May the Lord Bless You and Keep You

I wanted to write this morning to praise God and thank you for such a meaningful Sunday morning as a church. 

We live in a world with nearly endless amounts of pain from sin, that has led to war, famine, oppression, racism, terrorism, and conflicts of every sort.  Our corporate worship sometimes leaves little room for emotions of grieving and mourning.  We are so accustomed to coming to praise, that it’s possible that on any given Sunday, you have a hurt that needs to be expressed first in sorrow so that the Lord can bring you relief.  With the tragic events of this past week throughout our nation, and in our own community, the Lord guided our team to make a change of plans in our worship service to create space for lament.

I learned a lesson Sunday: leave room for every emotion.  As our service began with the song, “Lord I Need You,” I could immediately sense a hunger in our church to call out to our Lord.  Through song, through scripture, and through gathering in small groups for prayer, God ministered so well to our church yesterday.  We were able to un-bottle our tears, our anxiety, and even our anger, as we cried out to God for those who suffer so terribly from the effects of sin and evil.  We related with the Psalmist, David, in Psalm 5, who rocked back and forth between indignation at the wickedness of his enemies, and recognition of his own wickedness that brought him to humble gratefulness for the mercy he had received.

So much of our worship and daily living-out our faith is cover-up.  We are quick to pretend we’re all okay, that we’re mature enough and strong enough, and we tend to hide emotions that we might deem “weak emotions.”  David’s cries out of weakness were urgent and intense.  The cries of Israel in Lamentations are powerful and passionate.  Jesus, in all of His power, wept for lost friends and cried tears of anxiety before His Father in heaven.  When we repress our tears, our fears, and our weakness, we continue to carry them with us.  These emotions can be like an infection that turns into a nasty sickness in us.  Fears will become cold-heartedness.  Anxiety might become detachment.  Hopelessness could lead to indifference. 

Let’s bring our suffering into God’s presence.  Let’s go as deep as the hurt is within us, trust our good God to bring us out of the pit, and raise us up in His strength.  Our honest lament, when laid before our strong God helps us to face personal suffering and the troubles of this world, and it reminds us of the day in which all suffering, weeping, and death will be no more.

I’m grateful for a church that did this yesterday.  Let’s keep doing it every day.  And may The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’ (Numbers 6:24-26)

Trusting Jesus with You,

Kevin 

#OrlandoHorror

I don’t watch the news on Sunday mornings.  I get up early, come into the church office, and begin to focus and pray on what the Lord is doing in our church, and I prepare to welcome our church body together for worship.  This past Sunday, I was oblivious to the tragedy in Orlando until my drive home, when I heard it being discussed on the radio.  Shooting.  Night Club.  Massacre.  Deadliest shooting in American history: 50 have died, 53 more are injured.

I began to think of the similar recent tragedies, in San Bernardino, Paris, and Brussels.  I thought back to that movie theater in Aurora, CO, to Fort Hood, and to the shootings at Wedgewood Baptist, not too far from my home when I was a senior in High School.

I began to think on other threats to culture and to our way of life: violence, prejudices, culture wars, poverty, sex-trade, terrorism, and so on.  Our world is at war with itself, and in an even deeper sense, our world is in rebellion against God.  Of all of the motives for such terrible acts, people are in a crisis of identity and of security and of authority.  Ever since Genesis 3, we’ve been resisting God’s rule over this world, and in so doing, we’ve forgotten who we are and we’ve stopped trusting His protection, His provision, and His ways.  Some have allowed their rebellion to lead them into actions so awful that we’re all thrown into fear, anger, and confusion.  I’m personally weighing through emotions of sadness and of urgency to react, and at the same time, I’m not shocked.  We’ve been accustomed to acts of terror.  And while I’m on guard that I wouldn’t become calloused, I’m sober minded about this: 1) Every sinful act is treason against God, 2) I’m guilty too, and 3) Our world desperately needs a Savior. 

We started a series in the Psalms this past Sunday.  In Psalms 1, the focus is on my personal relationship with God, and how His presence and His will changes me within every circumstance of life.  This week, I’m reading Psalm 2, and it’s there that I’m reminded that while the world in chaos, my God is not shaking.  He is steady.  He is not out of control.  His plan is perfect.  What does God say to all of the tragedy?  He says, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. (Psalm 2:6-7)” 

You know who this Son is.  His name is Jesus.  He once encouraged His followers with these words: “…In Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”  Jesus said a good many other things about how to live in times of crisis.  He said:

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  In other words, it’s okay to grieve.  Face your feelings.  Talk with God about your feelings and about who He is in the midst of this moment.

Matthew 11:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  I’ve seen people respond to #OrlandoHorror with everything from compassion and empathy, to justification and arrogance.  When human emotions collide with human emotions, we can perpetuate one horrific act into many terrible acts among people.  We can (and should) choose to be peacemakers, not peace breakers.  I think the key to this is:

Matthew 11:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  The word meek means strength in restraint.  In our culture, we are so quick to try and dominate people with our ideas, thoughts, and power.  Jesus celebrates those who submit themselves (and their control and power) to God.

This reminds me again of Psalm 2, which ends with the encouragement to take our concerns, our thoughts, and actions before our Lord. “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:12)”

On Monday after the terrible news of Sunday, with you and with our nation, I’m pausing to pray and be comforted and led by God.  I’m finding hope, that God is still in control, and He is still near to the brokenhearted.  And I’m praying for you, that you would find healing and hope that is found nowhere else, but in Jesus, His Son.

Trusting Jesus with you,

Kevin

P.S.  During a crisis you’ll probably struggle with knowing what to say to your kids, how much to say and when to say it.  Check out this Conversation Guide from LegacyKids.