Meditations

Fasting Day 37 of 40 | Seventh Wednesday of Lent

Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. Acts 13:21

In Old Testament times, the people of God were not satisfied with God as their leader. They pleaded. “Give us a king!” We must be careful what we ask for, lest our desires destroy us. That was the case with Judas.

In his Homily on the Betrayal of Judas, John Crysostom writes, “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, ‘What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you?'” (Matthew 26:14–15). These words seem to be clear and not to hint at anything more, but if you carefully examine each word, you will find deep meaning and a great deal to contemplate… That He granted you power over demons? That He granted you the power to put an end to sicknesses? To cleanse lepers? To raise the dead? That He brought an end to the tyranny of death? For these benefactions you give this recompense? “What will ye give me and I will deliver Him unto you?”

John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) in Homily on the Betrayal of Judas.

Chrysostom mourns Judas and all those who have tasted the gifts of God and who, driven by greed, chose the gifts over God.

It happens today. In Lent we get the keys to the kingdom. Many, like Judas, try to use those keys just to fulfill their desires. What will you do with them?

God, I desire only one thing. I want You at the center of my life. Amen.

Journal on this: Contemplate what you desire most today. Ponder what you have learned during Lent and what you will do with the keys to the kingdom. Determine what you want life to look like after Lent.

Fasting Day 36 of 40 | Sixth Tuesday of Lent

Once again, he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Genesis 18:29

Abraham pleaded with God not to wipe out Sodom if forty righteous people were found there. Ultimately, not finding forty or even ten, God poured out vengeance on the city. This Scripture seems fitting as Jesus cursed the fig tree on Holy Week Tuesday when He found no fruit on it.

In Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas writes. “When the whole multitude sins, vengeance must be taken on them, either in respect of the whole multitude—thus the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea while they were pursuing the children of Israel, and the people of Sodom were entirely destroyed—or as regards part of the multitude, as may be seen in the punishment of those who worshipped the calf.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in Summa Theologica (Grand Rapids: CCEL), p. 3766.

All humanity deserves God’s vengeance because of our sin. After God wiped out humankind with the flood, He promised not to do it again.

As God is both gracious and generous, He dealt with our sin problem with the work of Christ, dying on the cross for our sins. But we must receive this gift and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, or we will end up like Sodom and the fig tree. Cursed!

On the first Holy Week Tuesday, Jesus inspected a tree for fruit. What would He see on your tree today?

Holy Spirit, produce fruit in me in keeping with my repentance. Amen.

Remember the Surrender Novena. “Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.”

Pray that every day in life after Lent. Why? Only from a posture of surrender does the Holy Spirit produce fruit in us.

Fasting Day 35 of 40 | Sixth Monday of Lent

“After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark.” Genesis 8:6

Can you imagine the moment when Noah opened the window of the ark? He almost certainly wanted to feel the light of the sun on his face and let it illuminate the darkness of the ark. We wonder if Jesus had a similar thought when he cleared the vendors from the temple on Monday of Holy Week to make space for people to offer up prayers.

Watchman Nee writes this on prayer. “What, then, is the prayer ministry of the church? It is God telling the church what He wishes to do so that the church on earth can then pray it out. Such prayer is not asking God to do what we want to do but asking Him to do what He wants to do. Oh, let us see that the church is to declare on earth the will of God in heaven. The church is to pronounce on earth that this will of God is what she wants. In case she fails on this point, she will be of very little value in God’s hand. Even though she may do well in other matters, she is of little use to God if she is defective in this matter. The highest use of the church to God is to allow His will to be done on earth.”

Watchman Nee (1903-1972) in The Prayer Ministry of the Church (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc., 1973), p. 18.

When we watch Jesus closely this week, we learn what God wants to do. He wants to open a window and make a way of salvation for the whole world. The window is the church. But will we allow Him to use us?

Father in Heaven, I allow Your will to be done in my life. Amen.

To allow God’s will to be done in our lives, we must spend time in God’s Word. Commit to reading God’s Word daily in life after Lent.

It’s also helpful to read good books by saints through the centuries from whom I draw inspiration to live out the teachings in God’s Word.

Special thanks to my friend, Jud Savelle, who pointed me to the writings of Watchman Nee. Sometimes practicing generosity links to money. Other times it links to sharing precious things like good books.

To download a free PDF copy of The Prayer Ministry of the Church, click here.

Feast Day 6 of 7 | Sixth Sunday of Lent

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

It’s Palm Sunday. Jesus enters Jerusalem to accomplish our salvation and make way for the forgiveness of sins. The number seven comes into view as Peter’s guess for the number of times to forgive someone. Why is forgiveness so hard for us but made possible by the cross?

