Healing Rays of Righteousness

Anne Frank was a young, Jewish girl living in Amsterdam when the Nazis came to power. She was no longer able to play along the beautiful canal outside her home. She had to go into hiding, never leaving her neighbor’s apartment. Many of her friends were rounded up and sent to death camps. Anne lived under constant threat of being discovered. One day she wrote in her diary, “I just heard the church bells ring. I believe they are saying, ‘there are better days ahead!’”

This is the message the apostle Peter wrote to his persecuted and suffering fellow-believers in his day. “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Pet. 3:13). “There are better days ahead.”

And, it is the message of apostle John, banished on the isle of Patmos, and writing to the persecuted, suffering Christian churches of his day. “There are better days ahead.” 

The book of Revelation records the heavenly visions God gave to John as encouragement for the Christians of Asia Minor who were suffering much pain and persecution. In chapters 21 & 22, John looks beyond the agony of human history, as seen in chapter 20, and receives a vision of a new reality. He sees “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” 

The amazing affirmation of Revelation 21 & 22 is that God, having created a new heaven and a new earth, will return in majestic victory over all evil, pain, and suffering, to intimately dwell with all humankind eternally.

Do you remember what Jesus told his disciples after announcing that he was leaving them and that they could not follow him? “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn. 14:1-3). “There are better days ahead.”

And do you remember the angel’s message to them in? “Men of Galilee, …why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11).

John describes the holy city descending like a bride, beautifully adorned for her husband. The “new Jerusalem” is seen not as a place, but rather as a metaphor for God’s people, in whose midst God dwells, even as the old Jerusalem metaphorically stood for the whole people of Israel, and the temple represented and made real God’s presence in their midst.

The central and most fundamental language of this new reality is “relationship” language. God comes down to have an intimate relationship with us, like he did in the Garden of Eden. Such a relationship with us has always been his desire and creative purpose. And nothing is more intimate than wiping tears from the face of someone who is in deep pain. Imagine the glorious, almighty, holy God now living among us and wiping the tears from our eyes.

In his vision, John sees heaven as a glorious place and describes it with vivid images. Paul says heaven will be better than our wildest imaginings and quotes an unknown writing: … “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9).

In her book, Joy in Our Weakness, Marva J. Dawn, writes, “Whatever description we might offer of what it means to be in the presence of GOD after our death will be grossly inadequate. It is not the place we are interested in, after all, nor some sort of spectacular final event. It is our encounter with the Person, the Lord of lords and King of kings. (p.201).

Imagine being greeted by Jesus and hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. …Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”  (Mt. 25:21, 34). Yes indeed, “there are better days ahead!”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 9/04/24

The prophet Jeremiah lived during a time of great national tumult and transition. The nation of Judah was experiencing a period of political and social decline much like today. And much like today, both political and religious leaders were hypocritical and deceitful. It seemed no one was concerned about their not living up to their covenant with Yahweh, nor the consequences.

God called Jeremiah to preach to these religious, but sinful people, calling them to repent and return to worshipping and obeying God. At great personal cost to himself, Jeremiah remains faithful to God in telling his own people that they have sinned in their selfishness, greed, and ignoring God’s call to justice and concern for all people.

However, they resisted his preaching and would not listen. Time after time, they ignored him, laughed at him, and refused to change their ways. And the biblical record reveals that their stubborn resistance led toward their eventual destruction as a nation.

In Jeremiah 8, we hear Jeremiah weeping for the brokenness of his people that piled up as the consequence of their sinning. He knows that the judgment of God is now unavoidable and that the time for amending their ways is past. This causes Jeremiah to feel a deep sadness and pain in the pit of his stomach.

And yet, like God, Jeremiah continues to have compassion for his people. “My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. …I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. (vv.18 & 21, NLT). …Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.” (9:1)    

Jeremiah is a man in deep pain and asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (8:22).And his painful weeping reveals that it is too late, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” (8:20).

In verses 10 – 12, he summarizes their grievous sinfulness. “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No. they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.”

“Do not even know how to blush.”  That is an accurate and appropriate description for many of our contemporary church and national leaders. Like the people of Israel, we have no shame in naming ourselves Christian even as we give ourselves to esteeming and bowing to the idols of power, money, sex, personal success, and material possessions. Nor do they blush in choosing to believe lies and conspiracy theories rather than obvious facts and truths.

