by Tim Hall

The crowds that follow Tiger Woods around the golf course are enormous. Television cameras are everywhere when Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town. Fathers and sons come to the ball park early to see Alex Rodriguez take batting practice. In the minds of those who watch such superstar athletes is this question: "How do they do it?" What enables this performer to hit the ball so far, to putt so accurately, to hit free throw after free throw?

My own layman's opinion is that there must be a certain degree of inborn ability. That's pretty obvious in basketball, for example. If you're less than six feet tall, it's going to be nearly impossible to make the pros. But it takes more than genetic luck of the draw. The main ingredient behind all of these sports elites is practice. Those who spend hours in the gym or on the playing field preparing themselves for the competition are the ones who excel. Take away the practice, and a person is rarely going to make a name for himself.

Spiritually the principle is the same. Most of us would consider Daniel a superstar. What courage he displayed when King Darius signed the order prohibiting prayer to anyone other than himself! Instead of obeying a sinful command, Daniel put his trust in God. He chose a night with the lions instead of a month away from God.

What enabled Daniel to take such a courageous stand? The answer is found in Daniel 6:10: "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (NKJV).

"As was his custom": That explains Daniel's superstar performance that day. Had it not been for the many hours of practicing his faith toward God, he surely would have failed this test.

Jesus also demonstrated the principle. As the time of His arrest and persecution drew near, Jesus was fully aware of what lay ahead. But in spite of His foreknowledge of what He was about to face, He kept moving forward with no hint of retreat. What gave Jesus such courage in the face of trial?

The answer is in Luke 22:39: "And coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him." Luke went on to record that Jesus prayed, the activity to which He was accustomed. Many other statements in the other gospels attest that prayer was a daily habit with Jesus. Without that, could He have stood the test?

Many of us avow that we want to be bold and courageous for the Lord. But are we willing to make spirituality our daily custom? Can we turn away from the distractions of life to be nourished by the Father above? Why do we expect to be strong in the trying moments when we fail to look to God in the mundane moments?

We should meditate longer on that phrase in Luke 22:39: ". . . and His disciples also followed Him." To be strong like Daniel and Jesus, we'll have to spend hours practicing our faith like Daniel and Jesus.

by Tim Hall

Some relationships are dear to us. A current advertising campaign for a wireless telephone service asks how much we would pay to stay in touch with those we love. People in the commercial answer by holding up signs that read "A lot", or "Anything in the world". The company then responds with a monthly price that they consider quite reasonable. Their hope is to gain our business by appealing to how we value certain relationships.

Sometimes telephones can't help us. Even if we dialed their number, they wouldn't answer. Something has broken the relationship. Yet the heart of one or both still yearns for the other. What can be done to reconcile the two? How much would they give to again be as one?

Jesus' parable of the prodigal son sheds light on God's esteem of a relationship with us. After the son decided to return home, seeking only to be a servant, the father's heart overflowed with joy. He had the opportunity to reclaim a son that was lost. One mark of that esteem was his order to "bring the fatted calf here and kill it" (Lk. 15:23, NKJV).

Sacrifice of innocent animals was a common feature of God's covenant with Israel. The Hebrew writer summed up the principle: "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Purification was necessary because the people were guilty of transgressions. When a transgression occurred, blood had to be shed. Without the shedding of blood there could have been no reconciliation of the broken relationship.

Ideally, every sacrifice for sin should have involved reflection. The animal being offered was a thing of value; it was unblemished and healthy (Deut. 17:1), and could bring a good price at the market. But a higher purpose was to be served with this animal. It would be the price of reconciliation, representing the person's desire to restore relationship with the offended Creator. Every sacrifice should have carried that thought.

Thankfully, God is not One who has to be begged to accept our offerings, who couldn't care less if He never saw us again. So strongly did He desire to restore the broken relationship that He made the first and greatest move. Paul marveled at the thought in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The Father on this occasion did not call for a fatted calf, but for His own Son! That's a statement of how much God loves us.

If Jesus' parable in Luke 15 can be interpreted even more closely, we also learn that the sacrifice of Jesus was made with joy. No, the Father didn't relish the thought of His Son hanging on the cross. But the effects of that sacrifice brought joy, and that's what set in motion the scheme of redemption. It's also what motivated Christ: "... who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).

How much does God value the possibility of reestablishing His relationship with us? How much would He be willing to give? See the outstretched arms of Jesus as He suffers on the cross and know that it is "This much!"

by Tim Hall

It's a button atheists like to push. "How can you believe in God?" they ask with an incredulous expression. "If there was a good and all-powerful being, do you think he would allow war, poverty and disease?" It's a trap into which many have fallen. It just makes sense that an omniscient and omnibenevolent God would keep the world running in tidy fashion. But since the world is not tidy, then . . .

Gideon revealed such thoughts when the Angel of the Lord approached him. "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" (Judges 6:13, New King James Version). When God brought Israel into their Promised Land, they were invincible. Now they had to run for cover whenever the Midianites came riding through on one of their frequent raids. God? Obviously, He was on vacation or else He would defend His people.

