O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are people that you should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:1-9 (NLT2)
Gathering Clouds over Moosehead Lake and Mount Kineo
Although written during WW1 and revised in 1938 when WW11 was on the horizon and a great testing for America lay ahead, Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” has always been my favorite patriotic song and musical prayer for America. As a kid, I remember sitting in front of our floor model radio and listening to Kate Smith’s clear, contralto voice give a heart felt rendering of what became her signature song:
“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea/Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free/ Let us all be grateful for a land so fair/As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.”
“God bless America/Land that I love/Stand beside her and guide her/Through the night with a light from above.”
“From the mountains to the prairies/To the oceans white with foam/God bless America, my home sweet home/God bless America, my home sweet home.”
In those difficult days of war and sacrifice, God was and had always been a welcomed part of our Nation’s spoken narrative. At our beginnings, many of our founding fathers were Theists, if not Christians, who recognized God as a player in the blessings bestowed on America. Our Declaration of Independence mentions God four times. Although some of out recent leaders have expressed that God is an important part of America’s collective mindset, our country is less oriented toward God today than it was in the past. In that context, President Ronald Regan’s thoughts deserve consideration: ” Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” and ” If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under.”
Somehow, our understanding of “separation of Church and State” has morphed into elevating the role of the state and locking God out of authority. Human reasoning and our search for origins and purpose have narrowed our thinking and diverted us away from the possibilities of God.He has become more of an ironic symbol than a reality. “In God we trust” is imprinted on our highly trusted money. Congress opens with prayer but public prayer is illegal in schools. We pledge allegiance to a nation under God but have no concept of what that means. The slogan “For God and Country” is used by many sincere, good intentioned, and patriotic people. It has been adopted as a moto by families, organizations, universities, and even reportedly by political or military campaigns. According to some sources, the US Navy Seals confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden with the signal “For God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.”
However, whether stated or inferred, phrases that invoke God have inherent problems and are open for abuse. They may convey a false sense of moral credence. They can be used to justify an idea or imply a lofty motivation to a goal which may or may not be good. They equate two unequals…the infallible with the fallible, the omniscient with the limited, the pure and holy with the flawed, the absolute with the relative.
There is a disparity between patriotism and loyalty to God although in certain contexts they might be inclusive. Seeking God’s blessing for our nation is quite distinct from claiming that our national purposes are God’s purposes. Nations have national priorities not God’s. If they seek God, it is for His blessing on what they want to do, not an inquiry into what He would want them to do! They pursue national interests and needs and borders and protection and hopefully the common good of its people. But the historical truth is that the forces for change within a nation are ideologies, politics, power, and greed.
Ultimate power, authority, and blessing come from God, not national leaders or even “the people.” God instructed Israel in a principle that guaranteed His good blessings. It is as definite and reliable and true for us today as are the laws that govern our universe. The Lord explained it to wise, rich, powerful, praying King Solomon while answering his prayer:“… I have heard your prayer …When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. (2 Chronicles 7:12-15)
May it be so- that if or when the clouds gather and God doesn’t seem to be in the land- that we will be teachable, will have learned the lessons of history, and will seek God’s wisdom so that He will continue to bless America, the land that I love!
In nature’s time, the Pond Lilies bloom on Mount Desert Island, Maine
We know plants bloom or fruit at specific times. Field daises flower, crab apples blossom, and pond lilies emerge on schedule. There are seasons to life, and at some point, we become aware that “time” for us is unpredictable and limited and that there are no extensions or redo’s. Our responses to this truth may be mixed but usually include thoughts about life’s meaning and purpose and perhaps even an urgency and the making of a “bucket list”. In that context, Diana Bell’s praise chorus deserves consideration: “In His time, in His time. He makes all things beautiful, in His time/Lord, my life to you I bring, may each song I have to sing/ be to you a lovely thing, in your time.” (Praise chorus by Diana Bell)
Those are encouraging words, but one certainly questions those ideas if one does not believe in Almighty God. Even people of faith may question them when circumstances are difficult, when they have disappointed themselves, or if they are feeling deflated or perhaps even defeated by the negativity of messy lives, lousy attitudes and offensive behaviors which may be their own or someone else’s! Yet, despite spiritual weaknesses and moral failures, Scripture proclaims that God has good news for us all, “He will bring us out of the quagmire of our folly and set us upon the Rock of steadfast love when “(we) cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for (us).” (Psalm 57:2) That is the promise of the Gospel. God will redeem people and their circumstances when they sincerely seek Him and His purposes in their lives.