With all the social and political issues that currently divide us, it is fair to say that we are a church and a nation at war with each other, rather than standing together in Christian love and compassion for all, and daily acting out the good news of Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile, our prisons are filled to over-capacity, children go to bed hungry in most every city and town of our nation, and many die because they do not have the money to pay for health care. And yet, we arrogantly claim to be a Christian nation. God weeps over us, my friend. Sadly, it can be truthfully said, “They do not even know how to blush.”   

What makes me and you blush? What breaks our hearts? Is it because we care about the victims of our society, such as the homeless, the hungry, the sick, the handicapped, the unemployed? What about the societal sins that multiply victims, such as pride, greed, prejudice, lust, malice, injustices, and oppression of all kinds? Do they also make us weep?

Jeremiah’s heart was broken because of the sins of his people. But he always understood that God’s love is a healing balm, bringing forth newness of life where there was the stink of death, resurrecting hope where there was despair, and rebuilding that which has been torn down.

May we, like Jeremiah, have our hearts broken by what breaks the heart of God. For then we can truthfully and compassionately sing with our voices and our lives, “There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole; there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.”  Amen!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 8/21/24

Through the prophet Hosea, we are given a sweeping review of the earlier history of God’s people. Hosea sees and understands the past, present, and future of Israel as God’s child from the perspective of God being the divine parent who remembers with joy, anguishes with grief, suffers with loneliness, and looks forward with hope.

To read these verses slowly and reflectively is to feel the deep pain of God’s lonely, heartbroken love for his people. Yes, grievously heartbroken, because his people had foolishly rejected and ignored his freely offered invite into a relationship of love. Yes, painful loneliness, because his people chose instead to follow the false gods of selfish consumerism, fearful racism, and divisive politics.

Unfortunately, current attitudes and behaviors in our nation and churches today, by many people who call themselves Christian, have caused me to remember this earlier story, and believe it to be currently as true as it was then.

Chapter 11 opens with God, the parent, saying that, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”  You then immediately feel the pain of a rejected love that this all-knowing parent has for his child, “But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.”  And yet, He lavishly poured out His grace and love upon them.

God graciously loved his people and helped them get out of Egypt. But Israel soon chose to worship new gods and broke the basic rule of the covenant, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). Did they do this deliberately and intentionally? Probably not. More likely it was the result of the people becoming careless in nurturing their faith and thus their relationship with God became non-existent.

The Assyrians soon disrupted Israel’s peace and prosperity. Hosea saw and understood this event to be God’s judgment upon the faithlessness and immorality of the people.

But throughout this time of defeat and despair, Hosea’s prophetic ministry continued to affirm the (“hesed”) steadfast love of God. “Hesed” is a passionate, emotional, persistent, and loyal love, a love that will not ever quit loving. Although the lover clearly sees the beloved’s unfaithfulness, “hesed” relentlessly works for the restoration of the relationship.

And, according to Hosea, that is the kind of love God has for his people. God chose these people, claimed them as children, made a covenant to faithfully love them, when he brought them out of bondage in Egypt. But they prostituted themselves by turning to other gods.

And this heartbroken, lonely God asks, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim?” (11:8). God had destroyed these two cities along with Sodom & Gomorrah.

For us today, the “good news” is that the God whose heart is revealed in Hosea 11 is the same God of whom John would describe in his first letter, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (3:1). “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (3:16). “This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (4:9).

It may be agonizing to contemplate the thought that the Almighty God is heartbroken, lonely, and longing to reconcile our relationship with himself, to enjoy the intimacy for which we were created. But it is equally awesome to imagine an empty place in God’s heart which only you and I can fill with our voices of grateful praise.

My friend, the God who would not abandon the people of Israel has not given up on us. When we act as if He does not exist, when we sell ourselves to other lovers, when we prostitute ourselves for the sake of the pleasures of the world around us, His steadfast love follows us.

When we suffer the consequences of our own foolish choices, when we experience the results of our own sinful behavior, His steadfast love follows and overshadow us, waiting in grieving loneliness for our return to a restored relationship of total love and trust.

Let us give attention to Hosea’s appeal and respond with repentant hearts; “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bind up our wounds. … Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (6:1-3).

