“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above the earth.” (
Psalm 108:5 KJV)

“I, the Lord, must be exalted!” I have noticed the Lord impressing this on my mind and heart for a little over a month now. My first response was, “Yes! Of course.” Then, as often happens when I sense the Lord communicating a particular truth or instruction, I get curious: “Wait, aren’t You always, actively being exalted for eternity?”, “What do You mean for us to exalt You?”, and, “What does it look like?” In this case I asked an additional question: “What is in the way of our exalting You?” I admit I made a big assumption to get to this question. I assumed that Jesus was not being exalted in our midst, at least not enough, since the Lord is stating what I think is an obvious truth and imperative. I, however, am not certain that the intentional reinforcement of truth is always in response to one's lack of alignment with it. There may be a call to engage in this behavior more often or intensely. Maybe there is something unseen creeping up that is positioned to usurp our heart’s throne, or maybe something unknown has already enthroned itself. The only solution is to lift high the One who is worthy.
 
David understood this very well. In Psalm 108:1 (KJV), before a need for salvation or victory over an enemy is revealed, David says, “O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” David even goes on to say that exalting God is the means by which Israel is delivered. Praise really is a weapon against our enemy! So before fear and anxiety rise up and settle within me, “I will exalt You, O God!” Before I look to see what is coming and attempt to prepare and fix in my own strength, “I will exalt You, O God!” Before I analyze this problem and come up with a logical solution, “I will exalt You, O God!” Before I run and cry to my bestie, “I will lift Your great name and sing praise to the God of the universe, Maker of heaven and earth who does all things well!”  

Too many times in life we are so focused on what we are leaving behind, that we fail to embrace where we are heading and often trample over a successful transition into a new season of our lives. We ponder about how things used to be, how physically comfortable we were in a place that was not allowing us to grow personally, even spiritually. We knew everybody and thought everybody knew us. But too often we are part of an organization (i.e., social club, job site, church, professional organization, etc) where we sit next to dozens of people, yet we know no one. Odds are that if this is the case, those around you also made little to no effort in getting to know you. So it is time to move on. And when you do, you cannot look back. Focus on what is ahead and forget whatever is left behind. If it was meant to help you reach your destination, God wouldn’t allow you to move regardless of how much you try. This does not mean that the place or person you are leaving behind is evil. It just means your season there has come to an end. Now that it is time to spread your wings, do so with confidence and never cease praying through the process. Maybe life will bring you back to the same place or person one day. Maybe not. But you must first accomplish what you are meant to in the new season of your life.

We all know the biblical story of Lot’s wife. When two angels urged Lot and his family to leave the city, which God was destroying over sinful and prideful activity, they took heed and fled. The angels, however, had given them an important command to follow once they left: not to look back. Lot and his family had safely made it out as fire and burning sulfur burned over their city, but Lot’s wife forgot the command which had been given. Instead of focusing on the path to safety which was right in front of them, she looked back to contemplate where she was leaving. There is no logical reason as to why she would focus on where they were leaving, but she did. She immediately became a pillar of salt, stuck for eternity. Her season in that place had come to an end. They were not meant to stay there. God in His infinite mercy showed her and her family a way out. But because of looking back, she found herself stuck forever.

The prophet Isaiah says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”  There will be times in life when we will find ourselves in similar situations. Leaving a place, whether it's a job site, a professional or social organization, a church, even a relationship, often carries with it feelings of doubt or remorse, especially if we have been a part of it for a long time. But when the Holy Spirit speaks, we must listen. Has our time there come to an end? After putting it through the spiritual filter and asking God for guidance, if the answer points to moving on, we must do so. Sometimes you must simply get up and walk away, focused on where God has led you to go and trusting His power and wisdom.

Be aware not to make a home of a place where you were only meant to be a visitor. Seize your new season. Don’t look back!

God bless you!

Rich Bermudez

Muchas veces en la vida estamos tan concentrados en lo que estamos dejando atrás, que no logramos aceptar hacia dónde nos dirigimos y, a menudo, pisoteamos una transición exitosa hacia una nueva etapa de nuestras vidas. Reflexionamos sobre cómo solían ser las cosas; Qué cómodos estábamos físicamente en un lugar que no nos permitía crecer personalmente, ni siquiera espiritualmente. Conocíamos a todos y pensábamos que todos nos conocían. Pero con demasiada frecuencia somos parte de una organización (es decir, un club social, un lugar de trabajo, una iglesia, una organización profesional, etc.) donde nos sentamos junto a docenas de personas, pero no conocemos a nadie. Lo más probable es que, si este es el caso, quienes te rodean tampoco hayan hecho ningún esfuerzo por conocerte. Así que es hora de seguir adelante. Y cuando lo hagas, no podrás mirar atrás. Concéntrate en lo que está por delante y olvídate de lo que queda atrás. Si estuviera destinado a ayudarte a llegar a tu destino, Dios no te permitiría moverte por mucho que lo intentes. Esto no significa que el lugar o la persona que estás dejando atrás sea malo. Simplemente significa que tu temporada allí ha llegado a su fin. Ahora que es el momento de extender tus alas, hazlo con confianza y nunca dejes de orar durante el proceso. Quizás la vida te devuelva algún día al mismo lugar o persona. Quizás no. Pero primero debes lograr lo que debes hacer en la nueva etapa de tu vida.

Todos conocemos la historia bíblica de la esposa de Lot. Cuando dos ángeles instaron a Lot y su familia a abandonar la ciudad, que Dios estaba destruyendo por actividades pecaminosas y orgullosas, ellos hicieron caso y huyeron. Los ángeles, sin embargo, les habían dado una orden importante a seguir una vez que se fueran; no mirar atrás. Lot y su familia habían salido sanos y salvos mientras el fuego y el azufre ardía sobre su ciudad, pero la esposa de Lot olvidó la orden que se le había dado. En lugar de concentrarse en el camino hacia la seguridad que estaba justo frente a ellos, miró hacia atrás para contemplar de donde huía. No hay ninguna razón lógica por la que se concentraría en el lugar donde se iban, pero lo hizo. Inmediatamente se convirtió en una estatua de sal, estancada por la eternidad. Su temporada en ese lugar había llegado a su fin. No estaban destinados a quedarse allí. Dios en su infinita misericordia le mostró a ella y a su familia una salida. Pero al mirar atrás, se encontró estancada para siempre.

El profeta Isaías dice, "Olvídate de las cosas pasadas; no te detengas en el pasado".  Habrá momentos en la vida en los que nos encontraremos en situaciones similares. Dejar un lugar, ya sea un lugar de trabajo, una organización profesional o social, una iglesia, incluso una relación, a menudo conlleva sentimientos de duda o remordimiento, especialmente si hemos sido parte de durante mucho tiempo. Pero cuando el Espíritu Santo habla, debemos escuchar. ¿Ha llegado a su fin nuestro tiempo allí? Después de pasar por el filtro espiritual y pedirle a Dios que nos guíe, si la respuesta apunta a seguir adelante, debemos hacerlo.. A veces simplemente debes levantarte y alejarte. Enfocado en hacia dónde Dios te ha dirigido a ir y confiando en Su poder y sabiduría. 

Tenga cuidado de no convertir en hogar un lugar donde solo estabas supuesto a ser un visitante. Aprovecha tu nueva temporada. ¡No mires atrás!

¡Dios lo bendiga!

Rich Bermudez

It wasn’t his finest grandparenting moment. But it certainly was a memorable one, one our oldest grandchildren still enjoy teasing him about to this day.

I don’t exactly remember the whole story, but one of our grandsons got off the bus from school in tears and we happened to be there. He had been the target of a nasty, first grade bully of the very worst stripe. His little heart was broken as, with quivering lips, he repeated all the embarrassing and hateful names hurled his way at recess that afternoon.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kenny tenderly hoisted him up and looked him straight in those tear-filled eyes. The family paused, leaning in to hear the patriarch’s words of wisdom. “Next time somebody calls you names, you tell them, ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but you are fat and ugly!’”
 
Not exactly what we were expecting. Not exactly great advice.

But it was well-timed comedic relief at its best.

Well, until we heard that phrase giggled over and over again for the next twenty years!

Way to go, Pop.

Being bullied, being belittled, being yelled at, being called names—that’s just plain heartbreaking. Terrible. Painful. Humiliating.

And not just for little boys on the playground.

Words hurt.

Harsh ones are like tiny arrows of pure hate, belittlement, and disrespect that pierce you where you are most vulnerable and insecure. Their wounds never seem to miss their mark and you are left reeling with self-doubt and confusion. Hurting.

And there seems to be an epidemic of unnecessary malicious words carelessly being hurled around out there lately. Have you experienced them?

I have.

It hurts.

We have a new four-way stop down the street. One morning, I stopped, looked to make sure it was safe to proceed, and made my turn onto Buck Road. A pickup driving north on Buck Road, a vehicle I had seen coming down the road and assumed would stop at his stop sign, instead ran through it. Horn blaring, inches from my bumper, this angry driver leaned dangerously out his window and screamed every terrible profanity in his vocabulary, calling me every vile name he could think of. He presumed, apparently, that I had pulled out in front of him and that gave him the right to assault me with his words of rage.
I was shaken for days. I felt dirty and fearful.

Words hurt.

Not too many days later, purchasing a poster board, I set my purse on the counter and searched in its vast depths for some coins jingling around in the bottom. I love to give cashiers exact change. As I pulled up each coin, I set it down in front of me, calculating how much more I needed. Finally, I had the right amount and, with a smile, pushed the coins over to the cashier.

If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Daggers flew at me from her eyes…then from her mouth. Apparently, I was the rudest thing she had ever encountered—and a whole list of other evil things too. Why couldn’t I put that money in her hand? I shook my head in wonder when I looked around and realized she was actually talking to me. Tears filled my eyes and I stammered an apology of sorts. I felt like someone had punched me in my stomach. Her verbal attack left me feeling confused and filthy. And misunderstood.
Words hurt.

I’m wondering if I need to stop going into stores.

Maybe I just need to stop giving exact change.

Because this week, waiting in line to pay for a coffee, I once again set down my purse on the counter to get out the change I needed. I was next in line, and I thought I heard the twenty-something young man in front of me ask, “Do you need some space?” Foolish me. I assumed he was thoughtfully concerned because, where I stood, there was very little room for me and my purse as I searched for my coins.

I smiled up at him and told him I was fine, just trying to get my money out. He exploded, yelling at me with vile expletives. Didn’t I know that I was in HIS space? He then told me of a place I should be and precisely what kind of person I was as he extended his arms in my face, demonstrating the four or so feet of space he demanded. Shaken and hardly able to breathe, I practically crawled back to my car, tears running down my cheeks. I don’t remember drinking my coffee. My heart raced in my chest. My day was ruined.

Words hurt.

Wounded, offended, and confused, I have been considering exactly what my Father wants me to learn from all of this, how He wants me to respond in these helpless situations. Nothing He allows in my life is random or purposeless and I want to be teachable, to get what He wants me to get. What shall I do when attacked, accused, bullied, misunderstood, and disrespected by people I don’t know and people I do? When angry, unfair words hurt me?

Do I defend myself? Report my adversaries to superiors? Cry and feel helpless? Call them fat and ugly?

As usual, I read a short devotional from Max Lucado in Grace for the Moment that encouraged me in my ponderings.

Wounded by Words
     Someone you love or respect slams you to the floor with a slur or slip of the tongue. And there you lie, wounded and bleeding. Perhaps the words were intended to hurt you, perhaps not; but that doesn’t matter. The wound is deep. The injuries are internal. Broken heart, wounded pride, bruised feelings.

     If you have suffered or are suffering because of someone else’s words, you’ll be glad to know that there is a balm for this laceration. Meditate on these words from 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV).

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

     Did you see what Jesus did? He left the judging to God. He did not take on the task of seeking revenge. He demanded no apology. He, to the astounding contrary, spoke on their defense. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 12:34 NIV).

Jesus beautifully modeled what He expects from me as His follower. He expects me to forgive my offenders-friends or strangers-just like He did and His offenders were far worse than mine.

