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Jesus — More Than a Sleeping Baby

Monday, December 10th, 2012

My granddaughter Anna played with her family’s Nativity scene. “Baby Jesus sleeping,” the two-year-old said, pointing to the inch-long plastic figure lying in a wee manger. She picked it up, gave it a shake, dropped it on the coffee table, and turned her attention to another toy. So much for toddler theology.

Sadly, some folks embrace toddler theology for a lifetime. To them, Jesus is no more than a sleeping baby in Nativity scenes. “What good is a God like that when cancer strikes or I lose my job or my kids run away?” they ask. Others consider Him a fable or fairy tale; His Bethlehem birth makes for a nice story but it’s only make-believe. Others think He was a fraud, a fool, or a fanatic who claimed to be God’s holy Son. As for me, I believe He was, and is, God’s Son, but I think my understanding of Him often falls short of reality.

The baby Jesus was mankind’s introduction to God in flesh. But the image of the sleeping infant is a far cry from the Jesus who’s revealed in Revelation 1:13-18. Read this description and meditate on it throughout this Christmas season. This, my friend, is the Jesus we’re celebrating!

“…Standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

I read these words and my heart cries: “Forgive me for minimizing You. Forgive me for placing limitations on You because of my finite understanding of Your majesty and holiness. Open my eyes to see who You really are, and transform my life as a result. I adore You, the living God, the first and the last, the One who holds the keys of death and the grave. I’m Yours. Amen.”

How about you? What emotion or response do these verses elicit in you?

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5 Reasons for Having Hope When Feeling Heavy-Hearted

Monday, September 3rd, 2012

Sometimes life deals a heaping dose of hurt. I’ve experienced it myself several times recently, either firsthand or via family and friends. Here are a few examples:

  • Cancer claims a pastor’s wife and leaves a widower with three children under five years old.
  • A young couple’s first child is born with multiple birth defects and dies within three hours.
  • Cancer strikes a middle-aged mother of two teens.
  • A grown child makes negative decisions that affect innocent others.
  • A youth pastor leaves his family for a teenage girl. (Actually, I know of four such cases in the past year).

When life deals hurt, our hearts naturally feel heavy. Sometimes it’s difficult to focus on our tasks at hand. Sometimes it’s difficult to feel thankful, and it’s easy to feel betrayed or angry. Emotions can boil into an unhealthy state if we let them. This morning, as I sift through a mix of emotions, I read Psalm 46:7-11:

“The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the LORD; See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

‘Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation, I will be honored throughout the world.’ The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.”

How can hope be ours when we’re hurt and feeling heavy-hearted? By remembering these five truths from Scripture:

  • God is with us. He is right here, living in us 24/7.
  • God is our fortress. Our enemies cannot destroy us because He surrounds us with His presence.
  • God will end our battles. That might happen here, or it might happen in heaven. Either way, they won’t last forever.
  • God is sovereign. He’s able to bring good from bad, beauty from ashes.  As we learn—as we really learn—to rest in His power and love, then we experience stillness of the soul amidst the storm that blows.
  • God will be honored. I believe this one’s conditional upon how we respond to our circumstances. If we allow our emotions to spiral into toxic yuck that contaminates everyone around us, then of course, God will not be honored. But when we apply the above four truths, then indeed, He will receive honor.  And that’s when onlookers take notice and say, “Something’s different about you. What is it?” Eternal purposes far beyond our imagination are achieved.

If you’re feeling heavy-hearted today, please take a few moments to reread Psalm 46:7-11. Thank God for its truths, and ask Him to help you apply them to your life. Therein lies hope.

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From Mourning to Joy

Monday, February 6th, 2012

There it is. My word for 2012 – joy – has popped up again. This time it appeared in Psalm 30:5 and 11 – “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning…You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.”

What a promise for those who grieve! What a statement of hope for men and women in pain.

Last night my heart broke when I read my emails. Two women shared stories of losing their husbands recently – one through cancer, and the other through a marriage breakup. Both women are mourning their loss. Their nights are long and lonely, and their days are empty as they seek to make sense of what’s happened and how to embrace life with its new normal.

Joy isn’t part of these women’s vocabulary at this point on their journey. It might be difficult for them to even imagine that it will one day return, but it will. Slowly, slowly the pain will dissipate. Darkness will turn to dawn as God fills their hearts with an ever-increasing peace that passes human understanding. Laughter will live again.

