Month: April 2024

“But Joseph replied to them: “Do not fear. Can I take the place of God?

Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end, the survival of many people.”

Genesis 50:19-20 (NAB)

A church close to my home in Mount Prospect, Illinois, has been showing Season 3 of the Chosen, a superb drama series on the life and ministry of Christ. Each Wednesday morning, I go there and watch an episode, then join in on a group discussion afterward.

While I was at the third episode discussion, a lady told us that she knows the actor, Demetrius Troy, who plays Lazarus. She said “D”, as he was called growing up, was one of the neighborhood boys from Mount Prospect, and went to the same school as her own children. It’s not often that a local neighborhood kid becomes a successful actor.

We never know how a person we  know, may reappear years later. I started wondering if there are any other true stories about a “neighborhood boy” who reappeared in a surprising way later, and then I found myself meditating on some biblical examples of neighborhood boys.

David was the baby of his family with seven older brothers. He was a neighborhood shepherd boy from Bethlehem. He was also known for playing his harp and writing songs (Psalms) while caring for His father’s flock. He was too young to join the military, while his older brothers were at war with the Philistines, but he was sent to their camp on occasion to bring them a package of food to eat. 

One day,  David arrived with their lunch, and could hardly believe his eyes. He saw a nine foot tall giant Philistine taunting the armies of his people, Israel. As the army retreated, David asked to be allowed to confront the giant, but his older brothers became furious, calling him arrogant. (1 Samuel 17:28) 

After persisting, he was finally allowed to approach the giant with his trusted sling shot, and we all know how that story ends. God led an underage lunch boy to become the hero who killed a giant, and later established his reign as the king of Israel. 

Joseph was another neighborhood boy, Jacob’s second youngest of twelve sons. His envious brothers mistreated him, and threw him in a cistern one day. They went home and told their father that Joseph was killed by a wild beast, and Jacob mourned for years. Although his brothers kept their dark secret all that time, God had other plans, and led Joseph into a path of leadership, where he became a major political influence in the land of Egypt. 

His brothers and father met up with Joseph twenty years later, during a  famine. Joseph as the governor of Egypt, stockpiled a huge supply of grain for years. People from all over came to Egypt to buy grain. Jacob and his sons arrived in Egypt and were shocked to see Joseph alive. For Jacob, seeing Joseph alive, was like a resurrection from the dead. 

In spite of the mistreatment by his brothers, Joseph forgave them and took care of his whole family. 

When Joseph’s brothers feared that he might still kill them in vengeance, he said to them, 

“Can I take the place of God?” He acknowledged that it’s not our place to repay evil, and whatever injustice people suffer, if they trust in God, He will turn things around for the good, at a later date.

Both neighborhood boys, David and Joseph, had two common virtues that reaped many blessings in their lives. They had unusual humility to endure unfair treatment by their brothers, yet never took vengeance. They also had great faith in God to keep trusting in His goodness and mercy. Their stories are proof that God will bring good out of a bad situation through faith and humility. 

Now I can see Jesus as the third example of a neighborhood boy, who was also disrespected by those who were like His brothers in the faith, the Jewish authorities. Like David and Joseph, Jesus was also mistreated, accused of being arrogant, envied and plotted against. 

He was the neighborhood boy from Nazareth, who reappeared later as the Lamb of God, who with great humility, forgave all His enemies from the cross, and then made a surprise reappearance as our resurrected living Savior. 

Lord, thank you for your goodness and mercy toward us. Help us to grow in faith and humility, even when we are disrespected by others. We learn through your wisdom in all scripture that “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Amen 

You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day;

Of the plague that stalks in darkness,

Or of the destruction that devastates at noon.

Psalm 91:5-6 (NASB)

When I was about seven years old, I was eating watermelon one day, and accidentally swallowed a seed. For whatever reason, I was convinced that the seed was stuck in my throat. 

My mother kept telling me I was okay, since I was breathing fine and not choking. She gave me things to eat and drink to try and wash the seed down, but my panic steadily increased. 

