus spoke these words to His disciples about His own departure from them. He understood their human feelings, and mentioned them matter-of-factly. He did nothing to spare their feelings. Nothing could change the fact that His going would cause grief to the ones He loved best. Nothing could change the necessity of His going. He would leave, and they would sorrow. It was inexorable.

So it is very often in this sorrowing, broken world. Certain things must happen and certain people must suffer, and God does not intervene at the moment to exempt them from suffering. But He does do something. He is not oblivious up there, doing nothing. He has a plan which is also fitting together. He will give us something better. Unimaginable? Of course, as it was unimaginable for the poor disciples who didn’t want the Holy Spirit ---they wanted their Master.

Choose for us, God, nor let our weak preferring

Cheat us of good Thou hast for us designed.

Choose for us, God, Thy wisdom is inerring,

And we are fools and blind.

From “Still Will We Trust”

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Our Daily Bread

We are used to praying “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt 6:11) but we are not used to recognizing the answer and giving thanks for it. Most of us say grace at the table, perhaps, but daily bread includes all that we really need in this world. Do we believe God can and does provide that? Or are we like the Israelites who, when a “mixed company of strangers” came along, developed a whole new set of expectations? They were “greedy for better things” (Num 11:4).

Sometimes God wants to give us better things. Those who really have trusted Him receive His gifts with thanksgiving. The spirit of greed is not in them. Rather they ask for and accept “daily” bread ---in abundance, if God sees that to be good for them, or in sufficiency alone, according to His loving-kindness.

Help me, Lord, to take today’s portion of food, possessions, joys, pain, and Your presence, believing that it is enough for me.

Not By Mere Strength

The songs of both Hannah and Mary for the blessing of motherhood celebrate the sovereignty of a God who can put down the proud and raise the humble. Both recognize that it was not natural gifts or social position or worldly advantages that gained them such blessing and happiness, but the High God Himself, who, as Hannah said, “thunders out of heaven” (1 Sam. 2:10).

It was an unexpected lesson given me from this passage this morning. I was fretting about a disagreement with someone yesterday because, in the light of a new day, I still felt that “my way was best.”

The Lord seemed to be saying “So what? Granted, of two ways of doing a thing, yours is the more efficient. I am not nearly so concerned with efficiency as I am with your conformity to My Son. Holiness requires that you lay down your ‘excellence’ sometimes and learn what Hannah learned: not by mere strength shall a man prevail. You must be put down, silenced, immobilized ---but only in order to see how I can work. I will guard the footsteps of my saints (see 1 Sam. 2:9). Trust Me!”

No Wagons Provided

For the transportation of the tabernacle in Old Testament times wagons and oxen were provided, to the Gershonites and the Merarites. But Moses gave none to the Kohathites, “because the service laid upon them was that of the holy things: these they had to carry themselves on their shoulders” (Num. 7:9).

It is well to remember that economy and efficiency are not necessarily important to God. We can hardly think in any other terms. “Get the job done with as little effort as possible. Don’t strain yourself!” Some jobs, it seems, require individual sacrifice. It is not because they are of less value to God that He does not provide “wagons” (any modern methods or means to facilitate things) but because the job is specially important. He wants people. He wants consecration. He wants shoulders willing to bend.