Death is Powerless

Ezekiel 37:1-14.   Psalm 130.    Romans 8:6-11.   John 11:1-45.   

Death is Powerless

I find it interesting that our readings for this Sunday (the first Sunday in Lockdown in South Africa as we can call it in liturgical language) zeroes in on the powerlessness of death. The great enemy of humankind since the Fall is still subject to the one who rules and reigns supreme over all things, seen and unseen. 

The English Anglican minister and poet, John Donne, wrote a sonnet best known by its opening line: Death Be Not Proud. Apparently, he suffered from a major illness during his eighth year as an Anglican minister that brought him face to face with death. This may have been the background to the writing of the poem that was composed somewhere between February and August 1609 and interestingly enough, only published posthumously in 1633. 

It is an interesting poem as in it the poet addressed death as if it were a person. Donne warned death against pride in the mere illusion of power…while death may think it brings an end to life, in reality it opens a door to eternity for its alleged victims. While death parades as a fearsome force it is actually slave to other powers that are the real takers of life on earth (and we can think of a few – war, disease, famine, and the like). Even in the rest it brings, Donne says, it is inferior to sleep aids and other drugs. 

But to me the most interesting part of the poem is the final line: “And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”

The first part of this final line alludes to 1 Corinthians 15:26 in which the Apostle Paul tells us that the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself. But then Donne uses a simple punctuation mark to drive his point home. Death – comma – thou shalt die. Do you see it? Death is but a brief pause in a sentence…it is not a full stop…it is but a moment. When the last breath is taken on earth the first breath is taken in eternity. There is nothing more than a brief pause…life does not cease…it continues beyond death and therefore death is nothing more than a comma. 

Addressing the dying, penitent thief on the cross Jesus emphatically stated, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Not tomorrow, but today. Paul said: absent from the body, present with the Lord. A comma…a brief interlude…and then life eternally.

The Scriptures tell us and we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life…just as death came into the world through the disobedience of our forebears…it has been conquered and annulled through Christ’s resurrection from the dead. All who are in Christ will live even though they die. So, why fear death when we have life? Death is nothing but a brief break in a sentence…a comma…nothing more than a momentary pause before being defeated by life.

Our Old Testament and New Testament passages remind us that nothing is hopeless as far as our God is concerned. A valley filled with bones which the prophet described as very dry was transformed when the breath of God blew over it. A tomb serving as the final resting place of a decomposing corpse had to surrender when the voice of Jesus demanded the release of its captive. 

True, the Apostle Paul reminds us in our Epistle reading from the book of Romans that allowing our sinful nature to control us will lead to a death beyond death as the sinful nature is hostile to God, the only true source of life. If one rejects God, one rejects life. But then Paul hastened to add that those who have the Spirit of God living in them are no longer controlled by the old sinful nature but by the new nature that is ours in Christ. This is the hope of all followers of Jesus. Just as the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to our mortal bodies by the same Spirit who lives in those of us who are in Him.

Dearest beloved brethren, it is our participation in the life of Christ that defeats death. That is why I love the Eucharist so much…it is such a perfect illustration of the reality of our union with the one who has conquered death and overcome the world…the one who has defeated sin and Satan. Just as the elements of bread and wine are ingested and digested to become part of us, so too the fullness of the Godhead lives and reigns in those who abide in Him. Jesus said that nothing can snatch us from His hand. Paul said that overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loves us…nothing…nothing can ever separate us from the love of God…neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the heavens above or on the earth below – nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus.

So do not fear dear frightened fledgling flock of God. Put your trust and your hope in the Lord because with Him is unfailing love. The unknown is best left in the hands of the one from whom nothing is hidden. While it may seem like the dark clouds of doom are gathering to unleash on us a storm of hideous proportions, we are as safe in Him as was Noah, his family, and the animals in the Ark. Come what may, life or death, we know that in Jesus death hold no sway…in Jesus death is rendered powerless…in Jesus, death is nothing more than a brief pause…nothing more than a comma…

© Johannes W H van der Bijl Lent 2020

TRUE SIGHT

1 Samuel 16:1-13.   Psalm 23.   Ephesians 5:8-14.   John 9:1-41

True Sight

How many of us have turned to Psalm 23 for comfort in our darkest moments? There is a reason why this particular Psalm speaks to humankind universally. To know that the Creator of everything that exists is a benevolent shepherd helps us face seemingly insurmountable odds in life…especially when whatever it is that we are facing is unfamiliar territory to us. 