It soon became a huge melodrama with my two older brothers, my father and my mother, all looking at me, concerned over how to solve my problem. My mother kept assuring me that I was breathing, and everything was okay, and she was probably correct, but I felt that seed was still in my throat, and worked myself into a full panic, to the point that facts no longer mattered. 

It’s just an example of how worry can take over our minds until things are totally blown out of proportion. That whole ordeal reminds me of the walk of faith that we all go through. Facts have the capacity to either calm us or trigger our fears, but sometimes fear turns to panic, even if the facts are good. Only faith can lift us out of the grip that fear has on us. 

The good thing about having faith, is that it’s not dependent on any facts. The scriptural definition of faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1)

It doesn’t say that good news is required to have faith. I have since developed my own system to prevent fear from growing into panic. I recall my childhood watermelon seed ordeal, and say to Jesus, “This is not the end of the story, You are still here, and I am still breathing.” 

Our hope was never meant to be reliant on facts, hope relies on Jesus, that His presence is with us, and He will conquer all our fears. This is the truth to hold on to. 

Psalm 91 promises that we will not be afraid of the terror by night, the arrow that flies by day, or the destruction that comes at noon, and that covers it all. The Lord covers us at all times of the day and night with His protection and comfort. 

Whatever we are facing, there is deep consolation in pausing to remind ourselves that Jesus is always with us, everything is okay and we are still breathing. 

Lord, our every breath comes from you, and you promised to be with us always. Help us to take a pause, when we are in fear, and to be still and breathe in your comforting presence. Amen

Update:Jon is transferring out of Intensive care today and into a neuro unit. Everything is stable. Thank you. 

“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

We all grieve over the loss of our loved ones, or as Paul and the early church called them, those who have “fallen asleep”. 

Jesus used that same expression of falling asleep, in reference to Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus, when they both died. 

According to Jesus and the entire early church, death is merely falling asleep. It’s a place where mortality ends and we begin our transition to immortality. All that we believe and hope for is centered on what Jesus promised us, saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25)

We all grieve over our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the Lord, but we might also grieve over a medical diagnosis, an estranged relationship, a loved one who has left the faith, a relative who is struggling with substance abuse, or a loved one who has an altered mental status due to Alzheimer’s, dementia or a traumatic brain injury, like Jon’s.

We grieve for our deceased loved ones, with the hope that they will find eternal life, and that we will be reunited with them one day. When we grieve over illness, broken relationships, or other reasons, we can surrender it all to Jesus, praying in hope for the answers to our prayers. We grieve over our loved ones with altered mental states, but we hope that they will always know they are loved. 

I cared for my mother in my home, when she started having dementia and other health issues at the age of 91. My prayer was that God would allow me to care for her to the end of her life, and never need to place her in a Nursing Home or a hospital. 

I gave her a Lasix pill each day for  congestive heart failure. One day as I was bringing her clothes to the laundry room, I found several Lasix pills inside the pocket of her house dress. She had been stashing each pill in her pocket all along, instead of swallowing it. 

I wondered how long this had been going on, even though she never expressed any refusal to take her pills.

I confronted her and asked “Mom, why didn’t you take these pills I have been giving you?” She calmly smiled and said with confidence, “An angel told me not to take them.”

After that, I made sure she took each pill. It turned out that she passed away a year later at 92 in her sleep. 

I grieved her loss, yet found great comfort in knowing she died in her sleep, and in my home, instead of a Nursing home or a hospital. She may have shortened her life by not taking those pills, but God answered my prayers by keeping her out of any public facilities. Who knows, maybe an angel did talk to her, but my mother knew she was loved, and I was confident that she went to be with the Lord. That’s what it means to grieve with hope.

Christians grieve different than those who grieve without hope in Christ. We grieve with hope in His promises and a faith that enables us to live with confidence and freedom from guilt and anxiety. Hope brings confidence, and confidence brings peace.  (Ephesians 3:12-13)

There is a type of grief that I experience in seeing my son, Jon, so disabled, but my peace comes from maintaining my hope in God, who is the one in control. He loves Jon more than anyone, so I want His will to be done. It’s a hope that lifts the burden and heaviness off of me and leaves it with Jesus, just as He invited all of us to do. 

