Kissed by the Spirit

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

John 15:9 (NIV)

As I read these words of Jesus, a thought came to me that just might be too wondrous to express adequately in words, but I will try anyway. 

Before all creation, there was love. Imagine an infinite God, who has no beginning and no end, who before creating the solar system, the planets, or any living thing, existed in a state of divine perpetual love with His Son and His Spirit. 

Then, in one timeless moment, God said, “Let us make man in our image”, and humanity was made in His image with the capacity to love and be loved. The God who is love, created us to also love and be loved by Him. 

Despite this, the word love is oddly absent in the first half of the book of Genesis. Even in the Garden of Eden story, with Adam and Eve, the word love is never once mentioned. In the chapters following creation, things just kept getting worse, but the word love is still absent from scripture until the 22nd chapter of Genesis. Those earlier chapters were actually a little depressing to say the least. 

Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, their son Cain killed his brother Abel, which was the first murder since creation. The population grew but people chose to do evil, and all were corrupted until a flood washed the whole world away, to start it new with one surviving family of Noah.

God called everything He created in the beginning, good, but His creation didn’t choose good. God made a covenant with Noah, sealed with a visible sign of a rainbow. Still, there was no mention of ‘love’ until He spoke to Abraham one day saying, 

“Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Genesis 22:2 (NIV)

The first time the word love is ever mentioned in scripture, relates to the love of a Father for his only son, and the request to sacrifice him. As we read it we can’t help but wonder, can this story ever get better? The story of Abraham and Isaac was a foretaste of a greater Father with His son, who offers a greater sacrifice in the future. Despite what God asked of Abraham, He was never going to let Abraham kill Isaac, because God already had a ram, waiting nearby, for the sacrifice. 

God used the story as an example to teach us what love is, that love and sacrifice are inseparable. It was a foreshadowing of a day to come, when our heavenly Father would offer a final atoning sacrifice for us through His son.

There’s always been an infinite union of love between God the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. God is a good Father, and He desires to bring all people into that union, through a relationship with His Son. Love is infinite, and it has no end, but was explained first through a Father’s love, because God, our Father, loves us and illustrated it sacrificially. 

Jesus emphasized His love for the Father and the Father’s love for us. He taught us to address God as ‘Our Father’ when we pray. He told us, as the Father has loved Him, so He has loved us. He used the story of the prodigal son, to reinforce the truth of God’s paternal and unconditional love. 

The love of the Father was manifested in everything Jesus said and did, all the way to the cross and empty tomb. We have a good Father who draws us close to Him when our faith and hope is tested or shaken, because that’s  what good fathers do. All things cannot last forever, but faith, hope and love will, but the greatest of these is love. Jesus asked that we remain in His love, which might involve sacrifice. It means acting on His behalf, carrying our cross with confidence that our Father in Heaven, loves us and is with us forever. 

Lord, thank you for the examples of Abraham and Isaac, and Your Father’s infinite, paternal love for us, so that we may always remain in your love. Amen

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

Proverbs 16:24 (RSV)

A Christian neurosurgeon who lost his son at 19 years of age, wrote a book, in which he states that “it’s not the painful trials of our lives that determine our future, but how we choose to think about them.” ( Dr. Lee Warren)

Today’s scripture verse says that pleasant words heal the body and the soul. Science has found that how we choose to think really does affect our health. Words can influence thoughts and thoughts matter. Science and faith actually complement each other, agreeing that pleasant words and good thoughts bring healing as Serotonin is released into our bodies, which is the feel good hormone. 

Pleasant words may come in a conversation with a friend or a stranger. Words connect us with others, and can come at a time needed to lift a heavy heart, and change a pattern of thought.

About seven months ago, I sat next to a total stranger at my hair salon appointment. We struck up a conversation after learning that we both had the same back pain originating from the same spinal level. We both also worked in health care for many years. Her name is Ruth and she’s a retired nurse who worked at a different hospital than I did, but we knew some of the same doctors. 

