Doing the “Heron Walk”

Great Blue Heron on its evening stroll, Taunton River, Sullivan, Maine

The Great Blue Heron arrived at dusk. It was fascinating to watch its delicate, unrushed, almost elegant walk as it lifted its long, thin legs before gently and quietly placing its feet between long pauses of listening and peering intently into the cold water.

This heron’s intentional hesitancy was a reminder of the immediacy in the ancient but ever contemporary admonition to be circumspect, to be wise, to make the best use of time and opportunity, to not be fools, and to “walk in wisdom…redeeming the time.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) (Colossians 4:5) That wisdom is vital and applicable to any race or creed because one misstep can be life changing. Although we can never relive even a single second, the Psalmist counseled “to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12; 39:4-5). He recognized that if we consider life’s brevity, we should be motivated to seek its purpose.

Despite the choices we make or those imposed upon us, or our circumstances, or our personalities, interests and abilities, we all struggle to find pleasure, peace, meaning, and purpose. We are also vulnerable to the the shrill, disruptive, and sometimes rebellious voices of our culture or are distracted by the more soothing words of our intellectual, celebrity, and religious heroes whose wisdom isn’t always wise but is filled with half truths which reinforce what we want to believe. We want to believe that meaning lies within ourselves and our ability to make the most of ourselves, that we are self empowered, that freedom means being free to do what we want to do, that right or wrong is relative to the situation, and that there is no absolute moral framework by which to live.

As a result, we become easily conflicted and weirdly inconsistent as we resist the image, principles, and purposes for which we are designed and by which we are enabled to achieve what we actually want. Jesus succinctly and profoundly laid out the course to happiness by condensing the moral code into loving God with all one’s being and our neighbors as ourselves. This was given with a promise and a principle: when followed, one will live the best possible life. (Matthew 22:37-40) (Deuteronomy 6:1-3) Pleasure, hard work, wealth, relationships, and intellectual pursuits are unsatisfying and empty without God.

Obviously, we all fail at the ideal because we have trouble seeing beyond the world of our senses, have control issues, and are unforgiving and perverse. Even when we “believe”, our faith is defective. We regularly fail to meet the benchmarks of integrity, humility, love, compassion and forgiveness and constantly live in unwitting opposition to what God intends for us.

However, God has “redeemed” the days! Because of His compassionate, merciful understanding of human weaknesses, Christ has finished our struggle for goodness. He is the Way to redemption, forgiveness, righteousness, and restoration through the gift of faith. There is no guilt, shame or condemnation when living in this faith which goes beyond intellectual belief to a graciously empowered relationship and a “walk” of seeking the wisdom of God’s will that we believe and live the Gospel of mercy and grace. (Titus 3:5).(Galatians 2:16) (Romans 3:28)

Regardless of whether or not we are “people of faith”, this strange but beautiful heron speaks a cautionary tale: “Look carefully then how (we) walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” But even most importantly we should consider and live for the ultimate goal: Therefore (let us) not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

The View of Everything

Sunrise in Stonington, Maine

It is quite unlikely that this little gull’s brain was filled with philosophical or theological thoughts as it watched the rising sun drive away the darkness hiding Stonington Harbor and the thoroughfare. In contrast, human minds constantly deal with values and meaning and purposes even while enjoying a sunrise. C.S. Lewis once said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” 

As we search for enlightened answers to questions about cause and reality, our observations, our experiences, and the considerations we give to what others say or have discovered create for us a view of “everything else,” an intellectual understanding which shapes our emotional and spiritual responses to our personal world. Lewis, a converted atheist, found answers in the person, life, teachings, and purposes of Christ, who became the framework for his world view. He saw life through the lens of Christianity.

Some say that we imagine religious answers because we long for reasons. The  more compelling argument would be that we long for reasons because we were made for them, that we were created with the capacity for goodness, love, honesty, integrity, holiness, and joy, and that there is a transcendent quality and purpose and meaning behind them. Because of that, we curiously and constantly probe for answers which hold ultimate meaning.