I read these emails and whispered a prayer for these women. A prayer that they will soon be clothed with joy. That each morning will bring renewed hope. That each new day will bring restored faith and confidence in the One who loves them and knows their deepest hurts.

If you’re experiencing a nighttime of the soul, then this is my prayer for you, too. May God ease your pain and fill you with joy. May today put a dance – a joyful dance – into your step. You are loved!

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Moses, Miracles, and God’s Mind-Boggling Methods

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Sometimes God’s methods leave me scratching my head. Take Moses’ story, for example.

The Hebrews had been held in slavery in Egypt for hundreds of years. One day, God decided enough was enough. He could have simply said the words, “Let my people go,” and softened Pharaoh’s heart to say, “Sure thing, God.” Instead, He hardened Pharaoh’s heart and then devised ten plagues to change his mind. What’s with that?

Exodus 10: 1-2 explain God’s methodology: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD.’”

Why did God choose a mind-boggling method to set His people free? Three reasons:

  • Because He wanted to show His mighty, miraculous power among those who didn’t acknowledge Him as the true God. The Egyptians sorcerers were able to copycat some of the same miracles at first, but as the stakes grew higher, God’s one-of-a kind power became more apparent.
  • Because He wanted the impact of what He did to last for generations to come. “I’ve done it so you can tell your children and your grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them,” He said. An approach that could be easily explained by human understanding would not have a significant lingering effect.
  • Because He wanted Moses to know Him as the only true and living God. Experiencing Him do the impossible would certainly accomplish this feat.

Sometimes I scratch my head at God’s methods in my own life, too. For instance, several months ago I watched a childhood friend suffer with cancer and eventually succumb to the disease. With so many friends and family praying for her healing, why didn’t God simply speak the words, “Be well”? Why did He choose a different method to secure her ultimate healing and allow her to die instead?

Perhaps it’s because my friend’s testimony caused her doctors and nurses to take notice of her faith. Throughout her painful journey, they witnessed her inner strength and peace and joy. They saw her family unite in their sorrow, and they saw them experience hope in the midst of great pain. Through the family’s heart-breaking experience, they experienced God’s faithfulness, and they continue to do so today. They have come to know God in a new and more intimate way.

I confess that I don’t understand God’s methods sometimes. They leave me scratching my head. And yet, I need to trust that He is in control, and He’s a lot smarter than I am.

Can you relate? Can you recall a time when God’s methods left you wondering what in the world He was doing?

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Where is Hope Found?

Monday, June 13th, 2011

This week I’ll visit a childhood friend who’s in hospice after a long and courageous battle with leukemia. She underwent a bone marrow transplant this spring. On day 100, the doctors told her that the transplant won over the leukemia. That was the good news. The bad news was that another form of cancer—this one untreatable—had invaded her bone marrow. Her family met and discussed the options. Together they decided it was time for her to rest, and for them to spend as much time together as possible as her journey draws to a close.

When I learned of her situation, I felt an inexpressible sadness on her behalf. We’re the same age. Our kids are the same age, too. And we both have grandbabies. Frankly, I cannot fathom how she must feel saying goodbye to those she loves.

I spoke with her by phone last week. Though her voice was weak and her words somewhat slurred, she said, “I have peace.”

How can my girlfriend make this statement in the midst of such difficult circumstances? Because she knows God’s promises. Psalm 119:49,50 say, “Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.”

As my girlfriend prepares to take up residence in heaven, I imagine that the promise found in John 14:1-3 gives her great comfort:

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am.”

I’m wrestling with my friend’s situation. When sadness overwhelms me, I turn to God’s promise of eternal life, and I find hope. His promise revives me and gives me comfort.

What promise gives you hope and revives you in the midst of trouble?

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My Secret to Inner Peace

Monday, May 30th, 2011

John 14:1 says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me.” Verse 27 says, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

The command is clear—don’t let my heart be troubled or afraid. Okay. I get that. But how is that possible when the news is full of reports about floods and tornadoes and wild fires? Closer to home, how can I experience peace after learning that a lifelong friend is being moved into palliative care as her valiant fight with cancer draws to a close?

Last week was a tough one. A profound grief filled me upon hearing of my girlfriend’s situation. A physical heaviness settled into my chest and my tears flowed. I had three major speaking engagements, and I honestly wondered how I’d get through them without crying.

