Peace like a river

But God’s Spirit tells us what matters to the Father

Isaiah 48:16-18, 22 And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit have sent me with this message. “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

The wonderful song “I’ve got peace like a river” has a prerequisite: obedience to the Lord.

Shutterstock: Elena_Alex_Ferns

This idea isn’t always popular. But even Jesus had to practice obedience to his Father (Hebrews 3:2, 5:8).

I just read through the book of Hebrews. Here are a few of the statements and instructions that stood out to me, that I need to embrace and obey:

Jesus’s throne endures forever. He rules with a scepter of justice (1:8). No human authority can take his place in our hearts.
Today, when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts (3:7). Keep my heart soft and receptive to the Lord (3:10). Deal with any bitterness or anger (12:15).
For the Word of God is alive and powerful … he is the one to whom we are accountable(4:12-13). When Scripture teaches something different from what others are saying, I must obey Scripture.
Solid food [of God’s Word] is for the mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong (5:14). Lord, keep growing me and teaching me.
Keep on loving others as long as life lasts(6:11). Don’t give in to the hate, slander, rude speech, and categorizing of others as “evil” so prominent in public discourse today. Give others honor and respect. Don’t speak disparagingly about others. Don’t assume that I know their hearts.
I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins … the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds (8:12, 9:14). Don’t keep grudges or hold on to hurts, even against myself.
Christ said [to his Father], “Look, I have come to do your will” (10:9). If even Jesus was obedient to the Father, how much more I must be.
We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him(10:19-22; 4:16). Several times the author of Hebrews reminds us of our welcome in the very presence of God, because Jesus opened the way for us. This is faith: trusting God’s judgment over my own.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (10:24). Not to acts of harm or violence.
Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us (10:29). When I see people behaving badly, even those claiming to do so in God’s holy name, I should feel compassion, because their judgment is coming. As God gives me mercy, I must extend mercy to others.
They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth … looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. … God has prepared a city for them (11:13-16). Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” So I should not let myself get tangled up in earthly affairs to the point of failing to invest in the world that will last forever (12:2, 13:14; 2 Cor 5:1, Col 3:2, 2 Tim 2:3-4).
Think of all the hostility Jesus endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up (12:3). This encouragement not to give up is a word I need to hear every day.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life … Look after each other(12:14-15). No matter what is going on around me. “Everyone” is inclusive!
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking to us from heaven. … Let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe (12:25-28). Tender, thankful heart.
Keep on loving each other … brothers and sisters, strangers, those in prison, those being mistreated (13:1-3). Those whom our society is treating as if they are sub-human, without the rights we insist on for ourselves.

Now may the God of peace …

equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

(Hebrews 13:20-21)

Prayers of blessing for our children

But God’s Spirit blesses our children

Isaiah 44:3; 59:21 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. … “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever.

This is a quick post to make up for missing last week while I was traveling.

Shutterstock: Studio Romantic

Recently, one of our mission teammate’s father, Dr. Roger Gulick, died from cancer. Part of Roger’s legacy follows. We can partner with the Holy Spirit by blessing children in this way.

Biblical Virtues to Pray for Kids (whatever their age)

From ENCOURAGE by Roger Gulick, 2025

1. Salvation. “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).

2. Growth in grace. “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “(2 Pet. 3:18).

3. Love. “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit of God who dwells in them” (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).

4. Honesty and Integrity. “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Ps. 25:21).

5. Self-control. “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (1 Thes. 5:6).

6. Love for God’s Word. “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Ps. 19:10).

7. Justice. “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Ps.11:5, Mic. 6:8).

8. Mercy. “May my children always be merciful, just as their heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36).

9. Respect (for self, others, authority). “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands” (1 Pet. 2:17).

10. Biblical self-esteem. “Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).

11. Faithfulness. “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage. “May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deut. 31: 6).

13. Purity. “Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart show in their actions” (Ps. 51:10).

14. Kindness. “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thess 5:15).

15. Generosity. “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay-up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (1 Tim 6:18-19).

