From The Sheep Pen

The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. Exodus 14:9

For several mornings this week the fog has rolled in. Very often in autumn Meadows Valley is thickly slathered with fog from valley floor to the mountain peaks. It can be quite beautiful especially when the air crystallizes and the cat tails in the pastures are thickened with hoar frost.

Sometimes, though, the fog is so thick it seems to have swallowed up my entire yard into its grey belly. I can’t see past the driveway nor up the hillside. The sky disappears into the horizon but there’s nowhere to fix my eyes. I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. My vision shrinks to whatever is directly in front of me. I know the birds and deer are nearby but they are elusive, grey shadows. Such dense fog wraps itself around the soul. It is heavy on the heart like an old unwashed blanket or an unwelcome touch.

Fog is an apt metaphor for those troubled times when God’ piercing light seems to have gone out. The path in front of us is obscured so we tip toe tentatively, fearful of stumbling. Not knowing what surrounds us is crippling. What is familiar becomes strange. Dangers lurk and blessings are hidden. We feel disoriented and lost. In unfamiliar surroundings fog causes vertigo where it’s literally impossible to tell up from down. It is not a pleasant sensation.

“Oh, Lord, where are You? Get me out of this,” I complain. The unsettling aspect of fog is that without any sense of space , without visible connection to close by things, the mind plays tricks. Does God even know where we are? Does He even care? Am I here all alone? When in spiritual “fogginess”, time becomes endless. Trials happen, the fog moves in and, suddenly here I am losing my way, not knowing when God will bring me out into the light again. The grey timelessness of “being in the fog” requires great courage just to stay put, not to thrash one’s way out of it.

When fog or cloud or darkness come, it may very well be God’s protection over us. If we camp in the Lord’s secret place, He promises to hide us beneath the shadow of His wings so that neither terror nor pestilence nor the enemies’ arrows can penetrate. We reside in God’s safety zone. The Bible describes how “the cloud” hid the Israelites from their foes.

So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; Exodus14:9

The Israelites were hidden from their enemies by the Angel of the Lord who moved the cloud from before them in the day time to their rear guard at night. It was Israel’s enemies who could not see them. God always knew where they were.
Jesus said that the Father knows the exact number of hairs on our heads. His eyes never leave us. In other words God never ceases looking at us. He Always knows where we are, whether in blazing sunshine or in deepest fog. Day and night are as one to Him.

…and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night.

When it is of God, the cloud (or fog) of darkness gives light even in the darkness. Such is His power. If He chooses to cover us for a short while or for a long season, it may not be for us to know His reasons. No matter where we find ourselves, in light or darkness, with clear perspective or lost in foggy obscurity, Jesus is near by. He holds out His hand to lead us onward or outward. There is no greater promise than this one: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus promises to be nigh no matter what. Period and exclamation point!

You and I are never left to navigate through fog by ourselves. But when it comes, as it must, fear not. Rather thank the Father who hides us in His Son, to save, to redeem and to protect.

This morning as I was driving to church I scanned through Sirius Radio looking for something praiseworthy to get my heart ready for the service. An older song was playing and I found myself humming along. “Celebrate Jesus. Celebrate.” It is still quite a catchy, if now dated little tune.

I remember first hearing “worship music” in the church where God had dropped me off. I’d never heard music so personal, so loving, so…Jesus. I was raised on hymns and Latin ones at that. While beautiful and ethereal (and impossible to sing unless you were a monk) they were also impersonal. I pretty much gave up on church music – until I walked through my church’s doors on Mothers’ Day in the year 2000.

To celebrate the Person of Jesus! What an extraordinary concept! The word celebrate comes from the Latin celebratus which has several meanings as well as implications. It comes out of the Roman Catholic “celebration” of the Mass’s liturgy and may originally have been a formal religious application . In the Old Testament the Hebrew hallel meaning praise is closely related to celebrations. Praise to God and worship in the Temple especially when celebrating Jewish feast days were inseparable. In today’s vernacular usage it is to basically to praise someone or something or some event as great, important or worthy of acknowledgment.

I think of the holidays coming up in a few weeks. We talk about “celebrating” Thanksgiving and Christmas. And Easter, July Fourth, Presidents’ Day, Veterans’ Day and Mother’s Day. Even Punxsutawney Phil gets special recognition on Ground Hog Day. O course not all of these days deserve to be equally celebrated. While cute, the ground hog is but a furry rodent with yearly but elusive fame.

