Birds in Bare Trees

  Trust in the Lord and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴ 

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:3-4

  On my way in to work today I chose to mainstream and ended up in traffic. You'd think a town the size of Benton wouldn't suffer from car congestion but certain routes around the schools fill up fast. 

   While sitting in line to turn left at the stop sign, I enjoyed a view of our beautiful Presbyterian church building. Its charming, compact architecture invites passersby in to pray and meditate.  In the side yard closest to our parade of impatience, two bare trees boasted one bird each. One held a fat scarlet-bellied  cardinal and the other tree held an even fatter mockingbird.  I switched off my CD and rolled down the window to hear their songs. They took turns showing off their repertoires and precisely at 8:00 a.m. the Methodist church bells joined them to fill in the background. 
     Dear friends, people need to hear believers singing from bare trees. God's good in the winter, even when we don't understand our lack or our loss.  He knows how it ends, when it ends, and most importantly why it must be the way it is for now. Whatever tree God places us on and on whatever limb we cling, may we sing out with joy simply because He's swaying on the bare limb in the bare tree with us, and He is enough. 


Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart feel lonely,
and long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion,
a constant Friend is He,
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

I sing because I'm happy -
I sing because I'm free.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Though the fig tree does not bud

    and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

Let The Drain Begin!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." 
Matthew 11:28-29

Heavy hands, hearts and shoulders weary the soul - even when the weights we carry seem appropriate, good or inevitable. Jesus calls us to lay the burdens down and lift our empty selves for His blessing of rest.

  
Abraham emptied himself of his heritage and left the land of his fathers and their gods to be directed and filled as the father of a new nation who worshiped the one true God.

Ruth released her identity, leaving her family to stay with her mother-in-law to worship the God she came to know as faithful. She became the grandmother of David and part of Jesus' lineage.

Hannah poured out her grief about not having children at the altar and God filled her with a child, a spiritual leader for God's people in dark, uncertain times.

Moses gave up his excuses and self-conscious lack of gifts  for God to fill him with wisdom and power. This shy guy led the Israelites to witness miracle after miracle.

A sinful, repentant woman emptied an alabaster jar of extravagant perfume on the feet of Jesus.  In return, people criticized her harshly, but Jesus fulfilled her need.  She left the house with a drained jar and a new heart - forgiven, free, and at peace.  She's now part of our story of grace. (Luke 7:36-50)

Jesus Himself is the greatest example of the self-emptying we're to practice: 

 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Then there are the others: 
Martha held on to her kitchen gadgets. As her hands busied themselves, her heart became resentful and accusing - critical of a sister who fed on Jesus' teaching. Martha traded knowing Jesus in that moment for maintaining her reputation as a superb hostess.  We've named a syndrome for her. 

The rich young ruler held on to his money and his self-righteousness instead of grasping eternity. Now he's known as someone who walked away from Jesus and nobody knows his name.

Judas grasped his own plans above God's plan for Christ. Filled with sin and remorse, he hung himself and I don't know anyone named Judas, do you?  

You, me - we tightly grasp our:
    regret, worry, control, 
    identity, work, excuses, 
    grudges, habits, attitudes, 
    relationships, locations, stuff . . . 
when He asks us to pour it out at the altar of His feet.


"Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing."  
1 Timothy 2:8



Lord, God, let the drain begin. Pry open our clenched fists.  Help us give every drop of what we value to You. May we lift empty, holy hands as clean, roomy vessels for You to fill with Your best - for always.
In the Name of Jesus Who emptied Himself for our sake and for God's glory!