I need to allow God to take care of them. Not my job. And there is something so freeing in that. Releasing the pain and injustice into His capable, loving hands, offering forgiveness to those I probably will never see again…it is a cleansing, healing balm for my hurting heart.

I think Romans 12 is a useful guide for how to “live in harmony” with others, friends or strangers. Jesus declared that an important identifying characteristic for believers in Him is the love we have for each other (John 13:35). I think He would like that to extend even further than our brothers and sisters. While hurt, anger, and pride can easily derail us from loving as we should, from turning the other cheek, from giving the Spirit complete control of words and reactions, they stand in direct contrast to the love God wants us to show to others…and not just other believers.

It is a challenge not to defend ourselves and to control our emotions when we have been wronged, but the words, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” show us that the responsibility of living a life that reflects Christ’s character can’t be shifted to anyone else. It lies with each one of us who bear His name. (Cindy Hess Kasper, The Daily Bread)

Even when their words hurt us.

Especially when their words hurt us.

And even if they really are fat and ugly.

Hope.

A tiny word that defines something that, if lost, has an enormous effect on one's life. One translation of Proverbs 13.12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Another translates the same verse: "When hope's dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing."

In talking with a close friend yesterday, I realized that I have a good case of deferred hope. Like only treating the painful symptoms when a broken leg needs to be fixed, hope deferred is not just healed by rest or by singing "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My" with a few friends while you all try to run faster on the yellow brick road. Receiving faith for the journey comes through hearing the living word of God.

The remedy takes time to untie the knotted thinking and emotions produced by deferred dreams, especially your first time (or maybe 100 times through). So, steady reconnecting with God on the particulars of a situation, gaining His perspective, recalibrating where and on what your faith needs to be based, allowing Him to reveal the season you are in, and stoking the fires of intercession will eventually sort you out.

I'm asking myself today, what am I basing my faith on, what do I genuinely love, and where will I place all my hope? To borrow the words of a Cody Carnes song: "My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend, so I run to the Father, again and again.

When a good and trusted friend points out that you may have deferred hope sickness, don't throw it off. Drop the should and the ought, self-comforting, or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. Just run to the Father and talk about it. Have many talks without shame. After all, He is the lover of your hope-deferred, tired soul. He will gently restore you to right thinking and acting. He is very good that way.

“For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6 (KJV)

Reading this passage initially one may consider it encouraging in a variety of ways. One way in particular strikes a familiar chord in our culture. In our tendency to focus on the humans – What is happening for or to the humans in scripture? What does the future look like for these people given what is happening to them at this point in scripture? How does this apply to me? In scripture then think what does this mean for me, we lean toward adoption of the culture’s self-centered perspective. If we take this verse out of Deuteronomy seven and look at it without any of its other parts it gives me PBS Kids “you are special just the way you are”vibes. Is this really what God intends to communicate to Israel — to us? I don’t think so. Here’s why.

In chapter 7 Moses is mid speech. God has specific instructions for the Israelites as they prepare to go into the promised land and what they need to do when they get there. In this passage, I see God has a good Father, setting up his chosen children for success – keeping them out of bondage and out of compromise, which leads to a broken relationship with Him. God did not choose Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendents because they were special. God chose Israel because he wanted to, and he is making them (and those of us who have been engrafted)  special.

God speaks a similar sentiment in Jeremiah 13. Here he scolds the Israelites for their unfaithfulness and reminds them of the relationship that he desired to have with their forefathers, the same type of relationship he desires to have with them now. Jeremiah 13:11 (KJV), “For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.” Becoming is a consequence of being with and clinging to the Father. We only become because He makes us.

The Bible is not really about us. It is about God, and because God desires to be in relationship with us, there is opportunity by scripture to see who we are, who we are intended to be, how we are intended to exist. Unfortunately we will miss the main attraction , God, plus miss all of this if we do not come to scripture looking for the Divine first.

My wife and I recently facilitated a course where the truth about suffering associated with unforgiveness was thoroughly explained in a biblically based, interactive format during an 8-week class period. The course has been attributed in the past with helping parents reconcile with children and grandchildren, husbands with wives, churches on the verge of splitting find peace and unity, and even helped conflicting denominations find unity without compromise. The featured speaker skillfully presented scripture passages and excerpts that conform to the reality of the consequences of not forgiving. Many participants were originally in attendance, but the content met some resistance and about half of the participants actually completed all the sessions to fully make sense of the target message and understand what at the start of the class could have come across as scandalous claims about forgiveness. An understandably uncomfortable time for some. Shockingly, the course even made some participants doubt the appropriateness of such material being presented in a religious setting.

This blog is not to dispute whether these folks were right or wrong. In my opinion, they were concerned. And rightfully so. To hear that if you do not forgive everyone, for everything and anything, you will be subjected to torment is something that can make even the toughest Christian squeamish and certainly uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable is not necessarily a bad thing. It means there is something that simply isn’t sitting well with us, and we would like to either understand more about it or change it altogether. I feel that this “not being a bad thing”  is best illustrated in the beatitudes. In the Bible we read that “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” I compare those who may have felt uncomfortable with the course content as being in search of “righteousness.” To them, the content they heard was not “right.” So they went ahead and expressed their opinions as they sought to understand what was indeed “right” or “righteous.

The challenge lies in respecting the validity of those feelings while suggesting an explanation which highlights a very important truth: the Word of God is the Word of God. In highlighting this fact, the next challenge is to offer a safe place for those affected to continue being a part of, while not necessarily feeling comfortable. This is the essence of our walk with Christ. I think Jesus wants us to be uncomfortable at times. This moves us to seek Him further, to learn more about those things which make us uncomfortable, so that we can live in the ultimate truth. I read a devotional recently which suggested that Jesus did not give up His life and rise again from death just so we can live a complacent, comfortable, ordinary life. He wants us to live a faith-filled and dependent life where many times the foundation of our beliefs will be shaken. We don’t recoil or rebel at the sight of an uncomfortable truth, regardless of how much it may shake our former understanding. If a thorough assessment proves that it is in no form a contradiction to the Word of God, it is our responsibility to accept the will of the Holy Spirit and let His power intercede for us. Even in the face of truths that rattle our spiritual compass, if we persevere, He will make the path straight.

It’s OK to be uncomfortable.

God bless you,

Rich Bermudez

Mi esposa y yo recientemente facilitamos un curso donde se explicó detalladamente la verdad sobre el sufrimiento asociado con la falta de perdón en un formato interactivo con base bíblica durante un período de clase de 8 semanas. Un curso al que se le ha atribuido en el pasado ayudar a padres a reconciliarse con sus hijos y nietos, a los maridos con sus esposas, a las iglesias a punto de dividirse a encontrar la paz y la unidad, e incluso ayudó a denominaciones en conflicto a encontrar la unidad sin compromisos. El orador presentó hábilmente pasajes de las Escrituras y extractos que se ajustan a la realidad de las consecuencias de no perdonar. Inicialmente, muchos participantes asistieron, pero el contenido encontró cierta resistencia y aproximadamente la mitad de los participantes completaron todas las sesiones para dar pleno sentido al mensaje objetivo y comprender lo que al comienzo de la clase podría haber parecido afirmaciones escandalosas sobre el perdón. . Un momento comprensiblemente incómodo para algunos. Sorprendentemente, el curso incluso hizo que algunos participantes dudaran de la idoneidad de que dicho material se presentara en un entorno religioso.

Este blog no pretende discutir si estas personas tenían razón o no. En mi opinión, estaban preocupados. Y con razón.  Escuchar que si no perdonas a todos, por todo y por cualquier cosa tú serás sometido a tormento es algo que puede hacer que incluso el cristiano más duro se sienta aprensivo y ciertamente incómodo. Pero sentirse incómodo no es necesariamente algo malo. Significa que hay algo que simplemente no nos sienta bien y nos gustaría entenderlo más o cambiarlo por completo. Siento que este “no ser algo malo” se ilustra mejor en las bienaventuranzas. En Mateo 5 leemos que son “Bienaventurados los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia, porque serán saciados”. Comparo a aquellos que pueden haberse sentido incómodos con el contenido del curso como si estuvieran en busca de “rectitud”. Para ellos, el contenido que escucharon no era "correcto". Así que siguieron adelante y expresaron sus opiniones mientras buscaban entender qué era realmente “correcto” o “justo”.

El desafío radica en respetar la validez de esos sentimientos y al mismo tiempo ofrecer una explicación que siga resaltando una verdad muy importante; la palabra de Dios es la Palabra de Dios. Al resaltar este hecho, el siguiente desafío es ofrecerles un lugar seguro del que puedan seguir siendo parte, sin necesariamente sentirse cómodos. Ésta es la esencia de nuestro caminar con Cristo. Creo que Jesús quiere que a veces nos sintamos incómodos. Esto nos mueve a buscarlo más. Para aprender más sobre aquellas cosas que nos incomodan, para que podamos vivir en la verdad última. Recientemente leí un devocional que sugería que Jesús no entregó su vida y resucitó de la muerte sólo para que podamos vivir una vida ordinaria, cómoda y complaciente. Él quiere que vivamos una vida dependiente y llena de fe donde muchas veces los cimientos de nuestras creencias serán sacudidos. No retrocedemos ni nos rebelamos ante la revelación de una verdad incómoda, por mucho que pueda sacudir nuestra comprensión anterior. Si una evaluación exhaustiva demuestra que dicha revelación no contradice en modo alguno la palabra de Dios, es nuestra responsabilidad aceptar la voluntad del Espíritu Santo y dejar que su poder interceda por nosotros. Incluso frente a verdades que sacuden nuestra brújula espiritual, si perseveramos, Él enderezará el camino.

Está bien sentirse incómodo.

Dios lo bendiga,

Rich Bermúdez  

Ting-a-ling-a-linggg!

Morning, noon, and night, the tinkling of the little bell reaches every dusty corner of my home. Heart thumping, I leap to my feet and rush to answer her call.
 
Mom needs me.

Since she returned home early in February following her devastating strokes in December, my mother-in-law, who just celebrated her 97th birthday last week, has required constant care. We installed monitors all over the house so we can hear her wherever we are and know if she needs assistance. She only has to ring her nearby hand bell.

In the beginning of our new normal, the bell rang nearly nonstop. Twenty-four seven. Mom could do very little for herself. But as she has quite miraculously improved over the weeks and months, my summonses have become much less frequent. We are so grateful to our Father for her healing, for the strides she has made both cognitively and physically. What a blessing for her and for us.

But she still needs her bell. There are several things that are unsafe for her to do alone and other things she simply cannot do at all…much to her frustration and displeasure. She longs for her independence, hating to bother me so often. And to be honest, it is pretty often.
The bell is no respecter of my time or my activity. Unfinished naps, half taken showers, almost baked cookies, cliff-hanging TV shows…the bell dictates what I do and when. And it has to. Mom’s needs—and they are needs—must preempt anything else in my day. It’s what I signed up for. I am her caregiver.

So we were soaring with our LFA team toward Alaska a few weeks back. Kenny leaned over and held my hand. “I am so glad we are getting to go,” he smiled. Knowing the remote location of our mission, no cell services, no Starbucks, no convenience stores, he asked if I was going to miss anything over the next ten days or so.

“I don’t know if I will miss anything,” I replied, “But I know for sure I won’t miss that bell!” We both laughed. A much needed “vacation” from the bell.

Arriving in Port Alsworth the next morning, sleepless for hours, amazed at the pristine beauty surrounding Tanalian Bible Camp, we were warmly greeted by the staff. I was especially excited because my grandson, Matt, and his lovely bride, Abi, are part of the ministry there and I knew I would soon get to hug them. We were encouraged to eat a delicious breakfast they had prepared for us and to go rest for the morning in our bunks. We were thrilled. But then Christy, one of our hosts, added, “The next event in your day will be lunch. Please come back here when you hear the bell.”

What?? The bell? Are you kidding me?

Another bell.

I can’t get away from them.

Another bell was going to rule my life in Alaska.

All week, each meal, each wake up, each activity, each chapel, literally everything began with the clanging of a very LARGE, very LOUD bell, a bell right outside our bedroom window.

