Tag: mercy

When did You Last Read Malachi?

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

You know, the prophet, the last book in the Old Testament. I just read it and was doubly impressed—by Malachi’s no-nonsense approach and blunt candor, and by God’s non-nonsense attitude and extravagant mercy.

These three nuggets spoke deeply to my heart:

  • “‘My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:11).
    I don’t currently see this, but oh, what longing it stirs in my heart, what anticipation!

  • “Then those who feared [loved] the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name” (3:16).
    Our conversation with others who love God is so precious to God that it’s recorded!

  • “For you who fear [love] my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (4:2).
    I love that image and the unbridled joy and freedom it represents!

God sees the motives of our hearts and, as warranted, will correct them or reward them. I already mentioned what strikes me most—His extravagant mercy. When we err or withhold our devotion, God gladly reroutes us with generous forgiveness. What a good God!

Photo by Matthieu Rochette on Unsplash

Happy Day!

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

We heard the sweetest words at David’s oncologist appointment, “Your son is cancer free!” The doctor spoke it with a period at the end, but we heard it with an exclamation point.

Almost exactly six months to the day we had heard another doctor say, “Your son has testicular cancer.” We were dumb with shock. Our first thought (after no, this can’t be) was How is David going to do this? Chemo, injections, nausea, lying for hours watching destructive poisons drip into his skinny body? But he did it! We did it. And together we watched the Lord, our Shepherd, care for us. Psalm 23 was our reality:

We lacked nothing. Caring Christian nurses were assigned to David; friends brought meals at just the right time; we were keenly aware of the grace of God.

He made us lie down and refreshed us. Yes, hours in a hospital recliner, but also sustaining naps when we got home, and the sweet assurance that we could trust Him in the middle of this storm.

He guided us along the right paths. He brought signs of anemia to our attention, He helped us master the steep learning curve of a cancer journey, and He gave wisdom and discernment to us and the medical staff who were caring for David.

Even though we walked through the dark valley of cancer with a child who had limited understanding, we did not fear because God was with us and comforted us.

In the presence of the enemy called “cancer” we were fed from His table of supply and, truly, our cup overflowed.

As much as we can testify to God’s goodness and love, our greatest joy is that we never lost sight of our future—dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. Yes, we won the battle with cancer and David was granted more days to worship and demonstrate God’s love on this earth. But even if we had lost him in the fight, we had the assurance that he (and we) will live in God’s presence forever. Actually, our awareness of Heaven was made even clearer and the sweet peace of its promise grew brighter.

We thank all of you who were praying for David and us during this time. You made our journey lighter.

Thoughts about Justice

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Inspired by a parable I read, I began to think about justice and how we all want it. Justice for the trafficked, justice for victims of terrorists, justice for anyone unfairly deprived of their rights or taken advantage of. A cursory word search in the Bible will show that justice is dear to God’s heart. Jesus demonstrated this in a parable recorded in Luke 18:1-8.

A judge was beleaguered by a persistent (nagging) widow who repeatedly came to him requesting justice. He didn’t care about the woman’s plight but begrudgingly responded to her pleas only because he wanted her to leave him alone. Jesus points to the poor example of the human judge’s behavior and asks a question,

“Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?
Will He keep putting them off?”

If we feel our cries for justice are not heard, I recommend the practice of the widow—keep asking. Jesus concludes with a promise:

“I tell you, He [God] will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

The “quickly” confused me until I realized that although the wait to see justice may seem long, when it does come it will quickly set all wrongs right.

Justice is promised.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

The Biased and the Bold

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

When asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told this parable:

A man was left by the roadside, robbed and beaten, bloody and helpless. Two men saw him there. They were religious men, schooled in the Torah, serving at the synagogue. They each crossed the street to walk on the other side, eyes averted, robes clean and unsoiled. They not only scorned the bleeding victim but also the man who followed behind them, a Samaritan.

The Samaritan was deemed inferior, not good enough for the religious men or worthy of their attention. But—he stopped to help the beaten man. He did not avoid him by crossing to the other side, but stooped to bind his wounds. And then he went the extra mile, figuratively and literally. He lifted the injured man to his own donkey and brought him to an inn, promising to return and pay any expenses his patient may incur.

As familiar as I am with this parable, it touched me anew. I stopped reading and confessed my reticence to be inconvenienced.

Everyone is our neighbor and we are all expected to be first responders. We are all called to show “Samaritan” mercy. Jesus ends His parable in Luke 10:37 with these words,

“Go and do likewise.”

God, give us responsive hearts.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart