Broken

“In the latter period of their rule

when the transgressors have run their course,

a king will arise,

insolent and skilled in intrigue.

“He will be mighty,

but not by his own power,

and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree

and prosper and perform his will;

he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.

“And through his shrewdness

he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence;

and he will magnify himself in his heart,

and he will destroy many while they are at ease.

“He will even oppose the Prince of princes,

but he will be broken without human agency.”

~Daniel 8:23-25

This passage from God’s Word describes Antiochus IV

who rose to power by intrigue and deceit,

but the throne was not rightfully his to occupy.

I can’t help but wonder

what training this Antiochus IV had as a child.

Imagine with me for a moment...

Pretend that little Antiochus IV was buckled into the cart of a modern day grocery store.

Was he allowed to grab and eat all the candy he could reach?

Did everyone jump to soothe his every screech and squawk and hissy fit?

Didn’t anyone ever spend any time teaching him to use tools?

Did anyone care enough to monitor how much time he spent on the internet,

or oversee what music he listened to or what books he read?

Did he ever experience having his mouth washed out with soap for swearing

or for speaking God’s name in vain?

Did he ever receive loving discipline for hitting his sister

or breaking grandma’s teacup on purpose,

or for sassing back to someone in authority?

Did he bully other kids or treat girls with shameful behavior?

Did his daddy buy his tires?

This is all simple speculation, of course.

Yet, if his will had been broken in his childhood,

would he have acquired a heart of compassion,

an awareness of the needs of others,

an ability to give and receive love?

…which seems to infer that his parents or society bore the responsibility

of his righteousness, his goodness, his acceptability.

Is it God’s will that some remain in evil?

If someone is not broken as a child,

will he be broken in the end, as was Antiochus IV?

 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.

And His disciples asked Him,

‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,

that he would be born blind?’

Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned,

nor his parents,

but it was so that the works of God

might be displayed in him…

…I am the Light of the world.”

~John 9:1-4

Matters of the mind may be trained in many skills, good or evil,

the ability of the body is, at best, incapable,

and the heart, in its naivety, is easily deceived.

Each one, mind, body, heart,

may be molded, transformed, remade by the hands of God,

for each one is His creation.

But matters of the soul belong to God alone.

There is no act of will, no physical alteration,

no heartfelt sincerity within my power

to command my soul to be whole;

just so, every soul is at His mercy.

It is not for us to know how or why;

it is enough for me to know that God is loving

and that He is just.

Perhaps the better question is…

How is it that the Almighty God of mercy chose 
to care for me,

when the core of my heart was evil,

... to cleanse me from all unrighteousness,
to occupy my soul,

and to make me His own child?

“…but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in (me)”

On Our Behalf

When Daniel prayed for his people,

he was honest and forthright.

As he recounted the “desolations” of the people

before God,

he included himself in the masses; a commoner.

He had not been worshiping other gods,

nor did he participate

in the activities of godless pleasure

which were common among his peers.

In comparison to many of his day,

he likely was considered to be

a “good” man.

Yet what are comparisons

within the realm of humanity

in respect to Almighty God?

Daniel was not only willing

to lay bare his own imperfect heart,

but to acknowledge the heart of mankind as well;

fallen and without hope

apart from God.

As I cry out to the Lord

on behalf of my friends,

I desire to pray as Daniel prayed;

not on account of any merits of my own,

but on account of God great compassion

for them

…and for me.

 “So now, our God,

listen to the prayer of Your servant

and to his supplications,

and for Your sake, O Lord,

let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary…

O my God,

incline Your ear and hear!

Open Your eyes and see our desolations…

Desolation:  Misery, Despair, Wretchedness, Barrenness, Emptiness,

“…and the city which is called by Your name;

for we are not presenting our supplications before You…

Supplication:  Prayer, Appeal, Request, Plea

“…on account of any merits of our own,

but on account of Your great compassion.

O Lord, hear!

O Lord, forgive!

O Lord, listen and take action!

For Your own sake, O my God,

do not delay,

because Your city and Your people

are called by Your name.”

~Daniel 9:18,19

An Extra Hour

The lady on the radio said

to set the clock back

tomorrow…

one hour.

Oh, what to do with an extra hour!

work on a project?

play a game?

sleep?

