As the rain and snow

“The Lord spoke to Moses… in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. And there shall be with you a man from each tribe… who shall assist you. From Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.’

“Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named, and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves,.. [and] listed them. The people of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 46,500… of Simeon, 59,300… of Gad, 45,650… of Judah, 74,600… of Issachar, 54,400… of Zebulun, 57,400… of Ephraim, 40,500…of Manasseh, 32,200… of Benjamin, 35,400… of Dan, 62,700… of Asher, 41,500… of Naphtali, 53,400… So all those listed of the people of Israel were 603,550.”  Numbers 1:1-15,17-42,46

Why does God in His inspired word include these lists of names hard to pronounce? Why this exact accounting? If every word of God is flawless and proves true, it is purposeful in teaching us about the Author. (Proverbs 30:5)

The LORD who calls His people by name is the One who has known and loved them from the beginning by name, and assigns them to specific families and tasks. He counts us precious and honored, and has given us particular purpose. He has numbered our days as well as the hairs on our heads. We are each distinct, part of His unified yet diverse Body, bearing our unique shade of color and talent and personality to show forth the beauty of His glory. (Psalm 139:13,16; Isaiah 43:1,4,7; Luke 12:7)

Are there times we wallow in insignificance, feeling we are just a number in a wide sea of mankind? God counts us significant! Do we feel forgotten, not needed or special? Our Lord never forgets or forsakes us, and keeps us as the apple of His eye! God calls us to exchange our self-centered assessments for His divine accounting, to believe and live in the glory of what He says about our unique, eternal value. (Isaiah 49:1,16; Zechariah 2:8; Hebrews 6:10; 13:5)

Lord, may I bloom each day, to the full color You appoint, as Your loved and redeemed child. And may I value as precious every life You put in my path, doing all I can to affirm them as counted and known by You, too.

“But the Lord‘s portion is his people,
    Jacob his allotted heritage.

He found him in a desert land,
    and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
    he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
    that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
    bearing them on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him,
    no foreign god was with him.
He made him ride on the high places of the land,
    and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,
    and oil out of the flinty rock.” Deuteronomy 32:9-13;

“He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous.” “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” Job 36:7; Psalm 33:18,22; 34:15-16

We cannot see ahead, except with speculation, tinged with hope. We know not what the future holds because all we thought we’d planned has been turned topsy-turvy and there are few tangible certainties in the weeks to come. We cannot discern what all God is doing in the cloud of chaos that has become our world as we knew it. When our sight is limited, we can take great comfort in knowing God’s eye is not only all-seeing and all-knowing, but it is on us, and that for good.

The Lord’s good might be defined differently now from how we defined good two months ago, but His is better and sure and longer-lasting. He looks on us lovingly, carefully, protectively, compassionately. His eye sees not only the inward churning of our hearts, the meandering pathways of our thinking, but also what He intends to make of us. He fixes His sight on us as His treasured children whom He is refining, transforming, and sanctifying. He sets His eye on His fixed word and His full plans to perform them on behalf of His people. (Psalm 119:89; 145:17; Jeremiah 1:12)

Could it be that our very life tossling, the upturn of employment, accounts, calendars, communication, is to make us aware of God’s vision for us, and to train in us a loftier perspective in and of everyday things? How is our own vision changing? Are there new ways we see and comprehend God’s will through His stirring of ours? In all our prognostications, are we applying a divine or eternal perspective, a higher cause and effect? Do we recognize the spiritual battle raging invisibly but powerfully above the daily fray? (Ephesians 6:12)

“Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?”  ~Joachim Neander (1650-1680)

My God, Your sight is perfect and You hold me in it. May I delight in knowing Your eye is upon me, and yield my vision to Yours for ultimate good.

“Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
    or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult,
    and who made him understand?
Who taught him knowledge,
    and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
    and are accounted as the dust on the scales.

To whom then will you liken God,
    or what likeness compare with him?

Do you not know? Do you not hear?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain…
who brings princes to nothing,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
    and because he is strong in power,
    not one is missing.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.” Isaiah 40:13-15,18,21-23,26,28

“I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose.'” Isaiah 46:9-10

With no picture as guide, starting to work a puzzle begins with assembling and connecting what fits together. I like to complete the edge, know the boundaries, get a sense of the whole– but that is not to be! While I’ve finally completed large parts of a many-distanced view, I am still baffled at the outskirts, and large sections of the middle. What did the artist place here, and what is the overall picture?

When almost every aspect of our civil and commercial life has been disrupted and is changing daily, we understand parts of what is happening but cannot humanly grasp the big picture. The more information we gain, the wider spread the view: how far-reaching, how deep, will be the effects of this pandemic and the alterations to the world as we have known it?

