“Take Away the Stone...Lazarus! Come Out!”

(Lazarus' Hebrew name: “Eleazer,” which means “God helps.”)

“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:43-44

The story of Lazarus in the tomb is one of my favorites in the Bible. It cuts right to the chase and pierces every emotion within me.  The story is filled with miracle after miracle but my favorite takeaway from Lazarus is probably this: we need the power of Jesus to call us out from the dark and tell us to rise, and we need community to help unbind the bandages of sin to help us see and walk again. Where can you find such friends to help intercede?  For those of us in covenant community, they are all around us – in homegroups, support groups, bible studies and so on. You are growing and cultivating friendships whether you realize it or not. Lazarus is a great reminder that it’s not just about “you and Jesus.” It’s Jesus, you and community!

One of my favorite scenes in the story is when Martha meets Jesus on the road to Bethany. She was heart-stricken beyond belief! Part of her was mad at Jesus for not coming sooner, while another part was glad and relieved to see him. Basically, she was one mixed bag of emotions. She believed that if Jesus would have come sooner, this tragedy never would have happened. His response to this allegation brings me to my knees! In John 11:23-25 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus then said, “I AM THE RESURRECTION!”  Her response to Jesus wasn’t necessarily incorrect. But for a brief moment, she forgot who she was speaking with. The one who holds all authority (Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus spoke with power in his voice and was on a mission! He wasn’t just going to perform any miracle – he was about to display a mighty divine miracle from God Himself. (John 11:42)

Another crucial part of the story was Jesus’ disciples. When Jesus tried to explain to them that Lazarus was dead and he was going back to Judea, they weren’t exactly thrilled. You see, Jesus had Jewish bounty-hunters eagerly waiting for him. Despite the stakes being high, Thomas makes a huge statement in vs. 16: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  

When Jesus finally reaches Lazarus tomb, he was deeply moved again. He told the bystanders in vs. 39, “Take away the stone.”  Who was He speaking to?  Anyone who believed! The crowd anticipating a great miracle to be performed included His disciples and, of course, Mary and Martha. Jesus could have commanded the stone to be rolled away with His voice. But instead, he chose to involve people in the process. Something holy was about to take place and he wanted them to be a part of it. He was also teaching us what faith looks like, which is His love working through action. It’s also great imagery of how our friends help carry our burdens for us. They don’t just pray, but get up and move! They help carry the weight of our trials when we can’t go on. They get dirty in the trenches with us.

Here comes my favorite part: In John 11: 43-44 he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  I truly believe that if he didn’t call Lazarus by his name, all the dead would have risen! Again, Jesus is the resurrection.

Lazarus, in hearing the familiar voice of his Shepherd, arose and emerged. Another important message you cannot miss is this: “Unbind him and let him go.” Again, He told His disciples, Martha and Mary to unravel the stench of sin; to help unveil the napkins from his eyes so that he could see, and help untie the bandages on his feet so he could walk freely. It takes our community of friends to help take the scales off our eyes and to encourage us to keep walking in our faith. I often wonder if they saved Lazarus’ bandages.  I have to believe they did. Not just as an Ebenezer for them personally to remember what the Lord had done, but more so for others to see. YES, a miracle really did happen and here was the proof!

Having the honor to serve in the Recovery ministry (including Marriage Reconciliation) at The Village Church for eight years, we have seen it all. I can relate so much to Lazarus on a personal level and also as a disciple who has helped take the bandages off others. Christ is our Hope, He is our Redeemer.

Happy Easter everyone! Our great King has risen and lives!

A Farmer’s Faith Sown in Your Marriage…

"There is work for us to do. Before there can be a springing up
in the soul of any, there must be ploughing, harrowing, and sowing."
~Charles H. Spurgeon 

“Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” Isaiah 28:24-29 

How much faith and expectancy comes with farming? It’s more than just throwing seeds in the ground and hoping for the best. It requires foresight, planning and timing. If the farmer hesitates in planting, he runs the risk of missing the window for opportunity that year. His whole livelihood and family is at a stake.

He also understands the importance of knowing when to stop and rest. Not just for his own soul but also the soil – time to take a break, time to wait upon the Lord. Despite all the hard labor involved, without the Father’s showers from heaven the seeds will remain dormant. Marriage is the same way. We are dependent on Christ not just to lead our marriage, but to continue breaking up the hardness of our own heart. We pray that our words and actions bring blessings, not curses to our spouse and home. James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

A farmer’s faith brings hopeful expectations and optimism. The sprouting of seed cannot exist without prayer. When the farmer meets with God, he waits eagerly to share what is on his heart. He is confident that the Lord is moving on his behalf and hears him. He believes the Lord will answer him according to his purpose. He also acknowledges the importance of worship! Through singing and dancing, his soul is being renewed. He can face tomorrow with new hope and mercies. Psalms 121:1 A Song of Ascents. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?”