This week the surgeon told me that he wants to place a permanent internal shunt in Jon, that will prevent future spikes in his intracranial brain pressure. He told me that there is still hope that the enlarged ventricles in his brain could shrink back to normal size, with the placement of the internal shunt. It’s a brief procedure, and I consented to have it done next Wednesday. Jon will have another week’s stay in the intensive care unit, and I have new hope that he could still improve in the months ahead.

Lord, we pray for all who are grieving in various ways today. Fill our hearts with new hope and faith, as we leave all our prayers and requests in your hands, and grant everyone your peace going forward. Amen

“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:8 (NAB)

This past weekend was the 25th anniversary of the Columbine high school shootings. I hesitated at first, to write about the dreadful massacre of thirteen innocent people that day, twelve students and one teacher. Then I learned of a hope filled story that came out of that tragedy, which I never heard before, and wanted to share it.

In honor of the anniversary of that day, Frank DeAngelis, the man who was the principal of the school was interviewed on a Christian TV program. He shared how, in the midst of all the fear and chaos, he managed to gather a group of students into the gymnasium, and from there, safely lead them outside, escaping the two shooters.

The principal said he started praying as soon as the shooting began. When he came across a group of students, he led them to the school gymnasium. When they got there,  the door was locked, and the sound of gunshots was coming closer and closer. 

Mr. DeAngelus had a key ring with 30 keys on it. Not knowing which key was for the gymnasium, he grabbed hold of any key to try it, and the first key he grabbed was miraculously, the right key! They all hurried inside the gymnasium and then out the exit door, where he and twenty students escaped safely.

DeAngelis said that if that key wasn’t the right key, it would have caused him to fumble and keep trying until finding the right one, and there is no doubt that he and those twenty students would not be alive today. He was able to save them, not by skill or luck, but by prayer and divine intervention. By God’s grace, as he continued to pray, his shaking hand miraculously grabbed the right key out of 30 keys, at the right moment.

Instead of turning every tragedy into endless debates on gun control or mental health issues, there is another factor that most of the world doesn’t want to discuss…and that is our need for God. 

The entire universe was created for the purpose of drawing all people to the love of God, who then leads us to love our neighbor, and live by faith in Christ. The Lord wants us to call upon Him in our time of trouble. 

This story is only one of a few heroic acts of faith that took place that day. DeAngelis said he was praying under his breath the whole time, and knows that God helped him pull the right key out and steer those students to a path of safety. 

It seems that both faith and God have long been removed from the  conversations, that follow similar tragedies like this one. No wonder Jesus asked whether He will find faith on the earth, when He returns. 

In spite of the state of unbelief that the world seems to be in, God is still giving courage to whoever does believe in Him. He is still placing the correct key in our hand, in the right moment, to help us safely lead others to Jesus, who is the only pathway to salvation.

Lord, help us to keep our faith and call on you in every kind of trouble. As we share our faith with others, we trust in your mercy and divine intervention to rescue us. Amen

(Thank you all for your great faith and your prayers. Jon’s last CT scan shows improvement)

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NIV)

The apostles were a part of the inner circle of ministry, and ministry is all about service. Peter, James and John had the honor of being the only three who went inside the home of the little dead girl who Jesus raised to life. They were the three who went on the mountain of transfiguration with Jesus, and only those three saw the vision of Moses and Elijah. 

Being the chosen ones in the inner circle was not for a life of glamour, popularity or prestige. They were chosen to live for and serve Jesus, which is no different for any disciples of Jesus today. The first disciples all died a martyr’s death except John, who died of old age, while banished to the island of Patmos. We learn through them, that it is through sacrifice, service and many tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)

The disciples of Jesus lived a life of courage, faith and endurance. They served God long after Jesus left them and ascended to heaven. We are all His disciples, and have been adopted into the family of God. We trust Him in our troubles and our faith takes us through so much, yet there will be times in each of our lives, when we look at what is happening to us or our loved ones and we wonder why? 