What of our Christian holidays and their impact on our heritage. How shall we as believers celebrate them? More and more the cultural impetus is not only to ignore the Christian basis of much that we celebrate, but to consciously degrade it. Christmas has become the shopping reason for Black Friday sales; Easter a kind of spring festival with chocolate bunnies and colored eggs abounding. Jesus has actually been “de-celebrated” on the very days of His life which we are to remember, honor, respect and especially rejoice in. If there is reason to remember our historical heroes on Presidents’ Day, how much more does Christ Jesus, God Incarnate who left heaven for us, deserve to be celebrated not just two or three days a year but every moment of our lives?

Who but Jesus has the power to save fallen mankind from destruction and is, thus most worthy to be celebrated? Whose Name but Jesus’ causes demons to tremble and the saints to shout Hallelujah. Who but Christ is the Lamb of God before whose throne we shall all stand in judgment and be accountable for our lives, celebratory or not.

Being free to celebrate Jesus now in this life is but a foretaste of what is to come. The fifth chapter of the Book Revelations describes what the ultimate heavenly celebration of Jesus will be like.

Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. In a loud voice they said: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”…Revelation 5:11-12

Spectacular. Majestic. Divine. All Words fail. Let us celebrate the Lord Jesus now in preparation. To Him be honor and glory forever more. Amen

The book of Genesis opens with a very short phrase:

In the beginning, God… Genesis 1:1

In those few words of Scripture God established three truths: the existence of a beginning, (time), the inferred existence of that which was before time (eternity) and the existence of One who is identified as God. Before the “what” of creation and the perplexing “why” of human existence Genesis declares the “when” and more importantly the “Who.” What follows in the story of creation when understood in biblical terms reveals that human life is divinely caused by God who was there at the beginning and then became involved with our species in time.

Sometimes a picture really does speak more than thousands of words. Michelangelo’s painting of the Creation in the Sistine Chapel which shows God’s finger reaching out to touch Adam’s hand impresses my heart where words fail. That which inspired Michelangelo to paint the inexpressible is the same Holy Spirit who reaches out His hand to me here and says that my life is neither random nor cruelly ordained.

From the beginning, God created us for hope and joy. The old Baltimore Catechism once instructed that our purpose on earth is “to know, love and serve God.” God’s love which reached down symbolically in Michelangelo’s painting toward Adam “in the beginning,” is the only light against worldly despair and Satan’s hopelessness.

There are men and women who do not want God in the equation. I read recently that a very large percentage of the British no longer believe that the first three of the Ten Commandments are relevant. Those first commandments are the basis of mankind’s relationship to God, to worship and to His Sabbath. It follows the opening pattern of Genesis: “In the beginning, God.” Moral law begins with the God, not with ourselves. Before the commandments about murder, adultery, stealing and covetousness can make any sense, never mind be implemented, one has to come back to asking Why? Why not kill or steal or be perverted if there is no God and we are random fly specks on the planet?

My life is often full of trials and sorrows, but more than that I’m blessed with the greatest hope. There is more wonder to come. He who was “in the beginning” does not change in His mercy and loving kindness toward those who love Him and believe in Jesus’ Name. No matter what messes surround me, I can choose by faith to insert God into my life’s story.

In the beginning, God..
Before I was born, God…
At my conception and birth, God…

When I think of Jesus, God…
When I forgive others, God…
When I need forgiveness, God…
At the cross, God…
On the morning of third day, God..
On the mountain top, God…

In the worst trial of my life, God…
In my greatest joy and happiness, God…
When the terror pounds at my door, God…

In the valley of the shadow of death, God…
When the doctor walks in, God….
When I am desperate, God…

When wars rage, God…
When wounded in the trenches, God…
When the enemy tries to destroys those I love, God…
When curses are unleashed, God…
When all else fails, God…
When I am totally alone, totally naked, God …

When blessings shower like rain, God …
In every second of my life which has gone, God…
In the hourglass which remains, God…
At my death, God…
When the last moment slips away, God…

What of unbelievers? I can almost hear the scoffers’ outrage. “Ridiculous! Belief in God does not have to be in any of those things. We can substitute science, reason and the greater social good. ‘Nothing’ exists after the…, least of all your Christian God.”

