"Like a Weaned Child" by Randi Nelson

Devotional originally posted November 23, 2016.

Whether it is the depths of despair, pain of betrayal or the ecstasy of joy and wonder, the book of Psalms is candidly honest about the turmoil of human life. Yet it also declares that God, in his creative majesty and supreme righteousness, is ever present; his “lovingkindness endures forever”. His love overcomes, overarches, intercepts and permeates every human activity. God is not put off by our difficulties. He is ever-present to help and to comfort.

Delicately poised, after 130 expressions of life’s big emotions and just before a grand finale of 5 joyous praise-filled declarations, is Psalm 131 – three little verses so easily skimmed over that they hardly make an impression yet, if given attention, become stunning and timely.

Psalm 131 (NAS)
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.

Swirling motion marching towards a final great Hallelujah suddenly stops. There’s revelation; a summation of our relationship with God in the picture of a child, a “weaned” child, calmly resting against its mother.

Take a few moments to think about each of these questions:

• What are the qualities of a “weaned” child?
• Regarding a weaned child, what does neither having a proud heart nor haughty eyes mean to you? Apply it to your eyes and heart.
• What does it mean to not involve yourself in “great matters” or “things too difficult”? Is there a personal application?
• Who is doing the composing and quieting?
• What are the conditions that make this sort of composure and quietness of soul possible?

I offer three words in answer to the last question.

Humility (verse 1):  I can get pretty worked up about my understanding of right and wrong in the world. But Jesus said that if we learn from him who is “gentle and humble” we will find “rest for [our] souls” (Matthew 11:29). He also asks, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27). To find rest I absolutely must acknowledge that I am just a weaned child, old enough to walk but not old enough, strong enough or wise enough to know how to get there without help.

Choice (verse 2):  Whether the child rests or squirms in its mother’s arms is up to the child. Mom can’t force the child to stillness. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Israel chose not to sit still and lost her blessing of peace. To compose and calm my soul is to forsake all agendas, even my prayer agendas, and to soak in God’s enfolding presence.

Trust (verse 3):  The child knows that in the crowd of big people, mother is safe. So also, we can trust that, “though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly” (Psalm 138:6). Some of us have experienced unsafe parents, but God is the ultimate strong, safe, gentle parent who loves and gives generously. He says, “Let the little children come to me … for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Mark 10:14).”

The weaned child has learned to wait for its food, to trust that it will be provided at the right time. The weaned child is not frantic about things that are overwhelming. The weaned child is autonomous yet dependent. The weaned child can rest and be comforted.

This week as we are positioned between an incredibly emotional and tumultuous election season and the build up to exuberant holiday celebrations, I encourage you to stop! Stop to absorb God’s tender grace and presence; stop to rest your head quietly upon God’s great shoulders; to climb into the lap of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Let him kiss and caress you. Let him sing songs over you.

O _________ [insert your name], hope in the Lord! For with [him] is steadfast love and plentiful redemption for you! (Psalm 130:7).

The Way of Habit

The pathway of Habit is worn smooth by repetition; it takes no effort or thought to travel down this way. It detours me away from the goal I claim to desire, offering immediate relief to the angst in my inner being. It poses as a channel for my restlessness. I hate it. But Change has an anxiety of its own and Its payoff flirts elusively from around the bend ahead, in the future. And so, I slide along.

But then I read about Esau, “who sold his birthright for a single meal” (Hebrews 12:16; Genesis 25:29-34). He lost his future because he wanted – no, he needed – immediate relief from his hunger. He’d been out all day. He was tired. He wanted to escape his discomfort – now. But afterward, when he was ready to claim his birthright, it was not his to claim. He’d sold his future; in fact, it says in Genesis that he had despised his birthright. He had esteemed his immediate discomfort more than his future well-being.

That’s the way of Habit. It despises well-being as it clamors for immediate relief. It is like the old saying, the Good drives out the Best. It was not bad that Esau was hungry and tired. He’d worked hard all day. But he became impatient when he smelled the aroma of his brother’s stew and let himself stray from the path to his own tent to that of his brother. He didn’t pause to count the cost; the cost was intangible in the moment, further down the path than he felt he had the energy for.

How odd it is that peace is something that must be fought for; it must be won. And how powerless I feel in the moment of Habit’s ease and promised relief. The battle seems too hard. Wouldn’t that cookie make me feel so much better? Often, I don’t even know what is driving me, what the angst is that would send me off on the path away from true well-being. That’s the nature of Habit; it’s mindless.