Just as the rising sun pushes back the darkness, Christianity pushes us to consider our greatest possibilities because Christ shines a brighter and broader light on the workings of our universe. He makes sense of this world and its brokenness. His teachings speak to ultimate reason, truth, reality, and providence. John, the Apostle, spoke of Christ as “The true light, which gives light to everyone…”.(John 1:9) And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Belief in the person and redemptive work of Christ sets us on the path meant for us, a path of joyful expression of divine love and grace. He lifts us from our dusty limitations to the great, eternal story lying  beyond and behind the cosmos and transports us from the kingdom of darkness where rebellion and lawlessness and guilt and shame and condemnation reign into the Kingdom of God where grace and love reside. 

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

The View of Everything

Sunrise over Stonington Harbor, Maine

It is quite unlikely that this little gull’s brain was filled with philosophical or theological thoughts as it watched the rising sun drive away the darkness hiding Stonington Harbor and the thoroughfare. In contrast, human minds constantly deal with values and meaning and purposes even while enjoying a sunrise. C.S. Lewis once said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” 

As we search for enlightened answers to questions about cause and reality, our observations, our experiences, and the considerations we give to what others say or have discovered create for us a view of “everything else,” an intellectual understanding which shapes our emotional and spiritual responses to our personal world. Lewis, a converted atheist, found answers in the person, life, teachings, and purposes of Christ, who became the framework for his world view. He saw life through the lens of Christianity.

Some say that we imagine religious answers because we long for reasons. The  more compelling argument would be that we long for reasons because we were made for them, that we were created with the capacity for goodness, love, honesty, integrity, holiness, and joy, and that there is a transcendent quality and purpose and meaning behind them. Because of that, we curiously and constantly probe for answers which hold ultimate meaning.

Just as the rising sun pushes back the darkness, Christianity pushes us to consider our greatest possibilities because Christ shines a brighter and broader light on the workings of our universe. He makes sense of this world and its brokenness. His teachings speak to ultimate reason, truth, reality, and providence. John, the Apostle, spoke of Christ as “The true light, which gives light to everyone…”.(John 1:9) And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Belief in the person and redemptive work of Christ sets us on the path meant for us, a path of joyful expression of divine love and grace. He lifts us from our dusty limitations to the great, eternal story lying  beyond and behind the cosmos and transports us from the kingdom of darkness where rebellion and lawlessness and guilt and shame and condemnation reign into the Kingdom of God where grace and love reside. 

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

The View of Every Thing…

Sunrise, Stonington, Maine

It is quite unlikely that this little gull’s brain was filled with philosophical or theological thoughts as it watched the rising sun drive away the darkness hiding Stonington Harbor and the thoroughfare. In contrast, human minds constantly deal with values and meaning and purposes even while enjoying a sunrise. C.S. Lewis once said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” 

As we search for enlightened answers to questions about cause and reality, our observations, our experiences, and the considerations we give to what others say or have discovered create for us a view of “everything else,” an intellectual understanding which shapes our emotional and spiritual responses to our personal world. Lewis, a converted atheist, found answers in the person, life, teachings, and purposes of Christ, who became the framework for his world view. He saw life through the lens of Christianity.

Some say that we imagine religious answers because we long for reasons. The  more compelling argument would be that we long for reasons because we were made for them, that we were created with the capacity for goodness, love, honesty, integrity, holiness, and joy, and that there is a transcendent quality and purpose and meaning behind them. Because of that, we curiously and constantly probe for answers which hold ultimate meaning.

Just as the rising sun pushes back the darkness, Christianity pushes us to consider our greatest possibilities because Christ shines a brighter and broader light on the workings of our universe. He makes sense of this world and its brokenness. His teachings speak to ultimate reason, truth, reality, and providence. John, the Apostle, spoke of Christ as “The true light, which gives light to everyone…”.(John 1:9) And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Belief in the person and redemptive work of Christ sets us on the path meant for us, a path of joyful expression of divine love and grace. He lifts us from our dusty limitations to the great, eternal story lying  beyond and behind the cosmos and transports us from the kingdom of darkness where rebellion and lawlessness and guilt and shame and condemnation reign into the Kingdom of God where grace and love reside. 

