Kissed by the Spirit

“The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 25:8-9 (NAB)

This scripture always comes to my mind while watching the news when mass tragedies strike. I thought of it on 9/1/01 on the day the World Trade Center was attacked. I thought of Isaiah’s words again on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israeli families, mass murdering civilians in their homes. 

Although 1200 Israelis were killed that day, there was a safe room inside their every home and apartment. A safe room is a fortified shelter with a strong steel door, sealed and impenetrable to chemical attack, fire, bullets and other dangers. 

Since the attack was unexpected, it was a total surprise, and many couldn’t make it into their safe rooms in time. The world watched in horror, helplessly, as news stories unfolded day after day. 

Whenever good news or a story of heroism happens, it’s a relief to hear and share it, since good news is so uncommon these days. There were stories of heroism on 911 and on Oct. 7th, but I remember one story in particular. 

On October 7th, an Israeli father and husband saw the terrorists approaching his home. He quickly gathered his family into their safe room. Then he called his father, who was a retired General in the Israeli special forces. His elderly father lived nearby and told his son to stay in the safe room, and he was on the way.

His father arrived quickly, was met by terrorists, but after a gunfight, was able to save his son and his family. Although the father was retired and elderly, he never forgot his skills and was able to protect his son and grandchildren that day. 

We also have a safe room to go to, when we need help. Daniel’s vision of Heaven shows God as the Ancient of Days, seated on a throne, and one like the Son of Man who stood near Him, who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. Jesus, the Son of God is in union with His Father, and when we can call upon Him, He is sent by His Father to help us while we are in our safe room.

Our safe room is a metaphorical, spiritual place to shelter in, during the spiritual assaults of the enemy. When our faith is weak and put to test, we go to our safe room to rebuild our hope, faith and confidence in God. It’s not a physical room, it’s a state of mind that builds up our spirit, as we discern God’s truth from the lies or half truths that come at us. His word is the anchor of our faith, spoken by our Father, the Ancient of Days.

The news divides people instead of unifying them. It gives a partial or incomplete impression of a situation, to give us a negative perspective. Jews and Muslims in Israel are depicted as in constant conflict, but there has always been a peaceful coexistence between the Jewish population and the “Druze and Bedouin Muslims”, who have resided in Israel for decades. 

It is not compulsory for the Druze or Bedouin Muslims to serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) but they volunteer and their numbers have increased in the last few years. In spite of the distorted impression given, there always was unity between Muslims and Jews in Israel.

I would never have learned these facts from news reports, but my Jewish friend who lives in Israel, told me about many friendships between Muslims and Jews. He said that Israeli Muslims have lived and worked in unity with Jewish populations for decades. Some IDF officers are Muslim. I fact checked all this on line and it is true. 

Peace comes when we go to our safe room and rethink our perspectives based on the truth, instead of here say or redundant biased news reports. Our safe room is where we stop and remember God’s word and His truth, knowing that there is a remnant of faith filled good people everywhere in this world. We can renew our perspective in our safe room, behind the strong steel doors of God’s truth.

Jesus will physically return one day, but until then, His Spirit is with us in our safe room. He’s the One who will wipe away every tear and comfort those who suffer from the evil in the world. As we seek His truth to live in His peace, He stands beside His Father, the Ancient of Days, until the day He is sent in person to deliver us.

Lord, we call upon you, our ancient Father, hero and savior, while we wait in our safe room, behind the steel doors of your promises. Help us to seek peace until you return. Amen

Twin babies rescued on 10/7/23

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

There are a few miracle stories about George Washington, which  I never heard in grade school or high school. History records an incident in 1755, when George Washington and 86 of his men were caught in an ambush. After the battle, Washington was the only officer who was not shot down off his horse. The next day, he found four bullet holes in his jacket, yet not a single bullet permeated through his clothing to touch his body. He seemed to be protected by divine providence. 

Fifteen years later, an old Indian chief met Washington just to tell him that he personally shot at him seventeen different times, but without success. He told him that Washington was under special protection of the “Great Spirit.”

By the time the British occupation of America ended in 1783, it sadly came with a cost of over 25,000 lives. A peace agreement was finally signed with the thirteen colonies, creating the new born nation of the United States of America.

Washington was called to start a nation, and it was an irrevocable calling for our nation as well as for Washington. To be called by God doesn’t mean that someone is flawless. No person or countries are perfect. A nation, like a person, still has faults to overcome and growth to attain. 

