Grains of Sand

Pixabay I attended a funeral this morning—another one. They seem all too frequent these days. And while this one was again a triumphant celebration of a life well-lived and the assurance of a glorious meeting with Jesus, it was still a sad event. For those left behind even the promise of a "some day" reunion comes wrapped in the black ribbon of grief. I spoke with another friend who just days ago lost her grandson and leaves soon for yet another funeral. There are no words for that kind of pain... ...except His words. Battered by circumstances and emotions beyond his control, David writes: ". ..in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock " (Psalm 27:5). Just prior to this verse David asks a favour of the Lord. He says: " One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty ...

Pixabay Many cats are not "cuddlers." Of all the feline friends I've had, the current one, Lou Lou, is the cuddler.  She loves to be held. Don't we all. Yesterday afternoon I watched the movie, RISEN . I don't know whether it was the story line, or the fine acting, or that I was being particularly sensitive, but there were scenes where the actor playing the part of Jesus touched or embraced other characters. Those scenes moved me to tears and I wished for that kind of embrace. I thought again how blessed the real people in the real story had been to have felt that loving arm of Jesus holding them close. As the character portraying Jesus disappeared into heaven he reminded his followers that he would be with them always. Even though not physically present to give them "cuddles" he would be there by his Spirit to meet every need (Matthew 28:18-20) as they went about the mission he had sent them to do. In Psalm 139 we are reminded again of that ...

Faith Is... (Google Images) Every time I read 2 Chronicles 5 I am stopped in my mental tracks by this verse: “ …and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God ” (5:14). What would it be like for God to fill His house with so much of His presence that everything would come to an immediate stop because of it? I’ve never been in a service like that. I don’t think something like that can be orchestrated but if we look at what led up to this momentous event in Solomon's life we might get a clue as to why it happened. 2 Chronicles 3 and 4 describe the building of the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. Solomon took the plans and the provisions that his father, David, had made and began the project of building a house that would bring honour to God—a place where God’s presence would dwell. He knew from the beginning that no matter how magnificent the building and its furnishings it would be a paltry effort. In 2 Ch...

Google Images The dedication of the priests had taken place. They made the appropriate sacrifices as commanded by God. It was an amazing moment in the history of a nation-in-formation as Moses and Aaron stepped out of the Tabernacle. Leviticus 9:23, 24 records, “ When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portion on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. ” Fire. The writer to the Hebrews, quoting Deuteronomy 4:24, wrote, “ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’ ” Israel was used to this representation of God among them. The pillar of fire had guided them out of Egypt. Moses had recognized God’s presence as the bush burned but was not consumed. Israel had seen it ...

Google Images I appreciate grace. The blessing of God on my life when I don’t deserve it, can’t earn, and can never show Him enough how much I am grateful for it, staggers my mind. God gives it freely and constantly. Still, I am wrong to abuse it, to take it for granted, to treat it as commonplace. When I do that, I abuse Him, take Him for granted and treat Him as just another “friend” on my friends list. I was reminded that while I can sing with all my heart the words to “What a friend we have in Jesus, all my sins and griefs to bear,” He is still Almighty God. This morning I read Exodus 19 which describes the arrival of Moses and his tribe of Israelites at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Sinai was referred to as the mountain of God, a place from which God spoke and on which God appeared. It has never ceased to amaze me the preparations that were made by God’s people to get ready hear from God. “ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have the...

Today we often hear the expression, “God showed up.” God can’t NOT show up. He is present everywhere, so beyond our capacity to understand that it isn’t just a piece of Him that is presence in every place all the time, but all of Him all the time. But what people are trying to say with that phrase “God showed up” is that God revealed Himself by doing something special at that moment. In John 1 we read this ominous statement: “ He [Christ] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him ” (John 1:10, 11). God was there, but hardly anyone was looking for Him, or noticed Him, or wanted Him. We know that Jesus did not come as the majority of people expected Him to come. Most wanted their Messiah to come at the head of a heavenly army to overthrow the Romans and to free them from being under the thumb of a foreign ruler. Jesus came alone to restore a relationship and to free ...

Google Image " When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord " (Exodus 34:29, NIV). I'm pea-green with envy. I don't think there has ever been a time in my life when people couldn't look at my face because the presence of God was reflected on it. I wish. I want. I desire. I covet. Moses had spoken with God. My speaking with God leaves a lot to be desired. I get sidetracked, distracted. I don't approach Him as He deserves to be approached—the worship isn't always there. Sometimes the submission is lacking, the confession scant, the shopping list preeminent. Maybe I don't listen enough to hear His voice. Perhaps I don't stop long enough with Him to let His beauty settle on my face. So it's not just wishing, wanting, desiring, coveting. Being green doesn't cut it. It's " Be still, and know that I am G...

After the incident of the Golden Calf (Genesis 32), a repentant Israel is distressed to learn that God has said that He will no longer accompany them on their journey to the Promised Land (33:5). Typical of the human race, even the believing part of it, we have a hard time living under Him, but we know we can't live without Him. Moses, as was his custom, met with God in a tent outside the camp. The presence of God was visible to all as the cloud towered over the place where the Almighty met with the not-so-mighty human. While the meeting took place it is written that: " whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance of his tent " (Exodus 33:10, NIV). Moses, privileged to speak to God as face to face as it was possible for any man, pleaded on behalf of the people. There was a hard journey ahead and God was testing the resolve of the man who would lead this rebellious nation-in-the-m...

I started in on the book of Ezekiel in my devotional reading this morning. Probably you've heard a good many sermons on. or references to, Ezekiel's "wheelie" visions. Everyone seems fascinated by the wheels and what they mean. If you think I'm going to tell you the meaning of the wheels well, you can just toss that thought right out of your mind. Tumbling around and around in circles trying to figure out the wheels is a great way to miss the real focus of the passage. After Ezekiel finishes describing the undefinable he describes the indescribable. He sees the Lord. " Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant l...