Healing Rays of Righteousness

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting . . . to hear from God

Whether in a hospital “waiting room” or waiting out a threatening storm or situation, it is a place where time seems to stand still, where life is put on hold, and where anxiety and fear take root and grow within us. In such waiting situations, it feels as if our life has come to a screeching halt and our hopes painfully dashed. It feels as if God has led us down a long hallway and ushered us into a room with a huge sign over the doorway that says, “WAITING ROOM.” And there is only silence in response to our anguished, frustrated cry, “How long, O Lord? When are you going to do something? I do not know how much more I can take! Please, God, hear my prayer!”

We live in a society of instant gratification and any kind of waiting frustrates us. Waiting is so counter-cultural and unacceptable. And this selfish expectation is distorting the Christian perspective regarding the purpose and potential of waiting, whether it be our waiting to hear from God in our present difficult, bleak situation, or in God’s ADVENT of His promised glorious Kingdom on earth.

The Scriptures remind us that “waiting” invites us to be confident in what God is going to do for us. In Psalm 27:13-14, David says, “I remain confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” This confidence and trust are repeated in Psalm 130:5-6, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

These and many other scriptures seem to clearly define “good waiting” as being patient and confident, knowing that God is working in my life for my good and His glory. But if you are anything like me, being patient involves a great inner struggle. I tend to want things to happen, to change, not later but sooner.

From my own difficult life experiences of waiting and study of scripture, I have learned that the ability to calm our soul and wait for God’s response to our cry is one of the most difficult tasks in the Christian life. And I agree with the biblical scholars who say that God’s delays are not God’s denials but are for preparing us for greater blessing. And so, when God has us “waiting” it is because there is yet work for Him to do, either in us or for us, in order for us to best receive His blessing.

The truth is that whenever we encounter a “waiting” situation, we have to make a choice whether or not to wait on the Lord. And when we choose not to wait on God, we become impatient, fearful, and full of worry. We begin to doubt that God is good and loving. We begin to doubt His ability to provide for us and to resolve our problem situation. And when we respond like this, we are prime candidates for ulcers, migraine headaches, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks.

I know that this is not the choice God wishes for us to make. He dearly loves us and desires to give us the best of physical and spiritual refreshment – “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). This is the best choice in every “waiting” time or place in our life’s journey.

And so, I say to myself and to you, as we anxiously sit in waiting, use the time to read Psalm 130. This is a psalm of urgent, hopeful waiting by a distressed person who cries out to God from the depths of life with the hope that God will hear and deliver. The writer starts in the depths and ends with confidence.

This psalm is one of many that can calm and nourish our soul while we wait to hear God’s answer to our questioning. This psalm encourages us to pray with greater confidence that God hears our cry and is present with us. With renewed confidence in his presence and love, we can be more patient in accepting His purposeful working in us.

My own experience has taught me that God can be trusted because He is always and forever true to His name and character. Write it on your heart and in your mind, God is Love and God is with us!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 29, 2023

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Celebrate with Grateful Thanksgiving

It has been said that when it comes to Thanksgiving Day activities, most people fall into either of two classes, those who take things “for granted” and those who receive/accept things “with gratitude.” 

I have learned that the most important attitude that we can ever cultivate in our life is the “attitude of gratitude,” that is, being thankful in all circumstances. A grateful attitude enables our days to open up like a flower, full of beauty and sweet fragrance. And it fills our life with joy and pleasant surprises because we are enabled to more readily see God blessing us in many wonderful ways.

I remember the story of a boy in elementary school who arrived late to school and was reprimanded for it. Later, he discovered that he had forgotten his homework, and was scolded again. Then he began to feel sick and ran in from the playground to go home. And as he ran, he tripped and fell, breaking his arm. While he was on the ground, he found a quarter. After a visit to the doctor’s office and on his way home he told his parents, “This is the best day of my life! I have never found a quarter before.”

We should cultivate that kind of child-like gratefulness so that we can better see and thankfully acknowledge the good things that happen to us, even when life is more painful and disappointing than we had hoped.

Thanksgiving Day offers us a chance to re-exam our usual response in receiving God’s gifts of love and goodness. Do we take them “for granted” or receive them “with gratitude? Thanksgiving Day offers us the opportunity to name and count our blessings, both large and small, significant, and common, and thankfully worship God who is the source of every good and gracious gift.

We should remember that God owes us nothing. Everything we have and enjoy is His gift to us. And neither do we deserve anything from God, including our caring family and friends, a good meal, or a warm bed. In fact, we do not even deserve the fresh air we just inhaled or the continuing steady beat of our heart. For that reason, our attitude throughout every day should be fully saturated with grateful thanksgiving.

Furthermore, all research studies regarding physical and mental health conclude that people who count their blessings sleep better, are more active, and care more about others. People who are always counting their blessings show significant improvements in mental, physical, and spiritual health. And these results are true regardless of your age or life situation.

In the biblical story of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed, Jesus sharply criticizes the nine lepers who went on their way without so much as a thank-you. To the one leper who did return and say thank-you, Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.”  Jesus is congratulating him not so much for the faith that asked for healing, but for the faith that returned to give thanks.

This one leper wanted soul healing as well as physical healing and is not that also our desire as we thankfully name and count our blessings. After all, the biblical stories teach us that it is a “grateful” faith and not a “gimme” faith that saves us.

I am convinced that an attitude of gratitude is not only important for aging well but is also vital to our enjoyment of living well each day. The apostle Paul admonishes us to “Rejoice always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

And so, during tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Day, and every day of the year, let us join the Psalmist in reminding ourselves to “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 22, 2023

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Forgiveness and Pressing Onward

If asked whether or not we always did our best, most of us would probably ashamedly answer, “No, I did not.”  And, if asked whether or not our conversations and actions may have caused others unnecessary hurt, again most of us would probably sadly answer, “Probably so.”

