ENCOUNTER: DAY 13

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 13

Genesis 16:7-9, 13

The angel of the LORD found Hagar near
a spring in the desert; it was the spring
that is beside the road to Shur.

And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai,
where have you come from, and where
are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress
Sarai," she answered. Then the angel
of the LORD told her, "Go back to your
mistress and submit to her."

…She gave this name to the LORD who
spoke to her: "You are the God who sees
me," for she said, "I have now seen the
One who sees me." (NIV)


MEDITATION BY Heather Bresser


El Roi means "the God who sees." Recently I read this passage, understanding that God sees, but I was plagued with the question of whether he cares. “How can you be the God who sees and cares when you sent Hagar back into the situation she just ran away from?” I challenged the Lord: “If you cared, wouldn’t you change it?!”

God’s answer came in waves. The first was conviction from the story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark chapter 4. What was the disciples’ accusation? “Teacher, don’t you care…” And Jesus’ response? “Do you still have no faith?”

Next was a better understanding of Hagar’s situation. She was a servant. Given to Abram by Sarai “as his wife,” Hagar obviously didn’t have the rights of a wife. Sarai claimed Hagar's child before he was even conceived, and Hagar continued to serve as Sarai’s maid, without the protection of the baby’s father. She was unloved, invisible, a means to an end, unseen. But God saw Hagar, and he cared enough to seek her out.

Finally, God reminded me of a story from my own life. One spring day, I was walking beside a pond where some geese had laid their eggs nearby. Apparently, the groundskeepers were trying to keep the eggs from hatching, as one man chased off the geese with a rake while the other shook the eggs. Although seemingly trivial, the situation struck a cord in my heart, one of deep sadness for the loss and helplessness of those geese.

That night, I asked the Lord why I was so distressed over it all. After all, it was just geese and a few eggs. Why did it touch me so? Then, the explanation became clear. It was an answer to my question, “Do you care?” If I felt such a deep hurt for the geese, how much more does God feel my hurts, my losses, my failures?

God didn’t change Hagar’s situation. He didn’t remove her struggles, but she was a nobody who knew she was somebody in God’s eyes. She who was unseen had been found by the One who sees.

God the Father didn't change the situation as Jesus faced the cross and prayed, "Father, if possible, remove this cup from me. Yet, not my will, but your will be done." He saw my helplessness and cared enough to let Jesus step into history and suffer in my place.

REFLECTION


In what areas of your life do you feel unappreciated or unseen? Ask God to meet you in those hurts.
How does it affect you to know that the One who sees, cared enough to die for you?


Who can you encourage today by reminding them that Jesus sees them and cared enough to suffer for them?

ENCOUNTER: DAY 12

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 12

Mark 10:17-22

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran
up to him and fell on his knees before
him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what
must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus
answered. "No one is good—except God
alone. You know the commandments:
'Do not murder, do not commit adultery,
do not steal, do not give false testimony,
do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all
these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One
thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything
you have and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad,
because he had great wealth. (NIV)

MEDITATION BY Mike Brantley


Enter the scene: blinding sun, animal smells, and dust. Jesus concludes and in the departing bustle, a rich young man runs and falls at Jesus’ feet. In those days, the rich never ran and certainly never knelt to a peasant—prophet or not. But he pleads, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What brought him to such desperation?

Look closer. He is not a Pharisee, but a Sadducee: the social elite controlling Palestinian life. This young man enjoys privilege and influence with the Romans. He’s culturally Hellenized and his faith justifies his station in life. If he had it all, why did his religious life not satiate his ache? Jesus responds, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” He continues, “You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.”

Jesus did not choose commandments regarding our relationship with God, but our relationships with people, our common life. The young man’s response reveals his awareness that his religion has not reconciled him to God. “Teacher, all these things I have kept since I was a boy.” Even his words resound his ache. At this, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Of course he “looked” at him, but this is eye-to-eye. Of course Jesus loved him. Yet, here again, Mark tells us something deeper—this is a specific, deep love.

Recognizing his sincere desire for more, Jesus replies, “One thing you lack...sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

This young man is confronted with what he really loves—his heart’s desires. Jesus calls him beyond religion and “sin management.” With true life within reach, Jesus reveals that the desires of the rich young man’s heart are worthless, cheap plastic, and calls him to discard it all and follow. “At this, his eyes fell.” Stop here and catch this climatic moment. The instant he broke eye contact, the young man's decision was made. He could not bring himself to give up the life he loved. He came thirsty, but expected an answer he could control—maybe a religious accessory or discipline to make life smoother. He wasn’t expecting real life to demand reckless abandon.

I was taught that this passage regarded money. Yet, recently I’ve embraced this absolute consuming call to stop distracting my heart with meaningless, unsatisfying desires. As you proceed through Lent, may Jesus expose every entangling, distracting hindrance and transform you to freely and recklessly abandon all.

REFLECTION


Why are you participating in Lent and reading this devotional? What does your heart desire?


Are you in love with temporal, hindering entanglements? What are they?


If you have reduced following Jesus to religious piety and sin management, what is he saying to you right now as you lock eyes?

ENCOUNTER: DAY 11

LEAVING BEHIND THE THINGS THAT WEIGH US DOWN,GIVING OURSELVES TO REPENTENCE, AND PRESSING AHEAD TOWARD PROMISE REDEMPTION.


SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 11


Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you, he is
mighty to save. He will take great delight
in you, he will quiet you with his love, he
will rejoice over you with singing. (NIV)


MEDITATION by Amy Galloway


I always have difficulty sleeping the night before a conference that I am leading or teaching. Last minute details and final revisions to my teaching run endlessly through my head.

To calm my spirit, I usually spend those hours in prayer, entrusting the loose ends to Jesus. It is here I often ask the question, “Lord, what is your heart for this group?” Oh, the beautiful things he impresses upon me in those moments!

During one retreat, I sensed he wanted every woman to leave the retreat like Ruth when she left the threshing floor where she had sought the favor of Boaz—each woman's shawl would be filled with sustenance to take back to her home, family, and ministry.

On another retreat, God impressed upon me in those wee hours of the night that his heart’s desire was to rejoice over the women with singing.

Most often, when we think of songs in the Bible, we think of the praise and worship we ourselves lift up to the Lord. But there are a few times in scripture where God himself is singing or orchestrating songs on our behalf. Psalm 32:7 says, “You surround me with songs of deliverance…” Job says his maker gives “songs in the night” (Job 35:10). And Psalm 68:6 tells us, “God leads forth the prisoners with singing…” How amazing to realize that among the activities of the spiritual realm we are not yet privileged to see, is the singing of our God over us!

As we come alongside missionaries to support them, we see many significant moments of healing rooted exactly in Zephaniah 3:17—he is with us, he will save us, he delights in us, he will quiet us, and perhaps sometimes he is even singing these truths over us.

It is easy to become despondent about the pervasive problem of sin in our hearts as we take a long, hard look at our brokenness during the season of Lent. Our true transformation comes not only when we recognize our sinfulness, but also when we hear the unmistakable song of the Good Shepherd telling us how much we are loved in spite of our failings and wandering hearts. This beautiful verse in Zephaniah is tucked into a book whose theme is predominantly a pronouncement of judgment over the nation of Judah for their unrelenting waywardness. Despite this, the Lord says to them, “Don’t you see how I long to save you, to delight in you, to rejoice over you with singing? Return to me!”

As that retreat unfolded, God indeed “sang” over each woman: beautiful songs of delight, strength, encouragement, and renewed purpose, despite the messiness of life in their marriage, team, or ministry. It was a beautiful picture of the transforming power of God’s love. May we, too, have ears to hear the songs of love inviting us to return to him.

REFLECTION


In the past, have you experienced God "singing" over you? What were the circumstances?


What kind of song do you need to hear from God at this time in your life? A song of deliverance? A song of comfort in the night? A song to persevere? A song of celebration?


Which phrase in Zephaniah 3:17 stands out the most to you and why?

Awaken: Day 10

REMEMBER, YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN.
SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 10


Hosea 5:15 - 6:2

Then I will go back to my place until they
admit their guilt. And they will seek my face;
in their misery they will earnestly seek me.

Come, let us return to the LORD. He has
torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he
has injured us but he will bind up our
wounds. After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us, that
we may live in his presence. (NIV)


MEDITATION by Bill O’Byrne


Some of the Russian leaders I work with were hungry for more of God and decided to go through the prayer exercises of St. Ignatius. One of the most difficult weeks is summarized by this prayer: “Lord, give me a growing and intense sorrow for my sins.” That prayer also expresses the essence of Lent.

Vladimir recently complained to me about his journey through this exercise: “Who wants to spend a whole week meditating on his sins? I’m just digging up all this dirt. Where is God’s presence in all this? I’m used to feeling guilty, or sensing the Spirit’s conviction of sin. But I hate dwelling on it all the time! I can’t wait for this week to be over!” “What were you praying for this week?” I asked. “Did God answer that prayer?” As we unpacked Vladimir’s experience of the exercises, we saw that God was indeed answering his uncomfortable prayer.

Vladimir had gone beyond seeing how his behavior hurt others and offended God’s holiness. He was realizing how his attempts to find comfort and fulfillment apart from God are self-defeating, how pervasive his pursuit of control is. Both effectively push God and his love away.

Hosea’s prophecy is a blistering litany of Israel’s misplaced search for control and comfort. God’s strategy is not simply to punish Israel; he wants to wean them from their false dependencies. He does that in love by leaving Israel alone with its sin.

The life God longs to give me in his presence is free of my dependencies. Something essential within me needs to change, and I cannot change it myself. Though God is the only One who can change me, my response is still important. Like Israel, we usually have to be left alone with the depth of our sin before we will voluntarily welcome the grace of true repentance.

When I spend enough time with the depth of my sin, I learn just how unconditional God’s love for me is. Guilt is not healing. At best, it produces behavior modification. Love is transforming. And when we are absolutely convinced of his love, we can cooperate with the uncomfortable convicting work of the Spirit.

As we learn to welcome the grace of conviction, he will accomplish the deeper work in us of developing a revulsion to sin and a repulsion from sin ahead of time. And it is in that transformational process that we learn to receive the deeper, life-giving streams of his presence flowing in and through us.


REFLECTION


How has God been showing you your dependencies and your grasp for control? How have you responded?