16. Peace-loving. “Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace” (Rom. 14:19).

17. Joy. “May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit (1 Thes. 1:6).

18. Humility. “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all” (Titus 3:2).

19. Responsibility. “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load” (Gal. 6:5).

20. Compassion. “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Col.3:12).

21. Contentment. “Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Phil. 4:12-13).

22. Faith. “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6. Heb. 11:1-40).

23. A servant’s heart. “God, please help my children develop servants’ hearts that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men” (Eph. 6:7).

24. Hope. “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 13:15).

25. Willingness and ability to work. “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as work for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 4:23).

26. Passion for God. “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that “follows hard after You” (Ps. 63:8), one that clings passionately to You.”

27. Self-discipline. “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (Prov. 1:3).

28. Prayerfulness. “Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18).

29. Gratitude. “Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20, Col. 2:7).

30. A heart for missions. “Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Ps. 6:3).

31. Perseverance. “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them”(Heb. 12:1).

And on Crosswalk.com, Debbie McDaniel offers forty prayers of blessing to pray over our children.

Here too is a prayer for those who care for kids:

Almighty God, heavenly Father,

You have blessed us with the joy and care of children:

Give us calm strength and patient wisdom so to train them,

that they may love all that is true, and pure, and lovely, and of good report,

following the example of their Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I think I know better

But God patiently loves me

Isaiah 40:13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?

Patience.

I’m impressed this morning that this beautiful virtue, one of the fruits the Spirit produces in us, is one of his defining characteristics.

How often I’ve thought, even if I haven’t said out loud to the Lord, “I know better. If I had your power, I wouldn’t allow what’s going on in the life of my beloved one.”

Once while attending a conference in the U.S. after we had lived in Brazil for many years, I greeted the woman ahead of me in line. She asked where I was from, and I told her São Paulo. She said, “Oh, your Spanish must be pretty good.” The rest of the time we were in line, she told me how my husband and I should minister in Brazil.

Had she ever been there? No. She ended as we reached the serving line, with a bright smile, “I’m so glad God put us together this morning, so I could be of help to you.”

As I ate my breakfast, after I finished internally rolling my eyes, I reflected on how God could use her “help” to me: to teach me patience. And humility. And to understand better the disconnect between my world and that of people whose reality I don’t experience.

Thinking a little more deeply, the Spirit nudged me. I’m like her. I think I know, when what I understand is but a tiny slice of what’s going on beyond myself. And some of that tiny slice isn’t even accurate. In Brazil, we speak Portuguese. In the Kingdom of God, the Spirit speaks Love, and my comprehension of that language is dismally inadequate.

Yet I try to tell God how Love should be spoken in the life of a person I care about.

Your will be done, Lord. Your Kingdom come on earth as in heaven.

He’s all about LIFE!

But the Spirit cares about his creation

Isaiah 32:15 … until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.

Isaiah 34:16 Search the book of the Lord and see what he will do. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing and none will lack a mate, for the Lord has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true.

When I think of exuberant beauty, I think of the flowers that transformed a rustic camp into a paradise at my daughter Valerie’s wedding.

Interesting—just before I started writing this blog, I read an article about MAID—Medical Assistance in Dying, which is legal in several countries and (so far) eleven states.

The pros and cons of MAID reminded me of Karis’s struggle to understand transplant friends who made that choice, feeling that life is always the correct answer. In her suffering in the last months of her life, though, she re-thought her perspective to the point of feeling compassion and comprehension of why someone would choose when and how to end his or her life. She didn’t do it, but she certainly thought about the joy of being with the Lord, free from all that constrained and hurt her here on Earth. In the months before her death, she wrote often in her journal, “Father, please, please take me Home. I can’t do this anymore.”

I went from there to contemplation of Isaiah’s celebration of LIFE, of both flora and fauna, mediated by the Holy Spirit, and the blessing to people of flourishing, fertile fields and animals. (Even the deer, groundhogs, turkeys, and bunnies that plague my efforts at gardening, Lord?)

I’m writing a book with a double setting: Bethlehem/Jerusalem and Heaven. The Heaven of my imagination overflows with vibrant life of every kind and natural beauty that is the “real thing,” only reflected in the mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, gardens and fields of waving grain of our world. In creation, I see how much God cares about the details of texture and color and fragrance, of shape and function, of variety and mystery in our amazing world. How could Heaven not celebrate every form of life?