Christ taught that life’s “quagmires”, all the injustices, meanness, and evil in this world proceed from man’s fallen nature and that mankind desperately needs God’s redemptive intervention. (Matthew 15:19)(John 3:16) So, in “the fullness of time” Christ stepped into the human narrative for that reason. (Galatians 4:4-5) He appropriated the Old Testament Messianic prophecy which said that “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD” was upon him, that he was “anointed to bring good news to the poor,” that he would ” comfort the brokenhearted,” and that he would proclaim the “release of captives ” and freedom of “prisoners.” Furthermore, his message to Israel was that God would “give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.“(Isaiah 61:1-3) (Luke 4:17-19)
Jesus’ Jewish audience had an historical perspective for Isaiah’s words. Time and again, their idolatrous and self-willed rebellions against God had tested His forbearance, “His steadfast love.” However, when they cried out in repentance and confessed their waywardness, He repeatedly intervened, raising them up from the ashes of their destructive sinfulness and powerfully restoring their mourning nation with forgiveness, joy, opportunity, goodness and renewal. But before doing His special work in their lives. He waited until they cried “out to God Most High” in a sincere desire to have Him ” fulfill his purpose for (them).”
Somewhat surprisingly, Jesus declared this transforming power was his to assert by personally claiming Isaiah’s Old Testament prophecy which foreshadowed Christ’s earthly life of compassionate help and healing and hope he gave to the hopeless, the physically, materially, socially, and spiritually defeated. Those ancient words also pictured his personal sacrifice and crucifixion-to release the world from spiritual oppression and to lift humanity from darkness into light because it had proven over time that it could not do so without divine help. New Testament correlates are the promises that “…everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) and that God works all things for good to those who love Him enough to live within His purpose of conforming to the image of Christ, the image for which He created us.(Romans 8:28)
God will always exert His sovereign influence in the matters of men. Even wise King Solomon needed a life time to discover that God waits to give redemption until people acknowledge their need. Reflecting upon the general purpose of existence and the specific meaning behind his long and priviledged life, he realized the importance of submitting to moral principles set forth by God. Recognizing God presence in His life , he said that God “had made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11; 12:1)
God creates beauty through faith, through the humility and trust of hearts that are teachable and transformed by mindset shifts from self-dependence to God-dependence, from self centeredness to God centeredness, from our folly filled wisdom to His Truth, from self-righteousness to Christ’s. The meaningless wastelands we have created and the difficulties and injustices we experience will be changed into something purposeful. The Psalmist reassuringly sang ”The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. (Psalm 138:8) And the Philippian Church was encouraged that God, who had brought salvation to them, would “bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) And “In His time,” this broken, fallen, groaning creation will be “set free from bondage to corruption.” (Romans 8:20-24)
“In His time” is how history’s narrative will be written. The conclusion of time will be beautiful for those who have cried out “to God most high.” And Scripture is clear that “today” is the day that one should consider these things because we are promised no other day. (Hebrews 3:13,4:7))
House on the Rocks, Grindstone, Winter Harbor, Main
If we are wise, we work, budget, don’t over extend our credit, and live within our means. But our fortunes are tied to more than the money we earn or save. The cost of living changes as the economy fluctuates, a fact we have recently experienced during the pandemic as the production and supply of goods (and microchips) became problematic.
In contrast, God’s Kingdom has a stable economy. There are no shortages or unmet needs and no fluctuations in wealth. There are no hidden costs or taxes, no pre-qualifications, and no budgetary restrictions for soul-building. There is limitless grace, bountiful mercy, and boundless love and room for whoever wills to enter.
