Running in Faith is an electronic devotional guide written by members of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church to help readers take their Sunday faith into weekday lives. Each Devotion represents the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. Permission is granted to link to this page and to use the Devotions for personal, non-commercial purposes only.

Week of March 4, 2007
By Diane S.

How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
     (Psalm 13:1-2, KJV)

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
     (Romans 12:2, KJV)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
     (Ephesians 3:20-21, KJV)

It becomes clear to us early in childhood that prayer is not some magical means of persuading God to grant our selfish desires. Prayers like "Please let me pass this test" merely leave us where we started - responsible for our own behavior and its consequences. Even more altruistic prayers like "Please make Grandpa better" may still be met with bitter disappointment. As adults, we may continue to feel as if God is ignoring our pleas, as did the psalmist David.

Simplistic explanations for this apparent lack of response, such as "God may say yes, no, or maybe," merely gloss over the truth we know in our hearts: Some prayers seem to go unanswered and our worst fears may come true, regardless of how sincerely and fervently we pray. And sometimes, especially in horrendous situations like the needless slaughter of innocents, the utter futility and gross injustice of the event may leave us quaking in rage toward this all-powerful God, whom we believe could have prevented it if he had wanted to.

For some of us, that realization and its associated emotions are enough to make us abandon altogether our faith in God, whom we now conclude must be nonexistent, unfeeling, or just not as omnipotent as we once thought. Otherwise, we reason, God would not have allowed the pain, tragedies, wars, and evil-doing that have been tearing out the heart of the world ever since it began (much of it, ironically, instigated at the hands of people who believed they were doing God's will). Our reasoning may be perfectly logical, but the finest logic still reaches flawed conclusions if it is based on faulty premises.

We may assume, for example, that we perceive events clearly; that we well know how to distinguish good and evil, and can easily assign events to one or the other category. But it is impossible for us to understand all the causes, to say nothing of the eventual impact, of the things that happen to us and to others. They are simply too complex and never fully known. And without that understanding, we really have no idea of what valuable seed may be quietly taking root in the midst of the anguish and destruction; sometimes unexpected blossoms bloom in broken bodies and devastated lands.

We may also assume we know what kind of intervention is needed. Often our request is for God to change our own or others' material circumstances. We pray for adequate food and housing, clean air and water, health and safety, and freedom from war and violence. Such prayers are natural and appropriate enough, since these are real needs, and we spend much of our daily lives trying to provide for them. Beneath this world of imitations, approximations, misconceptions, and disappointments, though, is the spiritual reality - a timeless, immutable whole; a world where we can find the Truth, the Light, and the Love we ultimately seek. Separating the two worlds is a veil, as thin as gossamer, and crossing it is a mystery we will never fully grasp until our dying day. But without the fire of the spirit, the material gifts alone will never satisfy.

We may further assume that it is God who should have been the one to intervene. We may believe our own power is inadequate and that we are essentially separate from him. But we in fact are one with the Lord, as are all people; we are part of his body and share in his spirit. We are the eyes that must see the needs, the mind that must strive to understand, the heart that must care, and the hands that must move the mountains. We may not be the source of love, but we can breathe it in, and thus inspired, become the agents by which God's love can be demonstrated in practical ways on earth. We can also choose not to be, and ignore the problems, or worse, contribute to them. When we were granted freedom, it was without puppet strings attached.

It is our reaction to what happens to us and to others in the world that is most crucial, not the events themselves. In prayer, we can immerse ourselves for a few sacred moments in that ever-flowing stream of love in which we live; hear whispered words of truth and kindness and beauty; and sense that perfect peace far beyond anything this world has to offer. The experience transforms us, so that when we return to our everyday lives, we have sharper insight, deeper compassion, higher goals, and greater power to be effective in our service. Yes, prayer does change things. It changes us, and through us, if we are willing and responsive, the world.

Dear Lord, each day bring us close to you in prayer, that we may grow in wisdom and strength, and thus transformed, be more effective ambassadors of your love for all people, whom you do not abandon, and never shall. Amen.

Week of March 11, 2007
By David M..

But when Christ came as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
     (Hebrews 9:11-14)

A few weeks ago, I went to my doctor for a normal checkup. During the visit, they asked if by chance I hadn't eaten, since it was a morning appointment. I said that I had eaten breakfast, as I do every morning. "Well", the doctor said, "I'd like to get some routine blood work done on you, but you need to fast for twelve hours. So sometime over the next few weeks, go to the lab facility and give blood for the tests." What a pain, I thought. I hate not eating breakfast, and I hate giving blood, ever since a nurse collapsed my vein about 15 years ago. I don't know if you've ever had a vein collapsed, but it's not fun. It's kind of like having a baseball stuffed under your skin, which of course turns all black and blue and ugly. Well, like anything else I don't want to do, I put it off for a few weeks. I finally decided to get it out of the way this morning, so I got up, had a glass of water and waited to go. I arrived at the lab, signed in, waited for a few minutes, and then was told to go to Room 1. The nurse prepared my arm, just said "little stick", and I waited for what seems like forever for her to collect the blood, although it was probably only a minute or so. She was done. She handed me a cotton ball to hold on the spot for a second, then put a band-aid on it. "All done. You can go." During the few minutes I was in Room 1, I had a thought...