Her son is a neurosurgeon in Texas, and I worked with neurosurgeons in the Chicago area. Ruth and I bonded immediately and shared many stories. Since our appointments didn’t overlap after that, we didn’t see each other again for seven months.

Last week at my scheduled salon appointment, we ended up sitting next to each other again. We were so happy to see each other and catch up on where we left off. We talked for about 45 minutes straight, which made our hair appointments go by quickly. I left the salon that day, feeling blessed to reconnect with Ruth. 

I had many things to be stressed about before going to the salon that day. My son Michael is not handling his divorce situation very well, and his well being was weighing on my mind lately. Although I never mentioned him to Ruth, our conversation was so therapeutic. We shared things in common, with pleasant words that sweetened our souls, and I left feeling refreshed and blessed.

The next day, I ran a quick errand to the hospital where I used to work. I needed to have my entry badge fixed, which is used for my volunteer service. On my way to the security office, I saw a man talking to someone in the hallway. I recognized him as a nurse who I once worked with in the operating room fifteen years ago, who left for a different job.

I stopped and looked at him, and he looked at me at the same time. I said “Archie?” He said, “Maria?”and then we hugged each other. We chatted briefly, as I learned that he works in a different area of the same hospital. It was a pleasant surprise with pleasant words that had the same soul sweetening effect as meeting Ruth in the hair salon the day before. 

Pleasant words form pleasant thoughts, that fill our hearts with gratitude, which is a healing balm to the soul. May the Lord surround us with pleasant words that sweeten and heal our souls, and may all world leaders find the healing balm of words that brings peace to the nations. 

Lord, help us choose thoughts of gratitude, and let pleasant words reap the sweet healing balm effect on our mind, body, and soul. Amen

“The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”

John 4:25-26. (NASB)

Jesus respected the social, religious and cultural customs of His day, as long as they centered primarily on a love for God and others, but He ignored those customs when He needed to reach out to a particular person.

It was not customary in Jesus’ time for a man to speak to a woman alone, but He crossed that boundary when He had a private conversation with an unnamed woman at the well. He left such a powerful impact on her, that she couldn’t stop telling others that she met a man who told her everything about herself. 

We also have social customs today, from words used to greet others, to the phrases we say when departing, like have a good day, or by ‘liking’ a friend’s FB post. They are all forms of cultural etiquette. We routinely greet people saying, “How are you?” although it’s not customary to stay around and find out how they really are. It’s more of a greeting that we say in passing. 

If Jesus visited our society today, He might ask someone, “How are you?” but pause to look directly into their eyes and wait for an honest answer. It would be hard to walk away from the warm, loving presence and powerful glance of Jesus. 

That’s most likely how He approached the woman at the well that day. It wasn’t as random a meeting as it appeared to be, since Jesus purposely stayed behind while His disciples went into town to buy food. He waited at that particular well, for a particular woman to show up. His divine nature knew all that was weighing down her heart, after many failed relationships, while she was on her sixth one. 

Jesus said something very unusual to her, which wasn’t heard in a casual conversation. He said, “I am He”. As we read this story, He seems to be saying it to all of us as well. Whatever we long for, whoever we look to, and however we expect satisfaction in our lives, Jesus seems to be saying to us, 

“I am He, I am the one, and only I am the answer to what you need.”

Jesus broke rules but healed many broken hearts. He frustrated the traditionalists but gave hope and peace to the outcasts and the hopeless, because no custom, religious rule or man made laws are greater than His compassion for souls. 

Jesus doesn’t need to ask how we are, because He already knows how we are, but He wants us to know who He is. He wants everyone, man or woman, who live with heavy hearts, to know that He is there and ‘He is the one’ who loves us enough to break through social and religious customs and cross all boundaries, just to touch us and say that it’s going to be okay, because He’s got us.

