Allow Me to Introduce My Son!

      Last week, I was reading Isaiah 42, a suggested passage as we approach Advent. It was in the neighborhood of 700 years before the birth of Christ that Isaiah recorded the words God gave him, yet they clearly point to the One God would send to save the world.  As I read the passage several times over, an image began to come to mind.  I began to picture our Heavenly Father proudly standing over His Son, speaking about Him as He introduced Him to the world.  Read it like that, and see if it comes alive for you in a new way like it did for me.  Maybe hear Him speak it with a whisper so as not to  startle Jesus:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."

     Then the direction of the conversation changes.  Isaiah reminds who is speaking, then records God shifting from talking about His Son to speaking directly to Him:

 "This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Again, allow yourself to hear Father speaking gently):

 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and  to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. "I am the LORD; that  is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."

     Next, filled with the Spirit, Isaiah breaks out in celebration worship!  Now  things get a little loud!

"Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.  Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands. The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies."  (Isaiah 42:1-13)

   As we celebrate the arrival of God's Son to the earth, may we too respond with worship, adoration, and gratitude, for having our eyes opened, for being set free, and for being brought out of the darkness into the light.  The LORD  has triumphed over our enemies!  Sing to the LORD a new song!

Don't Despair

A couple of weeks ago I was praying next to my bed, noticed it was 10:45 close to the time I needed to head to an appointment, and I looked up at my book shelf of Bible study resources. I started to feel some anxiety about returning from my sabbatical to preach again. I love to preach, but the preparation feels overwhelming to me sometimes. I agonize in prayer over what to bring, then, after all these years, I still don't have any systematic process of preparing (I like to think I'm just too spiritual for that :) ) I said, "Father, I love to hear people teach well-researched, insightful messages. Is it in me to do that?" I felt like I heard Him say, "Yeah, Tim. I've put that in you."  

Later in the day, I retrieved a voicemail from my brother in Christ, Mike Berger. He shared that he had been praying for me earlier in the day and that God had given him a word for me. He said God had been putting it on his heart over an over again all day until he finally called. Then he gave it to me verbatim: "Don't despair. I've given you the voice of angels that you may preach the word of God, with fire in your eyes, that they may know that I am God." He said that he didn't know if it would mean anything to me, but that's what he heard. After hearing the message, I thought, "That's cool." Then I listened to it again, and thought, "Wait a minute." I listened to it a third time and thought, "Whoa!" I thought back to the morning, what I was praying, and realized I really had been despairing. I called Mike to thank him for being obedient to deliver the message. He explained how he wasn't used to doing that and how much he agonized over whether or not to call. The enemy was telling him how stupid he was to think that he was hearing from God. I told him what I had been praying that morning and I asked him what time he had heard the word. He said, "I noticed the time. It was 10:45."  

Whoa. That word has really ministered to me in the last couple of weeks when I've found myself feeling inadequate compared to other ministers I've been listening to.

How awesome is it to be loved by a Father who wants so much for us to know him and wants us to know that He really is speaking to us.