As the rain and snow

“’Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail…’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not. Jesus said, ‘Truly,.. this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’

“And they went to Gethsemane…. He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. He said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.’ And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him… ‘Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ And he came and found them sleeping, and said, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went and prayed… And again he found them sleeping… And he came the third time and said, ‘Are you still sleeping?'” Luke 22:31-32; Mark 14:29-41a

Peter held great confidence in his fidelity to Jesus. He would die before he’d deny his Master. But he boasted in the flesh without watching in spirit. Jesus warned him, urging him to watch and pray, yet he slept, and succumbed to Satan’s insidious sifting through the suspicious comments of strangers. (Mark 14:54,66-72)

Jesus’ commands always come with the ability to triumph over weakness… when we take them seriously. He knows all, is gracious to alert us to dangers, and offers the way out of temptation. Our responsibility is to distrust our own strength and take strength in Him, to heed His warnings, be diligent to watch, and pray, and resist. (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 4:15-16)

Yet, we get preoccupied with personal endeavors. We grow blind to subtle, lurking dangers, the teasing greed, alluring tokens of exaggeration, self-promotion, praise, pleasure, at the expense of His honor and truth. How easily we slip from arrogant assertions to the first denial, which opens the gate to one more, and another. (Psalm 141:3-4)

How well do we even know God’s warnings to us? As we read the scriptures, do we mark them and digest their importance? The Lord mercifully exposes the devil’s wiles and man’s weakness so we will watch and pray. What time and attention do we take to do so? This must be a regular and constant practice to remain effective. (Joshua 24:19,23; Psalm 1:1-3; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8)

With what areas of weakness do we struggle? When thoughts puff and detour to condescension of others, covetousness, shame over forgiven sin, or gnarly complaint, we must watch and pray to have the mind of Christ, to focus on things above. When the flesh stews or burns with sloth, jealousy, lust, greed, or rage, we must watch and pray, surrendering the whole self. Whatever our weakness, we will be sifted, and God’s strength can protect and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Colossians 3:1-2; 1 John 1:9)

Lord, keep me vigilant to watch, diligent in prayer, and triumphant over temptation, to Your praise.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts… to all the exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare… Do not let your prophets and diviners deceive you… for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.

“When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,.. and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:4-14

Jeremiah’s letter to the exiled religious leaders and people encouraged them to vibrant hope. They were to be fruitful with families and industry, and to seek the good of the alien cities where they’d been taken, through prayer and contribution. They may not be where they chose, but they could benefit in God’s name where they were. If they sought Him they would find Him, and be reassured in His good plans. He would fulfill His promises for their wholeness and restoration in His time.

When we are in places strange and unwanted, the Lord’s call is for us: ‘Seek Me. Seek My good in this situation through selfless investment where I’ve planted you for a season. I’ll hear and answer and assure. I hold your future, and it is good.’

Our nature instigates us to rebel against unchosen circumstances. We chafe at undesired, uncomfortable work conditions. We feel malice toward those who exercise unwanted authority over us. Exasperation breeds negativity, contempt, and discontent, not hope, benevolence, and fruitfulness.

The Lord reminds us He is in the midst. He intends that we grow and give where we are. He trains through times of exclusion, hardship, unfamiliar territory. Do we seek Him first in these unsought places?

What present situation has caught us by surprise or discomfort? What job changes or health or relationship has imposed harsh limitations or challenges? What or whom do we seek first? Would we call out and seek Jesus? Would we look for His lessons, people in need, and how we can contribute good, light, and life? He will draw nigh with supply and assurance that He holds the present and future.