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 8/7/24

God’s people have returned from Babylonian captivity to again live in their homeland and to rebuild Jerusalem. There is great joy in experiencing liberation from captivity and the freedom to return to their homeland. But their homecoming is not pretty and peaceful. There is much disappointment and difficulty. A large part of Jerusalem has been destroyed. Foreign people claim the grazing land, and only a small remnant of the twelve tribes of Israel have returned with them.

In the midst of their situation and prayer of lament, Isaiah issues a call to his people to remember God and what he has done for them in the past and urges them to also remember and rejoice in what God has promised to do for them in the future.

To “remember” is an important word of encouragement in the Bible. To “remember” is both looking back as well as looking forward. Throughout the history of God’s people, the prophets and the psalm writers urged the people to “remember” God’s actions and benefits in their behalf, as well as his promises for their future. To “remember” is a blessed gift and resource that undergirds and keeps alive our present and future hopes.

In reading Isaiah 63:7-9, we discover that in spite of their difficult circumstances, Isaiah is thankful for the goodness of God in verse 7, the grace of God in verse 8, and the presence of God in verse 9.

Regarding the goodness of God, Isaiah says, “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us – yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”

Regarding the grace of God, Isaiah says, “He said, ‘Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me’; so he became their Savior.”

Isaiah wants Israel to remember that God had adopted them as his very own people and became their Savior. He did not do this because the Hebrews were the biggest and the best, but only because of his grace and love.

How long has it been since you thanked God for being your Savior? We do not deserve salvation; we received it only because of God’s grace. Think of where you would be, and what you would be, without God, and then thank him for the eternal difference he has made in your life and future.

Regarding the presence of God, Isaiah says, “In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”  

Isaiah wants Israel to remember that in all of their sufferings and distress, God did more than just send angels. God himself came to them to be present and participate in their sufferings. Isaiah reminds his people that it was this presence of God that saved them, or made them well, complete, and whole, which are the most inclusive meanings of salvation.

In this verse, Isaiah paints a beautiful word portrait of the empathetic love of God. He wants us to visualize ourselves as crying children being picked up (redeemed) from unpleasant, painful, and hopeless circumstances and (carried) with strong arms that enfold us with comforting protection and provision.

According to the psalmist, this is God being “our refuge and strength, an ever- present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1). He hurts when we hurt – he helps, protects, and provides for us – and he even picks us up and carries us. We are alive today because of God’s goodness, grace, and presence in our lives in our yesterdays.

So let us awaken each morning “remembering” to give God thankful praise for his sustaining grace in our yesterdays and petition him for enabling grace for our today. Let us joyfully sing Fanny Crosby’s hymn, “God of Our Strength” as our daily prayerful anthem.

              1. God of our strength, enthroned above, the source of life, the fount of love,

O let devotion’s sacred flame, our souls awake to praise thy name.

              (Chorus) God of our strength, we wait on thee, our sure defense forever be.

2. God of our strength, from day to day, direct our thoughts and guide our way.

Oh, may our hearts united be, in sweet communion, Lord, with thee.

3. God of our strength, on thee we call. God of our hope, our light, our all,

Thy name we praise, they love adore, our rock, our shield, forevermore.

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com

There are times when we may feel our lives are being driven by the winds of fate or controlled by evil people or forces. Yes, we may sing joyfully about an omnipotent God in Sunday morning worship, but the difficult daily events of Monday through Saturday too frequently challenge our singing.

Difficulties, both routine and unexpected, challenge our faith and perspective of God’s ability to carry us through the week. It is our human nature to easily forget that our God is still the same almighty, sovereign Lord today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow.

The prophet, Isaiah, was writing to his people, the Israelites, after they had experienced years of judgment and exile from their homeland. They were so beaten down by life’s many trials and great adversity that they began to question whether God was with them or cared about their difficulties.

Isaiah knew both their situation and their hearts, and writes to them asking a crucial question in chapter 40, verse 27; “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?”  By asking this probing question, Isaiah hopes to revive and encourage their faith in God’s everlasting love and care as He had promised them.

To confirm and strengthen the truth regarding God’s love and concern, Isaiah tells the Israelites to look up at the stars. “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (40:26).