I think that even when, through human negligence and abuse, species become extinct on Earth, hurting their Creator’s heart, they are preserved in Heaven. How else could Isaiah’s promise be fulfilled, that not one will be missing?

I invite you to read aloud Isaiah 35. Yes, the whole thing, all eleven verses. Because our Lord is the Author of life, in all its forms. And that includes our own hearts and imaginations.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and the redeemed will be filled with joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:11).

A 3000-piece puzzle called Life that our daughter Karis put together, framed, and hung. I’m trying to find out the name of the artist.

Rebellious

But the Spirit grieves when we hurt ourselves or others

Isaiah 30:1 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.”

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled against the Lord and grieved his Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve (bring sorrow to) God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.

[Note: I’m posting this now because I’m traveling tomorrow.]

My breath caught. “Don’t do it!” I screamed inwardly as from too far away to intervene I saw my angry grandson pick up and hurl a small stone.

The injury caused by the small stone connecting with his sister’s arm ruined river play for all three of us. But the pleasure of our outing had already been spoiled.

My granddaughter had kicked her brother’s carefully balanced tower of rocks while he went downriver to search for more flat stones.

Why had she demolished his tower? Because she wanted him to play with her, concocting what they called “river soup,” stirring together an assortment of sticks, leaves, and pebbles into “the best soup in the whole world!” That day, her older brother preferred his solitary tower building.

At two and four, the present moment is everything, patience is still developing, and diversion from an anticipated delight (making the soup like they “always” did at the river) may only be effective for a short time. That did not excuse what either of them did to hurt the other. The consequent immediate end to river fun grieved us all.

Isn’t it true that we’re capable of hurting the most those whom we most deeply love?

I believe that the one most grieved that day was the Holy Spirit. Because he passionately wants our best. He sorrows when we hurt ourselves and one another. The context of these verses in both Isaiah and Ephesians is relationship: the call to care for each other with compassion. In Isaiah 30, the Spirit is sad because Israel has committed to a relationship that will prove harmful to them. In Isaiah 63, at issue is Israel’s relationship with the Lord himself.

And in Ephesians 4 and 5, Paul’s concern is the Ephesian believers’ relationships with each other.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 4:31-5:2).

Good words for me today. You too?

Stunning

But the Spirit works counter-culturally

Isaiah 11:1-2 [Matthew 3:16] Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 42:1-4 [Matthew 12:18, Luke 3:21-22, Philippians 2:7] Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth.

Isaiah 61:1-2 [Luke 4:14, 17-21] The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

Throughout history, Jesus’s name has gotten a bad rap as people have used it to amass power, wealth, and privilege for themselves, often in immoral or even illegal ways more akin to the Enemy of our souls who steals, kills, and destroys than to the true Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock (John 10:9-11).

Power, wealth, and privilege acquired through abuse and oppression of others: this is not the Jesus of the Bible.

This is not the Jesus who, as Philippians 2 so movingly tells us, chose to lay down his divine rights and privileges to become a slave, a doulos in Greek, a person in submission or bondage to another; in Hebrew, an ebed (Isaiah 42:1), a person of lower social status who is subject to another.

In fact, Jesus taught that among his followers the worldly definition of power must not hold sway. Jesus used the power of the Spirit to heal, to comfort, to care for, to free from bondage, to encourage, to teach, to bring justice. He lived with no place even to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He dined not with the rich and famous in fancy places, but with the socially marginalized “disreputable sinners” (Matthew 9:10). His “brand” was humility, simplicity, and love.

This Jesus, filled by God’s Spirit without measure or limit (John 3:34, Colossians 1:19, 2:9) shows us what God the Father is like. Isaiah’s perspective, inspired by the same Spirit, of what God’s Chosen One, Jesus, would accomplish is as stunning as his attributes detailed in 11:1-2.

We must be careful. Anyone who claims to represent God yet does not aspire to serve as Jesus did has other goals in mind than God’s goals. Our first allegiance as Jesus-followers must be to him and his ways. The power of the Spirit foretold by Isaiah that filled Jesus led him not to comfort and wealth but to suffering and death as the powerholders of his day objected to his counter-cultural teaching and actions.

Are we ready to invite the Holy Spirit to empower us to live like Jesus did, building up rather than tearing down (2 Corinthians 10:8), bringing good news not to the rich, but to the poor and brokenhearted?