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

Mountain Movers

Sunrise over the Mountains of Acadia from Hancock Point, Maine

In Mark 11:22-25, Jesus made the interesting claim that it is possible to move a mountain if one has faith! He provided context to that statement by saying belief (in God’s good character and sovereign will) and prayer are two critical factors in this amazing power of faith. Then Jesus tossed another crucial ingredient into the mix: ”And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

This Easter week Christians “celebrate” Christ’s passion, his horrible crucifixion, and his glorious resurrection. They celebrate with humility, awe, and thankfulness for God’s grace and mercy, realizing that Christ’s ministry to humanity not only redeems because of God’s forgiveness but assures eternal life because of his victory over death in his bodily resurrection.

No one has ever had greater goodwill for humanity than Jesus. Yet, nobody could possibly know more about adversity, anguish, agony, and injustice suffered at the hands of human deceit, betrayal, desertion, and wickedness. No one has had more wrong to forgive than Jesus. Yet, at the peak of wrenching, emotional, physical and spiritual pain, he felt compassion for those who had denigrated and tortured and were mocking and killing him. He asked God’s mercy and forgiveness for them. “Father forgive them…,” he prayed.

Christ’s death and his plea for his torturers show the utter selflessness of absolution, an act that cuts to a person’s core because it involves emotional, willful decisions and requires profound, intentional actions. That is the message of Good Friday’s cross when Holy God lovingly, intentionally, and sacrificially made full pardon available to sinful mankind. Likewise, extending mercy and grace are of great importance to those who profess Christianity. Jesus taught his disciples that God’s forgiveness for them was nuanced by the personal forgiveness which they offered others. He taught us to pray, “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassers.”

Once Jesus told a story about a king who forgave one of his servant a huge debt, but the very same servant then refused to forgive a fellow servant a very small debt. Upon hearing  of the unforgiving servant’s behavior, the King withdrew his mercy and disciplined him. (Matthew 18-23-35)

That parable tells the Gospel story. Unconditional, supernatural love and mercy moved heaven to patiently travel the arduous, dusty, unjust road to Jesus’ cross so that even his enemies could be redeemed from their sinful natures. In His immeasurable mercy and love, God cancelled our sin debt at extreme cost. Jesus said that kind of love would be shown by his followers. It would be paid forward with the ability to continually forgive, to walk extra miles with oppressors , to take slapping insults without retaliation, and to be generous to those who have taken unfair advantage.(John 13:35)(Matthew 18:21) (Matthew 5:39-42) . Spiteful behaviors, retribution, and vengeance are not manifestations of the Gospel in one’s life.

Just as receiving God’s forgiveness redeems, frees from guilt and condemnation, and reconciles, peace with others results when our forgiveness is offered and received. The offended and the offender are released from anger, bitterness, hatred, vengefulness, grudges, resentment, and shame and are freed to respect, to treat justly, and to be gracious despite severe hurt; negativity can no longer inform and control and consume their lives. Even if forgiveness is not received and full restoration does not occur, the willingness to forgive releases the negative emotions and attitudes that have affected the forgiver. Forgiveness is humbling but is a powerful mountain mover which redeems relationships and situation and renews spirits.

These last three blogs on “moving mountains” have suggested that belief in God’s good character and sovereign will, prayer, and forgiveness go a long way toward relieving the obstacles which delay or prevent us from moving forward with the peace and the confidence which are discovered in Christ, who wholly trusted His heavenly Father, lived a humble and prayer filled and sacrificial life, lovingly forgave his worst enemies, and ultimately defeated life’s final obstacle -death. He has risen! We need not fear because by faith we will also live.

Mountain Movers

The Mountains of Acadia from Hancock Point, Maine

In Mark 11:22-25, Jesus made the interesting claim that it is possible to move a mountain if one has faith! He provided context to that statement by saying belief (in God’s good character and sovereign will) and prayer are two critical factors in this amazing power of faith. Then Jesus tossed another crucial ingredient into the mix: ”And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

This Easter week Christians “celebrate” Christ’s passion, his horrible crucifixion, and his glorious resurrection. They celebrate with humility, awe, and thankfulness for God’s grace and mercy, realizing that Christ’s ministry to humanity not only redeems because of God’s forgiveness but assures eternal life because of his victory over death in his bodily resurrection.

