The Beautiful Unfolding

Tuning Into You

S: And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:4-5 (ESV)

O: During the Transfiguration, Peter starts talking about what he can do – how he can help – and right in the middle of his rambling, You, Father, interrupt him.

A: Boy, have I been there. You invite me to witness a miracle – something divine – and I start thinking (babbling in my mind) about what I can do instead of just being in the moment. Instead of just being present. Instead of just waiting, listening.

Instead of just taking it all in.

Sometimes I talk too much. Many times I do too much.

But in Your goodness, You interrupt my plans. Sometimes it overwhelms me – even though I know You – the uncertainty of the interruption startles me. And yet, You are always there. Reminding me to not be afraid. You help me get back on my feet.

You never give up on me – even when I don’t get it.

Truly You are God.

Loving. Kind. Patient.

Faithful.

Always reminding me, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

P: Lord, I want to tune into Your voice above everything else. I want Your truths to be a melody in my heart, a sweet sound I can’t wait to listen to. I want to block out every other noise, so that all I hear is You. If even just for a minute, I want to stop my babbling – my rambling thoughts and my doing – and simply hear You singing over me. I want to be reminded that above all else, You are God and I am not. Thanks for interrupting my plans. Thank You for reminding me to be still. I love You. Amen.

Photo by Jonas Mohamadi

Really? You Still Don’t Get it?

S: Jesus said, “Even after all that I’ve taught you, you still remain clueless?” Matthew 15:16 (ESV)

O: When I read this, I can’t help but picture Your frustration. And while I LOVE seeing this humanness in You, it also unsettles me a little bit. Because if You are frustrated with Peter, then certainly, You can be frustrated with me. Right?

Frustrated – expressing annoyance; irritation; the state of feeling annoyed, impatient, or slightly angry.

There is nothing wrong with these feelings! Afterall, they are just feelings. But somehow, in my mind, feelings are tied to love. And if You are annoyed with me, or worse, slightly angry, it means You don’t love me. Writing this out now, I can see the lie for what it is.

I get annoyed with people (especially MY people), but it doesn’t mean I don’t love them.

You get annoyed with people (especially YOUR people), too (I mean, I’ve read the OT), but it doesn’t mean You don’t love them.

Even here I see You still loving them through it. Still explaining it to them. And that’s love, isn’t it? Not giving up on someone. Not walking away. Instead, walking them through it. Helping them understand.

A: Anger is an emotion. And I am made in Your likeness which means I would have the same emotions as You.

But how I choose to respond to those emotions is what matters.

“In your anger do not sin,” (Ephesians 4:26).

Let love win.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I realize there are many times I don’t want to express myself or what I’m thinking – especially when I’m frustrated – because I don’t want the other person to feel bad or think I don’t love them. But, again, writing that out makes me realize this says more about my own insecurities, than it does about my true concern for the other’s feelings.

I think if I hurt them, they won’t think I love them, or worse, they won’t love me anymore.

But I can’t control how others choose to respond, and at the same time, I can’t just vomit every thought I have based on my emotions without a filter.

But it’s okay for me to feel. It’s okay for me to be frustrated.

Frustration ≠ withholding love.

Just like I see here. You were frustrated with Peter, but You didn’t withhold anything from him. You still explained the parable to him. You still helped him understand.

And certainly, You still loved him.

Just as You still love me.

No matter how many times I cause You to send a SMH emoji to the Father.

P: Jesus, thank You for helping me see a lie I’ve been believing. Thanks for showing me how to “feel” my frustrations. Thank You for the ability to feel and even HAVE emotions! But for my sake, and the sake of others, please help me to handle my emotions appropriately. Thanks for helping me. Sorry for all the times I might cause You to deep sigh or roll Your eyes. Thanks for not giving up on me. I love You.

Photo by Pixabay

I’d Rather Be Alone

S: Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. Matthew 14:13 (ESV)

O: You had just received word that Your cousin, John the Baptist, was killed and You withdrew to a desolate place. In this one sentence, Matthew captures a glimpse of Your humanness, and he pens it in his Gospel – the Gospel meant to reveal You as the Messiah. And though it breaks my heart to see You so sad, it also makes me fall more in love with You at the same time.

I wonder, Jesus, in Your desolation did You cry? Did You scream? Were You angry? Or Mad? Were there any words spoken at all? Or was this simply a moment of silent communion with the Father – Spirit to Spirit?

I imagine all of it.

And then, after pouring everything out – laying it all out before Your Daddy – I believe You looked upon Your Father and experienced a comfort – a filling – that could only be heavenly. A holy moment indeed.

Maybe it was then that You even broke out in song – worshiping Your Father, Your God.

A: Of course, none of this is penned in black and white – it’s only how I imagine it. But I know something happened there. Something divine transpired in this sharing of grief with Your Dad, because when You come ashore, You see the crowds and have compassion on them and heal their sick.