Lord, may I seek You and Your good wherever I am, so You are seen, known, and magnified.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

“In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.’ And his disciples answered him, ‘How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?’ And he asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven.’ And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.  And they ate and were satisfied.” Mark 8:1-8

Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the conquering King of kings and Lord of lords, was full of compassion. As the perfect embodiment of every good and perfect attribute, the Son of Man was compelled in all He did on earth by love and concern for people. He invited His followers to participate in alleviating hunger and meeting needs of the helpless, and blessed and satisfied beyond imagining when they did. (Isaiah 31:4; Revelation 5:5; 19:16)

The world is congested with strife and need. Crowds at work and home, in cities and nations, are harassed by external pressures and internal gnawing, temptation to doubt and despair. A heart given to safety will not risk reaching out, one given to self-gratification will not consider stepping beyond their comfort zone to do dirty work. A tender heart will see with eyes of love and sympathy, and thrum with desire to help. How responds our heart to the many?

Do I have the inclination and awareness to recognize needs around me? Is there room in my heart for compassion? Have I so crowded my life and hours with interests and self pampering and entertainment and strange loves and posts and opinions of people I do not know that I have no space or bandwidth to notice others? When I do, am I critical, demeaning, condescending, or judgmental? Would I pray instead to see and love with mercy as Christ does? Would I confess where I’m fixated on my needs to the exclusion of others’, and begin to care? (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:3-4)

The Lord Jesus invites us to model His character wherever we are. As we practice His attributes, they not only come more naturally in response to observed or stated needs, but they draw others to the Christ who inspires them. How will we stir up and sprinkle the salt of compassion to those the Lord has put in our path? Compassion breeds compassion as it engages our outward vision and enlarges our heart toward others. (Mark 9:50)

Lord, so work in my eyes, mind, and impulses that I see others and respond to them as You do, to Your honor.

“He began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”  And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do?” Mark 12:1-9a

Jesus deftly exposed the stubborn, greedy hearts of Israel’s religious leaders. By parable, He described their repeated refusal, though provided with every perk and opportunity, to tend to and take advantage of what God had entrusted to them. They’d spurned the prophets who’d announced His coming, and presently rejected His message. There would be a day of reckoning.

The heavenly Father has planted for each of us a vineyard. Designed with fruitfulness in mind, He assigns us a place and time, determines boundaries, provides for needs, supplies wisdom and warnings through His word, hems us in with supernatural protection, gives full access to Himself by prayer, and guards us with His Spirit. All this He gives, then in love lets us decide how we’ll tend our allotment. (Psalm 16:6; 119:105; 139:5; Acts 17:25-27; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:11; Philippians 4:19)

It is easy in life’s demands to get caught in the grind with nary a thought for accountability, influence, or eternity. We’re intent on today’s responsibilities, present productivity, and tomorrow’s dreams, and forget we’re merely stewards who answer to an infinite Sovereign. We dismiss questions and chafe at interruptions, wanting only to do and keep for ourselves. All the while, the Lord awaits a return.

Have we recently taken stock of what the Lord has graciously given us this season in life, and will we take thoughtful time to thank Him? What present resources and opportunities has He entrusted, and what do we think He expects? How are we taking advantage of the visible and invisible bounty from His hand? Is there good health? Or poor health with new relationships, or time to pray? A workplace or neighborhood ripe for harvest? Energy, financial means, gifts of hospitality, wisdom? What will we offer upon His return? (Matthew 9:37-38; 1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! 

Arm me with watchful care 
as in Thy sight to live, 
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare 
a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
but press to realms on high.” ~ Charles Wesley (1762)

Amen!

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.^‘ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat… And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?^‘ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?^‘ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” Mark 4:35-41

I looked out the window
And saw only grey,
Looming and charcoal,
Will rain soak the day?

Here at my perch
With limited view
My attitude darkens
Beginning to stew

Slopping and dripping
My hours will be spent,
It’s bound to be soggy
And inconvenient

I fret and I whine
Reconsider my plans
How I might change them
And give up demands

After all don’t I have
The right to arrange
To serve my good pleasure
Void anything strange?

To manage my wants
And doings and ways,
To spend as I choose my Resources and days?

As I desire
Without conflict or pause
I want to do my thing
No defending my cause!

