Hear His Calling

Scripture	Observations/Paraphrase	Application
Jeremiah 1	August 14, 2009
Jeremiah 1 1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.2 The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.s3 The Lord ‘s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In Augusts of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions 4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 6 “O Sovereign Lord ,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, `I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord , have spoken!”9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.” 12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” 13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?” And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.” 14 “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land.15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord , have spoken! “They will set their thrones at the gates of the city. They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah. 16 I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil— for deserting me and burning incense to other gods. Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands! 17 “Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. 18 For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land— the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. 19 They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord , have spoken!”	Josiah was eight when he assumed the role of king and Jeremiah began hearing from God in Josiah’s 13th year of reign.  That means Josiah would have been about 21.  This gave Jeremiah about 18 years to preach before Josiah is killed by Pharaoh Neco II. Josiah instituted many reforms and got rid of the symbols of idolatry.  But at his death, the downward slide of Judah began to take over. There is no doubt that the Lord was talking to Jeremiah.  He is regarded as one of the two great prophets , but Christians, Jews, and Islam. God tells him, I’ve known you for a long time – before you were even born – and I’m the one that formed you there.  I am your creator! But, in typical fashion, Jeremiah, like many before and after him, claims to be unqualified. In this case, he states his youth as a limiting factor. Rarely does God take no for an answer though.  No excuses here, he just says “Go. Don’t be afraid, say what I tell you to say, and I will protect you.” And then the hand of God touches Jeremiah.  Unlike Isaiah’s experience, or others, we aren’t told of how Jeremiah reacted.  However, God goes on to tell Jeremiah his role and authority to carry out that role. We often think that the servants of the Lord are only to bring blessings.  But here, God says he’ll also  be tearing down, destroying, and overthrowing.  Others, he will build up and plant. God tells him that He is watching and God’s plans will be carried out – like an almond tree that grows, because that’s what it was supposed to do. Then Jeremiah is told of God’s plans to send an invading army from the north.  Like a pot of boiling water, it is ready and already spilling out. God tells Jeremiah that the people are going to experience discipline (judgment) for their  disobedience. The invading armies will attack. And yet, God is fortifying Jeremiah.  He will be made strong – unless he cowers – if he  is afraid, he will look like a fool. God has made him strong like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.  He will stand against the whole land.  They will fight him, but they will fail – because God said so.	I don’t remember exactly when I first believed that I was being called to lead, but I know it goes way back into my childhood.  I was raised in a secular home though – and really didn’t have much of a concept of God. Around the age of 14-15, though I was pretty nerdy and shy, people began to seek me out to speak and lead in  spiritual matters.  But without a good foundation, I ran away for awhile. Over the last 15+ years, God has been actively prodding me to speak.  I seem to see things that others don’t.  I have big picture ideas in my head that seem to get lost in the busyness we call life. Probably the scariest of all these impressions is that the church, the organized church, is missing the point.  People have not torn down their idols  or high places.  They continue to walk in two places, serving polytheistic gods.  They are unwilling to let go of their humanistic idols. Much like Jeremiah, I argue with God.  First, I don’t have the education necessary to do this.  Theologically, I’ll get blown out of the water by those who can quote Greek and Hebrew – or who know the Bible  through and through. Yet, I hear God saying, to me, through this passage is, “So what?”  Since when did education have anything to do with success?  I can use you if you let me use you – but otherwise, you’ll just look foolish. I’ve been touched by God before, but I let the cares, stressors, and idolatry get in the way.  I begin to lose sight of that moment. Upon arriving in this area, I was shocked at the state of the church.  I didn’t want to, but I had to say something.  It wasn’t my choice. What I find confusing is that despite God’s promises to protect, I still lost my job.  Now, granted, I wasn’t stoned, hung, crucified, or murdered in some other horrible way, but losing my paycheck and health insurance is still pretty scary. I wonder when this will be, but I’m pretty sure Jeremiah had the same questions. I am convinced that I need to look at these promises differently.  God doesn’t say that Jeremiah won’t be harmed.  Only that they will fail and he won’t be captured. I need to see this spiritually.  I’ve always felt that the forces were not “flesh and blood” but powers of Satan.  I believe that Satan was trying to destroy my spirituality and stop the message I was preaching.  And, granted, there were times when I did hesitate, or was in bondage so I couldn’t speak – but I will never stop. I may be wounded, but the Word of God will prevail! What I hear, in this passage is that  my courage and willingness to be obedient is what keeps me from looking foolish.  And yet, isn’t it just like God to ask someone to do something foolish, so they won’t look foolish.  For isn’t preaching a message of repentance pretty foolish in an age when people just want to be told that everything is fine?