How can you receive the latest revelation of your sinfulness as a demonstration of God’s love for you?


Pray: Lord, I am willing to be left alone with my sin, so that I can be transformed.

AWAKEN: DAY 9

REMEMBER, YOU ARE DUST AND DUST YOU WILL RETURN.
SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 9


Isaiah 58:11

The LORD will guide you always; he will
satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail. (NIV)

MEDITATION BY Randy Gonzales


In 2008, Doralicia and I took a survey trip to Malaga, Spain, to discern if God was leading us to minister there. Our life leading up to the trip was busy. I was finishing a major project for my Master’s program, we were in the midst of completing a house-building project, and we were both fatigued. It felt like the worst possible time. But with tickets purchased, we were off to Spain.

Initial interviews with Spanish pastors and expatriate missionaries provided a dose of reality. As one of the most highly secularized European countries, the culture is antagonistic to the Church, proactively liberal, and challenging to break into relationally. In addition to having a high cost of living, Spain presents a high need for perseverance with potentially little fruit. No wonder it is known as a missionary graveyard. The picture was so bleak that by the third day, we were seriously leaning against going to Spain.

On the fourth day, after interviewing yet another pastor, I rode the train back to Fuengirola, the nearest station to Benalmadena, the town where we were staying. Walking off the exit ramp, I saw the main road that would take me to the house where we were lodged. I also noticed another pathway leading into the hills. I decided to take the road upward, anticipating a short hike home. That decision resulted in a two-hour excursion.

As night began to envelop me, I came to a crossroad with two signs: left to Benalmadena, and right to Fuengirola. My gut pointed me to Benalmadena, but I ended up walking back and forth between these two paths until I finally stopped on the road leading to Fuengirola. This path was less traveled, gravel lined, covered with trees, and a bit eerie. I was utterly lost, disoriented, nursing sore feet, with anxiety closing in. I prayed, “Lord, I am completely and totally lost. Would you please help me find my way?” After a few moments, I discerned these words in my mind, “Go in the direction you think you shouldn’t go.”

Puzzled by the illogic of the message, I waited and again heard the same words. So against all my instincts, I continued walking toward Fuengirola. About 150 yards later, I was standing directly in front of the gate to the house where we were staying!

Upon arriving, I was prompted by the Spirit to read the Bible and I turned to Psalm 32. In a moving epiphany moment, I soon realized that God had spoken his will in such an explicit way, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” We now realized that in his sovereignty, God wanted us to follow the path we felt like we shouldn’t go. It became clear that walking in the direction of Spain would become a process of trusting God to guide us through to well-watered gardens.

REFLECTION


In life's moments when you must go in the direction that may not feel correct, what keeps you from looking at the discomfort and instead seeing God’s promise of being satisfied as a well-watered garden?


Meditate on a situation when you needed God’s unique and timely direction. How did he guide you through this time?


During this Lent Season, what are some ways you can remember God’s promises to satisfy you in the processes of life?

AWAKEN: DAY 8

REMEBER, YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN.

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 8


Isaiah 60:1-2

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick
darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD
rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (NIV)


MEDITATION BY Susan Smith


People ask how I knew God was calling me to be a missionary. For me, there was no audible voice from God. Instead, I read my Bible and understood this: Others are in darkness. You are to be a light. I knew that it would be an act of disobedience to be concerned only with pleasing myself, and I saw God had given me an enjoyment of people from other cultures.

When I gave missions among the poor a try, God blessed even my baby steps. During a summer internship among the poor while in graduate school, God allowed me to succeed in teaching Cambodian kids from the Bible. Those kids were so hungry to learn! If I can go and be a light, I should go and be a light; the command is already there in scripture. I am a missionary among the poor today because God said, “Arise, shine!”

Isaiah 58:6-8 adds detail: those who loosen chains of injustice, share food with the hungry, and shelter the wanderer will see their light break forth like the dawn, and the glory of the Lord will be their rear guard.

When we shine in dark places, our light and God’s glory become apparent for all to see. I would say that evangelism is not at all my gift. But I love teaching. In Cambodia, my habit of eating lunch together with poor neighbors opened the door later to their willingness to attend a Bible study. In fact, they asked for it. Although we talked very little of the things of God during those lunches, God used those times to bring them to a setting where God could shine his light through me and I could teach them his Word.

In the season of Lent, we remember that Jesus must experience death and resurrection. And when he rose from the dead, he rose upon us so that we may show his glory. Jesus did his part of the story, and he invites us to join him. Although Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites, the challenge to arise and shine speaks to believers today. We—those adopted into the spiritual community of Israel—have the role of assembling nations and bringing kings to recognize Christ's glory.

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: all assemble and come to you… (Isaiah 60:3-4)

We, who walk in the light of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, need to get up and shine. Evangelism may not be your gift, but you can still bring Christ's light to those around you. As the nations continue to be in deep, black darkness, we need to go beyond spending our time basking in the light of Jesus. It’s our turn to rise…

REFLECTION


Who around you is in particularly deep darkness? Are any of those experiencing darkness also in poverty?
How can you best live before them and live with them so that they can see Jesus' light in you?


Will you have to change anything in your life so the glory of God in you is clearer to others?

AWAKEN: DAY 7

REMEMBER, YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN.












SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 7

2 Corinthians 4:18

…as we look not to the things that are
seen but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient,
but the things that are unseen are eternal. (ESV)

MEDITATION BY Cynthe Burbidge


Transitioning from college to the working world was unexpectedly thorny—in part due to a complete change of lifestyle. My college life was one of constant motion and fluidity, where time was a commodity, and writing a 30-page paper in one night a necessity. Between studying, a part-time job, dorm life, church life, student life, and simply being with friends, somehow there was always room for learning. My life was thus driven with an incessant desire to grow, where results didn’t matter as much as the knowledge I acquired in the process.

My first full-time job in the financial industry was the exact opposite in its eight-to-five schedule that afforded strict structure, little variety, and even less opportunity for learning. The expectation was clear: I existed to produce results. Personal growth took the backseat. During this transition, I felt a decrease in the discipline of spending time with God. In college, no matter how busy I was, no matter how late I stayed up the night before, the first hour of my day was consistently committed to God. Yet, for reasons unknown to me at the time, I found the working lifestyle hedging my spiritual devotion.

Five years later, I still struggle to maintain this discipline. It often hits me around Lenten Season, during this corporate invitation to renew our spiritual lives by fasting from various “earthly” distractions. Initially, I am drawn to participate, until I realize that I should have been maintaining my walk with God all year long. What is it that now hinders my spiritual life so consistently?

Paul pens the answer in 2 Corinthians 4:18, as he instructs us to live not according to what is seen, but by the unseen, the eternal.

During college, I was daily driven by my need for God. Post-graduation,
I find myself appealing to my own strength and abilities to perform my work responsibilities. After all, I was hired because I already had the talent for the job, right?

Yet, Paul reminds us to live according to what is not seen—regardless of our circumstances. This means we need faith—and a lot of it! Faith pushes us past what our environment suggests about how to live our lives, and instead, immerses us in God’s truth and his perspective about our world. To see the eternal is to recognize that an unseen glory, which far surpasses the world we see, is approaching—and to live our lives in light of this hope.

So what does it look like to live faithfully to God in environments that discourage daily devotion? For me, the past five years of the working life have taught me to pray—for faith, and for an increasing measure of understanding how to work as an act of worship, rather than in selfish independence. To this end, I discover that my work in the Lord is thus not in vain.

REFLECTION


What is something currently distracting your attention from things of the Lord that could instead be an opportunity to focus more on him?


Identify something eternal that you can see in the midst of your current circumstances.


What does it look like for you to be more focused on things of eternity in your everyday life?

AWAKEN: DAY 6

REMEMBER, YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN.
READING - DAY 6

Lamentations 3:22-24

Because of the LORD's great love we are not
consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him." (NIV)

MEDITATION BY Eric Herron

In 1998, I was exiled. I was violently expelled from my home against my will.
All my attempts at re-entry were rejected. I was stiff-armed at every border.

Exile for me equaled pain. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of me and I was stuck in that moment between the impact on my chest and the refilling of my lungs. Here, my spirit was nearly consumed.

In 586 BC, the people of Jerusalem were exiled. Babylonian forces starved, ravaged, and brutally murdered many of the city’s inhabitants. The walls were burned. The survivors, led away. Lamentations is a collage of wretched sketches from this incident that initiated the scattering of the Jews, coming to define Israel as a people exiled from their own land. The onslaught of degrading snapshots—including such images as mothers cannibalizing their own children—rarely stalls as it plows from one chapter to the next. Even the final verse of the book leaves open the terrifying possibility that God has “utterly rejected” his people.

But there is hope for all exiles. In the center of this desert of lament, we locate an oasis. While the other chapters each stop at verse 22, the middle chapter launches a meditation on hope in its 22nd verse. It begins: "Because of the Yahweh’s great love we are not consumed..." The word "consume" means to take in or use up . As purchasers, we consume everything money can buy. As minds, we consume ideas. As organisms, we consume food and drink. Consequently we, ourselves, are altogether taken in and vacuumed up, indiscreetly swirled together with all we insatiably invite into our lives. At this point, the purchaser is bought and owned. The eater becomes the eaten. Our own consumption leads to us being consumed.

What is our salvation from the consumption of us and by us? We are saved by divine compassion. The word "compassion" literally means suffering with. When the LORD chooses to enter our suffering, we cannot be overwhelmed either by what we take in or what takes us in. For, it is in God’s taking in of us—the orphan, widow, exile, misfit, sinner—that the circle of consumption is finally broken. We are consumed with him alone.

My divorce in 1998 nearly ruined me. It was only God’s limitless compassion, renewed daily, that kept me from being sucked up by my pain into oblivion.
Israel was nearly ruined, too. But the LORD’s unfailing love has sustained them through exile, persecutions, and holocausts, preventing their disappearance as the people of God.

We need not over-consume nor be consumed over our circumstances. God has set aside the perfect portion for those he loves. He is our portion. He is also our consumer. And so, we wait patiently to be taken up into his peace.

REFLECTION


What is it that threatens to consume you?


In the past, when you have been surrounded by potentially consuming circumstances, how have you responded?


How might you begin to put unhealthy consumption to bed and awaken yourself to God’s compassion?