When I am grieving, when I’m upset or angry, the last thing I want to do is talk to anyone – even after I’ve been by myself.

But not You.

You turn to the Father. For everything. In everything. And it’s there that You find everything.

Everything needed to love and serve those around You. Everything that stirs compassion in a heart.

Love.

Even isolated on a boat – I believe You sought out Love. And I believe the Father poured out His Spirit until it overflowed out of You.

That’s the only way I can make sense of this. And love doesn’t seem to really make sense at all.

This is how I should respond when I’m sad and hurt.

I must turn to the Father. In the safety of His arms I can lay out the broken pieces of my heart. And He will put me back together. He will fill me with His Spirit, love and compassion. And He will guide me back to those who are hurting, so I can help them, too.

So I can point them back to You.

P: I love You, Jesus. Thank You for sharing Your compassionate heart with me. Please help me to have greater compassion for others – even when I don’t feel like I can, even when I’d rather be alone. Instead, please help me to always be kind. Help me to understand that we all have hurts, but You are always our safe place. Amen.

Photo by nastya_gepp

Let’s All Be General Store Managers

S: He responded, “Every scholar of the Scriptures, who is instructed in the ways of heaven’s kingdom realm, is like a wealthy home owner with his house filled with treasures both new and old. And he knows how and when to bring them out to show others.” Matthew 13:52 (TPT)

He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it. (MSG)

O: From the footnotes in the Passion Translation: These “new treasures” speak of new insights and understandings that are revealed at the proper time. The “old treasures” speak of truths that have been established, founded upon what God has already revealed. Teachers are to bring forth the revelation of God and his word as treasures to the people. We need both new and old insights.

A: Your Word never changes, nor do Your foundational truths. When I continue to read and study Your Word, You give me new insight and deeper understanding. I am always amazed when You show me something “new” and then You cross my path with another person who needed to hear exactly what You revealed to me.

This is why community is so important! This is why I love this SOAP group so much. It often feels like a “swap meet” – each of us swapping our treasures with each other, but never losing what we have and always gaining more! I can’t help but think maybe this must have been what it felt like in the early church: meeting in homes, praying together, and studying the Scriptures and sharing our revelations.

P: Lord, I want us all to be like general store owners! I want each of us filled with treasures and able to share all of what we have from You with others! This heavenly wisdom is far more valuable than anything else I own. Thank You for revealing Your ways to me. I love You, Holy Trinity!

Photo by Pixabay

I’ll Have To Think About That…

S: Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” Matthew 13:10 (ESV)

O: The footnotes in the Passion Translation read: “Throughout Hebrew history wise men, prophets, and teachers used parables and allegories as a preferred method of teaching spiritual truths. Poets would write their riddles and musicians would sing their proverbs with verbal imagery. Jesus never taught the people without using allegory and parables…To deny the validity of allegorical teaching is to ignore the teaching methods of Jesus, the Living Word.”

A: Jesus shared earthly stories with heavenly meaning. It’s the heavenly meaning that keep me coming back to the parables. There are many times when I don’t fully understand what Jesus is saying, but I am finding with continued prayer, meditation and study, Holy Spirit reveals the deeper revelation I am seeking. Sometimes it comes instantly, and other times it’s weeks, months, even years! Jesus’ parables cause me to look closer into my own heart and draw me into His life-changing teachings. I find the longer I walk with Him, the more He explains to me. The more I listen, the more He speaks.

P: Holy Spirit I am so grateful for You! Thank You for Your holy whispers! Thank You for guiding all of us who believe into deeper revelation. Please continue helping us understand – as deep cries out to deep – may we continue to seek more and more of Your mystery – that we may fall even deeper in love with You.

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My Careless Words

S: You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken. Matthew 12:36 (TPT)

O: Jesus is addressing the heart of the Pharisees here, after they accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. But in true Jesus fashion, He let’s nothing go to waste and takes advantage of EVERY teaching opportunity. While His words are directed to the Pharisees, they are meant for all of us to heed.

A: “…everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken.”

There it is. Written in letters of red, spoken from Jesus Himself.

I tremble at the thought of the careless words I’ve spoken and will speak if I do not get my thoughts under control. If I do not address the issues causing turmoil in my heart and mind, I can’t possibly win control over the words wanting to escape my lips.

“And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence.

For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!” James 3:5-12 (TPT)

P: Father, I repent from every careless word I’ve spoken. Please forgive me, Jesus, for not putting weight to my words – words I’ve uttered without thinking. How careless I have been! Could You ever forgive me?

Please, Holy Spirit, help me to think before I speak. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I need a Savior. I need You, Jesus. Thank You for hearing my prayer. I love You.