I’m sorry for Esau. But I’m glad for his experience being recorded. It gives me something to grab when I start sliding along the path of Habit. It reminds me that God has plans for me to prosper! He’s given me hope for the future through the example of Christ, “who for the joy set before him, endured the cross”, who despised the pain in esteem for a glorious future (Hebrews 12:2). He promises peace when I give my mind (and my angst) to Him (Isaiah 26:3-4) instead of letting Habit have its mindless way.

I’m so grateful God has my well-being at heart, that He’s right behind me saying, “This is the way; walk in it (Isaiah 30:21). Don’t sell your future for a measly bite of Habit! Feast on Me instead”.

Hebrews 12:1-2 … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Isaiah 26:3-4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the Plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Strength of My Life

I’m sitting in my favorite corner at McDonald’s…in a fog…just staring into space…my back hurts…my mind is asleep.

And yet it is good to be still, open to what the Holy Spirit may say. For truly, I need His words in my inner being to drive away an old habit. I am weak, but HE is strong.

Lord, Lord, Lord…I need your strength to keep body, mind and spirit alert, alive, awake and fit.
A song comes to mind:

Every day I look to you, to be the strength of my life
You’re the One I hold on to, to be the strength of my life
Be the strength of my life; be the strength of my life; be the strength of my life today

You, God, through your word, through your love, mercy, grace, through your Holy Spirit are my strength. For I am weak today. I am weak and I am depressed. I am in pain in body, mind and spirit as I try to find the pleasant places of my boundaries, to appreciate the beautiful inheritance I find as your child.

I am limited, by your design…I limit myself, spurred often by Satan’s lies…and those limitations squeeze me into shutting down. There’s a frown on my face from concentration and effort. I move as though immersed in molasses.

Oh God…You are the strength of my life. Fill me with your enabling power to do good things; to climb out of the pit of despair and the boggy, miry clay. Despair is not my natural habitat, yet this morning it claws at me. Its boggy ground slows my feet, makes my steps harder, wears me down.
Father! Lift me on your eagle’s wings; renew my strength so that I may not faint. Hide me in your shelter; set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure.

I am leaving McDonald’s. Thank you, Father; I am strengthened for the day. The lines have indeed fallen in pleasant places for me. I may not be running, but I can walk now.

Psalm 16:6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 40:2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Foundation of Power

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ve always thought of “kingdom” in terms of the usual English definition: the king’s domain or territory, where its inhabitants are subject to the king’s rules and the “Kingdom of God” as the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled. If obedient, I’m in; otherwise I’m out. There’s a top-down feel to it.

But a recent word study revealed that the Greek word may come from a root word meaning “base” or “foot”. In its New Testament usage, it means, “foundation of power”. The Kingdom of God is a foundation of power. This is novel; this has a bottom-up flow. It seems to say that it isn’t so much a matter of where I put my head, but a matter of where I put my feet.

King David says in Psalm 40:2, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” And again, in Psalm 18:36, “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” As a warrior, David knew the importance of solid footing. He knew that having his feet under him and his body aligned with them would give him stability and power to remain standing in the middle of the struggle. I, also, have learned from martials arts training, that my “power” is astonishingly multiplied to throw or move men many times my size when my base, my foundation, is solid.

So now I ask myself, “What is the base empowering my response to __________?” Are my words and actions based on a slippery, squishy foundation of anger, pride, intellectual prowess, moral superiority or cynicism? Or are they based “on Christ, the solid rock”, empowered by God’s foundation of strength?

Lord, I pray, let your Foundation of Power come – be the bedrock of strength from which I build and live. Let your will fuel, in me, the capacity to do all those outrageously impossible things I find in the Sermon on the Mount, like loving my enemies, forgiving, practicing generosity and living peacefully in a world that is hostile. May your will be done in me and may my feet not slip from your rock; may the giants fall instead of little-ol’-me! Amen.

Psalm 18:31-32 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
– the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.

Psalm 89:14-16 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

"The One Who Went Down to His House Justified" by Randi Nelson

I was recently sharing a story that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector at prayer in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee, respected, learned, religiously at the top of the righteousness game, thanked God that he was not a sinner like other men, especially not like the tax collector across the way. The tax collector, on the other hand, “would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I was surprised, as I related the tax collector’s part, to find my eyes stinging and my throat tightening with tears. For a moment, I was in his place, broken, humbled, and seeking mercy from God.

He could have been bitter, wanting nothing to do with God or with that self-sanctified Pharisee and others like him. Rome had dumped this job on him; his neighbors despised him for it. Trapped, he could have become churlish, turning to abuse of his power over collections levies to buy his escape.

Instead, with honesty about his brokenness, he turned to God for mercy. His admission of sinfulness cut to the core; it stripped away all pretense. Why did I start to cry when telling his story? Because I realized that I am he; and I want to be more like him. I want to be more familiar with raw humility and honesty about my sinfulness. I don’t want my right-doing to insulate me from right-being.

Most times, I’m not under as much pressure as this man, so I can start to look and act more like the Pharisee. God forbid that I should become so insulated that I can’t be real with myself and with God. Because, as Jesus says, the one who truly “went down to his house justified” was the one

• who beat his breast in recognition that he was poor in spirit
• who mourned his plight
• who was meek, standing afar and unwilling to lift his eyes
• who hungered and thirsted for righteousness by acknowledging his sinfulness
• whose honesty revealed a purity of heart
•  who was persecuted even for his desire for righteousness

He is the one who was “blessed” (Matthew 5:1-11).

I love this guy. I’m so thankful his story moves me; there’s hope for this crusty heart of mine.

Isaiah 57:15 – For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite”.

Psalm 51:6, 17 – Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart … The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

"Like a Weaned Child" by Randi Nelson

Whether it is the depths of despair, pain of betrayal or the ecstasy of joy and wonder, the book of Psalms is candidly honest about the turmoil of human life. Yet it also declares that God, in his creative majesty and supreme righteousness, is ever present; his “lovingkindness endures forever”. His love overcomes, overarches, intercepts and permeates every human activity. God is not put off by our difficulties. He is ever-present to help and to comfort.

Delicately poised, after 130 expressions of life’s big emotions and just before a grand finale of 5 joyous praise-filled declarations, is Psalm 131 – three little verses so easily skimmed over that they hardly make an impression yet, if given attention, become stunning and timely.

Psalm 131 (NAS)

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or
in things too difficult for me.

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.

Swirling motion marching towards a final great Hallelujah suddenly stops. There’s revelation; a summation of our relationship with God in the picture of a child, a “weaned” child, calmly resting against its mother.

Take a few moments to think about each of these questions:

• What are the qualities of a “weaned” child?
• Regarding a weaned child, what does neither having a proud heart nor haughty eyes mean to you? Apply it to your eyes and heart.
• What does it mean to not involve yourself in “great matters” or “things too difficult”? Is there a personal application?
• Who is doing the composing and quieting?
• What are the conditions that make this sort of composure and quietness of soul possible?

I offer three words in answer to the last question.

Humility (verse 1):  I can get pretty worked up about my understanding of right and wrong in the world. But Jesus said that if we learn from him who is “gentle and humble” we will find “rest for [our] souls” (Matthew 11:29). He also asks, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27). To find rest I absolutely must acknowledge that I am just a weaned child, old enough to walk but not old enough, strong enough or wise enough to know how to get there without help.

Choice (verse 2):  Whether the child rests or squirms in its mother’s arms is up to the child. Mom can’t force the child to stillness. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Israel chose not to sit still and lost her blessing of peace. To compose and calm my soul is to forsake all agendas, even my prayer agendas, and to soak in God’s enfolding presence.

Trust (verse 3):  The child knows that in the crowd of big people, mother is safe. So also, we can trust that, “though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly” (Psalm 138:6). Some of us have experienced unsafe parents, but God is the ultimate strong, safe, gentle parent who loves and gives generously. He says, “Let the little children come to me … for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Mark 10:14).”

The weaned child has learned to wait for its food, to trust that it will be provided at the right time. The weaned child is not frantic about things that are overwhelming. The weaned child is autonomous yet dependent. The weaned child can rest and be comforted.

This week as we are positioned between an incredibly emotional and tumultuous election season and the build up to exuberant holiday celebrations, I encourage you to stop! Stop to absorb God’s tender grace and presence; stop to rest your head quietly upon God’s great shoulders; to climb into the lap of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Let him kiss and caress you. Let him sing songs over you.

O _________ [insert your name], hope in the Lord! For with [him] is steadfast love and plentiful redemption for you! (Psalm 130:7).

"Simplicity and the Cemetery" by Randi Nelson

“The Lord preserves the simple” (Psalm 116:6a). I’ve always sort of understood that verse as referring to the feeble, unsophisticated, poor or underendowed. But the other day as I read it again, I felt what Pastor Shannon Kearney used to refer to as a spiritual speed bump … that bounce that says, “Slow down, pay attention.”

