Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God

The Miracle at Dunkirk

Saturday in Houston was The Response.  It was the gathering called for by Texas Governor Perry to spend a “Day of Prayer and Fasting for our Nation’s Challenges.”  More than 30,000 Americans gathered there to pray for the Lord to have mercy on our country. They joined together with evangelical Christians gathered at some 1,300 satellite viewing locations in all 50 states.  Dr. James Dobson, one of the speakers, recounted the famous story of the miracle of Dunkirk and declared how we need another Dunkirk.  The following is taken from Joel Rosenberg’s newsletter regarding the event.

The year was 1940. The moment was one of the darkest in the history of the English people. More than 300,000 British troops suddenly found themselves pinned down in northern France. Nazi forces were bearing down on them. The Brits didn’t have enough ammunition or supplies. At any moment, Hitler’s forces would launch a ferocious attack. The Brits faced imminent annihilation.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his advisors thought at best the navy could rescue 20,000 to 30,000 before it was too late. Others feared even that might not be possible. And the stakes couldn’t have been higher. If so many forces were wiped out, Hitler and the Nazis would invade the British Isles — and win.

So the King of England called for a national day of prayer. That Sunday, an estimated 70 percent of the British people showed up at churches all over the country. They begged for the Lord’s mercy on their fathers and sons, and for their national survival. And the Lord heard those heartfelt prayers and responded with what became known as “the miracle at Dunkirk.”

Hitler inexplicably delayed giving his generals the order to finish off the Brits. A great storm over Germany prevented Nazi planes from being able to take off. The British people quickly assembled some 900 fishing boats, yachts, trawlers, and other private and government vessels, and began ferrying the troops off the French beaches and back to England a few at a time. By the grace of God, nearly a third of a million souls were saved as a result, as was the British nation.

I am reminded of 1 Chronicles 5:20.  The children of Israel were in a battle, and God gave them victory, “…because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.” God answers prayer!

Romans 2:4b  …not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Have you ever had a friend or someone in your life that believed in you and was for you, no matter what?  Have you ever been that person for someone you know?  The relationship is so strong and motivation so right that difficult things can be communicated because the trust is there.

Many years ago when we were involved in ministry, we moved back to an area we had lived in before.  When we arrived we heard very negative things about two individuals we knew – Bill and Erik.  Bill had been a very good friend and Erik was more of an acquaintance. Erik was a newer Christian and bit more radical.  He had also been the recipient of some good things that I thought (at that time) should have come to me.

Although I am forgiven, I am still humbled by my very different responses to these two brothers.  I was so troubled by what I heard that I met with Bill at our center late one night.  I shared with him what I had become aware of and reaffirmed my love for him and our friendship.  I let him know that I would help him in anyway that I could.  We shared, wept and prayed with each other.

With Erik, the troubling things I heard fit with my perception of him.  I simply wrote him off.  Sometime later after we had moved away, the Lord confronted me with the question of why my responses to these two brothers were so different.  As I pondered the question, the answer became so embarrassingly obvious:  I loved Bill and didn’t love Erik!

When the Lord showed me this, it wasn’t like a trip to the woodshed or the Principal’s office.  It was like a treasured friend taking me aside and sitting down with me for a talk.  Although painful to hear, the relationship enabled me to hear and receive the truth about myself.  Instead of experiencing rejection, my Lord had His arm around my shoulders – affirming me.

Because of God’s kindness, I was lovingly being offered insight into my own misbehavior so that I might repent and learn.  Isn’t that one of the most marvelous realities of our life with Him?  He will regularly show us where we need to change – and enable us to change – so that our lives will be a continuous, ongoing transformation into the image of Christ.  May we all see that this is our daily way of life with Him and recognize His kindness.

Acts 2:11b  we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Pentecost Sunday is such an important day in church history.  It is the day we commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers in Jerusalem.  Jesus instructed His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the gift the Father promised.  Within a few days they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.  This was needed in order for them to be His witnesses.

There were God-fearing Jews from every nation staying in Jerusalem at that time. Then on Pentecost Sunday, the Jews were bewildered as they came together to behold what was happening because each one heard his own native language being spoken by the followers of Jesus.  They were utterly amazed and didn’t understand how this could be because they recognized the speakers as all being Galileans.  Peter then spoke to the crowd about Jesus and what was happening.  About 3,000 were added to their number that day!