Isaiah believed that his people could regain their perspective on life if they lifted their eyes to the heavens. He reminds them that God formed the heavens, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (v.22).

And furthermore, “He … brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (26).

In verse twenty-five, the voice of the Lord is heard asking, “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?”  Isaiah joins the conversation to argue that when you observe creation, you see the power, strength, and loving care of God. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, and Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (vv.28-29).

What a wonderful message to a people who were discouraged, beaten down, and worn out with life.  

Yet, even today, I know from experience that my pondering of this wondrous truth always revives my awareness of this great big God and His awesome power and love for me. This always proves to be a sure defense and remedy for all my doubts and discouragements. And so, I pastorally recommend a daily “looking up to the heavens” for your spiritual health and vitality.

Our God is strong and mighty, all-powerful, and full of amazing love. God has not forgotten any one of us and never will. Jesus told his disciples in a time of great anxiety “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  (Matthew 10:29-31).

Look at the world around, above, and beneath you, and be encouraged by remembering that the Creator of the universe knows your name and your situation. God understands your fears, your hopes, your dreams, and your pains. God’s wisdom is unsearchable, God’s power is unmatched, and God’s love is overwhelming and limitless.

Remember whose you are, and rest in God’s holy presence. Look up at the stars and receive the gift of a grand perspective. God is so big, and we are so small, yet God is holding you and me in the palm of his hand, protecting, planning, and providing for us. THANKS BE TO GOD!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 7/24/24

Many people spend thousands of hours and dollars reading horoscopes and listening to fortune tellers because of anxiety about their future. For me, such anxiety is answered and satisfied by reviewing and remembering my journey with God. And when I do, I am reassured of the future that is mine.

To best appreciate what God has done for us in our journey with him, we need to frequently revisit and remind ourselves of what God has done for us in the past, what he is doing for us in the present, and what he has prepared for us in the future. Every time I do this, I am amazed and awed by God’s love.

The opening words of Ephesians 2:1-10 tell us that we “were dead in transgressions and sins.”  We did what we thought would “gratify the cravings of our flesh,” and were victimized by the desires of our body and mind. “Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath,” (v.3).

From God’s perspective, we were spiritually dead because of our willful disobedience to his commandments. God does not say sickor asleep, he says dead and in need of life. Dead means to be powerless, lifeless, and rotting. In God’s sight, we were powerless to change our disobedient behavior. As a result, we could expect nothing from God but His wrath.

Yes, there is a paradox here. We were spiritually dead, yet very much alive and active against God. We followed and obeyed the devil and our fleshly desires, rather than living to obey and please God. This choice leads us on a path toward God’s wrath. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). That was our past life of sinful separation from God

But “hear ye, hear ye” the good news of our present life in Christ. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (v.4-5).

What amazing words these are. We were “made alive” and resurrected to a new life of eternal relationship with God. We could not work for it. We did not deserve it. We have not earned it. And yet, God gifted eternal salvation to us who believe, because Jesus willingly and lovingly paid for redemption and reconciliation on the cross. And now, today, we share in his glorious and wonderful resurrection life. This is our present life as a Christian.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!”  But, you asked, what is grace? It is God’s unmerited love acting on our behalf through Jesus Christ to rescue us from eternal death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom. 6:23).

The exclusive agent of grace is Jesus Christ. Behind God’s grace is Calvary’s cross and Easter’s empty tomb. Jesus came to earth and took our sin upon himself, suffered, and died as a condemned criminal in our place, so that we could be made eternally alive and new. Why? Because he loved us!

We have been re-created, made alive and new in Jesus Christ to serve God. We, who were dead are now alive, not by good works but for good works. God’s intention is always to restore us to our created purpose as doers of good deeds in loving others. We are God’s workmanship and his presence of light and life in our present dark world of sin and death. This is our reality and mission in life.

But there is more! Both our present reality and continuing future is pictured in the good news that God “made us alive with Christ – … And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (vv.5-7).

Yes, we have been raised and are seated with Christ “in the heavenly realms” and even now share in a measure of Christ’s authority. From this heavenly position of closeness and glory we are called to imitate God by compassionately seeing those near us who are enslaved by the powers of evil, and to love them as God has loved us, thereby participating with Christ in God’s process of salvation.

