All Will Be Well

 

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.”

—Deuteronomy 5:2

When everything seems to go wrong, when life gets really hard, when disappointment and pain accompany us every day, do we, as adults, just wish our father would come and soothe our worries by taking over and making things right? We long for these words, “Everything will be okay.”

When my younger sister learned she had a very aggressive cancer that might take her life, she said to her weeping grandchildren, “I’ll be okay. And, even if I’m not, everything will still be okay.” In other words, God will work everything out as we hope. Or, He will work out everything to go well, just as He has planned.

We read in Isaiah 3 about the judgment God was about to bring on Jerusalem and Judah. He warned them that supplies of food and water would dry up, the military, legal, and governmental supports would become destroyed. He warned about oppression and disaster. Yet, He tells His people this in verse ten:

“Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.”

Even when all seems hopeless, we can trust God to bring good out of any evil. In His goodness, He rewards our faith with joy and peace. Our Heavenly Father comes and assures us that He has everything under His control. And, because this is so, it will be well.

Let us allow this hymn text to encourage our faith today, no matter what our circumstances might be.

Through the love of God, our Savior,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favor,
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All must be well.

Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All, all is well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit’s guiding,
All must be well.

We expect a bright tomorrow,
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well.
On our Father’s love relying,
Jesus ev’ry need supplying,
Or in living or in dying,
All must be well.¹

______________________

1 Peters, Mary. Through the Love of God, Our Savior. Public Domain.

 

 

In Your Easter Bonnet

 

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

—Philippians 1:27

From early in the 20th century, people have known the lyrics to Irving Berlin’s “Easter Bonnet.”

In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade…

Every year the Easter bonnet parade takes place along Fifth Avenue in New York City. As the years have gone by, the aim of most participants has grown increasingly to feature the most outlandish hats they can find, or build. However, once upon a time, the parade showed off the most beautiful and stylish of Easter outfits, topped off with “the hat.”

A genuine Easter outfit generally includes all pieces—dress, jacket, shoes, purse, and hat in a matching array, proudly displayed for its smart and “most together” choices. What would you say though, if in looking for a gorgeous, fitting outfit, you saw a beautiful Easter dress topped off with a pith helmet, or a beanie? Out of place. Right?

What if we viewed our Christian lives in the same way we examine an Easter outfit, intending for each piece to adorn Christ in holy living? In looking at us, could others conclude that our colors match, our gloves reveal the clean hands we pretend to possess, and our bonnet finishes off our attire in such a way that we well represent the beauty of Christ? Or, do we wear sinful and ugly components that improperly represent our Savior?

Like the Easter set of clothes, St. Paul, in Colossians 1:10-12, lists the accessories we should all possess in order to “adorn” the gospel of Christ:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

As we put together our spring wardrobe, attempting to match every piece to make ourselves look appropriate, we should think about the spiritual likeness Christ desires for us. He wants to see us completely clothed with His adornments, with our word and our living matching in such a way to bring out the beauty of His life within us—and topped with the bonnet of His approval!

A blessed and Happy Easter.

 

 

Access

 

“He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

—Ephesians 2:17-18

It’s not much of a perk, but I have security access at the hospital where I volunteer. Yes, my badge will get me into wings of the building where visitors cannot go. Similarly, those who have business in highly secured government buildings must go through lengthy security clearances, so that they can have access where they need it. They must show a badge or other certified proof of their right to enter.

When Jesus died on the cross and cried in a loud voice His final words, Matthew 27:51 records:

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

But what did that have to do with His death? D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains:¹

The temple at Jerusalem was divided into different places or courts. The most important place was the “holiest of all,” the innermost sanctuary, where the presence of God was revealed in the Shekinah glory over the mercy seat. And into that “holiest of all,” into the very presence of God, only one man was allowed to go. That was the high priest, and he only went in once a year.

Then there were the courts. The outermost court of all was called the “Court of the Gentiles.” They were the furthest away from God! They were not even allowed into the “Court of the People,” the Court of the Jews. The ordinary Jews were not allowed to go where the high priest went… They who were furthest away have been brought in, have been made nigh, in a most amazing manner… This is the position of all who are Christian.

What does this mean for us who have been born anew into God’s Kingdom? We now, by the gift of God’s grace, have an “access code” to the Father without any human intermediary. Jesus Himself became the eternal intermediary, in His role as our very own High Priest.

Hebrews 10:19-22 gives us this good news:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

Jesus, by way of the cross, changed His throne of judgment into a throne of grace. We may, at any time, along with any Jews or Gentiles who claim Christ’s clearance, go to the Father directly in prayer. We no longer are treated as strangers, but as sons and daughters. We have access into the Holy of Holies, and have fellowship with God. What a wonderful Easter gift!

______________________

1 Lloyd-Jones, D.Martyn. God’s Way of Reconciliation. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972. p. 182.

 

 

Chosen, Blessed, Broken

 

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

—1 Corinthians 11:23-24

Usually, we throw things away that get broken. A broken pitcher doesn’t seem much use to us. Yet, in Scripture, we find examples of the way God breaks things in order to use them.

Jesus praised Mary of Bethany, who just before the Romans arrested Him, anointed Him with perfume. Previous to this, Mary had known His blessing and we read about this response in Mark 14:3-9:

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head… Jesus said, “Leave her alone… she did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

Then, at the Last Supper, Jesus gave a powerful illustration of His coming sacrifice when He chose the bread, broke it, blessed it and gave it to His disciples. Henri J. M. Nouwen writes:¹

He summarized in these gestures his own life. Jesus is chosen from all eternity, blessed at his baptism in the Jordan River, broken on the cross, and given as bread to the world. Being chosen, blessed, broken, and given is the sacred journey of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words, “This is the Body of Christ,” we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken and thus become food for the world.

We must realize that to be truly used by God, we must, like He did, go through the breaking process. He will bless us and give us to others, expanding our small supply like He did the bread in the boy’s lunch (John 6: 1-15).

During this Lenten season, may the bread and cup taken during our Holy Communion services remind us not only of Christ’s sacrifice for us, but for His intention for us to be given to others in His name.

______________________

1 Quotation by Henri J. M. Nouwen from Bread for the Journey appearing in Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2003. p. 294.