Nations, government institutions and churches are all staffed by flawed human beings, since all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards. With God’s grace, every person and nation is going through a process of growth and transformation.

America has always had a legacy of being a place of refuge and liberty for those fleeing poverty or persecution, and with God’s grace, it will continue to be a refuge. The birth of a nation is like the birth of a human being, it is traumatizing, pain filled, yet at the same time, it is a new beginning with hope for all.

For 250 years, God put courage in the hearts of men and women who bravely stood against the mainstream to defend the freedoms that our nation represents. Some of those people lost their lives in the effort. 

To love a country is to be able to speak out against its flaws or errors of judgement, based on God’s truths which are self evident. The voice of the people make a difference in a nation’s progress. God isn’t finished with any of us yet, and He isn’t finished America either. 

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Roman’s 11:29) 

Whether it is a nation that is called into being or an individual who is called to stand for something, that calling is irrevocable and lasts forever.

Someone once said, “God doesn’t call the qualified, but He qualifies those He calls.” He shed His grace on this nation as well as on all of us. He qualifies us to follow Him as we are, and we do so with all of our flaws or weaknesses. 

His power is made perfect through our weakness, which is what grace is all about. 

Lord, thank you for shedding your grace and mercy upon us. We ask that you bless this nation with unity and justice for all. Amen

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL!

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.”

John 17:11 (NAB)

Wherever there is unity, God is present, and where there is division, the devil is. John, the apostle who clung to Jesus, was with Him when He prayed a final prayer, before His arrest and forthcoming death. Jesus prayed that all who believe in Him would be one, just as He and His Father are one. He asked His Father to keep us one, in His name. Why was this prayer so important to Jesus, before leaving the world? 

It’s actually more important to be united in a common love and faith in Christ, than to win arguments and be right. Jesus knew in advance, all the divisions and disagreements among church denominations, political parties, and nations that would eventually develop. There are divisions in different areas, but Jesus prayed specifically for His church and the unity they should have in His name.

Knowing He was going to leave the world physically, and soon return to Heaven, Jesus prayed not only for His own generation, but for the future generations like us today. He knew then, just as we know from history, that unity would be a very rare commodity in the world. 

Throughout biblical history, God, the Father, seldom spoke audibly, but when He did, it is recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They all wrote about the day a voice was audibly heard from the sky, when Jesus was baptized by His cousin, John. 

The voice of God said, 

“This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.” 

If there’s one thing that God considered worth speaking out loud about, it was to tell the world to listen to His Son. It’s probably the most important message that the Creator ever gave us.

So God, the Father, spoke His last audible words by pointing to Jesus, and Jesus prayed His last prayer on earth, asking that we would be united as one. To hear the Father, is to listen to Jesus, who prayed that we keep the bond of unity through His love and in His name.

We cannot do it without God’s help.  Jesus said that those who were forgiven much, will love much. The reason we are able to love at all, is because God first loved us. Once we know how much we are loved by God, He asks us to take the next step and  imitate that “love, which covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Putting all differences aside, and resisting the divisions among church denominations or political opinions that divide us, we pursue what Jesus prayed for, to be one in a common love for Him. We forgive, resisting all the divisions of the devil, and pursue unity in Jesus’ name, which makes us one bright shining light in the world, to become the answer to Jesus’ last prayer. 

Lord, unify us in your love so that we may shine for you in this world and live according to your last and final prayer. Amen

“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (RSV)

On the topic of momentary afflictions, I recently read a story about a man named Michael Mencer from New Jersey. As a boy he had vision problems and headaches that started around the age of seven. He was diagnosed with Juvenile Macular degeneration, a rare but incurable eye disease. His eyesight was 20/400, and he was never able to look straight ahead, because his eyes permanently deviated to the side. His mother prayed for him every day to be cured.

One day, when school was out, his 3rd grade teacher at the Catholic school he attended, handed him a prayer card and a memento coin as a token reminder that she was praying for him, and to encourage him to pray and trust God for healing. 

On the way home, Michael tried to read the words on the prayer card but it was too hard for him to read, with his flawed vision. While walking home from school, he glanced once more at the prayer card and suddenly, he could see and read it perfectly. 

When he came home, he walked directly to his mother and handed her the prayer card and the coin his teacher gave him. His mother noticed in that moment that his eyes looked different, and were not deviated to the side, but bright and sparkling as he looked directly at her. Michael was completely and miraculously healed that day. 