There are so many wonderful things that we could focus on when we consider this marvelous event.  What particularly strikes me is the fact of what was ‘what was being said’ by the followers of Jesus, in all of the languages of the believing Jews.  Each Jew heard them declaring in his own tongue, the wonders of God!  Some other translations describe what the believing Jews heard as: the magnificent acts of God; the wonderful works of God; or the mighty works of God.

Yes, the day was filled with the supernatural power of God.  The church received the outpouring of the Spirit spoken of by the prophet Joel.  Jesus was preached with thousands coming to believe in Him.  But remember, it was all about God!  The believing Jews heard these ‘witnesses’ declaring the wonders – the magnificent acts of their God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Two thousand years later, we rejoice because we serve the same all-powerful God – the Holy One of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!  There is none like Him.  We too share in the incredible privilege of being His witnesses.  When we truly walk in His ways, we get to experience the thrill of our very lives declaring the wonder of our God.  That thought is worth giving serious consideration:  How do our lives declare the wonder of our God?

Exodus 20:12  “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Today is the 80^th anniversary of my parents’ wedding day.  Oscar Schmidt and Louise Diamond were married just before the start of her senior year in high school.  She was 17 years old.  My father promised her father that she would graduate from high school, which she did.  They were married 63 years when my father went to be with Jesus. Today Oscar would be 102 and Louise would be 97.

They weren’t perfect people and had their share of faults.  But they also had many important qualities.  One of the difficulties in life is our tendency to focus on the negatives in relationships rather than the positives.  But love overlooks the faults and the failings.  It’s not that they aren’t dealt with; it’s just that they can become overblown in our minds and we lose sight of the treasure that is there.

Although my dad and I argued all the time when together, when we were apart (my going to college) we seemed to get along much better. Then he had a powerful experience with the Lord at a Methodist prayer retreat in Michigan in the fall of 1967.  It really transformed my dad.  A year later they invited me to join them at this same retreat.  I really didn’t want to go, but nothing was going on at college and it came down to not wanting to disappoint them because I knew my coming was important to them.  It was there that I encountered the Lord in a way beyond anything I could imagine!

As their faith grew, Mom’s friends nicknamed her Andrew, because she was forever telling someone about Jesus.  She and Dad made quite a pair.  They became prayer warriors (intercessors).  I’m sure it was through their prayers that my brother (Richard), sister (Judy) and I received many blessings.  One of the foremost of which is that Richard and his wife just celebrated their 42^nd anniversary while Judy and her husband and Donna and I are celebrating our 41^st anniversaries this year.

All of us are somebody’s kids – and most of us are parents.  Take some time over the next few days to focus on the positives in your relationships with your parents and your children.  Look past the negatives and hard places.  Allow the Lord to increase your appreciation for the positives that are there and to have wisdom in how to pray so that the relationships will be strengthened.  Appreciate those you have while they are still here.

Acts 16:34  The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

Have you experienced a time of when you thought you were following God and everything seemed to go wrong?  You struggled with thoughts that you missed what He wanted you to do.  Then in the midst of some of the worst difficulties, things happened that only He could have arranged and you saw that He was orchestrating the events the whole time.

The 16^th chapter of Acts contains such a story and it is one of the most remarkable stories in the Bible.  It details the events leading up to and including this jailer and his family coming to believe in God through the ministry of Paul and Silas.  These events are rather extraordinary and not exactly what we think of when we discuss God providing us with opportunities to share our faith and lead others to the Lord.

It started with a vision.  Paul wanted to go elsewhere but God used it to direct them to Macedonia.  Things seemed to be going well until Paul cast a fortune-telling spirit out of a slave girl.  Her owners became upset because this meant that they ceased to earn a great deal of money from the girl.  Due to the owners’ efforts Paul and Silas became ‘public enemies 1 & 2’.  They were seized, with the crowd joining in; dragged into the marketplace before the authorities; stripped, beaten, severely flogged and thrown into prison.  Just to get where God wanted them to be!

