Devotions with Pastor John
How are you holding up? Still washing your hands and practicing social distancing?
I want to tell you about signs of life. Today I went outside and beheld the spring flowers pushing forth through the earth and making their appearance in splendid shades of green. New life. Spring is on the way. You can't stop Spring and you can't stop God's Word, either. He has made promises to us and He will see us through this time. He will deliver us. You can be certain of that.
So I wanted to begin by sharing with you some of the signs of life I see around Zion. We are still doing ministry together as church.
a.). Pastor's in our city are still meeting together in small groups to pray. The one I attend is multi-ethnic and we are closer together in Christian love and unity than ever before. Prayers are being answered and God is doing marvelous things. I wanted you to know that the spiritual gatekeepers of our city are still at their posts. They are doing what they supposed to do: pray and seek the face of the Lord together.
b.). I'm so happy to tell you that we have our first pupil at Zion for the Greater City Foundation. The Foundation will help us help students who have fallen behind in school or who may not be able to attend traditional school. Our first student can no longer attend school for a variety of reasons and so Kim Pearson will begin homeschooling him at Zion. We will be coordinating our efforts with Educational Resource Associates.
c.). Boaz and Nancy are hard at work planning a summer youth service trip. Yes, life goes on and the future of the church is in the next generation.
d.). We had a visit from some pastors who are a planning a church conference at Zion in June. It's wonderful to seem them moving ahead.
e.). Arlyn and Ruth from the Zion clothes closet took a load of clothes and household items to help the resettlement of some homeless into apartments.
God's work goes on. And so do we. We don't know if all our plans will be feasible on the dates we are working with but there will come a time when God has delivered us from this virus. Until then, we continue to live by faith. He has a future and a hope for us. That's a promise.
I want to share some thoughts with you from Scripture. From Isaiah 40: 1-11; 27-31
It stands written:
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
3
A voice of one calling:
"In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
6
A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever."
9
You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
10
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Here's the scene:
Jerusalem is conquered. God's people are carried off to exile. The Great City is destroyed. The Temple of God is ruined. There are no more kings. The last will die in exile. There is starvation, plague and death everywhere.
Why did all this happen?
Because of human sin. That's always the answer. There was child sacrifice; trust in false gods; societal moral bankruptcy; corrupt government; corrupt courts that gave no justice; there was a failure to care for the least and most vulnerable; there was the exploitation of the poor for finical and political gain; there was a constant striving after false saviors in the form of foreign leaders and different systems.
And so disaster came upon the people of God.
But God makes a promise to His people, both those who few who remained in Jerusalem and those who were far off in exile.
God speaks comfort to them. He assures them that they shall be comforted in the future. The time of their affliction will end. God Himself will save them.
How will God save them?
Well, He will come to them and He will bring them home from exile.
In those days, when a ruler came from the east, from Babylon, say, to Jerusalem, he would travel along the fertile crescent. There were rivers to ford, obstacles to overcome. It wasn't easy. So a great throng would go before him and try to make the road as comfortable as possible. To make the high places lower and the lower places higher so the king would be as comfortable as possible his journey. Did you catch that reference in verses 3 and 4? "In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain."
God was coming to them. He would bring them back from exile and lead them home from Babylon. So these verses tell us to get ready for a visitation.
For Christians, these verses will also remind you of the coming of John the Baptist, the one who was a voice calling out in the wilderness for the coming of the King, Jesus, the mightiest king ever who washed feet and touched lepers. Get ready! Prepare the way! God is coming to His people!
But the people were worried that they couldn't make the long trip back to Jerusalem. They were tired, they were old, they didn't have the strength, they were at risk, it was too dangerous and too hard. Let's look at verse 27 now: Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,"My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
People always complain about the consequences of their own sin when those consequences catch up to them.
But look at what happens next: The rest of the verses proclaim that God is strong and able to give the necessary strength to his people. Let's read verses 28-31:
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
So dear reader, how's your attitude today? God will deliver us and bring us through this time of trial. Are you feeling weak? Are you worried you may not have the strength to make it through this time? Are you worried that your strength, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, may be insufficient to face of global emergency?
To you I say, "Take heart! Be of good cheer!"
God promises to give you the strength you need. Hear His words again:
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
I want to remind you that the Great Comforter has come and is still here with us. Jesus. He remains with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He's the one who says to us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have already overcome the world."
Need strength for the living of these days? Ask God. He will give you the strength you need. Believe his promises. Believe His Word.
God bless you.
Holdfast, Zion! The hour of your deliverance approaches!
Prayer: Lord God, we come to you in our weakness and ask for you to give us your great strength. Strength to face our trials here. We trust in your Word and in your promises. We turn to you and ask you to renew our strength.
Take the plague away from our planet. Be with all those who suffer. Heal the sick. Comfort the bereaved.
We pray for those on the front lines: for those in leadership who have to make hard decisions, that you give them wisdom. For medical personnel and first responders and grocery store clerks, that you protect their health. For those who work in nursing homes and day cares. Bless them, Lord. Vouchsafe their health.
For all those who have lost jobs or income during this crisis, please provide, dear Lord.
Watch over your Church all over the world. Be with your Body, keep us in your grace. Help us to be bold and courageous. Give the strength we need to continue. Be glorified in the midst of our trouble.
For we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.