His mother took him to his ophthalmologist, who examined him and confirmed that his vision was 20/20. He sent him to other specialists, who examined him with his medical records, and they all agreed that he was cured, although it was medically unexplainable. 

Michael’s friends and family describe him as a quiet, caring, and humble man of faith, who didn’t complain about anything. At 30 years old, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. He never married, never had children, and was in and out of hospitals for the treatment of cancer, for the rest of his life. He passed away at 61 after complications from surgery.

As I read his story, I wondered why such a wonderful story of healing   would end a life at the age of 61, but his story didn’t end, because it is still talked about, inspiring people everywhere. It’s natural to ask why God did not heal Michael of his cancer, just as He healed his macular degeneration. It’s hard to find the answer but God’s thoughts are above our thoughts. Paul reminds us not to focus on the things that are seen but on the things that are unseen. 

Michael had 53 years to live his life with healed eyes and 20/20 vision. He was a humble witness of God’s love, kindness, and His power to heal today. He lived in contentment and humility, in spite of his cancer. His story of healing still touches many people, including the medical personnel who treated him.

Sometimes the rewards and blessings that God has for those who believe, are not just for this temporary life. Some rewards are waiting to be given on the other side of eternity. God always has a deeper purpose for us, in any trial we face in this life. We may never fully understand His ways, but He cares about every detail of our being. 

Paul said that “slight momentary afflictions prepare us for an eternal glory that is beyond comparison.” Paul refers to the troubles of this life as momentary, in comparison to eternity. 

True success is not measured by the rewards we are able to see, like longevity or prosperity in one’s life. Paul reminds us not keep looking at what is seen but to focus on things that are unseen, like the rewards to be received in eternity. It’s why Jesus told us to store up eternal treasures that can never be destroyed.

Lord, increase our faith to trust not only in what we see but what cannot be seen, and to store up treasures that will endure for eternity. Amen

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.”

Acts 9: 17-18 (NIV)

Scripture has many examples of people who recognized Jesus, for the first time or in a new way as if for the first time. Paul was blinded while hearing Jesus speak to him on the road. When Ananias prayed for him, three days later, scales fell off his eyes and he could see physically as well as spiritually. He was converted and was baptized. 

The disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus after His resurrection, in the breaking of the bread. They were amazed and their hearts burned with passion while Jesus spoke to them. 

Thomas doubted that Jesus rose from the dead until Jesus appeared to him, telling him to feel the wounds in his hands and His side. Thomas felt and declared, “My Lord and my God!”

The very first person to enter Heaven, by listening to Jesus, was a criminal with a death sentence. The thief on the cross recognized Jesus as Lord simply by looking at Him and asking for mercy. 

It’s interesting that the thief never heard Jesus preach, never read the prophets’ writings, or even confessed his sins. He just knew that he was a sinner and Jesus was Lord. He asked for mercy and Jesus responded, telling him that he would be with Him in paradise. His scales came off while he was nailed to his cross. 

The woman caught in adultery recognized Jesus to be the embodiment of God’s compassion and mercy. He saved her from having her life cut short, and simply told her to go and sin no more. 

There will always be something that happens in our lives, that make the scales fall off our eyes helping us to see Jesus, as if for the first time.

I think my scales fell off when I was nineteen years old. I believed in God and Jesus as a child in Sunday school, but a lot happens between the age of six and nineteen. I never gave Jesus much thought during those years, but I know now, that He was pursuing me all along.

I was influenced by film media at the time, in my search for deeper meaning in life. A TV show that I watched, called Kung Fu, was about a loner type of man who seemed to find wisdom through eastern philosophy. I used to watch that show and literally take notes of all his quotes and wise sayings. 

Then I saw the movie, “Poseidon Adventure”, and the final scene where a minister gave his life to save the survivors of a sinking cruise ship, really impacted me. The Lord was starting to reveal Himself to me through these things, as I wondered to myself, who would ever give their life to save people ?

There was a spiritual hunger in my heart at that time, and the Lord saw it. He reached out to me through the timing of a few events and a book I was reading. The scales finally fell off my eyes one day, as I prayed in my living room. I felt the love of God flowing over me and for the first time in my life, I was overwhelmed by Jesus, His love, forgiveness, crucifixion and resurrection.

At nineteen, I made Him the Lord of my life which doesn’t mean I lived perfectly ever since. I made many bad decisions and was prone to wander, but Jesus kept running after me like a good Shepherd, who runs after the wandering sheep. My relationship with Him deepened over time and through every hardship, He kept drawing me closer. 