I wonder. Might I suggest writing a few life statements … leaving a blank or hole or whatever mental or emotional construct you who doubt God, nevertheless cling to. Then step back. Look inside the void and into your heart. Where is hope, purpose, satisfaction or personal progress? Nothing has been accomplished. The void is just a void. Only God creates something good out of nothing whereas the abyss is the devil’s hide out.

It is dangerous and foolish to climb onto the high place of Lucifer’s pride. It would be like clambering a scaffold in the Sistine Chapel ceiling and throwing a bucket of black paint over the image of God in Michelangelo’s masterpiece – and then claiming “ Look what an artistic genius I am!”

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. Luke 11:39

I’ve been far too busy again. “Martha Me” showed up at my door to take charge of everything that’s become messy and chaotic. At times, I welcome this “ Martha.” When my household is back in order and when I’m able to serve others without whining, there is a definite pay off in terms of job satisfaction. Well done, I say to myself. Got that To Do List checked off. The affirmation is visible and quantifiable.

The problem is that by the time Martha Me leaves, I am physically worn out. Pretty soon I’m “worried and troubled by too many things” because there is never enough time or energy to finish all the tasks. I forget that these are my “golden”, not the “go getter” years. When tired, I don’t spend time with the Lord to pray or write. When I’m physically exhausted, my defenses are down and the enemy makes his moves. When I focus on personal accomplishments instead of God’s blessings, I climb off God’s lap and sneak onto His throne.

Jesus loved his close friends Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. He also understood the two sisters extremely well. In Luke 11:38 ff., it is told that Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. Her gift was hospitality and generosity. But that very admirable trait quickly caused her to be distracted with too much serving which fell solely on her shoulders. And what of her sister Mary?

Luke writes that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. Some Bible versions say she listened to His “ message, His teaching, what He was saying, to His words.” Of interest, Mary also sat listening to Jesus, implying that other disciples were present listening to their teacher. Mary was right in the middle of them – not in the kitchen with Martha.

I can just imagine Martha fussing in the background, preparing the meal, muttering under her breath. Many of us have had these Martha situations when we are stuck cooking or cleaning up after a big meal while family members are nowhere to be found. Martha served because she was naturally a responsible woman and believed she was pleasing the Lord. But “doing” excluded her from what Mary enjoyed, time with Jesus.

Mary has sometimes been depicted as the spoiled, even lazy younger sister. She allowed Martha to do all the work while she indulged herself with the Lord at Martha’s expense. Thus, Isn’t Martha’s resentment just a tad justifiable? Jesus would say, No. We are admonished against resentment.

Jesus replied, … only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

Mary too had a gift. If Martha’s heart was to serve, then Mary’s heart was to be with Jesus, listening to His Voice and adoring Him. When Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, she responded as a disciple because in the Jewish tradition sitting at a rabbi’s s feet was a sign of following him. Jesus’ words addressed Mary’s hunger and yearning. His presence in the household drew her close, but Jesus’ message was the Gospel of God’s kingdom. Mary responded to the power of the Word of God – the better part which could not be taken from her. Like the two disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus, does not our Mary heart burn as Jesus teaches us and opens our minds?

I understand both women. The role models I grew up with were stoic German versions of Martha: busy, organized – and exhausting themselves for others and who like Martha were not always quiet or gracious servants. I am quite good in the Martha role but when Jesus says it is the lesser good, the Holy Spirit invites me to examine what my heart really desires.

It’s Mary I long to be like – Mary who hangs on Jesus’ every word; Mary who is curious and inquisitive; Mary with hunger for truth; Mary with the God given capacity to learn attentively; Mary in the presence of the Word. I don’t want to put Martha Me away entirely. I need her at times and Jesus definitely loves her also. What I desire is the better part commended by the Lord Jesus. The better part is the grace and wonder of Jesus Himself.

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

What a wonderful gift we have in Christ! By the indwelling of Holy Spirit we get to serve Him out of gratitude, gaze upon His blessed face in adoration and hear that beloved Voice speaking, teaching, revealing and transforming.

