The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. We had seen many beautiful things on our road trip but that last drive out of Theodore Roosevelt National Park just seemed to take forever, no cities, no houses, just prairie. Then we arrived at Spearfish Canyon filled with golden Aspens along Spearfish Creek. It was so good to see this new landscape. We knew that the wilderness would come again but for now it was just good to see trees and water.
Our life’s journey takes us through times of wilderness and times of abundant, golden joy. Each place is different and in each we find a new purpose. There was a time when I was a teacher, the purpose God had for me. In these days of retirement God has been reworking the purpose he has for me. God will use all the clay he gave me, all the years of teaching, to make me into his vessel. I must stay soft clay for him to rework me. If I resist and harden my way of being, sticking to only the vessel that I was, I will never find that new purpose. Spearfish Canyon was beautiful but the wilderness would come again as we made our way through the Badlands and prairies to home. I was thankful for the golden days there but I knew the journey wasn’t finished. We still had more wilderness to go through before we were home. For now my camera and my writing are my purpose and as much as I love these things I will try to keep the clay soft and my life open to his purpose. How do you stay open to God’s purpose? Prayer Lord God, Master Potter Keep me soft and pliable to your will. Make me into the vessel you want, the purpose you have for me. Amen
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After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Our trip through the wilderness was possible because someone before us had built roads. They kept us from getting lost in scenery that can look so much the same. They allowed us to see beauty in a place that can seem desolate. Not only did we have these special roads we had maps to help us find our way in a place we had never been.
Exodus tells us the story of the Israelites journey through the wilderness. It is the story of how a tribe of people were ransomed, freed from slavery, by their God and how he led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. It isn’t always an easy story because it required that the people trust God. Even though they had a pillar of cloud and fire they, like we do, failed many times to trust Him. Still God led them through the wilderness. On the last night that Jesus was with his disciples he tried to prepare them for what was coming. He knew that there was so much that they needed to understand to face the wilderness of his death and resurrection that was to come in the next three days. He promised them and us that He will not leave us alone in the wilderness but will send his Spirit. There will be times when we must walk through the wilderness of doubt and tragedy, but Jesus has promised a way through. Like the roads and maps that we followed through the Dakotas, we have the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to lead us through our wilderness to home with Jesus. Prayer Lord Jesus Help us to trust you to lead us through the wilderness to you. Amen Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. This hike was not my normal Smoky Mountain hike. There was a sign with a map and trail description and the trail was easy to see; but it was still scary. The air was hot and dry and the wind was strong. We didn’t see another person on the hike; we were all alone. On the way we saw things that we had never seen before. However there was a great relief as we came to the end of the hike and saw our car waiting for us.
Lent is a time when we need to go on such a hike through the wilderness of our sin. It is much easier to hike in familiar places and spend time looking at the sin of others; but we can only experience God’s forgiveness if we see we need to be forgiven. Opening your heart to God isn’t easy. When you look really hard you will see sin that you had kept hidden from everyone even yourself. At the end of our journey we see Jesus ready and waiting to forgive our sin. He makes our hearts new again and gives us the safety of his unfailing love. Prayer Lord God Help us to open our hearts to you as we walk through the wilderness of our sin. Thank you for forgiving us and giving us new hearts more open to you. Amen View the post for March 2 for an explanation of my theme for Lent. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. After miles of following the Missouri River through North Dakota I remember the surprise of our first view of the badlands of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There in front of me I could see each distinct layer of rock that made up the butte. As the winds and water of the wilderness expose each layer they tell us something of the climate and environment that made the layer the color that it is. It is the many layers that give this place its special beauty.
The wilderness is a place where our faith is refined; our need for God is exposed. Our times in the wilderness reveal layers of who we are. It is our faith, refined by the wilderness, that even though these times are hard they are worth more than gold. Prayer Lord God of the Wilderness Refine us and make the layers or our lives beautiful as we journey through the wilderness. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan