so young, they said – such a shame, they murmured shaking their heads in disbelief – but bound to happen, they agreed among themselves. They were somewhat sad, but not wholly desolate in their mourning of this death – as if they were attending the funeral of someone they had never really known personally – therefore, their grief was limited by their lack of familiarity with the deceased . . .

oh they had heard the stories of the deceased – well, actually they had not heard the stories, her stories, personal, painful, promising, proud stories of overcoming odds and surviving adversity (a civil war, a dustbowl, a depression, two world wars, a cold war, endless threats from without and within) – probably because there were so few left, if any at all, to tell these stories, her stories. Not many were left who had known her in her prime – those who had cherished her, believed in her, fought for her, served her well in exchange for the privilege of living free, the opportunity to pursue dreams, the peace and safety she provided within her borders, the right to worship as they wished, to own property, to assemble, to speak, to determine their own destinies (because the government had been of the people, for the people, by the people in those days) – all things that passed away with her passing.

But how do you mourn something you don’t remember? How do you long for something you never had or celebrate something you didn’t experience? There are so few at this funeral who know, who remember – some Holocaust survivors, some Tuskegee Airmen, some who know what life is like in other parts of the world and understand how unique she was in all the world, knowing unique does not mean without flaws, her beauty and her strength came from her ability to mend those flaws without destroying herself or all those who depended on her for their daily lives –

why don’t they remember? Is it because one can’t remember what one never knew in the first place? Why don’t they know who she is, who she has been for nearly two and a half centuries? (so young by History’s measure) Could it be they no longer learn about her short life in school, as was customary for previous generations? Are they no longer told the story of her birth? Do they not know how she came to be and what growing pains she survived, emerging each time stronger, ready to face the next challenge? And the challenges have been many.

Without memory we cannot mourn. Maybe that’s what’s missing – the clear memory of all that she was. Her past erased (and then rewritten) – much like China’s Cultural Revolution, which took only a decade (1966-1976) to wipe out centuries of art and artifacts, sacred texts and temples, the history of a people documented in its books, books now banned and subsequently burned, leaving no trace of the people whose stories they once told – when all who have memory of her are no longer here to tell their stories, her stories – voices fallen silent – into the silence enters the discourse of deceit.

Those left to mourn her, never knew her. They never lived in the land created by the Constitution, described by the Declaration of Independence, filled with fearless overcomers, who preferred hard work to a government handout, who fought for freedom, theirs and others – who were not afraid to pray, to sing the national anthem, to fly her flag or to die for her, for their country – there was once such a place.

There was honor in the struggle, no shame in being poor, one vote – one voice, each one had a say in a land of laws – laws that permitted liberty to live and thrive. Much of her story is told in her music (if it has survived her?). These songs give a glimpse into who she was in the eyes of those who wrote the songs and in the eyes of those who have sung them with such pride over the years. ie. “Oh beautiful for patriots’ dream, that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears, America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

The words to this Civil War era song reveal the deepest essence of who she once was. “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.”

There’s that word truth again. That’s something the mourners will not know in the future – the truth that she was born out of a search for a place in which God could be freely and openly worshipped and served. Other countries had kings and dictators and tyrants – she had no king – the people would govern themselves – no ruling class! Unheard of! “An experiment bound to fail,” they said. And yet she thrived even as her citizens prospered. People poured in from around the globe in pursuit of the freedom her Constitution offered to them.

Having little in common, yet bound together in their determination to make better lives for themselves and for their children, these various peoples shared the vision of faith and freedom given by the Declaration of Independence, saying, “endowed by their Creator.” America was a shelter from the storm, a safe harbor, a land of opportunity. Her foundations were built upon faith in Almighty Creator God, truth, freedom, law, equality and justice. All are inextricably entwined. When her faith in God was attacked, ridiculed, restricted and then removed, when the people turned away from God, – the other things, truth, freedom, law, equality, justice, – they were no longer supported and she collapsed from the inside out. They tried to revive her, (or did they?) but it was too late.