An hour of time is precious.

How is the best way

to spend this gift

to obtain

the most

value?

 “Sow with a view to righteousness,

reap in accordance with kindness;

break up your fallow ground,

for it is

time to seek the Lord

until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”

~Hosea 10:12

A Sound or a Silence that Won’t Go Away

“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.  Then God said, ‘Let there be light.’” 

~Genesis 1:2,3

“Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’  He (the man) said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden…”

 ~Genesis 3:9,10

“Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives…”

~Deuteronomy 5:24

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”  ~Psalm 62:1,2

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

~Psalm 119:105

“Like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.  O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”

~Psalm 131:2,3

“…I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear.  And you did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.” 

~Isaiah 65:12

“When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth…” 

~Jeremiah 10:13

“Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.  The men were amazed, and said, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’” 

~Matthew 8:26,27

“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’  And Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.” 

~Matthew 27:11,12

“’He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  Come, see the place where He was lying’ …and behold, Jesus met them and greeted them.” 

~Matthew 28:6,9

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth … and lo, I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.”

~Matthew 28:20

I don't mean to trouble you, but...

clauses
            provisos

    explanations

           disclaimers

                           qualifications

           stipulations

riders

         stalling

       delaying

    hesitating

filibustering

    hedging

       dithering

         evading

Don’t put o

                     f

                          f

                              what needs to be said

                                                                      d

                                                                       i

                                                                       r

                                                                       e

                                                                       c

                                                                       t

                                                                       l

                                                                       y

or beat a                   d the bush

                r             n

                   o     u   

or apologize for the hope that is within you.

Simply   “Speak”    the Truth in <3

Facing the Morning Together

It is morning.

With a yawn and a stretch,

I amble down the stairway

in my sock feet

to offer my morning greetings

to the children.

My daughter’s alarm

blares its methodically obnoxious

but ineffectual reveille.

Flicking on the light,

I sit bouncing on the bed beside her,

pressing her cheeks into a “squishy face”,

singing a silly impromptu song.

Her eyes open in confusion,

moving rapidly here and there,

squinting, unseeing,

until, 
with the beginnings of awareness

and slowly increasing comprehension,

they rest upon my face.

… a wane smile, “G’mrningmm…mmom”

My son, buried head-to-toe

in thick blankets,

meets my welcome with a groan,

smacking of dry lips

and a deep sigh.

He rolls over

mumbling incoherently.

Flicking on the light,

I sit bouncing on the bed beside him,

pressing his cheeks into a “squishy face”,

singing a silly impromptu song.

His mouth forms the hint of a smile,

taking with it the corners of his eyes.

...“G’mrningmm…mmom”

Sluggish, unwilling eyelids

flutter, fighting to acclimate,

until, 
with the beginnings of awareness

and slowly increasing comprehension,

they rest upon my face.

It is morning.

I feel myself awakening

to the awareness

of God’s quiet whisper of hope,

the assurance of His sovereignty,

the promises recorded in His word.

Reluctantly, the eyes of my heart

flutter, fighting to acclimate,

until,
with the beginnings of awareness

and slowly increasing comprehension,

they rest upon His Face.

“In the morning, O Lord,

You will hear my voice;

in the morning I will order my prayer to You

and eagerly watch.”

~Psalm 5:3

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro

throughout the earth

that He may strongly support those

whose heart is completely His.”

~II Chronicles 16:9

“I pray that the eyes of your heart

may be enlightened,

so that you will know

what is the hope of His calling,

what are the riches of the glory

of His inheritance in the saints,

and what is the surpassing greatness

of His power toward us who believe.”

~Ephesians 1:18,19

“Seek first His kingdom

and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you.”

~Matthew 6:33

In the Clouds

Lenticular clouds,

like massive, motionless UFOs,

hover at high altitudes

over snowcapped mountain peaks.

They appear deceptively tranquil.

Vigilant jet pilots avoid

these aggressively turbulent clouds,

the severe rising and falling masses

of air and moisture

teeming with precarious wind currents.

Intrepid glider pilots gravitate

directly toward them,

eagerly seeking them out

to rise

with the thrill of the wave

to astounding altitudes,

then to plummet,

soaring at record breaking speeds

for an electrifying adrenalin rush.

Me?

I just want

to gaze at them


...and dream