A Stumbler's Walk | TURN

And when you have turned again, 

strengthen your brothers.

- Luke 22:32

Jesus told Peter three things: 1) You have a target on your back and will falter; 2) I've prayed for you; 3) You are already forgiven, and you will (re)turn. When you do, you will be a rock to many.

God sees what we cannot. He knows what we do not. He is preparing us for his purposes. 

Swash this around in your brain:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

- 1 Corinthians 2:9

You and I will fail at times. We will have moments of doubt and faithlessness. But that is not the end of our story. 

As in Peter's case, Jesus prays for us. (Take a quick look at Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25). His offer is not one of condemnation, but forgiveness. He has a future planned for us, and he is preparing us for that future.

"... and when you have turned..."

God, I turn to you.

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | LOSTNESS

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

- Luke 19:10

Chapter 15: A lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son.

Chapter 18: A wealthy and powerful, yet lost young man ("ruler").

Chapter 19: A crooked and conniving and lost little man. Three parables and two very real people, each of which is lost.

None of us likes to admit he or she is lost. Thanks to GPS and Google Maps men no longer have admit to it; at least in the geographical sense. (God wired the inability to ask directions into our - men's - DNA ). 

The lostness Jesus speaks of is much deeper. It is the lostness of the soul when separated from the God who created and loves.

It is because of this lostness that Jesus came. Jesus entered the world with a mission: To seek and save the lost. Lost beggars, lost tax-collectors, lost you and lost me.

Max Lucado wrote: 

If our greatest need had been information, 

God would have sent an educator. 

If our greatest need had been technology, 

God would have sent us a scientist. 

If our greatest need had been money, 

God would have sent us an economist. 

But since our greatest need was forgiveness, 

God sent us a Savior.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

"Amazing Grace... I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."

God, thank you for your amazing grace that turns my lostness into foundness. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | THE QUESTION

"What do you want me to do for you?"

- Luke 18:41

A blind beggar with no status, no means and no hope screams for Jesus' attention. He won't shut up, even though some who think they have the right, try to shut him up. He is making everyone uncomfortable. Everyone, that is, except Jesus.

Now the blind man stands in front of Jesus. He is asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" It seems obvious, doesn't it? (Paraphrasing now) "I want to see!" Jesus: "OK… see."

What if God asked you the question; "What do you want me to do for you?" How would you answer? Not genie-in-the-bottle stuff. Not lotteries and looks. What are your deep needs? What is your deepest need… hurt… desire?

Jesus again, "… your faith has made you well." 

We get a warped sense of faith from some celebrity preachers. The blind man's belief THAT he could see didn't give him sight. He could believe all day that he possessed sight; and still be blind. Biblical faith is not just belief. It is belief "IN". Belief in a person. His name is Jesus.

Notice that the (formerly) blind man, when hearing Jesus was approaching, "…cried out…," and then, "… cried out all the more..." (vv38,39) When deep need mixes with faith it cries out all the more. 

Chapter 18 begins, "And he (Jesus) told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." In other words, mix need and faith and cry out all the more.

What if God IS asking you this question? Right now! "What do you want me to do for you?" What will be your answer?

God, I'm blind, I want to see!

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | THE GOD WHO RUNS

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.

- Luke 15:1

Ponder that statement. 

The worst of the worst were drawn to Jesus. Why? Because they were quietly aware of a nagging deep in their core. They were inadequate. They lacked.

Additionally, they had a hopeful sense that the one standing in front of them was the answer to their need. So they came. They came, and they listened, and they believed.

The establishment didn't like it. They couldn't understand Jesus' openness to the undeserving. More than that, they were offended by it and by him.

So Jesus tells three stories to describe God's heart. A sheep is lost. A coin is lost. A son is lost. Then each is found. And in each case, the finder throws a party and calls everyone around to join in.

The story of the lost son (better known as the Prodigal Son) has long been a favorite. I've always been impacted by the father's reaction; and how, against all cultural decorum he ran to his son. As a father I can understand it. But it is difficult for me to conceive that the God of the universe runs toward the lowly, the undeserving, the repentant. Toward me.