Without God, without a foundation of faith, there was nothing left to build upon. The shifting sands of popular culture cannot sustain a free people desiring to exercise their God-given rights to life. liberty and the pursuit of God and happiness. Only a foundation of faith in God is strong enough to support a free country. (is that why most dictatorship/communist countries are atheistic?) When we stopped pursuing God and pursued instead our own pleasure, something shifted in her, our beloved country. That’s when her foundation began to crumble. Now we find ourselves here, mourning her passing, shaking our heads and wondering why there aren’t more people who know enough to truly mourn her loss. (because if you believe she was inherently evil from conception, you are celebrating her death, not mourning it – you have no idea of the light that has been lost, because you have only known the dimness of a fading light on its way to extinction)

You have believed the lie, and there is no one left to tell you the truth. With every “objectionable, dangerous” book burned, every statue toppled, every monument gone, every street, every school, every building, every city, every town, every sports team renamed, with history rewritten, who is to know what she once really was? No pilgrim, no pioneer, no patriot remains to tell her tale. Still, if music remains, then perhaps music will tell those who never knew her, what she once was. I can hear that music now, playing at her funeral (or would that be allowed?) In the words of Lee Greenwood,

“the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away – and I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me – and I’ll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, ’cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the U.S.A.”

God did bless her, in spite of all her flaws and mistakes, His protection and blessing have been upon her for almost two and one-half centuries. We were a people who looked to Him for guidance and also gave Him thanks for what we had. A look at the Thanksgiving proclamations of Washington in 1789 and Lincoln in 1863 confirms this truth. She was born out of a desire to exercise a personal faith in God and the removal of that faith from her, was her cause of death. Only those that have memory of her, that knew her or heard her stories from those that knew her, will mourn her passing, realizing what has been lost. No one else will shed a tear.

But as for me, I will shed tears and mourn her well. And I will be thankful in my heart for memories of her that no new narrative can erase – because I lived those years and I remember what true freedom was. This current counterfeit does not fool me for one minute. I will gladly stand up and defend her. I wonder, will there be any that stand up with me?

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

may we again turn our hearts to God, perhaps He will bring her back to life as He is in the resurrection business – “Let the Amen sound from His people again!”

sincerely, Grace Day

Who is he? This has been the age old question. Asked incessantly, debated continuously throughout the centuries since He made His appearance and walked this earth, the identity of Jesus is a question that continues to confound. For many the verdict is still out. Who is Jesus? Many continue to debate, to doubt, to question, to search, to study, to ponder, to wonder – just exactly who is Jesus? It is a question of true identity.

“Who is Jesus?” – the most important question one can ask because the answer determines the direction of the questioner’s life. Jesus’s disciples struggled with the question of Jesus’s identity even as they followed Him and spent time with Him. In Luke 9:18-20 we read about one such interaction,

“Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’ ‘But what about you?’ He asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ ”

So you can see that there was much debate as to Jesus’s true identity when He was here on earth – and that debate continues to this day. But Peter answered Jesus’s question that day with these words,

“The Christ (Messiah) of God.” Peter knew the truth of Jesus’s identity.

Peter affirmed his belief in Jesus’s true identity again in John 6:66-69 during this exchange,

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.’ ”

There were others who also discovered for themselves Jesus’s true identity. One such person was the centurion who stood before Jesus as He hung on the cross. We read his account in Mark 15:39,

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ ”

Jesus Himself said in John 14:9,

“Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Jesus further explains in John 10:30 saying,

“I and the Father are one.”