Father God,

For several months I’ve been wanting to dive into Jeremiah’s story.  I’ve felt this leading from you.  I’m sorry it’s taken so long.  I see so many similarities between this story and what happened to me here.  I have 100 excuses, but none of them valid.  Please forgive me for taking so long.  I sometimes wonder if I would have been more bold if I had taken this up – or less.  Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so beaten up and attacked?  Either way, those days are passed and I’m ready to hear your words.

As I stated above, one of ny biggest questions centers around the idea that “no harm will come to me.” While this seems to be a popular myth within the church world, I really don’t see any basis for it in the Bible accounts.  Some seem to think that being in Your Will is the safest place on earth.  I don’t believe that – in my head.  However, my heart wants to believe that.

Instead, what I believe is that “they can kill the body, but not the Spirit.“  They may hurt me, kill me, or worse, make my life a living Hell – but they can never take away your love and grace.  Being a melancholy though, I have a real propensity to give it up.  Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like I want to keep doing this – I just want to crawl into a cave and be  depressed.  I want to throw away my faith, like I did 30 years ago.  I want to hide from you – as if I could.  I want to quit being so bold about the things I see.

It is hard for me to be in organized churches.  The mediocrity, the majoring in minors, the gossip, the lack of worship – and by that I mean inspired worship.  I want to help – but on the same token, I’m afraid to be me.  For some, like my wife, it’s good enough.  For my kids, it’s really good.  For me, I see it as destructive to your image.

Lord, let me never speak out of my own pain – only out of your calling.

Teach me to rely on you – always.

Thanks God.

I love you too!

G

Healing – even in the 21st century

Scripture:

Acts 3:16 NIV By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

Observations:

There was a man who hung out by the gate called “Beautiful” and he was crippled from birth. Everyday he was brought to the gate so he could beg for enough sustenance to survive. As one thinks about it, it is easy to see that this man was probably at the gate when Jesus was on Earth, which means that Jesus walked past the man and didn’t heal him. But as Peter and John walk past him they turn and offer something he doesn’t ask for:

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6 NIV

There is no hesitation in Peter, no doubt. He knows this man is going to be healed in an instant. Earlier in their education, they failed and Jesus said they needed to fast and pray more. Evidentially they learned that lesson, because at this moment, in a very public place, they called the man to walk. They commanded him to walk – and he did!

What an awesome story.

Observations:

Yesterday I witnessed a similar miracle. But let me back up and start from the beginning:

Friday was the three-month anniversary of our arrival in Columbia County. We have been meeting people, getting to know the community and the churches, and learning how to adapt to NW winter weather. We have found that a number of families are struggling and that included many of the spiritual leaders in the church.

Friday morning I talked to a lady and she gave me an update on her husband. He hasn’t worked for several days because of some pain in his shoulder, back, neck, and arm. The medical practitioners have loaded him up with narcotics, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatory drugs, but he has experienced no relief. Because he is self-employed, he is losing $500 a day and several clients are finding other people to replace him.