Lord, you are the One, who knows us more than anyone, and today we pray for spiritual, mental and physical healing and wholeness for us and our loved ones. Amen

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Absolutely nothing separates us from the love of God, not even death. I am sharing a story of a childhood memory I have of a sweet little neighbor girlfriend that I once played with. Mary Margaret O’Connor was an only child of Irish immigrants who lived a few doors away from me. We used to play together and even though she was five and I was ten, I noticed something very special and charismatic about her. 

My mother used to take the city bus to and from work each day. After she got off the bus at the end of her day, she would walk down our street to come back home. As soon as Mary Margaret spotted my mother coming, she stopped playing and ran down the street and right into my mother’s arms. My mother would hug and kiss Mary Margaret as if she were a part of the family. I always used to wonder why Mary Margaret was so excited to see my mother. 

Later I realized that my mother and Mary Margaret both had the same outgoing, charismatic and affectionate nature, which is why they connected to quickly. Those were very special moments that Mary Margaret and my mother had each day. 

I was thinking of Mary Margaret recently, and wondered where she is today and if there was any way to contact her. I started searching for her on line and was led to an obituary article published by the Chicago Sun Times in June of 2016. It referred to her growing up in Chicago, and named her school which was in my neighborhood. It described her as a passionate lady who sang and danced, and tutored the special education students in her church, as well as starting a ministry for divorcees in her home church, St. James, in Arlington Heights. 

The article also mentioned a dimple in her chin and then I knew without a doubt, that it was the same Mary Margaret from my childhood. I was amazed to learn that Mary Margaret was living close by me before passing away.  She has two children, Billy and Caileen, so I searched Facebook to try and message her daughter. 

I found Caileen on Facebook and shared my memories of her mom as my childhood friend, while wondering if I would receive an answer. Caileen answered me the next day, saying that my message warmed her heart and it was received on the day she was in the ER. Caileen called the timing of my message, a “Godwink,” meaning it might seem like coincidence but it was of divine origin. 

She obviously felt that her mom was sending her a sign that day, by especially watching over her during her ER visit. It was the Holy Spirit who put Mary Margaret on my mind that particular day, and prompt me to search for her daughter on line. I regret not being able to reconnect with Mary Margaret while she was living,  but death doesn’t separate us as much as we assume it does. 

Death cannot separate us from the love of God, nor does it separate us from the love of a mother, or any other person in our lives, who has since passed away. Being inspired to search for my childhood friend, and then finding her obituary, led me to further search for her daughter, and message her, who ended up being in the ER on that exact day. 

I thank God for the connection with Mary Margaret’s daughter, Caileen, and I’m sure it 

won’t end there, since there are no coincidences with the Lord. When God starts something new, He intends to carry it through to completion. 

Lord, thank you for the perfect timing of people you bring into our lives, and for the souls of friends and loved ones who live forever, and continue to bless us today. Amen

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Everyone has a life story, but does everyone have a redemption story? Redemption is defined as the “action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.” 

I just heard a redemption story that began with two brothers who grew up on a cotton farm in Arkansas. Their dad was very strict and hard to please, but their mother was a devout Christian who prayed for her children. Jack was one year older than John, but they were the closest of brothers. They worked on their parents’ farm together, played together, went everywhere together and were each other’s best friend. 

Although they were close, they had totally different ambitions from childhood on. Jack felt called to be a preacher. He prayed and read his Bible every day, while John loved singing, and listening to gospel music every night on the radio, hoping to have a career in music. The family was very poor, so Jack, at thirteen years old, took an after school job to financially help the family out.

Jack suffered a fatal accident, while working with a table saw at his after school job. As he lied dying in the hospital with his family all around him, his last words were, “Will you all meet me in Heaven?” 

Jack was only 13 when he died, and John was devastated, in losing his best friend that day. Many years later, John received a break in the music industry and continued on a path of success in a music career. In spite of his success, he could never resolve or find peace after the loss of his brother and best friend, Jack. John began to lose himself through a lifestyle of drug and alcohol abuse. Between a failed marriage and his addiction to substances, he spiraled down until he hit rock bottom. 