Photo by Malcolm Garrett from Pexels

The Hope We Don’t See Coming

S: Look well at my handpicked servant;
    I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
    he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
    there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
    won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
    the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
    among far-off unbelievers.
Matthew 12:19-21 (MSG)

O: You don’t intentionally draw attention to Yourself, and yet, You can’t help it. You don’t have to make Yourself known by yelling or bullying – forcing Your way with fear tactics. No.

No, You come much more quietly than that – but You come with authority – You come with the Spirit of God!

You come to bring justice and hope!

A: Our world feels so desperate for hope – ever since the fall. But today it seems the tension around us is increasing – people longing for something – Someone – to rescue them from all this confusion and chaos. They look for hope.

But it’s so loud – our world. The distractions. The noise. The smokescreens. The darkness.

Only those with a tuned ear can hear the quiet wave beneath. It is this quiet hope – a hope you don’t see coming. A hope that is already here.

You, Jesus, You are that hope!

The mere sound of Your name signals hope.

P: Help us, Holy Spirit, to proclaim the name of hope in all we think, say, and do. Help us to be beacons of light reflecting the love and hope of Jesus to our fellow man. I praise You, God! For You are here with us.

Photo by vonsasson

May Your Wonders Keep Me Humble

S: Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. Matthew 11:20 (ESV)

Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. (MSG)

O: How can I see the hand of God move in my life and not be humbled before Him?

A: Your presence in my life is evident – your saving grace written on every page of my story. I would be a fool to ever dismiss Your involvement as coincidence or luck! No! You are God – the Creator of the universe – and You love me. You care about me and want LIFE for me! For You have come to set the captives free! All of us held captive by sin – slaves to ourselves, our own little gods. But You continuously reveal Yourself in miracles every day!

But I will only see what I want to see.

If it doesn’t fit in my box, my way of thinking, I quickly find ways to dismiss it – reasons to doubt and question. I look for other ways to explain it, rather than embrace the mystery of Your miracle. Fool!

What am I looking for? WHO am I looking for?

Forgive me, Lord.

P: Holy Trinity, do not let me miss anymore of the miracles You perform. May my eyes be opened to ALL the works of Your hand! May I look upon these things and recall Your greatest miracle – the One Who made a way for me to be with You. The One Who deserves my highest praise. The One Who is the real miracle maker. May I look and see and know that You are God, and I am not. And may I be forever amazed at Your incredible works and wonders!

Photo by Pete Johnson

Are You In or Out?

S: “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Matthew 10:34-37 (MSG)

O: When I read this, I cannot help but think of 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (in the NIV), “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.”

A: There will be division – very black and white/darkness and light. It will be evident who is following Jesus and who is not.

So I must ask my own heart, am I with Jesus or not? Do my words and actions reflect a life devoted to Him and His teaching? Do I speak truth from God’s Word, or do I say with what is comfortable and acceptable?

“This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.” 2 Corinthians 2:17-17 (MSG)

I want to be a good steward of everything Jesus has entrusted to me. Even delivering the truth of His Word.

If I stay close to You, Jesus, if I learn from You (watch how you do it), I can see how EVERYTHING You did (and do), You do from a place of love. There is no ulterior motive. It’s just LOVE. And I must do the same.

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (MSG)

Because, You are Love. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love,” John 4:7-8 (ESV). This division is not one to be feared, but embraced. Because with Your Sword, You cut off that which is of the world, and free me for God. And In Him, I find love.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 (NIV)

P: Jesus, I chose You. No matter what, I chose You. Help me to be strong and courageous for Your namesake – to help set others free, too. Help me to LOVE as You love, so they will LOVE you, too. God, please help us. We need You. Save us from ourselves.

Photo by Fady Hassany

We Know The Shepherd

S: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:36-38

O: …because they were harassed and helpless. Other translations say: weary, helpless, confused, aimless, scattered – like sheep without a shepherd. I see this today. I see so many women wandering, wondering, looking for guidance & direction. They look to the church to be these things for them and are disappointed when the church falls short.

But the church was never meant to take the place of the Shepherd. Only the Shepherd can heal the broken sheep.

And we are all broken sheep.

But we know the Shepherd. We know where to find guidance and direction & rest for our weary souls.

We know the Shepherd. We know the One Who heals and protects.

We know the Shepherd.

We know Jesus.

A: We can help others find Him, too. You tell us, Jesus, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” You mean us! We are the workers! You, oh God, are the Lord of the harvest, and we are You’re workers. You will show us what to do – we can learn from You. Send out your workers, God!

Train. Equip. Release.

Those are the three words You’ve given me as instruction. Train. Equip. Release. We don’t have to be a pastor to help the sheep. We only have to know where to find the Shepherd, and lead others to Him.

And We know the Shepherd.

And the Shepherd knows us.

P: Lord, I need Your help. I love the sheep, Father. I don’t really know what I’m doing leading this group, but I’m trying, God. I want to see more workers in the field! Train us, Father! Equip us Holy Spirit. Release us Jesus! For Your name and Your glory!

Photo by Trinity Kubassek