On Him We Have Set Our Hope

Bible:

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. II Corinthians 1:8-11 ESV

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. Psalm 42:1-3, 8-11 ESV

Reflection:

A young man named Paul was fighting for the German army during World War I, and the deaths and hopelessness he experienced brought him to the point of despair. When he had volunteered for the army, he had thought it would be glorious, but as he experienced the reality of war he learned about terror and cruelty and brutality, and he no longer believed in the glory of war. He felt as if it would never end, and even if it did, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself during a time of peace. Paul watched his friends die in combat one by one and felt that he was becoming an animal, only interested in his own survival. He came to the point where he no longer wanted to live, and in fact he was finally killed in battle.

Paul’s story is a depressing one, and it’s only a story, but it’s also very similar to what many people have experienced who have fought in wars. The despair, the hopelessness, and the feeling of wanting to die can all come when a person is surrounded by death and cruelty. The apostle Paul also knew despair as he did the Lord’s work and felt surrounded by enemies and hatred. He said that he felt that he was being burdened beyond his strength, and that he despaired of life itself. He and his companions even felt that they were certain to die. But the apostle had something that the young man Paul in the story did not have. The apostle Paul and his companions had hope. They trusted in a God who was able to raise the dead, and who could deliver his people from the worst of dangers. They found their hope in God, and Paul invited the Corinthians to share in the blessing of hope by praying for them.

Sometimes we might know terrible despair and hopelessness when we have serious problems, and we might even feel as if things are more than we can handle. But we have hope in God, who raised Jesus from the dead and is able to save and protect us from the worst of problems. He hears our prayers and the prayers of people who pray for us, and gives us hope that he is with us and will help us in the way that is best. Jesus died on the cross to make us his own people, and he will never leave us. Nothing in all this world can ever separate us from the love of God and the hope and strength he is always working to give us.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the love and strength and hope that you give us through Jesus. In His Name, Amen.

Source:

Remarque, Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front Columbus, Georgia: Little, Brown, and Company, 1929.

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Fear Turns into Rejoicing

Bible:

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. Acts 16:25-34 ESV

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. I John 4:16-19 ESV

Reflection:

When two armies are at war, or if there is some other kind of violent conflict, if one side waves a white flag, everyone understands that this means surrender. A white flag means that the side that is waving it gives up and will admit to being the loser, or at least wants to stop fighting long enough to talk things over. White flags have been used since at least early in the Roman empire, and they’ve also been used for centuries in China. In China white is the color of death, and so waving a white flag might have meant that the losing side was admitting that they were in danger of dying if they didn’t stop fighting. A white flag is waved in fear and weakness, with the hope of mercy and help from the other side.

When Paul and Silas were in prison, they used the opportunity to continue to spread the good news about Jesus. At midnight they were praying and singing hymns together while the other prisoners listened to them, and suddenly there was an earthquake. The doors of the prison flew open and the bonds that held the prisoners in place all fell off. When the jailer saw and heard all this, he was terribly afraid. He had all the strength of the prison to hold the prisoners in their place, but something much more powerful than that had suddenly set everyone free. Under Roman law, if even one prisoner escaped while he was on duty, he would be put to death. So he took a sword to kill himself, but Paul called out, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” The jailer knew that he was beat. He didn’t wave a white flag, but shaking with fear he came and threw himself on his knees before Paul and Silas, asking what he had to do to be saved. Paul told him the good news, to believe in Jesus Christ. The jailer felt so happy that he washed the sore, bloody backs of Paul and Silas and brought them to his home and served them a meal. Then he and his whole household were baptized that very night. His fear had turned into the joy of knowing the love of Jesus.

We also rejoice in the love of Jesus. We were prisoners to sin and death, and we were full of fear. But Jesus came to defeat sin and everything evil by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead for us. Jesus has set us free from everything that could hurt us, and from the power of death and the devil that brought us so much fear. Jesus is much stronger than sin and evil, and we can trust him to take care of us. Instead of fear, we have love, and that gives us great joy.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for rescuing us from sin and death to be your people forever. Amen.