Then I go and look farther
And see now the cloud
Low in vast blue
No longer so loud

It’s a beautiful mess
In one part of the whole
Designed by my God
To show me my soul

It’s threat is not all
I will face in my day
But reveals the dark tendency
I must put away

I rue what is hard
I want what is easy
My time to go my way
Unfettered and breezy

Now seeing the obstacles
As part of the whole
God’s blesséd design
And purposeful goal

Considering Jesus
His love and His pain
I see that rich life comes
From sun and from rain

My Savior endured
The worst men could give
Surrendered and willing
So believers can live

With hope and deep joy
Through all kinds of days
As we learn to accept
And keep on and praise

To dwell on clouds only
Is hopeless and dreary
Blocking out the vast sky
Spreads infectious misery

What clouds now shadow Stirring up my mood Dampening optimism Causing me to brood?

Why not behold
The expanse He spreads wide
And rejoice that He’s Sovereign
Through it all by my side?

Over stormy and pleasant
His hand’s in control
To teach of His grace
And sustaining of soul

To show me His providence
In every kind of weather
His strength all-sufficient
His favor and pleasure

He paints the broad picture
He writes the whole story
For the good of His people
To shine forth His glory

So when I look out
Sense the grumbling begin
Look wider and trust Him
And praise Him again! (PEB)

Lord, help me receive and rejoice in Your design of each day, and praise Your majesty in all I feel, do, and say.

“When they drew near to Jerusalem,.. Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”’ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. Some of those standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” Mark 11:1-9

The disciples obeyed Jesus, not fully understanding the meaning of His need for the donkey. As they’d thrown their lot in with him a few years earlier, they cast their cloaks on the colt as a gesture of love and respect for their Master, a small surrender for His sake. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, others joined in throwing off their cloaks and shouting praises to this One they assumed was their triumphant Deliverer. Little did any know the significance of their actions and His mission.

Every time we obey or greet or praise Jesus, we cast to Him a bit of ourselves. With the buzz and pull of life, we can get swept up in selfish agendas and holding tightly to our stuff, so the letting go to serve Him takes a deliberate act of will. He is honored by our willingness, whether we understand fully or not, to give anything for His sake.

How often, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to cast off an attitude or habit or idol interest, do we reject His appeal and insist on our own way? What smack of pride, greed, or ingrained selfishness or stubbornness keeps us clinging to our ‘cloaks’ when the Lord would exchange them with garments of praise? What is He nudging us to cast off in repentance, generosity, or honor, for His sake today? (Isaiah 61:3; Jeremiah 18:11-12; Colossians 3:5-17)

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.” ~ Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)

Amen, Lord, amen!

“Jeremiah… said to all the people: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,.. I am bringing upon this city and all its towns all the disaster I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.’”

“Now Pashhur the priest… heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,.. beat Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks… Jeremiah said to him,.. ‘Thus says the Lord: I will make you a terror… I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall… strike them down with the sword. I will give… all the treasures of Judah into the hand of their enemies… And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die…”

“O Lord,..
you are stronger than I,
    and have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
    everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak,..
    I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’
The word of the Lord has become…
    a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,’
there is in my heart… a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot.
I hear many whispering.
    Terror is on every side!
‘Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
    say all my close friends…
‘We can… take our revenge on him.’
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
    therefore my persecutors will stumble;
    they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
    for they will not succeed…
O Lord of hosts,..
to you have I committed my cause.

“Sing to the Lord;
    praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
    from the hand of evildoers.” Jeremiah 19:14-20:13

“The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.” Exodus 15:3

Jeremiah was a stalwart, faithful prophet whose obedience to God resulted in much misery from men. They refused his warnings, rejecting the Lord they could not see and him whom they could see and persecute. As his call and anointing were clear, so would continue his trust in the heavenly Warrior who defended him. (Jeremiah 1:4-9; 18:5-23)