I have recently received so many texts and phone calls from friends and acquaintances, who are very distressed and desperately asking for prayer. At first, I looked up to heaven and asked “Why so much suffering?” We will never have all the answers regarding suffering, but it’s easy to overlook some of the mysteries of suffering that are revealed in scripture.

 The two most overlooked words of Jesus are “Follow Me.” The disciples were called by Jesus with those two simple words. Following Him means more than observing His words and teachings. He told us to pick up our cross and carry it, in order to follow Him. In any trial of suffering that we encounter, our faith leads us to ask for healing and deliverance, but until He heals or delivers, we are asked by Jesus to pick up and carry our cross. He asked us to follow Him in all His ways, and that is one of the ways. 

Jesus served others, and offered Himself as a living sacrifice for all. In some mysterious way, we are all living sacrifices for God in our suffering, whether we recognize it or not, as it is written:

“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Offering our bodies, means offering our present life and our whole being of existence here and now, to God, as a spiritual offering. One of the deep mysteries hidden in every believer’s suffering, is that there are treasures being laid up in heaven for them, by accepting their cross.

When we don’t see suffering as a way of following Jesus, we will spend all our energy and efforts in getting rid of our cross instead of carrying it. If we embrace the idea of becoming a living sacrifice, as a service of worship to God, we begin laying up those eternal treasures. There is a deep peace in knowing Jesus sees us following Him by carrying our cross and trusting that He has a purpose in our pain.

Paul told believers to be rich in good deeds and to lay up treasure for themselves in the world to come. He also told the Roman believers that we were meant to be living sacrifices, who willingly offer ourselves to God. Whatever we are suffering, let us offer ourselves and our suffering up to God. 

Jesus paid the price in His blood on His cross, for our free gift of eternal life. Now is the time to carry our cross and follow Him. Now is the time to serve and sacrifice for Jesus, and we will lay up the treasures that count for eternity. 

Lord, we offer ourselves to you, and we will follow you by embracing the cross we carry. We thank you for the salvation you have given us and  trust your purpose in our pain until the day of your deliverance. Amen 

“Jesus said to him, “‘Everything is possible to one who has faith.” 

Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:23-24 (NAB)

Faith is knowing that everything is in God’s hands, and even when things seem to be getting worse, and our faith is weakening, it’s okay to come honestly to Jesus and say, 

“Lord help me in my unbelief.” 

Those were the words of the father of a demon possessed boy. He barely had faith to believe that his son could be delivered, but He had enough faith to come to Jesus. Every miracle begins in just coming to Him, even when faith is not perfect. 

When the father of that boy heard Jesus say, anything is possible to the one who has faith, he figured that excluded him, since he hardly had any hope for his tormented boy. He had very little hope, but a whole lot of honesty. When he said to Him, “Help me in my unbelief,” a miracle was about to happen. 

It’s easy to get the impression that Jesus only responds to people of great faith. He praised the Centurion who said “Only say the word, Lord.” He was impressed by the woman who said “If I can just touch the fringe of His garment.” He used the example of the gentile woman who humbly persisted by saying, “Even a dog can receive a crumb that falls from the table”. 

There’s  no doubt that great faith pleases God, but He also responds to great honesty. Jesus was touched by the desperate father who said in honesty, “Help me in my unbelief, Lord.” 

God has always desired intimacy in His relationship with people, and intimacy requires honesty. There is a blessing of intimacy, when we open our heart to Him in truthfulness.

Jesus wanted to help those who were struggling to believe that He had truly risen on that third day. He made an extra effort to convince His disciples that He was risen in body, not a ghost or a spirit. He went to every extreme to remove their doubts, by asking for something to eat, and eating food in front of them. He showed them His scars and His wounded side. He went even further by telling them to put their hands into His scars, saying, 

“It is I, myself. Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 

(Luke 24:39)  

God is patient with everyone who struggles to believe. He was patient with the father in this story, He was patient with the disciples, and He is just as patient with us today. He desires intimacy with us through our honesty, and by spiritually putting our hands in His scars. 