Can you even for a second picture the contrast? Can you appreciate the way in which we do anything in our power to avoid pain, avoid suffering, avoid death, and the ordeal which Jesus the Messiah was willing to undergo for you?

"But now God's righteousness, attested by the law and the prophets, has been disclosed apart from the law, that is, the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith for all those believing. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and lack the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a means of expiation through Jesus' faith at the cost of his blood, to demonstrate his righteousness in overlooking past sins in the forbearance of God; to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, in order to be righteous even in justifying the one who lives from Jesus' faith." (Romans 3:21-26, translation by Ian G. Wallis

So what more can I say? Only one thing: "Thank you Jesus. Thank you for being willing to undergo what I would not be willing to do. Thank you for being faithful to God when I know I cannot be faithful. Thank you for showing the world that there is a Higher Power, one to be obedient to even when the whole world thinks you're crazy. Thank you for taking the difficult path for me, even as I strive to go the easy way. My hope is that someday I will be able to say to you face to face, thank you."

The life I now live in the body, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, translation by Ian G. Wallis)

Week of March 18, 2007
Pastor Dan.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.    (Galatians 5:22-23)

Those who belong to Christ live by the Spirit and are guided by the Spirit. Authentic and consistent generosity is evident fruit of the Spirit. When I reflect upon that God-created reality, I cannot help thinking about my father, Boyce Whitener. He has been a conduit for the Lord's blessings for 73 years. I have been on the receiving end of that personal conduit for both tangible and intangible blessings for 45 years.

Just the other day I reflected upon rather unusual evidence of my father's generosity. It was sometime during March 1979. I believe it was a Friday afternoon. I had just returned home from my high school. In those days I sported a 1970 Dodge Coronet 440 with a 318 V-8 engine. I had saved up enough money working at a local grocery store to purchase my first car for $750 in cash. But like many high schoolers, I hadn't always figured out how to budget for the other expenses related to my "wheels." During an especially wet and icy stretch in the late winter, my father grew concerned about the status of my tires. You see, my Dodge chewed up starters every six months and the front-end never seemed to stay aligned. Result-- premature tire wear.

On that March afternoon, my father asked for the keys to my car. About an hour later he returned with four new tires-- with raised, white letters! As he drove into the driveway, he was grinning from ear to ear. He told me that he and my mother had returned from the tax accountant that day and there was a small refund. They could think of no better way to spend that money than to purchase four new tires for my car.

Now, I know this sounds like a bizarre memory to freshen up 28 years later. But the memory actually comes to me afresh every tax preparation season when I (along with the rest of society) start to tighten up and put on the lens of scarcity. I seldom call upon my father for tangible assistance anymore. I didn't even ask him in 1979 for a set of tires for my car. He gave them to me out of his own Spirit-quickened generosity. I thank the Spirit of God who has blessed me with the personal example of powerful generosity in my father. Through him I have experienced an echo of the Heavenly Father's unlimited, unconditional, free-flowing generosity.

Let us pray. . . Lord God, thank you for the fruit of generosity so blessedly displayed through the words and deeds of the saints. Stir us by their example to be generous people in and out of tax season. Amen

Week of March 25, 2007
By Nancy E.

Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.
Psalm 4:6

After reading the newspaper or listening to the news, we -- like the psalmist -- are apt to ask God who can show us any good. We desperately request God to show us good. The answer, of course, is that God has shown us good if we will only take the time to look for it rather than concentrate on the bad.

I would like to share with you one powerful example of the light of God's face shining in the face of another. I am a member of the Blawenburg Community Band. When the weather is warm, we often play open-air concerts at shopping malls and parks. At the conclusion of these concerts, the conductor frequently asks children to come up to play with the band. He gives a quick teaching lesson about the various instruments in the band and invites the children to follow him, playing their imaginary instrument, while marching in a circle to a rousing Sousa march.

Typically, children who respond to his request range in age from 3 to 10. During one such event last summer, joining the young children who responded to the invitation was an adult couple with Down Syndrome. They came forth, hand-in-hand, with smiles to accept the conductor's invitation to play with the band. Quickly sensing the situation, another man in the audience came forth to join the children and the couple. Several other adults, observing his actions also came to join the children. It soon became a large group of people of all ages, marching in a circle, playing imaginary instruments and having a great time. What could have been a "look-at-them event" was turned into a "join-with-them" event. Truly, the light of God was shining in the face of the man who first came to join the group.

We need to always be vigilant in looking for the light of God shining in the face of others. And when we are overcome by the evil in the world, like the psalmist we too should quickly ask for the light of God to shine on our faces so that we can show good to others.

Thank you, God, for putting your light in the face of others to remind me of your goodness. Help me to show forth that same light to others. Amen