I just can’t make these things up.

So Kenny and I laughed again. This time, with a little less humor.

Regardless of the bell, it was an incredibly busy, fruitful week of ministry at the camp. Our team was hardworking, diligent, engaging, faithful, loving, and fun—despite some “little foxes” that persisted in trying to steal our joy and distract us from our mission. These foxes included sickness, exhaustion, loneliness, homesickness, sore muscles, isolation, discomfort, cold showers, helplessness, emotional overload, and other sneaky enemies sent to thwart us in our ministry to the precious campers God had entrusted to us.

But our Father was merciful and gracious. He is the ultimate fox slayer. Through the power of His Spirit, with the encouragement and prayers of one another and our church family back home, He granted victory. The team fought valiantly. I watched a selfless group of beautiful and capable ambassadors for Living Faith Alliance Church and for the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, finish well.  
 
I think they (we) all left a bit of their (our) hearts and a whole lot of Jesus in the rugged and remote villages of Southwest Alaska.

Well done, team.

The last Sunday at camp, during the sort-of outdoor church service, the local pastor was preaching. Truthfully, I was a bit distracted. Two majestic eagles caught my eye as they winged their way overhead in the cloudless blue sky. But I heard the pastor thanking folks in the village of Port Alsworth for praying for Camp and I immediately refocused my attention. “So many of us in the community hear the bell ringing out each day and it reminds us to pray for what God is doing there at Tanalian Bible Camp in the lives of precious, vulnerable children that have come from all over Alaska to learn about Jesus and the hope that He alone can give them.”

My daughter, Camp nurse for the week, poked me. “Did you catch that? Redeem the bell, Mom,” she whispered. “Every time you hear it at home, pray for one of your grandkids as you are going in to help Mom Mom.”

Hmmmm, what a great idea.  

Why hadn’t I thought of that?

I think I’ll try it…

So each time I hear its tinkling now, I will train myself to remember to use it as a prayer prompter. While its immediate call is for me to use my strength in the physical realm to meet Mom’s needs, it also will call me to use my strength in the spiritual realm to battle for the hearts of my grandkids, their very great need. If the bell rings often enough, I can pray for lots of other things as well! Important things like Living Faith Alliance Church and Tanalian Bible Camp.

Isn’t it just like our Father to take the ordinary, mundane circumstances of our lives and beautifully transform them into useful, worshipful moments spent in His very Presence? Moments spent interceding with faith and hope on behalf of my dear family and others?

I don’t need to go to Alaska to be about that mission.

I can be busy about my Father’s business right here in Pittsgrove, NJ.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(Ephesians 5:15,16 KJV)

My younger cousin shared a relatively familiar scripture in an IG story recently. I have been meditating on it for a couple weeks now.

1 John 1:7 (KJV)  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin".

I am learning that the themes of fellowship and light run throughout this first chapter of 1 John. A beautiful declaration of the consequence of Christ’s life, sacrifice, and resurrection here on earth and His ascension back to heaven: shared fellowship with the Godhead and one another. Christ restored to all people what was lost in Eden: fellowship – communion, intimacy, participation – with God (1 John 1:1-3). This fellowship with God is the context in which we have unbroken fellowship with one another.

I have been challenged in my relationships (as often happens when we dare to meditate on God’s Word), asking questions like: What is my relationship with Truth? Where am I walking in darkness? How do I know I am in darkness? This chapter leads me to believe that broken fellowship is the evidence of walking in darkness, lying, and not doing the truth. So what is the condition of my fellowship with the Lord? With my spouse? Children? Other family members? Friends? Brothers/sisters in Christ? Ministry partners? Coworkers? I confess that there are relationships in which I have been fighting the person instead of contending for the relationship in prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in my behavior toward them. No wonder the relationship is not healthy! I have chosen darkness rather than walking with Jesus in the Light where we can clearly see and be restored to fellowship with God and others because confession and forgiveness of sin happens in the light (1 John 1:7 & 9). Repentance is enacted in the Light. How beautiful!
 
Sometimes we avoid the light for fear that confession and repentance will make us look small, inferior, weak. Our pride is wicked and robs us of our right to fellowship as image bearers of the Most High. Of course we are inferior and weak compared to the King of Glory, the Master Creator and Sustainer of the Universe! But that is not what we fear, is it? No. We fear how others see us and how we see ourselves in comparison to others. Darkness! When we choose pride and the fear of man, fellowship with God is broken first and foremost. David said, “Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee.” (Psalm 51:4) It is the goal of our enemy, Satan, to keep us ensnared in darkness, separated from our Maker and Lover of our souls, and at odds with or indifferent toward each other. Let us contend in the Light to restore and maintain fellowship – unity, intimacy and communion – to the Glory of God!

I want to blog today about the power which resides in your tongue… 

We’ve all heard about the power of words and their perceived influence in what happens in our lives. I happen to think there is biblical evidence of this. The book of Proverbs says, “Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.” Controlling your tongue is more than just refraining from speaking negatively. It is more than knowing what to say and what to refrain from saying in certain circumstances. The right words can catapult you into your purpose, just like the wrong ones can keep you from it. When you open your mouth to speak, you must keep in mind that there is power in what comes out. Like the scripture suggests, speaking negatively can ruin everything. What you say can have a direct impact on how a financial situation develops. It can help one overcome an addiction or improve a medical diagnosis. The right spoken words can bring a child back from off course. The ability to effectively manage life’s issues is found in the power of our tongue through the words we speak.

In the book of Matthew, we learn about a morning when Jesus is returning to Jerusalem with His disciples. He was feeling hungry and to his delight, noticed a fig tree beside the road. Approaching the tree He realized it had no figs, but only leaves. In apparent disappointment, Jesus spoke to the tree and said, “May you never bear fruit again.” This gospel tells how the tree immediately withered up. In amazement, the disciples asked Him how this was possible. Jesus told them that they too could do the same. He even suggested that they could speak to a mountain and tell it to move, and it would. So, what does this mean? I think Jesus taught the disciples a valuable lesson, a lesson we should learn and apply to our lives. There is power in our words. Some may say, "Yeah, but that was Jesus." Read the passage again, and this time pay attention to the part where He tells the disciples, "You can do this too!"

In the Solomon islands, which are located in the western south pacific ocean, villagers practice a tree cutting ritual that illustrates this power. These islands are home to many tall trees, including the sweet chestnut and the white fig. When one of these trees poses an issue that requires its removal, a group of villagers surrounds it just at dawn and yells negative words at it for hours for a period of about thirty days. Interestingly, the tree ultimately dries out and falls over. It is said that the negative energy connected to the words being spoken to it damages its life energy and kills its spirit. Now I don’t know what the origin of these villagers’ ritual is, but it represents the power of words just like the lesson taught by Jesus. The Son of God Himself taught us that words can have the power to make humanly speaking impossible-things happen.

But don’t expect a magic spell-like result when you use your words to speak negativity or positivity. You don’t have to see it right away to have faith in the power of your words. Keep in mind that a similar fig tree story is  found in a different gospel (Mark), where Jesus curses a tree, but it is not until the next morning that the disciples witness its withering. Is it a contradictory story? No! I think it is God’s way of teaching us the same message while reminding us that while there may be times when we could see the fruit of our words happen immediately, other times it will not be so. There may be instances where we will have to wait to see the power of our words manifested. In the end, we know what our words can and will do because we got an example from our master.

So measure your words wisely. Start speaking blessings into your life and the lives of those around you. I believe and declare that the results will help you reach the fullness of your potential and allow you to live a long and productive life.

God bless,

Rich Bermudez

Quiero escribir un blog hoy sobre el poder que reside en tu lengua... 

Todos hemos oído hablar del poder de las palabras y de su influencia percibida en lo que sucede en nuestras vidas. Creo que hay evidencia bíblica de esto. El libro de Proverbios dice: “Los que controlan su lengua tendrán una larga vida; Abrir la boca puede arruinarlo todo”. Controlar la lengua es más que simplemente abstenerse de hablar negativamente. Es más que saber qué decir y qué abstenerse de decir en determinadas circunstancias. Las palabras correctas pueden llevarte hacia tu propósito, al igual que las incorrectas pueden impedirte lograrlo. Cuando abres la boca para hablar debes tener presente que hay poder en lo que sale. Como sugiere la Escritura; hablar negativamente puede arruinarlo todo. Lo que diga puede tener un impacto directo en cómo se desarrolla una situación financiera. Puede ayudar a superar una adicción; mejorar un diagnóstico médico. Las palabras correctas pueden rescatar a un niño del camino correcto. La capacidad de gestionar eficazmente los problemas de la vida se encuentra en el poder de nuestra lengua a través de las palabras que pronunciamos.

En el libro de Mateo, aprendemos sobre una mañana en la que Jesús regresa a Jerusalén acompañado por sus discípulos. Tenía hambre y, para su deleite, vio una higuera al lado del camino. Al acercarse al árbol se dio cuenta de que no tenía higos, sino sólo hojas. En aparente decepción, Jesús le habló al árbol y le dijo: “que nunca más des fruto”. Este evangelio cuenta cómo el árbol se secó inmediatamente. Asombrados, los discípulos le preguntaron cómo era posible. Jesús les dijo que ellos también podían hacer lo mismo. Incluso sugirió que podían hablar con una montaña y decirle que se moviera, y esta lo haría. ¿Entonces, qué significa esto? Creo que Jesús les enseñó a los discípulos una lección valiosa. Una lección que debemos aprender y aplicar a nuestras vidas. Hay poder en nuestras palabras. Algunos pueden decir; Sí, pero ese era Jesús. Lee nuevamente el pasaje, y esta vez presta atención a la parte donde les dice a los discípulos; ¡Ustedes también pueden hacer esto!

En las Islas Salomón, situadas en el océano Pacífico sur occidental, los aldeanos practican un ritual de tala de árboles que ilustra este poder. Estas islas albergan muchos árboles altos, incluidos el castaño y el higo blanco. Cuando uno de estos árboles plantea un problema que requiere su eliminación, un grupo de aldeanos lo rodea justo al amanecer y le grita palabras negativas durante horas durante un período de unos treinta días. Curiosamente, el árbol finalmente se seca y cae. Se dice que la energía negativa conectada a las palabras que se le dicen daña su energía vital y mata su espíritu. Ahora no sé cuál es el origen del ritual de estos aldeanos, pero representa el poder de las palabras tal como la lección enseñada por Jesús. El propio hijo de Dios nos enseñó que las palabras pueden tener el poder de hacer pasar cosas que serian humanamente imposibles de suceder.

Pero no esperes un resultado parecido a un hechizo mágico cuando uses tus palabras para expresar negatividad o positividad. No es necesario que lo veas de inmediato para tener fe en el poder de tus palabras. Tenga en cuenta que una historia similar de la higuera se encuentra en un evangelio diferente (Marcos), donde Jesús maldice un árbol pero no es hasta la mañana siguiente que los discípulos presencian su marchitamiento. ¿Es una historia contradictoria? ¡No! Creo que es la manera en que Dios nos enseña el mismo mensaje y al mismo tiempo nos recuerda que, si bien puede haber ocasiones en las que podamos ver el fruto de nuestras palabras suceder de inmediato, pero otras veces no será así. Puede haber casos en los que tendremos que esperar para ver manifestado el poder de nuestras palabras. Al final, sabemos lo que nuestras palabras pueden y harán porque recibimos el ejemplo de nuestro maestro.

Así que mide tus palabras sabiamente. Comienza a hablar de bendiciones en tu vida y en la vida de quienes te rodean. Creo y declaro que los resultados te ayudarán a alcanzar la plenitud de tu potencial y te permitirán que vivas una vida larga y productiva.

Dios te bendiga,

Rich Bermúdez

Are you at your wits’ end?

Are you troubled by broken relationships, financial pressures, frightening health issues, stubborn habits, wayward children, an unbearable workload, or the incomprehensible culture we live in?

There are plenty of reasons to be at your wits’ end. I’m not sure I am exactly there, but I’m pretty sure I can see it from here…  

If you are not sure what I am talking about, I am very happy for you. But if you, like me right now, are struggling inside or out, I want you to know what I am referring to. Here is my working definition of the location of wits’ end.