When we were children, we used to go to my dad’s farm for the school holidays. In the city we had power in the house all the time…and we had streetlights outside…so there was always some form of light at night. But on the farm, unless there was a moon out, once my dad turned off the generator, it was dark…so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Now, as we were all familiar with the layout of the house and the furniture, if we needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, we could easily find our way without bumping into things or falling over things. My parents would allow us to bring friends along from time to time and, as they were not familiar with the layout, going to the bathroom at night was hazardous. There was many a wet spot on the floor the next morning.

As human beings, we have limitations. None of us know what will happen the next millisecond. In one sense, we all live in the dark. The only reason why we can engage in any form of future planning is because certain things in day to day life are consistent and therefore predictable. These are basic things such as the rising and setting of the sun and seasonal changes. But although we may confidently assume that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, we have no guarantee that we will. This is why it is heartening to know that even the darkest night is as day for God…and, if we are in Him and walk in Him, we can rest in that knowledge.

For this reason, we as children of the light ought to live differently to those who are still children of the darkness. For them, not knowing what lies ahead ought to be scary. They ought to panic when the World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 virus a pandemic. For them any disease is disconcerting as all is unknown territory...the valley of the shadow of death is terrifying as they have no shepherd and they have no light. There is no certainty of a favorable outcome. 

But we, dearest beloved brethren, we who know the one who is light, we know regardless of what happens, He is with us. There is a table of blessing…there is an overflowing cup…there is goodness and mercy…there is an eternal home…all these things are ours if we are in Him and if we abide in Him. 

We only know what can be seen…like God said to Samuel, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God sees and knows what we do not…what we cannot. He is the only one to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden. Nothing takes him by surprise. To Him there are no unknown entities…no unknown agendas…no unknown conspiracies. He sees all and knows all.

Of course, this does not stop people from pretending they can see. Like the Pharisees in our Gospel story there are many whose darkness is so intense and who embrace that darkness so completely that they prefer darkness to light. In one sense one can understand this as the rejection of spiritual certainties allows them to live life according to their own sets of rules. The moment you bring spiritual certainties into the equation you must abide by them.

And this has become a huge problem for many who approach the Scriptures as they would a buffet table. While the concept of eternal bliss is attractive, the submission to a restricted way of life is abhorrent. So, their approach to the Word of God is the same as that of the serpent in the Garden. “Has God really said?” Rather than allowing Scripture to transform them, they find creative ways to reinterpret it to suit their chosen lifestyle whatever that may be. They recreate God in their own image, as it were. So, while they claim to walk in the light…while they claim to see…they are in reality blindly walking in darkness.

This, of course, poses a problem for them when they deal with those of us who accept that God has indeed said what He has said. My position is simply this. If you are going to embrace Christ, you must be prepared to live like Christ. Christ lived a life in obedience to the plain teaching of Scripture…and if we claim to be in Him, we must live as He lived. We are light in the Lord…we can no longer live in the darkness. We are to carefully determine what pleases the Lord, not what pleases us.

The Jewish leaders in our Gospel story refused to believe in Jesus because He had broken their man-made rules with regard to Sabbath observance. They had reinterpreted the Scriptures in such a way that rules became more important than humans…or more pointedly, more important than what God had really said about the Sabbath. This past week we witnessed this type of “reinterpretation” in an ecclesiastical trial where a biblically faithful man was censured by the church hierarchy for refusing to abide by a synodical decision that in effect went against the plain teaching of Scripture and the orthodox and historical teaching of the universal Church. In essence, what the church did in this case was to call good evil and evil good. 

What has baffled me for years now is why would one wish to embrace Christianity and then refuse to abide by Christian values and norms! There are many other religions out there. Pick whichever you like, but don’t come and rearrange the Scriptures to suit your own agenda and then call me a bigot for accepting the faith as once delivered and received.  