No one has ever had greater goodwill for humanity than Jesus. Yet, nobody could possibly know more about adversity, anguish, agony, and injustice suffered at the hands of human deceit, betrayal, desertion, and wickedness. No one has had more wrong to forgive than Jesus. Yet, at the peak of wrenching, emotional, physical and spiritual pain, he felt compassion for those who had denigrated and tortured and were mocking and killing him. He asked God’s mercy and forgiveness for them. “Father forgive them…,” he prayed.

Christ’s death and his plea for his torturers show the utter selflessness of absolution, an act that cuts to a person’s core because it involves emotional, willful decisions and requires profound, intentional actions. That is the message of Good Friday’s cross when Holy God lovingly, intentionally, and sacrificially made full pardon available to sinful mankind. Likewise, extending mercy and grace are of great importance to those who profess Christianity. Jesus taught his disciples that God’s forgiveness for them was nuanced by the personal forgiveness which they offered others. He taught us to pray, “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassers.”

Once Jesus told a story about a king who forgave one of his servant a huge debt, but the very same servant then refused to forgive a fellow servant a very small debt. Upon hearing  of the unforgiving servant’s behavior, the King withdrew his mercy and disciplined him. (Matthew 18-23-35)

That parable tells the Gospel story. Unconditional, supernatural love and mercy moved heaven to patiently travel the arduous, dusty, unjust road to Jesus’ cross so that even his enemies could be redeemed from their sinful natures. In His immeasurable mercy and love, God cancelled our sin debt at extreme cost. Jesus said that kind of love would be shown by his followers. It would be paid forward with the ability to continually forgive, to walk extra miles with oppressors , to take slapping insults without retaliation, and to be generous to those who have taken unfair advantage.(John 13:35)(Matthew 18:21) (Matthew 5:39-42) . Spiteful behaviors, retribution, and vengeance are not manifestations of the Gospel in one’s life.

Just as receiving God’s forgiveness redeems, frees from guilt and condemnation, and reconciles, peace with others results when our forgiveness is offered and received. The offended and the offender are released from anger, bitterness, hatred, vengefulness, grudges, resentment, and shame and are freed to respect, to treat justly, and to be gracious despite severe hurt; negativity can no longer inform and control and consume their lives. Even if forgiveness is not received and full restoration does not occur, the willingness to forgive releases the negative emotions and attitudes that have affected the forgiver. Forgiveness is humbling but is a powerful mountain mover which redeems relationships and situation and renews spirits.

These last three blogs on “moving mountains” have suggested that belief in God’s good character and sovereign will, prayer, and forgiveness go a long way toward relieving the obstacles which delay or prevent us from moving forward with the peace and the confidence which are discovered in Christ, who wholly trusted His heavenly Father, lived a humble and prayer filled and sacrificial life, lovingly forgave his worst enemies, and ultimately defeated life’s final obstacle -death. He has risen! We need not fear because by faith we will also live.

Mountains Movers

Sunrise over Mount Desert Island from Hancock Point, Maine

In Mark 11:22-25, Jesus made the interesting claim that it is possible to move a mountain if one has faith! He provided context to that statement by saying belief (in God’s good character and sovereign will) and prayer are two critical factors in this amazing power of faith. Then Jesus tossed another crucial ingredient into the mix: ”And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

This Easter week Christians “celebrate” Christ’s passion, his horrible crucifixion, and his glorious resurrection. They celebrate with humility, awe, and thankfulness for God’s grace and mercy, realizing that Christ’s ministry to humanity not only redeems because of God’s forgiveness but assures eternal life because of his victory over death in his bodily resurrection.

No one has ever had greater goodwill for humanity than Jesus. Yet, nobody could possibly know more about adversity, anguish, agony, and injustice suffered at the hands of human deceit, betrayal, desertion, and wickedness. No one has had more wrong to forgive than Jesus. Yet, at the peak of wrenching, emotional, physical and spiritual pain, he felt compassion for those who had denigrated and tortured and were mocking and killing him. He asked God’s mercy and forgiveness for them. “Father forgive them…,” he prayed.