… and you shall give Him the name Jesus. Luke 1:31

There is power in the Name of Jesus. Intercessors pray in Jesus’ Name; worship leaders praise and worship His Name. Pastors lead the sheep in Jesus’ Name. In our darkest hours do we not secretly cry out the Name of Jesus? However, power in prayer, intercession and worship is more than saying “in Jesus’ Name.” Our souls are infants seeking sustenance from the Lord who then empowers us by His Name through the Holy Spirit. Power in Jesus’ Name to move God’s hand comes through the Word. It is written.

The first chapter of Luke reveals why Jesus’ Name is powerful.

1. v. 31… and you shall give Him the name Jesus. There is power in the Name of Jesus for Jesus was named by God. Both Luke and Matthew recorded that the angel Gabriel told Mary what to name her child. Since angels bring God’s messages to men, Jesus’ Name came from the Father. Before Mary knew anything else about her child, she knew the Name that God had given Him. His Name was divinely ordained and prophesied.

2. v. 32 …and will be called the Son of the Most High. There is power in the Name of Jesus because Jesus was royal. The angel said that He would be called (that is, he prophesied God’s intentions) “ the Son of the Most High” for the Lord God Himself would give Him David’s throne and a kingdom without end. Kings exercise power and authority in their name. In the Hebrew tradition, a person’s name manifested and was inseparable from his character. Thus, the Name of Jesus manifests the power of royalty, greatness and position.

3. v. 34 So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.… There is power in the Name of Jesus for it is holy. Gabriel told Mary that her child is the Holy One, the Son of God. The Jewish people were God’s Chosen People, a holy nation because God is holy. From Abraham’s burning bush in the desert to the present day, God’s Presence demands us “to take off our shoes” in holy fear and trembling. When asked how to pray, Jesus said. ” Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name”, acknowledging the Father’s holiness. To pray in Jesus’ Name is to acknowledge His divine holiness as the Son of God, for whom, At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Philippians 2:10. Prayer too must take off its shoe and bow its knee at Jesus’ Name.

4. v 34. …. He will be called the Son of God. Ex. 20: 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. There is power in the Name of Jesus because His Name carries the full weight of God’s authority and brings God glory. The Lord told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. “ (Mathew 28:18). In John 14:13-14 Jesus taught, … And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Praying in Jesus’ Name we will not pray in vain because Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand, the position of authority. Through the Holy Spirit’s power we share in the authority of Jesus’ Name.

The Name of Jesus is not to be profaned. Jewish law forbade the utterance of God’s revealed Name, Yahweh. Thousands of years later, the Third Commandment is violated continuously. Christians are no longer under the Mosaic law, but we are not released from God’s divine commandments. We are not to use God’s name irreverently. Should we not also respect and honor the name of Jesus, God’s Son and our Lord ? If it is sin to speak God’s Name vainly or dishonorably, then may the Holy Spirit convict us whenever the Name of God’s Son is uttered disrespectfully or worse, when it become a foul profanity. Taking this a little further, when Christians pray and tack on “ In Jesus’ Name” at the end, “amen-ing” it like a post script, without intentionality, reverence or Godly fear, we dishonor the Name of Jesus and break commandment.

5. … and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. There is power in the Name of Jesus because His Name alone means Salvation and fulfills the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us.. As God Incarnate, only Jesus’ Name saves. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:14. Jesus’ Name becomes a stumbling block to those who do not believe in Him. Sadly, some Christians no longer pray openly in Jesus’ Name because they don’t wish to offend anyone. But the Lord’s Word can’t be clearer: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:16. Salvation comes through and solely by faith in His Name where all power resides.

6. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 There is power in the Name of Jesus because His Name fulfills all prophecy made about Him. He is Messiah – wonderful, mighty, everlasting Counselor, Father and Prince of our peace prophesied in Isaiah. He is the Salvation of Israel promised to Zacharias and Anna. In Luke’s last chapter, on the road to Emmaeus Jesus opens the eyes of two disciples who were “slow to learn all that the prophets had spoken. ” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself. L Luke 24:27

There is power in Jesus’ Name because when we pray in His Name according to God’s will, as He taught us, our prayer calls into existence what is not yet manifested. To pray in the Name of Jesus is to prophesy with power. How magnificent and beautiful to share in the Lord’s divine Name.

Therefore, in Jesus’ Name I do humbly pray. May the power of Jesus’ holy, divine, royal, saving and prophetic Name fall upon these words and upon those who read them!