During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught how to secure and build this Kingdom life. He told a riveting, illustrative story. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)
His fellow Jews would have understood the importance of listening to God, who had miraculously guided their nation when they trusted Him, and they lived by the Law given to Moses by God. The astonishing thing is that Christ had confidently elevated the content, impact, and authority of his teaching to equal that of Scripture. His words had as much power and jurisdiction as the Law of Moses. At points of controversy with other religious teachers, his teaching was to take precedent. On another occasion, he made it clear that he did not speak his own words but those of His Father. (John 14:10)
His seemingly unique ideas were actually old scriptural truths. The concept of keeping the Law had become misinterpreted to mean one worked for one’s salvation, but loving and trusting God were always foundational for receiving national or personal blessings. Centuries before Christ, the Psalmist had said that “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” (Psalm 127:1-5 (NLT2) And now Christ was teaching in this sermon and illustration that hard work, religious fervor, self effort, and personal merit do not gain God or the riches of His Kingdom. His blessings could be attained through “hearing,” and following Christ, who declared himself to be the Light, The Way, The Door to the Kingdom and to eternal life. It was a major paradigm shift in religious thought to believe Christ when he said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:25-28)
If that is true, if Christ is the promised Redeemer, wise men will listen to this cautionary tale. “Hearing” Christ means believing and following him. His Truth restores us to God and makes us into Kingdom dwellers, into who we are meant to be . His words are key to finding full forgiveness and discovering the unlimited love, grace and mercy found in God’s eternal provision for those who choose Him. Christ paid the cost for the sins of the world so that God could open His treasure house of unlimited blessing to His people without budgetary restrictions.
One beauty of Spring in Maine is the recrudescence of nature’s music. After winter’s silence, (except for a few cawing crows, screaming Jays, screeching gulls and the occasional tweet of an Eagle or osprey) an amazing cacophony of peeping frogs and sweet bird voices bursts forth as the rest of the world is resurrected and blooms.
Do you wonder why birds sing, why the whip-o-will ushers out twilight by persistently chanting its name or the loon’s laughter echoes through the night? To whom does the Robin merrily chirp at sunrise or the white throated sparrow whistle into a fresh morning? For whom does a solitary duck softly quack as it paddles across the pond?
Bird songs are amazingly species specific, numerous, and purposeful. After weeks of separation, Emperor penguins find their mates and chicks simply by voice recognition within noisy populations of thousands of other penguins. However, thrushes sing, and cardinals trill for more than species specific reasons. There is a beautiful, old hymn that speaks the reality behind their songs: “This is my Father’s world/ And to my lis-tning ears/ All nature sings, and round me rings/ The music of the spheres…This is my Father’s world/ The birds their carols raise/The morning light, the lily white /Declare their Maker’s praise.”
The Psalmists lift their voices in similar praises: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6) and also, “Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths…wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds...Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earthand heaven!(Psalm 148:1-13 (NLT2)
For some, this Biblical explanation of a meaningful creation is too simplistic or mythical. Therefore, God is kicked out of the narrative. But is there really a better or more complete explanation for natural order, specificity, and intention than His narrative? Genesis 1:20-31 is worth reading because it conveys the Scripture’s view about the progressive origins of the earth and its diverse life forms. It clues us in to what DNA is all about, presents life as an expression of God’s perfection, goodness, creativeness, and life giving power, and proclaims life as purposed and purposeful and as meant to be enjoyed in grateful recognition and relationship with God, who declared the earth and its life to be “good” when they fulfilled ultimate reasons for existence.
Why bird songs? Nature’s voices are created marvels and music to God’s hearing. They lift us to a wonder-filled, wonderful God: “For (God’s) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:20)
Could it be possible that our various voices, our languages and dialects, are meant to join this chorus of praise?
My Grandmother used to say, “A watched pot never boils.” Spring in Maine is a bit like that. The more one looks for it, the longer it takes! But when it eventually arrives, it does so with a dramatic explosion of beauty. By late May, flowering apple trees grace yards, highlight country roads, and bring new life to old fields and orchards. Their blossoms always remind me of the legendary Johnny Appleseed, an eccentric whose real name was John Chapman. He was an orchardman who planted apple orchards from West Virginia through the mid-West into Canada. His work inspired imaginative anecdotes and ballads about his sowing apple seeds throughout the countryside. As a kid, I learned a catchy little nursery rhyme ditty about him but never gave it much thought until some years later when our friends sang this little verse for a meal time blessing with their children:
“Oh, the Lord is good to me, And so I thank the Lord, For giving me the things I need; The sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me…”
This song is an amazingly theologically sound and powerful prayer which acknowledges God as Creator, Sovereign and Sustainer of all the earth and expresses gratitude for His goodness, His sufficiency, His personal attentiveness, and His common grace to all. In child-like simplicity, it becomes a profound worship filled Psalm of thanksgiving and praise. Like spring blossoms, it fills us with wonder!
