FOR GOD'S SAKE

“But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile” Exodus 2:3

The Egyptian Pharaoh who “knew not Joseph” was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the growth and influence of the Hebrew population in Egypt. Besides enslaving them, the Pharaoh had instructed the midwives to participate in a covert state programme of systematic and surgical infanticide. It was surgical in that only the boy babies were to be intentionally killed at birth. Girls were to be allowed to live (see. Exod. 1:16). The success of this programme was being thwarted and undermined by the agents of the state (see Exod. 1.17). A new scheme was devised which required the participation of the entire Egyptian population and not just the midwives. The instruction to the Egyptians was that: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live” (Exod. 1:22).

When Jochebed gave birth to a promising baby boy, she hid him in her house until it was no longer safe to do so. Exod. 2 tells us that “she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile”. The same Nile! Pharaoh’s daughter, offspring of that very Pharaoh, went by the river to bathe and happened upon the child. The brilliant thinking of Miriam, the boy’s big sister, resulted in Jochebed being employed and paid to nurse and care for her son. When the child was old enough, he was taken to the Egyptian Palace and named Moses.

In Pharaoh’s hand, and according to his evil and malicious will and intention, the River Nile should have been the watery grave of baby Moses. However, in God’s hand, and according to the purpose and will of God, the River Nile comprised the waters from which Moses would sail into the Pharaoh’s Palace and become an instrument for the liberation of Israel and the formation of a nation state.

What can we learn from this story? It seems to me that one of the inspiring lessons that we can glean from this, is that for the sake of the work and the glory of God, an instrument of death and destruction can become the source of life and hope. 

Some years ago, a student was converted from Islam to Christianity. On returning home, he informed his parents, and they were both furious and disappointed, but he held firmly to his new-found faith. A couple days later, as they all gathered for the evening meal, they began to partake of their soup. The young man brought his cup to his mouth to start drinking, but the vessel slipped from his hands, and the soup spilt all over the floor. As he cleaned up the chair and floor, the cat started licking up the soup. Alas! A few minutes after, the cat died. That same afternoon, the entire family made a decision to accept and serve Christ. The instrument of death, for God’s sake, had become an inspiration for life.

God’s will and purpose is supreme.

Thought: We never know what is up God’s sleeves!
Prayer Focus: For the transformation of the schemes of death and destruction into experiences of life and hope

The Hope of the Empty Tomb

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” Matthew 28: 5-6.

The tomb from which Jesus rose was empty of his body but filled with hope that can transform our lives and circumstances.

The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead. They paid Judas to betray him; inveigled and manipulated the crowds to demand his crucifixion; and placed guards at the grave to ensure no one removed his body. However, when the women arrived at the tomb the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ body was not there. Physically the tomb was empty but from a spiritual perspective, it was full.

Generally, we associate “empty” with negativity. We speak derogatorily when we say “empty promises” or “empty head”. However, emptiness can signify success, achievement, hope and promise. An empty prison means the prisoners are free; an empty nest means the birds have grown and flown away; an empty hospital bed could mean the sick person is well enough to be discharged.

The resurrection of Jesus is victory over death and the grave, and an affirmation that nothing is impossible for God. Easter is about overcoming the grimness of the grave and hopelessness of life. The “empty” tomb signified for Jesus and the entire human race, a tomb “filled” with power, hope, and freedom from death. It continues to inspire the hope of forgiveness in broken relationships; peace in a broken world; assurance in the midst of doubt; success in the heart of failure and heaven in the face of death. This hope is centered in the person of Jesus Christ (see Psalm 39.7 and Psalm 71.5).

The crucifixion and death of Jesus drove his followers into a downward spiral of hopelessness. The men going to Emmaus told the person who joined them that they had hoped that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel” Luke 24:21. The empty tomb added to their sense of hopelessness. Mary was so overwhelmed with grief and hopelessness that she began crying (see John 20: 13-15).

The spirit of hopelessness constantly threatens to overwhelm us. Contemplating the many difficulties we face as individuals, church and country often leads to the temptation to give up, throw in the towel and believe that there is no possibility of seeing any light at the end of the tunnel.

Easter is a powerful reminder that the Tomb is Empty because the awesome and creative power of God is able to do more than we can ask or think. God can bring light out of darkness, and hope out of despair. God is not asking us to become the eternal optimist but to be a “prisoner of hope”.

We do not have to settle for things the way they are, or surrender to despair. God is always working on our behalf to bring life out of death.

Thought: God’s most distinctive attribute is the ability to make something new. Think about that!

Prayer Focus: For those who have lost, or are losing hope

DIFFERENTLY ABLE

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth” John 9:1.

