Christmas Peace

If you've read "These My Christmas Dreams" you'll recognize this, but I felt it was so appropriate this year, so I'm putting it in the blog - hope you don't mind the reprint.

Was there peace in Bethlehem 2000 years ago?

When the Christ, the holy Son of God, was born – did stillness flow?

Were the streets of Bethlehem peaceful and serene,

with quiet steps and whispered words -

a special Christmas scene?

People will tell you there was no peace in the city there -

with soldiers marching,

merchants selling,

beggars pleading,

voices yelling – no peace found anywhere.

But deep in my heart, I picture instead

peace for the Child

in his rough manger bed.

I believe that 

In the stable God harbored our Savior with peace.

He protected and watched Him that night

In the sheepfold, He proclaimed to the shepherds his peace,

As Bethlehem’s sky burned with light

In her heart, I believe, God gave Mary his peace,

though trials surrounded Christ’s birth

And I believe that He came to bless us with the peace

that transcends what we see here on earth.

Our world sounds a little like the town of Bethlehem when Christ was born, with soldiers marching, merchants selling, beggars pleading, voices yelling – no peace found anywhere.  We have politics and wars and unrest in the world.  Considering the way the world celebrates the Christmas season our lives get busier and busier.  We shop and cook and entertain, we plan and worry about the cost and then we sometimes wonder where the peace can be in all of this.

Do you think that possibly we’re looking in the wrong places?  Do you think that possibly we’re expecting the wrong type of peace?  Christ talked of HIS peace.

He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

It would sometimes be so nice to shut out the world, to be unable to hear the clamor and the noise.  Sometimes we can do that for a time, but the world continues to intrude.  Where can we go to get away from the feelings of unrest – only to God. 

As I sit by my woodstove on a cold, wintry night I see snow covering the windows.  The wind is howling and whipping the trees.  It rattles the fire, and sparks fly up in the stove.  All around me a white blizzard whirls, just like the snow globe you had as a child.  But with this blizzard comes a small picture of the peace Christ gives.  I’m warm and comfortable in front of my stove.  It warms my bones.  It warms my heart.  It’s beautiful to see and it continues in spite of the wild world outside.  God’s peace is a peace in the midst of the storm.  It’s not dependent on what’s going on outside my heart. 

In Luke 24, the writer tells us about the time when Jesus was sleeping in the boat when the storm came up.  The disciples were frightened – they thought they were going to drown.  They woke him and He calmed the storm. God was in charge of the storm.  He’s in charge of the storms in your life, too.  Go to Him.  Ask his help.  He’ll calm your heart if you accept his peace. 

 “ I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble, but take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Ministry

I was speaking at one of the assisted living facilities in town the other day.  We were talking about paths and roads.  

The faces on those lovely people were a study in what happens when God touches lives.  Some were radiant with joy – some tender and caring – some interested and thinking deeply; but almost every one of them reflected God’s work in the lives of His children.

   

As we read verses from the Bible that were sometimes familiar, I saw lips moving with a remembered verse – always with such a strength of understanding that it made tears come to my eyes. 

Heads nodded when the Word told of God’s direction and care.  When asked to recite along with the reading of the 23^rd Psalm, almost every one of these beautiful people knew every single word – in the King James Version.  (It’s my choice for memorization as well.)

When we sang beautiful hymns of the faith, many of them didn’t even need to look at the words – they knew them.  They knew them because they had lived them.  They knew that the straight paths, the narrow paths, the paths lightened by God’s righteousness, were the paths that they had traveled over many years. 

The smiles on their faces as we talked about Jesus being the only path, the only way to the Father - to our eternal home, showed me that they knew everything I’d been talking about.  But the smiles and nods also told me that they appreciated being reminded.

A ministry?  Oh yes!  But they were ministering to me.  These beautiful faces drew me closer to the one who had sustained them for years.  These friends helped me to see that the closer you get to “home,” the more you’re aware of what home really means.

Beautiful!