“Beyond the Sunset” over Acadia, Grindstone Neck, Maine
Memorial Day is a day of “remembering”. Originating in the post civil war period as Decoration Day, it is now a Federal holiday designated to honor US military veterans who died while serving our country. However, the day has morphed into not only a day filled with ceremonies, parades, flags, and wreaths to remember all who died in military service but also to honor those who serve or have served. It has also become a day when families decorate graves of loved ones with flowers and meaningful mementos.
Memories may be bitter or sweet and commonly are a bitter-sweet mixture of tears and laughter as one reminisces about the special people with whom we have shared life. Perhaps that poignancy first hit home for me when my mother took my older brother and myself to a Curly O’Brien show in Howland, Maine. (Curly O’Brien was a Maine country singer who had a band with his brother called The Top Hands. He successfully stayed in the Country Music business for a quarter of a century doing radio and TV shows.) During the show hat night, there was what some might consider to be a sappy moment. To my youthful, impressionable imagination, it was quite vividly touching and dramatic. The stage darkened; the spotlight focused on a lone cowboy who movingly sang “Beyond the Sunset,” a hymn not previously known to me but one which had been popularized by singers such as Hank Williams and Pat Boone. Soliloquies were mixed into the song and began with the emotionally weighted line “Should you go first and I remain.” For example:
Should you go first and I remain, one thing I’d have you do. Walk slowly down that long, long path, for soon I’ll follow you And I’d want to know each step you take that I may walk the same For someday down that lonely road, you’ll hear me call your name
For some, all this ” beyond the sunset” business is just magical thinking. For others, it is a God-promise to those who trust Him.Although believers may sometimes dress their their confidence and ideas of heaven in excessive sentimentality or personal comforting thoughts, their hope (confidence) is based on inspired Words and Promises that will never pass away. (Matt 2:35) (Hebrews 1:1-2)(11 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Psalmist sang, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting…” (Psalm 106:48)
Isaiah prophesized to Israel, “…O God of Israel, the Savior. ..Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity. (Isaiah 45:15-17) Israel understood that God is ever existent and ever present and learned that salvation depended upon repentance and belief.
Christ told many parables referencing heaven, gave prophetic glimpses of the future,(Matthew 13, 24) and addressed all humanity, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.(John 5:24) And prior to miraculously raising her brother from the dead,he astounded Martha by declaring, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 11:25 -26)
The Apostles Peter and John were there, heard, saw, believed, and confirmed their belief by enduring severe persecution because of it. They proclaimed their faith with these words of encouragement to their audiences. Listen to Peter. ” All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.(1 Peter 1:3-5) And John told his readers, “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”(1 John 2:25) Furthermore, he ended the prophetic Book of Revelation with a glimpse of heaven.“…Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)
The believer’s Memorial day is filled with more than past memories. As that long ago lone cowboy sang, there is a sweet future “When with our Savior/ Heaven’s begun,” “Earth’s tolling ended,” “…glorious dawning/When day is done,” “Oh, glad reunion/ With our dear loved ones/Who’ve gone before.”
Magical thinking! No! This confidence is based on God’s character and the trustworthy promises of One who journeyed “beyond the sunset” and then returned to give us eternal hope.
There is something calming about strolling through simple, precise vignettes of rock and sand, beautiful flowering trees and ornamental shrubs, meandering streams and murmuring waterfalls, and fish pools interspersed with reflective spaces containing old pots, bowls, lanterns or religious symbols. These natural and symbolic elements invoke a sense of orderliness and serenity, of antiquity and continuity, of a time warp connecting us with the past and the world in which we were made to dwell.
We all seek peace, not only freedom from external conflict but also relief from disordered minds overwhelmed and frustrated by an unruly world and sensitive spirits. The search for inner quietness and personal meaning are timeless. Historical characters like Israel’s King Solomon or fictional men like Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha went on life long searches for some enduring solution for their restlessness and dissatisfaction. Similarly, our search for respite from inner tension may lead to, among other things, dysfunctional behaviors, self-fulfillment endeavors, prescribed or illicit substances, counselling, and meditative techniques. We are in search of “shalom.”