Source:

https://www.historyinorbit.com/history-white-flag-fascinating/

Peace I Leave With You

Bible:

[Jesus said:] “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:25-27 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 ESV

Reflection:

In 1914 a terrible war broke out in Europe, in many ways the worst war the world had ever known. It lasted for four years, and nine million soldiers died, as well as 12 million people who weren’t soldiers. Many more soldiers were terribly wounded. Soldiers fought from trenches that they dug in the ground, sometimes knee deep in mud, and new weapons made the fighting even more deadly. But World War I, as it is now called, was sometimes called the war to end all wars. Many people hoped that when the war ended and peace came, it would be a peace that would last forever and put an end to the evil in the world that causes war. But instead, within 20 years there was another war, World War II, even more terrible and deadly. The peace of this world rarely lasts for very long, and sin and evil often dash our hopes that peace and goodness will win.

Jesus gave his disciples a wonderful promise. He promised to give them peace, and not the kind of peace that the world gives. The peace Jesus gives will last forever, and because of it Jesus says that our hearts don’t need to be troubled and we never have to be afraid. Jesus also gave another wonderful promise, the promise that the Heavenly Father would send his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give the disciples peace by reminding them of all the things that Jesus taught them and help them understand the things that Jesus said. So many times the disciples hadn’t understood what Jesus was trying to tell them, but when the Holy Spirit came to them, he would help them, and they would know what Jesus wanted them to understand.

We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives us peace by helping us understand what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Jesus died to pay for our sins, and because of this, our sins are forgiven and we have peace with our Heavenly Father. God’s love for us will never end, and the peace Jesus gives us is forever. God the Holy Spirit speaks to us through his word, the Bible, and helps us to know and love Jesus and to remember and understand everything he wants us to learn.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us Jesus to win our peace, and the Holy Spirit to help us know and understand that peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/138823855/the-human-toll-of-the-war-to-end-all-wars

A Jealous Brother

Bible:

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” Luke 15:25-32 ESV

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV

Reflection:

George Bailey was always a good, dutiful man. When he was a boy, his younger brother fell into some icy water and almost drowned, but George jumped in and pulled him out. Because of that, he lost the hearing in one ear, and when he grew up and there was a war he wasn’t allowed to fight because of his bad ear. He had to stay home and watch his brother go to war and become a hero. George’s brother left their small town after the war to follow his dreams, but George stayed home and continued to do what he thought was right, even though he also had dreams of traveling and of becoming an engineer. Those dreams didn’t come true, and later, when George was in trouble, he felt as if his whole life had been pointless. He was ready to jump off a bridge and kill himself, but then an angel came and showed him how much his life had meant to many of the people in town. When George went home, everyone was ready to help him with his problem, and he realized that his life had great value and joy.

This is only a story, but George is a little bit like the older brother in the story Jesus continued to tell. The older brother in the story didn’t take his inheritance from his father and run away. He stayed home and worked with his father and always did what he thought was right. He might have sometimes felt jealous of the fun he thought his younger brother was having, and when his brother came home and his father threw him a party, he was so angry and jealous that he wouldn’t join the celebration. His father came out to talk to him, gently and patiently. The father said that the older son had always been with his father, and that everything his father had was his. He tried to show his son that his life had great value and joy because he had stayed home with him. The father pleaded with him to understand his joy over his younger son, who had caused him so much grief and now come home again. The father wanted the older son to share that joy, just as he shared everything else with him.

We are sometimes like the older brother. We try to live lives faithful to God and his ways, but we don’t always realize what value and joy our lives have because we live our lives with the Lord. We might even feel jealous of people who go their own way and don’t care about God. When one of these people comes to know the love of our Heavenly Father through what Jesus has done for us on the cross, we might even feel jealous. We don’t want to forgive them, because we forget how much love and forgiveness the Lord gives us every day because of Jesus. But our Heavenly Father pleads with us patiently and gently to be ready to love and forgive everyone who comes home to him, the same way that he forgives us. He wants us to share in the joy of his mercy and grace for all people, now and forever.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the life we have with you. Help us to love and welcome everyone that you bring home to your family. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Capra, Frank, dir. It’s a Wonderful Life RKO Radio Pictures, 1946. Film.