The challenge of obedience is a varied struggle. Sometimes we combat doing what the Lord commands because our will wants otherwise. But sometimes, we resist His direction because of where it takes us with other people and circumstances. It provokes criticism, or ostracism. It might mean we lose friends, or lose face. While the pain of obedience teaches us spiritual identification with Christ, in the physical world, it does not make life easy. Jeremiah’s cause was fixed in his sure hope that while he might suffer, God was Warrior alongside and ultimate Victor. (Philippians 3:10)

The battles we face- of dread, fear, isolation, shame- the Lord Jesus has already won. He stands at our side as the Shield roundabout us, relentlessly fighting for us, never letting down, never surrendering, always triumphant. We can keep on because when He calls, He equips and stands sentry as our dread Warrior. (Psalm 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Where have I been asked to go, or what to do, that presents hardship, or a friction of faith? Am I more focused on the problematic issues, or the One who called? How can I step forward in obedience, trusting and revering my Warrior?

Lord, keep my cause, my trust, my praise, in Thee alone.

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars…

“Thus says the Lord:
‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man
    and makes flesh his strength,
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
    and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
    in an uninhabited salt land.

“’Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.’

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
‘I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.'” Jeremiah 17:1,5-10

Isaiah addresses a people who had been provided with God’s riches, yet gone after strange gods. They, as all people from the beginning of time, faced the recurring decision of how to handle God’s commands and gifts, and thus affect the trajectory of their lives. The Lord repeatedly made a distinction between the blessings and curses that would follow man’s choices, and His people had made theirs. Rebellion, rejection, idolatry, and wasting of God’s offered bounty left them weak, dry, and fruitless. Even so, the merciful Lord offered the blessedness of trusting Him anew. (Genesis 2:16-17; Deuteronomy 11:26-32; Joshua 24:15)

Barren desert shrub or lush tree? Every small decision, every investment of affection, every expenditure of time takes and yields something. We are affected by what we entertain, and reap what we sow with our talents and hours. Do we want to flourish with fruitfulness, joy, and peace, or languish in drought, waste, and anxiety? (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; Galatians 6:7-9)

Daily we face choices how to build our lives, whose voice we will heed, where to put time and energy to use, what company we will keep. Blessedness from the Lord comes from consistent delight in Him and living out His word. Do we nurture and guard our foundation of truth, or sample every new idea the world offers? Whose enticements do we entertain? How carefully do we tend our involvements to keep them healthy and aligned with the Lord’s will?

Will we ask the Lord to show us what changes need be made to become a strong tree? Unless we feed on Him and remain close to His care and partake of His living water, we will wither away like shrubs. (John 7:37-38)

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Psalm 1:1-4

Father, let me never waste Your resources, but thrive to Your glory.

“You know my reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.” Psalm 69:19

“Be to me a rock of refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress...
 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
    you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you...

My mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.

But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
    who sought to do me hurt.” Psalm 71:3,5-6,8-9,14-21,24

Considering his many years with the Lord, the psalmist sings a song both plaintive and petitionary. His words acknowledge both calamity and comfort, troubles and great deeds, frailty and faithfulness as they praise God’s constancy in matching his every care and need. He who had been his trust from youth would be his trust forever. Continually he had come, and continually he would hope in this righteous, great God.

There is nothing like a life lived long with Jesus. No experience compares with a history imprinted with His faithful presence and loving care. As our rock and trust, He envelops our hearts, fortifies our faith, laces our words, speckles our view, and stands sentry over present concerns and future unknowns. Those who continually come to Him are blessed with continual hope, which is an invaluable gift for generations that follow.

How steadfastly do we lean on the Lord who knows us perfectly? In our every reproach, have we known His sympathy? In shame, His forgiveness? In pain, His balm? In wonderment, His teaching? In weariness, His revival? God’s mighty deeds on our behalf are ours to treasure and pass on to future generations. (Psalm 69:9; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 1:9)

What is my song today? To whom will I proclaim God’s wondrous, trustworthy acts? In what promises will I put my hope?

Lord, keep me continually coming, hoping, and telling so many will know, trust, and praise You.