Jesus is pursuing every one of us with those nail scarred feet and hands. He desires that we come to Him, which is an act of faith in itself, and He won’t scoff at the areas where we are weak in faith. 

As we remember His unconditional, relentless love for humanity, it’s like putting our hands in His scars, hearing Him say, 

“Touch Me and see how much I love you.” He gave it all for us, so that we can trust Him for all things. 

Lord, thank you for your patient relentless love for us, and help us to keep coming to you, in those areas of unbelief. We touch your scars today, and trust you to raise us up to a higher level of faith and devotion to you. Amen

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 16:7-8 (NIV)

The words of this psalm are like a three part formula that the Holy Spirit gives us to keep our faith from being shaken during the fiery trials of life. 

It involves three areas to focus on: the heart, the eyes and our right hand. I think there is a message of hope and faith for us in these verses.

In breaking it down, the first focus is the heart, but it’s not referring to the organ that pumps blood through our body. Our heart is that place deep within, that believes and finds strength from the Spirit of God. It’s the place where the Lord counsels and instructs us late at night, after we bring Him all of our concerns of the day. Sometimes a new problem arises earlier in the day, that leaves us with anxiety, feeling like a knot is in our stomach. When we release our worries to Him, the Holy Spirit comes and eventually replaces the knot of anxiety with peace, hope and faith within our heart.

Next, it says that we need to keep our eyes on the Lord. If our eyes are not on the Lord, we will focus only on the problems. The Lord is invisible to our physical eyes, while problems are very visible all around us. Jesus said “Blessed are those who believe and don’t see.” These are the times to use our eyes of faith, not our physical eyes. 

The eyes of faith are described in the well known faith chapter of the Bible. The first line, Hebrews 11:1, reads, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” God’s word tells us we can still know with certainty what we cannot see physically. It says we can know with proof, and it is all done with our eyes of faith.

Finally, the third part, involves our right hand, which is my favorite subject. It reminds me of my vivid childhood dream, that my school was on fire and chaos was all around me. Someone took hold of my right hand and led me around the corners and down the school hallways, while people were running in all directions. I was safely led out the exit door of the school. When I looked up, it was Jesus, standing there holding my five year old right hand. 

Yesterday, I certainly had a knot in my stomach and the fire is starting to heat up. I am going to re-open my eyes of faith and as I remember my dream, I am keeping my right hand in the hand of Jesus through this fire. 

Jon’s surgery was five days ago to replace the bone flap on his head, after a traumatic brain injury months ago. The surgery went well, but yesterday, I was informed that Jon is  having a puzzling setback. 

The surgeon called me and I could discern a level of concern in his voice, explaining that they aren’t sure what is causing this setback. Replacing the bone flap can lead to infection, but not this soon. Jon is running fevers but his white blood cell count is not high as it would be with an infection. There is increased swelling in his brain, and the ventricles are more enlarged than before surgery. The surgeon thinks something else is happening, which an MRI will help to explain. I will receive the results of that MRI today, which will tell us whether he had a stroke. 

In the chaos of our lives, we cast all our cares on Jesus, and His Spirit comes to us at night, restoring our peace, while we keep our right hand in His. He is in every fire with us. He never promised to prevent the fires in our lives, but He knows where the fire exits are, and lead us to them. When we keep our hand in His, He keeps us in peace and safety.

Our family is praying and I thank you all for your continued prayers. When I searched the internet for the right picture to attach to this meditation, I chose the one below of Jesus leading through the fire. I later realized that I once knew the artist. Jon and his brother Michael, were childhood friends and playmates with the two sons of Ron DiCianni, the artist who painted the attached picture. We all attended the same church many years ago. My boys were so excited every time Grant and Warren came over. After choosing Ron’s painting, it seemed like a sign from heaven, that Jesus is holding all of our hands through the fire. 