God, I run to you, will you please run to me…

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | DISTRACTED

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath...

- Luke 13:14

When faith becomes formula, it loses purity.

Here, a religious leader's preconception caused him to lose sight of three things:

a) A miracle took place right in front of him!

b) A woman who had suffered for 18 years instantaneously and radically had her life changed!

c) The Miracle-Maker was three feet away!

Dude! Fall down and worship!

It is easy to be distracted and lose sight. It is natural to want things to work according to our plans and formulas. But Jesus isn't interested in working himself into our plans. (Please pause and re-read that last sentence.) Instead, he calls us to himself, to his plan, to the kingdom of God.

Patrick Swayze faomously said, "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!" Don't try it with Jesus either. It won't work. God doesn't want a segment or a portion of our lives. He wants US! In exchange he gives us HIS life, which is true and eternal.

God, help me to recognize that the Miracle-Maker is close and he is still all about changing lives.

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | TEACH US TO PRAY

Lord, Teach us to pray…

- Luke 11:1

Let's face it; we tend to do anything and everything we can before we pray. You've heard someone say it (maybe you): 

"All we can do now is pray." 

Think about that for a minute. We are saying:

"In my limited power, with my minuscule resources, and with my microscopic understanding, I've done all I can. Now my only hope is to ask the One with unlimited power, infinite resources, and all-knowing understanding to come into the situation."

When laid out, which of those two scenarios makes the most sense?

The disciples understood that Jesus' connection to the Father was his source. They heard his prayers… before demons fled and 5,000 were fed. So in a quiet moment one of them asked him how to pray. 

"Teach us..." 

They had seen miracles. They had even performed miracles. But it was this connection and communion with the Father they wanted Jesus to pass to them.

So Jesus taught them. It was simple. We tend to complicate it. Then Jesus tells them a story with an "aha" moral. Again, simple; but profound. 

God wants to answer your prayer. Maybe I should add... God IS the answer to your prayer.

God, all I can do now is pray. I wish I'd realized it before I wasted so much...

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | LEGACY

...and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekia... Now the birth of Christ took place in this way...

- Matthew 1:9, 18

We have the opportunity to build a legacy. We have the power to break a legacy. We all play a part in legacy - for better or for worse.

It is easy to rush through the initial 17 verses of the first New Testament Gospel. It is a genealogy; lots of begats in the old King James: This guy was the father of this guy... and so on.
But there is history in those names. There is legacy, both beautiful and terrible. Love, hate, depravity and faithfulness lie in those 17 verses of begats.

Ahaz was a horrible man; think part Kim Jung-Un, part Jeffery Dahmer. He was the scariest blend of narcissistic sadist with ultimate power. Ahaz reigned for 16 terrible years in Judah. He worshiped, and forced the worship of, pagan gods. His depravity knew no limits, even forcing his sons to pass through the fire. As a sacrificial ritual paying tribute to the bull-headed idol Molech, children were forced to walk into an inferno blazing at an alter.

Ahaz created a horrible legacy. Hezekiah changed the legacy.

Hezekiah was Ahaz' son. Hezekiah was forced to walk through the flames of his father. Hezekiah knew the smell of burning flesh. He knew the pain of a legacy of fire.

But Hezekiah changed the legacy. In place of the pain his father inflicted. Hezekiah offered grace. In place of brutality, he provided mercy. My guess is the smell of fire never fully left Hezekiah's nostrils. But he was not bound by the legacy. He created a new one. And for 29 years Judah knew the joy of his legacy.

You and I are the products of legacy(ies). Both good and bad. Both painful and freeing. The first 17 verses of Matthew's gospel give a brief glimpse into legacies. Verse 18 introduces us to the One who gives the power to change legacy.

God, give me the power and guts to change my legacies of pain and build legacies of grace, freedom and joy.

For now...
D