Jesus called his disciples together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant (diakonos), and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave (doulos). For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom (lutron: payment to liberate a captive) for many.”

Come, all who are weary, wounded, weeping, Porter’s Gate

Security

But God’s Spirit never abandons us

For today, a picture and two lovely poems.

Caleb, first grade

When do you feel butterflies? Nervous, scared, anxious, worried, insecure?

I felt that way while my sister recently spent a week in the hospital, most of it in ICU. Her doctor said he hadn’t known a case when someone as sick as she was had not died. We praise God for bringing her through this! For me, though, the days before she stabilized were nerve-racking.

This poem was true for my sister during those fraught days—and equally true for me, despite my feelings. It’s true for Caleb and Talita, now living in another country, with everything new.

And it’s true for you.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.

You see everything I do.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

I can never be lost to your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there.

If I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me

and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:1-10

I received poem #2 from my niece, who is going through her own fraught time:

…we live not outside of time,
but inside its melodic chambers,
not escaping the fear and the pain,
but companioning it with so much love,
so much beauty that somehow,
even in the halls of distress,
we nestle deeper in and feel safe.

from The Humming by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

As we’ve been seeing in our survey of the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament, he companions us wherever we walk every day. With so much love and so much beauty. We are never alone. Never abandoned. Never lost to God’s eternal, unchanging, faithful Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26).

Never Alone, Hillsong

Grief

A personal note:

The last couple of months have been intense, and I’ve gotten behind on a long series of responsibilities and projects. Until I catch up–especially with a book I need to complete–I’ll be posting here only once a week, aiming for Wednesdays.

One part of the challenge was the decision our daughter Valerie and her husband Cesar made to move back to Brazil–with just six weeks before Val would have to start work there. They accomplished a major move, including participation in our Elliott family reunion and a trip to New York to secure documents they needed, in that short time. Truly amazing! We will miss them. And we rejoice with them, for all the goodness they will experience “back home.”

Here they are on the airplane; destination: a new chapter of life in São Paulo.

They did it!! Girls and guys: Back row Luciene (Cesar’s mom), Valerie, Talita. Front row Cesar Sr., Cesar Jr., Caleb. Lu and Cesar Sr., who came to visit before the Brazil decision was made, worked incredibly hard to make this move possible, including preparing the house for sale. Anyone looking for a cute house to purchase in Pittsburgh?

I asked you to pray for my sister. Thank you. She’s doing better, for which we are so grateful. And she has a long road ahead.

It’s helpful to me right now to know that the Holy Spirit understands grief. This blog considers a particular kind of grief, not the separation of loved ones moving to another continent, but the rupture caused by our sin, when we harm ourselves and others.

But the Holy Spirit grieves

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Ephesians 4:30 Do not bring sorrow to [grieve, offend, vex, sadden] the Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified [put his seal on] you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not stifle [quench, suppress, smother, hold back, try to stop] the Holy Spirit.

Grief. It touches each of us sooner or later, to a greater or lesser degree.

Grief even touches the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he expects us to obey a random set of arbitrary rules or face capricious anger and punishment from God?

No. God deeply loves each of us. What hurts him is our unnecessary suffering because we do what is not lifegiving and harm ourselves and others, whom he loves just as profoundly.

In Psalm 51 King David records his anguished cry of repentance after the prophet Nathan confronted him with seducing Bathsheba and murdering her husband. David rightly fears that God will take the Holy Spirit from him as he did with David’s predecessor, King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). God’s Spirit is holy; he cannot associate himself with rebellion and evil. And in the Old Testament, pre-Pentecost, the Spirit was given to particular people in select circumstances. Not, as Paul stated to the Ephesians, to all believers as a guarantee of our salvation.

God’s Spirit is all about life, health, growth, creativity, blessing, fruitfulness, beauty. When we choose to harm ourselves or others, we limit his power and effectiveness in our lives. And we grieve him.

The way back to joy is exactly what David did: admit and confess our wrongdoing; no excuses. There still will be consequences. Saying “I’m sorry; I was wrong” does not bring a murdered person back to life or make adultery OK. David and Bathsheba’s firstborn died.