Rearranging the Scriptures would be like our friends rearranging the furniture in my dad’s farmhouse rather than learning the layout before lights out. Adam and Eve tried that approach in the Garden, and you know what that led to! If we are to avoid disaster when walking through dark valleys, we need to walk where the One Who is Light tells us to walk! 

I believe in freedom of choice. You are free to choose whatever you wish to believe. But you are not free to change what I believe and expect me to abide by your changes. I decided long ago to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to depend on my own limited understanding…I decided to do what He tells me to do in and through His Word…I was and still am determined to find out and do what is pleasing to Him…because I believe with all my heart that this is how we as humans ought to navigate the path we call life. 

I don’t know what waits for me around the very next corner, but I believe He does. So, I want to walk with Him. That, I believe, is true sight. I trust the one who sees all to guide me and to keep me safe. I dare not trust my own understanding. 

Why do I trust Him so explicitly or blindly, as some might say? Because His Word has yet to be proved false. Every time I participate in the Eucharist, I am reminded that God kept His promise. That dark day when sin entered the world because our forebears refused to believe and abide by what He had clearly said, God promised that one day the Seed of the woman would come to set things right again. And He did. Jesus came and paid the penalty for my sin…

Psalm 139 tells me that God saw me before I was born…He saw every day of my life before there was one of them…and yet He still loved me enough to die for me. He saw it all…He knew it all…and yet He still fulfilled His promise. And so, I decided to put my hand in His hand and to let Him lead because between the two of us, He’s the one who sees clearly.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl III 2020 

A God Who Forgives

Genesis 12:1-4a.   Psalm 121.   Romans 4:1-17.   John 3:1-17

A God Who Forgives

The fundamental foundation underlying everything we are and believe and do as the Church of Jesus Christ in the world is the simple fact that our God is a God who forgives. The bedrock upon which this foundation has been laid is, of course, the truth that this God is love. 

It is amazing to think that the one who created everything that exists, seen and unseen, not only loves us but loves us so much that He is willing to forgive us even when the sins we commit are, in essence, rebellion against Him. Keep in mind that in order for Him to forgive us He had to do what we couldn’t do…we couldn’t pay the penalty imposed upon us at the time of the Fall (or perhaps self-imposed upon us is a better way of describing what really happened in Eden as our ancestors knew full well what their flagrant disobedience would lead to)…we couldn’t pay that penalty because the penalty was death and we all have only one life to live and one life to give. So, the Scriptures tell us that in the fullness of time, God sent the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, into the world to take upon himself the form of a human so that He might pay the penalty as a human for humans. Unlike Adam and Eve and unlike us, the Son, Jesus, did not sin…and therefore the penalty of death did not apply to Him. So, through His sinless death He was able to cancel the penalty of all those who come under His protection, so to speak. 

We are all born into Adam at the time of our entrance into this world. Adam and Eve are our common ancestors and, as such, their sin was passed on to us through our connection to them like a deadly genetically transmittable disease. Paul tells us in Romans 5:12 that “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” But Jesus came as the second Adam…the second head of humanity, if you will…and His one act of righteous obedience brought all those who believe in Him into a right relationship with God once more.

This is what Jesus meant by telling Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. He was born once into Adam and therefore into death. But by faith in Jesus and in His finished work on the cross, we can be reborn spiritually into life. We are then no longer in Adam, but in Christ…and the penalty of death has been cancelled as it was paid by Jesus Himself.

That, dearest beloved brethren, that is how much God loves us. Doesn’t that just blow your mind? To give your life for the sake of a friend is commendable…but to give your life for your enemy…that’s a totally different ballgame, no?

And this was always God’s intention…from even before the moment Eve took the first bite, God was planning to make it possible for the human race to be reconciled to Him through Jesus. Right there, as He spoke out the penalty as recorded in Genesis 3, God said that one day the Seed of the woman would come to undo through obedience what had been done through disobedience. He repeated this when He told Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him and through his Seed…his descendent (singular – read what Paul has to say about this in Galatians 3)…the one who, in the fullness of time, would be born of a woman to redeem those who under the law were condemned to die…so that we might receive the adoption into God’s family as sons and daughters.

