Lent Day 12: Panic stations

What makes you panic? Chokes off your breath and makes your stomach heave?

Do you remember riding the roller-coaster or Zipper at the fair as a teenager? I loved loved loved the upside down, flip me over, screaming-with-adrenaline jolt of those rides. I tried them a few years ago and hated it! My life had become so hectic and stressed that there was no margin for physical shocks. Besides, older bodies handle balance differently. (Don't believe me? Try soaring high on a tree swing. There's a reason - besides weight - that kids use them more than their parents!)

Some people start out timid. They lack courage until they become confident, one small success after another. Others begin with a roar, climbing the fridge at age 2, skiing the bunny hill at 3, and never looking back. Many of us like learning new things, but learn caution as we go along. A few become debilitated by fear: their experiences devastate their confidence.

Among Jesus' disciples, Peter was the early adopter and fearless flyer. Thomas was more cautious about accepting what he was told. Each of them found a role in God's kingdom. Jesus accepted them as they were and built character and stamina into his followers.

He can do the same for me. And for you.

What are you afraid of today? How can Jesus help you through? Start here:
1. Commit your whole self to God, fears and all.
2. Admit that you're not in control .. and never have been. We often fear what we cannot anticipate, plan for, or dominate.
3. Cast your cares on God, who knows the past, present, and future. He is big enough, smart enough, and loving enough to see us through and to make things go as He has determined they should.
4. Lodge your present fears and future hopes in God's reliability--His unchanging Goodness and Justice.
5. Live in the moment. Enjoy the day. Though it is wise to plant crops for a future harvest, anxiety about future rain or hail ruins the view of today's sprouts or a field of golden grain!
6. Be grateful. "This is the day The Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Count your blessings!

Read more:
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. Psalm 30:3 (NIV)

*She [Wisdom] offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. Proverbs 3:16–18

*The disciples woke Jesus up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. Luke 8:24

*For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, "Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you." So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island. Acts 27:23–25

Moravian Prayer: Master of wind, wave, and fire, we are terribly aware that the fiercest storms that threaten us can come from within rather than without. Lead us to the calm center where you are with us. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Lent Day 18: Thankful for God's will

"How can I know God's will? Is this the right thing to do?"

W and I are old people in the faith. We've served God since childhood and heard those two questions almost as often as we've asked them. "Should we choose this or that? What will happen in the future if I go this direction?"

I have two stories today about finding the will of God. The first is from my childhood. An old preacher told our youth group to get into motion if we wanted to know what God wanted. "Have you ever tried to turn the wheel of a car without power steering? It is very difficult when the car is sitting in the driveway but once you start moving you can easily turn the wheel.

"In the same way, God will direct you if you will work hard and do what is at hand. If you sit and wait around, you may not be ready for the job that comes along."

The second story illustrates the old man's admonition. This weekend, a high-schooler did the impossible. With a few seconds to go in the state championship basketball game, his basket wins the game and leads his team from heartbreak to victory and the prize. (Click here to view the astonishing moments = Watch #4.)

I've watched the footage of the final seconds of the game many times, tracking where this youngster comes from before he makes the play.

Coaches will be inspiring their teams with the clip in coming years. Rather than waiting to see what would happen, the player sprints from center court toward the basket. There is no play that would have specifically called for him, no strategy that requires his action.

Yet he runs at full tilt ... and when a split-second opportunity means a win or loss, he is THERE! The announcers can't believe what they've seen and they can't find him on the replays. All of a sudden, he's changed the whole game and his school's history. Doing what needs to be done, heroically on the spot! Winning because he is in motion and in the right place at the right time ... after years of rebounds and dribbling and layups and boring drills.

How many times would God ask us to do the impossible with his help, but we've not been nearby? How many opportunities have we missed to share the gospel, help the hurting, or get that perfect job? Are we willing to practice and train, to get up early to study scripture and devote ourselves to God, to do the mundane tasks in preparation for extraordinary moments?

Where do we fit into God's will? Realistically, some of us will never have that "glory moment" when everyone looks at us with stupefaction and wonder. We'll never be the star who shoots the winning basket. Instead, we may play on the team to let someone else shine. The young man could not have done his amazing tip-off without his team.

However, sometimes the star misses her chance and the underdog becomes the hero. For that to happen, someone has to be in motion, fearlessly becoming the one who saves the day! Let it be you. And let it be me, O Lord.

Read more:

*Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun." Psalm 37:1–6

*O Lord our God - we set our hope on you. Jeremiah 14:22

*We wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13

Moravian Prayer: Almighty God, we lift our hearts to you; and our eyes are fixed upon your unchanging glory. We rejoice in the promises of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power and majesty. Amen. (from Reign of Christ Liturgy, MBW p109)