We have the benefit of "the rest of the story". God often allowed suffering to come upon His people in an attempt to correct their sinful ways. Amos 4:6-11 records God's explanation of why He often stood aside when troubles befell His people. Whether the trial consisted of famine, drought, plague or pestilence, God's motive was always the same: To get His people to return to Him. The pain inflicted by the parent's rod is harsh, but the parent's loving desire to correct the child justifies the action.

In the New Testament, Jesus' friends second-guessed Him. After their brother had died, both Martha and Mary ran to Jesus with the same complaint: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21,32). But they were mistaken. Though Jesus had not been physically present during the critical time of Lazarus' illness, the Lord was very much aware of his condition. There was a greater good to be served by waiting until after Lazarus died before arriving at their home.

Knowing the rest of the story helps us to see the wisdom of God. That's why Bible reading is such an important endeavor. We need to be reminded often that God knows the best path to take, even though human eyes may not see it that way at all. In time, His will becomes plain. But in the foggy present, we have difficulty seeing His wisdom.

Are we guilty of second-guessing the Lord? Have we made demands of God in our prayers, holding Him responsible for fulfilling our requests just as we state them? Do we excuse the disobedience of others by reasoning that "God will understand"? Are we guilty of pointing people away from clear statements of God's word toward a more comfortable "scholarly" explanation? In our minds it makes sense. But our minds are not God's.

The words of Isaiah 55:6-9 are both comforting and challenging: "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'"

It is nothing short of amazing that God extends such grace to sinful mortals. But sinful mortals who are dependent on that grace must never presume to speak a message God has not spoken.

"But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him" (Habakkuk 2:20).

by Tim Hall

As I turn on the faucet, water fills my glass. Stepping into the shower, I don't wonder whether there will be water today. I've lived in this house for over twenty years now, and there have been very few times that our pipes haven't been filled with freely flowing water.

But it hasn't always been so on this piece of real estate. Out back, barely visible beneath the chestnut tree, is a brick-lined hole in the ground. It's filled with dirt and rocks now, but once this was a well, the source of all the water used by the residents. How reliable was this well? I have no information on that. But I know wells sometimes go dry. And that means hardships.

It's not that there is no longer any water underground. It's the accessibility of the water that has changed. The bottom of the well may have caved in, or water tables may have shifted. No, there's plenty of water down there, but you have no way of getting to it now.

For a time, Israel had no access to the favor of God. They brought it upon themselves. In spite of repeated warnings from the prophets, Israel and Judah chose to reject God's will in favor of idolatry. God's punishment was looming, warned prophets like Isaiah, Amos and Jeremiah. When it comes, you'll wonder if you will ever again taste God's grace.

After the fearful visions of punishment, though, there were always words of hope. Isaiah 12:1-3 is a noteworthy example: "And in that day you will say: 'O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; "For YAH, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation."' Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (NKJV).

In those days the wells of God's mercy were dry. God was still merciful, but He wasn't making it available to His people during the punishment. "No mercy" was God's firm stance for a period of time, and how they suffered as a result! But those days were now at an end. Though He had been angry with His people, that wrath had subsided. Now they were again free to come to the wells of salvation. The waters were once more accessible.

The wells are flowing still, a fact made clear by Jesus in John 7:37,38: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Note that Jesus did not say "cups of water" or "buckets full". "Rivers" of water will flow through each heart that trusts in the Lord enough to follow Jesus Christ.

We're talking about deep wells with a great abundance of water. No wonder Isaiah said we would draw from the wells of God's salvation with joy! We have confidence that every time a bucket is lowered, salvation will be drawn up. What marvelous blessings! What a gracious God! "Great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!" (Isa. 12:6).

by Tim Hall

Dorothy Fletcher didn't realize what a good decision she had made as she boarded her flight. By the end of the day, however, she owed her life to that decision.

Dorothy, according to an Associated Press article from December 31, is a 67-year-old resident of Liverpool, England. She was on her way to her daughter's wedding when she started experiencing difficulties. A flight attendant quickly asked the passengers if there was a doctor on board who could help. Fifteen cardiologists, all bound for a conference in Orlando, stood and offered their services. After spending two days in intensive care in Charlotte, NC for a heart attack, Dorothy was able to make her daughter's wedding.

Not every flight has such expert medical care on hand. Dorothy's decision to board this particular plane was not made with cardiology care in mind, but it turned out to be a wonderful perk.

Standing in the terminal of life, each of us must make our decisions about which direction to take. Many flights bid for our attention, promising exotic and exciting destinations. One flight stands out for its simple promise: "Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things . . ." (Num. 10:29, NKJV). This is not a pleasure cruise kind of flight. But something about its up-front style of advertising appeals to us. We decide to board this flight called Christianity.

Along the way, we experience difficulties. Other flights can't furnish the help we need; they can only land at the nearest airport and leave us seeking out help on our own. The Lord's flight, though, is blessed with the constant presence of the Great Physician. He can provide expert care for whatever needs we experience.

Look more closely at the advertising: "Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs, I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isa. 46:4). Here's another statement of the Lord's offer: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. . . . I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Lk. 15:4-7). The captain of our salvation (Heb. 2:10) is able to help us - and He is always willing!

The flight before us is long. There are bound to be hard times in store for each of us. Having the right help available when we need it can be the difference between life and death. Let us choose wisely. Let us make sure that we get on the right flight.