Christ’s death and his plea for his torturers show the utter selflessness of absolution, an act that cuts to a person’s core because it involves emotional, willful decisions and requires profound, intentional actions. That is the message of Good Friday’s cross when Holy God lovingly, intentionally, and sacrificially made full pardon available to sinful mankind. Likewise, extending mercy and grace are of great importance to those who profess Christianity. Jesus taught his disciples that God’s forgiveness for them was nuanced by the personal forgiveness which they offered others. He taught us to pray, “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassers.”

Once Jesus told a story about a king who forgave one of his servant a huge debt, but the very same servant then refused to forgive a fellow servant a very small debt. Upon hearing  of the unforgiving servant’s behavior, the King withdrew his mercy and disciplined him. (Matthew 18-23-35)

That parable tells the Gospel story. Unconditional, supernatural love and mercy moved heaven to patiently travel the arduous, dusty, unjust road to Jesus’ cross so that even his enemies could be redeemed from their sinful natures. In His immeasurable mercy and love, God cancelled our sin debt at extreme cost. Jesus said that kind of love would be shown by his followers. It would be paid forward with the ability to continually forgive, to walk extra miles with oppressors , to take slapping insults without retaliation, and to be generous to those who have taken unfair advantage.(John 13:35)(Matthew 18:21) (Matthew 5:39-42) . Spiteful behaviors, retribution, and vengeance are not manifestations of the Gospel in one’s life.

Just as receiving God’s forgiveness redeems, frees from guilt and condemnation, and reconciles, peace with others results when our forgiveness is offered and received. The offended and the offender are released from anger, bitterness, hatred, vengefulness, grudges, resentment, and shame and are freed to respect, to treat justly, and to be gracious despite severe hurt; negativity can no longer inform and control and consume their lives. Even if forgiveness is not received and full restoration does not occur, the willingness to forgive releases the negative emotions and attitudes that have affected the forgiver. Forgiveness is humbling but is a powerful mountain mover which redeems relationships and situation and renews spirits.

These last three blogs on “moving mountains” have suggested that belief in God’s good character and sovereign will, prayer, and forgiveness go a long way toward relieving the obstacles which delay or prevent us from moving forward with the peace and the confidence which are discovered in Christ, who wholly trusted His heavenly Father, lived a humble and prayer filled and sacrificial life, lovingly forgave his worst enemies, and ultimately defeated life’s final obstacle -death. He has risen! We need not fear because by faith we will also live.

Do Mountains Move?

Cadillac Mountain from Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park, Maine

Since mountains don’t move unless some external force is exerted upon them,  Jesus’ teaching about moving mountains is puzzling: “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22-25)

 Moving our insurmountable obstacles also requires an external influence, something or someone with greater knowledge and power than we have. Jesus said that kind of power comes from God. “ Have faith in God.”  Does trusting in God’s goodness and power actually makes a difference in altering impossible situations? The Psalmist believed that was so: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:4-6) 

That Psalm sheds light on how the power of faith works. “Delight yourself in the Lord, Commit your ways to the Lord ”are words and phrases which imply that belief involves a sincere, trusting , confident, enjoyable, and committed  relationship with someone powerful enough to not only make something good from our desires but to make our desires good. The Psalm identifies that Someone as our heavenly Father and emphatically impresses upon us that God will act to bring righteousness and justice to our situations.

Many of our prayers are laser focused on ourselves and not the broader picture of God’s purposes, but there are proper attitudes and motivations in which our requests are to be couched. We may ask naively and incorrectly. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that we do not have “because we ask not”  but also because we ask “amiss” which the Apostle John says is pursuing our will and not considering God’s. Also, we may be improperly prepared for prayer. Jeremiah lamented: “We have transgressed and rebelled… you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.” Scripture clearly indicates arrogant and unrepentant hearts do not get through to God.