AWAKEN: DAY 5

REMEMBER, YOU ARE DUST AND DUST YOU WILL RETURN SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 5

Habakkuk 3:2

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in
awe of your deeds, O Lord.

Renew them in our day, in our time make
them known; in wrath remember mercy. (NIV)


MEDITATION BY Alice Collier


Hopeless faces…hearts bound by materialism…men enslaved to the corporate world…couples dedicating their young children at Shinto shrines…

As I walk the streets where I live in Tokyo and feel the weight of darkness that surrounds me, I often find myself crying out this same prayer that Habakkuk prayed. Of course, Habakkuk was crying out for the physical deliverance of his people from injustice and violence. Japan is a very safe place to live physically, but the level of spiritual poverty is shocking.

The spiritual darkness in Japan can be very discouraging, especially when compared to the ways God is moving in other parts of the world. I hear of the thousands being saved daily in a neighboring Asian country, yet in Japan, only a few at a time are coming to him.

There are instances I feel completely broken and ask, “Lord, have you forgotten us here?”

This season of Lent marks my 11th year in Japan. Each year when Lent
approaches, I contemplate on what Jesus did for each of us on the cross, and my heart longs for the Japanese people to receive this truth as well.

Lord, they are walking in hopelessness and darkness when they
could have the Hope of the World living inside each of them…

Every year my prayer remains the same: Lord, remember Japan…Lord, renew them in our day! Sometimes the reality of the spiritual climate causes me to sink into sorrow.

In recent Lenten Seasons, reflecting on the cross has caused an awakening in my own soul. As I wait to see his deliverance for the Japanese people, the Lord is renewing my own hope and vision! His strength and joy bubble up from the bottom of my soul—I am no longer discouraged to the point of despair.

Old thought patterns that have only led to despair and doubt are now replaced with the mind of Christ. The new life that we received when Jesus rose from the dead is living in me! He stirs my heart even more to pray and to wait on him for spiritual breakthroughs in Japan.

Lord, I have heard of how you have moved mightily in other
parts of the world. I am in awe of how you draw nations to
yourself. Do not abandon these lost souls in Japan. Breathe
your wind of renewal and salvation over this country. Do it in
this generation! Lord, may we see it with our own eyes.


REFLECTION


What are the spiritual injustices around you that the Lord wants to open your eyes to? How is God calling you to be a modern-day Habakkuk?


What does the Lord want to awaken and make new in your own relationship with him?


Are there any areas in ministry or prayer where you have given up? How may the Lord be calling you to renew your vision, strengthen your faith, and increase your hope during this season of Lent?

Awaken: Day 4

Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 4

Isaiah 42:16

I will lead blind Israel down a new path,
guiding them along an unfamiliar way.
I will brighten the darkness before them
and smooth out the road ahead of them.
Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will
not forsake them. (NLT)


MEDITATION by Sarah Woolley

A new path. A new journey. That was what I was looking for early on in my walk
with Christ when I set out to trek the 475–mile El Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage across Northern Spain.

What I didn’t realize was that I was embarking upon my own 36-day wilderness experience, one that proved to be thorny and unpredictable—where the way, at times, was barely visible.

As a single woman traveling alone, I was bound to run into some challenges. But as I walked the 9.3 miles per day side by side with other pilgrims, what I discovered was that the most difficult challenges came from deep within myself.

Along the way, I met my own frustration and insolence toward God—strong temptations regarding food and lust, a grief, loneliness, and boredom that I’d never realized existed within my own soul.

Just before my journey, I was at an adventure Bible school program and had absorbed some biblical truths there. And those truths took root in my soul on the Camino, one day at a time, in the midst of such challenges which accosted me right up until my last day.

I came to realize not only that every day truly does have enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34), but that his mercies are abundantly new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). I came to believe amidst many times of feeling lost that he knew where I was going.

Finally, I was confronted by a new truth, which I am still digesting: the trouble I was going through was like Jesus’ journey to the cross. He experienced suffering along the way, but Jesus ultimately brought glory to his Father's name (John 12:27-28). I realized that by completing my own journey, even through my struggles, I would bring glory to God.

Desiring God’s guidance more than ever, I was especially heartened by the characteristic arrows of the Camino—painted in yellow on a street or a building—that always seemed to appear just when I needed to see them.

Through anger and fear, loneliness and desire, I found my way to the endpoint—Santiago—and by then I knew without a doubt that I owed every step to the Lord.


REFLECTION


What trials have you experienced during which you felt lost or blind?


What tough spots is God guiding you through right now in order to help you relate better to Christ’s own trials in his walk to the cross?


How might you take hold of his hand better in order to move through those in confidence?

AWAKEN: DAY 3

Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 3

Ephesians 1:18

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope
to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints. (NIV)


MEDITATION


“…the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…”

The heart knowing and the head knowing are two different things. Knowledge is tricky! We may have knowledge of many things, but we still don’t know them.

Before having children, I thought I knew what it would mean to be a father. I knew it would require a few life adjustments. "No problem," I thought. "I’m tough. He’s a baby." And then my son, Benjamin, was actually born. My previous knowledge of fatherhood only vaguely resembled my new experiential knowledge. My infant boy very quickly enlightened me about who was tough and who the baby was.