Even when Jesus revealed His identity with words such as those, there were still many who refused to believe He was who He said He was, which was who their own Scriptures said He was. Instead they preferred to circulate lies about His identity as the following encounter shows. Jesus healed a paralytic, lowered down to Him through the ceiling of the house where He was teaching, surrounded by a large crowd of people. (hence the need for the paralytic to enter from the roof in order to be seen by Jesus)

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ” (Luke 5:20-21)

They were questioning the identity of Jesus. Something they did often. We see them doing this again when Jesus healed an invalid waiting beside the pool of Bethesda. We read,

“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted Him. Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working.’ For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:16-18)

They didn’t believe Jesus was who He told them He was. And because they refused to see His true identity, they crucified Him on a cross. One of the criminals being crucified along with Jesus recognized Jesus’s true identity while the other criminal being crucified that day did not. What a difference this made in outcome for the one who recognized Jesus’s identity. We read his story in Luke 23:39-43 –

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him; (Jesus) ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.’ ”

Yes, it is a question of identity. It was for the woman at the well. She was having a conversation with a stranger who asked her for a drink. She didn’t know who he was. This is how the conversation unfolded,

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give Me a drink?’ The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘ . . . Are you greater than our father Jacob?’ . . . Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ ” (John 4:7-14)

If we only knew – like the woman at the well and the thief on the cross, it will make all the difference to me and to you, dear readers – this question of Jesus’s identity. How we answer that question of identity determines our destiny. Who is Jesus? If we only knew . . . The thief on the cross knew, the woman at the well came to know, the centurion knew when he witnessed the crucifixion, Peter knew, even the demons knew –

“In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ‘Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!’ ” (Luke 4:33-34)

Simeon knew and his is a beautiful testimony to the identity of Jesus. It is given in Luke 2:25-32,

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. . . . When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.’ ”

Simeon knew the answer to the question of Jesus’s identity – and it made all the difference in the world. Isaiah knew Jesus’s true identity long before Jesus was born. Isaiah shared that secret and gave us all a head’s up in Isaiah 9:6-7 as to who Jesus is, saying –

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Who is Jesus?

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

if we only knew – would we ask Him for life like the woman at the well did when she learned she could ask Jesus for living water?

if we only knew – it is a question of identity

sincerely, Grace Day

George Orwell once said, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” But this was not some new revelation (maybe to him) because Plato said many centuries before Orwell these words, “No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.”

Seems like that is still true today. Truthtellers are silenced, cancelled, threatened, fired from jobs, jailed, censored, labeled as crazy heretics – or worse, called racists, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, (even if not white skinned) – or whatever negative label currently in vogue will do the most damage. Truthtellers witness what happens to others who attempt to ask questions or to tell what they have experienced personally and they are scared into silence. The risk of speaking out any truth is too great. The price is too high.

I think Benjamin Franklin would disagree, however. He said in a letter, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” I believe “temporary” to be the operative word in that statement. Any safety purchased by silence and acquiescence is only temporary at best. But the resulting loss of liberty is permanent. And that loss is passed on to future generations. Temporary safety comes at a high cost – a cost with no reward and dire consequences.

How are we so easily tricked into believing what is not true? Sometimes even in the face of our own experience which contradicts the lie and reveals the truth, we still choose to believe the lie. Which is unfortunate because as Voltaire said in the 1700’s, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” That’s the whole point of propaganda, isn’t it? To make us believe the lie and act accordingly.

In John 8:32 I read these words of Jesus,

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Truth and freedom are inextricably linked together. Without truth – there is no freedom. This is the age old struggle – the battle between truth and lies, still being played out today. John 8:44 clearly exposes the leader of those opposing truth. Jesus identifies truth’s enemy when He speaks to the people, giving them a kind of “if the shoe fits” description to help them understand,

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

In contrast, Jesus says this about Himself in John 14:6,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is the truth! And the truth sets us free! (John 8:32) No wonder John 8:36 tells me,

“So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus, being truth, came to proclaim truth, to proclaim the truth of the gospel to a hurting, desperate world. And just like Plato would have predicted, Jesus was hated because people did not want to hear the truth. They preferred a lie. Paul confirms this about people of every age throughout human history saying,

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -.” (Romans 1:25)

No one has been more hated than Jesus was in His day. The people’s hate for Jesus was so extreme that it led them to crucify Him on a cross. They did this because they did not believe the truth of Jesus’s identity, but instead believed the lies those in power put forth about Him. (kind of proves Voltaire’s point doesn’t it? – if you can get the masses of people to believe certain lies, you can control their behavior and get them to act, committing atrocities)

The Jewish people had been waiting for a Messiah to come for centuries. Their own Torah perfectly predicted His coming and His identity, but when He actually came, they preferred the lies of their current culture to the truth of their own scriptures, such as Isaiah, and to the truth of their own experience as they heard Jesus preach in their synagogues and on the hillsides and saw the miracles He did. They believed the lie rather than what they saw with their own eyes.