Jesus helps clarify these thoughts: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13)( Matthew 21:22) When we ask as Jesus would, when we ask in the spirit of submission to God’s authority, we are seeking God’s good will for us in ways which honor Him, and we won’t be asking “amiss.” Living out faith is not about getting what we want but is about learning how to be the person God desires us to be in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. So biblical prayers will seek for God-empowered knowledge, wisdom and understanding, strength, patience,  endurance and joy with the expectation for receiving what is good and right. (Colossians 1:9-13)

Depending on our need or perceived need, our prayers may be all over the map: confession and repentance, lamentations and imploring, praise and gratitude, and intercessions and supplications. As we pray, we will truly receive our hearts’ desires: redemption and forgiveness, comfort and relief, and assurance and hope. Prayer taps into, delights in, and expresses gratitude for the many good things that God provides.

After his nephew died in an auto accident which also caused serious injury to this boy’s three siblings, Don Moen wrote this song: “God will make a way/ Where there seems to be no way/ He works in ways we cannot see/ He will make a way for me // He will be my guide/Hold me closely to His side/ With love and strength for each new day/ He will make a way, He will make a way // By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me/ And rivers in the desert will I see/ Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain/ And He will do something new today.”

Prayer invites God into our dreams and desires and needs and hurts, and He will bring what is right and just to us. While belief opens us to God’s salvation and sovereignty, prayer unleashes God’s good and sovereign will. Communion with God in prayer and knowledge of His Word are key to power. They align and realign our desires and attitudes and actions. With spiritual change, perspectives change; attitudes transform; obstacles diminish; perceived needs vanish; miracles happen; paths open; and

Mountains move.

Do Mountains Move?

(Moving Mountains 2)

Cadillac Mountain from Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park, Maine

Since mountains don’t move unless some external force is exerted upon them,  Jesus’ teaching about moving mountains is puzzling: “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22-25)

 Moving our insurmountable obstacles also requires an external influence, something or someone with greater knowledge and power than we have. Jesus said that kind of power comes from God. “ Have faith in God.”  Does trusting in God’s goodness and power actually makes a difference in altering impossible situations? The Psalmist believed that was so: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:4-6) 

That Psalm sheds light on how the power of faith works. “Delight yourself in the Lord, Commit your ways to the Lord ”are words and phrases which imply that belief involves a sincere, trusting , confident, enjoyable, and committed  relationship with someone powerful enough to not only make something good from our desires but to make our desires good. The Psalm identifies that Someone as our heavenly Father and emphatically impresses upon us that God will act to bring righteousness and justice to our situations.

Many of our prayers are laser focused on ourselves and not the broader picture of God’s purposes, but there are proper attitudes and motivations in which our requests are to be couched. We may ask naively and incorrectly. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that we do not have “because we ask not”  but also because we ask “amiss” which the Apostle John says is pursuing our will and not considering God’s. Also, we may be improperly prepared for prayer. Jeremiah lamented: “We have transgressed and rebelled… you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.” Scripture clearly indicates arrogant and unrepentant hearts do not get through to God.

Jesus helps clarify these thoughts: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13)( Matthew 21:22) When we ask as Jesus would, when we ask in the spirit of submission to God’s authority, we are seeking God’s good will for us in ways which honor Him, and we won’t be asking “amiss.” Living out faith is not about getting what we want but is about learning how to be the person God desires us to be in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. So biblical prayers will seek for God-empowered knowledge, wisdom and understanding, strength, patience,  endurance and joy with the expectation for receiving what is good and right. (Colossians 1:9-13)

Depending on our need or perceived need, our prayers may be all over the map: confession and repentance, lamentations and imploring, praise and gratitude, and intercessions and supplications. As we pray, we will truly receive our hearts’ desires: redemption and forgiveness, comfort and relief, and assurance and hope. Prayer taps into, delights in, and expresses gratitude for the many good things that God provides.

After his nephew died in an auto accident which also caused serious injury to this boy’s three siblings, Don Moen wrote this song: “God will make a way/ Where there seems to be no way/ He works in ways we cannot see/ He will make a way for me // He will be my guide/Hold me closely to His side/ With love and strength for each new day/ He will make a way, He will make a way // By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me/ And rivers in the desert will I see/ Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain/ And He will do something new today.”

