On the Way to Wonder

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty firmament!
² Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

³ Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
⁵ Praise him with clanging cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
⁶ Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

         John Newton’s famous hymn “Amazing Grace” concluded with a verse added on that reminds us that after 10,000 years of eternity we will still have eternity to sing God’s praise.  The book of Psalms in the Bible concludes with Psalm 150 talking about all the places and all the ways we can praise the Lord.  Easter season concludes this week and Sunday we enter Pentecost.  Yesterday a friend called from the other side of the States.  Her husband is declining with Alzheimer’s and mine is declining with Parkinson’s disease.  In our 20s we taught junior high together.  They came to Kenya to see us.  We have kept in touch.  Now we cry together.  At one point she said that it helped her to remember, “joy is a choice.”

         This week we have looked at praise.  John Newton praises God for saving him when he realized in the midst of a storm how truly lost he was.  He did not die but lived to fight against slavery in England.  The Apostle Paul praised God when God did not heal him from the illness that plagued him but gave him the strength of grace.  Yesterday we thought about praise just by the mere truth that we have a God who comes to us and understands our situations and that is cause for praise at all times.  Today we conclude by realizing that we can praise at any time, whether prayers are answered yes, no, or wait, and in any place, and in a multitude of ways.  We do have some agency in our responses.  I believe it is ok to cry.  Jesus cried over Lazarus’ death.  It is ok to lament over the evil in our world.  But ultimately we can choose praise and hope for we know God has a plan he is working out.  Some day we will have praised 10,000 years and still have eternity to praise more.  The Lord is Risen! He is alive and cares. Thank you Lord!

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

Yesterday was tough.  Words of praise were replaced with deep prayers and lament.  Tuesday a car hit my “little brother” coming home on his motorcycle from a visitation to a parishioner.  He slid across 30 feet of pavement and sustained multiple broken bones.  The surgery scheduled for yesterday morning had to be postponed to last night so my heart was praying for mercy all day.  My husband who is declining with Parkinson’s and dementia had new wounds on his feet last night.  Some days are like this.  Praise comes in the form of having a God to turn to, a God who knows pain, and a God who cried over death at Lazarus’ tomb.  I turned to Psalm 25, the psalm that goes with today’s date.  God’s word gave me words to bring my laments before a God who is risen, who sees me and my loved ones, and who cares.  Join me in reading it.

Psalm 25:  A Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance of David.

¹ To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;
    do not let my enemies exult over me.
³ Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴ Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.

⁶ Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to         your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

¹¹ For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
¹² Who are they that fear the Lord?
    He will teach them the way that they should choose.

¹³ They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
¹⁴ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his   covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the    net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me^[a] out of my distress.
¹⁸ Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰ O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take         refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

²² Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

         We have many ways to praise God.  Music comes to mind and praise songs.  Some may think of the joy one feels at a beautiful sunset or sunrise and the awesome moments with God’s creation, nature.  I love those special moments watching my children or friends and just feel so blessed.  My heart explodes with gratitude and praise.  Mark 13:31 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.”

         Jesus is called “The Word” by the apostle John when he says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and was God.”  God’s word, written and living, does not pass away and even 10,000 years into eternity we will be praising.  I find that very comforting in our world where relationships, finances, health and talents comes to an end.  The kingdom of heaven is not like the kingdom of this earth.  We only see vaguely now but then we will praise as we are loved and understood and accepted.  I can only bow my head in praise and say, “Thank you, Lord.”

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

^“8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, ⁹ but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 

(2 Corinthians 12:8-10)”

We are coming to the end of the Easter Season when we look at how we can be assured of the truth of the resurrection.  How do we know the Lord is risen!  Is it only because we get what we want through prayer?

         John Newton testifies to his changed life in the hymn “Amazing Grace.”  He changed from being a hardened slave ship captain to being an outspoken advocate against slavery.  His life radically changed under his new found faith in Jesus when his life was saved in a storm at sea.  The apostle Paul, though, sings praises to God’s grace even as his life did not change.  He prayed three times to be healed and was not.  Many think it was some eye problem.  God did not heal Paul but Paul found by God’s grace the strength to endure his affliction.

         Often we gauge the reality of God and our worth to him by how life is going.  During tough times we may doubt our worth and after a good day, hopefully we remember to praise.  Paul challenges us to realize that when we are weak then God is working in ways we may not realize.  As I walk this journey of accompanying my husband as he declines, I have to remember that on the hard days when he, and hence I cry, that God is close and walking with him.  I do not know what challenge you face today but whether we see God’s hand rescue like John Newton did or whether we see God strengthen us when we are weak like Paul, we know God is working.  We will have eternity to praise for his presence during the ups and downs.  We have a future and a hope!

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

         Surprisingly, this final verse to Newton’s famous hymn “Amazing Grace” was not written by Newton but added on later as a fitting epitaph that summarized Newton’ testimony and his life.  Newton was a captain of a ship that transported slaves.  In a violent storm he lashed himself to the helm of his ship to navigate and in despair expecting eminent death, turned to his Bible.  He lived and his life was changed.  He was outspoken in the fight against slavery in England.  This verse came from “Jerusalem My Happy Home” (1970) used by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) that impacted the history of slavery in the United States.  By 1910 this verse was firmly associated with “Amazing Grace.”

         It is hard to imagine 10,000 years from now but I know I have taken courses where I was challenged to decide on the epitaph we would like put on our gravestone that would characterize our life.  Then we would be ready to begin living.  As my husband nears the end of his journey here on earth, stories are coming from friends who remember this moment or that.  I see themes threading his story together. 

