Good to be Sheep-ish

“He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.”—John 10:3

You may forget the person’s name you just met five minutes ago, and others may know you only as a “hi, how are you?” But what joy there is in knowing that when, by faith, we decide to follow Jesus, we are never an anonymous face in the sea of humanity. He not only knows my name, He is continually speaking to me—sometimes to get my attention, or to give direction, but always there to just enjoy the journey together. Jesus is the friend who would outdo all others with simple text messages of encouragement, “still here,” and “hey, did you ever think about this?”

And not only that, He is continually setting life-satisfying priorities before my very eyes. First, that the safest, happiest, and best place on earth is always within the gates of the presence of God—no matter how often, or how many ways, we try to prove Him otherwise. And that despite our insistence of perfection, it's always best when lived out with other sheep who don't always look or think like us. (Sheep, after all, is singular and it is also plural.)

And then, when it’s time to step out into the unknown of each day, or to simply go higher up and deeper in our walk, He always leads and never drags us along. Never a "dude, when are you ever going to learn?"

Sometimes, it can feel like we’re being pushed, but even then, it is done in the context of this:

No eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard,

And it has never occurred to your heart
All the things I, your God, your Shepherd, your Friend, have prepared for you

Simply because you love and trust Me.

Lord, help us to know Your voice more and more, to forsake all others, to follow, to commune as breathing in and breathing out...and to remember that the reason the plural sheep has survived all these centuries against all odds and has impacted the neighborhood and world is because of one thing only: Love—first love, not second or third, or when-I-have-time-for-it Love. 

The Divine Knockout Punch

“O Eternal One, lend an ear to my prayer and answer me, for I am weak and wanting. Safeguard my soul, for I remain loyal to You. Save me, Your servant, who trusts in You, my God.”— Psalm 86:1-2, Voice

"Wow, where did that come from?" It's often while making faith-fueled advancements on this journey that, out of nowhere, we are ambushed with an attack that can leave us wounded in faith and in desperate need of a God-grip. All it takes is one otherwise harmless comment made in your direction that triggers a weakness, a bad memory; one blip on the radar amongst the thousands of wonderful moments in any given day.

More often than not, the ambush manifests in a sudden onslaught of negative self-talk compounded by “yeah, you’re no…” accusations from the enemy of our souls.

Even David, the standard-bearer of the “man after God’s own heart” banner, encountered some type of ambush that left him “weak and wanting.” What is eye-opening, though, is that he doesn’t just plead for a God-rescue, David goes for the jugular—for the all-satisfying, joy of God's promises and presence. (“Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” —Psalm 86:4)

And then he finished his quick prayer, took one more sip of coffee, and got up and went about his day.

Instead, David sets an example for the ages by taking the time—just a few minutes, even—for a simple counter-ambush of renewed faith:

Among the gods [of this world] there is NONE like You (vs. 6)

You are GREAT and do MARVELOUS deeds (vs. 10)

You ALONE are God (vs. 10)

GREAT is Your love toward me (vs. 13)

You have DELIVERED me from the depths of the grave (vs. 13)

You, O Lord, are a COMPASSIONATE and GRACIOUS God (vs. 15)

You, are SLOW to anger [and thank You so much for that] (vs. 15)

You are ABOUNDING in LOVE and FAITHFULNESS (vs. 15)

You, O Lord, have HELPED me and COMFORTED me [in the past, over and over and over] (vs. 17)

Anyone can psych themselves up for awhile. But a joy-filled counter-ambush is a Divine knockout punch because it overrides the negative self-talk and “yeah, you’re no…” accusations by not arguing with the Adversary but rather agreeing with the positive declarations of the Truth—the Truth of who God is, of who He is in me, and who I am in I AM.

And, most of all, it forcefully declares the unspeakably joyful reality that I am forever His and He is mine.

“Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.”—A.B. Simpson

Everyone Gets to Do This

 “John was the lamp that kept on burning and shining.”—John 5:35

When Jesus told His disciples to “Go, therefore…,” He was giving them—giving us—not just a Sunday job or a good deed to do, but a ministry. A full-time ministry. Maybe not in a pulpit, but certainly in a place of influence. Robe, pastor’s parking space, or “the very right reverend” on the sign out front not required. And not only that, a ministry that isn’t a one-shot deal, but rather something of lasting impact and influence that would reproduce itself in others, who in turn touch others in situations and places beyond our imagination

Everyone gets to do this. Everyone.