Such mistakes in judgment and regrets of our past often become heavy self-punishing baggage, crippling our journey with Jesus and others. And sometimes the burdensome baggage is nothing more than the nagging belief that we could do better if given another chance.

Whatever its contents, the baggage of self-deprecation cannot be easily dismissed, for it is the consequence of mistaken judgments and unwise decisions that have left painful wounds and deep scars in both our psyche and relationships with others.

Many years ago, Louisa Fletcher Tarkington, authored a perceptive poem entitled, “The Land of Beginning Again.”  It begins and ends with a verse which gives voice to the regret we feel when we realize what we have done or have not done.

              I wish there were some wonderful place

              Called the land of beginning again

              Where all our mistakes,

              And all our heartaches,

              And all of our poor selfish grief,

              Could be dropped like a shabby

              Old coat at the door,

              And never be put on again.

And I ask, should not being Christian in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, make us uniquely equipped to forgive (let go) and leave the past behind? And does not this inability to forgive ourselves contradict everything we profess to believe about the forgiving, healing, redeeming power of Jesus Christ? I am convinced that it does.

This is what the apostle Paul was referencing when he wrote, “But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind (forgiving-letting go) and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14).

I hear Paul encouraging us not to look back in ways that keep us from going forward, in ways that make us a prisoner of our past mistakes and sins, in ways that prevent us from experiencing the healing (letting go) of old hurts and painful memories.

Yes, there is great value in looking back to learn, to affirm the places, faces, and circumstances from which we have come, and to remember what and who has shaped our lives. Yes, there is a time to look back if done so with a positive learning purpose.

But if our looking back is clouded with a sense of self-deprecating failure and guilt, our efforts to grow in our relationships with God and others will most certainly be hampered, if not completely blocked. That is why Jesus’ invitation is such good news, assuring us that carrying such baggage is totally unnecessary. For Jesus daily invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (forgiveness, set free).” (Matthew 11:28).

Yes, the pain of mistaken judgments and regrets may shadow us, robbing us of freedom and potential, and hampering our ability to use our spiritual energy and gifts for enjoying the today and moving with joyous anticipation into the new tomorrows of our life. And, YES, the possibility of new beginnings is always God’s invitational good news to every one of us, no exceptions.

And so, I say, instead of fretting our failures to forgive the past, let us choose to press onward toward maturing faith and Jesus-like character and behavior. God waits, ready to help us gather the regretful pass into a self-forgiveness that opens the door into new tomorrows and new beginnings. Amen!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 15, 2023

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Forgiveness and Letting Go

Many of us have a painful past to live with; a past that we can neither escape nor change. And for many, the painful memories are so overwhelming that their recall brings deep pain to the present. Feelings of inferiority, unfairness, and anger quickly surface, and the long-forgotten fears once again grab a haunting chokehold on our life.

From Jesus we hear, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25).

And from the apostle Paul, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:32).

Biblical wisdom consistently teaches that forgiveness means completely “letting go” and releasing the person or persons responsible for causing the pain, whether by actions or words, from any resentment or revenge. To forgive and forget is to completely “let go” of the old wounds with their pain and anger.

The resentments and lingering bitterness of any painful past must be forgiven and discarded if we wish to enjoy a good life of health and peace as we grow older. Furthermore, it is the only doorway to experiencing God’s abundant life of divine forgiveness, peace and joy in our own life and spirit.

The biblical story of Joseph is a story of repeated, continuing painful experiences caused by jealousy, hatred, and murderous betrayals, by his own brothers and the wife of his Egyptian owner. The story is recorded in Genesis 37-45 and is a powerful portrayal of how forgiving and forgetting, letting go of the past, is the only response to a painful past that brings healing of mind, spirit, and relationships.

Joseph, the favorite son of his father Jacob, grew up in a large family, where favoritism and sibling rivalry was rampant, causing brotherly relationships to be infected with jealousy and anger. It became so bad that one day Joseph’s brothers caught him, threw him into a pit, and discussed killing him. One brother intervened and convinced the rest to instead sell Joseph as a slave to traders headed toward Egypt.

Even though life in Egypt was painfully difficult and disappointing, Joseph never wavered in his love relationship with God and of God’s purpose for his life. And years later, while living in prison, that purpose began to materialize.

The Egyptian Pharaoh had a dream that no one but Joseph could interpret. The dream revealed that Egypt would experience seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. And to reward Joseph for interpreting the dream, the Pharaoh gave Joseph charge over all of the agricultural activity in Egypt. The years of plenty came and Joseph stored up the abundance of grain for the future survival of Egypt. Seven years later the drought and famine began.

The drought and famine became so widespread and severe that people in neighboring countries came to Egypt to buy food from Joseph. And it was not long before Joseph’s own brothers arrived to buy food. Joseph recognized them, but they no longer knew their own brother. Joseph sold them the grain they requested, but he also tricked them into coming back to him several times before he revealed his true identity.

When he did identify himself as their brother, they were terrified. They remembered the pit and the time they bartered with traders and sold their own brother into slavery. They had every reason to be terrified when Joseph says to them in verses 4-5, “Come close to me. …I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

Joseph had learned that the grace of forgiveness frees him from resentment and the need for revenge. He even named one of his sons, Manasseh, which means “God has made me forget.”

Like Joseph, the apostle Paul came to understand the way God uses adversity and pain. He wrote in Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Our difficult and painful experiences often become God’s classroom of learning how to trust God and forgive others. Those of us who have been there, who have journeyed through the valley of painful events, who have suffered much but chose to forgive the past, can now look back and attest to God’s leading, providing, shaping, healing, and calling us into a larger life and ministry. I know because I have been there and done that.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 9, 2023

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley