Mercy | Jesus, Light of the World

Artist: Sean Seal
Follow: @ArtistSeanSeal

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.
So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1 Samuel 3:8,9 (NIV)

If we never step out in what we believe is God’s call, will we ever do His will? Are we so afraid of making a mistake, wasting our time, and disregarding urges of deeds, that we do nothing? We shall cry over and over: “Lord, what is Your will for me?” Do we know that He calls many times and our preoccupation with our own thoughts and wonders, plague opportunity, minimize our ability to see and to hear? God is speaking, be silent and listen.

I plead to know God’s will. Each day I start with the same question: “How can I serve You Lord?” Then I move on with my day. As I walk forth into a new day of life in this world, I take my second step as the instruction of the Lord intersects with my first. I did not wait. My biggest problem is I place the Lord on my calendar, my timeline. I have it reversed and O the opportunities I may have missed.

My lack of patience saddens me. I yearn so deeply and passionately to do what is right. Even as I place myself in the proper prone position of humility, I wander inside to another place. Again, God’ s instruction comes and intersects my awareness one step prior to where I am currently. This is anguish as it is my busyness that propels me passed His opportunity. He will catch up though, He knows me and my heart.

I am unique in His eyes made of love and knit in all the richness of His handiwork. His fingerprints are all over my life. “I am here!” I answer a call. My thoughts then drive me from mindful to mindless. O yes, He calls and I am oblivious. Think: The conversation that irritated me at work, the talks with my wife, my thoughts on parenting , my boredom, my constant living on the horizon rather than in the moment. All are God’s first call.

Then it happens again: Still can’t resolve personal issues at work, still bored, or why do I continue not to listen? God’s second call. See the way it is? Each event in my life is an opportunity. It is not a ‘pick and choose’ situation, but most certainly my actions reflect discretionary listening. Maybe God wants me to stop and drop all of my current methods of processing thoughts and just shut-up for one! Yes, cease internal conversation and walk toward Him.

How shall I ever know what God wants, unless I sit and quietly explore events in my life in real-time? Stop and pray and then listen. Each moment, if necessary. Then certainly I say “Here I am, Lord” and run to Him. This is for hearts that desire the fullness of all God offers. It is a passion to know fully how to live a godly life. Mistakes sometimes are magnified: by our reason only because God forgives the big and little. Go easy on these mistakes!

We are born-again to walk on a path of compassion and love. But before that, we are on a path in a loving relationship with God. Jesus – thorns and nails – shed blood for our walk. Our duties are not discretionary. Our obedience required. But, as I said, go easy on mistake you make. Mercy sheds a shadow over our room. We are seated by the Ark. We are at the seat of Mercy because mercy comes from the Cross and Jesus, my beloved friends, is the manifestation of mercy and grace. All for us, uniquely.

So, examine the events of your day. Don’t place your shortcomings under a microscope, rather see all joy in God’s attention to you specifically. Then pray. Just pray.

Rick Stassi

October 28, 2012

Artist: CONNIE CHRISTENSEN

1 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 114

O that we are living sanctuaries that are under God’s dominion. What a great picture of His love. What a great picture of the omnipotent God whose very presence causes mountains to fall. What a great picture that the strongest stalwarts of protest and the frolicking, frivolity of the apathetic prance away in His presence…

We are a living sanctuary. Our bodies are temples. These are vessels where the Holy Spirit has residence. So many pictures as God teaches us through stories and metaphor, pictures and symbols. He is almighty.

We speak not the language of this world. We were captive but destined for release at His will. The language the world speaks is drowned in our own Red Sea as the suffocating waters overtake the foolish ramblings of the world. As in the Exodus, we were neither cast off nor did we steal off in secret night, but walked to God in His glory: all witnessed. We walked in desperation, in weakness, in humble seeking, but we did so on our two feet to His open arms. Free will.

The strength of mountain and the lesser hills…How they protest. With every debate, with every apathetic casting of stones, God shows his strength and power over His domain. For every strong ram and frivolous lamb, shall skip away in His presence for apathy is foolish and strong-willed disagreement are worthless from the perspective of being within God’s dominion.

We see His face and all others are separated because where we go, the sea closes back up, the river runs again after us. Waiting, ever-waiting for another soul to cry for mercy. At this cry, a single ram, a little lamb, leave their once safe stronghold and wonder, “Why is there emptiness?”. These are the ones who will see light in darkness. There is hope for the wicked. Most will flee in His presence, some will reconcile reason with action. The fool’s reason produces foolish action. Soon some will see.

… and a new sanctuary is born from stone. A heart immovable becomes malleable in His hands for there is no alternative as Man ever seeks inside. Deeper and deeper. It is certain the mind is complex and will accommodate the insatiable searchers of solution for their malady. But there is an end to each mind. Complexity of our thought is mere frivolity over time. The debate: “There is no God!” flees as the ram. The fleeting attitude of frivolity as a lamb, soon tires. The grass dries.

But then there is God’s mercy. The sea opens, the river dries and the ram and the lamb walk together: the strongholds of objection and the frivolity of apathy. They walk together through these dry places. For as His presence causes those to flee, His mercy ever-beckons.

They shall flee but some will come. Our Lord is a merciful Lord. His omnipotent presence, but His gentle touch. Shall the ram skip away with the lamb? Mostly yes. But a few will look back and see that a once powerful stronghold-a powerful debate and the apathy, are meaningless in the perspective of time. Time itself becomes meaningless. God dries the waters for the crumbled mountains, for the rolling hills. For therein lies a picture of the how the strength of a strong tongue of objection, of human rationale, or the voice of the apathetic who really care not for all will turn to dust, won’t it? The picture shows that the end of human wisdom doesn’t approach the wisdom of God.

We have crossed our wilderness, our river, our sea. Soon others will as well. For the mere strength of the Lord turns heads and they will skip off or kneel and pray: “O, Father, I am at my end. Build Your sanctuary within my heart”

Rick Stassi

March 9, 2012