Jesus upset the current power structure in the church. The chief priests, Pharisees and scribes were in charge and had a lucrative deal going, what with all the money they collected from the masses for sacrifices and other offerings they required of the people. Jesus had come to set people free – free from the burden of their sin which held them captive. His death also set them free from the continual obligations of bringing sacrifices and offerings into the temple because He, Himself, had paid their price, forgiven their sins and made them right with God.

The Jewish religious leaders couldn’t let this happen. If people had direct access to God through His Son, Jesus and through His gift of the Holy Spirit, then the priests, the Pharisees, all the religious leaders, would be out of a job. They would lose their position, power, influence, prestige and income. They could not let this happen. They had to convince the people that Jesus was not who He claimed to be. They needed to accuse Him of something, anything. Never mind that it wasn’t true. A lie would serve their purpose better than the truth.

“And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons He is driving out demons.’ ” (Mark 3:22)

“The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ” (Luke 5:21)

“Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” (Mark 3:6)

The truth of who Jesus is had to be suppressed and a lie had to be created to take truth’s place. Why such fear of One who had come to redeem and restore mankind? Evil, greed and lust for power (or to stay in power) were certainly at work in the events that took place. They tried unceasingly to find fault with Jesus – like when Jesus healed a man’s hand on the Sabbath. Here’s how that went down –

“The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. . . . He (Jesus) . . . said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ The man did so, and his hand was completely restored. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” (Luke 6:7-11)

So the people in power were plotting the death of Jesus. In order to turn the masses against Him, they needed to discredit Him by spreading lies (today we call that disinformation). Eventually they were successful in getting Jesus crucified on a cross. But they weren’t successful in keeping Him in the tomb. Jesus rose three days later and those in power have been doing damage control ever since. Still the truth has survived to this day. That’s because His word is truth and in Matthew 24:35 I read what Jesus said,

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”

So truth will outlive the lie and truth will triumph over the lie eventually. But we’re not there yet. How I wish we were! I can be tricked by a lie if I don’t know the truth. Fortunately, Jesus gave His disciples and us this promise,

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

so I don’t have to rely on my own reasoning, my Heavenly Father will teach me with His word, which is truth – He will guide me by His Spirit, which is truth and He will lead me into all truth. Then truly I will be free.

“Then I will know the truth, and the truth will set me free.” (John 8:32)

sincerely, Grace Day

that’s a good question – one to which the answer might be as everchanging as the seasons and the tides. Jeremiah 17:9 says,

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

There’s only one person I can think of that could possibly understand me or my heart – that would be the One who created me, including my heart, in the first place.

“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; . . . He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:13-15)

That’s who should hold my heart – the One who formed it in the first place. He’s the one who will take the best care of my heart. He alone is able to protect it, to change it, to clean it up and to guard it against the attacks of the enemy. It was King David who cried out to God,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) While in Ezekiel God says,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

In Philippians I am told that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) I am also told,

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

It is only my Heavenly Father’s hands that are big enough, strong enough and gentle enough to hold all the brokenness of my heart and miraculously put it back together again. That’s who I want holding my heart. It’s not safe with anyone else. Indeed,

“God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

Because God is the maker and the holder of my heart, I can take heart even when my heart is hurting. When my heart belongs to my Heavenly Father, He is my first thought – not an after thought. Jesus is my first choice, not my last resort. He is who I run to, not hide from – like Adam and Eve did in the garden so long ago. It is my Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Savior who holds my heart.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

the Healer and the Holder of my heart is faithful,

” . . . I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

I have trusted Him with my heart, you can too, dear readers – He is faithful!

sincerely, Grace Day

Not too long ago I couldn’t find anything, let alone the ever elusive constant we all search for in this ever changing world. This was surprising because I was in my usual store, buying (or attempting to buy) all the usual items I always purchase. But something was wrong, very wrong. Nothing was in its usual place. Where had the bread gone? Where were my favorite breakfast bars? Where was the peanut butter? I was confused but not alone in my confusion. I noticed other shoppers were also wandering, searching, seemingly as confused as I was by this unexpected rearrangement of the store we all knew so well.