Lord, open our eyes of faith as we give you our right hand, trusting you to lead anyone who reads this message today. Whatever type of fire we are going through, we praise you for replacing our anxiety with your hope and peace. Amen

“Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb, He has spoken my name.”

Isaiah 49:1 (NIV)

What a beautiful thought, that before we were born, God called us by name. While we were in our mother’s womb, we received our very first introduction to God’s voice, as He called our name.

This scripture could refer to Jesus, who became incarnate in a womb, but it can also apply to every person. God loves all people and has a plan for all of our lives. It’s a reminder that He not only has a plan but He has called us by our name, early on. He did it so that we would recognize His voice later on, and know our true identity is in Him.

The earliest identity that Jesus had, was being known as “the carpenter’s son.” (Mark 13:55) He learned everything about carpentry from His father, Joseph, long before He was ever called Rabbi or teacher by His disciples. Jesus probably never forgot anything that Joseph taught Him, but in those last three years of His life and ministry, He spoke only of His Heavenly Father.  Although He loved Joseph, He never mentioned him in any of His teaching and preaching, according to the gospels. His identity made a clear transition from Jesus, the son of the carpenter, to Jesus, the Son of God.

We are all sons and daughters of God, and it’s an identity that we also transition to, at some stage in our lives. Our identity in God always overshadows our first identity in life.

I remember my first identity. When I was young, I used to visit my mother at her workplace, which was walking distance from my school. I entered through the front door of a ladies’ dress shop, then walked all the way to the back room, where a team of seamstresses were seated in front of their sewing machines. As I walked by, I could hear employees say, “That’s Marge’s daughter.” My mother was a seamstress and the head fitter in that ladies’ dress shop, and my identity back then was as Marge’s daughter.

Later, when I invited Jesus into my heart and life, I transitioned from that first identity, to a new awareness of the heavenly benefits and all the wonders of being a child of my Heavenly Father. We all belong to God, and deep within our soul and spirit, He has left the mark of His voice. We can still recognize His voice that once called us by name from inside our mother’s womb. It’s the small still voice that leads us today. 

For those who have been neglected or rejected by their biological families, and suffered much pain in their first identity, my hope is that they will find their truest identity is not a biological one, but a spiritual one, in being a son or daughter of God. A few residents at the Nursing Facility shared their stories with me, of an early distorted identity due to a sad, dysfunctional childhood. I’ve learned that even those who had good childhoods, still suffer later with dysfunctional family situations. 

There are two people who are temporary residents in the Nursing Facility. They are fortunate to have had strong family relationships, faith in God and receive regular visits by their loved ones. The reality is that even people with close family ties, still get hurt when their families let them down. 

The two residents I’m referring to are expecting to be discharged one day next month, and plan to go home and live with a family member. A man who is recovering from an episode of heart failure, will eventually go to live with his older sister, whenever he is discharged. 

A lady, who is recovering from brain cancer and is in remission, is expecting to go home and live with her oldest son and his family, when she is discharged.

Both of them, although their identity with family is a strong one, still had disappointments this past Easter weekend. He expected his sister to bring him some Easter foods that she cooked, and she expected her family to pick her up and take her home for the Easter weekend. 

The man said he was informed by his sister that she was too busy helping to plan her daughter’s upcoming wedding and didn’t cook her usual big Easter meal, so she never visited or brought any food to her brother. The lady waited all day in her room on Easter, but no family member showed up, to pick her up and bring her home for the weekend. I don’t know if she misunderstood the plan or they did. I felt heartbroken for both of them, when I later learned what happened.

I cannot decide which is sadder, residents who have no one who ever visits them, or those whose family members neglect or forget about them on a major holiday like Easter.

Our very first identity in life is in being someone’s son or daughter. Later, that identity develops into being a parent, a spouse, grandparent or a sibling. There comes a time when we realize that our truest identity which never changes, is in being God’s son or daughter. Being God’s child comes with no disappointments and no false hopes. God is true and unchanging, His promises are secure, and being His own child, is the best identity to live with. He is our Heavenly Father, the Almighty One, who holds all the days of our life in His hands. 