There is power in the Name of Jesus

The difference between Christian prayer and all other prayers of faith is that we pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus, acknowledging that we pray, petition, supplicate, thank and ask not by any human authority but in Christ’s power and authority.

We pray in Jesus’ Name because the Lord made a promise in John 14:13-14, that our prayers would be heard and answered after His death and departure. While He was among them, his disciples had no need to pray in His Name but afterwards the Lord would empower them in a new way through the Holy Spirit. He would not leave his disciples floundering, alone or orphans.

And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.…

We pray in Jesus’ Name because His Name alone comes with divine power, authority and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. To invoke the Name of Jesus is not a trifling matter for there is no name above Jesus. The Scriptures declare

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11

If Jesus’ Name alone demands that all of heaven and earth bow down before Him, then invoking His Name in prayer should never be done casually. James warns that we receive not because we ask amiss. Our prayers aren’t heard because we pray out of the flesh. Sadly, that can also mean that praying “in Jesus Name” thoughtlessly or for the wrong reasons may actually become a prescribed ritual, not the act of worshipful obeisance Paul describes in Philippians. We cannot allow the precious name of the Lord to become a post script to prayer or Christianese jargon no more efficacious than mantras uttered by pagans.

We do believe God’s Word. In John, Jesus again instructs His disciples to ask and receive in His Name.

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

It is joy to ask and know that the Lord will give us what we ask when we pray in His Name. Nevertheless, sometimes people of faith need to wrestle with God’s mysteries. Over thinkers like me dig into questions like, “Where does power in the name of Jesus originate? Well,” Believer replies, “it comes from the Holy Spirit. “ Indeed it does. To my great delight, it begins in the first chapter of Luke.

In my next post , I will look at Luke 1:31-35 and what these Scripture may reveal as “ power in the Name of Jesus.”

All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you. Psalm 145:10

Ode: a lyric poem exalting someone or something in a very elaborate way.

In just a few days, summer will officially move over for fall. Realistically, summer is already over. It is cold, windy and the gardens froze black overnight. This summer was abundantly filled with family visits and long, sun filled days outside in this beautiful country. I can’t remember another which I enjoyed as much. It was both prose and poetry, like a good book I didn’t want to end and like a poem wiggling inside.

This post is neither an ode nor poetry. For some of us former English Lit majors the lyricism of the English Romantic Poets still stirs our hearts to dream about writing great poetry ourselves. Now however, poems like John Keats’ “Ode to a Grecian Urn” speak of youthful daydreams rather than the autumnal season I’m settled into. Ancient pottery doesn’t inspire me to loftiness.

There’s another “ode” with which many of us are familiar. Beethoven’s last movement in his 9th Symphony, “Ode to Joy” was set to a poem by Friedrich Schiller. Two beats into the magnificent score and we’re compelled to at least hum along. Search the Internet and you find it’s a standard choice for flash mob performances in public places. especially around the holidays. The powerful music lifts us to soar higher.

Schiller’s poem came out of German mythology and personified joy as “daughter of Elysium” where the gods resided. Beethoven worked the same Teutonic worldview into his Ode, celebrating freedom and joy of the human spirit. Then in 1907 Henry Van Dyke wrote new lyrics to Beethoven’s piece, transforming it into the hymn “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”. It seems to be based on Psalms 104 and 148, praises to God the Creator as joy bursts forth from all creation.

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

Isn’t this the response the Lord would always have from us – joy, praise, music and poetry coming out of our pores? We are born to be poets in God’s eyes for we are created in His own image, sharing in His creative character. What comes out of us in praise and thanksgiving to Him stirs inexplicable joy because we know that impossibly, the dust can sing! Clay can write poetry. Dry bones can dance. Humankind is wired for exaltation.

And so as summer ends I offer joyful praise. May the Lord be praised for sun drenched days and cool mountain nights; for days filled with surprises outside my door- be it snake or squirrel, bluebird or black raven, tender roses or wild geraniums. I thank Him for family and friends visiting, especially our grandkids who are joy magnets. For every moment in the darkness and for every lesson learned, for hot sleepless nights when I found Presence in prayer, Lord, thank you. I exalt and praise that Your Word on Sunday mornings becomes my ode of freedom in the market place.