One day his dark depression led him into a cave, where he laid on the ground in the dark silence and asked God to just take his life. In that moment he felt a presence that he never felt before. He knew that God spoke to his heart, and said, “I’m not finished with you yet.”

While lying in that dark cave, John surrendered all of himself to Jesus, his talent, his success, his failures, his weaknesses and his grief. He put God first in every aspect of his life, from that day onward, and later found the help he needed through rehab. He stopped all drug and alcohol use and spoke unashamedly about Jesus and how He changed his life. He used every public platform he had, to talk about Jesus and credit all his success to God. 

He told his story of redemption in prisons, at his concerts, and on his TV variety show. It wasn’t public information but ABC tried to stop John from talking about Jesus on his show, which he refused to do, so ABC canceled his show in 1971.

‘Johnny Cash’ went on to sell 90 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians in country music history. His driving force was no longer the pursuit of fame or fortune, but his brother, Jack’s dying words, “Will you meet me in Heaven?”

Those words never left him, and actually led him back on the path to follow the Lord of his life. 

Redemption stories are uplifting to hear, not just from celebrities but from anyone. No one is too far gone, to be brought back to God, because redemption is still God’s primary business. The most beautiful truth we can embrace is that God never gives up on anyone.  God is love, and love declares every soul “redeemable.”

A.W. Tozer, pastor and missionary, gave his meaning of redemption:

“Salvation was bought not by Jesus’ fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle, but by love; not by vengeance, but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice.”

Lord, may we never stop praying and believing for the conversion of our loved ones and all souls, so that new stories of redemption may continually be shared. Amen

“Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so. And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

2 Kings 2:9-11 (RSV)

Other than Enoch, Elijah was the only person in scripture who went directly into heaven without dying. His means of transport was a chariot of fire driven by angels, while Elisha, his student, watched as it happened before his eyes.

Somehow, Elijah knew that it was his last day on earth, so he told Elisha to make a last request of him before he leaves. Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit Elijah had, and immediately after that, a fiery chariot from heaven swooped down and took him away, leaving only his cloak behind. 

Elisha took his teacher’s cloak, rolled it up and clutched it tightly as he walked away, alone and wondering what his life would be like without his mentor. Who hasn’t felt that same moment of loss, after a special person in our life was suddenly taken from us?When Elisha arrived at the bank of the Jordan River, his moment of truth came. Elisha touched the water with Elijah’s cloak and asked, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” 

The river instantly parted and he walked across on dry ground. Elisha knew that the same God of Elijah, was now with him, and he received what he asked for-a double portion of His Spirit. 

Elisha’s own ministry was beyond what he ever thought or imagined. Asking for a double portion, was like saying, “Lord, make me better than I ever imagined I could be.” God answers prayers like that, in ways that always astound the one who asks. 

It seems that each generation needs a double portion of the Holy Spirit, more than the generation before them. After Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha became ‘the prophet’ of the day and region, serving God and doing more miracles than Elijah ever did. 

Elisha raised a child from the dead, multiplied the oil in a widow’s jars, to help her payoff all her debt, and he healed Naaman of leprosy by having him plunge seven times in the Jordan river. He even fed a large crowd with only a few loaves of bread, similar to Jesus’ miracle.

Elisha was the prophet of both rich and poor, who led all people to believe in the one true God.

A double portion of the Spirit is not just for prophets who heal lepers and raise the dead. Each of us can remember someone who once mentored us in our faith, whether it was a family member, a friend or a minister. God sent them into our lives for a purpose, and He wants to double the effect that their impact had on us. 

To ask God for a double portion of His Spirit, is simply asking Him to be magnified through our lives in some way. When we stop to think about it, everyone can use a double portion of something in their life. Parenting alone, requires a double portion of wisdom and patience, no matter how old our children are. The challenges of daily living, require a double portion of faith, love and mercy. God can also give us a double portion of confidence to complete the task ahead of us.