So I researched the Hebrew word translated as “simple”. It comes from a root word that means to open; to be or make roomy. In other words, this verse could be read this way; “The Lord preserves the open, the roomy, the ones who quiet the noise and clear the clutter.” Ouch.

Life is noisy. My head gets full of stuff: to do lists, appointments, fatigue, failure. It gets full of arguments, both internal and external; full of worries, fears and yes … FUN! But even when it is fun, the stuff of life can drag a mind and spirit down; we can be “brought low” as it says in verse 2.

Becoming “simple”, to make one’s spirit “roomy” requires decisiveness. It requires a break in habit or pattern. It takes an act of willful openness. And then the Spirit comes forward with a little nudge, a quiet embrace, a word that encourages or enlightens.

But honestly, I have trouble, especially in the realm of unproductive habits, making room for His ministry. I can identify lots of important stuff that I want to talk with him about. But it all gets to be a jumble. Perhaps that is why something Mike Mercer recently said is resonating in the meditations of my heart. He said, “Invite God into your cemetery.”

So Simple: Identify what is dead. Open up and invite God in. Somehow this two category system, Life or Death, short circuits the complexity. It brings a degree of honesty that I could comfortably skirt with a bigger system of labels. “Lord, You know that habit of ___ that is making me crazy? I want to be real. It isn’t a matter of how I was raised; it is a matter of tombstones. Would you come into this dead place?”

Psalm 116:3-9 – “The cords of death encompassed me, and the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I beseech Thee, save my life!’

“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes our God is compassionate.

“The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For [God] has rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”

Praise the saving, gracious, righteous, compassionate, bountiful preserving God!

"Stuck in the Muck of Mansoul" by Randi Nelson

I’ve been trying to fast in meaningful ways during this season of Lent and I’ve discovered something: I am extremely good at moving the goal posts mid-play. If it gets uncomfortable, rationalize that my physical activity level doesn’t warrant that kind of nutritional hit. If it gets awkward, call it legalism and I’m off the hook. Better yet, question my motive. It’s pointless if I’m trying to manipulate God.

Might this be an insight to a couple of areas in my life in which I am stuck? For rather a long time I’ve been whining at God that I’m not seeing any improvement, asking him to “fix it” while I’m loathing myself for the bad fruit that is beginning to show. It’s getting uncomfortable because I’m not just stuck … the wheels are spinning and I’m sinking deeper!

I need repentance! I need to not just know some truth and continue trying to fix myself. I need to leave the goal posts where they belong, listen for God’s truth, and stay in the game until Truth cuts “sinew from bone” … until my heart is pierced! My flesh would rather avoid that unpleasantness. Yet doesn’t the Word promise that times of refreshing come from repentance? Doesn’t Jesus promise that Truth will set me free from the muck of what A.W. Tozer calls the “puny kingdom of Mansoul” and deliver me into the kingdom of God’s magnificent grace? 

Fasting does not bend God’s will; it tests my devotion. In my fasting failures I’ve realized my devotion is not as pure as I’d like to think. Maybe, if I stop playing referee in my fast, if I leave the goal posts alone, I will find the insights I need for a win in other areas of my life. If I keep my ears open, and remain quiet for the rest of the game perhaps I will be ready to face the only kind of pain that will bring an end to my wheel spinning … a broken and contrite heart. If I truly believe, how could I want anything less?

So hang in there, oh my soul! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)

"Making Room to Revival" by Randi Nelson

As sincere Christians we recognize corruption as a natural state in the affairs of mankind and that righteousness is a salty antidote. We know righteousness is the mark of one who lives “in the Spirit”. We know we often must choose between what comes naturally and what is against the grain of our natural selves. Yet, in our desire to bring a savory (pleasing by reason of effective seasoning; morally good) flavor to our world, we often find ourselves marching down a frustrating path of strife, legalism and failure.

For some time I’ve been grappling within myself over a relationship that needs “revival”. I’ve prayed and spent many thought-filled hours on the issues. Yet a barrier remains. My “saltiness” has been overpowering and my sweetness impotent. Lord, Lord, what do I do?
In “Keys to the Deeper Life,” A. W. Tozer uses Joshua 7-8, what is often referred to as “the defeat at Ai,” to illustrate this very situation. The army had experienced a resounding and bewildering defeat. The people cried, tore their clothes and prayed fervently. But God rebuked their efforts and told them to prepare to face their sin. Tozer points out that revival cannot take place until there is reform.

