Learning to trust the one who stands to protect us in our darkest moments (John 19:1-2) with a American Indian story of training young braves.

SCRIPTURE: John 19:1-2 (TM)

So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him

STORY:

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long. 

OBSERVATION:

Where do we get a sense of protection? How do we achieve the overriding principle that we are not in this thing by ourselves? When do we develop a trust level that God is there on our side? We simply look to Jesus and what he went through.

There is nothing that we face that we have to face by ourselves. Absolutely nothing! There is nothing over which we need to be stressed about. There is nothing that should cause us anxiety. There is nothing which should result in worry or concern.

Jesus faced it all and God was there with him. When we realize that the darkness has passed and another day is dawning it is then that we discover that our Heavenly Father has been standing “just a few feet away … armed” and God will not allow anything to harm us. We are safe in the arms of the Master.

PRAYER:

Thank you for standing guard in our moments of darkness. Thank you for guarding us from harm. Help us to learn to trust you in all things at all times.

Discovering the donkey within ourselves (Matthew 21:2) with a Winston Churchill story from World War II.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 21:2 (TM)

(Jesus said): "Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me.

STORY: as told by Don McCullough

During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Picadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, 'And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'"

Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their "faces to the coal" who help the church accomplish its mission.

OBSERVATION:

As the hymn by Mrs. Charles Barnard states:

Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart;

Give Him first place in your service, Consecrate ev’ry part.

Give, and to you shall be given; God His beloved Son gave;

Gratefully seeking to serve Him, Give Him the best that you have,…

Or as Max Lucado states in “And the Angels Were Silent”:

“All of us have a donkey. You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the donkey, move Jesus and his story further down the road. Maybe you can sing or hug or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever, that’s your donkey. Whichever, your donkey belongs to him.”

Discovering the “donkey” in ourselves is the challenge and then taking the next step to offer it to Christ is the challenge. It is like putting our “faces to the coal” – it might not glamorous. It might not bring honor or praise. It might not even be recognized. But it is something that the Kingdom of God needs to further the story.

No one can answer this for anyone else. We each need to make the discovery of what we can give to the Master … and then decide, is it our best?

PRAYER:

Do not permit us to rest until we have given you our best … the donkey within.

Dealing with the Thomas (John 20:25) in ourselves with a story about Niels Bohr, a Nobel-prize-winning physicist and his horseshoe.

 SCRIPTURE: John 20:25 (TM)

The other disciples told him (Thomas), "We saw the Master." But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

STORY:

An American scientist once visited the offices of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen. He was amazed to find that over Bohr's desk was a horseshoe, securely mailed to the wall, with the open end up in the approved manner (so it would catch the good luck and not let it spill out). The American said with a nervous laugh, "Surely you don't believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr?  After all, as a scientist -- " Bohr chuckled, "I believe no such thing, my good friend. Not at all. I am scarcely likely to believe in such foolish nonsense. However, I am told that a horseshoe will bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not." 

OBSERVATION:

It’s kind of crazy what we believe in. A horseshoe, rabbit’s foot, four-leaf clover, found pennies facing up, certain numbers, touching the head of a baby, kissing a particular Irish stone, particular sayings when a pole causes us to break our handhold, and this particular list can go on and on and on. We believe in some strange things.

Then why do we question so quickly the things of God, about God, from God? There are levels of belief and faith that simply causes us pause. We wonder, “Really?” shake our head and walk away. Could we be missing an extra blessing that comes from trusting God?

Some respond with the naive statement: “Well, you just have to believe” as in having a blind faith. Well, is there such a thing as “blind faith”? … probably not. We can have absolute trust in God as my favorite acrostic for faith illustrates: Forsaking All I Trust Him.

Now I like Thomas and am not particularly fond of the “doubting” handle placed upon him. From my particular perspective he was simply being honest with himself and those within his circle of friends. Can we be as honest with our own struggles while still trusting God for the outcome? Must we buy into the “heavenly reward system” in order to trust or believe? I would hope not.

Christ’s resurrection was still a reality if Thomas believed it or not. The sad note is that the power of the resurrection was not Thomas’ until he believed. So, go ahead and nail up your horseshoe as the noted scientist did. It really doesn’t matter now does it, but for the resurrection that’s an entirely another matter.

PRAYER:

Lord, we believe help thou our unbelief. It is a real struggle sometimes. We misplace our belief system on to things that really doesn’t matter. Help thou our unbelief. 

A Modern Day Parable - What Goes Around Comes Around

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, ‘I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson. Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.” He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: ‘you don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.’

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard….

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

There is an old saying what goes around comes around. Pass this on, let the light shine.

Author unknown.

Seeing our life from God's advantage point and holding on to hope (Romans 8:24) with a story about a badly burned boy whose life was turned around with just one visit.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:24 (NIV)

Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

STORY:

The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city's hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher. "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now," the regular teacher said, "and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind." 

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, "I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs." When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much. 

But the next day, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. "No, no," said the nurse. "You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live." 

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" 

OBSERVATION:

Sometimes we give up too quickly. Sometimes we allow the circumstances to win. Sometimes we succumb to the battle and lay defeated. Sometimes we loose sight of hope. This is when faith steps in.

As long as God is still in his heaven and the sun raises in the east there is always hope regardless of the circumstances or diagnoses.

Never give up! Never give up! Never give up! We might not see the possibilities, but God does. We might not think that there is a future, but God does. We might not think of the numerous ways that these circumstances can turn positive, but God does. Never give up!

PRAYER:

Help us to lift our vision beyond what we see as reality. Help us to see our life as you see it. Help us embrace the hope that is held in your hands.