Three Enemies

Bible:

[Jesus said:] “Pray then like this: . . .

And lead us not into temptation.” Matthew 6:9a, 13a RSV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. I John 2:15-17 ESV

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Romans 7:18 ESV

Reflection:

In the 1930s there was a civil war in Spain. In 1936 one side in this war tried to conquer the capital city of Madrid and overthrow its government. An army general of the fighting forces, Emilio Mola, had four columns of soldiers that were marching toward Madrid. While he was moving his soldiers toward the battle, the story goes that he said, ” I have under my command four columns that march towards the capital, not counting the fifth that is inside Madrid.” What General Mola meant was that even though Madrid was under the rule of the government he was trying to overthrow, there were many people in Madrid who were doing everything they could to help his side in the war, and they were as powerful as a column of soldiers. Since then, the phrase “fifth column” means people in a country who are working in some way to help the enemy in a war.

Christians are also in a war, but it’s not the kind of war that’s fought with guns and tanks and bombs. We have enemies who hate us and are trying to turn us away from God. The first enemy we have is the devil and all his evil angels. They do everything they can to destroy the works of God and to turn his people against him. Another enemy we have is the world. God made the world, and he made everything to be good, but sin has corrupted the world, and people don’t follow God’s ways and rebel against him in pride and in wanting things that do not please him. We often hear and follow the voice of the world instead of the voice of the Lord. The devil and the world are the two enemies that attack us from the outside, but we also have a “fifth column” inside us that always tempts us to turn away from the Lord, and that is our own sinful nature. Jesus has made us his own, but there is sin in us that continues to fight and rebel against the good that God has done in us.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” We know that temptations will come to us until the day we die, but we ask our Heavenly Father to lead us instead of letting our enemies lead us, and to help us not to give into these temptations. We ask him for his strength when we are weak, and we ask him to turn temptations away from us if it is his will. Jesus also suffered many temptations when he lived among us on earth, but he never turned away from his Heavenly Father’s ways. He understands how it feels to be tempted, and he is always ready to help us. His perfect life covers our sinfulness, and his death and resurrection defeated all the forces of evil once and for all. Jesus forgives our sins every day, and sends us his Holy Spirit to give us the strength to follow his lead.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive our sins and help us to be strong and not to fall into temptation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/exhibit/qgIi0fwrfe4XJw

We Are Children of God

Bible:

[Jesus said:]  “Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven . . . ” Matthew 6:9a RSV

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. I John 3:1a ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:4-7 ESV

Reflection:

A mother brought her little girl to see Santa Claus at a department store. The mother stood close by and told Santa that her daughter was Dutch, and didn’t speak English. The little girl had lost her family in the Netherlands during the war, and now this American mother had adopted her. Santa Claus was able to speak Dutch, and he asked the little girl in that language what she wanted for Christmas. The little girl replied that she didn’t want anything. She said that she already had received her gift when she had been adopted by her new mother. After the terror and sorrow of the war, this little girl wanted nothing more than to be at home and loved by a new family and to have a mother to take care of her again.

When Jesus taught his followers how to pray, he started out by saying that we should call God “Father.” He said that God is our Father in heaven, and that it’s okay for us to call him that. This means that God loves and cares for us the way a good father on earth does, but because he’s our Heavenly Father he can do so much more for us than any father on earth can do. When we say “our” Father, it reminds us that we have many, many brothers and sisters, and that we’re part of the huge family of God, made of everyone who believes in Jesus. We all pray together with and for each other when we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us.