Please read those last two paragraphs again, slowly, and thoughtfully, letting their awesome truth penetrate deeply into your mind, heart, and soul. And may your assured future re-ignite your spirit and soul with purpose and praise. Thank you, Jesus!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 7/17/24

Many of us live with a hurtful past that we can neither escape nor change. And for many the memories are so powerful that their recall brings deep pain to the present. Feelings of inferiority, unfairness, and anger well-up inside us. Suppressed fears once again grab a choke-hold on our life. The past haunts us and robs us of the peace and joy we desire.

The biblical story of Joseph is a proven model of how to best respond to a hurtful past that brings healing of mind, spirit, and relationships. That story is recorded in Genesis 37 through 45.

Joseph, the favorite son of his father Jacob, experienced a past filled with many hurts. He was raised in what we would today call a “dysfunctional family.”  Sibling rivalry filled Jacob’s household. Favoritism abounded and jealousy infected brotherly relationships. 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.

In Egypt, Joseph became the property of a man named Potiphar. Things seemed to be going better for Joseph. But then, Potiphar’s wife made continual sexual advances toward him. Frustrated by Joseph’s refusal, she falsely charged him with attempted rape, and he was imprisoned.

Years later, the 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. To reward Joseph for interpreting the dream, the Pharaoh gave Joseph charge over all of the agricultural activity in 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, “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.” (45:4-5).

Joseph was able to make peace with his hurtful past and experience healing of mind and heart by choosing the following three responses of belief and behavior.

I. Joseph Practiced Forgiveness. – Joseph had been severely wronged, not only by his brothers but also by Potiphar’s wife and the forgetful cupbearer. Joseph could have struck back and felt the exhilaration that came from getting even. Instead, Joseph chose to forgive. Rather than reaching out in anger and revenge, he embraced his brothers. By choosing to forgive, Joseph made reconciliation with his family possible.

Although often difficult, forgiveness is the first step toward healing a hurtful past. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and removes the handcuffs of hatred. Forgiveness breaks the chains of bitterness and shatters the shackles of selfish retaliation. Forgiveness frees the heart to enjoy life to its fullest.

2. Joseph Lived in the Present. – Joseph chose not to be imprisoned by the bitterness of his past, but instead, to live in the present situation with his eyes focused on the future. (45:9-11).

Making peace with your past demands a choosing to let go of yesterday and actively live for today and tomorrow. Recalling and reliving the sorrows and hurts of yesterday does nothing but rob us of the possibility to experience the blessed wonders and beauties of the present.

3. Joseph Saw the Hand of God at Work in His Life. – Joseph’s ability to forgive his brothers flowed from his understanding of God having a greater purpose for him that overshadowed the hurtful events of his life. Joseph repeatedly declares his belief that God’s purpose, not his brothers’ evil intention, brought him to Egypt, reassuring his brothers that he does not hold anger toward them, and encouraged them to forgive themselves. (45:5-8).

Yes, life’s difficult and hurt-filled experiences are useful as God’s classroom in learning how to trust God and how to forgive others. Those who have journeyed through the dark valley of hurts and pain, who have suffered much but have chosen to forgive the past, can now look back and attest to God’s leading, providing, shaping, healing, and calling into a larger life and ministry of blessing others. I know this to be true because this has been my life’s journey and experience.

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 7/10/24

If God is always for us, as I believe he is, why do disappointments painfully interrupt our expectations and dreams? Where is God when disappointments frustrate our lives?

I do not fully understand the “why” question but believe the story of Jesus’ response to the death of his beloved friend, Lazarus, does give us some helpful insights into the “where” question. The story is found in the 11^th chapter of John’s gospel and vividly reveals Jesus’ heart of caring empathy for us during times of painful disappointments.

Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, “the one you love is sick.”  Two days later Jesus begins his journey to Bethany in Judea knowing that Lazarus had already died.

As Jesus and his disciples were nearing Bethany, Martha went out to meet him. Her disappointment and frustration with Jesus arriving too late to heal Lazarus is heard in her greeting, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (v.21).

Likewise, Mary quickly leaves her house to go to Jesus, who is still outside the village, and falling at his feet she expresses the same disappointment and frustration as her sister did, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (v.32).