I find myself on my knees, seeking the Master Puzzler who not only knows the whole plan, but created the masterpiece. He carefully shapes all the pieces of life and fits them together with beautiful precision. He made the foreground and the distant future as Lord of the beginning and the end, unfolding in increments as He sees fit. He made the carpet weavers, flower gardeners, architects and boat builders and sailors. He is active in the the convicting and cleansing of hearts, the research and discoveries of the mind, and the unseen spiritual battles that rage. He will bring to pass His good counsel and pleasure. (Isaiah 46:9-11; Romans 8:27; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 1:8;22:13)

Lord on High, teach me what all this means, reveal Yourself and how You would have me live. Revive my spirit and mind so nothing is wasted in Your glorious economy. I trust You to work in and through me as one tiny piece of Your holy, eternal purpose.

 

“These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord‘s Passover… When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord… You shall count seven full weeks from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord… In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation…

“Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation… On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the Feast [of Booths to] the Lord seven days… And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. It is a statute forever throughout your generations… that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 23:4-5,10-11,15-16,24,27,39-41,43

Israel’s feasts, instituted by God, were to establish a regular calendar of remembrance of God’s faithfulness and bounty to them, and to illustrate His redeeming work in the future: His deliverance from death and slavery, His setting them apart as His chosen, His gifts of fruitfulness and multiplication. They were never to forget Him, never to slide into thinking they had achieved their victories or produced wealth on their own. (Deuteronomy 8:14-18)

We gathered with friends last evening (via computer screen) to enjoy friendship and share remembrances of God’s divine work in our lives. Stories of providential relationships, angelic protection, and practical provisions all pointed to the glorious hand of our creative, all-knowing, compassionate Sovereign. We were lost and He found us, we were destitute and He provided, we were helpless and He intervened, we were bent on our own agenda and He interposed His. Ours was a joyful fellowship and celebration, in many cases, years later, of God’s steadfast love, guidance, and grace.

Regular celebrations of the Lord’s goodness dissolve pride in gratitude and transform boasting (or complaining) to praise. They give credit where credit is due, turning our eyes from my importances (or miseries) to the Almighty’s worthiness. He wants us to remember who and whose we are. Our celebrating Him brings Him the honor He is due.

Lord, keep me regularly, gratefully, and joyfully recounting Your goodness and offering You sacrifices of praise. May my perpetual celebration of You enjoin others to share in the feast of remembrances, and give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:12; 89:1; 100:4-5; Hebrews 13:15)

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Psalm 16:5-6; Proverbs 27:1; Matthew 6:34

“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Luke 12:19-20; James 4:13-14

When today’s upheaval portends an uncertain tomorrow, we may find ourselves wringing our hands and minds with what-ifs and what-thens. To fret over tomorrow, though, is to take on the weight of something about which we can do nothing, and over which we have no control. To fret over tomorrow distracts from today’s duties and beauties and robs today of its purpose. To fret over tomorrow is to waste today’s God-given portion of manna and strength, leaving us bereft and lacking for the moments at hand. We are promised enough, and must not squander it. “As your days, so shall your strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)

“Worrying is… is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ~Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983)

Jesus taught His disciples to pray the balance of leaving God’s responsibilities in His hands, and trusting Him for today’s provision. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.” We must think about tomorrow, but not fret over it. Our focus on what today brings and requires is the best preparation for what only God knows will arise in days to come. (Matthew 6:10-11)

The relationships we invest in today will carry us through rough patches in the future- focus on people today. What resources we tend today will bear fruit and supply for tomorrow- focus on today. The flower blooms and fruit ripened today may be faded tomorrow. Take and partake today. (Proverbs 27:18,23-27)

In what are we investing today with our time and attention? With whom are we sharing the loveliness of Christ and the feast of His word? What are we doing to enjoy the beauty, fragrance, and sustenance of God’s provision today?

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”  ~Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983)

Potentate of Time, help me live as a child of the day, this day. Keep me awake, sober, so connected to You and Your will that I spend myself only for your sake and others’ good. Fulfill each day Your every resolve for good and every work of faith You intend for me so Your name is glorified. (Colossians 3:17,23; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8,11,14-19; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

 

“I relieved your shoulder of the burden.
In distress you called, and I delivered you;
    I answered you in the secret place of thunder...
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

O, what freedom, what delight, what satisfaction there is in opening wide the door of our lives to the Lord for Him to take residence and His Spirit to fill!

When we have received help and mercy from God, even our salvation, and been enfolded in His measureless love, what allures us to flirt with idols and incline to strange gods? Have we forgotten His compassion, provision, and care? What sin pets do we coddle, feed, and hide in corner closets, afraid to open wide our doors to His light and cleansing? Have we lost a sight of God’s holiness, grace, and plans for our good? What makes our hearts stiffen, our attitudes grow stubborn, but an overweening indulgence of self, which opens us unwittingly to a nasty enemy, fighting for control of our will? (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 6:18)

“Cleanse and refine our earthly parts, inflame and sanctify our hearts; our frailties help, our vice control, submit the senses to the soul.”  ~John Dryden (1631-1700)

Great Father, put Your loving strong hands on mine and open wide the door of my life to all of You. Keep my mouth feeding on the heavenly honey of Your word, my ears listening to Your voice, my feet walking in Your ways. May I find full satisfaction in Thee, and may You overflow to bring blessing and grace to those who have yet to taste You.

