Kissed by the Spirit

“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

“I will glory in the Lord;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exalt his name together.”

Psalm 34:2-3 (NIV)

We all want answers but some questions will never be answered until we are on the other side of eternity. There are so many unexplainable things that happen in this world that make us ask, “Why Lord?” 

People tend to ask the following questions, 

Why would a good God allow:

….a parent to outlive their child?

….adult children to neglect their aging parents?

….an adult to betray a child’s trust? 

…..or a person to die without receiving justice?

These are good questions, but there are no good answers on this side of eternity. Scripture gives many examples of people who suffered, experiencing affliction of all kinds, and yet they exalted the Lord. So, I wondered who are some of the “afflicted” ones today, that are faithfully exalting Him. 

I can think of people I know in the Nursing home, whose lives fit every one of those questions listed above, but unfortunately they aren’t exalting the Lord. There are residents who have adult children who have abandoned them, and others who have outlived their only child. Some have suffered abuse as children, being betrayed by an adult they trusted. There are so many sad stories, and some have given up on their faith, while others have an unstable faith, which changes from day to day. 

Then, along comes a young man who seems to have a heart born to exalt the Lord. I only met him about a month ago, and he never ceases to honor Jesus despite his own afflictions and disabilities. He is in his mid forties, like Jon, but was born with cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to the brain before birth. 

His symptoms include trouble with movement and coordination, but his brain function is normal. For reasons unknown to me, he has lived in that Nursing home for the past twenty years, about half of his lifetime. I am going to call him Anthony for the sake of privacy. 

Anthony is someone who stops to pray for others all around him. He ambulates with great effort, using a walker, and despite his own disabilities, he shows compassion and an interest to know other people and their stories, whether they are afflicted emotionally or physically. I’ve watched him put his hand on the hand of another disabled resident, to pray for him. He talks to my son to encourage him in faith. 

In addition to the challenge of cerebral palsy, Anthony had a stroke about a year ago. The stroke drew him closer to God, and he has recovered without any deficits. Anthony’s mind, memory and speech are fully in tact, although he has to exert a lot of effort to make his faint voice heard.

One day we had a conversation and then he took my hand and prayed for both my sons and for me. He also told me that he had a talk with Jon, and he believes that Jon understood everything he said. Anthony exalts the Lord, in whatever he says or does, with residents and visitors. He is applying to hopefully attend Moody bible college this year, which is in the Chicago area, where he will be able to live on campus. 

None of us have any say in what happens to us or the afflictions we are born with, but we can decide how we will respond to everything. Exalting the Lord is a decision of the mind and spirit. It doesn’t depend on our mood or abilities, because it’s a choice we make. We cannot control physical pain, illness, weakness or our disabilities, but like Anthony, we can control how we think and respond to it. 

I learn from observing Anthony that the difference in a believer is that they trust God in the storms of life as well as in the sunny days. To question God in the storm is a very human reaction, but to have persistent faith, is a spiritual choice. When Jesus lives in us, His Holy Spirit merges with our human nature, to give us strength to find gratitude and exalt Him, in the midst of our afflictions.

So Anthony walks around that Nursing home, limping with a walker, speaking with a strained voice, but giving others the gift of dignity, hope and a prayer. He is a constant reminder for me, that whatever happens in our lives, if Jesus is our daily bread and we choose to exalt Him, we are being held in His hands forever. 

Even when we are broken, we are still blessed, and God desires to shares us with others, so that we may exalt Him together.

Lord, give us the grace and strength to exalt you together with others, today and always, in spite of our afflictions. Amen

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.”

Acts 2:17 (RSV)

The apostle Peter spoke these words in a sermon at Pentecost, while quoting the prophet Joel. There are many instances in scripture of God speaking to people through a vision or a dream, but Joel said that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh in the last days and there would be many dreams and visions, among young and old. The “last days” actually began at Pentecost. 

One of my favorite scenes in the Chosen movie series is Season 5, Episode 3. Jesus is grieved over the religious authorities’ rejection of Him. While He was praying, He began to weep with compassion for those in Jerusalem who totally rejected Him. While filled with sorrow in that scene, He suddenly hears harp music and someone singing a psalm. He walks a few yards away and sees a vision of David, singing and playing his harp in front of him. David, who died 1,000 years earlier, looks at Jesus and smiles at Him, which brought Him comfort, in his sorrowful state of mind.

Even though this scene is not found in scripture, it’s a beautiful reminder that Jesus grieves with the same emotions we feel. God will give us moments of comfort and blessing through visions or dreams directly from heaven. 

He does it at the precise moment that we need it to refresh our faith.

I heard of two true stories about people who were given a special gift of comfort in a time of sorrow after losing a loved one. One story was about a grandfather who passed away in his late sixties, whose family was devastated by his untimely death. 

While his adult daughter was still grieving over her father, she went into her two year old son’s room one morning, and the lively toddler said, “I love you, Mommy” She answered, “I love you too.” Suddenly, the two year old’s eyes were focused on something behind his mother and he said, “And Papa loves you too.” 

She turned around and saw nothing, yet she knew something very unusual just happened. God granted the toddler a vision of his late grandfather, her father, who sent a message of love that only a small child would be receptive to. Since only the pure in heart can see God, they can occasionally see our loved ones and be the channels for loved ones who are in Heaven. 

The second story is about a friend whose aging mother had been in the ICU, due to kidney failure and diabetes. She was not permitted any water to drink by mouth, since she was receiving IV fluids. It was difficult for her loved ones to hear her ask repeatedly for water, but be denied. She eventually passed away and went to be with the Lord.

Shortly afterward, while riding in the car one day, the family’s five year old young son, Christian, said something that stunned everyone. He said, “Grandma told me that she can have all the water that she wants now.” 

Christian never knew anything about his grandmother’s medical condition, he never even saw her in the ICU. His parents asked him to repeat what he just said and he did. They wondered how Christian could have known information that was never revealed to him. The only explanation is that his grandmother visited him in a dream or a vision. 

Children have pure hearts and they don’t lie about supernatural phenomena. God promised through the prophet Joel, that both young and old people, our sons and daughters would dream and see visions. In these two cases it was the grandchildren. 

Most of the time, God sends regular people, like you and me to help someone at a specific time in their life. Children are more receptive to visions, and God uses them to be the earth angel to send a special message to someone during a grieving period of their life. 

Lord, open our hearts and the hearts of our sons, daughters and grandchildren to receive your Spirit’s messages from Heaven. Amen

A two year old with his Papa