To make matters worse, the store had not yet changed the signage which hung overhead, identifying each aisle and its contents. Shopping this day was like a scavenger hunt. I had to wander up and down the aisles in hopes of discovering where my favorite brands and the items I usually bought were now located. It was anybody’s best guess. I had been content with the way things were. I could shop very quickly, because I knew the layout of the store so well. Why must what isn’t broken be fixed?

I am slowly adjusting to this change, but there are still items I haven’t found yet, like my favorite crackers. With all the changes swirling around me in this world, changes in which I have no say, I would think at least my store could stay consistent, could be my constant. Would that be asking too much of a grocery store? – that it be my constant? I guess I put too much faith in my store. I learned long ago not to put too much faith in people – we are inconstant companions at best. We are human, we change. Of course, some change is for the better. We grow and we change as we grow.

Change can be good but still I long for something constant to hang onto, to orient me, to keep me going in the right direction on my life’s journey. Something or someone so constant that they are able to provide me direction in the dark, direction when things are turned upside down and inside out, direction when things are spinning out of control, direction when familiar landmarks fade and familiar faces are no where to be found, direction when wind whips the water into waves unpredictable and dangerous, direction when clouds hide both sun and north star, direction when culture redefines every word and defies every law upon which civilization once stood.

A constant, by definition is something or someone who does not change with the times, is not altered by circumstances or popular opinion – someone who retains in every aspect all that they are, no matter what. I guess we might say a constant “stands the test of time.” We all need a constant in our lives. I know I do. Otherwise I lose direction and am hopelessly tossed about on every wind and whim of change. I need a constant to anchor me in the storm.

Just as finding the constant in math will help me solve the math problem, finding the constant in life will enable me to face and solve life’s problems. Fortunately, I have found the constant in the person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:8 tells me this,

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

He is the constant I have been craving. My Heavenly Father is described this way in James 1:17,

” . . . the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

no shifting, no shadows – just light, all light – all the time – another translation says, “in whom there is no shadow of turning.” Finally, someone constant. Someone I can trust. Numbers 23:19 says,

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

The answer to that question is no. God can be trusted to keep His promises. Deuteronomy 7:9 reassures me,

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”

Because He is my constant I have hope and this hope itself is a constant in my life, described so well in Hebrews 6:17-19,

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. I have this hope as an anchor for my soul, firm and secure.”

In these turbulent times, I need a constant Presence to anchor me so that I don’t get blown away or get blown off course. And my Heavenly Father has promised that His presence is constant.

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

The constant presence of the constant One – what more could I ask? I have found my constant in this inconstant universe –

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:4)

sincerely, Grace Day

The streets of this older, inner city neighborhood are quiet as I walk them this morning, allowing me to breathe in the peace of the moment, that I might breathe out God’s presence over these streets, knowing it is not always calm that claims these streets. The houses that I pass as I walk are older, close together and run down or more truthfully, falling down in some cases. Most have front porches, a vestige of times past, when front porches were gathering places for neighbors to pass the time together.

Among these homes that are slowly decaying and those that bear the scars of years of deterioration, are homes that are in the process of being restored, rebuilt and rehabilitated. These houses are in various stages of repair, but the results are readily apparent and quite remarkable when viewed in the context of the houses that sit to either side of the house undergoing renovation. It’s as if one house is coming to life while the one next to it is slowly dying. Quite the contrast.

It’s interesting that home makeover shows on TV have been very popular in recent years. From just one, “This Old House” years ago (ahead of its time, I guess) to now with many such shows to choose from such as Chip and Joanna Gaines’ hugely popular “Fixer Upper” TV show, the idea of restoring old houses is now experiencing a revival of its own.