We all have moments in life of recognizing Jesus in a new way, as the scales fall off our eyes, like Paul, the disciples on the Emmaus road, Thomas, the thief on the cross, and the woman caught in adultery. It is in those moments that His grace overshadows us, and we recognize Jesus in a way we never have before.

Lord, draw us all closer to you, removing the scales from our eyes so that we may recognize you in any way that you choose to show yourself to us. Amen

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days. Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

John 11:39-40 (NAB)

Martha and Mary sent for Jesus when Lazarus became critically ill. Jesus showed up four days after he died, giving the impression to his closest friends in the world, that He was in no hurry to get there. Martha thought His timing was way off, and she hinted of feeling abandoned by Him. She hoped He would have arrived in time but now she lost her hope. 

Jesus didn’t abandon His friends, and He wasn’t careless in the  timing of His arrival. He didn’t purposely plan to put Martha and Mary in further distress, but He wanted to teach a lesson of trust, and that it is never too late for God to show up, in any situation. 

When God doesn’t do according to our expectations, it means He has a better plan. In approaching the tomb, Martha was explaining to Jesus that a body decomposes after four days, which she didn’t need to tell Him, since “all things were created through Him.”

(John 1:3)

We have all been like Martha at times, feeling like God’s timing is off or that He forgot about us. When we pray, we might think we need to explain to God what could happen if He doesn’t intervene. Jesus wants us to be assured that He is with us and understands the situation, but He is also working according to His will and timeline, not ours. 

Prayer has to be more than just  telling God how He can solve the problems we have. He already knows everything but He is looking for our trust. Faith is believing that He is who He says He is, but trust is being able to yield to His will and timing. Our expectations are usually based on our time deadlines, but God is not governed by those limitations. 

By faith we believe that God is always with us, but it’s our trust that accepts His own timing. It’s almost a form of therapy to ask God to let His will be done. In saying those four words from the heart, “Thy will be done,”  brings glory to God, as well as the peace of the Holy Spirit.

I have a new appreciation for those four words. To say it and mean it, is to yield all of my deadlines and expectations to a higher plan, called “God’s will.” 

It changes my whole perspective, alleviating my stress and anxiety. 

Jesus told Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” The death of Lazarus revealed the glory of God because it was never His will to heal him, but rather to raise him from the dead on the fourth day. God may not always do what we expect, within our timing, but He always has a much better plan, and we can seal our trust in Him by saying, “Thy will be done.”

St Augustine said:

“If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds only what you are not yet ready for.”

Lord, we believe you transcend all deadlines and limitations and so we yield our will to yours, trusting that your plan is the best. Amen

“When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he. He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. “ 

John 9:35-38 ( NAB)

The blind man was healed by Jesus, and his sight restored, but afterward he was interrogated by the religious authorities in the temple. When they were not satisfied with his answers, they questioned his parents. Finally, they threw them all out of the temple. 

The man couldn’t understand why he and his family were being punished just for being healed. Jesus approached him a second time, asking if he believed in the Son of man, and his answer was, “Who is he, that I may believe?” Then Jesus said, “I am He,” and he professed, “Yes Lord, I believe.” 

Even after a prayer is answered, we may still have questions, not understanding the way that prayer was answered. The man in the story was confused that such a miraculous healing got him interrogated and thrown out of the temple. He didn’t even know who Jesus was, which is why Jesus intervened a second time, to  comfort him and clarify who it was that healed him.

God may be doing things in our lives that we don’t understand. He is answering our prayers, but maybe not the way we expected. We pray, but the answer seems completely different from what we imagined. In those moments, we ask God, “What is happening?”

Jesus still comes to us in our confusion and despair, answering our questions, though we may still not understand the answers. He comforts us with His peace, while clarifying and revealing more of Himself to us. 

When the Israelites were hungry in the wilderness, God answered by giving them a different kind of bread, that had to be gathered from the ground each morning. Their first question was “What is it?” Then each day as they went out to gather it, they asked, “Where is it?” Questions don’t indicate a lack of faith, but are a component of faith.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, even asked a question. When Gabriel appeared to her and said that she would conceive the Son of God in her virgin womb, her first and only question was, “How can this be ?”

It’s okay to ask questions because God’s ways are far above our ways. We believe that He will answer us according to His will even when we don’t fully understand His answer. In the meantime it’s natural to ask who, what, where or how.