Mining Silver

I was thinking about silver the other day when I saw the beautiful silver edge on the clouds.  God’s creation captures my imagination more than anything else.  So I decided it would be fun to talk about silver, and what the Bible has to say about it.

Through the ages silver has been used for many things including coins, jewelry, mirrors and medicine and electronics.  Silver is a bit pricy these days – not as costly as gold, but if you own a bunch of silver you’ve made a good investment. 

There are references to silver in the Bible - from Genesis through Revelation.  Genesis starts out by telling us that Abram had it in abundance and that people were using silver as money, even when Joseph was in Egypt. See Genesis 42:25.

And later silver was used in the tabernacle and in the temple. 

Silver when used generously is something good and when it is used to glorify God it pleases Him.  But as costly and beautiful as silver is, David tells us that God’s laws (instructions) are more precious than silver and gold.  He says, “The law from your mouth (God) is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” Psalm 119:72

And Godly wisdom, we are told, is more profitable than silver.  Solomon, the wisest King wrote in Proverbs 3:13-14 

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she (WISDOM) is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

Silver, can be used in an evil way.  The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.  When we use silver in a way that does not please God it can become tarnished – maybe you remember polishing the silverware when you were young.  There was that black stuff that came off on the polishing cloth.  Our lives can become tarnished and unlovely, but with the work of the Holy Spirit they can be made as bright as a freshly polished silver spoon.

1 John 1:7 tells us, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

 An interesting way that the Bible used Silver is by comparing the person who is lost with a missing silver coin in Luke 15.  

"Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.  Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and sys, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

What a touching view of our God – comparing himself to a women who sweeps her house and searches diligently to find her lost coin.  God searches for us and then there is rejoicing in heaven when we repent.

The Bible has a lot to say about silver, about how we use it, God warns us about its misuse.  He compares it with wisdom and his law, and he uses it as a symbol of a lost sinner.

I wonder if God thinks it’s as beautiful as we do?  Some of the most beautiful silver is found in things that God made for our enjoyment. 

The dew on the flowers shines like silver in the morning light. 

When you look at the silvery moon, do you see God’s hand molding it? 

When you see the silver lining on a cloud, do you think of Christ’s coming return - on the clouds – I do.

And some of the most beautiful silver I see is on the heads of the people I see around me.  Silver in a person’s hair is a sign of wisdom and remember that God knows the count of the hairs on the heads of his people. 

Proverbs 16:31 tell us that, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.”

Proverbs 20:29 says that, “The glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair the splendor of the old.

Here’s a little poem I wrote for my friends with silver hair. 

Silver - God’s handiwork!  God’s gifts to us.

The daylight fades as the clock unwinds

and the moon paints the night with a silvery hue. 

Then the sun awakes

and dips the leaves

of flowers and trees with silvery dew.

Silver silhouettes the cottony clouds,

as it streaks through the sky, cutting heaven in two,

and you hold your breath,

as you watch and learn

that the silver shows God’s love for you.

Then you pass by a mirror and you smile hello,

the face in the silver-backed mirror smiles too.  

It shows the years

and the silvery hair,

a crown of respect God has given to you.

In God’s world, in His children, the moon and the dew,

the silver God mines shows He cares about you.

It’s a blessing, a wonder, and a gift from God’s hand

like a goblet of silver or a bright wedding band.

God gives to His children extravagantly,

these gifts full of love, abundant and free.

Diane Gruchow October 2012

Prayer

Years ago we had an elder in our church that, whenever he began a prayer, would say, “Let us be in an attitude of prayer.” 

I was thinking about prayer the other day and wondered what that elder was thinking of when he said it - what would an attitude of prayer look like? 

Let’s see – maybe you would be on your knees, with your head bowed and your hands clasped together.

Or would you standing with your hands raised up to heaven?

Would an attitude of prayer demand that your eyes be closed?

Or maybe it doesn’t matter.  An attitude of prayer may only encompass what is in your heart and mind as you pray. 

