No Lack of a Better Word

When the struggle actually becomes real... the promises become more than platitudes.

The RUGGED team goofing off with each other and Jesus… Lil T in the middle, Craigers on top left

All of you, my Beloved readers, know above all other humans that I am not considered a man of few words. But, today I am writing to you from a place where it seems that words are hard; in fact I would say that, in this moment, words have never been harder. Each sentence seems laborious because of the magnitude of internal stirrings about the course that my journey and divine destiny with Jesus has thrust upon me.

As many of you can attest, life is filled with chaos and turmoil as we await the promises of God both in the natural realm and in the coming eternal realm. In the truth of the, ‘already, not yet,’ theology of the Kingdom of God, we find the rapacious tension of the blessings of God aggressively pulling against the tests and trials of earthly living.

James 1:2-5a

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Now if any of you lacks…

Those of you who know your Bibles are immediately aware that I just maliciously severed a verse in two. This is in no way to malign or misrepresent the Holy Cannon, but rather to expand these words into a tangible and powerful opportunity that can come when we lift the scriptures from the pages of old parchment written in ink that fades. These words, these sacred promises, are not, ‘cunningly devised fables of man’s wisdom,’ but are as powerful as the Spirit that breathed them through the holy men of old.

In total transparency, I find myself deeply buffeted by current, ‘trials of many kinds.’ Many of you who are intimate with the Beloved family here were deeply, and shockingly, pierced by the news of our beloved Tabitha Lott leaving this cosmos for the pure joy of the presence of her Savior, whom she adored more than life itself. This is what has caused words to flee from me. How can I adequately portray the wave after wave of thoughts and emotions associated with knowing that a beautiful, young life has been eternally altered by natural forces? What solace can I attempt to offer her beloved husband, her precious family, or the scores of hearts who have been profoundly impacted by her intoxicating laugh, her melodious voice of worship, and her massive heart of love trapped in her itty-bitty body? Sadly, in sincerity, I am personally struggling with the fact that this shocking occurrence happened while I am 3,500 miles away in Latin America ministering my own heart out to the hungry Peruvians I have been honored to encounter. I know… that is a selfish statement… but true.

I lack. 

At this moment, I have nothing to offer. Any attempt I consider just seems enormously empty and vain. Especially considering that Jesus is saying and doing things, right now, that comfort and exhilarate Tabby to the extent that she likely has no awareness of the loss we are all wrestling with. That should be good enough, right? I should, ‘consider it all joy,’ as I wade through this test… we all should. But, that is just a Bible verse from 2,000 years ago about some, ‘sweet by and by,’ imaginary hope and this is reality in the nasty here and now.

It seems so easy to embrace the promises, to extol the blessings, and to rejoice with, ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory,’ when things are relatively good. Yet, the promises were not given to us as some commentary about the landscape in our rear-view mirror, they were written to give us clarity about the terrain ahead.

Some of you have heard me preach about the, ‘Twinkie principle.’ Only when you squeeze a Twinkie, do you experience the truth of what is (or is not) inside that yellow confection. In the pandemic, the evil forces of this world put the squeeze on the entire human population and, if you recall, what came out was NOT a creamy, delicious center. We watched in breathless horror as fear, self-centeredness, tyranny, and faithlessness gushed out in buckets, baptizing the world in an unprecedented brokenness and exposing the true rotten core of our society. Many died, and most of those dead people are still walking among us to this day.

In reflection, most of the church-i-anity folks had the promises of God written on ornamental plaques garnishing their living rooms (… Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear NO evil…), but those words only had the power of decoration, not the power of transformation. A major reason that the Power of God, through the Power of the Word of God, was made powerless was through the slow process of making the believers weak through comfort and entertainment. This weakness petrified our living hearts, making many fragile and broken, even before the test came to shatter our hearts. Any good teacher will confess the purpose of a test is so the student can prove their ability to pass.

I am writing this message to you from the airport in Lima, Peru, where I was just rejected from flying to Honduras to join my Beloved family on a mission trip… (that stupid vaccine lawlessness strikes again!). No warning, no empathy… just a, ‘no,’ to travel. The cost for me to eventually join my team will be four additional flights, a thousand dollars, and likely sleeplessness for the next 30 hours… all while I cannot be present for the Lott family in their moment of need. Just me and a half a dozen tarmacs… and Jesus. AND JESUS!

The temporal is desperately trying to rob us of the eternal. If I end my sentence wit, ‘I lack,’ then I fail the test. But, I have been here before. God was ALWAYS faithful in the past, and WILL BE always faithful in the future. The promises are bigger than the circumstances, and God is bigger than the test.

The rest of the story…

Verses 5-8

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Wisdom is the principle thing. Wisdom is akin to having a better perspective. If I knew what God knows, I would pass the test with extra credit to spare to my flunking neighbor. What we lack is not found in the emotional realm, the physical realm, or even the imaginary realm. We lack the patience that can propel us through the test, qualifying us to participate with the promises of an ever-increasing level of success. I have TONS of ‘why’ questions about the evil, failures, and ridiculousness of our culture, times, and circumstances. But we can never lose sight of the One who gave the promises and His omnipotence about the trials.

This too shall pass.

Jesus is the Master Rabbi who is aligning the future towards His perfect will, and to question Him in the process is the height of arrogance. It is not the ink on parchment that produces my hope, it is the Author of those promises in whom we should fully rely. 

The storms come to make us waver in doubt like the, ‘waves of the sea,’ blowing against the bow of our journey with Him. But, He is in the boat and He is the Master of storms. He makes me stable, He is the One fulfilling His promises.

A wise person knows eternal promises, spoken by an omniscient God, will always overpower temporal stuff-n-things. I do not know very much… but I know Him!

If we know the Promise Keeper, then we will experientially know the promises.

Hebrews 10:23-24

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

They are calling my boarding group, let the torture continue… ta-ta for now.

Tabby, Lil-T, we will see you again soon.

I love and miss you all greatly!
Steve