Julian of Norwich writes, “For I saw no wrath but on man’s part; and that forgiveth He in us. For wrath is not else but a forwardness and a contrariness to peace and love; and either it cometh of failing of might, or of failing of wisdom, or of failing of goodness: which failing is not in God but is on our part. For we by sin and wretchedness have in us a wretched and continuant contrariness to peace and to love.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1342- c. 1416) in Revelations of Divine Love (Grand Rapids: CCEL, 1966), p. 51.

Peace and love sum up the posture of Christ on Palm Sunday. He comes in humility and generosity. His sacrifice will bring peace and show love. That’s the opposite of wrath. And He will conquer sin and wretchedness to rid us of the contrariness in us to make way for us to exhibit humility, generosity, peace, and love. His seventy times seven forgiveness toward us will transform us from children of wrath to agents of forgiveness.

Jesus, thank you for forgiving me. Help me forgive others. Amen.

Palm Sunday is about making way for the Lord. We do this by confession and through forgiving others.

Do you have any sin to confess? Do it. He wants to work in you before working through you.

Next, is there anyone you need to forgive today? Forgive them. Make way for the Lord.

Fasting Day 34 of 40 | Sixth Saturday of Lent

“For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.” Nehemiah 9:21

In today’s Scripture, we hear the Levites call the people to repentance by reminding them of God’s faithfulness. In similar fashion, in his letter “To Pammachius against John of Jerusalem,” Jerome writes with candor.

“You say you are a Christian; lay aside the weapons of the heathen. It is for them to learn from you to confess the resurrection of the dead, not for you to learn from them to deny it. Or if you belong to the enemy’s camp, show yourself openly as an adversary, that you may share the wounds we inflict on the heathen. I will allow you your jest about the necessity of nursemaids to stop the infants from crying; of the decrepit old men, who, you fear, would be shriveled with winter’s cold. I will admit also that the barbers have learnt their craft for nothing, for do we not know that the people of Israel for forty years experienced no growth of either nails or hair; and, still more, their clothes were not worn out, nor did their shoes wax old?”

Jerome of Stridon (c. 342-420) in “To Pammachius against John of Jerusalem,” in The Principal Works of St. Jerome, ed. by Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids: CCEL), p. 947.

Imagine this written to you in modern language: If you are a Christian, act like one. Christians should influence others and not the reverse. Pick a side. Hear sarcasm about silly objections. As God looked after Israel He will look after and sustain you. Confess the resurrection in life after Lent.

God, I chose the side of Jesus and to confess the resurrection. Amen.

If you were charged with following Christ, would the evidence convict you?

Fasting Day 33 of 40 | Sixth Friday of Lent

“Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and make forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames and forty silver bases—two under each frame.” Exodus 26:18-21

The tabernacle had forty silver bases on a side. These bases gave structure to the mobile tent which housed the presence of God as His people wandered through the wilderness.

Walter Brueggemann notes. “The tabernacle is a ‘portable temple,’ which is appropriate for a displaced people in transition… the proposed tabernacle guarantees a combination of presence and mobility.”

Walter Brueggemann in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 1 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1994), p. 884.

Some people reading this might be in some sort of transition. Others might remember one well. Regardless, you can imagine the feeling of displacement. Or in plain terms, you have no place.

Today’s post proclaims good news to such folks. As God was with them in the tabernacle, since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, God is with us in times of transition though sometimes we may feel lost.

On our Lenten journey three disciplines – giving, prayer, and fasting – have taught us to share, surrender, and sacrifice. Today we anticipate the transition to life after Lent we can do so with joy knowing that the risen Christ is with us and will help us live differently one day at a time.

God, help me transition to life after Lent as a transformed person. Amen.

Journal on this: How do you want to live differently in life after Lent?

Tell a person close to you what you write. Ask them to hold you accountable.

Fasting Day 32 of 40 | Sixth Thursday of Lent –

“Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” Genesis 7:4

Can you imagine the work of building the ark and then hearing the message of today’s Scripture? And notice seven and forty appear in it. That seems fitting as this event would shape all of human history.

Ambrose of Milan writes. “How wise also was Noah, who built the whole of the ark! How just again! For he alone, preserved of all to be the father of humanity, was made a survivor of past generations, and the author of one to come; he was born, too, rather for the world and the universe than for himself. How brave he was to overcome the flood! How temperate to endure it! When he had entered the ark, with what moderation he passed the time! When he sent forth the raven and the dove, when he received them on their return, when he left the ark, with what moderation did he make use of these occasions!”

Ambrose of Milan (c. 340-397) in The Duties of the Clergy 1.25, ed. by Philip Schaff (New York: Union Theological Seminary), pp. 86-87.

