“The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt (c. 1633), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (PD-Art l Art-Old-100)
Many have endured God’s silence.
At Genesis 15: 13 God tells Abraham that his descendants will serve in a land not their own and be afflicted for 400 years. While there is some dispute over the actual length of the Egyptian captivity, we can be sure that the Israelites prayed daily for relief. Yet generations were born, grew old, and died without a deliverer in sight.
Another 400 years during which God was silent passed between the Old and New Testaments.
At times, God’s silence is a response to sin on our part. God’s silence does not, however, imply His absence. That is the lesson His silence teaches us.
The process by which our faith is strengthened is painful. We can hear the anguish in psalms like the following:
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears…” (Ps. 39: 12).
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head…” (Ps. 83: 1-2). Read more…
Sunrise in Southeast Alaska, Photo by Commander John Bartok, NOAA Corps., Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/5055338416/ (CC BY 2.0 Generic)
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139: 9-10).
Merciful God, too often we seek to flee from Your presence…when the world is too much with us, when temptation beckons, when we know we have failed.
So often these moments follow on the heels of our greatest presumed triumphs.
Despite our many weaknesses, You stand by us – waiting to draw us once again into Your arms. The wonder of this is beyond our understanding.
Hold us fast, Lord God. Never let us go, that we may yet do the work of the kingdom for which You intended us. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Baby bottles, Author Marianna (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5: 13-14).
Too many Christians are unschooled in their faith. They are, in effect, still babes. Because of this, their faith is not the comfort to them it could be, and not the example to others it should be.
Confronted by the harsh realities of this existence, immature Christians are at first surprised that God has not shielded them from the pain and hardship to which mankind is liable, then angered at having been sold what they view as a bill of goods about Him.
- Surely, Christians are not subject to cancer or plague; do not suffer amputation, blindness or other devastating illness or physical impairment.
- Surely, Christians do not struggle with depression, anxiety or other mental disorders.
- Surely, Christians do not have miscarriages; their children are not born with birth defects, do not die before reaching majority.
- Surely, Christians are never in the path of tornadoes and other natural disasters.
- Surely, they are not involved in auto accidents, plane crashes, and other results of fatal human error.
- Surely, Christians are not the victims of bombings, rapes, and other acts of deliberate violence.
Most Christians would recognize these assumptions as mistaken. Many though would ask why they, themselves, should be subject to any of these trials. “Why me, Lord?” is a familiar refrain. We are so self-important we feel ourselves entitled to call the Lord God Almighty to task. Read more…
“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Source Web Gallery of Art (PD-ArtlPD-old-100)
“You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?” (Ps. 56:8).
The old hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was penned by Robert Robinson before the American Revolution. It contains the aching lyric, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…”
The Bible speaks again and again of man’s wandering from the throne of God. For having murdered his brother, Cain was made a vagabond on the earth (Gen. 4:12). Hagar was sent to wander in the wilderness by Abraham (Gen. 21:14), at Sarah’s jealous urging (Gen. 21:10). Israel was caused to wander for forty years in the desert, for having offended God by little faith (Num. 32: 13). The Book of Job and Book of Psalms both characterize the wicked as wandering about in search of food (Job 15:23; Ps. 59:15).
Some four thousand years later, this flesh of ours longs to wander still. Read more…
US Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is known for arguing falsely that Catholic doctrine opposes programs for the poor. Catholic bishops, priests, and theologians have vigorously disputed Ryan’s repeated misrepresentation of Christian values and beliefs.
Staff members at Georgetown University have now joined in. Excerpts from their compelling correspondence with Ryan may be found below:
“…[W]e would be remiss in our duty…if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few…
In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love. Read more…
Hooker County Courthouse, Mullen, Nebraska, Author Ammodramus (PD)
The media generally present a glamorous image of lawyers. LA Law, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, and the rest have shaped that image. But the original Law and Order is probably closer to the truth.
The “day to day” experience by the majority of lawyers is gritty. Rarely, if ever, does it include corner offices, expense accounts, or three hour lunches…let alone trysts with opponents or the judge. Impossible schedules, dictation on planes, staggering caseloads, depositions in airless rooms, traffic and more traffic, missing witnesses, and client meetings in dusty stairwells are more likely.
Add the responsibility for clients’ welfare, the strain of ongoing conflict, worries about money and limited resources, encounters with unethical adversaries, and the real disappointment of loss. Read more…
Japanese Maple Leaves (“Acer Japonicum Vitifolium”), Photo by Jean-Pol Grandmont (CC Attribution 3.0 Unported, GFDL 1.2 or later)
Ours is the God who shaped a thousand, thousand hills yet knows when every leaf will fall. Ours is the God for whom a single life is of infinite value – so much so that He gave the life of His only begotten Son.