But the relationship with God can be repaired, and often (not always) ruptures with other people can heal.

Restoration begins with humility and honesty. Repentance opens the door once more to the Holy Spirit’s wonderful work in our lives.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God (Psalm 51:17).

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. … The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings which cannot be expressed in words (Romans 8:26).

In covenant love

But God’s Spirit warns us

Nehemiah 9:29-30 [A prayer rehearsing the history of Israel] You warned your people to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them.

1 Timothy 4:1 Warnings against False TeachersNow the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Hebrews 3:6-7, 12-13 We are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ [some manuscripts add, “faithful to the end”]. That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.” … Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.

I’m posting this in Maryland, at a wonderful place called Caboose Farm (Caboosefarm.net) where the extended Elliott family is having a once-every-three-years reunion. I probably won’t post this Thursday.

In the remarkable prayer of praise recorded in Nehemiah 9, the word “but” appears six times in reference to the people of Israel. God was faithful in myriad ways, but his covenant people turned away from him again and again and again.

The author of Hebrews draws a straight line from his time back to the people of Israel in the desert, 1500 years before. If he (or she) could see our hard hearts, two thousand years later, would he (or she) draw a line to us as well? Don’t we need the Spirit’s warning as much as the Hebrews did?

Reflecting on this, I recall that in the last few days I’ve heard or read the following:

“I don’t think God exists, because if he does, he would have healed my beloved sister. I can’t trust him anymore.”
“I was too badly hurt by the church to ever go back. I still believe in God in my heart, but I can’t stand the people who claim to know him yet behave in unkind and cruel ways in his name and say such demeaning things about people different from them.”
“I’m an ex. Ex-Catholic, ex-protestant, ex-atheist, ex-everything. Bottom line: I believe in myself.”
“God is too busy holding this fractured world together to care about me, and people have been cruel. My life has been one disappointment after another. So, I’m considering ending it.”

The good news from the prayer in Nehemiah 9? An entirely different “but.”

“But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon your people” (v. 17).

“And now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of unfailing love, do not let all the hardships we have suffered seem insignificant to you” (v. 32).

Forgiveness. Grace. Mercy. Patience. Unfailing love. God, who keeps his promises, offers them all. Take what you need.

Hungry

But God’s Spirit teaches us

Nehemiah 9:20 [In a prayer rehearsing God’s goodness to Israel after Ezra reads the Law of Moses to the people] You sent your good Spirit to instruct them. [Other versions say “teach.”)

John 14:26 [Jesus told his disciples] But when the Father sends the Advocate [paraclete: Comforter, Encourager, Counselor] as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything that I have told you.

1 John 2:27 For the Holy Spirit teaches you …

So far in this little survey of the Holy Spirit active in the Old Testament we’ve seen him as creator, supreme artisan, wise adviser/burden bearer, source of power, and communicator.

Since God doesn’t change, it’s not surprising to see the Spirit playing these same roles in the New Testament. Today’s topic is no exception. The Holy Spirit teaches us, as he taught the people of Israel in ancient times. Jesus, the master teacher, filled with the Spirit, told the disciples it was better for him to go away, because the Spirit can be present to each of us, as Jesus in his human body could not be.

Nehemiah 8 and 9 describe people hungry and thirsty to understand God’s instructions. They longed to live in keeping with God’s wisdom. In chapter 8, they stood for three hours listening closely (v. 3) as Ezra read the law of Moses to them. A month or so later, they again stood for three hours listening to the law, and then for another three hours confessing their sins—all the ways they had broken God’s law—and worshiping God.

Have you ever been as hungry and thirsty as that, not just for a Fourth of July barbecue, but longing to understand how to please God, in love with him and thrilled to honor his greatness? In chapter 8, the people celebrated “with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them” (v. 12).

Immediately after, Israel put into practice what they were learning. It led to a dramatic change of priorities and lifestyle, resulting in health and harmony among them.

I appreciate this prayer by Joseph Mercier, 1851-1926, noted for his strong resistance to German occupation of Belgium during World War I. Many around him were killed and buildings destroyed. It’s a fervent prayer in the throes of great trouble and stress. Today I think of the courageous people of Ukraine who persist in their work for God while missiles fall around them.

O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will.