Am I ready to reform? Honestly, my initial answer was, “no”; I was adamantly entrenched in my own viewpoint. Then, gradually, I realized that however much I may yearn for revival and however desirous reform may be, I am just not able to reform my own heart. I might go through the motions and do all the right things (tear my clothes, pray, seek revival), but true righteousness is not something I can attain or achieve, no matter how motivated. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” The Apostle Paul said it this way: 

“… I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me …. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:21-24)

And so I’ve been stuck until a few days ago when it finally hit me: while righteousness is not something I can attain, it is something (someONE) I can make room for - a tweak of semantics with a powerful punch. Making room for the thoughtfulness of the Holy Spirit sends my own thought-filled mind to the backseat. Making room for Jesus to walk beside me allows his righteousness to shape the path out of my entrenched unrighteousness.  Making room for God to salt my heart, rather than grasping at the shaker myself, releases the balance of healing antidote I need. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v.25); the reforming of my heart is at hand; I have hope for revival.

Encouraging Words
Romans 7:24-25 – Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Matthew 11:29-30 – Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

“Spiritual Disciplines – the Highways to Zion” - Randi Nelson

One of my favorite places to go for a nearby nature fix is Mt. Pisgah. Many different trails are available, most of which end up at the summit where one’s exertions are rewarded with a nearly 360° panoramic view of the local cities, farms, rivers and mountains. The nice thing about multiple trails is that it gives me options. When I want to have a hard, up and back workout, I choose the main trail. When I want a less strenuous hike and have more time, I take another. When I want a more solitary hike, there are a couple of other places that I like to go.

It’s a good thing to have experience with each of these trails. That way, when the weather has been very wet, I know first-hand which trails will be impassable. If it is hot, I know which trails will offer the best breeze or most shade; when it is cold, I know where the most sheltered areas are; and when poison oak is in season, I know which trails to avoid!

So our recent exploration of “Spiritual Disciplines” only makes good sense to me. Experience with various practices and habits that carve pathways for intimacy with God in the good times, will prepare me for those times of adversity when one or more of the paths may be blocked or inaccessible. Psalm 84:5-7 (MSG) seems to agree:

And how blessed [are] all those in whom you live,
whose lives become roads you travel;
They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,
discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!
God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and
at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!

Opening the trails for God to travel in our lives requires some exertion on our part. We have to get off the couch and move. But the Holy Spirit is an extraordinary tour guide, delighted to meet us along the way, to show us new trails and to lead us to the very best views!

~Randi Nelson

Encouraging words:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8 (NAS)

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring, the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.”

— Psalm 84:5-7

“… The Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

— Psalm 84:11 (NAS)

"Celebrating Prayer" - Randi Nelson

Framed and hung on my office wall is a calligraphy print (by Greta Schrumm) done in many different fonts, colors and letter sizes. It says:

To pray is to

Laugh Whistle Dance on happy feet

Sing! SHOUT and jump! Higher than ever before.

But it is also to

whisper wonder stumble in dark places

Cry SCREAM or just hold a tired head in tired hands and wait …

PRAYER is our tired reaching out to the ONE

who holds us closer & loves us more than we would ever dare imagine.

What a wonderful reminder that prayer is not a drudging, legalistic activity. In the words of Jennifer Kennedy Dean, “Prayer is not an activity, but a relationship. It’s not something you do, but something you live.” Prayer is a dynamic interactive life with the Holy Spirit. It is breath for believers oxygenating the muscles of our faith. We inhale the Holy Spirit and exhale our joys and sorrows; breathe in the Holy Spirit and breathe out our triumphs and failures.

The calligraphy hung on my wall is also a reminder that I don’t need to know the right words or rituals for God to hear me. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” The most important thing any one of us has to do is show up.

God has equipped us with everything we need: His word to inspire us in knowing His will; the Holy Spirit to help us when we do not know how to pray; one another to increase our effectiveness and to share the load. Our job is to plug in and open up. As we do we become freed from the drudgery of having (or guilt of not having) a “prayer life” and we begin to live a “praying life”. Oswald Chambers calls it a life of “strong calm sanity”. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Randi Nelson

Encouraging Words:

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8

“… God will supply all your needs according to his riches …”

— Philippians 4:19

“… if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”

— Matthew 18:19

“… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.”

