This is one of the most powerful prayers I’ve ever found in Scripture, and one of the most important devotions I’ve ever made a practice.
I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:17b-19)
Oldie but a goodie, I hope.
One April during my Air Force tour, our squadron commander handed us a goal: a 100% off-duty safety record for the summer.
I raised an eyebrow. Our squadron was based in college-town Phoenix and consisted of twentysomethings brandishing motorcycles, ATV’s, jet-skis, and a love of drink. No off-duty accidents for a whole summer seemed as likely as deciphering a Newsboys lyric.
The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of Yahweh:
“Yahweh, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.
The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For You, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Psalm 116:3-9
Somehow verse 27 had never come to my attention in this otherwise well-known passage.
Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the LORD
and my claim is ignored by my God”?Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,but those who trust 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 faint. (Isaiah 40:27-31)
Hello, everyone.
Again you’ve caught me in an extended hiatus from blogging. Everything’s fine. Going quite well, in fact. I’ve just stepped back to consider what I want this blog to accomplish and how to go about it. But I will be resuming posts – this Thursday, I’ve decided. And I’m posting that as self-accountability – now that I’ve publicly set a date, I have to meet it.
If you’ve left a comment on my blog in the past couple months, thank you. I’m grateful. I’ll do my best to go through and catch up this week. I hope you swing by again, generous followers.
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” – Philippians 1:3
Rewritten for the sake of…well, not letting it remain an awkward, stumbling piece of literature like it was the first time. Feeling a lot more excited about it now.
It was on a December 27th (long enough ago that I got the news over a corded phone) that my family was ending.
At least the blow waited until after the 25th, but is there really ever a “good time” for such things?
The result was a double whammy for Christmas. Not only was the month now historically connected with tragedy in my mind, but every family gathering since has screamed its ongoing incompleteness. The count in the room is always short.
Others have similar stories (and I’ve heard a lot worse). Christmas has a way of reminding you of what you’ve lost, or never had to begin with. A brief week of sanity before going back to the grind, fear, and disappointment.
So I’m the last person to tell anyone to “just get over it and celebrate”. The Bible defends our grace-given ability to approach God with our pain…
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So, you’re signing on the dotted line.
First thing I’d say is, thank you. Good decision. You’ve either got a lot of guts, a lot of devotion, or a lot of trust in God to be joining the armed forces. Or some combination of all three.
I served a four-year tour in the Air Force. It was all stateside, the only really notable aspect being that it took place in the immediate post-9/11 world. Over a decade since my separation, I still vividly remember the lessons – how they equipped me for the future and simultaneously cast a pall over my track record. I have regrets from those days that the grace of God is still chipping off.
So I humbly ask for your ear now, because I want you to do better than I did. Here is the advice I’d give for surviving military life.
1. Learn to admit…
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“Your post is awaiting moderation” is something we bloggers see a lot.
When we comment on someone else’s blog, depending on their settings, our comments have to wait for their approval before they’re displayed.
Ever felt like your prayer is awaiting moderation? in heaven? For, like, decades?
Prayers have four answers: Yes, wait-then-yes, no, wait-then-no. In descending order of fun.
I once found it tempting to think that at least “wait” didn’t mean “no”. But I then found that…no, that’s not how it works. Sometimes he has us wait – for years – and then says no.
And that’s rough.
It’s one thing to get a “no” right off the bat. At least you can deal with it then, get past the disappointment. But years of waiting and then a no? It feels almost cruel. Hopes gotten up and then dumped.
We can dodge these unpleasant truths if we want…
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A few years ago, I stood in my church’s kitchen combing through massive chunks of steaming pork, to be sold heaped between buns as a mission fundraiser.
As I coaxed the juicy meat into smaller chunks, I was disappointed.
I’d recently been pulled out of a couple ministry opportunities at my church. I’d been assured that it wasn’t about my heart or competence – just other things going on.
The struggle in my heart was real. Sin kept whispering at me, You wanted to do X and Y and here you are in the kitchen, holding a fork. The Spirit in me wasn’t that stupid. I knew it’s not about me. I knew ambition is unholy. And I was more than happy to be doing my part in the mission. But sometimes lies can feel overwhelming, especially in an incumbent climate of fear and self-criticism. A gale against a fragile…
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Brandon J. Adams 