There is a mysterious peace when you have been left with only Jesus.
when there is desolation and pain—
when the burden is greater than you thought you could bear—
when the darkness gathers around you—
even after goodbyes are said—
He is the faithful friend who is ever beside you when all others forsake you. He is above every present sorrow and every personal struggle. He, too, has walked the paths of brokenness. He, too, has stood beside graves. He, too, was betrayed and conspired against. You share commonality and kinship with the author of the universe.

He placed His mark on you. He claimed you as His own. He looked through the crowd. He found you and said, “This struggling child is mine.” He is enough to fill your empty cup and to calm the storm within. He can be heard if you allow Him into your silence. He can be seen in the sunset of each dying day. Closer, He will be to you—Pulling you closer into His grace… With every struggling moment, when you desire Him more than the fallen world’s rotting junkyard of futile aspirations and empty pleasure– He will be more than what you imagined He could be. And you would have never known the depth of His love so deeply if you had never suffered so greatly.

I don’t know your journey. But as for me, I needed radical salvation. I needed a Warrior that could battle through the jungles of flesh. I needed a Savior who would run through the firestorms of catastrophic thoughts. One who would withstand the galloping wildebeests of my vain ambition. One who would swim the channels of my stormy seas and into the cavernous passages of ancient strongholds and shame. I needed one to climb over the perilous heights of my doubts. I needed that kind of hero. In you, he may have found a much gentler passage. But mine was and is a profound redemption. And right now He is fighting for a million others as He fought for me—Our hearts… His prize…

There is so much more to You
The ways of mystery and hiddenness
The pain of testing like the threshing of the wheat.
The crowning of each day with the setting sun
The movement of the wind
The waves of sea
And yet the greatest joy of my life
Worthless as I so often am
is this:
You know me
Every part of me
The emptiness in heart of me.
And I am face down in wonder
Put together
Torn asunder
Even when I lose my own identity
You find me, the one I’m meant to be
This is all I ever hope to be
O to be known by Thee!

His love is perfect.
It never fails me.
His love knows no limit, no barrier, no faltering weakness
His love is for me.
Wrapped in grace and tied together in time.
Hidden, a treasure worth more than any riches on earth.
Promised before my birth.
It consumes me
His love is every bit of what I need today.
It redeems my yesterday
My confidence for tomorrow
His love is infinitely abundant
It floods my world with hope.
It brings laughter when I should be paralyzed in fear
And when I weep He collects every tear.
His love is near.
So intimately connected, this love is.
Even in days that I feel rejected
Emotions neglected
His love assures me I am accepted.
My course is corrected
His love will carry me through
His vow is sacred
His word is true.
His love is all I need.
He makes all things new.

It’s Monday evening. The chaos and collision of grace and law appeared in the violent light of day. Those who sought to turn worship into a business met the displeasure of the only One worthy of worship. The crash of coins and cages… Today the Son of Man personified the voice of the ancient prophetic song: “Away with your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Away with them!” Guards, numerous and powerful failed to arrest Him before a host of witnesses. What army could lay a hand on the Creator of galaxies? This was not His day to die. There was bread to be broken, assurances to be offered, and it was only Monday. The government would soon be on His shoulders- as would the weight of my sin. This would happen soon but not today.

It’s Monday evening.

It’s Sunday evening. The road is scattered with green branches quickly turning brown, trampled by a festival of triumph. The darkness settles in as shadows fall on the city sky. It seems as if the shouts still echo through its gates. His feet drenched in alabaster and tears. He begins his walk toward the torment of a world’s curse. Mary senses things only a mother could feel. The week begins. Jesus weeping alone. No one else was less deserving of Friday. But in a transcendent, eternal sense there was no one else in the history of the universe qualified for Friday. A deep and unfathomable dichotomy of grace and truth, joy and sorrow, pain and bliss. It’s Sunday evening.

Preaching at a Bougere Baptist Church this morning.  Should be an adventure. Probably very small. Thankful for the opportunity to share on Palm Sunday. This will perhaps be my first Easter next week that I won’t be preaching. Darlene will return after an interview tomorrow. Caleb is drumming at Alpine today.  I’m going to try to get the house finished tomorrow. I had a good time at Melinda and Wes last night. Came home and went straight to bed.

Listening to teaching and worship as I clean and rest. God has brought me to tears about much in my life and there is a renewed hunger for more. I have realized in so many ways that I have placed so much energy on being recognized. (wow… this is embarrassing to confess) that I have lost the genuine delight in God. I strive to know him and trust him. I chose to perform ministry in whatever avenue, no matter how small and obscure it may seem. Lord, I trust that you will change me from the inside out.

I recognize the power of my unmet needs as a false and inescapably frustrating god. I repent of this and I move forward to Joy.

Our God is a God of surprises.  From big bangs to soft whispers, He is the Lord of last minute rescues and slow subtle changes. His perspective is not our perspective.  He sees it all. While my vision is often narrow, He sees the big picture. While I see moments, he sees millenniums. While I see neighbors, he sees nations. And yet in the middle of millions, He knows ME.  This is the surprise of God.

The God who programed the inner-workings of your body, the one that breathed light into existence, the one set stars in place and chiseled canyons out of water is the same God who knows every fear, desire, and hope in your life. He understands you even when you don’t understand yourself. He not only understands your language, He understands your emotional accents and my spiritual inflections. While much surprises me about God nothing surprises Him about me. He is ever-present, ever accessible and completely reliable. He can be trusted. He knows your future and is aware of your past. Surely He is a God of yesterday, today, and forever.

You may fear tomorrow- You may ask why, when, what, how, and where.  God doesn’t have to ask those questions.  He is Lord of the past, the King of the present and the ruler of the future.

He is not expecting you to save the day.  The day is His and He is enough.  When you don’t know the solution, He will guide your steps.  When you can’t see the reason, He will supply resolution. When you run out of answers, He will step into the question. When you face rejection and affliction, He is righteous and available. When everything seems to go sideways, He moves forward with surprises.

[pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”left” variation=”teal”]His word to you is fear not, trust me, I’ll be right beside you no matter what happens. [/pullquote1]

There is nothing too big for God. Nothing!  Nothing catches Him off guard.  A recession doesn’t.  Cancer doesn’t. Unemployment doesn’t.  There isn’t a time in the history of the universe when God said: Light and there wasn’t light. Victory and there wasn’t victory. Forgiveness and there wasn’t forgiveness.  He never once uttered the phrase, “I didn’t see that coming.” He is all-powerful, all knowing, all loving, all right and all ready. And this amazing God filled with furious love and absolute power is asking:

Do YOU TRUST ME?

That’s it.   That’s His one question to you today.  Do you trust me. He has set you apart.  He is calling you. He has chosen you.  You have been made perfectly sufficient for the role he has given you. You don’t have to freak out, give in, look back, give up or shut down. He only whispers to you, come with me.
Why?  You know the answer.  You know but if you’re like me you sometimes forget it.  Why will He stay with you no matter what?  It’s because that’s what a good father does. And you can dance in the eye of the hurricane. You can run ahead of the circumstance.  You can trust him and lean into His grace and whisper this magical prayer:  God, surprise me!