She was discouraged. I could see it in her eyes and in her posture. She told me he hadn’t slept in days and was at the bottom of discouragement. I told her, like I had before, that I would pray for her husband, and then off I went to complete my day’s tasks. Later in the day, I received an e-mail from her husband with a letter he had asked one of the elders to read before the congregation at Saturday’s worship service. Her it is (in part):

Dear Church Family,

When I was the same age as my son, my soul was severely damaged by the abandonment of my biological father. Then, at my daughter’s age I was abandoned again by my stepfather. So, between three and twelve years old, I lost my childhood. This is just a taste of the difficulty I experienced in my youth. Throughout most of my life I have filled that large hole in my heart and soul with depression and addictions.

Through many recent circumstances, beginning with the current ages of my children, God has brought this clarity of pain forward to provide me the opportunity to heal these 40-year-old wounds. I know that He wants to fill me up with His love, make me his beloved son, and allow me to become the man He wants me to be.

Satan has other ideas and knows he’s losing me. I am under attack, but cannot lose. I need my church family now more than ever. Please unite in prayer immediately, for there is much to lose and much more to gain. For me, the battle is RIGHT NOW.

After reading the letter, I called him and we talked for about an hour. I found out that last year he read the book Wild at Heart and currently he is about half way through the follow up book, The Way of the Wild Heart, also by John Eldredge. Of course, being a fan of these books and this author, I immediately knew this is exactly where my friend needed to be.

I asked him why he wasn’t coming to the worship service himself? He said he couldn’t do it. He was too weak, too discouraged, and incapable of telling his own story. I told him that as I read his letter, I was reminded of the story of the man who couldn’t walk and couldn’t get in to see Jesus, so his friends lowered him on four ropes through the roof of the house where Jesus was speaking. I asked him if he was willing to come to the worship service? He was.

There are two things that my friend told me that immediately gave me a lot of hope regarding his healing. First, he said that he was done being in control. Everything he had done over the last 40 years had not brought any healing. He knew that he needed to reach out for help and he laid it in God’s hands to bring the right help, at the right time, and through the right people. Second, he said that he had been hiding behind a mask of self-sufficiency for 40 years and that God told him he had to bring his story into the light.

Not only was he willing to attend the worship experience yesterday, he was ready, willing, and able to seek God’s healing in his life. After praying for him, I hung up the phone with anxious expectation and no doubt that God was going to heal him. I was humbled – humbled. I have not seen this kind of faith in all of spiritual Israel!!

I didn’t know what was going to happen yesterday morning.  We assembled all of the elders in my office and I explained to them that they were going to see a mighty act of God unfold.  I told them to be expecting something big – I didn’t know what, but whenever you ask the Holy Spirit to show up, watch out!  I told them that the printed agenda for the worship service was not set in stone and I didn’t know where this would go – so watch out.

I told them stories where God showed up when His people expected Him to and when they were open.  I told them how our friend had totally surrendered and was ready for God to act in his life.

Providentially, last week I had asked the presiding elder if I could lead out in the prayer and praise portion of the service.  Instead of having people speak out from their seats, I had people come forward and share their praises and prayer requests.  When my friend’s turn came, several elders gathered around him and one read the above letter.  There were tears, but there was an expectant attitude throughout the congregation.

It was at this point that I explained that we were going to pray for absolute healing.  I have never gone into a prayerful anointing service with so much faith. expectation, and hope.  I knew – just knew – that God was going to perform a miracle yesterday.  I then asked anyone else who wanted/needed healing to come forward as we played Michael Card’s Come Lift Up Your Sorrows.  Many more people came forward.

Then we laid hands on my friend, prayed, and anointed him with oil.  There was Holy Spirit power in our midst. We told Satan he had no authority in our friend’s life, in his family’s relm, nor in our church!  We told Satan to get behind us, in Jesus name, we cast him out.  I have never felt so confident about anything in my life.

When we finished, we hugged, dried our tears, and then my friend spoke boldly about his experience.  That showed healing right there.  He walked out of the service yesterday smiling.

He called me this morning and told me one of the elders took him home and shared the LIFE Journal tool with him and that this morning he continued to experience healing and growth.  His wife told me this afternoon that his pain is completely gone and that he has full range of motion in his shoulder.

Wow!  God is good.

Prayer:

Father God – thank you.