Now, I want us to pause to think about this. We live on a tiny planet in a huge solar system. What’s more, the people with more brains than me have discovered that our universe isn’t all there is…some even speak about a ‘multiverse’…although it is debatable whether such a things exists…others say that there are even more galaxies out there…I’m told that our universe has 2 trillion galaxies 1X10^24 stars…more planets…bigger and bigger…and yet, they have not found any other life form like that found on planet earth. Think on that for a moment. Whatever the truth may be as to the size of what’s out there beyond our atmosphere…out of this vast expanse…some beyond what we are able to see even with our strongest telescopes…the One who created it all looks down at this tiny wee speck we call home and He loves us…loves us enough to die for us. 

But this love is not a general love. It is very specific and particular. In the Psalm we read today we were told that the God who made heaven and earth cares for us in a very real and tangible way. He will not allow us to stumble as He watches over us all the time…He neither slumbers nor sleeps…He is always vigilant and attentive. This God stands beside us as a protective shade…He keeps us from all harm as He is conscious of every aspect of our lives. 

Of course, we may not always be aware of this love…at times we may wonder if God has forgotten about us. Some people even believe that God is not intimately involved in the world at all, much less our lives…that He created everything and then left it to its own devices. But this is not what Scriptures teaches us. Yes, we do all go through trials and tribulations…we all suffer and struggle at various levels, some more than others…we will all die one day from something unpleasant. 

But have you ever considered what life would be like if God was not on our side? If God was not for us or with us? That would be hell on earth and hell for eternity.

So, how do we unravel this apparent contradiction? Jesus told Nicodemus that we live in a world where darkness is cherished by those who do not want to come to the light. In other words, on this side of eternity, light and darkness exist side by side. This darkness does attempt to encroach on our lives from time to time…and so we will suffer while we are still in the world…but we must always remember that Jesus has overcome the world…he has overcome the darkness…and those who are in Jesus have light even in the darkness…and we have eternal life. The darkness is real but temporary and, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 23, we know that He is with us even when we walk through the valleys of shadows. 

We see this once again so clearly in the Eucharist, don’t we? Behind the Table there will always be the shadow of the cross…after all, these elements represent His Body broken for you, His blood shed for you…but it is through that very shadow that we see the Light! The judgement that was ours by right was absorbed by Jesus…because our God wants to forgive us because He loves us.

So, as you come to receive the bread and wine this morning, come with thankful and grateful hearts…let the arms that once were stretched out on the cross enfold you in an eternal embrace. Know that in Jesus you are forgiven and you are accepted in the beloved…know that you are loved…let that wash over you this morning…and go to share your gratitude with those who have yet to hear about the God who forgives.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2020

Rise! Take your mat and walk.

2 Kings 5:1-14    Mark 2:1-12

Rise! Take your mat and walk

You will agree with me that we have just heard two very interesting readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. 

In the Old Testament, a pagan general by the name of Naaman from Aram, an enemy state, had leprosy. While we are not exactly sure of the nature of this particular biblical disease (and in case you’re wondering, it is not what we know as leprosy today), we do know that it was visible and it was unsightly and the person who had the disease was feared and considered infectious and unclean and usually not allowed to be in contact with the general public. 

This man had an Israelite slave girl working as a domestic worker in his home. This slave girl…who for all intents and purpose would be considered an “insignificant” person (we don’t even know her name), but her witness to the power of her God is key to the whole story. If she had not told this general’s wife about the prophet in Samaria, he would never have been healed. So, right off the bat we learn an important lesson…no one is insignificant in God’s kingdom. Every one of us has a role to play. We must tell others about our great God…

Naaman told his king about what this young slave girl had said, so the king of Aram wrote an introductory letter to the king of Samaria asking him to heal his general of leprosy. Naaman also took gifts with him (340 kgs of silver, 68 kgs of gold, 10 sets of clothing) as in his culture that is what you did when you tried to convince a god to do something for you. Something like a bribe…

But the king of Samaria misunderstood and thought that the king of Aram was trying to pick a fight with him. He tore his royal robes in dismay and said, “Am I God that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy?”

Here is the second lesson for us who pray. It is not us…it is not about us…it is not our prayers that heal people or help people or save people…it is our God who hears our prayers who heals, helps and saves. In this the king of Samaria was right…he was not God and could not help the general.