But unlike his teaching response to Martha, Jesus is now seeing and hearing the pain-filled weeping of Mary and the Jews who had come with her, and he is “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” and asked, “Where have you laid him?” (v.33-34).

Yes, Jesus could have reassured the sisters and quieted all this weeping with the good news that he will restore Lazarus with new life. But he does not do so. Jesus does not pass lightly over their pain. Instead, Jesus joined in their weeping and grief, publicly expressing his own grief physically and emotionally. And with his own heart torn with anguish, “Jesus wept.” The Greek word for this phrase indicates that the emotion Jesus felt was such that it seized his whole body, causing him to shudder and groan.

Jesus did not simply wipe away a few hidden tears. He weeps publicly and loud enough so that everyone in the crowd heard it and remarked about it. “See how he loved him!” (v.36). And I believe that with his own tears, Jesus showed us that God always cares deeply about what we are experiencing.

In verse thirty-eight we read, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.”  Leighton Ford writes in his book, Sandy, “The word taken literally means ‘he snorted in his spirit’ like a warhorse facing battle, seeing what death and evil had done to the beautiful world his Father had made.”

Leighton believes that in that moment, Jesus recommitted himself to God’s mission for his life and became determined to conquer and destroy the painful hopelessness of death. And in a public display of that determination, “Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  And Lazarus came out, still bound in the grave-wrappings. What a glorious moment of God’s presence overpowering death!

I may not fully understand why God allows painful disappointment to interrupt our expectations and dreams, and why our prayers for a miracle often seem lost in the vast darkness of painful uncertainty.

But this I do know. Life-shattering disappointment is painful because it is the death of our expectations and dreams. And, like the story of Lazarus’ death, so wonderfully illustrates, Jesus is present and shares with us the pain of grievous loss. Being present, he invites us to come near and lean on him for caring empathy and encouragement, because he deeply loves and cares for us.

And so, could it be that God allows events of painful disappointment in our lives, because this is when our ears are best opened to hear his invitation to lean into him and more deeply feel his caring love and provision for us, thus deepening our trust relationship with himself?

Frank E. Graeff, a Methodist minister, experienced many disappointments during his lifetime. It was during a time of severe physical agony, doubt, and despondency that he found comfort and strength in the apostle Peter’s words, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).

This verse became so meaningful to him that he wrote the words to the hymn “Does Jesus Care?”

“Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song,

as the burdens press, and cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?”

Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread and fear?

As the daylight fades into deep night shades, does He care enough to be near?

Chorus:

“O yes, He cares – I know He cares! His heart is touched with my grief;

when the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 7/03/24

What is readily visible to us during difficult life experiences is extremely limited in comparison to what God knows, sees, and purposes for us. God knows every little detail about us because he created us and breathed life and purpose into our bodies. And so, it is only reasonable to believe that his perspective of every event or situation happening to us would be much different and more accurate than ours.

In Romans 8:26-28, the apostle, Paul, encourages us with this reassurance; “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. … the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In verses 31-39, Paul asks two questions. His first question is, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us,who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”    

Paul is convinced that written on the underside of every experience in our life, both the good and bad, is the holy seal of assurance, “God is for you.”  Unfortunately, some have misread verse twenty-eight and, being disappointed, have become confused and discouraged. Thus, a helpful corrective to understanding what the verse is saying, is to thoughtfully consider what it does not say.

     1. It does not say God causes everything that happens. He does not.

     2. It does not say that everything that happens is “good.”  It is not.

     3. It does not say that all things are working for the “good” in terms of health, wealth, and success.       They are not.

     4. It does not say that everything is going to work out for “good” for all people. For God can do some     things for those walking with him that he cannot do for those running away from him.

Verse 29 clearly identifies the “good” promised in this scripture as the ability “to be conformed to the image of his Son.”  To accomplish this, God uses all things, the good and the bad, the joys and the tears, the successes, and the failures to shape us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus. And we can be assured that God does not waste any events or experiences in our life toward accomplishing his purpose of transforming us into the person he created us to become.

“God is for us.”  Pause and think about what you just read. “God is for us (you).”  It does not say that God “may be” of “has been” or “was” or “will be” for you, but rather “God is for us (you).”  Can you, can I fully believe that at this very minute and every minute, God is for me? The biblical answer is “YES”!