“If you say you are at your wits’ end, you are emphasizing that you are so worried and exhausted by problems or difficulties that you do not know what to do next.” (Collins dictionary)

Does that help you assess where you are? If you are at your wits’ end, please rest assured you are in good company. And I am not referring to me!

Psalm 107 tells stories of many characters who have gone before us who were there. Check out this verse. It is describing folks, just like us, who were facing fears, brokenness, confusion, pain—any number of raw life experiences—that had brought them to their knees, to Wits’ End.

They were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. (Psalm 107:27-28)

Please read on. I love this little poem from my devotional, Streams in the Desert
 
Are you standing at “Wits’ End Corner,”
    Christian, with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember—at “Wits’ End Corner”
Is just where God’s power is shown.
 
Are you standing at “Wits’ End Corner,”
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain,
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy, and dazed, and numb?
Remember—at “Wits’ End Corner”
Is where Jesus loves to come.
 
Are you standing at “Wits’ End Corner”?
Your work before you spread,
All lying begun, unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember—at “Wits’ End Corner”
The Burden-Bearer stands.
 
Are you standing at “Wits’ End Corner”?
Then you’re just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who fails you not:
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at “Wits’ End Corner”
Is the “God who is able” proved.
 
                      Antoinette Wilson
 
I hope you will consider reading this entire Psalm. In it, the congregation is called on to confess God’s covenant faithfulness, affirming his goodness and love toward His people in delivering them from all kinds of adversity and trouble that they have experienced in exile. We can relate.

The ending of the psalm, according to the Zondervan NIV Study Bible, “transforms it from a hymn of thanksgiving to a wisdom psalm because the righteous will become “wise” by studying the acts of “the great love of the LORD” in the affairs of humankind.”

We would be wise, too, to consider His ways. In days of old, when the Psalms were written, He had gathered his people from all directions, wherever they were found, in whatever situation they were in.

In other words, He met them at Wits’ End Corner—with all His goodness, greatness, graciousness, and glory. They discovered He was all they needed.
He was enough.

HE was enough. He is enough!

And, dear one, He will meet you and me there and we will find that to be so very true.
Will I see you there?

He’s waiting for both of us.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; (Psalm 34:18,19)

“Fashion me upon your heart as a seal of fire for evermore. This living, consuming flame will seal you as my prisoner of love. My passion is stronger than the chains of death and the grave, all-consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God. Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being…” Song of Songs 8.6

I like peace and quiet. Undisturbed mornings with a good cup of coffee, an English muffin, and a warm sunrise about to awaken. Without a doubt, I need time to be alone with my thoughts, challenge my fears, submit my thoughts to truth, and renew my grasp on my life’s purpose. I find this happens best in unhurried conversations with myself and the one I promised to follow every day of my life. This is my oxygen for living. A secret place like this is something I continually fight to have. It is not a luxury, but the air I breathe. Without it, I lose my ability to wrestle my beasts to the ground and live in the simple humanity of Eden’s original promise. With purpose, I try to move into my day with the determination to fully live in the restorative blessing purchased for me by the sacrifice of my beloved. However, my faith becomes bland when I attempt to self-power through my days, and the adventure of following my master turns feckless and grey. At the bottom line, I have a daily choice: to live my life with the diminished realization of the promises and tools given to me to subdue kingdoms, or I can live in the atmosphere of heaven. I get to choose, and you do, too.

I believe no formula fits all in this arena, contrary to what we pastors and leaders collectively state. Living in a relationship with a holy God within a world gone mad is more art than science. It is life presented to Him daily so He can carve out of our block of wood or marble or circumstance the life of glory. When we have chosen to live on His foundation, He is willing to carve and construct us according to the plans drawn by our creator/redeemer. He applies the plans and power to shape and grow us into fruitful lives, settled in Himself, with nothing missing and nothing broken (Shalom). Each of us gets to find a way of secret delight with our beloved, but we must live into it. This is not to say that there are no commonalities in our walks with God; it is to say that His relational life with us is as tailored as it can possibly be.

It is that artful place in Him, bearing fruit, seated in heavenly places, enjoying the benefits of His life flowing unhindered in our veins, knowing “we are our beloved and His desire is toward us (Song of Songs).” Where is that place for you? Where do you go daily to get your oxygen and the ability to wrestle your beasts to the ground and grow in the art of living fully in Him?

I want to remind you today that the devil cannot touch you. Life is what it is and we often blame bad breaks on the enemy, but the truth is that not all bad situations come to us by way of the devil. He does not have free range to hurt us anytime he so desires. There is an impenetrable shield of protection around those who fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Emphasis on “those who fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” Job 1:9-11 records the devil admitting he cannot hurt someone who is under divine care. He complained to God that he couldn’t touch Job because of the “hedge of protection” placed around him and his life. Being aware of this should catapult us into the highest level of confidence when confronted with life issues. No matter how relentless the diagnosis is. Regardless of how bad the family problem or the financial situation is. Don’t live discouraged thinking that the enemy has one leg up on you and he is punishing you at will. Remember he cannot touch you. I am not saying that unfortunate situations won’t come our way. They certainly will. But we are equipped in such a way and protected in such fashion that we can fight the battle with certainty that victory is ours. Regardless of how long it takes or how long it has been. Regardless of how impossible it may look. The battle has already been won. Most of us quit too soon. What is too soon? Ever!

God’s timing is not like ours. We have all heard that famous verse in 2nd Peter that says,       “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day.” I don’t think that any of us can say any of our problems or issues have outlasted this holy time frame. This is not meant to minimize the severity of your problems or struggles. It is meant to help you see the magnitude of the protection you already have from your Heavenly Father. The psalmist said that he would not fear even going through the valley of the shadow of death.  This implies that there will be dark times in our lives. Valleys that we will go through that will be bad, death-like experiences. But we are encouraged not to fear. Why? The psalm reiterates that we 'fear not' because He, the Lord, is with us. He comforts us. Are we allowing Him to do this? Or, are we too much in distress to recognize that it doesn’t matter how dark it gets, He is there with us. I wonder how many times we are so down at our worst crying and questioning God’s presence in negative situations that we fail to realize He is right there. Waiting for us to reach out and trust in holy expectancy that He will come through. The Bible also tells us that God is a very present help in times when afflictions come heavily upon us. When the marriage just seems lost. That heavy burden that you just cannot get ahead financially. Or that medical affliction that seems to prevail regardless of the medical treatments. Just like in the story of Job, the afflictions can and will come, but they are not supposed to physically overcome us.  We get weary and often stop believing. We stop trusting. Forgetting that He is right there. All we have to do is reach out. I have a brother who is a GRAMMY winning recording artist. His songs have reached top levels in music charts all over the world and have won him many awards. He once wrote a song titled, “Con La Vista” (With Your Eyes). In it he says the words, “con la vista vas a alcanzarme,” which translates to “with your eyes you are going to reach me.” I couldn’t understand what he meant until he thoroughly explained to me that he was referring to God. He meant it as in God saying that to us, “With your eyes you are going to reach me,” referring to us simply looking up to the sky in times of struggle and need. By a simple shifting of our face and looking up to the sky we can utter the words, “Father” and He is right there listening. Waiting for us to trust in Him.

The important thing is to remain in God’s word. To remain obedient and reverent to Him. It may sound like a challenging exchange given how difficult situations can be at times. But the benefits to be had are well worth it. 1 John 5 reminds us that God’s children are those who do not make sinning a practice. They turn from and abstain from it. By doing this, the scripture reassures us that God holds us securely. More importantly, it reminds us that by doing this, the devil cannot touch us. So the challenge is in maintaining the proper relationship with our God. Some may think of following God’s commands as trivial in relation to maintaining a healthy life free of afflictions, but I challenge you to truly and genuinely think about it. I would venture to guarantee that if we are able to secure the proper relationship with God, we would see many afflictions disappear. Now this means a complete divestiture. It cannot be a 80/20 mentality as in, “I follow these commands, but not these other ones…” An undivided, strong approach to securing a biblical relationship with our Lord would allow us to see more victories on this side of the time continuum. It is an investment well worth its effort.

God bless you,

R Bermudez


El diablo no puede tocarte

Quiero recordarles hoy que el diablo no puede tocarlos. La vida es lo que es y muchas veces culpamos al enemigo de los malos momentos, pero la verdad es que no todas las malas situaciones nos llegan por la vía del diablo. Él no tiene libertad para hacernos daño cuando así lo desee. Hay un escudo impenetrable de protección alrededor de aquellos que temen al Señor y se apartan del mal. Énfasis en "los que temen al Señor y se apartan del mal". Job 1:9-11 registra al diablo admitiendo que no puede dañar a alguien que está bajo el cuidado divino. Se quejó ante Dios de que no podía tocar a Job debido al “cerco de protección” colocado a su alrededor y su vida. Ser conscientes de esto debería ponernos en el más alto nivel de confianza cuando nos enfrentamos a problemas de la vida. No importa cuán implacable sea el diagnóstico. Independientemente de lo grave que sea el problema familiar o la situación económica. No vivas desanimado pensando que el enemigo te tiene una ventaja y te castiga a su antojo. Recuerda que él no puede tocarte. No estoy diciendo que no se nos presenten situaciones desafortunadas. Ciertamente lo harán. Pero estamos equipados y protegidos de tal manera que podemos pelear la batalla con la certeza de que la victoria es nuestra. Sin importar cuánto tiempo tarde o cuánto tiempo haya pasado. Por muy imposible que parezca. La batalla ya está ganada. La mayoría de nosotros renunciamos demasiado pronto. ¿Qué es demasiado pronto? ¡Cualquier momento!

El tiempo de Dios no es como el nuestro. Todos hemos escuchado ese famoso versículo de 2ª de Pedro que dice: “Para el Señor un día es como mil años, y mil años como un día”. No creo que ninguno de nosotros pueda decir que alguno de nuestros problemas o cuestiones haya sobrevivido a este sagrado período de tiempo. Esto no pretende minimizar la gravedad de sus problemas o luchas. Está destinado a ayudarte a ver la magnitud de la protección que ya tienes de tu padre celestial. El salmista dijo que no temería ni siquiera pasar por el valle de sombra de muerte. Esto implica que habrá tiempos oscuros en nuestras vidas. Valles que atravesaremos y que serán experiencias malas, parecidas a la muerte. Pero se nos anima a no temer. ¿Por qué? El salmo reitera que no tememos porque Él, el Señor, está con nosotros. Él nos consuela. ¿Le estamos permitiendo hacer esto? ¿O estamos demasiado angustiados para reconocer que no importa lo oscuro que esté, Él está ahí con nosotros? Me pregunto cuántas veces estamos tan deprimidos en nuestro peor momento llorando y cuestionando la presencia de Dios en situaciones negativas que no nos damos cuenta de que Él está ahí. Esperando que nos acerquemos y confiemos en la santa expectativa de que Él saldrá adelante. La Biblia también nos dice que Dios es una ayuda muy presente en momentos en que las aflicciones nos sobrevienen fuertemente. Cuando el matrimonio parece perdido. Esa carga tan pesada que simplemente no puedes salir adelante económicamente. O esa aflicción médica que parece prevalecer independientemente de los tratamientos médicos. Al igual que en la historia de Job, las aflicciones pueden venir y vendrán, pero se supone que no nos vencerán físicamente. Nos cansamos y muchas veces dejamos de creer. Dejamos de confiar. Olvidando que Él está ahí. Todo lo que tenemos que hacer es acercarnos. Tengo un hermano que es un artista discográfico ganador del GRAMMY. Sus canciones han alcanzado los niveles más altos en las listas musicales de todo el mundo y le han valido numerosos premios. Una vez escribió una canción titulada "Con La Vista". (Con Los Ojos) En él dice las palabras, “con la vista vas a alcanzarme”, que se traduce como “con tus ojos vas a alcanzarme”. No pude entender lo que quería decir hasta que me explicó detalladamente que se refería a Dios. Lo dijo en serio como si Dios nos dijera eso; “con tus ojos me vas a alcanzar” refiriéndose a nosotros simplemente mirando al cielo en tiempos de lucha y necesidad. Con un simple movimiento de nuestro rostro y mirando hacia el cielo podemos pronunciar las palabras "Padre" y Él está ahí escuchando. Esperando que confiemos en Él.

