The Blessing in Obeying the Book Without Pictures
Good Morning Friends,
Jesus came becoming the Word made flesh so that the deaf would hear. But things can get in the way when God calls to our very soul in words alone. And it is usually a hardened heart. The Spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. That is why we must be prepared to experience God in our lives but not over plan it. Sometimes laughter helps us as we wait. Certainly God waits on us to learn to trust in His leadership and competence. When we plan God laughs until finally we receive The Blessing in Obeying the Book Without Pictures.
Scripture:7 ‘Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’ I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you.
Psalm 2:3-7 (NRSV)
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness,
Hebrews 3:7-8 (NRSV)
18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22 (NRSV)
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
Proverbs 126:2 (ESV)Top of Form
Bottom of Form
17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?
Matthew 15:17 (NRSV)
Message: I use to read once a week to a group of 20 four year old children and when my schedule precluded me from continuing I enlisted another. While I was reading I wondered if they heard what I read. They would come to story time ready for me to share, but also with a storm of thoughts firing off in their brains as well. They needed to become engaged before they could listen. Today we learn that we are to expect God to speak in a relationship between the words spoken and the words heard. Much like these children expected me to share a story with them so too we must expect something coming from God. Sometimes laughter helps in getting ourselves out of the way. Sometimes a poop joke will help eliminate our unnecessary garbage so we can listen as in prayer, but also submit to a process as we share in the unfolding story of Jesus in our own lives. If I were reading to the children today I think I might read to them The Book Without Pictures by PJ Novak (link below) so they might find the humor in silly words that make us smile but also engage with the story. Obeying what is written on the page even though it seems really crazy at times might just be the way we can get through this life with a smile. Think of Sarah when she was told she was pregnant. Think of talking donkeys. It is perhaps easiest if we hear God through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, but how we hear really doesn’t make a difference. The difference comes when in the fullness of God’s plan we respond and His story becomes our joy.
Pray we laugh and sing with joy. Pray we heal others with the things we say. Pray God helps us to communicate properly. Pray we talk about things we know about. Pray we listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Pray we represent the Lord in what we say.
Pray that we realize we were created to respond to a call not to call on God to respond to our plan. Pray that we realize that God calls busy people. Pray we realize that we have no good excuse for not following God. Pray God communicate with us in the laughter. Pray we help children love a book with no pictures.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 