The Lord is an infinite source of the virtues needed, to live a life that pleases Him. He wants to part whatever waters are keeping us from moving forward. He brings  healing to mind, body and spirit, so that the world can see Christ in us. 

There is something within all of us, that a mentor once inspired, during the formation of our faith. God wants to double that inspiration today, as He did with Elisha. He knows what we are capable of, and He nudges us to be and do far beyond what we ever imagined. 

Lord, thinking of the mentors you sent to us, we ask for a double portion of your Spirit, so that we may do and be all that you meant us to. Amen

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.” 

Genesis 28:12-13 (NIV)

The phrase ‘stairway to heaven’ originated in the book of Genesis, long before the 1971 Led Zeppelin hit. Jacob was a fugitive, running from his twin brother, Esau, who wanted to kill him for stealing his birth right. The two brothers were single, with no wives or children yet, but the rift between them filled Esau with rage and left Jacob feeling misunderstood. It was a low point in Jacob’s life, with little hope for his future, until the Lord intervened. 

Jacob fell asleep one night, and had a vivid dream that was more like a visit from God. In his dream, he saw a long stairway which connected heaven to earth, and God spoke to Jacob from the top of that stairway. He assured him that He would never leave him, and protect him wherever he goes. Then God told him that all people on earth will one day be blessed through his offspring. (Genesis 28:14)

God intervened in the lives of those brothers as years went by. After they both had wives and families, Jacob initiated a reunion through forgiveness, and the brothers were restored to a peaceful relationship.

1,000 years later, Jesus was incarnated and born into Jacob’s ancestry. He was the human and divine offspring of Jacob, that God foretold from that staircase in Jacob’s dream. Jesus is the Son of God, and offspring of Jacob, who blesses  “all” the people on earth, both Jews and Gentiles.

A similar story took place long before Jacob’s trouble began with his brother. It was when his grandmother, Sarah mistreated her maidservant, Hagar. Sarah threw Hagar and her son out of the house, leaving them with no where to go. Hagar and her son roamed through the wilderness, expecting to die after their water supply ran out, until God intervened.

He sent an angel to lead Hagar to a well of water, and they survived. The angel told her that God still has plans for Ishmael, to bless him and make a nation out of his ancestors, and Hagar’s hope was renewed. (Genesis 17:20)

The stories of Jacob and Hagar reassure us that God connects to people in their lowest point of desperation. Psalm 34 says that God is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

God hears our cries and always finds a way to reconnect with people, offering them a stairway to heaven, to know Him better and put all our hope in Him, as in Jacob’s dream. He intervenes in some lives by leading them to a well of living water with words of comfort as He did with Hagar. God never stops intervening in lives to restore hope, even today. 

A few years ago, a friend told me a true story about a young man who was given a tainted drug at a music concert. After a long hospitalization, the young man ended up on life support. The doctors indicated that he would never recover, but his parents, friends and family, kept hoping and praying, against all the odds. The young man awoke from his coma, with no mental or physical deficits at all. There’s no other explanation for such a miracle except that God intervenes when no one else can. 

Jesus is our stairway to heaven, the mediator and the bridge that connects us to our true Father in heaven. A stairway to heaven is a symbol of God’s grace that gives us a way to draw closer to Him. He saves us from our wilderness, and sustains us with living water.

God is a God of second chances, even when the odds are stacked against us. He hears the cries of His people and always finds a way to restore our hope in Him. 

Lord, thank you for hearing our cries and extending grace that brings us closer to you, like a stairway to heaven. May our hope always be renewed in times of trouble. Amen

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

2 Corinthians 4:7 ( NLT)

Although the word “resilience” is not mentioned in this scripture verse, it is certainly implied. We “are like fragile clay jars”, who hold within our hearts, the powerful light of Christ, who is our treasure of resilience. Webster’s dictionary defines resilience as the ability to recover, spring back or recoil after some sort of compressive stress. 