But Elisha, the prophet of God, heard what had happened, so he told the king to send the general to him. 

So, Naaman went with his horses and chariots and his gifts and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But instead of coming out to greet this important man, the prophet sent a messenger with instructions for Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan river. The general was furious. He was expecting some form of hocus pocus at least! A wave of the hand or an elaborate ritual of sorts…incantations…shouting…dancing…singing…something! But not just a message to go and swim in a muddy river!

Herein lies another lesson for us all…God is no respecter of persons regardless of their rank or status or socio-economic standing…in God’s eyes all are equal. But also we learn that effective prayer does not need ritual, incantations, shouting, rolling on the floor, strange languages, or even the repetitive abuse of the name of Jesus as if it were some magic word…some mantra like that used by the Buddhists. More often than not when God healed someone in biblical times, it was a quite simple affair…a word, a touch, or a simple command to wash…and a simple obedient response.

But now we come to the important part of the story for our gathering here today. Naaman in his fury was about to walk away without following through with Elisha’s instructions…but his friends cared enough for him that they reasoned with him. “If the prophet had told you to do something very difficult (spectacular) wouldn’t you have done it? What have you got to lose…go dip yourself in the Jordan.” This is our role as prayer warriors…as intercessors. We stand in the gap as Naaman’s friends stood in the gap. You see, it is often our prayers, our words, our urging, and our helping, that brings people…or even nations…to the place where they might be healed by God. 

As a country, Zimbabwe needs healing…in short Zimbabwe needs God. Indeed, every country needs God as only God can heal our countries…only God can mend the broken…only God can turn hearts and minds. Throughout the world, people tend to put their trust and their faith in humans…we call these particular humans, politicians. But while some of the better politicians have tried, they have failed again and again and again because they are only human. So, the first step in praying for a country or for the world or simply for an individual is to acknowledge that only God can heal…only God can heal our nations…because only God can do the impossible…only God can turn the hearts and minds of humans.

Like the king of Samaria in this story, our leaders also need to tear their clothes and admit that they are not able to do what only God can do! In fact, we all need to confess that we have been blind…that we have placed our faith and trust in mere humans…in human ideas, philosophies, and strategies! We all need to repent and turn back to God…as the Lord says in 2 Chronicles 7:14,  “If my people, (not kings or presidents or prime ministers or senates or parliaments) which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” It is though OUR humility…it is through our prayers…it is through our seeking the face of our God…it is though our repentance, often confessing the sins of our nation as if they were our own (like Daniel), that opens the ear of God. We, dearest beloved people of God…we are the ones who must act if the world is to change.

And we all know the end of the story. Naaman listened to his friends, washed in the river Jordan and was healed. God can do the impossible, so let us strive to obey Him.

Something very similar happened in our New Testament reading. We don’t know how long the man had been paralyzed…none of the authors of the three synoptic Gospels give us that information. But they do tell us that he was brought to Jesus on a mat by his friends. As the entrance to the house where Jesus was staying was blocked by the crowds, they decided to go up on the roof, remove the tiles, and lower their friend before Jesus. These are the kind of friends you want around you all the time!

In a way, this is how prayer works…we simply bring someone (or some situation) to Jesus…not letting anything get in the way…and we don’t stop until we have achieved our purpose. After all, that’s what friends are for, no?

But I want you to note that it is their determination…their faith…their trust…to which Jesus responded. All three Gospels say the same thing: “Seeing THEIR faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’” Remember, IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY NAME…our humbling, our praying, our turning, our confessing…that gets God’s attention.

So, here are three things we need to pay attention to: 

1.     The first is the foundation of all forms of prayer, namely faith. Faith is simply believing and trusting that someone greater than yourself is able and willing to intervene positively on your behalf. In the case of these four men, they truly believed that Jesus was able to heal their friend. But there was more to their action than belief…there was a trust that the effort would be rewarded…otherwise they would not have broken open the roof…which may have gotten them into trouble with the house owner. Plus it is one thing to believe that someone is able to help you…it is quite another to believe that they would be willing. So, there are four components that make up the underlying reasoning for prayer: belief and trust in the ability and willingness of the one petitioned. All four components appear to be present in the action of the four men.