Ephesians also says it is the Spirit who enlightens hearts; it is the Spirit who provides wisdom and revelation. An enlightened heart knows—and there is no gap between what we think and how we experience it.

“…in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”

Hope is something that is often in short supply and heavy demand. When you lose hope, it is difficult to continue on.

For a time, our family lived in Indonesia, which has the largest population of Muslims in the world, and where corruption is rampant. I worked with young Christian leaders, mentoring them in character formation and discovery of their calling and giftedness.

After the first all-day group meeting on the theme of integrity, I learned that three of the eight leaders misused the travel money I had provided. I was deeply discouraged. I asked myself, "What will it take to bring change to these young leaders? To Indonesia?" I wanted to give up.

My hope came from the Lord reminding me to obey my calling—to facilitate church multiplication in difficult places—and he would take care of the response. He reminded me of how I had failed in the past and the grace he had extended to me. He reminded me how these imperfect young leaders were his tools to reach Indonesia.

The hope I have does not come from leaving behind some ministry impact. My hope is in knowing my place in Christ as an adopted son (Ephesians 1:4). My adoption brings an incomparable closeness in my relationship with Christ. That closeness, which will go on through eternity, is God’s glorious inheritance given to me and to all who believe.


REFLECTION

What gaps do you see between what you know in your head versus your heart?


In what situations have you lost hope?


In what ways can you personalize and live out your “inheritance in the saints?”

AWAKEN: DAY 2

Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 2

Psalm 143:8

Cause me to hear your loving-kindness in
the morning, for on you do I lean and in you
do I trust.

Cause me to know the way wherein
I should walk, for I lift up my inner self
to you. (AMP)


MEDITATION by Colleen Brown


When I was young, I knew I was going to be a missionary when I grew up—serving "over there" across the ocean to reach people for Christ. I desired to do the most spiritual and sacrificial thing I could do for the Lord, and so I made plans according to this one sure calling on my life.

And then...the doors started closing. The years were passing by, and my husband and I weren’t getting “there.” We were “here” and in my mind, that meant something was wrong. A deep-rooted view of my identity was struggling and straining and dying. I was scared that I had missed something along the way. My dream—what I understood to be my core calling—was not panning out the way I thought it would, and it shook my whole perception of who I was. My heart was burdened for the world. I wanted to go, but why wasn’t it happening? What was I worth in the Kingdom if I didn’t go?

And then…I entered into the role of being a mommy. Although I always expected motherhood to be a part of my life, I didn't expect not to feel good at it. I just didn’t thrive in this role the way it seemed that other moms around me did. Feeling like a fish on a bicycle in this all important role was very disheartening. Don’t misunderstand me—I fiercely love my kids with an immeasurable love. But I was yearning to do something more that fed my soul and felt guilty that raising my kids didn’t completely do that.

So there I was, not on the mission field, and not nominating myself for any “Mother of the Year” awards. My inner self was experiencing a severe storm because my life was not looking the way I thought it would.

And then…during my first season of observing Lent, a slow but sure awakening of the heart began. As I invited Jesus to remove strongholds in my life, I was able to see my own inner tornado. Seeing his face, I had to focus on the love in his eyes and tune out the noise and swirling debris raging around me in order to survive. In the quiet of his eyes was pure love. It was as if he wanted to show me how valuable I was to him.

Realizing his desire for my intimacy with him was palpable. The sense of his love was overwhelming. Scandalous, really. I had been a believer for years and I had never realized how “vast beyond all measure” his love for me truly was, regardless of what I was…and what I was not.

As the debris settled and the noise faded away, I anchored myself into his loving–kindness toward me. I could hear the invitation to trust him with the desires he had put into my heart, and my soul found relief and abundant satisfaction.


REFLECTION


What desire or dream has not been fulfilled in your life the way you thought it would be?


What titles or roles do you have from which you derive an unhealthy amount of identity and esteem? Confess those to God.


In what ways has God worked in your life and heart that you can see his hand on, though they didn’t look like your Plan A? Praise him for that.

AWAKEN

Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 1 (ASH WEDNESDAY)


Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.
(NASB)





MEDITATION by Patty Metcalf


God desires raw honesty, within ourselves and with him. Anything less is a sham. Over the last 27 years, I have been involved in healing prayer ministry and I must say that inner honesty is foundational to healing. God knows what to touch in our lives and often these “touch points” are areas of pain or shame. We would rather avoid these areas. Over the years we become skillful at hiding them. Eventually, they catch up with us; and finally, when the pain of not dealing with them becomes greater than the pain of dealing with them, we allow God to work.

It was not until I was 40 years old, hit in the face with a serious depression, that I began to allow God to search my anxious thoughts. He took me back to my childhood and I began to recognize the roots of co-dependency and dysfunction that had plagued my life for 30 years. Though difficult to deal with, I became grateful for his gentle hand in helping me walk into greater healing and freedom.

In contrast, a dear friend—a gorgeous, vivacious woman—had a horrific past. It was so excruciatingly painful that she shrank from looking inside. I begged her to examine issues in her life and let God work. She refused. Today she sits amid the smoldering ruins of her life. Her family has disintegrated; she is a shell of her former vibrant self.