I am no Schiller or Keats and can’t compose symphonies; I’d really have to work hard to write a formal ode. Greek vases and gods of the imagination don’t inspire me any more. Jesus’ Holy Spirit does. It’s His Word which breathes life and poetry into words such as mine and these.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life. Henry Van Dyke 1907

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7
In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. Psalm 25.1

Hope seems to be disappearing for many people in these days of increasing calamity and bloodshed. Whether we ourselves suffer terrible trials or see other people struggle in the aftermaths of horrific devastation, the human heart is severely tested to cling to any hope at all. Hurricane Harvey’s destruction of lives, homes and entire communities are graphic and horrific. The images of people’s ruined lives are impossible to ignore or forget. The hurricane is but one example. Lately the planet is like the stage setting of a tragedy, with each act more mind numbing than the last. Where is the hope for men when life goes terribly wrong? Why even hope at all?

Where is hope to be found?

In the Greek myth of Pandora, Zeus gave to Pandora a beautiful box, warning her not to open it. However, her curiosity won out and she opened the lid. Out of the box flew every human evil: sickness, jealousy, contention, anger, toils and troubles without end. The only thing which did not escape from the box was hope. The story is meant to explain human behaviors – and offers hope to diminish their poisons. However, the back story of the myth reveals that Pandora’s box was a punishment and a curse from Zeus. It was not intended as a gift. It was to get even with mortals – and to destroy them further with “false” hopes. For what kind of hope is there in capricious, demanding, controlling gods/spirits/demons ruling from Olympus? In modern language how can “the universe” fulfill any hope for families drowning in unstoppable storms and overtaken by filthy, muddy waters?

Hope can only be understood when there is assurance that what we hope for will be realized. That implies faith in Someone not something, who has the desire and power to fulfill. The universe may be physically powerful, but it shows neither mercy nor compassion to those it batters.

Christian hope is far different from Pandora’s pale leftover. It comes to us through the Biblical God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of covenant and chesed, , who offers fallen mankind solace, the beacon of hope in darkness. The God of Christian faith is not one of the fitful, capricious Olympian gods. He is the Lord of Hosts, all powerful, merciful, faithful, just and kind whose Presence dwells with men. Our God of Hope forgives, not destroys; draws us closer to Himself instead of rejecting; forgives instead of punishes. He loves us as His children and desires only our good, never evil. He is jealous for us, not against us. God, the Hope of Israel, is “our hope of glory” in Christ Jesus. Lord Jesus offered Himself for us so that we would never, ever have to lose hope again. That is the new covenant we received through Him who died to atone for our sins, sins due solely to man’s fallen natures and not his metaphorical excuses. Jesus promises and fulfills every promise of the Father. We have hope because of Jesus and through Jesus alone. Therein is truth and life no matter what disasters unleash upon us.

As the floods of Texas and Louisiana crescendo and then recede over the land, who but the Lord God can offer the desperate hope needed by this nation and the world? For God is God of the living and not the dead. Once life is gone, what need is there to hope? In heaven all our hopes are realized in the Light of the Godhead. And in hell? Dante chillingly described the entrance to hell in The Inferno. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here. “ In hell, the soul is damned eternally and eternally without hope.

I believe that God gave us hope for this present life as one of His treasures. As long as we live, we have the hope of finding goodness, mercy, justice and security, not as external abstractions but because those are the gifts of God’s divine character and manifested in Jesus. Because of Him alone, we hope not only to survive but to end extremely well. Hope is an open hand beckoning us onward into eternal life when there will be no more tears, forever and ever. Hope shall be fulfilled in glory.

The waters will rise and the earth will shake, wars will destroy and blood will be shed, but those who place all their hope in God testify of Him.

My hope is in You, Lord
All the day long, I won’t be shaken by drought or storm
A peace that passes understanding is my song
And I sing my hope is in You, Lord
Aaron Shust

Praise Him in His mighty firmament. Psalm 150:1

Less than a week ago, the solar eclipse was of major interest. Huge crowds were expected to overwhelm small towns where shrewd speculators hoped to turn eclipse mania into hefty profits. As it turns out, the crowds were large but not the predicted multitudes and some folks reported they’d lost money in the process. Five days later the eclipse is already old news, an old waning moon no longer in the spotlight. Today it is Hurricane Harvey battering Texas. Next week something else will grab our attention for 24/7.