Paul’s second question is this, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”  Remembering his personal experiences of hardships and sufferings, Paul lists those things that can cause us to question God’s love for us and declares that none of these things can ever separate us from Christ’s love.

Rather than separating us from the love of Christ, Paul declares that these difficulties and sufferings make us “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (v.37). Our sufferings do not separate us from the love of Christ, but rather they are intended to strengthen our relationship with Christ as the dearly loved, adopted children of God.

In verse 38 Paul answers his own two questions, with a powerful, all-inclusive declaration regarding the love of God for us – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  This is Paul’s testimony of faith from his own life of many difficult, life-threatening experiences.

In recalling my various journeys through times of difficult and painful sufferings, I can thankfully affirm that God is always present with us. He always keeps his promise “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Yes, he is by our side, cheering us on, applauding our accomplishments. He is there to pick us up when we stumble and fall, and he puts his arms around us to comfort us when we hurt and cry. God is always for us, and in every situation of life “working for our good.”  Thanks be to God!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com– (6/26/24)

I always loved relaxing on the patio of our previous residence after sunset and listening to the evening music of God’s little creatures, watching the flickering lights of lightning bugs, and following the fast turns and dives of bats and swallows as they catch an evening meal of mosquitoes. And this was often an evening highlight during our many travel-trailer camping experiences.

Now retired from active ministry, I continue to enjoy relaxing on our back porch glider at our present residence, even though the nearby traffic noise overwhelms much of the creaturely music and flight entertainment.

I was enjoying such an evening when my thoughts turned to the important role of song and music in our lives. To live in a world without music would be so depressing, so hopeless, so much like hell, which the Bible describes as a place of eternal great sorrow and weeping. And in contrast, the Bible describes heaven as a place filled with great gladness, joy, and singing.

Music is often said to be a universal language that awakens feelings and thoughts in people everywhere and crosses all cultural and geographical boundaries. Music evokes joy and sadness, praise and petition, memory, and hope. It is both the song and the cry of the heart.

Music has the power to quiet and energize the heart and mind, influencing our thoughts and actions. Music is healing therapy to the weary, the hurting, or the despondent soul.  Martin Luther wrote that music is even effective in driving the Devil away.

In her book, A Deepening Love Affair, Dr. Jane Marie Thibault writes, “Music, secular as well as sacred, can bring many of us into the presence of God very quickly and powerfully. Music affects the limbic system of the brain, the center that has control over all of our feelings. …which in turn affects the temporal cortex, a section which seems to be sensitive to the spiritual.” 

Dr. Thibault continues, “Think about the role music plays in your spiritual life. What kind of music moves you to tears? What makes you joyful, hopeful, peaceful, repentant, and happy? What kind of music draws you into yourself? What pulls you out of yourself?”

I often experience music as the means whereby my soul is ushered into the presence of God with joyful praise and/or loving prayer. There have been many times that my walk outside, appreciating the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, that I am inspired to sing “My God, How Great Thou Art.”  Even a cloudy and rainy morning may stir within me the melody and words of “There Shall Be Showers of Blessings”and on a snowy morning the hymn “Whiter Than Snow.”

A hymn that has become a meaningful prayer of petition for me is “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”  I have often found renewed courage and strength during difficult days or uncertain circumstances by singing that prayer hymn in my thoughts.

I could continue with a long listing of music that has stirred my emotions and aided my spiritual journey, but the above is sufficient to illustrate the potential music can have in drawing us into a closer relationship with God.

Yes, God created the hills, and the valleys, to be alive with music for that very purpose. I cannot listen to a mockingbird singing his seemingly endless repertoire of songs without my spirit being lifted and encouraged.

I encourage you to think about what music and songs you may have been listening to and singing or humming during the past months. Can you say that they are inspiring and encouraging you in your life journey? If not, maybe you need to change your choice of music.

Dr. Thibault concludes, “Other kinds of music may be more important to you. Classical pieces have enormous power to evoke spiritual feelings and remind us of God. Even jazz, which was one of Merton’s favorite forms of music, can do this for some. …How about the love song from West Side Story – “One Hand, One Heart”? Some hymns could not come as close as this to being prayer. So, try experimenting with music as a medium for prayer – it may quicken your spirit more than any other way of being with God.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 6/19/24