My friend and I are the same age. We attended the same Sunday school and mid-week girls’ club while growing up. We shared secrets. Laughed together. Graduated from high school together. I was maid of honor at her wedding. Now she’s saying goodbye to her husband, her kids, and her grandbabies while I’m free to linger here and enjoy mine. It feels unfair that our lives have taken such different paths. And why, though her husband has soaked his pillow with his tears while pleading for God to heal his best friend, has God said no?

I know what a troubled heart feels like. Thankfully I also know what it feels like for peace to overrule. How did I come to experience this peace in the midst of grief?

Here’s my secret: I’ve chosen to do what John 14:1 says—to actively trust God in this situation. He has promised eternal life to all who place their saving faith in Him. My friend did this as a child, therefore, she’s guaranteed a home in heaven. In a short time, she’ll take up residence there. Her suffering will end. And best of all, she’ll meet Jesus face to face.

If I allow my thoughts to linger on what seems to be unjust, and if I focus only on the pain that my friend and her family are experiencing right now, then my heart will indeed remain troubled. But Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me.” And so I choose to trust, even when I don’t like what’s happening.

How about you? What do you do to find peace when your heart’s troubled?

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Hard Questions

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Marcia Lee Laycock contributes again…

******

It seemed fitting that the sky hung heavy and low. It seemed right that the wind was bitter, howling with the fierce shriek of winter around a tiny country cemetery. There was a very small hole in the ground and a very tiny casket to be put into it. It seemed appropriate that we all stood numbed by the cold of that day.

A friend of mine once wrote a poem about Adam, Eve and God in the Garden of Eden. It was a good poem, well constructed with a strong rhythm and powerful images. One of those images often comes to mind when bad things happen to good people. It’s an image of God curled into a fetal position, and the wailing sound of His weeping.

Sometimes we ask hard questions. Why did that baby have to die, God? Why is my friend suffering with a painful cancer? Why are those people in Africa starving? We don’t usually get a good answer to those questions. They leave us numb and they leave us wondering if God is there.

But then there is that image and that sound. In my friend’s poem God mourned the first disobedience, the first break in His relationship with the creatures He put on the earth.

The picture my friend painted with his words was of a God who cares, a God who feels our pain, a God who mourns with us, especially at the graves of tiny babies.

He is also a God who will answer. He is a God who acted to redeem all that was broken in our world. He is a God who continues to do so. The redemption was accomplished on the cross of Calvary, but it is not yet complete. As the writer of the book of Hebrews said, God “… waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:13).

The process is sometimes painful, but the world will one day be made entirely new, entirely redeemed. The scriptures talk about creation groaning as we wait for that day. The groans do not fall on deaf ears, nor will they remain unanswered forever. One day that tiny baby will rise, whole and perfect as God intended him to be.

God’s plan is unfolding. What then, should we do in those times when we groan and feel there is no answer? Again, scripture tells us – “To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Humility before God bows the knee and continues to believe. Humility before God acknowledges His sovereignty and calls Him good. Even when babies die and the pain of this world overwhelms, humility before God says, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

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Scripture — the Key to Confident Prayers

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Cancer has struck at least a dozen of my friends and family members since last fall. This week it returned with vengeance in yet another friend’s body. When will it end? Every night I pray for these people by name, asking God to grant strength and healing to their bodies and their emotions. I also pray that God will grant their loved ones strength and peace for the journey.

Sometimes, when I hear or read about other people’s difficult circumstances, I simply don’t know how to pray. That’s when I find confidence in using the Scriptures as my basis for intercession. Here’s one example:

A woman I know has been falsely accused of something she didn’t do. Psalm 36 provides a wonderful prayer on her behalf…

“Father, Your unfailing love is as vast as the heavens and Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains and Your justice like the ocean depths. Please pour out Your unfailing love on ________ because she loves You. Give justice to her because her heart is honest. Don’t let the proud trample her or the wicked push her around. Rush to her rescue and show Yourself strong on her behalf. May she find shelter in the shadow of Your wings. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” (Psa. 36 NLT)

Praying Scripture isn’t like rubbing a genie bottle and automatically receiving the answer I want. But so long as I’m not taking God’s words out of context, praying them gives me confidence that I’m asking something according to His will. I know He hears and will answer in His way and time.

