Faith

The Day The Lord Has Made

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This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV

Interestingly the day that King David was writing about in this Psalm was not the church picnic, or some other celebration. In fact when David woke early that morning he looked out his window and saw an army camped out on his doorstep and he began to cry out to the Lord for help. The rejoicing part of this psalm begins as David realizes that God is listening to his cry for help and that God will come to his rescue.

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As we face off against this latest Corona crisis, with each of us virtually barricaded in our homes it is easy to give in to boredom, frustration or even despair. But David reminds us that the circumstances we are in are not the source of our hope. Our hope is in the Lord. We are in trouble but God is listening. He knows what to do and He promises to come to our rescue. So whether God’s rescue looks like a sudden turn of events in our favor or a quiet voice reminding us that His grace is all we need; we can know one thing for sure:

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!!

The Rooster Crowed

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And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.   Matthew 26:75 ESV

In the pre-dawn hours after the arrest of Jesus, Peter was determined to see if he could find a way to free him. First he followed the soldiers as they led Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But as he entered with John through the doorway a young servant girl who was watching them asked curiously, “Weren’t you one of them with Jesus?” Maybe Peter turned with a distracted look on his face to answer, “No, not me. You must be mistaken.” Then He moved on to try and plan what to do next. But another person pointed at him saying. “Oh yes I am sure I saw you with him!” But Peter shook his head and looked away saying, “You must be mistaken. I do not know this man.”  Finally as he worked his way closer to where Jesus stood Peter tried questioning the others around him to find out what was going on when someone tapped him on the shoulder saying, “Hey buddy, I am sure by your accent, that you are from Galilee. You are one His disciples aren’t you?” “Me. Are you kidding?” Peter nervously answered and as he began to curse and swear a rooster crowed and he remembered what Jesus had told him. Worse yet, Jesus turned and looked right at Peter.  In that instant he knew that he had miserably failed, just as Jesus had said. But there remained hope, even as he ran out weeping in disgust at his own weakness. There was great hope for Peter, just as there is for us. After the resurrection, Peter, discovered that his failure was the beginning of hope built on mercy and held together by the love of Jesus Christ.

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Running to the Finish Line

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Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 KJV

As a long distance runner in high school, I learned early on that my toughest competition came from my own body and mind. At the starting gun my mind wanted to race ahead but our coach had taught us to start slowly. When I paced myself I discovered that later on in the race, I still had the strength to press on to the final lap. My recent retirement followed by our move to Florida brought on far more stress and anxiety than I had imagined.

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Suddenly I had no lunch to pack, no schedule to keep and no one coming by. It felt as if the road I had been traveling on for most of my life was a dead end. I found myself sleepless with anxiety and fear swirling around me. There I remembered that Jesus as He had hung alone on the cross, had cried out, “My God My God why have you forsaken me?” With no one who could understand and no deliverance at hand He endured it all for me. Humbled and grateful I remembered His example and loving sacrifice. In that dark hour long ago, another man on a cross next to Jesus cried out in pain and fear. Then Jesus, put aside His own suffering, forgave him and promised to personally welcome him to paradise that day.

Prayer: Father – Help me to remember that You endured the terrible cross for me. Remind me that I don’t need to be afraid because just You are the beginning of my faith You have also promised to help me run all the way to its finish line.