Today as I walked block after block in this neighborhood, I prayed along with the friend beside me, for these homes and the people inhabiting them. We prayed God’s blessing, protection and peace for the people living where we were walking today. We prayed for them God’s rescue, renewal and restoration in each and every life. The visual of rows of homes, side by side, all in various states of disrepair or of being repaired seemed so significant to me today.

Just like these homes, I am a work in progress. We all are. I am either deteriorating from lack of care or I am being renewed and restored daily by my Creator. The choice is mine. God is in the business of redemption and restoration. He has redeemed me and He wants to restore me to wholeness in Him. It is sometimes a long, slow process – but He will accomplish His good purposes in me if I cooperate. In fact, I have this assurance from Him in Philippians 1:6,

“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I am receiving an ongoing, lifetime remodel. That’s what a work in progress is. Just like some of the houses I passed today, I am under construction. I am undergoing a transformation. I am the recipient of a miracle makeover. Romans 12:2 reminds me that this is so, telling me,

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind.” This is an ongoing process,

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

I identify with those old houses undergoing renovation, restoration and rehabilitation. It looks painful. It is painful. It involves a lot of hard work. But it is worth the toil and the sacrifice in the end. The nearly finished house sitting right next to the one that is being torn apart so that it can be put back together, is a testament to this truth. The old house is torn down so that it can be resurrected as a new house. That’s what my Heavenly Father does for me everyday. He is continually renewing me.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It occurs to me as I look at all these houses, each one, in the process of decay or of renewal, how important are those individuals who do the actual work. Who the builder is makes all the difference in the world. I need to know who it is that is at work in my life. Philippians 2:13 tells me,

“for it is God who works in you (me) to will and to act according to His good purpose.”

I can trust my contractor, renovator, restorer and redeemer. That’s a good thing because Psalm 127:1 reminds me that,

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”

And so we prayed today for the people in each and every house, on each and every block, where we witnessed deterioration and restoration going on simultaneously, side by side. God is in the restoration business. He wants to restore us and reconcile us to Himself. God is the One who, as Romans 4:17 says,

“the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”

God can revive, restore and renew the neighborhood, the houses and the people who live in those houses. He wants to give them new life in Him. He wants to do that for me and for you as well, dear readers. God wants to enter in and repair all the brokenness – much like what I saw today in the neighborhood, signs of brokenness being repaired. There is much work to do but God doesn’t give up on us. Thank You, Lord, that You are willing and able to give me and anyone who asks You, a miracle makeover.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) – even you and me!

sincerely, Grace Day

I am not worthy – but You bid me come anyway

that’s the miracle

I am a sinner – but You died for me anyway

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us (me) in this: While we were (I am) still sinners, Christ died for us (me).” (Romans 5:6-8)

Christ died for me, a sinner – that’s the miracle

I am not worthy – but You have adopted me

that’s the miracle

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

I am an orphan – but You say I can call You Father, even Daddy!

“but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15-16)

that’s the miracle

I have nothing to wear but filthy rags – but You clothe me in clean garments

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,” (Isaiah 61:10)

that’s the miracle

I have no worth – but You say that I matter to You

“For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah 43:3-4)

that’s the miracle

I am not worthy – but You invite me in

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

that’s the miracle

I am in dire need – and You rescue me every time

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3)

that’s the miracle

I was dead – but You brought me back to life

“When I was dead in my sins and in the uncircumcision of my sinful nature, God made me alive with Christ. He forgave me all my sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against me and that stood opposed to me; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

“As for me, I was dead in my transgressions and sins, in which I used to live when I followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, . . . But because of Your great love for me, God, You who are rich in mercy, You made me alive with Christ even when I was dead in transgressions – it is by grace I have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:1-5)

that’s the miracle

it’s all a miracle – every bit of it – a miracle of God’s grace – a grace that turns sinners like me and like you into saints –

that’s the miracle

Jesus asked, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.” (Mark 8:12)

the signs, the miracles have already been given to me and to you, dear readers – just as they were in Jesus’s day when He said,