A blind man was walking with his cane when someone bumped into him. The blind man swung his cane and asked: “Why you don’t look where you going?”

The controversy associated with the healing of the man born blind, and his eventual excommunication from the Synagogue, as opposed to his receiving shouts of “hallelujah”, is one of the most captivating narratives in the gospels. This gripping, but painfully real story depicts the enduring struggle within the community of faith between those whose eyes are open to new ideas and experiences of God and those who eyes remain closed to what God is doing. There is also the demonstration of God’s love for those who are “differently able”.

This incident may have occurred in the precincts of the Temple, where beggars habitually gathered. Rather than supporting the view that this man’s impairment was linked to sin, however, Jesus said it provided an opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and work.

This narrative points to the fact that every human being, irrespective of abilities or disabilities, is a subject of God’s love and a recipient of God’s grace (v.3). Also, one must never be too busy to make time for those who are differently able (v. 1). Also, we must seize the opportunities, and do what needs to be done, whenever the occasion presents itself. Jesus said: “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (vv.4-5).

Many among us are differently able, but we are all members of the human family, and every able-bodied individual must do whatever is requisite and necessary to enhance the well-being and welfare of those who are differently able. This does not necessarily mean giving persons cash or kind. Sometimes we just need to be there for others.

The Ministry of Presence, even for the differently able, can be redemptive and reassuring. While playing in a friendly football match in Germany in 1979, I was temporarily impaired after being struck in my eye by the ball. In pain, and unable to open my eye, I lay on my bed while my Irish team-mates and the young German people were having a barbecue downstairs. Sitting beside my bed, in absolute silence, was a young lady from Germany. She made time for me and just sat there.

Those who are differently able are 100% human. We must try desperately to avoid being the kind of people who “see and avoid”, like the priests and Levite on the Jericho Road, but instead, seek to be like the Samaritan who did not miss the opportunity to show love and respect. Steps should be taken to ensure that churches, schools, homes, offices and other business places facilitate the participation of everyone. Jesus cared, and still cares, for everyone, and so should we.

As Charles Wesley wrote:

“Help us to help each other Lord
Each other’s cross to bear.”

Thought : We are all different.
Prayer Focus For wisdom and courage to engage your abilities in support of those who are Differently Able

Amnesia of Grace

“But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Ex. 17:3

Were not these the same people who were slaves in Egypt? Were they not the people who witnessed their enemies perishing in the waters of the Yam Suph (Hebrew for Sea of Reeds), commonly called the Red Sea? Did they not experience the “bitter water made sweet” (Ex.15:22-27) and hungry multitudes being fed and miraculously sustained with elements from above (Ex.16)? These were the same people who experienced those gracious displays of God’s love and mighty power. Later, in the face of increasing anxieties and uncertainties, amnesia got a hold of them. They forgot the grace of God.

Grace is the undeserved favour of God. We have all experienced God’s favour that we did not deserve and could not earn. Let’s face it: we do not receive blessings and deliverances because we live righteous and sober lives, or because we have blundered on our journey through life. Unlike our fellow human beings, God sees us and knows us as we are, and also for who we will and can become. God does not treat us as our sins deserve, but looks at and beyond our faults. That’s grace!

This does not mean we must be presumptuous and prod happily along, doing as we please. No! God has standards that must be observed, one of which is to remember God’s graciousness. You and I are where we are today because of the grace of God.

Our daughter’s going off to France caused me much anxiety. The only reason why my journey ended at the airport in Montego Bay and not at her home in France was because I had to be strong, and, worse yet, I could not afford it. However, I resolved that as night follows day, I would be in France in a few months. A couple weeks after she arrived there, I awoke from my amnesia of grace and remembered that I was younger than her when God took me from Jamaica to England, Ireland and other parts of Europe, and back to Jamaica, safe, sound, and a little wiser. In a flash I said: “God WILL take care of her”. At least she knows some French I knew no German.

How has forgetfulness of the grace of God influenced your life and your relationship with God? Or has it? What role has amnesia of God’s love and power played, or is playing, in your life right now?

Don’t allow amnesia of God’s grace to cause you to glimpse but never experience the Promised Land. God looks at us with tender love, so we must watch our eyes, ears, lips, mind, heart, hands and feet to ensure that God’s standards are not violated.

Whether it is pain, frustrations, disappointments, uncertainties, failures, anxieties, blunders, struggles or hardships, we must never forget the presence, provisions and deliverance of our loving, protective, gracious and caring God.

Thought: God can do it AGAIN!

Prayer Focus: To remember God’s gracious activities in your life