Prayer invites God into our dreams and desires and needs and hurts, and He will bring what is right and just to us. While belief opens us to God’s salvation and sovereignty, prayer unleashes God’s good and sovereign will. Communion with God in prayer and knowledge of His Word are key to power. They align and realign our desires and attitudes and actions. With spiritual change, perspectives change; attitudes transform; obstacles diminish; perceived needs vanish; miracles happen; paths open; and

Mountains move.

Moving Mountains

Mount Desert beyond Frenchman’s Bay, Sorrento, Maine

  Majestically rising from the Atlantic Ocean, Acadia’s beautiful mountains  have not moved in thousands of years. We know  they will always be in the very same location whenever we look for them. Unfortunately, life is not as predictable. No matter how considered our decisions, proactive our plans, or rationally sound and intuitive our actions, unanticipated, puzzling, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles  suddenly loom, obstructing our plans, complicating our journeys, and sometimes casting threatening shadows which terrify us!  We may exercise patience, be flexible, make directional changes, seek counsel, and even practice denial! But sometimes, nothing works. The mountain remains!

On one occasion, Christ’s disciples found themselves in an impossible situation. They had failed to heal someone. When they inquired  of Jesus about why they had not succeeded, he rebuked them for the spiritual problem of “little faith”.  He said “nothing is  impossible” and if one has faith like “a grain of mustard seed” even mountains can be moved.  (Mathew 17:16-20) What does that mean?

How much faith is enough to do the impossible? Taken in context,  it would seem that “little faith” is more about quality than about quantity because faith as small as “a grain of mustard seed”  powerfully transforms, exploits, and defies human impossibilities. When and where we stand impotent, “little faith” performs miracles by converting the undoable into doable or done.  If that is true,  in what or in whom  do we trust  to accomplish what we cannot, that which is beyond our capability to do?

During another encounter, Jesus gave further context to the “mountain-moving” components of “little faith.”  He said, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:22-25)

One might deduce that the disciples had become unwittingly and subtly arrogant, that they had become self reliant and spiritually complacent by neglecting the source of their spiritual strength and forgetting that the goal of their efforts was to bring attention to God’s powerful redemption and not to themselves. Their confidence was misplaced. More training or increased knowledge or better logic or improved conditions were not necessary for their success.  Faith is not about ginning up self confidence, personal capabilities, or self effort. Jesus reminded them that it is God’s power that moves overwhelming  obstacles, that humble spirits and right motivation are pivotal in mountain removal endeavors.

We are not expected to deal with the unworkable, the ludicrous, the inconceivable, the impossible alone. Jesus’ discussion with his disciples is reminiscent of God’s talk with Moses when He  empowered Moses to execute miracles for the very specific purpose that Pharaoh and the Israelites would believe in God’s redemptive power, not in Moses. (Exodus 4:21ff; 10:1-2) Jesus made a simple but impactful statement when he said that not only is belief necessary  but that the power for change comes from outside oneself:  “it will be done for him.”

“Believe.” Don’t have “doubt in your heart.”  “Have faith in God.”  That is good advice, but it is difficult to trust someone with our hopes, desires, needs, and difficulties if  we don’t have a relationship with them. Getting to know God will mean getting to know and accept Scripture’s overarching picture of Him as a loving , heavenly Father, who is a faithful promise keeper, who has given us life-principles which lead us into the best life possible,  and who has given us Jesus as our redemptive and eternal hope.  Jesus  said that our  “Father who is in heaven gives what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11) .If we believe God is good but will not give us good, if we believe He can grant our requests but just doesn’t, then we are double-minded. (James 1:6-8) In those situations, we fail to believe His sovereignty. If we believe, we know He is working good even when we cannot see it.

So, “little” but powerful faith  resides in a believing heart which is dependent upon God, is properly motivated with a  desire to honor Him, and seeks Him with a self denying attitude which fully trusts that His character and will and justice are always good and that He will always do good. Belief opens us to the power of God’s salvation and sovereignty.

(More on Mountain Moving next blog)