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5)

all miracles, each and every one –

I am not worthy – but You, Lord, love me anyway –

that’s the miracle

oh that you and I, dear readers would

“have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you and I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

sincerely, Grace Day

they are so fleeting, so full and so fantastic – I scarce can take them in when they come unannounced and unscheduled. Nor can I detain them, they will not be captured nor contained – these glimpses of glory – they depart as quickly as they arrive, leaving me desperate for another moment of revelation – longing for another look into things too wonderful for me to imagine. These glimpses of glory are indescribable – beyond words – bringing me to say along with Job,

“Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:3)

Such are glimpses of glory.

In C. S. Lewis’s analogy of the mud puddle and the sea, I’m thinking our beloved earth is the mud puddle and heaven is the sea. Earth is a mere shadow of the glory yet to come, it is not the real thing, nor the final thing, nor the eternal thing. Still, as mud puddles go, earth seems pretty fantastic to me and maybe to you, too, dear readers. In fact, probably to all of us mere mortals who inhabit this planet, earth appears to have it all. Our mud puddle contains much beauty even though it has been in a state of decay and decline ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from the garden.

“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated form its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:20-22)

Still, creation shows forth the Creator’s majesty, splendor, diversity in design, power, goodness and care in every aspect of life on this earth. Even to this day, God continues to give us glimpses of Himself through His creation. Romans 1:20 tells me,

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

Our mud puddle seems to have it all. From the deepest ocean depths to the highest mountain heights, from the jungles to the forests, from the prairies to the deserts to the wetlands and marshes, earth is filled with the myriad creations of God. And yet this perfectly created planet is a mere mud puddle compared to what awaits us in the place that God is preparing for us, so that we can be with Him. Earth is only a shadow of things to come.

Living in this shadowland, as it were, I need glimpses of God, glimpses of His glory, to encourage me when life is lonely, filled with loss, when the way is painful, circumstances uncertain, and everything goes dark – that’s when a glimpse of His glory comes along and lights my way. They are fleeting, these glory glimpses, but they are abundant. They surround me just as God’s creation surrounds me from sunrise to sunset and all through the night as well.

When do these windows into heaven open? It is in those rare and surprising moments – an unexpected act of kindness, the turning of the other cheek, the laying down of one’s wishes in deference to another, the forgiving of the most painful offenses, the giving of oneself in the service of others, the helping hand, the healing touch – when the windows open and glory’s light shines in, pure and powerful, filling those moments of goodness with God’s presence.

Is that glimpse of glory in the lightning preceding the thunder or in the rainbow following the rain? I find it in the morning mist rising silently off the lake’s smooth surface and in the evening symphony of crickets joined in chorus by bullfrogs, owls and loons making music under a star studded sky. Shafts of sunlight filling a forest and fields of wildflowers dancing in the wind provide glimpses of glory as they let in heaven’s light.

Just as a good author uses foreshadowing to give the reader clues as to what is in store if they keep reading, God gives us glimpses of what He is preparing for us in the future. But the actual revelation will always exceed the shadow.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

For now, I dwell in this shadowland, this mud puddle, but there will come a day when glimpses will be gone because I will actually be there and I will see clearly.

“For now I see through a glass, darkly; but then I shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

for now glimpses of His glory will carry me through, each glimpse a gift His great grace gives to me and to you,

sincerely, Grace Day

when You alone, O God, are Sovereign

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)

You alone, O God, are good

” ‘Why do you call Me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone.’ ” (Luke 18:19)

You alone, O God, are compassionate

“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” (Psalm 145:8-9)

“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” (Psalm 116:5)

You alone, O God, truly hear me

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2)

You alone, O God, truly understand me

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

You alone, O God, truly know me

“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. . . . Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord. . . . For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:1, 4 & 13)

You alone, O God, truly love me

“Surely He took up my infirmities and carried my sorrows, . . . He was pierced for my transgressions, He was crushed for my iniquities; the punishment that brought me peace was upon Him, and by His wounds I am healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