Our everyday ministry is not unlike that of John the Baptist, who wasn't out to promote his own talents and accomplishments and personality that will eventually wither as the grass. Instead, it's an everyday ministry of humility and testimony that simply points others to the Christ who is the only everlasting Light of hope and love that can overcome the darkness and unraveling of this world (not unlike the world's condition when Jesus first walked the shores of Galilee.) The pointing is all ours. The results are all His.

And like John, our most meaningful pointing ministry opportunities probably won't be in a church and when we're feeling spiritually "up," but awaits in the wilderness—an actual place or environment (like someplace un-churchy), or even or especially the moments when we feel dry and God seems to be nowhere. Both scenarios totally God-dependent and God-glorifying. We can be encouraged to know, however, that Jesus knows the wilderness really well, has walked through it Himself, and shows up there to walk among us still and work through us.

Most of all, there is John’s mysterious internal lamp. The one that that not just shed light during a moment of a heavenly buzz, but that somehow burned from deep within…and kept on burning, even when it seemed like little good was resulting from all the pointing and passion, even when simply seeking to walk out what he knew was True, day in and day out. John seemed to be supernaturally fueled by an undying faith, by having seen God's love and faithfulness over and over and over again, and undoubtedly by cultivating a lifestyle of abiding-listening-trusting-doing.

And for us, add the most powerful fuel of all: His Holy Spirit running through our veins.

Maybe we can pass on John's locusts and wild honey diet. But Lord, we want in. Let the Baptist’s example fuel us in every way for our everyday ministry, big or small, knowing that each one of us has been created to "point," to prepare a way in the wilderness until You come again.

"What, then, is the witness that we all are bound to bear, and shall bear if we are true to our obligations and to our Lord? Mainly, dear brethren, the witness of experience. That a Christian man shall be able to stand up and say, ‘I know this because I live it, and I testify to Jesus Christ because I for myself have found Him to be the life of my life, the Light of all my seeing, the joy of my heart, my home, and my anchorage.’ That is the witness that is impregnable."—Alexander MacLaren

'With Every Eye Closed'...or Maybe Not

[PHOTO: CROSSWALK.COM]

"With all prayer and petition, pray with specific requests at all times, on every occasion and in every season in the spirit; and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition, interceding in prayer for all God's people."—Ephesians 6:18, Amplified

Earlier this week, I heard on the radio a well-respected pastor encourage his flock to do something quite shocking: "pray with your eyes open." Speaking for many who would rather not admit as much, the pastor confessed that often when he closes his eyes to pray...he falls asleep or zones out.

Surely, there's a time and place for closing one's eyes to pray, but sometimes, when you don't know exactly what to pray, or when you're so burdened or distracted (or tired), the next thing you know, you're experiencing one of those jolting "hey, where am I—what time is it?" moments. (See Peter, James, and John in Gethsemane.)

Which might be one reason why Peter urges the faithful to stay alert for the roaring lion who would try to devour one-on-One communion and the motivation to pursue same, and why Paul pleads to God on the Church's behalf that the eyes of their hearts would be opened. In the gospels, when we see Jesus  praying, He's often looking heavenward, not "with every head bowed and every eye closed." In fact, there appears to be no Biblical mandate that says one must close one's eyes in order to pray effectively. It's a good, humbling, reverent prayer posture that's been handed down through the history of the Church. But it's good to know that God is OK with other options, too.

Especially good to know when praying while driving.

Or, when God puts someone on your heart, and you don't know why—so, now what? Praying with eyes wide open, and Bible wide open, can be one of the most powerful postures you could assume on behalf of that friend, or loved one, or your pastor. More than ancient words for another time and place, the prayers and promises within the Bible spoken over another person's life are as active and alive as ever. Sometimes, the King James' poetic flow can knock it out of the park, and sometimes, one of the more modern translations can put into words what your own tongue and brain can't articulate at the moment.

The one that follows, for example, might be one of the best any of us could stand on, this or any week...

God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory:

I call out to You on behalf of _____________.

Give _______ a mind ready to receive wisdom and revelation

So [he/she] will truly know You.

Open the eyes of ________ heart,

And let the light of Your truth flood in.

Shine Your light on the hope You are calling _______to embrace.

Reveal to ________the glorious riches

You are preparing as [his/her] inheritance.

Let ___________ see the full extent of Your power

That is at work in [him/her and] those of us who believe,

And may it be done according to Your might and power.

EPHESIANS 1:17-19, The Voice