Reading: Ezra 1:1-4; 3:1-13

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. Ezra 3:12-13

Some occasions just call for joy and weeping. The funeral of a loved one who no longer suffers and stands before our loving God calls for joy and weeping. A wedding that will take a son or daughter you love from your home to start a new one calls for joy and weeping. Saying goodbye to a close friend whom you will not likely see again calls for joy and weeping. Life is often filled with times which twist seemingly opposite emotions together. So is our encounter with God.

When we encounter God, there is instant joy in our hearts. God, the giver and sustainer of all life, is a God of joy. To be near God is to experience God’s joy. But to be near God is also to realize where we have failed. To be in the presence of God’s holiness is to realize just how unholy we are. In being surrounded by God’s love we realize just where we have failed God. In sorrow for our failure it stands to reason that we would weep even while God fills us with joy.

The Christian life isn’t about experiencing joy and escaping sorrow. God never promised that we would only have good in our lives and never experience heartbreak. Sometimes sorrow can’t be avoided or joy will never come. It’s not joy, but God whom we should seek. And to experience God is to experience joy even in the midst of sorrow.

Challenge: Look back on the hard, sorrowful times of your life. Was God’s joy there? Has God given you joy as a result? Thank God that He gives us joy in the midst of sorrow.

Prayer Request: Pray that the truth of Christ will bring conviction and peace this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading:    Daniel 7:9-28

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.   Daniel 7:13-14

Let me take this moment to thank my proofreader and editor, who wishes to remain nameless.  I get quite a few positive, encouraging comments about these devotionals.  They are fun for me to write and I’m glad to hear people enjoy them.  But they are also a challenging work.  They don’t just come error free.  In fact, my first drafts are usually riddled with errors.  My spelling isn’t always right.  My punctuation is sometimes lacking.  And then there is probably one of my most common errors – using the wrong tense.

Using the wrong tense makes a big difference.  To say someone lived, lives, or will live are three completely different things.  We have to be careful with how we use verb tense, particularly with God.  Too often we use the wrong tense with God.  We talk of God’s actions in the past and not of God acting in the present.  We think of God’s glory coming in the future and not as a past and present reality.  We relate to Jesus as being in the past or in the future, but don’t let him be part of our present.

Our eternal God promises that He will be the same across the bounds of time.  God is the God of the past, God of the present, and God of the future.  His glory and power have been with Him from the beginning of time, to our life today, and will go on into eternity.  His kingdom is everlasting.  He has not failed us, is not failing us, and will never fail us.  God is God – past, present, and future.

Challenge:  What words do you use to describe God working in your life?  Is He the God of your past, of your life now, and of your future?

Prayer Request:  Pray that God’s eternal kingdom will be heard this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading: Zephaniah 3:12-13

But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. Zephaniah 3:12-13

When it gets cold at our house, we pull out one of the quilts that we inherited from Krystal’s grandmother Allene. These things are probably the most comfortable, cozy blankets I’ve even seen. They are old, too. Krystal’s mom remembers using them when she was a kid and they were old then. We suspect some of them are over 75 years old. They have some loose threads and a couple of places need a little repair, but nothing really beats those old quilts.

Not being a quilter, it amazes me what can be made from a mishmash of leftover fabric. Old dresses and shirts with tears and stains were patched together by trained hands to make quilts that have lasted generations. These quilts are a beautiful testimony that not everything that is leftover is useless. What is discarded by some is made into something of beauty by others. It’s all a matter of seeing the true worth of what you have.

The meek and humble, the poor and left behind, were viewed by most of Israel as those not good enough. They were not good enough to be a threat to their invaders and so they were left behind. But God saw this remnant as something completely different. They weren’t those that weren’t good enough, but those that remained faithful. They were the future hope that God would use to rebuild His people.

The world may look at those who make the sacrifice to follow Christ as not good enough, but God sees our true worth. The world may reject us, but God is redeeming us. He is using us to make something beautiful and new.

Challenge: How have you felt rejected by the world? How have you felt affirmed by God? Thank God for His true affirmation of you.

Prayer Request: Pray that God’s love and affirmation will be proclaimed and heard this Good Friday and Easter weekend.

Reading:    Ezekiel 34:11-31

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. Ezekiel 34:11-12

When a domesticated animal escapes into the wild and begins to live on its own, we call it a feral animal.  Throughout the world every domesticated animal, from cattle to chickens to pigs and even sheep have been found in the wild.  They have become wild and do not easily return to domesticated life.  They are no longer tame, they are feral.

Sometimes we are feral sheep.  We have escaped the loving care of God and chosen to go our own way.  We have decided that as sheep we know what is best for us.  We think that we have the best idea of how to live our lives and so we seek our own will instead of God’s will.  But the feral life isn’t all that we thought it would be.  Instead of being filled with fun, it is filled with danger.  Instead of being free from worries, we are surrounded by fears.  But what is a feral sheep to do?  We’ve been wild for so long, how can we even return to being the sheep of God that we want to be?

When lost sheep can’t find their way home, the Shepherd has to go and find them.  This is what God did.  His people had become so wild and lost that He sent Jesus to search for His sheep and rescue them.  God wasn’t willing that we should just continue to wander lost and scared, but came Himself to find us and bring us back from the wild.

Christ came to save His lost sheep.  The question is do we want to remain lost and scared in the wild or will we call out to Christ to save us?

Challenge:  What remains wild in your life that you need to give to God to tame?  Turn over your wild will to the perfect will of God.

Prayer Request:  Pray that those that are scared and lost will find Christ this Good Friday and Easter weekend.