Lo importante es permanecer en la palabra de Dios. Permanecer obediente y reverente a Él. Puede parecer un intercambio desafiante dado lo difíciles que pueden ser las situaciones a veces. Pero los beneficios que se obtienen valen la pena. 1 Juan 5 nos recuerda que los hijos de Dios son aquellos que no hacen del pecado una práctica. Se alejan y se abstienen de ello. Al hacer esto, las Escrituras nos aseguran que Dios nos sostiene con seguridad. Más importante aún, nos recuerda que al hacer esto, el diablo no puede tocarnos. Entonces el desafío está en mantener la relación adecuada con nuestro Dios. Algunos pueden pensar que seguir los mandamientos de Dios es trivial en relación con mantener una vida saludable y libre de aflicciones, pero los desafío a que piensen verdadera y genuinamente en ello. Me atrevería a garantizar que si somos capaces de asegurar la relación adecuada con Dios veremos desaparecer muchas aflicciones. Ahora bien, esto significa una desinversión total. No puede ser una mentalidad 80/20 como en “Sigo estos mandamientos, pero no estos otros…”. Un enfoque fuerte e indiviso para asegurar una relación bíblica con nuestro Señor nos permitiría ver más victorias en este lado del continuo del tiempo. Es una inversión que bien merece el esfuerzo.

Dios lo bendiga,

R Bermudez

The sun peeped through the buds on my sturdy oak trees. The birds, just waking up, chirped their cheery welcome to the dawn. It was calm and peaceful as I snuggled under my blanket in my chair, reading John 21 for our Tuesday morning Bible study. No dust crying out for attention yet. No grumbling stomachs needing to be satisfied. No parade of people marching through my kitchen. No tinkling bell alerting me that Mom needs something.

Just me and God’s Word. And the Holy Spirit. Ahhh…

I have read that portion of Scripture hundreds of times, I’m sure. It recounts the story of Jesus’ third appearance to His disciples after His Resurrection. Yet in the stillness of my heart, in the quietness of my living room, words leapt off the page and I saw things I had never seen.

Just me, God’s Word, and His Spirit.

Has that ever happened to you? A familiar passage suddenly seems brand new and full of important, personal insights just for you? It is simply precious.  

At the end of our study, Greg always closes us with something like, “Let’s take a few minutes before I pray for us and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to impress on our hearts from these verses. How does He want us to respond?” I quickly wrote these phrases on my study sheet. Be a disciple. Be the one Jesus loves. Be the one who recognizes Jesus. Not earth-shattering stuff. But something God obviously wanted me paying attention to.

Peter looms so large in this story that I have often missed John, I’m afraid. But John had my complete attention that morning.

The disciples were gathering in Galilee, waiting further instructions from Jesus after the Resurrection. What an emotional roller coaster these men had been on! I can’t imagine how they were making sense of what had just happened in Jerusalem. What confusion, what apprehension! But here they were, His followers, in obedience to Jesus’ instruction to go to Galilee.

I know it is true of the other men there by the sea as well, but the first thing I considered was simply that John was a disciple, a learner who followed his rabbi, his teacher. In good times, in bad times. Being a disciple, according to the Bible Dictionary, implies the disciple’s acceptance in his mind and in his life of the views, teachings, and practices of his rabbi, in this case, Jesus. As a disciple, John enjoyed a close relationship with the Lord, traveling all over Israel for months. He was a member of Jesus’ inner circle. He had the opportunity to see the miracles and hear the incredible teachings in Jesus’ ministry—and some that the others did not. For example, He witnessed the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Transfiguration, and Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane with Peter and James alone.

At the Last Supper, John reclined at the table next to Jesus and later, of all the disciples, he was the only one specifically mentioned as being present at the Crucifixion. John was also the one to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother. John was among the first to enter the empty tomb…and believe. What a privilege!

Yet John was just an ordinary fisherman. Imperfect. Brash. Prejudiced. Competitive. Judgmental. A Son of Thunder. Wanting to be first of all the disciples. Calling down fire on the Samaritans. Why would Jesus call him to be His disciple? Because Jesus knew John to be the kind of man that could be shaped into strength. He had the potential to be tough for the truth. He only needed to be tempered by love. And that would happen. He became known for love in his writings.  

I want to be a disciple too. I want to follow the Teacher wherever He leads me. I need to be near Him. I long to know His mind. I want to obey His voice. I want to be useful and valuable in His Kingdom.

I am ordinary and flawed but He knows me. He made me. He can temper me too.
 
The next thing I wrote down was Be the one Jesus loves. I am aware that being loved by Jesus has nothing to do with me, nothing I can do, nothing I can be. It is all about Him, how He has set His affection on me, engraved my name on the palm of His hand. How merciful He is! But are these just words to me? Lines of a song? Do I KNOW that He loves me—in the deepest part of me? Do I LIVE loved by Jesus? I think John did.

When John humbly referred to himself five times in this Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” I think he was actually saying, “My most important identity is not my name but my being loved by Jesus the Son of God.” (John Piper). John exalted in this love. It was who he was.

I think his self-description portrayed the magnificent, overwhelming reality that he was an intimate and beloved companion of Jesus and he wanted to celebrate that, live in the beauty of that.

I want to celebrate His love for me too. It is so very humbling. I want to bask in the identity His love gives me. And I want to love others like He loves me.

The last thing I noted was Be the one who recognizes Jesus. Peter had decided to go fishing; James, John, and several others joined in. They, many of them professional fishermen, fished all night and caught nothing. As they, likely tired and discouraged, made their way back home in the early morning, a Man on shore called out to them, asking about their catch. After their negative reply, He urged them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. The result was a full net of thrashing, slippery fish. Immediately, John cried out, “It is the Lord.”  The others had missed Him.

I don’t want to be too busy, too distracted, too lazy, too anything not to see Jesus, not to recognize my Father, not to notice His hands at work in the world. And I want to be the first to see Him!

In all of creation, in the beauty surrounding us, He is seen. In the mundane moments of everyday life, joyful or painful or both, He is there. He inhabits our praises. He is near to the brokenhearted. He is seen in the faces of our loved ones and strangers. He is at work, at school, at church, at home, at the ballpark, at the beach, at the nursing home, at the hospital, at the battlefield, at the concert hall, at the courthouse, at the jail, at the palace…He is everywhere. He is active. He is moving all of history. And I want to see Him. I want to recognize His works, His words, His wisdom, His Presence.

I want to proclaim His glory. I was made for that. And so were you.

I want to be the first to recognize my King, don’t you?

So these are the three phrases my Father shared with me that early Tuesday morning so many weeks ago. I am not sure why, but I believe He wanted me to share them with you too. I hope they strike a chord in your heart like they did in mine. Thank you, John the Beloved and thank you, Jesus.

Be His disciple. Listen. Learn. Follow. Obey. Stay close. Don’t give up.

Be the one Jesus loves. Live loved. Make His love your identity. There are no cheap substitutes that will give you life.

Be the first to see Jesus. Watch Him work. Celebrate Him. Make Him known!

And you didn’t even have to be awake at 6 AM to get this message—though you ought to give it a try sometime.

We’d love to see you!

Sometimes weariness hangs around for way too long, and when it does, I find that the Book of Proverbs, a good cup of coffee, and a slowed-down morning watching the sun awaken the day is just good medicine.

Here is some wisdom from Proverbs 14.6-8:
“The intellectually arrogant seek for wisdom, but they never seem to discover what they claim they’re looking for. For revelation-knowledge flows in the one who hungers for understanding. The words of the wise are like weapons of knowledge. If you need wise counsel, stay away from the fool. For the wisdom of the wise will keep life on the right track, for the fool only deceives himself and refuses to face reality.”

Perhaps this is part of what Jesus alluded to when He called out to the crowd, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden.” Weariness can drive us to wisdom, to His way of thinking and doing. It may be a warning that I am back in the garden, eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than the tree of life.

It may also be a sign that I am hanging about with those who do not really hunger for understanding. It may be a challenge to seek Jesus and His wisdom and find out where I am leaning on the impotent “wisdom” found in the lifeless market of discounted passion for Father’s ways and the tasteless water of the broken cisterns that Jeremiah spoke of.
Yep, that is what fuels the weariness: doing things with my limited understanding and perspective or trying to live off the dried bones of life once lived. Wisdom is simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing to obtain, but it is available if, as Proverbs says, you buy the truth and don’t sell it.

James shares an invitation that still stands for those who push past the easy way of living that is so boring and set their hearts on a pilgrimage of wisdom in God. A life of secret joy found only among those who know that those who continually seek will find.
“And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom, and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures, but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive.” James 1.5 & 6

- George,
(often weary but still wanting to live the exploits of those who know their God)

The week following Holy Week often seems anti-climactic to me. There is at least a month of preparation and buildup to the events of Holy Week culminating in a legit party on Resurrection Sunday but then it's just Monday. Many of us go back to work or school if Easter did not fall within the scheduled Spring break. In some respects it is as if Sunday was special but only for a moment. Curious that, as a child, I did not see every Sunday service as celebration of our resurrected Savior or each day as an opportunity to show forth His glory.

In scripture, the Psalms tell us, “The heavens declare the glory of God…” (Ps. 19:1). Nature is impressive, breathtaking and inspires praise. What about us, image bearers of the Creator, “those created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10)? How do we “declare the glory of God '' and “show forth His handiwork”? David instructed Israel in a psalm after retrieving the ark of the covenant and offering sacrifices to “declare His glory among the heathen; His marvelous works among the nations.” (1 Chron. 16:24). Be intentional and obvious about it! We may be used to proclaiming the goodness of God, His nature, and all He has done; but others are not. The Apostle Paul gives the churches at Ephesus and Colossae a similar admonishment:
 
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col.5:15-17)
but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [[a]and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord, At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. (Eph. 5:18-20)

As followers of Christ, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to show forth the glory of our Risen King – the King of Glory – as members of His Church and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. Though the week following our celebration of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection may seem like a quick transition to the status quo, day-to-day activities, it was not that way in scripture. Christ appeared to His disciples! Expect to see our God in your life, the lives of those within your community, and in our world; and, most importantly, be sure to tell how God is showing up.

(Haga click aquí para leer en español)

Life in itself is hard. There are always challenges. Some we overcome, some we don’t. Many times hard times pass, but sometimes they linger. You are not the only person in the world who is battling a relentless medical diagnosis. Your bank account is not the only one in the history of banking that could use a boost. Your child is not the first or last one to get off course. That trouble in your workplace is not exclusive to you or to your company. So what to do: Believe that things will always be that way and give into a mentality of sorrow? The Bible says in Isaiah, “Forget the things from the past, I am doing a new thing…I am making a way in the wilderness…” It's easy to get settled and live with a discouraged mentality. Some people say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I disagree. There are countless medical reports of injuries that people have sustained, that while have not killed the person, have certainly made them weaker, not stronger. For example, I was playing basketball with my son several years ago. Thinking I was still in my twenties, I decided to jump and grab a rebound ball. When I caught it, I landed back on the court but not on my two feet. I twisted my right foot and accidentally put all the pressure of my landing on that ankle. The worst pain I have felt in a long time. Upon arriving at the hospital, I was advised that the ankle was sprained. After a long time having to use a crutch to get around I healed pretty well. But my right leg is significantly weaker than my left one. I notice this when I walk. When I kneel to pray and eventually stand back up. It didn’t kill me. But it did make my right foot weaker. I can still use my leg perfectly fine, yet there is a specific weakness associated with that injury. But I can’t let it atrophy in my daily life. I don’t bring it up each time I play basketball. I don’t make a note of it each time I have to put my right leg to use over my left. It's part of the past. It has no bearing. It didn’t kill me. Didn’t make me stronger. But it is no longer relevant.