There isn’t a formula for prayer – prayer is talking to our Father, the God of the universe.  There’s not “one” special way to pray, but let’s discuss some of the attitudes that we should have as we pray.

Think about the way a toddler acts when her daddy comes home from work.  The bright smile on her face shines as she runs to her father with arms raised to be picked up and hugged.  Think of her words, “Daddy, Daddy!” and the excitement and love they convey.   

Do we get that excited to be in the presence of our heavenly Father?  Do we look forward to being with Him in prayer?  Do our faces shine as He reveals Himself through His word and the works of His hands?  I know that when I look up toward those mountains, and the bright blue sky, I do get excited to think about the awesome God who created it all.  And when I’m reading His word and listening to the prayers of David, and the love that was displayed when Jesus healed the blind man and spoke to the woman at the well, I do get excited about how real God is to me.  I hope my face shines as I praise for the King of the universe.  Is my attitude one of gratefulness and praise?

The Bible says in 1 Chronicles 16:8 – 9   

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts – would that attitude be adoration and gratefulness?

Of course, we aren’t always able to run to our father with a bright smile and outstretched arms.  There are times when our attitude of prayer is more sober.  There are times when we come to our Father looking for forgiveness, when we know we have let Him down, and our sins have become a wedge between our Father and ourselves.  It’s always important to clear the air, so to speak, to come to God in an attitude of repentance and humility, and ask His forgiveness.

In the Lord’s Prayer we read – Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Would that attitude be repentance?

Or Isaiah 30:15 tells us - This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. . .   Would that attitude be humility?

There are times when in prayer we ask God what His will is in a particular situation. That’s where His word is so important.  We talk to God, and He talks to us through the Bible – His word.  

But, what is our attitude as we listen to His word?  Is it one of openness and obedience, or do we come with preconceived ideas about what we want to do, and are we just looking for God to condone something that may not be the best for us or may even be against his will, or do we come with the will to be obedient to what we find in His word. 

Many times we are asking for healing or help for ourselves or our loved ones.  If God didn’t care about our health or happiness, Jesus would not have healed the sick.  His ministry on earth would have been entirely different, but He does.  God does heal.  He does intervene and help.  The Bible talks a lot about praying for people.  We have an obligation to pray for those who need God’s help.

Ephesians 6:18 tells us in part.  “. . . always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

But there is more to this attitude of prayer.  .  . A final word would be “yielding.”  God does tell us to ask.  So what should be our attitude in the asking?  Jesus prayed to His father, before He was crucified.  He asked God to take away the cup of suffering He was to endure.  But He ended with “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  That should always be our attitude in prayers of request. 

In the Lord’s prayer, we read.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

I believe that some people pray with the attitude that says, “God promised that He would answer my prayer, so He HAS to do what I ask.”  That is not so.  God is God.  He is in control.  We are not.  He is a loving Father though, who will grant a request that is in accordance with His will, and is best for His children.  I think of my own children and how many times I said, “No” or “Not yet” because it was best for them.  Would God do less? 

In I John it says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  ASKING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL = YIELDING!

Yielding, what a great attitude to have when praying to the almighty God.

So we’ve talked about Praising in gratitude, Repenting in humility, Asking with openness and obedience and Yielding.    PRAY.  This is NOT a formula.  We don’t have to tick off the list of attitudes we must have.  We just need to remember who it is we’re talking to, and we need to remember who we are.  We’re talking to the almighty creator of the universe, but who is also our loving, caring, Father. 

And us – well, we’re sinful, that’s for sure, but since Christ died for our sins, we also have access to the Father.  We are His adopted children, and He listens to our prayers.

We are all so different and at different places in our walk with Him.  So, some of us really need to recognize His power and strength as the Creator and Sustainer of the world, to see His strong arm in events when we pray.  But some of us have a deep need to remember the tender side of God – the side that holds us and cares deeply for each one of us.

You are the one talking to God, be yourself, and learn to know him and lean on him.

