365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 224: God of the Thief on the Cross

God of the Thief on the Cross

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don’t you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (Luke 23:39-43 NIV)

My family and I recently had the joy of seeing my oldest niece in a production of the musical Les Misérables, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.

Two central characters drive the show's complex and multi-layered storyline: Jean Valjean, a prison parolee whose crime was to steal a loaf of bread to feed his sister's child; and Javert, the officer of the law who hunts Valjean through the ages after the man known during his imprisonment (and even after) only as prisoner number 24601 breaks his parole to try to break free from his past.

Again and again, Valjean and Javert meet up, with Valjean always escaping to try to do one more good deed for one more person in need. Late in the story, Javert at last finds himself at the mercy of Valjean. Javert is bound, tied up, and Valjean has the knife. Valjean raises it to Javert's throat—then moves it behind him to cut his bonds and set him free. 

"There are no conditions...no bargains or petitions. There is nothing that I blame you for. You've done your duty, nothing more," Valjean tells Javert and sends him on his way.

But Javert has not been saved by this. He has not been freed. He is unable to merge Valjean's mercy with his strict moral code and so takes his own life rather than live under a debt of gratitude.

I've seen this show many times, but at this most recent production, as I watched Javert take his final leap, I thought, "He never got the grace." 

Javert was never able to let go of the law he held in his hands and take hold of the gift offered to him.

The first criminal who hung on a cross beside Jesus at the place called The Skull never got the grace, either. He lost his life because He would not let go of the hatred and scorn he had for Jesus.

But the other thief...

Somehow, the second thief understood that his hands were empty of anything that really mattered, and so he grabbed onto Grace—and gained paradise.

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God, please help me to let go of anything I'm holding onto that's keeping me from fully grasping Your grace. Help me to take hold of that gift and then give it away to others.

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 223: God of Esther

God of Esther

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13,14 NIV)

Several years ago, my Bible study sisters and I spent many months in the book of Esther. Eight months, to be exact. We (happily) spent so long there that one of my ladies' granddaughters took to saying, "Are you STILL in Esther?" (Yes, we still were.)

After all that time, if I had to summarize the entire book in one phrase, it would be this: reluctant obedience still counts.

And/or: God is not restricted by our reluctance.

Much as I love a hero like David who charges boldly into battle against a giant armed only with a little bit of ammunition and a lot of faith, I'm so grateful the Divine Author also wrote Esther into His story.

Esther is a leading lady I can relate to. Faced with God's call on her life, she initially balked, stalled, and looked for an out (Esther 4:10,11).

But then, after fasting and praying, she came to the place we all have to get to: the place where we want to be in line with God's will more than we want even our own lives.

At this point on her timeline, Esther took what could be viewed as a fatalistic attitude: "if I die, I die" (Esther 4:16).

Here again, though, we find an example to follow. Dying can look like so many things. In order to live for God, we might have to die to ourselves. (Okay, not "might." We do.) We might have to die to our dreams. We might have to die to our comfort. We might just plain have to die to what we feel like doing.

Facing the very real likelihood of actual physical death, Esther approached the king unbidden—and watched him extend his scepter of mercy (Esther 5:2). Whatever reluctance had been behind her, the queen's obedience lay before her and with it "for such a time as this," the salvation of her people.

"This" is "such a time" for us, too. What is God asking us to do in it, with it? Reluctant though we may be, may we take that step forward toward the King who bids us come, then watch Him extend His scepter of mercy and see the salvation to follow.

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God, thank You that You are not restricted by my reluctance. Show me the step of faith You want me to take. Help me to take it bravely if not boldly, with faith that "this" is always the time when you bless obedience.

(Song suggestion: "Born For This;" Mandisa; from "Music Inspired by The Story;" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZvZWUZFevI.)

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 222: God of Elizabeth

God of Elizabeth

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!'" (Luke 1:39-45 NIV)

"Blessed are you among women."

Five words. A single handful.

How much good can one half of a sentence do? How much difference can five words make? Can they really turn sorrow into joy, fear into hope, doubt into certainty?

The biblical Elizabeth is resounding proof they can.

Mary, God's chosen vessel for bringing His Son into the world in the flesh, must have been cloaked in every first emotion in the pairings above as she "hurried" to her cousin Elizabeth's house: sorrow, fear, doubt. She may not have been afraid that her life was literally about to end—even though death by stoning would have been the usual punishment for someone in her condition and situation; after all, God's angel had told her she would give birth to a son. But she must certainly have understood that her life as she had previously known it had already ended. I'm not sure she felt so much blessed as burdened at that point.

Carrying this load on her teenage shoulders, she walked into Zechariah's house and heard the greeting that still echos throughout history: "Blessed are you among women!" 

Can you imagine it?

Such reassurance. Such confirmation. The Holy Spirit speaking using Elizabeth's voice. Five words of divine encouragement. No wonder Mary burst into song after she heard them.

"My soul praises the LORD and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...for the Mighty One has done great things for me"  (Luke 1:46, 47, 49).

Author and former Franciscan priest Brennan Manning wrote that "in every encounter, we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange."

There was nothing neutral about Mary and Elizabeth's exchange at this hinge moment in history. By her words, Elizabeth gave life.

I want to be like Elizabeth, and not just because I share her name. I want God to be able to trust me enough to give me words to speak that will give life...words that will make someone sing.

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God, show me who in my life needs to hear that they are blessed by You today, that there might be a fresh round of leaping for joy.