While my story is dwarfed in comparison to other negative events in anyone’s life it does bring me to my point.  I think many people live stuck in the past or continue to meddle in sorrow and always give the same answer. You run into them at the market and ask how they are and you receive a rant about how things are still not improving. How their lives seem not to fall into rhythm sort of speak. Their song is always the same. Filled with unseen negativity that keeps them captive to the very essence of what they prophesy with their tongue. Instead, we should have a “let me sing a new song” mentality. The psalmist said it best, “sing a new song to the Lord…” Knowing the king we serve should be reason enough to change the way we think. Maybe sometimes we tend to believe in his sovereignty, but not apply it properly in every situation or every area of our lives. Is like we serve the king of the universe, the one who with words created our very existence yet we truly don’t trust He can fix our problems. I am a big proponent of prayer. And I know that all prayers are answered. The issue we often have is that we want the answer we seek and when we don’t get it we blame it on a lack of sovereignty by God. We think that the prayer went unanswered. You see, I say that all prayers are indeed answered. I have learned to live with the reality that the answer may not be what I want in that particular instance. The answer could very well be yes and I see my petition answered. But the answer can also be no. Even more challenging, the answer could be not yet. So in the face of what could be the wrong answer or no answer at all, sing a new song! When that brother or sister asks you how you are doing, put aside what outwardly appears to be not good and declare it differently with your words. I remember this gentleman in church a long time ago. Every time you asked him how he was his answer was, “any better I couldn’t stand it!” Coincidentally (or not) this gentleman was always in a good mood. I don’t remember ever seeing him other than happy and joyful. I’m sure that he had a thousand problems just like the rest of us. But the attitude he had and the song he sang made all the difference in the world. Not just to him, but those around him as well. The above scripture in Isaiah reminds us that God is doing a new thing  and then it reads, “don’t you see it?” How can we see it if we are stuck in a defeated mentality. How can we see the good when we continue to focus on what’s at hand instead of focusing on what could become. Why don’t we focus on God’s sovereignty and the fact that He has promised to work all things for the good of those who love him. So the next time you are inclined to answer in the way you are used to when someone inquires about you or your situation, change it up. Sing a new song! I wonder how much your life could change if you just made this a new discipline in your outlook on things and in how your life is going compared to how you should be trusting it can go.

-R Bermudez






Cambia tu canción...

La vida en sí misma es dura. Siempre hay desafíos. Algunos los superamos, otros no. Muchas veces los tiempos difíciles pasan pero a veces perduran. No eres la única persona en el mundo que lucha contra un diagnóstico médico implacable. Tu cuenta bancaria no es la única en la historia de la banca a la que le vendría bien un impulso. Tu hijo no es el primero ni el último en desviarse del rumbo. Los problemas en tu lugar de trabajo no son exclusivos tuyos ni de tu empresa. Entonces lo que hay que hacer; ¿Creer que las cosas siempre serán así y ceder a una mentalidad de tristeza? La Biblia dice en Isaías, “olviden las cosas del pasado, estoy haciendo algo nuevo… estoy abriendo camino en el desierto…” Es fácil establecerse y vivir con una mentalidad desanimada. Algunas personas dicen que lo que no te mata te hace más fuerte. No estoy de acuerdo. Hay innumerables informes médicos de lesiones que han sufrido personas que, si bien no han matado a la persona, ciertamente la han debilitado, no más fuerte. Por ejemplo, hace varios años jugaba baloncesto con mi hijo. Pensando que todavía tenía veintitantos años, decidí saltar y agarrar una pelota de rebote. Cuando lo atrapé, aterricé de nuevo en la cancha, pero no sobre mis dos pies. Me torcí el pie derecho y accidentalmente puse toda la presión de mi aterrizaje en ese tobillo. El peor dolor que he sentido en mucho tiempo. Al llegar al hospital me informaron que tenía un esguince de tobillo. Después de mucho tiempo teniendo que usar una muleta para moverme, me recuperé bastante bien. Pero mi pierna derecha es significativamente más débil que la izquierda. Noto esto cuando camino. Cuando me arrodillo para orar y finalmente me levanto. No me mató. Pero sí debilitó mi pie derecho. Todavía puedo usar mi pierna perfectamente bien, pero hay una debilidad específica asociada con esa lesión. Pero no puedo permitir que se atrofie en mi vida diaria. No lo menciono cada vez que juego baloncesto. No tomo nota de ello cada vez que tengo que usar mi pierna derecha sobre la izquierda. Es parte del pasado. No tiene ningún impacto. No me mató. No me hizo más fuerte. Pero ya no es relevante.
Si bien mi historia queda eclipsada en comparación con otros eventos negativos en la vida de cualquier persona, me lleva al punto. Creo que mucha gente vive estancada en el pasado o sigue entrometiéndose en el dolor y siempre da la misma respuesta. Te encuentras con ellos en el mercado y les preguntas cómo están y recibes una queja sobre cómo las cosas aún no mejoran. Cómo sus vidas parecen no seguir el ritmo, es una especie de discurso. Su canción es siempre la misma. Llenos de negatividad invisible que los mantiene cautivos de la esencia misma de lo que profetizan con su lengua. En cambio, deberíamos tener una mentalidad de “déjame cantar una canción nueva”. El salmista lo dijo mejor: “cantad un cántico nuevo al Señor…” Conocer al rey al que servimos debería ser razón suficiente para cambiar nuestra forma de pensar. Quizás a veces tendemos a creer en su soberanía, pero no la aplicamos adecuadamente en cada situación o en cada ámbito de nuestra vida. Es como si sirviéramos al rey del universo, aquel que con palabras creó nuestra existencia pero realmente no confiamos que Él pueda solucionar nuestros problemas. Soy un gran defensor de la oración. Y sé que todas las oraciones son contestadas. El problema que tenemos a menudo es que queremos la respuesta que buscamos y cuando no la obtenemos, le echamos la culpa a la falta de soberanía de Dios. Creemos que la oración quedó sin respuesta. Verá, digo que todas las oraciones son contestadas. He aprendido a vivir con la realidad de que la respuesta puede no ser la que quiero en ese caso particular. La respuesta bien podría ser sí y veo mi petición respondida. Pero la respuesta también puede ser no. Aún más desafiante es que la respuesta podría ser todavía no. Entonces, ante lo que podría ser una respuesta incorrecta o ninguna respuesta, ¡Canta una nueva canción! Cuando ese hermano o hermana te pregunte cómo estás, deja a un lado lo que exteriormente parece no estar bien y declaralo diferente con tus palabras. Recuerdo a este caballero en la iglesia hace mucho tiempo. Cada vez que le preguntabas cómo estaba su respuesta era: “¡mejor no podría soportarlo!” Casualmente (o no) este señor siempre estaba de buen humor. No recuerdo haberlo visto nunca más que feliz y alegre. Estoy seguro de que tuvo mil problemas como el resto de nosotros. Pero la actitud que tenía y su canción hacía toda la diferencia en el mundo. No sólo para él, sino también para quienes lo rodeaban. La escritura anterior en Isaías nos recuerda que Dios está haciendo algo nuevo y luego dice: "¿No lo ves?" ¿Cómo podemos verlo si estamos atrapados en una mentalidad derrotada? ¿Cómo podemos ver lo bueno si seguimos centrándonos en lo que tenemos a mano en lugar de centrarnos en lo que podría llegar a ser? ¿Por qué no nos centramos en la soberanía de Dios y en el hecho de que Él ha prometido hacer todas las cosas para el bien de quienes lo aman? Entonces, la próxima vez que estés dispuesto a responder de la forma habitual cuando alguien te pregunta sobre cómo estas. ¡Canta una nueva canción! Me pregunto cuánto podría cambiar tu vida si hicieras de esto una nueva disciplina en tu perspectiva de las cosas y en cómo va tu vida en comparación con cómo deberías confiar en que podría ser.

Dios te bendiga.

R Bermudez

We all have prayers that we pray often, if not all the time. There are things we have been praying for dating back months. Maybe years. As time goes on we wrestle with thoughts about  the time when we will hopefully witness  God deliver on His promises and honor all the countless knee bending moments and heartfelt prayers with the answers we are seeking. A well known story in the Bible comes to mind, where our faith is related to a mustard seed with an implication that anything is possible with just a little faith. Even the humanly impossible act of geographically relocating a mountain from one place to another by merely speaking to it. I can’t help but to wonder, isn’t my prayer to God more realistic considering how outrageous it sounds to see a mountain jump out from point A to point B on a simple command? Is my faith Big enough to heal that illness; or avoid that failure; or rescue that family member from sin?

That particular story is found in the gospel of Matthew. In  chapter 17  we read about a time when Jesus was rebuking the disciples for not having enough faith to cast demons out of a boy who was afflicted with epilepsy. It says that after they faithfully tried, the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked Him  why they weren’t able to perform the miracle. After all, they had faith! Or so they thought…they were, after all, following and walking with the Master himself! The Bible  tells that Jesus said to the disciples that  “if they had faith LIKE a mustard seed nothing would be impossible to them.” But wait; these were guys who left their lives to follow Jesus. There must have been some faith in their hearts after all. Why would they be following Jesus if they didn’t have at least the slightest faith in Him? In His rebuke to them, Jesus made  the allusion to a kind of faith able to move a mountain from its geographical position. A faith able to make the impossible possible. The kind that would even defy both laws of physics and gravity with such an insane request.  A faith that even the disciples apparently did not have.

You see, I don’t think Jesus was referring to how big or small faith needs to be. I think e was referring to how strong it should be in order to ultimately see results. Please let me explain what I mean. The mustard seed has some rather unique characteristics that make a good argument for this assumption. For starters, the mustard seed  is no bigger than 2 millimeters in diameter, but it germinates quicker than many other seeds, and reaches maturity very fast, yielding  trees that can grow as tall as 30 feet with branches and leaves spanning across up to 20 feet in circumference. The seed itself is also documented to remain viable even if trampled or burned, making it nearly impossible to not produce results after such trauma. And one of the most important characteristics of the mustard seed is that it is non-hybrid. Even the most intelligent scientist in the universe can find it difficult, if not impossible to make a hybrid mustard seed. Meaning it is virtually impossible for them to combine two different mustard plants to produce another variety. Taking into account these three characteristics of a mustard seed, one could understand better why Jesus would relate productive faith to this seemingly insignificant seed.

Our faith needs to be like a mustard seed and not small-like a mustard seed. With the proper qualities built into it, the size of our faith becomes irrelevant. If it's small, we must work through prayer and trust in God for it to grow and mature fast so it can be capable of producing great results with miraculous byproducts that hopefully will make us stand in awe and span over generations. Our faith should be strong and not easily broken. It must sustain hurt, perceived disappointments, confusion, and fiery attacks. Not being able to sustain these would  forfeit the results that it could provide.  And ultimately, our faith must be unique. Not prone to combining with anything else. To hold its own. It must be genuine and stand alone. Not needing to mix with anything or others to produce any results.  

I often struggled with my original interpretation of this God-given lesson. I knew that I had at least a little faith. And my whole life I thought  that all I needed was faith as small as a 2 millimeter mustard seed. But there were countless times when that was obviously not enough. Seeing it from the perspective of this blog entry helps me understand that the problem was not that my faith was smaller than a mustard seed. At times any smaller faith in me would have truly  been impossible! I believe that the problem was in the quality of my faith at one given point or another. I wonder if my faith was qualitative enough. If it had the qualities found in the mustard seed.  I need to admit that  it often didn’t. But one thing is certain. I know the God I serve. And I know that He tells me His word does not go back to Him empty. So like the mustard seed, I will continue to grow in my faith.  Not focusing on how much trampling it is exposed to or the attacks it may go through. Knowing that in no time it is destined to  grow and mature well. I will remember what the promise is and how I am poised to see gigantic miracles at the right time. And most importantly, I will remember that my faith cannot and should not mix with anything else that may deviate it from its purpose of standing alone in genuine holy anticipation of what is to come. If it is God’s will, I will see my prayer answered.

God bless,

—R Bermudez


¿Es la fé del tamaño de un grano de mostaza suficiente..?