Before my son, Jon’s motorcycle accident, he estranged himself from his faith, family and friends for no reason. In retrospect we wondered if he had mental health issues, since there were no conflicts that led up to it. Regardless of many unanswered questions, friends and family constantly prayed for him, until the day we received the news of his accident, coma, and brain injury.

It was not the kind of answer we hoped for, but God works His will in each person, even through traumatic circumstances. If a person is running away from God, the Good Shepherd never stops chasing after them. He answers prayers according to His divine purpose, allowing what is best for a person’s soul. It may cause us to ask questions, but we must keep believing because only God sees the big picture. 

Through all of our questions or confusing circumstances, the Lord may be asking us the same question He asked the blind man, “Do you believe in the Son of man?” It’s how He reminds us to keep trusting Him as we answer, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

Lord, we believe and trust in you, and ask for clarity in the midst of our questions, knowing that your purposes are always good. Amen

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Psalm 51:12 (RSV)

The psalmist calls upon God to uphold him with a willing spirit, 

but what is a willing spirit? It sounds like a spirit that is willing to stay aligned with God, giving Him permission to have His way with us. 

Scholars say that David wrote this Psalm after committing the heinous act of taking Bathsheba for his wife, and having her husband killed. David repented later of the evil he did, and asked not only for God’s forgiveness, but for something else as well, a “willing spirit.”

Repentance doesn’t mean much if the person hasn’t changed. Prisons were made with the intent to do more than punish, but to rehabilitate. A willing spirit is one that is open to rehabilitation. The Christian life is an ongoing rehabilitation process, not because of crimes committed, but to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. 

Transformation is central to the Christian faith. Conversion starts in the heart and works outward. It is best described as someone once said, “You are not what you do-but you do what you are.” 

Paul wrote to the Galatian church, “I am in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19) 

It sounds funny for a man to use the metaphor of being in the pain of childbirth, but spiritual new birth is referenced throughout scripture. Paul was saying that a spiritual rehabilitation is being birthed in us through Christ.

God doesn’t need anyone, but He wants everyone. He doesn’t force His way on us, but desires that we have a willing spirit and respond to him. The Spirit of God asks, invites, beckons and tirelessly pursues us, but He never forces us. He waits for our response to Him.

God asked who would go and be a messenger to the people, and Isaiah responded with a willing spirit, saying, “Here I am, send me!” 

God called Samuel three times, but waited for him to respond, and with a willing spirit, he answered, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Mary was set apart for the great role of mothering the Son of God, but God still wanted her honest response, and her willing spirit replied, “Be it done to me according to thy word.” 

When my mother once had a small stroke, and was admitted to the hospital, the neurosurgeon entered her ICU room, and told me that her scan showed a small amount of blood on the brain, but he did not recommend surgery, saying that the blood would eventually be reabsorbed. 

I had only one question to ask him, “If this was your mother, what would you do?”He looked directly at me and said with sincerity,

“If it was my mother, I would not recommend surgery.” That was enough for me because I saw his willingness to give an honest answer, and my mother recovered without any deficits. 

A positive response is a good thing but it’s even better when it is truthful. A willing spirit is not only willing, but honest, giving God permission to do His will in our lives, whatever that means.

Lord, open our hearts, uphold in us a willing spirit, and transform us into the image of your Son, by whatever rehabilitative process you choose. Amen

“‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise.”

Matthew 21:16 (NIV)

Most of the time, the theme for a 

meditation comes to me through circumstances that occurred days before. The spontaneous ways of children may be one trait that Jesus was talking about in today’s scripture, as it took hold of my thoughts and inspired this meditation.

Last weekend, while walking my dog, a lady with two toddlers were walking towards me. One little boy carried a little toy dinosaur in his hand, and although we never saw each other before, he looked at me with excitement and started telling me all about his dinosaur. I said, “Wow, that’s so cool!” as he looked so proud. His friendliness and spontaneity reminded me of how Jesus said that God’s praise is on children’s lips. He might have been referring to their natural joy and spontaneity in speaking out. 

That same weekend I decided to go to a matinee of the newly released Pixar movie, Toy Story 5. Since I’ve done some free lance art work for children’s educational filmstrips in my earlier adult life, I have always had a special appreciation for the art of cartoon film animation. In fact, putting my history aside, I think it’s just the child in me that still loves the art of animation.