We were all like this little girl visiting Santa Claus. We had lost our Heavenly Father by our sin and rebellion, and we were alone in our sorrow and fears. But God sent Jesus to be our Savior and our Brother, and Jesus died on the cross for us so that all our sins could be forgiven. Because of Jesus, we now are God’s children forever, and we can come to our Heavenly Father in prayer every day and know that he will hear us and help us and forgive us.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us and making us your children. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv

Peacemakers

Bible:

[Jesus said:] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 ESV

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7 ESV

Reflection:

Many years ago a Swedish man named Alfred Nobel was interested in working for peace in the world. It is interesting that he wanted to see less war between nations, because he was an armaments manufacturer, but maybe he saw the terrible weapons of war that were being developed and hoped they would never be used. He left provisions in his will for a person to receive a prize every year for increasing peace in the world by promoting brotherhood between nations and reducing standing armies, and with a few exceptions every year someone is given the Nobel Peace Prize. Henry Dunant, who helped establish the International Red Cross, won the first Nobel Peace Prize. Many people have won since then, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa. Sometimes people don’t like or agree with the person who was chosen for the award, and after many years of Nobel Peace Prizes, there still is war in the world.

Jesus said that peacemakers would be called the sons, or children, of God. He knew the reality of sin and darkness and evil in the world, and it is pleasing to God to work for greater peace and understanding between people. But Jesus had in mind another kind of peace, a peace between people and God. The same evil that causes war and violence between nations and groups in the world also causes a separation between people and God. People who help others make peace with God are truly blessed and doing the greatest work of God in this world.

Jesus was the great peacemaker between us and our Heavenly Father. He took all our sin and evil on himself, and he took it to the cross with him. He defeated evil and all the forces of darkness by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead. Jesus brings us peace with God by forgiving our sins and bringing us back to the love of our Heavenly Father. He gives his people the job of sharing the good news of his love and forgiveness with all the people of the world. When people come to know Jesus as Savior, they have peace with God. Having peace with God makes us want to work for peace between people in this world as well. We know that the work of peace will never be complete until Jesus returns, but we have his forgiveness and help to go with us every day until the world ends.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for giving us peace with God. Please help us to be peacemakers, especially by sharing your good news. Amen.

Source:

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/

My Word Will Stand

Bible:

Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord God lives.’ Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.” Jeremiah 44:24-28 ESV

A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:6-8 ESV

Reflection:

In 1784 a Frenchman named Jacques-Louis David painted a picture called, “The Oath of the Horatii.” This painting is set in ancient Rome, and it shows a father holding up three swords to his three sons. The three sons are raising their right arms to take an oath that they will do their duty to the family and the State, even if they have to die in doing that duty. The three young men are grim and determined, but off to the side of the picture are some women, wives or sisters of the three brothers. They are pictures of tragedy and sadness, because they know how much the men’s oath will cost their family. One of them is a wife who came from the enemy family, the Curatii, and another one is a sister who is engaged to the enemy family. They can see nothing but grief to come.

When Jeremiah warned his people in Egypt of the coming judgment of God, he also talked about solemn oaths. The people had taken a vow that they would serve the queen of heaven and pour out offerings to her, and they were determined to keep that vow, even though it was going to give them only sadness and death and trouble. God gave his word through Jeremiah that he would judge them for their rebellion. The Lord swore by his own great name that they would almost all die in war or in famine, until only a very small number of them would be left. That small group would straggle back to the land of Judah, and they would know that the promises and the word of the Lord would stand, but not their own weak vows.

The word of the Lord will always stand, and that is both bad news and good news for us. It’s bad news because God promises that he will judge sin, and we are all sinners who deserve his anger and judgment. But God also has a word of mercy that he gives us through Jesus. The Lord’s judgment for sin was all poured out on Jesus at the cross, and everyone who believes in Jesus has God’s love and forgiveness. God’s mercy for us is guaranteed by his promise that nothing in all the universe can separate us from his love, and we can count on that word, now and always.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your word of mercy to us. Help us to trust in that word for now and always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

Cumming, Robert Annotated Art London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1995, pp. 70-71.