The titanic forces of the earth are under His control, as are the seasons…even the seasons of our lives. His is the life force in a fawn, and to Him it returns. He cherishes the heartbeat of an infant in the womb, and knows beforehand all the days of that child’s life even into old age.
Ours is the God who filled this world with astounding beauty. Not by accident or from some sterile aesthetic sense, but as the reflection of His deepest heart, His desire to surround His children daily with His love.
Why He should love us so is incomprehensible.
A life well lived is never without meaning, however brief. When it comes down to it, we are each of us given only a limited allotment of time here, no matter what the span. The task is to use each day, each moment, to the best of our ability, as God intended. By His grace, we will, when all is said and done, be returning to Him who loves us most.
“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…” (Ps. 31: 14-15).
Father, our lives are in Your hands. Through darkness and trial, in happiness and grief, in triumph and failure, we trust in You.
We thank You for Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for Your Spirit with us. We thank you for Your constant kindness to us.
May we love unceasingly. May we do You honor till our last breath.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed
A Biased Court
The UN purports to be an objective forum based on the principle of equality of rights for all nations.
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and reduce international conflict without resort to violence, disputes that.
In a 2005 report titled American Interests and UN Reform, the USIP found that Israel is routinely denied the rights enjoyed by other UN members, and subjected to systematic hostility. The UN’s notorious Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism was, of course, in effect from 1975-1991.
Anne Bayesfsky, a human rights scholar and activist, in 2003 spoke eloquently to this disparity of treatment at a UN conference on anti-Semitism:
“There has never been a single resolution about the decades-long repression of the civil and political rights of 1.3 billion people in China, or the more than a million female migrant workers in Saudi Arabia being kept as virtual slaves, or the virulent racism which has brought 600,000 people to the brink of starvation in Zimbabwe. Every year, UN bodies are required to produce at least 25 reports on alleged human rights violations by Israel, but not one on an Iranian criminal justice system which mandates punishments like crucifixion, stoning, and cross-amputation. This is not legitimate critique of states with equal or worse human rights records. It is demonization of the Jewish state.” Read more…
“ElinorD Kneading Bread Dough”
Many of us have a bagel and coffee in the morning. But anyone who has ever baked bread knows that the baking process is not an easy one – particularly from the bread’s perspective.
The dough is prepared, seasoned, floured, and folded on itself; kneaded and rolled flat; allowed to rest and rise; then punched down, again and again. Ingredients can be beaten or whipped, with the dough sometimes actually thrown against the counter, so that flavors mix and the dough attains proper consistency.
So too are we, with God the loving baker and life the process.
The results, of course, are rich and varied. Even the smell of baking bread makes mouths water, drawing others to the table. Knowing this, may we be able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 12: 15).
“Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit” (Job 10: 10-12).
Father, we know ourselves to be the product of Your loving hands and in Your tender care. Where better could we be?
Uphold us this day. Give us peace in the midst of turmoil, and patience in the midst of trial. Help us submit to Your will for our lives. And may our aroma be sweet to You.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Blood Libel, Sandomierz Cathedral, Poland (PD-ArtlPD-old-100)
“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
– Pastor Martin Neimoller
Antisemitism is on the rise in America and overseas. Some 35 million Americans – 15% of us – hold antisemitic views. In France 24% of the population acknowledge bias against Jews. From Spain to Hungary, antisemitism is pervasive. In the Netherlands, “Jews to the gas” is a familiar cheer at soccer games.
Financial instability and changing demographics may be factors in this growing trend. Either way, the stereotypes about Jews linger. Worse yet, blood libels are resurfacing in a new guise.
Origin
In an age of litigation, libel may seem an anemic term, derogatory but hardly dangerous.
Blood libels – patently false accusations that Jews murder children (especially Christian children) to use their blood in religious rituals – are in a tragic class by themselves. Blood libels (along with claims of host desecration and well poisoning by Jews) fueled mob violence against Jews throughout Europe for generations. Countless instances of torture, trial, and groundless execution took place.
Lest anyone have doubts on this subject, the Sixth Commandment forbids murder. Though the Israelites did practice animal sacrifice, the prohibition against human sacrifice was consistently used to distinguish them from pagans. The use of blood in cooking is still banned by kosher dietary laws. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 