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Divine Delay

There is no hesitation in Jesus, but there are divine delays.   And, sometimes we get confused and fail to note the difference- which is exactly what happened to Mary and Martha. 

Their brother Lazarus was deathly ill.  The medicines weren’t working.  The doctors had no solution.  The sisters quickly sent a message to Jesus, “Come quickly.  Lazarus is deathly ill.  There is no hope unless you come immediately and heal him.”

How confident they must have been when they sent that message to Jesus.  After all, how many strangers had Jesus healed?  How many lepers had been made whole?  How many blind could now see?  How many deaf could now hear?  If Jesus gladly ministered for hours healing strangers, certainly he would rush to Bethany the minute he received that message.  Surely his response to heal his dear friend Lazarus would be immediate.  But Jesus didn’t come.  He received the message, and he stayed where he was for two more days.

Jesus deliberately waited two more days. 

Lazarus dies.  Mary and Martha bury him in the tomb.  And they weep.  They weep with grief burdened hearts.  But they also weep with deep disappointment. 

 Where was Jesus? 

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Aside published on March 17, 2014 | | 6 Responses

No Hesitation

They were doing exactly what he had instructed them to do.

 In a boat,

on the Sea of Galilee,

sailing to the opposite shore. 

When the wind came up and a storm blew in.  No problem – after all some among them were fishermen.  They had weathered many storms, but these winds grew fierce.  Far from shore, their boat was being battered by churning waves. 

Suddenly in the distance, something more terrifying than a fierce wind appeared.  A man walking on water.  Certain that they had seen a ghost, they cried out in fear. 

”But Jesus was quick to comfort them.  ‘Courage, it’s me.    Don’t be afraid.'”           (Matt. 14:27 Msg)

Stormy-Sea-Art-485x728 (2)

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Aside published on March 2, 2014 | | 6 Responses

The Potter’s Wheel

With a lump of wedged clay in his hand, a potter sits at his wheel.  After he throws the clay onto the wheel, the potter anchors his elbows to the inside of his thighs.  His secured hands are ready to begin the most important part of transforming this lump of clay into a beautiful piece of pottery.

He is ready to center the clay on the potter’s wheel.

As the clay spins and wobbles unevenly, the potter places his cupped hands on the clay and adds pressure.  He works the spinning clay up and down between his hands until it is perfectly centered.  Then the potter gives the clay its shape, its form.  Then it can become a beautiful vase, a cup, a bowl.

But without being properly centered, without the clay yielding to the pressure of the potter’s hands, the clay becomes a misshapen, uneven piece of pottery – cracked and unusable.

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Aside published on February 16, 2014 | | 4 Responses

Access

The protocol was clear.  No one approached the king while on his throne except by invitation.  To approach uninvited was a certain death sentence.  Yet there she stood, ready to enter that throne room.  Her need to see the king was urgent.  The lives of her people were at stake.  A decree for their slaughter had been set.  Their only hope was for Esther to gain a reprieve from the king.

No doubt over the last few days, she had recounted how God’s divine hand had been upon her life.  Among hundreds, she had been chosen to be King Ahazareas’ queen.   Yet even as queen, she knew she had no right to enter the throne room on her own initiative.   Death was the law.  Fear must have rocked her in those still hours of the night.  Her only hope was that God would put it upon the king’s heart to exercise the one small loophole of the law:

If the king extended his scepter, then the death sentence would be lifted.

She would have access to the king; he would hear her request.

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Aside published on February 2, 2014 | | 11 Responses

A Touch

Like a balloon punctured by a pin, doubt can deflate your faith.  It happens to the best of us.  It even happened to those closest to Jesus – His disciples.  All day Friday, all day Saturday and even in the wee hours of Sunday morning, doubt had claimed their hearts and ravaged their faith.  Their hope and expectations in Jesus had been nailed to a Cross.  Yet when news arrived that Jesus was resurrected, when ten of disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, doubt disappeared and joy filled their hearts once again.

But there was one disciple who was missing when Jesus appeared.  There was one disciple who didn’t accompany Peter and John when they ran to the tomb and were encountered by an angel declaring the resurrection of Jesus.  Thomas was missing.  He wasn’t at the tomb. He wasn’t  in the room when Jesus appeared to his fellow disciples.

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Aside published on January 20, 2014 | | 9 Responses

Awe

Not too long ago my husband and I drove through Bay Harbor, an enclave of upscale condominiums, cottages, and multi-million dollar homes in northern Michigan.  Located in a picturesque region surrounding Little Traverse Bay off of Lake Michigan, its secluded harbor is filled with yachts and sailboats.  As we visited this community with its immaculate gardens, well-appointed homes, and extravagant amenities, we remembered how years ago it was a limestone quarry with an industrial structure that defaced the beauty of the waterfront.  But as a result of someone’s vision and a large investment, men transformed this eyesore into a place where you just say, “Wow!”

As the afternoon turned into evening, we drove to a high point where we could overlook the whole complex.  Suddenly our eyes no longer focused on the beautiful yards, the million dollar homes, or the yachts in the harbor.

sunset

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Aside published on November 20, 2013 | | 13 Responses

Welcome!

One incredible day, Jesus approached some fishermen and called out them, “Come, be my disciples.  Follow me!”  James, John, Andrew, and Peter immediately dropped their nets, stepped out of their fishing boats, and followed Jesus.  These men became more than believers.  They became his disciples who after three years of following Jesus embraced the Great Commission of Christ to “disciple” the nations.

Embrace His Call is a blog about sharing that same journey – a journey of being more than a believer by embracing His Call to be a devoted follower of Christ.  The desire of our Savior’s heart remains the same – that our lives be defined by our faith in Him, and we fulfill His Great Commission to be disciples who disciple others.

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Aside published on October 19, 2013 | | 29 Responses