The Jewish greeting “shalom” expresses much more than the thoughtless signaling of a peace sign or a superficial “good morning”. “Shalom” calls for the blessing of a whole and perfect life, of inner peace integrated with outer prosperity, of a life of harmony, health, safety, and tranquility. The origin of such peace is Jehovah-shalom (a Hebrew name for God).
Both the Old and New Testaments confirm God as the source of peace and love and comfort and hope. (Philippians 4:6) (11 Corinthians 1:3) (1 John 4:8,16)(Romans 15:13) Isaiah prophesized that Israel’s Messiah would be Immanuel, meaning God with us, and that He would be the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6) The name Immanuel and the idea that he would be the source of human peace were seamlessly connected to Jesus. (Matthew 1:23) (Luke 2:14) On the very night Jesus was born ,he was announced with God’s blessing of “ on earth, peace among men.” That peace would not be national or territorial or external peace but both a peace with God and an inner peace of God, a peace Christ mediated by taking the condemnation of sin which causes the spiritual breach between God and us and by bringing peace that “transcends understanding” to those who trust Him. (Philippians 4:7)
Christ dispensed “shalom” everywhere he went and to everyone he touched, even to lepers, the “untouchables”. Meeting Jesus is transformative and empowering. He healed and opened up an entirely new life to the crippled man at the pool of Siloam and did not condemn the adulterous woman whom the religious leaders were ready to stone. He forgave, exhorted, and empowered her to live a life of wholeness, to go and sin no more. And the wild, naked incontrollable, demon possessed man living in the tombs was found sitting clothed and in his right mind after he met Jesus.
Jesus restores people to wholeness. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 147:3) For that reason, he can be trusted to bring calmness to our brokenness, to our unruly thoughts and behaviors, and tothe confusion brought by cultural influences. However, understanding how to live the Gospel is a life long process because Gospel-living is often counterintuitive and daunting. The New Testament letter to the Colossians delineates it this way:
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:8-15 (ESV)
Putting off and putting on! That is “Shalom”! That is the process empowered by the “peace of Christ.” And that is God’s wish for us.
These geese are alert and on alert! As a defensive maneuver, they have stationed themselves to observe all points of the compass and seem to be “circling the wagons”, a tactic used by early pioneers to corral their oxen or horses at night and to protect themselves as they travelled West on the Oregon Trail.
We all attempt to protect ourselves from potential danger whether that is physical harm, toxic relationships, or situations that rob us of peace and joy. But danger always lurks because we are limited and flawed. Sometimes we are undiscerning or at the mercy of others who are also limited and flawed!
“We do what we do because we want what we want.” We batter natural weaknesses and understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he said he was prone to do what he really didn’t want to do! Sometimes his willfulness countermanded his sense of rightness. But more than that we have to deal with a chaotic, confused, disoriented world whose values are thin, relative, and transitory. It is easy to find oneself caught in the ditch of moral dilemmas.
Although our spirits may be oppressed and endangered by vain people and their philosophies, by untruths, and by prevalent, misguided, distorted images and unhealthy practices, they have not been left completely unprotected and vulnerable. Our soul safety is predicated on God’s integrity. “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; The righteous run into it and are safe”. (Proverbs 18:10)
The King of Syria had become so annoyed with the prophet Elisha that he secretly took a “great army” at night and surrounded the city where Elisha was staying in an attempt to seize him. “When Elisha’s servant went out the next morning, he saw the “army with horses and chariots …all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (Elisha) said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So, the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:11-16)
God cares about His people even when they cannot see Him and fearfully cry out, “Alas. What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:17) He created us and knows we are but fragile, broken, dust covered spirits who through faith have been granted great hope and safety because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. King David asked “Wither can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139)
The Old and New Testaments affirm that faith is an active commitment to a relationship with God. The Psalmist sang, “You hold me up, and I shall be safe/ And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually. ““Let integrity and uprightness preserve me/ For I wait for thee.” (Psalm 25:21) (Psalm 119:117). Faith is neither a passive intellectual state nor is it dependent upon circumstances. It is the kind of confidence modeled by Christ in His darkest hour, “Not my will but Yours be done.”
