Monthly Archives: March 2024
“The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process”
“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
2 Kings 5:8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:1-14, English Standard Version)
One of the pastors at the church my wife and I attend is a young man named Tyler. He preached the sermon yesterday and did a stellar job. I was a preacher for a long time. I myself was not always stellar, but I can recognize a really good sermon when I hear one. Tyler’s sermon yesterday was a really, really good sermon.
He said many helpful and intriguing things, but one point that he hammered away at is the fact that there is often a process when it comes to miracles. As Tyler pointed out, Naaman had a bad case of a very serious disease: leprosy. While his healing was miraculous, there were things he needed to do to set himself up to experience this miracle. Naaman had to travel to the prophet Elisha. He had to overcome his pride. He had to dip seven times in the Jordan River.
I do believe in miracles, but I also believe that, very frequently, miracles are preceded by a process. Sometimes the process is simple and brief. More often, we are preparing for the “sudden” miracle for a big chunk of our lifetime. This preparation, this process, does not make the miracle less miraculous. Perhaps, instead, the process makes the miracle even more amazing and more appreciative.
Sometimes, the process is the miracle.
“The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People”
“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version)
Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people were cheering them on. I was walking, thank you very much, but I did applaud some of the young people who were running. But then, one of the young men looked directly at me and said, “You’re doing great! You can do this!”
I immediately started running full tilt. I ran fast, but not very far. I pumped my fists in the air as if I had just finished first in an Olympic race. The young people cheered. I have no idea if they were making fun of me or not. I don’t even care. From my standpoint, it was a sweet moment.
A little encouragement goes a very long way. I am afraid that our culture encourages us to discourage, rather than to encourage. But who says that, just because our culture elevates bringing people down, Christ-followers should join the discouragement train? Do we really think it makes us cool to pour ice water on others?
I used to be a terrible discourager. I was not at “home on the range, . . . where never is heard a discouraging word.” I was full of lots of discouraging words. I do much better these days, and I am so thankful to God for the improvement. Is there still room for improvement? Absolutely! But I do so much better than I used to do.
Perhaps it might be helpful if I (and everyone else) got up in the morning and one of our first prayers was this: God, please help me to be an encourager today. And please help me to enjoy the encouragement that others give to me.
You’re doing great! You can do this!
“Endurance”
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, English Standard Version)
The Christian life is sometimes portrayed as a race in the New Testament. More often, it is spoken of as a walk rather than as a race. Being an old guy, I appreciate the walking analogy more than I do the race analogy.
However, I have run a couple of marathons. A marathon is more about endurance than speed. So, I appreciate the emphasis on endurance in the metaphor of the race in Hebrews 12:1. This verse and its surrounding context suggest that I ask myself some hard questions.
- Am I committed to God and this race for the long haul?
The Christian life is not a sprint. No one achieves holiness overnight. In fact, no one achieves anything if that person is not committed to the long haul. I can testify to this personally: I’ve tried a lot of short-term diets. I always gain weight when I go into any eating regimen with a sprinter’s mindset.
The truth is that nothing worthwhile is a quick fix. Good marriages, good job skills, education—all these and many more—are a “long obedience in the same direction”, as Eugene Peterson wrote in one of his books by that name.
So, the pursuit of God and of godliness are not for sprinters. Instead, this pursuit is for people who are endurance runners. This is not because God is trying to torture or evade us. We need endurance in our quest for God and godliness because, apart from such endurance, we are busy running away from God.
2. A second question I did to ask is this: Is this the race I am supposed to be running?
This might sound too simple to even ask, but it is much more important than it might seem at first. When I ran The Flying Pig Marathon, the course was already mapped out for me. I did not have the option to run anywhere I decided to run.
Yet far too often when it comes to the life that is called “following Jesus”, I seem to act as if Jesus ought to follow me. “Here is what I’m doing, Jesus. Please bless what I have decided to do, even though I haven’t consulted you.” Now, of course, I don’t generally actually say this verbally, but my actions scream it out loud. The “race that is set before us” is not the race I set for myself.
3. A third uncomfortable question I need to ask myself is the following: Do I have a running companion? Better yet, do I have running companions?
Hebrews 12:1 speaks of “a great cloud of witnesses”, and chapter 11 has detailed some of the faithful men and women who ran their faith race with endurance. Now, they are in the stands cheering us on. But in another sense, they are also our fellow-runners. We draw strength from their races as we run the one mapped out for us by God.
And then there is Jesus. Jesus ran the race set for him and we look to him for guidance and encouragement. Furthermore, there are many verses in the New Testament that speak of Jesus being with us even after his earthly life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We don’t run our race as pious particles. We run with Jesus as our LORD, but also as our companion. And if we can’t run, we can walk. And if we can’t walk, we can crawl. No matter our speed, no matter if we are running or walking, or crawling, we can do so with endurance, knowing we can count on Jesus being with us every step of the way. His endurance with us and for us is also our endurance with and for Him.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
Recent Comments