I’m currently facing some major decisions regarding writing and speaking. They’re all good. In fact, they’re quite exciting, but they all require taking a risk. My prayer for this is simple: “Father, I commit all the details of these potential projects to You, and I trust You to help me. Thank You for promising to do so as I seek to follow Your direction and do things Your way” (Psalm 37:5). I’m amazed at how those words calm my pounding heart.

QUESTION: How have you applied Scripture to prayer?

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A Speaker’s Confession

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

I hate it when I get soppy while speaking to a women’s group. Trouble is, I just can’t help it sometimes.

Last evening I spoke to a group of about 30 women. We’d met to videotape session 4 for the DVD series based on Moving From Fear to Freedom.  The title was “Facing the Storms of Life” and I wanted to encourage them not to seek to avoid the storms but to learn to dance in the rain. The only way that’s possible, I believe, is to know Jesus Christ and cling to His promises.

And so, I closed the evening with Isaiah 43:1,2,4,5. “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you, I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you….You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

Everything went well until I reached the part about the flames, and that’s when it hit me. Looking over the audience, I saw the faces of several women experiencing storms right now, and my heart broke for them. The pain of cancer, prodigal kids, divorce, abuse….it’s all there. My voice choked up and I couldn’t continue. It seemed like forever until I could speak, and when I did, words came from my mouth that I hadn’t anticipated saying.

“I know that some of you are going through storms right now. I want to make myself available to you to talk or pray, so I’ll sit at the back of this room. Come see me there, if you like.” Three women responded. God was at work, doing something good apart from my script. Imagine that.

This morning I struggle with mixed feelings. The choked voice, the pause, the struggle to regain my composure – it’s all on videotape. Part of me wrestles with feelings of failure as a speaker. The other part says to let it go and just let God do what He wants. His heart breaks for the pain these women carry, too. The good news is that He wants to heal them, to fill their hearts with peace and joy, to free them from their fears….to teach them to dance in the rain. And I’m trusting that He’ll do it regardless of my weaknesses and foibles.

These verses from Isaiah are so powerful. I pray that God will use them to accomplish His purposes in the lives of these precious women and those who will watch the video series when it’s released. I pray that they’ll bless you today, too, my friend.

Is there any part of these verses that’s particularly meaningful to you today?

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Because You Prayed

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

I hope to have a heart-to-heart with God when I reach heaven because I have a few questions that need answers. Here’s one: What difference does prayer make if You rule over everything and have established purposes for our lives from before creation?

I wrestle with this question occasionally. How can my measly petitions change the outcome of a particular situation if God already knows its ending? Why does God tell me to pray without ceasing, to pour out my heart to Him, to bring all my requests to Him when He holds the script? This is a mystery to me. And yet, I know that prayer changes things.

King Hezekiah knew it, too. That’s why he continually sought God’s help. When an enemy king sent him a threatening letter, he didn’t waste time wringing his hands in worry. Rather, he spread the letter before the Lord and prayed. And God answered. Immediately afterwards, Isaiah sent a message to Hezekiah saying, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, “Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the LORD has spoken this word against him…” (Isaiah 37:21). Then came a promise of the enemy’s defeat.

What might have happened if Hezekiah had tried to fight the enemy without God’s help? Or what might have transpired if he’d thrown up his hands in despair and waved the white flag of surrender? Or what if he’d succumbed to fear and gone into hiding? Only God knows. But this one thing we know – Hezekiah prayed, and his prayer played a role in history.

Because you prayed…three words that can change everything.

How do those three words apply to us today? Here’s an example….

Cancer claimed the life of a friend last Friday. She was only 47. She leaves behind a grieving husband and two young children. People prayed, and prayed, and prayed for her healing but their prayers appeared unanswered. At least through our limited perspective.

And yet, when I read her blog written as she processed thoughts of dying and preparing for eternity, I see God’s presence with her. I see how He carried her through months of treatment and failing health. I see how He helped her learn to trust Him implicitly and come to a place of rest. When she died on Friday morning, she left this world wearing a smile. How might the past three years have been different for her if people hadn’t prayed on her behalf? She might have died an angry, bitter woman.

Because you prayed…three words that can change everything. No matter what you’re facing today, know that prayer works. Give God the honor He’s due as Hezekiah did, and then bare your heart to Him. Share your concerns with Him. Tell Him what’s causing you pain or driving you mad. And trust Him to move on your behalf.  

How have you seen the truth behind these three words played out in your life?

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