You alone, O God, take pity on me

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; (on me) for He knows how we are (I am) formed, He remembers that we are (I am) dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)

You alone, O God, have all wisdom

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” (Job 12:13)

You alone, O God, have all power

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

You alone, O God, are able to heal me and to forgive me my sins

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; . . . who forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases,” (Psalm 103:1 & 3)

“This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:1 & 25)

You alone, O God, are able to change hearts, to change my heart

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

You alone, O God, are able to rescue me from my pit

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:2-3)

You alone, O God, are able to restore me

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

You alone, O God, preside over all things

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2:20-22)

You alone, O God, are able to raise the dead, like You did Lazarus and Jesus – so why would I ever go anywhere else but to You? Peter came to the same conclusion which we read about in John 6:68,

“Simon Peter replied, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life, and we believe them and know You are the holy Son of God.’ ”

where else would I go, Heavenly Father? You alone have the words of life –

You alone are able –

“You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me.” (Psalm 86:5-7)

sincerely, Grace Day

sounds like a tough choice, doesn’t it? must be why I’m having so much trouble deciding between the two. Still, I wonder if it could be true – I haven’t been asking God for too much, I’ve been asking Him for too little. The apostle Paul said as much in his letter to the Ephesians when he stated that God –

“is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20) Paul explains more about this power of God saying –

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21)

Could it be? . . .

Jesus came to offer me the ocean – I’ve been asking Him to make me happy in my mud puddle –

He came to offer me the eternal – I ask only for the temporal

Jesus came to forgive my sins and heal my soul – I ask only for physical healing

Jesus wants to give me heavenly treasures – I ask only for more possessions and worldly success

He came to give me new life – I ask only for improvements to the old one I already have, the life I know, the life I am comfortable with –

I ask too little – not too much. The paralytic did the same thing. His friends carried him on his mat to a house where Jesus was teaching a crowd of people. Then they lowered him, still on his mat, down through the roof until he was right in front of Jesus. They did all this in the hope that Jesus would restore their friend’s ability to walk. But Jesus’s first words to the paralytic were, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Not exactly what he and his friends had in mind when they went to all the trouble of bringing their friend into the presence of Jesus.

However, Jesus continued saying, “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” (Luke 5:23-25)

The paralytic asked too little of Jesus. He desired a temporal, physical healing. But Jesus wanted to give him so much more than he asked or imagined was possible. Jesus wanted to grant him forgiveness of his sins, thereby reconciling him to God forever. A gift with eternal consequences.

The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well certainly asked Jesus for too little. Well, actually, she didn’t think to ask Him for anything at all. Jesus asked her for some water from the well but He had come to offer her living water, to offer her Himself.

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.’ ” (John 4:10) Then Jesus further explained to her saying,

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Jesus met her at that well to give to her more than she could think to ask or imagine. Like the paralytic, the woman at the well asked too little of Jesus, not too much. I do that too. I am content to ask for upgrades to my mud puddle because I cannot imagine a holiday at the sea is possible. To experience that, I would have to leave the comfort of my mud puddle behind and risk venturing into the unknown. That would require trust and faith and courage and perseverance. I hear a journey to the sea is not easy but actually can be downright dangerous.

I settle for so little when my Heavenly Father wants to give me so much. He wants to give me Himself, His presence. He tells me as much in John 14:23 when He says,

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’ ”

That’s more than I could hope for or imagine and yet it is a promise from my Heavenly Father – His permanent presence. He wants to hang out with me! (actually, to make His home with me) And in His presence are all good gifts in an abundance that I don’t think to ask for because I cannot imagine such things. In my Heavenly Father’s presence I experience joy, peace, comfort, hope, healing, rest, forgiveness, fulfillment, acceptance, purpose, love, the ultimate in being known personally. I experience glimpses of the glory yet to come. Do I dare to believe that He wants to give me more than mere glimpses?

Do you, dear readers? (believe, that is) Do you ask God for too little when He wants to give you so much? I think it’s time I put what God says in Jeremiah 33:3 into practice –

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” after all,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

sincerely, Grace Day