By the Waters of Babylon

Bible:

By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How shall we sing the Lord‘s song
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy! Psalm 137:1-6 ESV

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16 ESV

Reflection:

There’s a song about a young man from Nova Scotia who has been called off to war. He is very sad to leave his home, and all his friends, and his aged parents. He thinks about the sweetheart he has to leave behind, and the graves of his three brothers. He says that he has no rest as he is tossed on the dark sea, thinking about his homeland. The chorus of the song is:

Farewell to Nova Scotia, you seabound coast
Let your mountains dark and dreary be
For when I am far away on the brimy ocean tossed
Will you ever heave a sigh or a wish for me?

It can be very sad to be forced to be far away from home and to miss the people and the places you love. The psalm we read talks about the exiles from Jerusalem living in Babylon and weeping for their home. The Babylonians were demanding that they sing a song from their own country, and they didn’t want to, because it would make them feel heartbroken. Instead, they hung up their lyres on the willow trees by the water and cried. They didn’t want to forget Jerusalem or to let themselves be happy in a foreign land. Their temple had been destroyed, and God felt very far away from them.

God’s people felt as if they had lost the Lord when they lost Jerusalem and the temple. They couldn’t see beyond their earthly homeland to the homeland God has prepared for all his people everywhere. Many years before, Abraham had left his homeland to go to the promised land, but in faith he knew that the land the Lord had promised to his descendants was only a picture of the better country in heaven. Abraham saw this country by faith, and through Jesus we share the same faith and the same promise from God. Jesus came to be near his people and to open heaven to everyone in the world who believes in him. He died for us so that our sins could be forgiven, and he is with us every day. We know that, even though we are far from our heavenly home now, we will someday live there with our Lord forever.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for being with us every day and for the promise of our heavenly home. Amen.

Source:

http://www.darachweb.net/SongLyrics/FarewellToNovaScotia.html

True and False Prophets

Bible:

Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way. Jeremiah 28:5-11 ESV

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Psalm 4:1-4 ESV

Reflection:

One invention that made war an even more terrible thing than it had been before is the machine gun. The machine gun made it possible to quickly and automatically shoot many rounds of ammunition at the enemy. It completely changed how World War I was fought, because to protect themselves from machine gun fire soldiers dug themselves into trenches. But the interesting thing about machine guns is that their inventor, Hiram Maxim, thought that they would bring peace. When people asked him if his invention would make war more terrible and cruel, he said instead that it would make war impossible. Many people believed this. They thought that the death and suffering a machine gun could cause would make nations want to work for peace and avoid getting involved in such cruel warfare. But this was a lie, unfortunately. Wars continue to happen, and more and more cruel inventions make them even more devastating.

When Hananiah told the people that within two years God would return the true king and all the exiles to their own country, many people believed him. Hananiah even broke the wooden yoke that Jeremiah had made to give the people a picture of obeying the Babylonian empire. Jeremiah wished that what Hananiah said was true, because of course he wanted his people to know happier times. But Jeremiah said that the only way to tell if a prophet was telling the truth is if what he predicted would come true. Jeremiah knew that the truth was that the people were under God’s judgment, and that there would be more war and trouble to come. Jeremiah was a true prophet of the Lord, but he didn’t argue with Hananiah. He simply walked away, and he left Hananiah and his lies in God’s hands.

We sometimes want to believe lies that are positive and happy. We want to believe that through our own efforts we can bring an end to war, or cure all the sicknesses in the world, or even put an end to death. But these are lies, because only God can do these things. God came to us in Jesus to destroy sin and death and all the forces of evil forever by dying on the cross and rising again. Because of what Jesus did for us, we know that we will live forever in his heavenly kingdom, where there won’t be any more sickness or death or war. In the meantime, it pleases God if we work to heal sickness and pain and to bring peace. We shouldn’t be surprised or worried, though, when we see war and evil and disease, and we can be confident that God will bring all our suffering to an end in his time. We can leave it all in God’s hands.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to destroy sin and death and evil, and help us to trust you to work for good in our broken world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

http://www.theglobaljournal.net/article/view/1107/