We will recognize that His voice was the one who has been guiding our lives all along. It’s that same voice who once called us by our name from inside the womb. We cannot consciously remember being called from the womb, but our soul recognizes His voice when we hear it. Some have named that voice within, calling it our “conscience,” but Jesus told us it’s His voice. He is the good Shepherd, who has placed a longing within us, which began in the womb, and it can only be satisfied when we respond to Him.

Our true identity is found in listening for that familiar voice of Jesus, who said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” 

(John 10:27)

Lord, what a loving Father and Good Shepherd you are, to have placed your voice within us so that we can know and follow you all of our days, in our true identity as your sons and daughters. Thank you that we have always belonged to you first. Amen

“Father of the fatherless, 

defender of widows;

God in his holy abode,

God gives a home to the forsaken,

who leads prisoners out to prosperity.”

Psalm 68:6-7 (NAB)

To adequately describe God, the most important word to precede any description of His attributes, is the word “so”.  That two letter word modifies any verb or noun, by increasing their value and meaning.

In John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” 

It doesn’t say that God loved, but that He “so” loved the world. Imagine the difference of how you would feel if you heard God say, “I love you” compared to hearing Him say,

“I love you so much.” Everyone would be more moved to hear that they are loved “somuch”. 

God is the primary example and Lord of “so much.” Everything about His character can be described starting with the word “so.” He doesn’t just offer us mercy, but so much mercy. He forgives so much more than we deserve, because He loves us so much more than we can imagine. He doesn’t give in mediocrity, but He gives so much more than we would ever ask or expect. (Ephesians 3:20)

Here is how God described Himself to Moses long ago and He never changes :

“The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”

(Exodus 34:6-7)

As we read God’s own description of Himself, we can visualize the word “so” before every single trait. He is so merciful, so gracious, so slow to anger, and so forgiving of our sins. It doesn’t matter how far away someone strays, God does so much to bring us back home to Him. He has so much steadfast love for so many, while all of His judgements are perfectly just.

Some of the greatest leaders in scripture had big hearts and were an example of that “so much” quality of character, which comes from God. 

God reveals Himself to us, through these leaders, whose hearts were full of love, mercy and grace.

When a crowd of angry rebels rose up against Moses, his reaction was always full of grace, and he prayed, more than once, pleading with God to forgive those rebellious people among him. (Numbers 14:19, Numbers 22:7, Exodus 32:12)

Moses prayed for his people, even though he was hated by some of them. Scripture described Moses as more humble than any man on earth.(Numbers 12:3)

Was he chosen to lead because of his humility, or did he became so humble after being in the Presence of God on Mount Sinai ? I lean more toward the latter reason, because there’s something life changing about God’s Holy Presence.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and tried to kill him. They left him  for dead, but Joseph survived, and after being sold as a slave, falsely accused, and spending years in jail, by a twist of fate, he was promoted to governor of Egypt. God led Joseph from prison to prosperity, as the scripture today describes. He had the power and authority to punish his brothers, but when finally reunited with them, his heart was only filled with love, mercy and forgiveness. Joseph, the son of Jacob, was a foreshadow of Jesus, the son of God. 

Both Moses and Joseph were leaders who had Godlike qualities within them. They forgave those who wanted to kill them. They prayed for those who were angry with them. Moses made peace within his own congregation, and Joseph made peace with his own brothers and family. May God help us to do the same, and give us Spirit filled leaders like them today. 

From the cross, Jesus said of His mockers and murderers, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” God’s grace is not ordinary, it’s extraordinary, which is what makes it “so” amazing. His amazing grace is not granted to us once every few decades, like the rare solar eclipse which takes place next week. The sun, moon and earth will be fully aligned in one rare event, but God’s love, mercy and forgiveness are always fully aligned and offered  abundantly to all people, all of the time. 