2.     The second is Jesus’ positive response. The rabbis of the day would not have responded with kindness if the man before them was considered inferior for some or other reason, especially if there was some form of sin involved. Most rabbis at that time would have been more concerned with ritual purity and would have condemned the man outright, saying that he deserved what he got…he was sick because he had sinned. But in stark contrast, our Lord responded with kindness and compassion. Note the term of address used by Jesus. “My son” or “My child”. It is a term of endearment. Knowing that Jesus is a friend of sinners is important to us who pray for others…we know that he will welcome them in the same way he welcomed this paralyzed man…with tenderness and love. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying that Jesus downplayed the seriousness of sin. Not one whit. If he did, he would not have died on the cross so that we can be forgiven. His response was not, I’m ok, you’re ok, go along your merry way. No, he addressed sin as something in need of forgiveness. But he did not see sin as an insurmountable barrier to a meaningful relationship with him. He came to overcome sin…to break down the dividing wall…to remove the obstacle between us and our creator. And so, we bring our friends, believers and unbelievers alike, before him knowing that he will welcome them as lost lambs desperately needing to be found. Jesus loves us as we are when we come to him, knowing full well that by ourselves we cannot better ourselves much less save ourselves. BUT He loves us enough not to leave us where we are. He provides forgiveness so that we can be free from sin…

3.     The third is the fact that Jesus is able and willing to forgive sins. This is the great leveler of humanity…the fact that we all need to be forgiven. All have sinned, the Scriptures tell us. All fall short of the glory of God. There are no exceptions. Even the best of us are equally in need of forgiveness. Therefore, Jesus expects us to forgive as we have been forgiven…to do otherwise would be to play the hypocrite…it would be to be wholly unlike God in every way. The ground, my dearest beloved brethren, is level at the foot of the cross…no one stands higher than another. Every one of us need to hear the words, “your sin has been forgiven.”  And so we pray for all…our families, our friends, but also our foes. We are to love our enemies and to do good to those who use us and abuse us. We must bring them to Jesus as they are need of forgiveness as much as we are. It is like one beggar taking another beggar to a place where they can find bread. 

So, like the young slave girl, we tell people where they can find help. Like the friends, we don’t stop until we have brought people in need to His feet. 

The next thing I would like to draw your attention to in this story of the paralyzed man is the fact that there will always be obstacles and opposition. Opposition comes in many forms…it may be our own Christian brothers and sisters who object to what we may be doing or the manner in which we do it. They may question our authority or our ability or our methods…or raise objections with regard to whom we pray for or reach out to. Or the spiritual forces of darkness may oppose us in various ways. But opposition is not just external…opposition may also come in a form of internal discouragement or doubt…we pray and pray and pray and see no results…and so we stop praying. 

Please do not give in to such opposition! We must persist. We must press on. There has to be follow through. Imagine if the friends had not insisted that Naaman dip himself in the Jordan. Imagine if the friends of the paralyzed man had stopped and turned away at the door to the full house. Imagine if Jesus gave in to the objections of the Pharisees that day. The man may not have been healed, right? But he did not stop when others questioned his authority. No, he pressed on. He persisted. He followed through and said to the man, “Rise. Take up your mat and walk.” 

So, when you pray today, reflect on what you have heard about Naaman and the paralyzed man…what led them to the place of healing? Think about the little slave girl…do you think you are insignificant? That your prayers do not matter? Think about the king of Samaria and his confession that God alone can heal. Think about Naaman’s friends and the paralyzed man’s friends. Who can you bring to Jesus for healing? What can you bring to Jesus for healing? The nation of Zimbabwe? Our own nation? The world God loves so much? 

But most of all, think about Jesus. Think about His love…His sacrifice of himself once for all, opening up the way for sins to be forgiven, for walls to be broken down, for healing to be experienced on every level. Think about his kindness and his acceptance of sinners…think about his authority to forgive and cleanse and heal. May the heartbeat of Jesus direct your prayers this day and every day.

Let us pray:

God of amazing compassion and love of our wayward race, you call us to be a blessing for the world: keep us on this holy path, confident in the radiant life you offer; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2020