— Romans 8:26-27

Christmas Clichés

Two years ago, the unexpected death of a close friend suddenly stripped the holiday season of trivialities that often consume my attention and energy. As I literally walked with his widow (she was my walking partner!) through those awful, and yet sublime weeks that followed, often repeated phrases that had become cliché in the usual craziness of holiday rituals began to ring with meaning:

Peace on Earth
In the darkness of nighttime and torrents of tears God aches to pull us to himself; those who do turn to that embrace find real, inexplicable peace on earth … not just a hoped for peace in heaven. My widowed friend often wrestled with grief, fear and regret. But when those things threatened to paralyze, she would stand, cup her hands and lift her anxieties to her Abba (Father). His presence would wrap her up and give her the courage to move ahead. People marveled at the dignity and peace they saw in her.

Good will Toward Men
Her late husband had fully believed in the goodwill of God towards him which empowered him to practice goodwill towards others. Both husband and wife had spent years mentoring emotionally needy families and especially attention starved children. The love and care that blanked his family after his passing provided powerful evidence of what happens when we recognize and receive God’s goodwill toward us.

A Child is Born; A Son is Given
It all starts in the tenderness of God who longs to be gracious toward us. His will is that none should perish from ignorance of His love and so he gave the world his Son … Deity incarnate; a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses through whom we may also receive mercy and find grace to help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus leads us away from rigid rules toward reassuring, empowering relationship with our embracing creator. We can love because He first loved us (1John 4:19).

My prayer is that we hear old clichés ringing with sublime silver bells of Truth this Christmas!
-Randi Nelson

Hebrews 4:14-16 – Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Ephesians 2:13-14a – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace …

1 John 4:19 – We love because he first loved us.

We Three Kings of Orient Are

Last Sunday, as we peeled some of the layers of interpretations and traditions from the song, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” my spiritual imagination was freed to re-appreciate “the gifts that keep on giving” (as Pastor Dusty put it) in my own relationship with The King:

Gold: The beauty and high value we ascribe to gold in both art and commerce represents my Material Self. It encompasses everything I prize most highly: time, wealth, vocational industry, hobbies and even Bible study. It reminds me that my industry can be idolatrous (Isaiah 2:8 – … they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made) often marked by slavish dissatisfaction. But God has the antidote: Colossians 3:23 … whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men …. Gold reminds me that when I place my treasures before him I am less likely to get caught up in superficial or self-aggrandizing activities.

Frankincense: Treasured most for its fragrance, frankincense has an ethereal quality. Like my Spiritual Self it can’t be held or quantified in a material sense. It is the realm where attitudes, values and true motives for my industry hide out. This is where my life can become a fragrance of Christ to God (2 Corinthians 2:15) or a stench of deceit and manipulations. This is the realm in which the paradox of Matthew 10:39 plays out: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. When I give God the “life-line” of notions that keep me self-justified, He returns to me truly abundant life in the Spirit.

Myrrh: The bitter, earthy nature of myrrh parallels the failures of my Mortal Self. But its medicinal properties also indicate the sweetness of remedy: God sent Jesus as the oil of gladness instead of mourning (Isaiah 61:13). I can hide (withhold) my mortality in shame (as Adam and Eve did), or I can believe in His mercy, be honest (vulnerable) and give myself to God’s perfect love – the love that casts out fear (1John 4:18). When I give him my fear, my anxiety, my failure, He exchanges it for peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I will not hear this Christmas song the same way again … How about you?

Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

-Randi Nelson

From A to P

It wasn’t any one big thing; it was just a lot of little things: lots of travel, a particularly overwhelming experience and not enough sleep. My interior had sustained a stealth attack.  A web of infinitesimally fine fractures was making me anxious, unable to move back into the flow of “normal”. I felt fragile, as though I might be “undone” at any moment.

But then the worship team began leading us in the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”.  As I sang I thought, “Wow. It’s true; at the bottom of it all, my soul is taken care of.” Though my world may shake and the externals may fracture, nothing can alter the eternal security of my soul. Whatever comes my way, at the essence of my being it is well. If God is with me, who or what can truly prevail against me?

Yet, in those moments, I also realized that I needed to not just recognize the “truth”; I also needed to confess it to release the full force of its effect on those interior cracks. Confession is so much more than admitting my failures. Confession includes proclaiming Who God is and declaring the effect of those truths on my whole being.  In Psalm 42 the psalmist repeats, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

 That Sunday morning, as I spoke to my soul, “It is well”, the glue of his glorious truth seeped into those anxious fractures. I felt “peace like a river” morphing my previous fragility into stability. I left church as “more than a conqueror through him who [loves me]” (Romans 8: 37).

Praising my Savior and my God from A(nxiety) to P(eace)!

Randi Nelson

Romans 8:31-39– What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.