Todos tenemos oraciones que rezamos con frecuencia, si no todo el tiempo. Hay cosas por las que hemos estado orando desde hace meses. Quizás años. A medida que pasa el tiempo, luchamos con pensamientos sobre el momento en que, con suerte, seremos testigos de cómo Dios cumple sus promesas y honra todos los innumerables momentos de arrodillamiento y oraciones sinceras con las respuestas que estamos buscando. Me viene a la mente una historia muy conocida de la Biblia, donde nuestra fe se relaciona con una semilla de mostaza con la implicación de que todo es posible con solo un poco de fe. Incluso el acto humanamente imposible de reubicar geográficamente una montaña de un lugar a otro con solo hablarle. No puedo evitar preguntarme: ¿no es más realista mi oración a Dios considerando lo escandaloso que suena ver una montaña saltar del punto A al punto B con una simple orden? ¿Es mi fe lo suficientemente grande como para sanar esa enfermedad? o evitar ese fracaso; ¿O rescatar a ese miembro de la familia del pecado?

Esa historia particular se encuentra en el evangelio de Mateo. Donde en el capítulo 17 leemos acerca de un momento en que Jesús estaba reprendiendo a los discípulos por no tener suficiente fe para expulsar demonios de un niño que padecía epilepsia. Dice que después de intentarlo fielmente, los discípulos vinieron a Jesús en privado y le preguntaron por qué no podían realizar el milagro. Después de todo, ¡tenían fe! O eso pensaban... ¡Después de todo, estaban siguiendo y caminando con el Maestro mismo! La Biblia cuenta que Jesús dijo a los discípulos que “si tuvieran fe COMO un grano de mostaza, nada les sería imposible”. Pero espera; Estos fueron hombres que renunciaron a sus propias vidas para seguir a Jesús. Debia de haber algo de fe en sus corazones. ¿Por qué seguirían a Jesús si no tuvieran al menos la más mínima fe en Él? En su reprimenda, Jesús hizo alusión a un tipo de fe capaz de mover una montaña de su posición geográfica. Una fe capaz de hacer posible lo imposible. Del tipo que incluso desafiaría las leyes de la física y la gravedad con una petición tan demencial. Una fe que aparentemente ni siquiera los discípulos tenían.

Verás; No creo que Jesús se estuviera refiriendo a cuán grande o pequeña debe ser la fe. Creo que se refería a lo fuerte que debería ser para poder ver resultados en última instancia. Por favor déjame explicarte lo que quiero decir. La semilla de mostaza tiene algunas características bastante únicas que constituyen un buen argumento a favor de esta suposición. Para empezar, la semilla de mostaza no mide más de 2 milímetros de diámetro, pero germina más rápido que muchas otras semillas y alcanza  madurez muy rápido, produciendo árboles que pueden crecer hasta 30 pies de altura con ramas y hojas que se extienden hasta 20 pies en circunferencia. También está documentado que la semilla en sí permanece viable incluso si es pisoteada o quemada, lo que hace casi imposible que no produzca resultados después de tal trauma. Y una de las características más importantes de la semilla de mostaza es que no es híbrida. Incluso al científico más inteligente del universo le puede resultar difícil, si no imposible, producir una semilla de mostaza híbrida. Lo que significa que les resulta prácticamente imposible combinar dos plantas de mostaza diferentes para producir otra variedad. Teniendo en cuenta estas tres características de una semilla de mostaza, se podría entender mejor por qué Jesús relacionaría la fe productiva con esta semilla aparentemente insignificante.

Nuestra fe necesita ser como una semilla de mostaza y no pequeña-como una semilla de mostaza. Con las cualidades adecuadas incorporadas, el tamaño de nuestra fe se vuelve irrelevante. Si es pequeña, debemos trabajar a través de la oración y la confianza en Dios para que crezca y madure rápidamente y pueda ser capaz de producir grandes resultados con subproductos milagrosos que, con suerte, nos dejarán asombrados y se extenderán por generaciones. Nuestra fe debe ser fuerte y no fácilmente quebrantable. Debe soportar el dolor, las decepciones percibidas, la confusión y los ataques ardientes. No poder sostenerlos perdería los resultados que ella podría proporcionar. Y, en última instancia, nuestra fe debe ser única. No propensa a combinarse con nada más. Para mantenerse firme. Debe ser genuina y autónoma. No es necesario mezclarla con nada ni con otros para producir algún resultado.

A menudo tuve problemas con mi interpretación original de esta lección dada por Dios. Sabía que tenía al menos un poco de fe. Y toda mi vida pensé que todo lo que necesitaba era fe tan pequeña como una semilla de mostaza de 2 mililitros. Pero hubo innumerables ocasiones en las que obviamente eso no fue suficiente. Verlo desde la perspectiva de esta entrada de blog me ayuda a entender que el problema no era que mi fe fuera más pequeña que una semilla de mostaza. ¡A veces una menor fe en mí hubiera sido verdaderamente imposible! Creo que el problema estuvo en la calidad de mi fe en un momento u otro. Me pregunto si mi fe fue lo suficientemente cualitativa. Si tuvo las cualidades que se encuentran en la semilla de mostaza. Debo admitir que a menudo no fue así. Pero una cosa es segura. Conozco al Dios al que sirvo. Y sé que él me dice que su palabra no vuelve atrás vacía. Así como la semilla de mostaza seguiré creciendo en mi fe. Sin centrarla en los pisoteos a los que está expuesta ni en los ataques que puede sufrir. Sabiendo que en poco tiempo está destinada a crecer y madurar bien. Recordaré cuál es la promesa y cómo estoy preparado para ver milagros gigantescos en el momento adecuado. Y lo más importante es que recordaré que mi fe no puede ni debe mezclarse con nada más que pueda desviarla de su propósito de permanecer sola en genuina y santa anticipación de lo que está por venir. Si es la voluntad de Dios, veré contestada mi oración.

Dios bendiga,

R Bermudez

I couldn’t find Him. And I looked everywhere.

How could I lose Baby Jesus?

I was humming “Joy to the World” as I busily pulled my Christmas decorations from the stacks of boxes in my dusty basement. I smiled with pleasure, joy truly flooding my heart, as I rediscovered the charming Thomas Kincaid nativity set that I had inherited a couple years earlier. Because we had visited family out of state the past couple of years, I had only minimally decorated our home for Christmas. I had forgotten all about this beautiful gift.

Now this is not an ordinary creche with its traditional figurines. A dear elderly friend of mine with very limited means had splurged on this particular set, purchasing pieces of it separately over several years. And it has lots of pieces—all packed in a multitude of crumbling Styrofoam containers. Exquisitely crafted, sacrificially obtained, it was quite precious to her and she wanted me to have it when she was gone. So now, of course, it is very precious to me.

Thank you, dear Mildred.

I hauled the boxes upstairs and packed up all the dishes on my hutch to make room for the rustic stable and all the handsome figures. Beside the familiar cast of characters and creatures, this incredibly large nativity set includes a centurion, a multitude of various angels, and even the little drummer boy. There are even some figures I don’t recognize.

I was down to opening the last squeaky box when I realized I had not found Baby Jesus nor the manger. A massive search party of my whole house ensued…one that lasted for days.

I simply could not find Jesus.

And that gave me pause. I thought about it a lot.

In fact, it overshadowed my holiday season. It became the overarching, ever-present question or theme that replayed in my head like a stuck old LP record.

Where’s Jesus? Where IS He?

After all, isn’t He the singularly most significant figure in that stable, in the whole scene I so carefully arranged? Isn’t He the central focus of the entire Christmas celebration? Isn’t the holiday pointless without the Christ child?

Very good questions that prompted some very thought-provoking answers.

I was desperate to find Him, to put Him where He should be.

So I determined I would…even if it wasn’t in some forsaken, spidery corner of my basement. Or in the manger on my hutch where I thought He belonged.

And, you know, with my Father’s help, I did find Him. Over and over again in the hustle and bustle of Advent. Here and there in places I never expected to find Him.

He was exactly where He belonged.

And I am most grateful.

I found Him in the unexpected and paralyzing moments of grief over facing family holiday gatherings without my big sister for the first time ever.

I found Him in the busyness of shopping, food preparation, decorating, wrapping, planning, and cleaning for a house full of company, my most favorite and exhausting enterprise of the year, a season when I regretfully often overlook Whose birthday it is in my bustle.

I found Him in the quiet moments of my tearful prayers for so many that I love who are not looking for Jesus at all and for those whose physical and emotional and relational needs are crushing them and breaking them, whose days may not be so merry or bright.

I found Him in the laughter and warmth and blessing of just sweetly being together with the precious ones who are mine.

I found Him on the floor of the bedroom where I held my dear mother-in-law, waiting for help to get her back up to bed. I found Him with her the next day in the helicopter that air lifted her to Cooper because of a nasty stroke. And then when she had another. I found Him in rehab with her, holding her near as she struggles to make sense of what has ravaged her brain so heartlessly.

I found Him in the middle of my fear concerning my mother-in-law’s future care and the weight of that heavy responsibility and my very obvious inadequacies.

I found Him calmly and patiently whispering to me as I navigated my stress-related vertigo and double vision issues that threaten to take me out.

I found Him in the strength and prayers of my loving husband and my wise children and theirs. I found Him in the brilliant, star-studded winter sky. I found Him in the Advent messages delivered so powerfully the weeks leading to Christmas.  I found Him in the glorious and compelling traditional Christmas music that touched my soul. I found Him in thoughtful unexpected gifts and cards of friendship. I found Him in the intimate dinner shared with my Pastorate family. I found Him in the middle of the devastating and crippling news of wars, fires, earthquakes, riots, murders, abuses, shootings, injustices, feuds, inflation, crooked politicians, rebellion, addictions, divorce, betrayal, cancers, and mental illness.

I found Him in all these moments, in all these sorrowful, uncontrollable, mundane, confusing, exhausting, hopeless, or happy situations of life.

Why?

I was looking for Him.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV)

Like the prompted shepherds, like the curious wisemen, I sought Him this Christmas. Relentlessly.  

Because, unlike those obedient seekers, I already knew where He was and Who He was…and is. I even knew that I needed Him. I just needed a gentle push, a subtle reminder.

His name is Immanuel. God with us. GOD with ME!

Amazing. Humbling.

Oh, so helpful.

Because this is so not about me.

It is about the object of my search.

It is all about HIM and Who He is.

Because of His timely disappearance from my creche, my gracious Father reminded me of the importance, no, the urgency of finding Jesus, my Savior, in every moment of every day. Especially the busy ones when we are so easily distracted and our hearts are so carelessly wooed away to lesser gods. Especially the dark and pain-filled ones when we are groping for answers that just aren’t there.

But He is.

The Babe left Bethlehem in the dust and turned His lovely face purposefully to the cross. His earthly life was lived to accomplish the Father’s perfect plan to restore a broken and wayward world back into stunning relationship with Him.

In fact, in John 14:23, Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Did you get that?

And we have a myriad of other verses in His Word that promise His nearness, His tender care, His love for those who have placed their faith in Him as Savior and King.  

He is here. He is with you. Really.

Call off the search party.

Be thrilled the manger is empty.    

Bow your knees in gratitude and raise your voice in adoration.

You can experience a very different 2024 if you fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith story. Diligently search for Him in every moment, in every situation of the year. See what He is up to and join Him. Look for paths where He is leading you and follow. Rest in His care and protection. Listen to His voice and hear His promises.

You will find Him.

He isn’t hiding.

Just be sure you are looking.          

   

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon him while he is near; (Isaiah 55:6)

—Eileen Hill

Psalm 119:151-152
But you are near, O Lord,
    and all your commandments are true.
Long have I known from your testimonies
    that you have founded them forever.


This Christmas season I am reveling in the nearness of God. God’s constant presence. God’s insistence on being with us since the beginning of time – His walking with Adam in the cool of the day, choosing Noah to build the ark, calling Abram out of Ur and making covenant with him and his descendants. Our Creator established covenants and altars to give us, His image-bearers, access to draw near and call upon their Creator. God also welcomes us to be with Him.