The jailer, having been warned, placed them in an inner cell with their feet in stocks.  At midnight, instead of sleeping or grumbling or being distressed over their fate – they were praying and singing hymns to God, with all the others listening!  Then a violent earthquake struck that set everyone free – but no one tried to escape.  The jailer was about to kill himself, but Paul shouted out and stopped him from harming himself.

What a blessing that Paul and Silas were more concerned about the jailer than their freedom.  What a blessing that they were glorifying God.  The jailer came and fell trembling before Paul and Silas – asking what he must do to be saved!  He and his whole household responded to their instructions and experienced the joy of salvation.

The next morning, the authorities wanted to release them as though nothing had happened!  I have no difficulty believing that God orchestrated all these events, simply to reach the jailer and his household.  Yes, a group of believers was established there in that city.  But the series of supernatural events led to the conversion of this jailer and his family.  Paul and Silas were faithful in spite of the unjust suffering and abuse they endured.  Do we understand that the Lord will do similar things with us today?  Are we willing?

James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Zach & Neva and their two daughters lived two houses over from us when I was a boy growing up.  They were friends of my parents and were like close relatives to us.  Our families celebrated birthdays together and just enjoyed one another.  When I was a high school senior, Zach helped me get a really good part-time job.  They were great neighbors.  They were members of the EUB church – Evangelical United Brethren.

From my earliest memories, they were always Zach and Neva – never Mr. and Mrs. McPherson or ‘Uncle Zach and Aunt Neva’ – just Zach and Neva.  While Zach had a regular job, he was also a handyman.  He was one of those blessed individuals who knew how to fix or repair all kinds of things.  I remember admiring his work area in his basement.  He had all kinds of tools and invariably he was always working on a project.

Of all the memories I have of Zach, one stands out far above all the rest.  It’s not just one incident, but it’s a whole bunch of them that are wonderfully similar.  Zach was always working on a number of houses in our neighborhood.  I would see him at these houses painting, repairing things, putting up or taking down storm windows. It was a normal sight that I grew up with.

I finally got old enough as a child to wonder about it and so I asked my folks why Zach was frequently working at these houses.  You can guess the answer.  These houses were the homes of older widows or people who needed help.  Zach was there for them – year after year.  He never talked about it – he just did it.  Whenever I read this verse in James about looking after orphans and widows, I think of Zach.

Hebrews 5:14  But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

Although I grew up in a small port city on the Lake Michigan, I never got to experience sailing until I earned a sales trip to Bermuda.  One of the events for the participants was a sailboat race.  There were three big sailboats and a course laid out for the race that involved sailing in all directions – with and against the wind.  A staggered start was used with the slowest boat going first and the fastest last.  Donna and I were on the middle sailboat.

What a wonderful adventure.  We passed the first sailboat and managed to keep ahead of the fastest one that was methodically gaining on us.  We were still leading when we had one more buoy to sail around and then it would be a sprint for the finish line.  The other sailboat was closing and the strong cross-wind was a real challenge.

I was standing next to our captain as we rounded the final buoy.  He commented that he thought the other sailboat would pass us and win the race, but then he let out a whoop, and yelled, “We’re going to win!”  He explained that the other captain misread the wind and made a wrong move.  This resulted in his sails collapsing and a loss of momentum.  It took him several minutes to regain his speed but by then we were nearing the finish line.

That captain lost because he misread the wind.  Our verse today speaks of acquiring a similar skill – that of distinguishing between good and evil. Sometimes telling the difference is easy, like sailing with the wind at your back.  But other times, it can be much more difficult – thus the imperative of having our senses trained.  Being able to distinguish good from evil is an absolutely essential skill that every believer must practice and develop.  We need it every day and cannot afford to misread the ‘wind’.

Here is the Amplified version of this verse which makes it even clearer how important this skill is: “But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.”

Hebrews 13:6  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Years ago when our oldest sons were young, we went to Six Flags over Georgia.  Although I’m the one in our family who had a fear of heights and was allergic to roller coasters, it was my fate to accompany the boys on a couple of rides that I would never have chosen.

I have such a vivid memory of standing in line for this super rollercoaster, dreading every minute of it, while all the children and other adults around me are so excited they can hardly stand it.  Then there was the parachute drop!  Again it was my fate to accompany Jamie on it.  While in line I was timing things so I knew just how long it would take to ascend and drop.

