Guest Blogger

It's been a while since I last posted and our Senior Management Team is leaving this afternoon for a retreat together, so I will not be posting for even longer. In the mean time I asked our Pastor to Student Ministries to if I could share his devotion (powerful stuff) from our last staff meeting. Here it is...

Sometimes I’m fascinated most by what the Bible doesn’t say…Part 2:

I wonder what thoughts raced through David’s mind as he raised the severed head of Goliath. Were they thoughts of confidence and victory; or awe and wonder; were they thoughts of accomplishment, achievement, and celebration; or was he so dedicated to simply serving the Lord that the severed head of Goliath felt in David’s hands to be more like a quote “reasonable act of worship”? I just wonder…

I wonder about the Shepherds who had been watching their flocks by night. I wonder what kind of conversation they had during their visit at Bethlehem’s manger. Were they apprehensive at first? Did they sing Him a lullaby or touch His little toes? Could they even speak when they saw the precious baby Jesus asleep on the hay? And I wonder if we’ll ever really experience that at Christmas?

I wonder about Bartimaeus. He cried out to Jesus, over and over and over again, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Even after being told to be quiet, he shouted all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And, oh, how I wonder just how cherished he felt when the disciples finally responded to him saying, “On your feet. He’s calling you!”

I wonder about the Samaritan woman at the well. After meeting Jesus that day, I wonder if she continued her mid-day trips, or was just one taste of Living Water enough to redeem a sense of worth great enough to come, instead, at morning…After all, it is for freedom which Christ set us free…And I wonder if she ever drew water again without praising the name of a Jew who was willing to look beyond His own nationalism…the name of a God who was willing to look beyond His own holiness… For the record, I really, really hope that she went back to the well at morning, and I pray that we are building a ministry that is so full of grace and invitation that the “mid-day crowd” starts getting their water a little earlier… Can I get an “amen” to that?

I wonder about Moses. I wonder if he was ever truly able to appreciate the warmth of that pillar of fire by night or the shade of that pillar of cloud by day. I wonder if he ever ate a single piece of manna without dreaming of the day…that glorious day when he would finally dine on milk and honey…because, quite frankly, I’m grateful for my daily bread, but my heart sure longs for Canaan-land…

I wonder what emotions Noah felt once it finally started to rain.

I wonder how the heart of worship looked in the bleeding woman once her bleeding stopped.

I wonder if the man who was born blind was ever able to see a mud puddle without being reminded of His goodness.
I wonder…what was the look on Mary and Martha’s faces when they saw their dead brother Lazarus walk out of his grave?

I wonder about the boy who sacrificed his 5 loaves and 2 fish unto Jesus…Did he have any clue how history would be impacted by such a humble sacrifice? And could it be that God is using our humble sacrifices the same way?

I wonder what Paul said to Stephen once he got to heaven, or better yet, I wonder what Stephen said to Paul…

I wonder what John felt as he lived through the martyrdom of all of the rest of the Apostles.

But most of all I wonder if we don’t spend the lot of our days taking all of this for granted. Jesus has paid the price of our sins. He has beat the hell out of death. He sealed our victory, and promised His assistance every day of our lives. The Bible says it like this, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint. For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you do not fear.”

So could it be that today you and I would all take the time to read between the lines of our faith and take the time to recognize our role in the great eternal act of His story…making the most of every opportunity to see the unseen; to embrace the eternal; and to fill in the gaps that so many are content to leave empty. Amen