How did Noah do it? How did he navigate the tempest in a temperate way?

And how can you overcome the floods of life, endure seasons of waiting for God to act, or experience deliverance through storms?

The answer is in Genesis 6:9: Noah “walked faithfully with God.” That is the purpose of Lent to teach us to walk with God in a temperate way.

God, I want to walk with you in temperate way like Noah. Amen.

Know anyone who reminds you of Noah. They walk faithfully with God. They live generously and selflessly when everyone else is greedy and selfish. And they exhibit temperance.

Thank them for their example in your life.

Fasting Day 30 of 40 | Sixth Wednesday of Lent

“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” Romans 15:2

When George Friedrich Handel performed the masterpiece known as “Messiah” just before Easter, he did not do it alone. He had forty people in his orchestra. After an outstanding performance, an influential person lauded him for the entertaining evening. In response, he said, “I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better.”

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) in “Anecdotes of Handel” as related by the late Dr. Beattie in The Lady’s Magazine (London: Robinson, 1808), p. 192.

Today’s post relates to all those who live, give, serve, and love in roles that aim to help people. This applies to most every job out there. Make it your aim to make people better. But don’t do it alone, following the example of Handel, rally others to join you like his orchestra of forty.

This matches the apostle Paul’s exhortation to each person in the church in Rome. He wanted everyone involved. And don’t just bless people you love, touch everyone in your reach. That’s why Paul says to please your neighbors. You might win new believers in the process!

To do this you need to listen well, notice details, and pay attention. You gained these skills on the Lenten journey. Put them to practice in life.

Lord, I wish to make people better. Help me do this. Amen.

Make a list of ten neighbors whom you can please for their good and for God’s glory. Next to each name, think of a way you can bless that person. Base your comments on your capacity, resources, and God’s leading. Then go have fun blessing them before Easter.

Fasting Day 30 of 40 | Fifth Tuesday of Lent

“David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” 2 Samuel 5:4

Lent teaches us to fear the Lord. We learn this from looking at the life of David. And we gain insight from listening to Teresa of Ávila.

This excerpt comes from Interior Castle. “I must give you one warning: be not too confident…David was very holy, yet you know what Solomon became. Therefore, do not rely on your enclosure, on your penitential life, nor on your continual exercise of prayer and constant communion with God, nor trust in having left the world or in the idea that you hold its ways in horror. All this is good, but is not enough, as I have already said, to remove all fear; therefore, meditate on this text and often recall it: ’Blessed is the person that fears the Lord” (Psalm 112:1).

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) in Interior Castle (Grand Rapids: CCEL), p. 40.

Since Teresa used the castle motif for the spiritual journey, imagine a castle made of stones. We build our lives one stone at a time, engaging practices like giving, prayer, and fasting to detach from the world and attach to God. We do these disciplines to learn how to live life after Lent.

But this post comes with a warning. Don’t assume others will follow you! Teach your children and grandchildren. They don’t need things to grasp life with you. Teach them to fear the Lord. The rest will fall into place.

Lord, help me meditate on your Word and model fearing You. Amen.

Do you have any little people in your life?

How might you do Lent with them in future years to teach them the fear of the Lord?

Fasting Day 29 of 40 | Fifth Monday of Lent

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

Philotheos of Sinai was a Christian monk who served as head of Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula around the year 900. He wrote “Forty Texts on Watchfulness” to help people devote themselves to prayer. The forty texts survived in the Philokalia, a collection of texts from the Orthodox Christian tradition from the years 300 to 1400.

Philotheos of Sinai writes, “Where humility is combined with the remembrance of God that is established through watchfulness and attention, and also with recurrent prayer inflexible in its resistance to the enemy, there is the place of God, the heaven of the heart in which because of God’s presence no demonic army dares to make a stand.”

Philotheos of Sinai (c.900) in “Forty Texts on Watchfulness” in Philokalia 3.17 (Holy Books) p. 607.

As we think about prayer during Lent, we do well to follow the advice of Philotheos. Start with humility and the remembrance of God. Then we establish ourselves with watchfulness, attentiveness, and prayer. Why?

Many of his forty texts warn us that the evil one attacks in places we least expect or when we have our guard down. His advice helps us stay close to God, dependent on God, and surrendered to God.

God, I devote myself to watchful and thankful prayer. Amen.

What might watchful and thankful prayer look like for you? Talk about it with a friend.

The watchful part relates to spiritual alertness to the attacks of the enemy and attentiveness to abiding with God. The thankful part links to the blessings of complete surrender and trust.

Watchful and thankful prayer serve as the basis for generous living.