A farmer also has to prepare himself for disappointment. Regardless of all the investments he has put into his crop, trials will come. They come in the form of storms, droughts and insects. Bottom-line, it leaves acres of devastation! Even though he may feel abandoned by the Lord, the truth is he’s being threshed. The Lord is separating the wheat from the chaff. The Lord is zealous to pull those he loves further away from evil and harm. Although painful, it is necessary for our survival.  To distill Charles Spurgeon’s Farm sermons, there are three important things to remember when being threshed:

1.  All seeds need it;
2. Threshing is done with discretion;
3. Threshing doesn’t last forever.

The farmer relies completely on the Holy Spirit to give him courage to face the day. The Lord‘s providence measures out precisely the amount of threshing needed for the day. Just like the seeds, He doesn’t beat too heavily so as to prevent injury. Nor does it crush it when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horse. The Lord’s mercy knows just the amount of weight needed to break and separate. 
Isaiah 28: 28 “Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it.”

The farmer also is forced to depend on his neighbors to help bear the suffering. He finds strength through their encouragement and also depends on them for daily needs. The Lord has already prepared people to enter into our lives during trials. Their love gives us the hope and strength to keep persevering.
In marriage, we are a sinner living with a sinner. Which means we have been wounded or have inflicted wounds upon our spouse. We have two choices: we can either run away or we can dig our heals in and prepare ourselves to be transformed.  Joel 2:25 “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

Finally, after months (maybe years) of tilling in tears, the joy of the harvest has come. This is a time of expressing our gratitude to the Lord with celebration and rejoicing!  Sharing in the bountiful harvest with our friends, worshipping and thanking him for bestowing his favor on our marriage.  He has been faithful to his promise and covenant, even we were not. He has come back to restore what belongs to Him.

In the joy of waiting with expectancy, not only can your marriage be restored, but Jesus finds you! Salvation has been imparted; your heart is being renewed daily. The laboring in prayer has been answered with a faith only the Lord can plant. Your life is now being displayed as salt to others. The salt of our faith is what gives people hope. It’s what brings people to humility, repentance, leading to a life of joy.

Regardless of what season you are in – whether it’s the gloomy winter or damp spring, autumn promises to display its golden fruit in due season. Only by his everlasting love does God determine when the harvest will come. We must not give up but keep persevering!  Do your part as a farmer, trust in the Lord and his timing. I Cor. 3:6 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

This post inspired by the Farm Sermons by Charles H. Spurgeon.

He Will Quiet You with His Love...

Are you searching for peace in the midst of panic?  Find rest here...
"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

Over the years, one of the most profound ways the Lord communicates with me is through baby owls. Usually when this majestic creature appears, it’s when I’m walking through a difficult season in life. 

The Lord uses the baby owl to get my attention and console my soul. You may be wondering, “How do you know it’s from God?” Well, for starters, it doesn’t happen every day. The timing of when this precious bird pokes its head out is special and perfect. Romans 1:20 reminds us the Lord does communicate through his creation: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” 

Also, the location of where the owl usually appears has deep significance. Right by our driveway, we have a large Oak Tree that is growing. It just happens to have a decent sized knot in the middle of it. That’s where the baby owl emerges and makes his presence known. Whenever I’m pulling out of the driveway or taking a walk, I’m forced to “look up” in anticipation of it possibly being up there today. Most of the time it’s not, but I still look for it with expectancy. The rare times it’s there, I’m in complete awe! I’m totally captivated that I can’t help but stop and listen. The baby owl sits there perched, basking in the sunlight, with it’s big eyes squinted. It looks so peaceful. It’s what the Lord uses to quiet my soul. I’m completely mesmerized by its beauty, and usually a specific word or scripture is whispered to me. It’s the hope that I needed hear at that very moment - it’s His love. 

Another unusual incident happened a couple of years ago. My husband and I have struggled with infertility for years. I was sitting on the back porch when out of nowhere, a baby owl landed right by feet! It just sat there staring at me with those big brown eyes. In complete shock, all I could do was cry and thank the Lord! I cannot overlook the fact that the baby owl continues to reveal itself near my house – the message is for me and it’s personal. 

How often do we let circumstances skew our view of life and God? Our vision is extremely limited by design. We rely solely on faith, walking and believing in the unseen. Did you know that owls have binocular vision? Just like the Lord, he sees everything from afar. Acts 17:27 says “that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” 

Owls also have unbelievable hearing. They can determine the location of sound by turning its head until it reaches both ears. The last sound perceived determines the location of the prey. If the prey moves, the owl is able to adjust its flight pattern in mid-flight! How many times have I cried out to the Lord and felt as if He didn’t hear me? How often do I take matters in my own hands and run with it? Only to find out later, his steadfast love was hovering over me the whole time. Nothing is too far from God! Isaiah 59:1 “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.” 

At times when I’ve felt like giving up, the Lord always surprises me with his timing. He doesn’t just show up – he swoops down and rescues me! Similar to the owl’s hunting strategy, it’s based on stealth and surprise. The dull coloration of the owl’s feathers can render it almost invisible under certain conditions. Its wings are designed to muffle the sound of their movement, allowing the flight to be practically silent. Part of the Lord’s tactic in fighting our battles is to remain incognito. Even though I couldn’t see him through the thick smoke, his shadow was ever present. Psalms 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” 

Finding rest for your soul includes shutting down the noises we create within ourselves. The Hebrew word for peace is “Shalom.” Seek and be silent...Let the strength of Jesus carry you today! 

“Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16