Compressive stress is a challenge to our ability to recoil. At times we feel like frail, breakable clay jars, but God gives us the grace of resilience, and the strength to spring back. I believe we are all more resilient than we think we are. We may get tossed about in the eye of the storm, but resilience has a way of developing within us, over time, as we repeatedly recoil and recover. 

Our mind, emotions and bodies are like the fragile clay jars that Paul writes about, but resilience comes from someplace deep within our spirit, which is in union with the Spirit of God. We have resilience because of Christ, whose light dwells within us. 

Resilience is a mystery because it seems to emerge when we don’t recognize it. Like David, we face giants from time to time, but without trying to be heroic, we simply put into action, the stone in our hand and the mustard seed of faith in our heart, while God does all the rest. It’s what keeps us moving forward, one day at a time. 

It’s not about positive thinking or mind over matter. It’s not some “thing” that empowers us, it’s “someone”, and His name is Jesus. Whether the giant we face is a medical problem, the loss of a loved one, a financial burden or any other source of anxiety, our spirit constantly finds resilience through it. 

I remember the anxiety of taking on the first time role as a primary caregiver for my husband in 2019, as I watched the progression of his disease, ALS. A caregiver’s job is not without sleepless nights, financial worries, and continual adjustments to the medical equipment brought into the home. There are exhausting daily routines, with very little chance to leave the house or run errands. 

On top of that, there’s a sadness in watching your loved one suffer with an illness that has no cure, but even in the darkest places, the light of Jesus is deep within our fragile clay jar. Some days it feels like our jar is about to crack, but through every stage of pressure,  He gives us resilience, helping us to spring back again. 

This verse defines it:

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

We will definitely be perplexed at times, but we are not abandoned because Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. His powerful light of love dwells deep within our clay jars. He is the one holding us together, and promises to never let us go. 

Lord, thank you for the treasure of resilience through your light that dwells within us, giving us the power to overcome all things in your name. Amen

“In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”  Psalm 4:8 (NIV)

No one and nothing can give us the sense of safety or security that the Lord Himself can give us. We all desire to lie down and go to sleep in peace and safety every night. There is an entire realm that we cannot see, because the Holy Spirit and the angels are always working invisibly on our behalf, to protect us from danger, and lead us to heaven according to God’s timing.

Of all the security systems, burglar alarms, devices, weapons and tools of protection, the safest place to be, is to abide in the shadow of Almighty God. David reminds us in many psalms that the Lord alone keeps us dwelling in safety, by the leading of His Spirit, and sending angels and people to us at the right time and place.

When I was involved in a church youth group many years ago, one young man in the group shared this true story. He offered to drive a teenage girl home one evening after youth group. He dropped her off at her apartment building in Chicago, watching as she walked safely into her front hallway. She went inside and everything looked fine. 

As he started to drive away, before getting to the end of the street, he felt an urgent impulse to go back and check on her, so he turned around and drove back. He parked the car and walked over to look inside the hallway of her apartment building. In the hallway, he saw a man trying to attack her, holding her against her will. Her attacker fled out the front door, as the church friend walked in. 

Some would say that the young man followed his gut feeling by going back to check on the teenage girl. Others might say that the Holy Spirit led him to go back, or a guardian angel prompted him to do what he did. 

It was probably a combination of a gut feeling that comes from the Holy Spirit, and being prompted by angels who are assigned to protect us.

Another true story of divine protection happened to a missionary in Brazil. He was asked to give a talk in a high crime region of the city of Sao Paulo. After he finished his talk around three in the afternoon, while driving home with his friend, a gang of eight motorcyclists surrounded his car, glaring at him as they drove. The friend in the car said they must be the gang of car thieves who have been carjacking drivers in the area.

The missionary kept driving, looking straight ahead, while praying out loud, asking for God’s help and protection. He continued praying and driving, for several minutes until the eight cyclists eventually turned around and left. There was no explanation of why they didn’t carry out their usual car jacking crime, except that the missionary’s prayer dispatched extra protection from heaven in that moment. 

It may be hard to believe at times, but scripture is full of examples of how prayer connects us to the supernatural, invisible realm of heaven all around us. 

One example is when a den full of starving lions, suddenly lost their appetite, ignoring Daniel when he was tossed into their midst, while praying and trusting God. 

Three young Hebrew friends of Daniel were forbidden to pray, but when they kept praying anyway, they were thrown into a fiery furnace as punishment. A fourth man appeared in the furnace with them, who looked like the “Son of God.” They worshipped Him and the three boys were released unharmed. 

There have been rare moments when human eyes were permitted to see the invisible guardians of heaven who defend us each day. Elisha the prophet, was mentoring a young man, and prayed that he could see what Elisha believed by faith. The Lord opened the young man’s eyes and he saw an army of angels with chariots of fire, stationed all around them. What Elisha’s student saw, is what we can believe without seeing.

Whether we are in the midst of busy daytime routines or lying down to sleep at night, God’s presence is always with us. He created angels, who are heavenly beings that need no sleep, and are sent to encompass us continually. Whether we are awake or asleep, we can dwell in safety, because even if we are unaware, we are never alone.

Lord, give us a new awareness of the invisible protection of angels who surrounds us and a Spirit of peace that is with us every day. Amen

“O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?

Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?”

Galatians 3:1-3 (NAB)

Our parents taught us never to call people names, like “stupid”. The apostle Paul’s words to the church in Galatia (Turkey) appear to lack proper etiquette, by calling them stupid. They don’t seem like words of comfort, but rather abrasive and rude. Paul always had a strong personality, long before his conversion and call to ministry. Still, it makes readers wonder if this tirade to the Galatians was really necessary. 

Before his conversion, Paul was Saul, a Pharisee, who despised Christians and dragged them out of their homes to have them stoned. The Christian community was terrified of him until the day the Lord humbled him. The Lord mystically intervened, shining a bright light which literally blinded Saul for three days. Within that blinding light was the audible voice of Jesus asking him, “Saul-Why are you persecuting Me?”

Saul became a believer after that. His heart was changed, his name was changed, but his personality and temperament remained the same. God changes hearts, corrects our motives, and renews minds, while we still have the same temperament and personality we were born with.

Paul needed a strong personality for what was ahead of him. He was beaten, imprisoned, interrogated and accused by kings and governors, for spreading the gospel during his ministry as an apostle to the gentile world. His strong personality gave him the fortitude to defend his rights as a Roman citizen, which helped to deliver him from unfair treatment on certain occasions. 

Understanding the natural personality traits of Paul, we can better understand his tirade at the Galatian church in today’s scripture. The Galatians were deceived by false teachings and taught others that circumcision was necessary to be saved.

Paul corrected this false teaching at the time and brought the church back into alignment with the truth, so that the gospel could spread throughout the world. Calling them stupid, seems like a mistake coming from the mouth of an apostle, but that was Paul’s temperament and God doesn’t make mistakes in who He chooses.

Everyone has flaws but God uses our flaws as an asset for the kingdom of God. He did it with Paul to keep the early church on a right path despite many false doctrines circulating at the time. God wasn’t finished with Paul yet, but still used him for ministry since the day of his conversion. God isn’t finished with any of us either, and still uses our individual temperaments and personalities, according to His plan and purpose. 

God knows how to match certain personalities together, for the good. It’s very liberating to know that a perfect God wants to work with imperfect people, as we do our best just as we are. 

Every personality, whether introverted or extroverted, a quiet listening type, or the bold and talkative person, each one has a unique purpose in God’s kingdom. If everyone were the same how boring the world be. We don’t need to become like someone else, because God has a place for each of us, just as we are. 

What we may see as flaws and imperfections, God uses and turns into assets for His kingdom and purpose. This frees us to love God more and to love ourselves just as we are.

Lord, help us to be what you made us to be, and transform and use our personality traits to become assets for your kingdom. Amen