It is agonizing to see this incredibly wonderful person in such a state. Can God still redeem her? Of course he can. All he needs to hear her say is, “Search me O God, and…see if there is any hurtful way in me…” for her to begin a long, but still attainable, journey toward wholeness.

I see it in my own life and in the lives of those I pray with—when we are gut-wrenchingly honest with God, he works. He doesn’t want us to gloss over how we really feel in order to sound spiritual.

In scripture, we clearly see this pattern of total honesty between God and his good friends (servants, prophets, kings)—those who are truly seeking God hold nothing back from him. They tell him how they feel and they allow God to talk to them, giving his perspective, pointing out truth. Sometimes this is done through his Spirit speaking to their hearts, sometimes through remembering his deeds and his Words, and sometimes through people whom God sends their way.

The result is a deepening connection with the Father, a transformed life, and a fuller experience of walking in the way everlasting—whole and free—like Jesus.




REFLECTION


Are there areas of your life that you are avoiding because of pain or shame?


What do you think God wants you to do about this?


Choose one area and ask God what he wants to say about this area. Be still for five minutes and listen internally for his quiet voice. Write down what comes into your awareness (thoughts, words, or images) and then dialogue with God about it.

Love: According To The World and The Word by Ben Komanapalli Jr.

In the world that we live in today, the word “LOVE” is used with different connotations.

People say:

I love my car.
I love my job (you might not hear that too many times).
I love my house.
I love my wife/husband.
I love my cat/dog.

The word “love” is one of the most widely used, misused or abused word in our daily conversations. It is also used very casually.

The Bible has several scriptures and situations where the WORD love is used to portray how Jesus loved us, sinners! What do you mean when you use the word ‘Love’? What does the word ‘Love’ mean in the Bible?
In most cases when we use the word ‘love’, we are describing a feeling or emotion we have towards something. The “love” for material things is in actuality an attachment to them. Material things are blessings from God for us to enjoy. (I Timothy 6:17). God gives us things to enjoy them not to love them. We are called to love God and people (Mark 12:30-31).

The “love” that Jesus expects of us is spiritual and transcends our daily activities, likes and dislikes. I Corinthians 13:4-8 provides a comprehensive view of “LOVE”. Love is patient with imperfections; active in doing good; it is non-possessive, non-competitive; it promotes the well-being and success of others; it displays no arrogance; it is selfless; it is courteous; it is not irritable; it is graceful under pressure; it does not keep account of evil; it forgives; it finds no satisfaction in the shortcomings of others and spreading an evil report; it constantly promotes, supports and cherishes the good. All these are constant and experience no fluctuations.

Can we be really like this? Yes, this question pops up in my mind from time to time especially when things do not work out in tune with my expectations. Then, as one of my mentors used to advise me, I humble myself and seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in prayer before I react to the situation. According to Romans 5:5 we have the ‘the love of God’ poured out in our hearts. We have the Grace to do what God has called us to do. It is not an easy thing but it is doable. He, who has called us to love has also given us the ability to do so. Once we practice it will become a habit indeed.

As Jesus was being punished and nailed to the cross, He says to His Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34. This is not something that just happened with Jesus. In the books of Acts, we see another example of this kind of love being extended and shown by Stephen. As the martyr Stephen was being stoned to death because of his faith, his dying prayer was, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” (Acts 7:60). You will notice the spirit of forgiveness in both instances. WE need to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness if we say we love our neighbor.

Never give room to doubt if it is possible. The Bible shows us that it is possible. When you think you cannot Love, seek the WORD because the WORLD is looking at you!

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” 1 John 4:7-8

Jesus Loves You by Rhonda Dent

God loving us first was the beginning of our relationship with him. We must develop a love for God in order to complete the relationship. No matter how much He loved us there could not be a relationship until we loved him in return. Relationships are not one sided. It is not just God loving us but us loving God that completes and defines that relationship.

To have a healthy relationship and to reap the benefits of that relationship there must be a mutual love for one another. If our relationship with God is not what it should be then we have to look within ourselves to cultivate and deepen that relationship. There are many one sided relationships with God and one sided relationships in the world. In our relationship with God it is not Him that is lacking in the relationship. It is us.

I have always had a love for God. Even as a teenager I knew that there was a God and I knew that He loved me. I knew that from a simple song that goes like this….

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so….what a wonderful song. I am sure most children heard the song while growing up. It is a simple song but a powerful song.

The song is so powerful that it is known all over the world. Back then I had no idea how much God loved me or how much He sacrificed for me. All I knew was that He loved me because the song said that he did. Even as baby Christians that is all we need to know, at first. But, as we get older and mature in the things of God we have to grow in the understanding that we must reciprocate that love.

If we never develop a love for God we can never understand what He did for us and how much He loves us. We will never understand love in any of our earthly relationships either. We will never understand unconditional love. Not understanding can prevent us from totally submitting to God and His ways. It will interfere with the desire to build a strong relationship with God and to walk in obedience. It will keep us from finding our purpose and from living a life sold out for God.

God’s love is not conditional and He will never stop loving us no matter what. God does not have human characteristics. His love endures forever. When we grasp the concept of unconditional love we are able to establish a right relationship with God and with our families, friends and neighbors. We then will realize what God did for us. I can think of no better scripture than this:

For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Until we understand the dynamics of such a love we will never quite understand why it is so important for us to have a love for God and not just a love for God, but the same type of sacrificial love that He had, has and will always have for us. Sacrificial love for God will lead us to lay down that bad habit and/or that relationship that we know is not right. It will lead us to sacrifice our time, our money and give up that ungodly behavior and much more.