Our turn came and we sat on the tiny board that passed for a seat.  It felt like it was about 4” wide and that I was going to slide off even though we were belted in.  Then, instead of hitting the button to send us up, the guy forgot and turned to the second parachute – prolonging my agony.  He finally turned, saw his mistake – and hit the button   As we ascended, seemingly forever, I kept telling myself I would live through this.  By the time we got to the top, the board underneath me felt like it was 2” wide.

Needless to say, I lived.  I can laugh now, but fear is a reality of life.  Life is filled with opportunities that seem to have fear associated with them.  While sometimes it can be healthy, and keep us safe, often it is a barrier that we must overcome to accomplish what we need or want to do. Rather than viewing fear as a negative and being repulsed by it, see it as a sign of an opportunity to grow.

Sometimes fear will still be a companion – like with me when I fly.  But with God as our helper we can keep fear in its place and thrive in the opportunities that come – whether they be cold calling, speaking in a meeting or going on a mission trip to Afghanistan.   It’s important that we see that often fear is not a barrier – but a doorway.  With God’s help, we can walk through it.

Luke 9:23  Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

If you’re like me, you take advantage of the resources available on line to seek answers to the ‘How To’ questions we have.  There’s stuff we need to do, and by going to Bing or Google we can type in our issue and find sources that tell us how to do it.  Today’s verse offers us a prime example of a ‘How To’ issue.  We might ask, “Please tell me ‘How To’ 1) deny myself, 2) take up my cross, and 3) follow Jesus.  We want to do these things, but how?

Some of the themes we’ve been writing about are walking in His ways; obeying His commands; loving God; and continuing in His word.  We have contrasted suggestions versus commands.  We’ve talked about the problem some of us have when we hear the word ‘commands’.  It’s like we have an allergic reaction to the word.  But we must get past that to recognize they are the answers to the great “How To’s” of our faith.

Our goal is to help us come to grips with the fact that the New Testament is filled with such ‘answers’ that we as Christians are to ‘do’.  Today let’s look at some of the ‘answers’ that are spread throughout the New Testament that describe denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Jesus:

• Do everything in love.
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit
• In humility consider others better than yourselves
• Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus
• Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
• Do everything without complaining or arguing
• Rejoice in the Lord always
• Let your gentleness be evident to all
• Do not be anxious about anything
• Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry
• Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
• Bear with each other
• Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another
• Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
• Be thankful
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
• Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men

Do we understand that these are not suggestions!  And they are just a handful of what the Bible contains for us.  They are not elective or optional.  By embracing these things and allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in us, we deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus.  This is the way – and the only way – to express our love to God.

Psalm 85:5  You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

I have kept journals for years.  I love to look back five or ten years ago to see what was happening in my life.  Sometimes I rediscover experiences that bring back great memories of family or trips or things at work.  Other times I read about struggles and difficulties we’ve gone through.

One of the cool things that I’ve done with some of my journals over the years is to highlight with a marker special times with the Lord.  I get blessed again reading about the times when He has really blessed me by showing me things in my life or by manifesting His presence while I’m in prayer.  There are times when He just overwhelms me with joy – where I simply weep because I am so overcome with gratitude for His goodness to me.

It is so wonderful to be forgiven – and more than that – to be chosen; to belong; to be loved.  Years ago, when we were just married, we were about to become involved in a ministry to street people.  I prayed and asked the Lord how I could relate to them since I had basically been a good kid.  I never did drugs and I had a good home.  The Lord spoke so clearly to me.  He said, “You know what it’s like to be lonely.”  And I did.  Only half-jokingly did I talk about myself being left out, un-chosen and left behind.

But when Jesus made me His own – all that changed.  For nearly 43 years, God’s forgiveness, His goodness and His abounding love have been life to me.  And the great news is that He has this for all of us.  He wants us all to be so caught up in the wonder of Him and His love that we want to live for Him more than anything.

He is not distant.  He is not aloof.  He does not leave us alone.  He never forsakes us.  He paid the greatest price imaginable for us to become His family.  The more we say ‘yes’ to Him, the richer our relationship with Him becomes.  These realities become bedrock within us – able to withstand any ‘storm’ that we go through.  What a thrill to be passionately in love with Him!