“O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
    and by night, but I find no rest.

“Our God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:

Under the shadow of your throne
your saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is your arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting you are God,
to endless years the same.”  ~Isaac Watts (1719)

My King, may I seek and trust Your ruling and resolving of all things, according to Your glorious good.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings… If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:1,6-10

“I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ..Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ..Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25,27,33

When we are given extra time– the same 24 hours, but with certain routines or obligations in our normal schedules omitted– we wonder how to spend the hours. We are made to work, so plugging in new tasks is a natural inclination. Concurrently, our world presents a menu of personal priorities from which to select, many having to do with improving or changing our looks, our wardrobe, our pantries. Jesus knows we deal with such advice, and gives His own. (Genesis 1:26-29; 2:15)

While none of these things is bad in itself, there is a superior endeavor to which we are all called: godliness. Righteousness. The adorning of the heart. All things ‘God’s kingdom.’ When these priorities drive our actions and expenditure of every resource, our satisfaction comes from God and not ourselves, and we are able to exhibit Him in “all these things.” (1 Peter 3:2-4)

Fitness, and fad diets have benefits. So do building and organizing and educating. But on what is our toil set? Is our goal something of this world, or a heavenly hope? Are the things on which we spend time and limited energy all temporal, or eternal? Do we pay more attention to constructing something here than the constructs of our hearts? God planted us on this earth for earthly living, but this can be done with a heavenly mindset, a passion for God’s honor and redeemed for lasting good.

In planning my days, where do I include training for godliness? Can I describe my toil and striving as heavenly, or is it all earthly? Will I invite my God to infuse every aspect of my work with Himself, to teach me the exercise of holy character and industry even as I go about daily tasks?

Lord, train me through every earthly task to toil for what matters to You. Make godliness and imitating You my highest aim, for You are worthy of that effort and honor.

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God…

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest… neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. 

“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

“You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes… You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances. I am the Lord your God.” Exodus 19:2-4,9-18,26,34-36

Because God is the LORD, He is practical. Because God is the LORD, He is thorough. Because God is the LORD, holy and good, and omniscient of human inclinations, He instructs His own with care and specificity so that we will be holy as He. (Jeremiah 17:9)

We need to keep hearing that He is the LORD our God, because we want to be god ourselves. We want to determine how to spend our days and resources. We want to choose whom to honor, and how, to dole out preference with favoritism or in measure of the good another has done us. We can fear man, or disease, or lost rights, or financial insecurity, more than we fear God.

And God says, revere and love Him first, behave remembering who we were and what He has done for us, and we will be progressively made holy. What panic, self-interest, or pride prevents us from accepting His words as for our good and sanctification?

Father, purify my every impulse and action. Make me holy to reflect to the world that You alone are LORD.

“After these things Joseph of Arimathea,.. asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid, [Joseph’s] own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there [and] rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

“The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate… Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” Matthew 27:60,62,65-66; John 19:38-20:1

Birds fill the pink cotton air the morning after Good Friday, punctuating the cool breeze with chatter and song of a dozen melodies. Wind chimes ding their rich tones as backdrop to the natural aviary that is our backyard and beyond. The day after the crucifixion was silent, a Sabbath rest of numbing realization that it had not been a dream, Jesus really was dead, buried, gone forever. There was not a sound in that sealed tomb. But this side of that silent, we sing.

We sing remembering the tomb carved in rock and what was buried there- all sin and accompanying pain, regret, and sorrow. Every wicked impulse, every ungodly thought, every alien affection for anything other than holy God. The unblemished sacrifice of atonement, the agonizing wage of sin, was my Savior, crucified and buried for me. When Jesus declared “It is finished,” He put to death sin’s power over my brain, my body, my emotions, my tendencies. This side of the tomb I’m free to live fully for Him.

We sing rejoicing that Jesus lives, endlessly for us and with us as our Advocate and Defender. This side of the open tomb we are secure forever, never to be separated from Christ’s love or snatched from His hand. (John 10:28; Romans 8:31-39)

This side of silent I am compelled to sing of my great Redeemer, with robust thanksgiving and victory’s gladness.

What has that Saturday’s silence freed in us?

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!”  ~Charles Wesley (1738)

My Lord, with a regular spiritual discipline of silence, may I take time to repent, and remember the quiet tomb, then break forth (as You did!) with joyful song.