For a day or so we compared two and a half minute eclipse experiences and posted photos. As it turns out the difference between totality and even 99% partiality was dramatic. The smallest sliver of the sun curved like a crescent behind the moon created a shadowy, grey light on my driveway but not total blackness which my daughter experienced in Rexburg. I watched through the special glasses. She could look directly at the full eclipse. She saw the moon turn blue with sun flares radiating outward into a corona of light. I was in dusk; she was in midnight. She said she cried because the sight was beautiful beyond words.

The sight was no less glorious for me. I remember that Scripture is replete with poetry about the sun, the moon and the stars. That Biblical poetry is meant to sustain and inspire us, especially during phenomena such as eclipses. I think of King David looking up at the heavens filled with countless stars, being so deeply moved by the sight of God’s grandeur to compose extravagant praise to God.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Psalm 8:1
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; Psalm 8:3

The king is full of awe, proclaiming the Lord’s creation in the celestial bodies. But what I find most marvelous is that the psalm then looks inward, away from the heavens, realizing that this God of wonder and power is actually mindful of man. God visits him. He is made a little lower than the angels. He is crowned with glory and honor. The psalm reflects God’s divine order before the fall. In the Garden man was created for glory; he was entrusted with all creation.

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet…Psalm 8:6

For a very brief time last week a host of faces looked intently up at the heavens. Astronomers and scientists were intrigued. For eclipse groupies it was “nature” doing an unusual thing. I’m guessing that quite a few people thought it no big deal and were disappointed. Some were moved to tears by the brevity and the beauty. For those of us who love God and His eternal truths, the moon passing totally or partially in front of the sun is a poem as ancient as the heavens. Just as David was inspired by the night sky to celebrate God’s majesty and treasure His nearness, shall we not also be moved to awe? To praise? The Lord of the universe is paradoxically close. He is mindful of us. God’s Mind is fully attentive to us. Is this not incredibly, amazingly , unbelievably cause to proclaim David’s own joyous words?

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars Psalm 148:3

for His name alone is exalted, His glory above the earth and heaven. Psalm 148:13

For months Monday’s upcoming solar eclipse has captured the quirky imagination of the nation and the media’s momentary attention. It’s estimated that countless thousands of people are on the road in Idaho to camp out in places like Weiser, Council, Smith’s Ferry and Riggins, small towns which are in the eclipse’s totality – and therefore prime eclipse viewing country. It seems that “fly over country” needed a little cosmic drama to be put on the map. People have gone gaga about the eclipse, become moonstruck so to speak. Although traffic promises to be snarled for hundreds of miles and hyper cell phone usage threatens to shut down services, people want to be part of this and to party. So, the partyers and weirdos will party on and be weird, all for a celestial show of less than five minutes.

The moon will overshadow the sun around 10:00AM above my home – and I do want to see it in this lifetime. Dan and I’ll relax on two chairs on the driveway and we will watch from an almost perfect viewing spot. I want to see what God has wrought. I expect to be awed. I don’t believe the eclipse is, as some folks are saying , an apocalyptic sign and wonder or dire prophetic warning about coming cataclysms. Certainly, we don’t know the day or the hour for God’s Judgment. It is His timetable to fulfill.

I want to see the eclipse because the God of Creation is showing off His handiwork. What a marvelous opportunity to give Him praise, for in the beginning it is God who set the sun and the moon in place and ordained their positions and paths toward earth and then said “It is good.”

God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. Genesis 1:16-18

The cosmic order was set into place from the very beginning of time. I think God would like us to see the eclipse with joyful wonder. It is an awesome occurrence in the true sense of the word: “overcome with awe”. May it stir us into restlessness for something, for Someone greater than ourselves. Looking upward into the sky, we see a natural phenomena but sense mystery. An indescribable longing begins as God draws us toward Himself. And then the conversations begin. As the psalmist wrote,

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3

As the moon covers the sun, day becomes like night and the stars suddenly sparkle in the heavens, might not God’s still small Voice whisper? “It’s not an eclipse party you’re heart is chasing. It is God who is chasing after you.” The God who created the heavens and the earth, who formed you in your mother’s womb is Love. His desire is to eclipse you with His glory.” And that glory? It is not the sun or the moon. It’s Jesus, the Messiah prophesied by Malachi.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. Malachi 4:3

Anything less than the Son of God’s eternal, righteous glory is a five minute shadow show, like the moon passing in front of a star.