PRAY

Waves

Waves, white capped carriers of events, ribbons decorating time, minute by minute, day by day, changing – unchanging - seemingly eternal, is anyone in control? 

One after another, they wash upon the shores of our lives. 

I recently spent some time at Ft. Robinson in Nebraska.  As I looked into the history of that place, I was struck by the changing face of that area – like waves on the shore, changing the story, minute by minute, year by year.

Before 1868, The Great Sioux Nation used Nebraska as a hunting and skirmish ground.  They moved through the area in relative freedom.  But as the white men moved west, things changed.  Land changed hands.  The Native Americans were tricked or forced into giving up the land they called home.

In 1868 this area of Nebraska became a distribution point for goods which were meant to reimburse the Indians for their land and their freedom.  

In 1878 it became Ft Robinson.  1887 brought horses, as the area became a cavalry post.   With the first world war raging, it became a testing ground for military use of the bicycle.  The waves continued, and in 1919 when the war ended, it was the world's largest training, care, and breeding center for army horses and mules.

A gentle wave in 1935 brought the Olympic equestrian team to the fort.

Another Wave – The busiest years at Fort Robinson were those of World War II. With cavalry regiments being dismounted, large numbers of horses were shipped to the remount depot. By 1943 there were 12,000 horses at Fort Robinson. Here the horse herd was gradually decreased.  Pack mule training at the post increased during the war years. By the end of the war nearly 10,000 mules had been trained or issued.

At different times the fort became a war dog training site, a German POW camp, Civilian Conservation Corps camp, regional headquarters, and hospital center.

A wave that seemed it would flatten the fort came in 1948 when it was declared surplice and ended its military use – but not the end of the story. 

In 1949 the fort became a USDA cattle research station and in 1954 a USDA soil conservation training facility. 

And then in 1955 it became the Ft Robinson State Park, where we stayed and played on a 4 day vacation this summer.  As I sat and looked at the old buildings, and looked at the beautiful buttes surrounding the fort, I thought about the people who lived and died there and almost felt as if I were part of their lives too.  I felt that I had been washed by the waves that battered it. 

This area of the country has stood through the waves of change.

Now Let’s talk about the waves that have washed upon your life. 

You were a baby, a child, an adult, maybe now a senior citizen – you’ve lived through moves, marriages, children, illnesses, and death of loved ones.  These events were the waves washing up on the shore of your life.  Sometimes they were gentle and pleasant waves, and sometimes they played havoc with your world. 

But one big thing that we always need to remember about this ocean of life is that someone is in control.  That someone – our Father-Creator, watches the waves. 

Sometimes He changes the course of their flow.  Sometimes He shields us, if the waves would mean destruction.  Sometimes He stands beside us in the sand to make sure the waves don’t wash our feet out from under us.  Sometimes He revels with us in the cool refreshment of gentler waves.  He’s there to help and to guide.  But He’s also there to enjoy the relationship we have with Him. 

Do you ever think about God walking through this life with you – splashing through the waves with you?  Do ever think that He actually enjoys being with you? 

Picture yourself on the seashore; you’re sitting on the sand as the waves come in.  It’s a hot day and the cool ocean brings refreshment.  God is by your side and you’re laughing and talking about the stuff the surf is bringing as it washes over you.  Then picture the waves bringing something that’s not so much fun, that’s even maybe pretty awful.  But you aren’t afraid.  After all, the one who is with you in the waves is the one who made the ocean – there is no need to fear.

  

He made the waves – the waters

Remember Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. – God created the ocean, the waves, and the water.  And he’s hovering over those waters.  Watching out for us.

God can control the waves – the waters.  Mark 4:35 tells us how Jesus calmed the storm.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. . . . .  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  That’s funny, they were afraid of the storm – but maybe even more terrified at the power that Jesus had over that storm.

Also remember that He is with you in the waves, in your life, on your walk. 

Isaiah 30:31 says

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 

Because He cares for you, you don’t have to worry about what the waves will bring into your life.