         In many ways, Newton was a shining star like the sun representing how a God who incarnated, walked through death, and wants eternity with us, can change lives.  A risen Lord not only transformed him but he used his life to shine for justice and equality.  If you could shine for something, what would it be?  Let’s pray to let our light shine in whatever corner we are in today!  Blessings.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace by John Newton verse 6

Saturdays we often ponder great hymns that have touched our lives and that pick up the flavor of the week’s devotionals.  This week we pondered the sixth verse of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace.”  It is often not sung because it deals with death, the death of this world but the assurance of God’s eternal love.  I suppose it could be end times in God’s larger story but it also applies as we walk loved ones to their journey’s end here on earth. 

         Another hymn that has touched my life is “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”  It came out of Wales in the 1700s during a revival that impacted the life of William Williams.  When we were in Kenya, this hymn was used to open a session with the Board of our school and signaled a major transistion in the structure.  It also signaled a major transition in our lives as our sons were graduating from high school and we would move back to the United States and face a very unknown future.  But indeed God was faithful and opened new adventures, new friends, and and new tasks for us.  Our anxious fears have subsided and we have been blessed.

         I have chosen a YouTube version sung by youth as the song applies to the journey of life.  The third verse that speaks of the challenge of death has touched my heart today.  Please enjoy.

“When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.”

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

As I walk with my husband during his last days on earth, I am reminded of those marriage vows “Till death do us part.”  We do not have much detail on what heaven will look like in the Bible.  We do know that when we enter eternity, relationships will be forever and not torn apart by death, disease and divorce like our lives here on earth.   I like to think that we will have meaningful, productive lives as in the Garden of Eden and as suggested by Revelation 21 that talks of the “new Jerusalem” and a river and the tree of life.  I love C.S. Lewis and his last book “The Last Battle” in “Chronicles of Narnia.”  I tell my husband to find us a house near Mr. and Mrs. Beaver with a blue bedroom but the truth is that we just don’t know.  We trust, we believe and we do know we will be with God and God is good.  Psalm 136 speaks to the eternalness of God’s love.  Eternity will be characterized by love.

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures for ever.
² O give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures for ever.
³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures for ever;

Psalm 136:1-3

         Today let’s focus our hearts on God’s eternal love that endures and does not end with death or arguments or distance.  Let’s thank him for his love that has no measure.  I do not have words and must turn to music.  Listen with receptive hearts to the truth expressed here.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace by John Newton verse 6

As Newton imagines the end of our earth like snow melting in the presence of a warm sun, he envisions himself as the creature called into being here on this earth.  Psalm 139 is a beloved psalm that King David wrote and that comforts many.  In verse 12 David writes, “for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  Like David, Newton does not understand himself to be just a combination of molecules but a unique creation by the God of the universe.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
³ You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?”

Psalm 139:1-7

We are “called” into being by God sings Newton and we are totally known by God sings King David.  Even as Newton, a slave ship captain, lashed himself to the helm to navigate his ship hopelessly tossing in a violent sea storm, God saw him.  It was darkness to Newton but that did not stop God from rescuing him.

         I do not know what dark storm you battle today or if there is a deep cloud over your soul or if there is a deep secret that is buried or a concern that eats at the back of your mind but the Amazing Grace of the Easter resurrection is that God sees, can act, and can make the evil melt away like snow and bring Spring.

         Let’s allow the spot light of God’s Spirit shine into our souls now and reveal any dark areas we can let God deal with.  He created us and knows.  Blessings.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace by John Newton verse 6

Why do you suppose John Newton chose to talk about end times using the imagery of snow? I have always heard that end times will be the old earth being destroyed by fire.  Snow is a very different image.  I have lived in snow.  When it first snows, the world is magical, much like the movie “White Christmas.”  Driving on fresh snow is like driving “where no man has ever gone.”  Images of sitting drinking hot chocolate have made Hallmark rich.

         But Newton describes the earth dissolving like snow.  When snow dissolves, it is no long white and magical.  It is brown and slushy.  It splashes off the street and discolors the snow by the side of the road.  If it melts too fast, flooding or at least puddles appear.  After the snow melts, green grass begins to stick its neck up.  Spring begins to arrive.  Perhaps this is why Newton compares end times to snow that gives way to the beauty of spring and not fire that leaves ashes.  Revelation 21:1-4 describes the transition.

“21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’’

Let’s take the word “snow” and build an acrostic of what we think heaven might look like:

S is for _________, N is for ______, O is for ______, and W is for _____.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace by John Newton verse 6

“The sun forbear to shine.”  Forbear is the root of forbearance but not a common word today.  The Internet defines it as the ability to refrain oneself, holdback, or be tolerant in the face of opposition.  As the earth comes to its end, the sun will “politely refrain” from shining.  I get the feeling of the sun working with God, respecting the process that is happening at the end of time.  Perhaps it is a sense of working with and not working against.

         So where do we show forbearance?  It seems to me it is within a loving relationship.  Perhaps I empathize when someone makes a mistake and resist the temptation to say, “I told you so,” because I love the other.  I refrain from the lecture when the other is late for an appointment.  It may even be forbearance when I don’t harp on a debt someone is unable to pay.  Forbearance is a different ethos than vengeance as the world comes to an end.

         Amazing Grace implies that we will experience God’s forbearance at the end of time.  To me it means God will not drag out all my sins and remind me of my failures.  God will greet us with love and not a lecture.  That is an interesting flavor for end times.  How do I know this is true?  Easter.  Jesus returned to comfort his followers who were scared.  He opened Scripture to those confused on the road to Emmaus.  He helped Peter come clean about his betrayal and then asked Peter to feed his sheep.  Jesus lives and that is amazing grace. Let’s thank God for his forbearance today.