There is nothing passive about our faith journey. Scripture tells us to “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it… (Proverbs 4:23-27) Christ reiterated those same thoughts as he cautioned his disciples “… out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)
Spiritual safety requires discipline and focus. “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” (Proverbs 4:23-27) That is a tall order for this age where social media and celebrity worship constantly entice one to superficiality and spirit oppression. The Book of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus.(Hebrews 12:2) The Philippians were advised to think about “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable” things. Because there is a spiritual battle for souls, the Ephesians were exhorted to put on God’s protective armor of truth, faith, salvation, the Gospel, righteousness, and prayer. (Philippians 4:8) (Ephesians 6:11-19)
We are free to choose whether we will live inside or outside the circle of God’s blessings and protection. Living within that circle requires intentionality and mindful vigilance to guard hearts from destructive ploys of the enemy of our souls. God always provides the means to combat or escape. It is our duty to be “on guard.” As the Psalmist rejoiced: “Thou art my hiding-place; Thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7)
Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall “ deals with the difficulties of neighborliness. Frost and his neighbor had different philosophies about the stone wall separating his orchard from his neighbor’s pine grove, but Frost pointed out how unnecessary the fence was, “My apple trees will never get across/And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.” Despite Frost’s further observation that even nature didn’t like the wall (“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,/That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,/And spills the upper boulders in the sun”), his neighbor insisted that “Good fences make good neighbors“, a mantra his father taught him. (“He will not go behind his father’s saying,…” /“And he likes having thought of it so well / He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors…’ )
In a Freudian world, adherence to that maxim is more about protecting a fearful, insecure, bruised spirit than about maintaining boundary lines. (“He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees.” “Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top/ In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed..”) In some ways, Frost’s neighbor is reminiscent of Bette Midler’s “The Rose”, a popular early 80’s song about romantic love, which poetically addressed the hesitancies and fears of opening up one’s heart to another, of a “heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance”; of a dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance”; or of those who won’t take because they “cannot give”; or of the “soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.”
Relationships can be tricky! As Midler sang, “Some say, Love. It is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.” We are flawed and wound each other, but healthy relationships are what we want most in life. That requires effort but also may require some “fencing”, discerning the extent that we will allow others into our lives, in order to protect us from the harm we can do to ourselves or each other and for maintaining personal integrity. Some influences and associations pull us away from cherished values, break up good relationships, or violate our consciences.
Christian thought about neighborliness is an elevated but risky view. Loving your enemies! Praying for those who abuse you! Turning the other cheek? Going that “extra mile”? After Jesus had said that the moral Law contained two principles (loving God with one’s whole being and loving one’s neighbor as oneself), someone asked him to define “neighbor.” He responded with the “Great Samaritan” parable, which illustrated that a neighbor is any human of any creed or race within our scope of influence who has a need we can help meet. Neighborliness is an act of the will to treat others with care and kindness and compassion, to put aside self-interest for the benefit of another. Jesus did more than teach that. He did it! He lay down his life for mankind so that we could have peace with God and each other. Scripture tell us that he has broken down the walls that separate humans from each other. There is equality at the foot of the cross.(Ephesians 2:14 (NLT2)
In “The Question of God,” a wonderfully written and thoroughly researched book comparing and contrasting the spiritual journey’s of Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis, Dr. Armand Nicholi Jr., a Harvard psychiatrist quoted Lewis, as saying, “There are no ordinary people…” He said that no one ever talks to “a mere mortal…it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, exploit…..your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” What a dignified, encouraging view of humanity and its potential for redemption!
Neighborliness is not about proximity. Our neighbors may exist beyond touch or sight or sound. They are not just in the house down the path or half hidden over the hilltop. They reside in mansions and ghettos, in cities and bayous, in Appalachia and Beverly Hills, in the mountains and the deserts and refugee camps and wherever our scope of influence reaches whether it is to the educated or illiterate, to the bejeweled or those in rags.
What an I to do with my neighbor? Jesus, our greatest Neighbor, said to go into all the world with the Good News of God’s love. Whether in person, by some action, by a contribution, or by prayer, we can reach across borders and oceans to neighbors in the remotest, darkest recesses of our planet. Love has no boundaries! Whenever and wherever God’s love is experienced, others needs will be recognized, and the caring for one’s neighbors will implicitly and explicitly accompany it .
Sweet Words from Maine 