In 1 Peter 5:6-7 we read

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

So as you think about the waves that made the history of Ft Robinson and you think about the waves that have washed up on the shores of your life, changing it – sometimes for the good and sometimes in a more destructive way, remember

He made the waves – He’s the creator.

He can control the waves – He’s all powerful.

He’s with you in the waves – it’s a relationship.

He cares for you – His love is in the waves.

Words

John 1 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . ."

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God's chose to reveal himself to mankind in a person (Jesus, the Messiah, the Logos, the very Word of God.)

In Hebrews 1 1-3 we read. 

"Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.  He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word"

It’s amazing to think about Jesus participating in the creation of this world, but think about this!   He sustains all things – keeps them running.  He keeps the sun in the sky.  He holds this world in place.  He brings rain to support our green earth.  He continues to be active in our universe, by his powerful word. 

Jesus, The Word, is the one who helps us to know what God is like, what God’s heart is like.  

John 1:18 says. 

“Jesus is God’s only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”

We see the Word in creation. In Genesis 1 we read

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.   And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

The creation narrative goes on.  It tells us that “God said” and He divided the waters.  And then, “God said” and there were trees and flowers and such.  And then, “God spoke” the sun, moon and stars into being.  Then after speaking everything else into existence, “God spoke” and He made man.

Words!

I thought about how I use words.  There are many instances in the Bible that God mentions our words.  He instructs us to use our words (our tongues) wisely and carefully. Do you remember reading in Ecclesiastes about a “Time for Everything?”  It starts out telling us that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.  The one I’m interested in today is

“a Time to be silent and a Time to speak,”

Sometimes I need to speak out, particularly when I see injustice.  But that doesn’t mean I need to say everything that’s on my mind. 

The Bible tells us that it’s smart to limit our words. In Proverbs 17 it says.

 “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint.”

and then a few verses later it tells us.  

“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”

Here’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln that says much the same thing.

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Words!

What about God’s word, the Bible? 

Over the ages the Bible has sold more copies than any other book ever written.  I looked this up on the internet and all of the resources agreed that it’s sold over 6 billion copies.

Do you know how many people read those billions of Bibles that are out there?  I found that only 59% of Americans said they read their Bibles occasionally.  Guess that’s better than I thought.  Only 37% read it at least weekly, and only 11% read it every day. 

Think about that – the Bible is a letter from God to us.  It tells us about Him, about His love for us, about the future and the past.  It gives us instruction.  It gives us hope and comfort – and it’s not read.  That’s really sad isn’t it?

Psalm 12:6 tell us

“And the words of the Lord are flawless, 
    like silver purified in a crucible, 
    like gold refined seven times.”

Isn’t that beautiful.  The words of the Lord – flawless, silver, pure pure gold?

Hebrews 4:12 says

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

It’s alive, sharp, penetrating, judging our thoughts and attitudes.  That sounds pretty important.  If we don’t pay attention to God’s words, our words will not glorify Him.

I really want to make sure mine glorify my Father, how about you?

Room in My Heart

In Luke 22:11, Jesus is talking to Peter and John about the Passover.  He told them to go into the city and find a man carrying a water jug.  They were to ask the man, "Where is the guest room in which the Master could eat the Passover with his disciples?".  Jesus said that the man would show them an upper room, all furnished, and that they were to make preparations there.

I wonder if Jesus is looking to meet me in the guest room of my heart.

There's a room in my heart God is wanting to use

for daily communion with me.

He is waiting for me to open the door

to the pleasure of His company.

But the landlord must open the door to his heart

He must sweep out the dirt of his life for a start.

He must clean out the cobwebs of worldly care

and dust off the stillness that needs to be there.

He must then close the door that shuts off the words

of the world that intrudes, and demands to be heard.

The room's ready now.

Preparations are made.

Now the hour is at hand

and the supper is laid.

In the stillness He comes,

Awesome God, gentle friend

to the room in my heart -

still small voice in the wind.