Strong Enough to Withstand the Storm

Did anyone get caught in today's thunderstorm? It seemed to come out of nowhere - it was warm and pleasant and then suddenly we were in a raging thunderstorm with pelting rain.

COVID-19 feels like that to me. Even with advance warning that a dangerous virus was infecting people in a Chinese province, I still never could have imagined the scope and scale of this devastating virus, and how it would tear through the world at lightning speed, ravaging not only health but also world economies. Just as a severe storm rips across the Midwestern prairies as this one did today, so the coronavirus has ripped across the world, and life is forever altered.

As I note in this video, however, we who follow God are called to stand strong. There are several places in the Bible where God refers to his people as trees. The righteous who choose the life of trusting God in faithful obedience are described in Psalm 1 as trees planted by a stream, whose leaves don't wither and who bear fruit at the right time. The prophet Isaiah refers to the people of God as oaks of righteousness.

Spend time meditating on these two passages. Read through them slowly a couple of times. What word or phrase is God highlighting to you? Spend time thinking about that, ask God to speak to you. Is there any action he might be asking you to take? What will help you become strong enough to withstand the hard times? Who does the good work in you to help you do that?

The first passage, the psalm, is a poem that was used in the ancient Hebrew church. The second is prophecy about the coming Messiah, Jesus, and what he would do for all people who trust in him. It's also a prophecy about God's coming kingdom, which we'll get to experience when Jesus returns and kicks Satan out, and restores all the broken things about this world - including coronavirus.

Psalm 1

1
Blessed is the person who does not
    follow the advice of wicked people,
        take the path of sinners,
            or join the company of mockers.
2
Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
    and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3
He is like a tree planted beside streams—
    a tree that produces fruit in season
        and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.[a]

4
Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5
    That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
        and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

6
The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
    but the way of wicked people will end.

The Lord Will Anoint His Servant with His Spirit

    The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me
    because the Lord has anointed me
        to deliver good news to humble people.
    He has sent me
        to heal those who are brokenhearted,
        to announce that captives will be set free
            and prisoners will be released.
²     He has sent me
        to announce the year of the Lord’s good will
            and the day of our God’s vengeance,
        to comfort all those who grieve.
³     He has sent me
        to provide for all those who grieve in Zion,
        to give them crowns instead of ashes,
            the oil of joy instead of tears of grief,
                and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.

They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
    the Plantings of the Lord,
        so that he might display his glory.

Note: In the video you'll see that I keep referring to the tree on my front lawn as an oak tree. Actually after I filmed it I remembered it is an elm tree, not an oak. I thought it was an oak at first, but after the leaves and seeds came out I realized it is an elm! Ooops :) Just in case anyone can see it closely enough in the video to recognize the tree, I thought I had better be accurate. But my analogy still holds!

Moment of Joy

Sorry it’s been so long! We’re packing up and getting ready to move, no small feat with two very young children.

So I wanted to post a devo for you all but as I started to write it, my little guy woke up from his nap. And he wanted to snuggle. He started telling me all about making a happy face with this matching puzzle he has, which made me start humming an old song called Put On a Happy Face, so then he wanted to hear the song and Alexa played it for us, which then reminded me of the 1963 musical it’s from, called Bye Bye Birdie. I loved that old movie when I was in high school in the 90s, and so I pulled up the soundtrack and sang along, that’s when I remembered that we performed a Bye, Bye Birdie medley in our show choir’s Broadway Concert my senior year. (I was a total drama and choir girl all through junior high and high school, I did all the shows for 6 years!) Anyway, that’s how I came to record the above video for my devotional for middle school. It was me and my sweet 3-year-old sharing a peaceful, loving moment (except when he knocked the phone out of my hand) and it brought me great joy.

Is there a special, fun thing that you can stop and do today? Just something small that brings you joy? God knows you inside and out, and he knows the small things you like, your hobbies, your good memories, all of it. Even if, in my case, it meant bringing to mind a favorite choir performance from 23 (!!!) years ago.

Check out this sweet, short little Psalm. What little gift is God giving to you to help you calm your soul today?

Psalm 131 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

1 O Lord, my heart is not conceited.
    My eyes do not look down on others.
    I am not involved in things too big or too difficult for me.
2 Instead, I have kept my soul calm and quiet.
    My soul is content as a weaned child is content in its mother’s arms.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord now and forever.

By the way, that quiet moment turned into my son throwing his little cars across the living room :) (next week we’ll have our own yard!) Guess where I went to find another quiet moment to write this? Wishing you all peaceful moments!

A Porch Portrait I'd Like to See

Happy Friday! I recorded the Facebook Live video devotional for our church this morning - we pastors take turns doing it about every 3 weeks. Today was my turn and to change it up (and escape the baby noise inside) I took it outside. Unfortunately there was a terrible wifi signal and the video is a little glitchy. But here it is.

And here's what I said.

Taking family Porch Portraits have become a popular activity during the pandemic. But do we really want who we really are during this time immortalized for all time?

I am finding that this time of having external trappings stripped away is really challenging - it is showing me who I really am. And I don't always like seeing who I am in these moments. But what this brutal honesty does is show me my own need of God. So today let's spend time with Jesus meditating on who he made us to be, and the mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Start by breathing in and out slowly. As you breathe in, pray, "Jesus." As you breathe out, pray, "Here I am."

Read carefully through this scripture. Read it through a few times. Consider God's mercy and forgiveness. Ask him for it. Thank him for it.

Ephesians 1:2-9
³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. ⁴ Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. ⁵ Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this ⁶ so that the kindness^[c] he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory.
⁷ Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. ⁸ He poured out his kindness by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight ⁹ when he revealed the mystery of his plan to us. He had decided to do this through Christ.