Today’s scripture is just another way of describing the God who “so” loved the world. He is so loving, a Father to the fatherless, and so mighty as a defender of widows. Out of so much mercy and love, He offers an eternal home to those who are forsaken in the world, and He leads prisoners out of bondage and into prosperity. If we learn anything today, it’s that God is “so” good and we are “so” blessed. 

Lord, thank you for loving us so much, though we will never fully comprehend it. Thank you for your unlimited grace and mercy and your free gift of salvation to all who believe in you. Amen

“On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.

He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him.”

Mark 16:5-6  (NAB)

Easter morning was a morning full of surprises. When we think about the huge stone already rolled away before the women arrived, that was the first surprise. Then they entered the tomb, even more surprised to see that it was empty. Jesus was not even in there.

Finally, they saw a person they didn’t  know, dressed in white, sitting in the tomb, on the right side. By now, they were utterly amazed, as an angel greeted them, saying that Jesus was alive. That first Easter morning was flowing with pleasant surprises.

Yesterday was a day of surprises for me. I went to the Nursing Facility to visit Jon, but I came with special treat bags filled with candy and cupcakes for the 24 residents who I regularly see there. 

I thought I was going to be the one with all the surprises, but God had other plans. 

After I gave out the treat bags and cupcakes to the residents in the room, one older lady in a wheelchair, named Vivian, called me over to her. With her arms outstretched, she said “Come here, I love you.” I hugged her, and then I wondered how someone could have so much love to give, yet never receives a single visitor. That breaks my heart, but her loving nature still touches me every time I think about her. 

After distributing each one’s Easter treat bag and seeing how happy it made them, I went to sit and talk to Jon. His friend Dan, told me that he visited him early that morning, so I said to Jon, “So Dan visited you today, do you remember seeing him?” Jon looked at me and nodded yes. That head nod was a small but pleasant response to see. Then, I placed my cell phone on his chair beside him, while I turned to talk to the resident sitting nearby. 

When I turned back to talk to Jon, he had picked up my cell phone and held it to his ear as if he was waiting for a phonecall. That action really surprised me. I never saw him put my phone to his ear like that. He clearly knew its purpose and wanted to communicate, so I quickly texted his father and brother to tell them what he just did. 

They each called to talk to him. Jon listened, though he wouldn’t hold the phone to his ear anymore, as at first. It still was a great breakthrough, seeing him put that phone to his ear. When his twin brother called, it was a FaceTime call. He looked at his brother and seemed to listen to him talking. Then Jon reached out to touch either my hair or my earring, I’m not sure which, but that was another surprising response. He was so much more alert and responsive yesterday, more than in the days before.

Both Jon and Vivian made my day, and yet there was one other surprise yesterday. I once wrote about a young lady named Monica, who became my inspiration for reaching out to the residents there. She left a first impression on me because she would visit, greeting every resident by name in that Day room. At first, I thought she was a staff person, but later I learned that she came there to visit her own mother, who lives there. She is an amazing  example of Christian faith and I’m glad I met her. 

On Easter morning, the Lord took Monica’s mother to heaven. It’s sad to lose a loved one but it’s a gift to leave this world on the Lord’s resurrection day. I pray for Monica since she had always hoped her mother would be discharged and come back home. Her mother was finally discharged by Jesus, but went to her eternal home instead.

All of yesterday’s surprises left a deep joy in me. Each time I recall Jon and Vivian’s responses, I cannot stop smiling. I felt like those women in the gospel, who arrived at Jesus’ empty tomb, encountering one surprise after another. 

In every life, there is a time and a season for everything. While Jesus was in that tomb, things seem to be getting worse for His disciples, but then a surprise resurrection brought joy to all of them.

A pleasant surprise is coming to all of us who believe. Easter teaches us never to give up hope, because God has many more surprises to reveal. He still gives us resurrection joy, so that we will continue to discover how utterly amazing He is. 

Lord, I pray that you will send pleasant surprises to all who keep  trusting in you. Hear and answer when we pray by utterly amazing us with the joy and blessings of Easter. Amen