So I went to the 1:00 matinee and found a seat, before anyone else arrived. First there were only three persons in the whole theater, but later it was packed. I was the only adult sitting shoulder to shoulder between two families with young children. The movie started, and when the character, Buzz Lightyear, appeared, the youngest kids on both sides of me shouted out, “Buzz Lightyear !” Their parents quickly shushed them, trying to keep them quiet.

Each time they had an outburst, their parents kept reminding them to whisper. It seemed as if they were trying to keep them quiet in consideration of me, the adult stranger, sitting next to them. Instead of being irritated by the kids’ responses, I was actually amused and enjoyed listening to them. If a creatively animated film could spark such unbridled joy in young children, no harm is done.

There is something special about children being honest, joyful and uninhibited. Whether they’re excited about a new toy dinosaur or a very familiar character like Buzz Lightyear, they shout it out, without reservation or self consciousness. 

Children reflect unrestrained pure honesty, enthusiasm and simple joy, which may be what Jesus was referring to, when He said that we must become like a child, in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

As adults, we have long since transitioned from childhood to adulthood, yet in the area of our faith walk, we are called by Jesus to continue implementing some of those childhood traits. We may do it by keeping things simple, being honest with God, ourselves and others, and not bridling our enthusiasm to serve or speak of Jesus or His kingdom. 

The children next to me, showed spontaneous joy in recognizing Buzz Lightyear when he first appeared in the film. Jesus would probably like to see that same joy in our response to Him, who is our hope, our strength, and the hero of our salvation. He promised to return to us one day, and when He does, the child within us will look up, point and shout, “Jesus!”

In the meantime, the Lord seems to bring young children into our path at times, as a reminder that they have something we used to have, but must never lose. 

Lord, we praise you for reminding us that we are all children of your kingdom, and are to live our faith in simplicity, honesty and enthusiasm with unbridled joy in you. Amen 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

John 10:27-28 (NIV)

Jesus wants everyone to know Him, but not in the same way a historian or theologian knows Him. He wants us to know Him in the intimacy of a relationship, which could be as a father, a brother, or a friend, but first and foremost as a Savior who gave Himself for us. 

Everything we go through in our life is meant to help us know Jesus better, and to live in the confidence of being fully known by Him. When Jesus talked about judgement, He said that on that day, He would need to say to some people, “I never knew you.” 

(Matthew 7:23)

That may be the most sobering scripture in the New Testament. It makes anyone want to ensure that we are known by Him.

A few years ago, I learned a lesson that relates to the theme of being known. It happened through a birthday cake I ordered from Dairy Queen. It was for my niece’s 40th birthday party, and I paid in advance for the cake, planning to pick it up on the weekend. The young man who took my order seemed new and unsure of himself, but he wrote down everything as I told him to put on the cake. Then he gave me a receipt and I left. 

Later that day, it occurred to me that he never asked for my name or phone number. So I quickly looked for my receipt, knowing it would be my only proof, but to further complicate things, I couldn’t find the receipt anywhere. 

I retraced my steps, but realized I might have accidentally thrown it away. So I now had no receipt to claim ownership of the cake, while they had no name or phone number of the person who ordered it. 

I called Dairy Queen and asked if they had an order for a cake that read “Happy 40th birthday, Seanna.” They confirmed that they did, and it was marked paid, but without any name of the customer who ordered it. I was able to identify the cake as mine by knowing the name on the cake, and they assured me it was proof enough. No stranger would want a cake with someone else’s name on it, so Seanna’s name was my saving grace.

What a bizarre situation that was. I paid for a cake and then lost my receipt. The young man took the order for the cake correctly, but forgot to add my name or number to the order. The two of us were a hazardous combination for any business transaction.

I knew there had to be a deeper meaning to all of this. Technically, without a receipt, no one can claim ownership of anything, and a name means nothing if it was never written down in the first place. The whole debacle reminds me of a scripture that says, Jesus is the only name given among men, by which we are saved. 

(Acts 4:12) 

When we stand before God one day, we will have no receipts to show, because salvation cannot be bought with money. Even if someone is famous, their name won’t be enough unless Jesus knows them. Names matter. As the name of Jesus is our saving grace, He actually writes our name in a book of life. 

(Revelation 20:15) 

To hear Jesus call our name, will probably be the most satisfying moment in eternity.

Jesus wants to know us even more intimately today than He did yesterday, and He waits for us to invite Him into every part of our life and being, simply because He loves us so much. Like any other ongoing relationship, it involves knowing each other more over time. 

Lord, we give all of ourselves to be known by you and held in your hand, and we pray to know you more intimately, to spend eternity in your presence. Amen