Though I want so desperately to respond to my Lord’s invitation with consistency and enthusiasm, I have a hard time allowing myself to be. The to-do list is too long, there are too many distractions, too much fear, too many concerns to manage and problems to fix – things on the verge of falling apart that I feel obligated to hold together. Still, God is near, here, now. My Father reminds me that He is holding me together, and, if I let go of the other stuff, He will hold those too (Colossians 1:17). He is our hope now for when the hard things we hold are not changing or maybe getting even harder.

Thankfully Christ, God donning flesh, was born and lived, teaching us how to be: how to be in solitude, how to be with God – present, honest, open, certain He was in need of all the Father had to offer; reverent, knowing the messiness of life on earth and the intensity felt within Himself (e.g. these things that we carry in our hands and hold in our souls) are welcome with Him in the presence of the Almighty; and how to be with others – those mourning and celebrating, in need and in abundance, children and aged, sick and whole. I do not see in Jesus’s life the daily, hourly, moment-to-moment urgency I often feel inside. I am grateful! What confirmation and relief this brings to us! We are not supposed to live this way. There is peace.

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” - John 14:27 (AMP)

In seasons when solitude eludes me and I don’t feel permitted to be still (no matter how much I actually need it), the Holy Spirit catches me chopping veggies, folding laundry, “I am here. I have been here. Do you not see?” In that moment I am reminded of answered prayer, promises in Scripture, needs met that I did not express, times I operated in knowledge I did not have before that instant and certainly did not come to of my own accord, times when the doorbell rang when I am barely holding on and someone who loves me was on my porch, peace and joy in chaotic parenting moments, and comfort and advocacy when the darkness closed in and profound grief seemed to overtake me. Our God, Emmanuel, is here, with us indeed!! Do you not see?

—Anyah E. R. White

December 5, 2023

 My experience wasn’t the same as Mary’s. Well, not in the end anyway. And not in lots of other ways!

We had traveled across Virginia. It was getting late and I was finished. Young and probably quite foolish, Kenny and I had decided to take a little vacation and visit his brother, Jerry, a proud sailor in the U.S. Navy. His ship had just docked in Newport News and we wanted to see him.

Now, I’m an over-zealous vacation planner, a bit of a travel junkie. Once I knew we were heading to Virginia, I got out my boxes of trusty maps and Mobil Travel Guides (Oh, how far we’ve come) and planned a route that would literally take us all over that state, stopping to visit every historic site, explore every tourist trap, hike every waterfall trail, and take pictures at every scenic viewpoint recommended to this tour enthusiast. We had two small children, ages one and three. And I was eight months pregnant. Yeah. Not smart.

Virginia is a big state and my plans were even bigger. Unfortunately, we could only be away a few days and we quickly ran out of time long before we exhausted my ambitious itinerary. Thankfully. Yes, I had overdone it. For sure. I was feeling some concerning pain. I needed to rest. The kids were beat. We immediately revised our schedule and made tracks from the lovely Blue Ridge mountains in the western part of the state eastward toward the Navy base. And toward the very popular August tourist attractions of coastal Virginia.

It was late when we neared our destination. But there were no rooms anywhere. No Vacancy signs taunted us at every exit. It was getting later and less hopeful each time we asked if there had been any cancelations or if they had suggestions for where we could go. We didn’t know what to do and both of us were getting quite anxious. The kids had conked out hours before. I knew I needed to just sleep and get my swollen feet up.

In desperation, after yet one more failed attempt to secure lodging, Kenny suggested I go inside and ask for a room. He was hoping the desk clerk would feel sorry for me, a bedraggled and weary woman with a very big belly. And I must have been a pitiful sight because, in minutes, we were snoozing away in a very clean and cool Comfort Inn suite, the very last motel that had just turned Kenny away!

But that didn’t happen for Mary. And that breaks my heart.

I’ve thought about that a lot over the years--especially during Advent season when beautiful carols remind me again and again of Joseph’s worried and desperate search for lodging. The lovely refrains echo the saddest words of the season to me. There was no room. No room for Mary or Joseph.

But more than that, there was no room for the Savior of the world.

No room for the King!

Here is a perspective on this subject from Rick Warren that I think you will like. It’s titled Is There Room in Your Inn?

No holiday on our calendar gets as much advertising time as Christmas. This month you can’t turn on your television, open a website, or check your email without hearing the word “Christmas.” You see beautifully decorated trees everywhere you turn. You’ll notice lots of chubby guys with white beards in red and white suits.

You simply can’t miss Christmas as a cultural phenomenon.

But you can miss the birth of Jesus.

You can miss the very point of Christmas.

That dilemma isn’t just a product of our time. Even people who were alive during that very first Christmas—just right around the corner from Jesus himself—missed the point of Christmas. And they missed it for the very same reasons we do today.

Take the innkeeper for example.

You know the story. In the last week of her pregnancy, Mary and Joseph have to go to their hometown of Bethlehem. They live in a city called Nazareth and need to be involved in a census with the Roman government.

As they get to Bethlehem, Mary goes into labor. Her water breaks. She’s ready to deliver. And Joseph tries to check her into the local Holiday Inn. The innkeeper comes out and says, “Sorry, no vacancies. There’s no room in the inn.”

Luke 2:7 tells it like this: And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:7 ESV)

Think about this from the innkeeper’s perspective. If he has no more room in his inn, that’s good. It means business is booming. If you own a motel, you want it to be sold out. A lot of out-of-town guests have come back to town for the census. They’re looking for a place to stay. And he’s all booked up.

The innkeeper has no use for this little baby or this pregnant woman. He doesn’t know who he is snubbing.

The Son of God could have been born in that inn. Imagine the public relations power of that! You could put up a sign: “Son of God born here!” You’d be sold out in your inn for the rest of your life.

God was coming to Earth in human form. (The innkeeper) could have been a part of it. But (he)missed the greatest opportunity imaginable because he was busy. He missed it because business was booming.

Are you too busy with your work to make room for Jesus this Christmas? Is your schedule, your plans, or your budget too tight to let Jesus in?

Just like that innkeeper, you could be missing out on the biggest opportunity of your life this Christmas. God is right here. He wants to be a part of your life. God coming into the lives of ordinary people like you and me is the point of Christmas.

 So, dear friends, do the words, “no room” stir your heart like they do mine? Maybe it’s because the Holy Spirit is inviting us to something more in the busyness of this beautiful season of celebration, something more meaningful than our usual trappings and traditions, no matter how fun and exciting they may be.

Perhaps, if we purposefully silence the noise for a moment, for just a moment, we may hear the gentle knocking at the door of our hearts.

He wants to come in.

 

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room

 For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

 There is room in my heart for Thee.

 

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,

At Thy coming to victory,

Let Thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room,

 There is room at My side for thee.”

 My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,

When Thou comest and callest for me.

 

Have you any room for Jesus,

He who bore your load of sin?

As He knocks and asks admission,

Sinner, will you let Him in?

 Room for Jesus, King of glory!

Hasten now, His word obey;

 Swing the heart’s door widely open,

Bid Him enter while you may.

 

Oh, my friends, let’s make room.

Let’s not miss Him!

—Eileen Hill

Here are a few truths to guide us as we build our lives:

1.    “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
 The world and those who dwell therein – Psalm 24:1-2

Everything is the Lord’s. We must consult with the Lord before building anything. He owns all the property and building resources. Having our way with His stuff is stealing.  

2.    “So this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” -  Isaiah 28:16

Praise God for providing a sure foundation! There is a secure foundation that can be built upon with confidence. Rejecting this foundation leads to destruction.

3.    “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have, Jesus Christ” – 1 Cor 3:10

There is NO other foundation to build upon. Jesus is the precious cornerstone. All other ground is sinking sand.

4.    “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1

The Lord is building a house on Jesus Christ, the foundation that He has laid. We are unable to build a lasting house, for God or for ourselves, in our own strength.

5.    “He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” – Hebrews 12:26-27

Our God is a consuming fire. Everything we have built will be tested by Him.  

Paul reminds us,

            “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” – 1 Cor 3:10-14

What are we building now that will remain?

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

 Living life among hubris-laden humanity is a tedious thing. Not at all like the rivers of living water or kingdom-authorized living promised to us by Jesus Himself.

We know that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, yet it appears that pride and its cousin, unbelief, are typically invisible chains felt but not discerned. The longer I wrestle with this and feel its effects on those around me, the more my soul cries out: how long can this go on? Must we continue to endure the half-light of gospel words, shallowly understood and lived with conviction equal to toast soaked in a bowl of warm milk?

Recently, I have heard the heart cry of the Father to our church expressed as "wake up," and I think it signals not the gentle nudge of "wake up my little darling" but the shout of, stir yourself, arm yourself, get fully awake, alert, and oriented to the situation at hand. It is the invitation to join the great battle with principalities and powers afoot at our door and throw off the desire to keep warm and unaware of adventures that await the humble in heart.

I have heard a call to wake up, which I must do. How about you? What have you heard from our beloved, and what is your answer to Him? I'm willing to bet my life that there are mountains to still be taken, promised lands to be owned wholly, adventures in God to be had, kingdoms to be subdued, and great victories to be won. And I would rather have a victor's crown to cast at the feet of Jesus than a well-worn pillow with no stains of intercessory tears on it.

Each of us has the power to become fully alive in Christ. The cry has gone out from His throne room, the invitation given to fix our eyes on Him. If you stir yourself from slumber, go into a private prayer place throughout the day, seek out others who are awakening, and find ways to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Shake off the things that put you into pride or unbelief. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and in due time, He will lift you up.

— George Davis

If I asked you to tell me what you see in the picture above you would probably say, “a dead flower and a live flower”. Wrong.

The truth is, they are both dead. The one on the right still looks alive, but its life source has been cut off. It’s just as dead as the one on the left. It's only a matter of time before this shows.

The same happens when we pray. The medical diagnosis doesn’t change. Your finances don’t get better. That child continues in the wrong course. The marriage gets closer to a divorce. You’ve prayed numerous times, but nothing changes - at least in plain sight. You see, once you pray, God begins working on your miracle. The challenge is that your miracle will happen, but not in your time. God works on His own time because His time is flawless.

There was a time when Jesus tried to get fruit from a fig tree and found none. In discontent, Jesus cursed the tree. What is interesting about this story is that the tree didn’t automatically dry up. It is recorded that the disciples heard Him when He cursed the tree, but nothing happened to it at that moment. These same disciples had seen Him perform wondrous miracles in the past. Seeing the tree remain visibly alive after Jesus spoke must have stirred some questions in their hearts about Jesus’ power. They went on their way and the scripture tells that the next morning they passed by the same tree and this time found it had withered from the roots up. The disciples in amazement pointed out to Jesus the tree and how it was now dead. Jesus replied and reminded them of the importance of believing what we pray for regardless of what we see. The moment Jesus cursed it, the tree was cut from its life source. It was only a matter of time before the miracle was seen. It had to happen in God’s time.

In another biblical story, the Israelites were trying to cross the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to tell the priests bearing the ark of the covenant to stand in the water once they got to the river. Now the amazing part is that when their feet touched the water, the waters began to stop flowing a great distance away. They couldn’t see it, as it was a far distance. But the miracle was already in motion. It was just a matter of time and all of Israel ultimately completed the crossing on dry ground. Imagine if they got discouraged and turned back or, even worse, doubted God. They could have forfeited the miracle and never made it to the other side.

The same happens when we pray. It may look like things are  not changing. You’re still stuck at a dead-end job; that marital situation worsens by the day; the off-course child keeps making bad decisions; that addiction is still thriving; your health seems to continue in decline; the bills keep stacking up and your financial situation doesn’t change…keep your faith. It's only a matter of time before the miracle happens. God already heard your prayer. He has set the miracle in motion. Your job now is to believe and receive in your heart what you have prayed for. Don’t worry about how long it's taking. Don’t get tricked into thinking God did not hear you. Don’t lose your faith. The miracle is already in motion. Healing is on its way; the marriage is already saved; that child’s ways have already changed; you are already coming into financial freedom…like the Israelites, the waters may look like they are not parting, but have faith that the miracle is coming and you will ultimately complete the crossing on dry land.

Amen.


—R Bermudez