When we really get to know God, we will develop such a deep love for Him that we will want to please Him.

Examine Your Ways! by Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

Let us examine our ways." Lamentations 3:40 NIV

A guy rushed into a service station one day and asked the manager if he'd a pay phone. The manager nodded, "Sure, over there." The guy inserted a couple of coins, dialed and waited for an answer. Finally someone came on the line. "Uh, sir," he said in a deep voice, "could you use an honest, hard-working young man?"

The station manager couldn't help overhearing the question. After a moment or two the guy said, "Oh, you already have an honest, hard-working young man? Well, okay. Thanks all the same." A broad smile stretched across his face. He hung up the phone and started back to his car, obviously elated.

"Hey, just a minute," the station manager said, "I couldn't help but hear your conversation. Why are you so happy? I thought the man said he already had someone and didn't need you?" The guy smiled. "Well, you see, I am that honest, hard-working young man. I was just checking up on myself!"

If you're serious about walking with God, examine yourself regularly. Are you praying, reading God's Word and renewing your mind daily? How about your attitudes? Are they slipping? Your attitudes send a signal before you've said a word.

They're like traffic lights. Sometimes they flash red, which means 'stop, don't get in my way, I'm too busy to love, help, or care.' Sometimes they flash yellow, which means 'I'm touchy and out-of-sorts, I could go either way.'

Sometimes they flash green, which means, 'Let's go, I'm with you, you can count on me.' The Bible says, "Let us examine our ways...and...return to the Lord."

What needs to be examined regularly? "Our ways!"

Moving From Theology To Doxology by Bishop Jim Swilley

The title of the Bible’s last book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, is also translated as “The Apocalypse,” or better said “The Unveiling,” specifically, the final unveiling of Jesus, the King! This beautiful book, which describes through prophetic symbols the ultimate triumph of the Christ, is not only a message of hope and reconciliation for the earth, it is also an anointed Psalter.

But it has, unfortunately, become primarily associated with doom and gloom and dark, ominous threats of things to come in recent years. This modern concept of The Apocalypse has evolved from a pessimistic paradigm that is the result of a legalistic interpretation of the Scriptures and a misunderstanding of original languages.

But John’s glorious vision of the Lamb’s dominion is actually built around seven joyous doxologies which describe what he saw and heard every time heaven (or the spirit-realm) was opened up to him:

Mass Choirs. Loud, exuberant singing. Orchestras with enormous brass sections. And songs of worship sung in unison by countless saints, martyrs, overcomers, angels and every other created thing in heaven, in earth, and even in “Hades!”

And I heard every created thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth [in Hades, the place of departed spirits] and on the sea and all that is in it, crying out together, To Him Who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be ascribed the blessing and the honor and the majesty (glory, splendor) and the power (might and dominion) forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities)! (Revelation 5:13 – Amp)

The word doxology is defined as a liturgical prayer or hymn of praise to God and is from the Latin doxologia (a combination of doxa, meaning praise, glory and honor) and logos (which means speech or “to speak”). The verb that is translated into English as “to worship” is found twenty-four times in The Revelation, far more than in any other New Testament book.

In fact, these references to worship in John’s vision make up almost half of its New Testament occurrences. Also, the word “Hallelujah,” which means “to shout the Hallel to Jah” and is the only word that is the same in every language on earth, is only found in The Revelation!

And this brings us to the universal purpose of worship: it is the means by which all people of faith are able to move from theology—from studying God, espousing their ideas about God, arguing and dividing over the doctrines of God, fighting and starting wars over their different concepts about God—and enter into the dimension of doxology, where the top priority is simply to join with all creation in fulfilling its purpose of glorifying God.

In a word, doctrine divides us, but worship unites us, and the “unveiling”—or the place where we behold nothing but the Lamb of God—occurs through our worship!

What Your Speech Says About You by Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

"You are one of them... Your speech shows it!" Mark 14:70 (NKJV)

You can try to disguise your identity by changing your looks, your social circle and your address - but how you speak will give you away every time.

It happened to Peter. When a servant girl saw him warming himself by the fire, she said, "'You...were with Jesus of Nazareth.' But he denied it...And the...girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by, 'This is one of them.' But he denied it again...later those who stood by said to Peter again...'you are one of them...your speech shows it'" (Mk 14:67-70 NKJV). So in order to convince his accusers that he wasn't a friend of Jesus, Peter "began to curse and swear, 'I do not know this Man of whom you speak'" (Mk 14:71 NKJV).

It worked! After that nobody else accused him of knowing Jesus. Isn't it interesting how public profanity in any language, has a way of making others question the quality of your relationship with Christ?

Paul says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up...that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29 NIV). If you want to win people to Jesus, start with how you talk. Paul said, "Let your speech always be with grace...that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col 4:6 NKJV). Words are powerful things. They either build up or tear down, add to or take from.

It's not important that people can tell from your accent where you're from, but when they can't tell by the way you talk that you're Christ's disciple, something's seriously wrong.