Does God Know Everything?

Yesterday I saw the last few minutes of “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Jesus was before Pilate and Herod. Then He was scourged and crucified. While on the cross He uttered words that have always held a bit of mystery for me. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” As a young Christian, I wondered, “Did Jesus not understand why He was there?” Even though God the Son humbled and limited Himself, I thought surely He fully understood His mission and the events that would occur.

As I have grown in my faith, God has revealed answers to many such mysteries. Here, Jesus is not confused about His purpose. He knew well beforehand the gravity of the suffering He would endure. In fact, He was so aware of what would happen that He prayed for His Father to do something else “if it is possible.” With full knowledge of the task at hand, He expressed His genuine fear and dread.

Since before Creation…before time in fact, God the Son has known intimacy with God the Father. We, however, have rare moments of real intimacy with God and are overwhelmed by the experience. Jesus lived there…24/7. What we have difficulty imagining, Jesus counted as normal. When He hung there on the cross, He took on the guilt and responsibility of the sin of the whole world. And God the Father turned away.

Some translations use the word “abandoned.” God the Father turned His back on sin, and in doing so He abandoned His Son. For the first time ever, God the Son felt the utter despair of full and complete separation from God the Father. Like we are overwhelmed by intimacy with God, Jesus was overcome by separation. It was worse actually. When Jesus cried out, “My God, my God…” He was not confused about the work. He was expressing His shock and confusion, His despair, His aloneness. He was crying out, “Where are You?”

Does God know everything? Yes, He does. He knows my sin. He knows the penalty. He knows the shame, the despair, the separation. He knows these things and more…so that I don’t have to.

What Is Prayer?

Most people pray…to something or someone. We who have met the risen Christ have learned that only through Him do our prayers have meaning or achieve any result. Proverbs 15:29 tells us “…He hears the prayer of the righteous.” James 5:16 says, “The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.” The righteous have placed their complete faith in Jesus Christ… for forgiveness… for peace… for fulfillment… for everything.

We are inhabited by the very Spirit of God who “…intercedes for us…” (Romans 8:26). Even when we don’t know what or how to pray, the Holy Spirit speaks for us as we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Prayer can be spoken or silent, private or public, kneeling, prostrate, standing or arms outstretched. Righteous prayer is sincere, honest and open. Prayer is based on trust and a relationship that develops over time.

Recently I gained a new perspective on prayer. I was directing our Christmas Musical and we arrived at a particularly difficult section. When using recorded accompaniment, it is difficult during softer sections to keep the choir in pace with the music. With my ear turned toward the monitor, I concentrated as we began. It was a stressful moment, and I instinctively called out to God for help, but with all that I was doing, no words would come to my mind. Instead I simply looked up in my spirit at my Father.

It was a defining moment. Right then, I realized that prayer is more than just words. Prayer is a five year old glancing up at his father for reassurance. A wordless expression of trust in the only source of strength he knows. Prayer is communication based on a deep, proven relationship. I looked up to Him for reassurance. He smiled at me, filling me with peace and encouragement.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” The Holman translations says, “Pray constantly.” Prayer is more than words. It is constant awareness of your Father’s presence. Look up to Him. See His smile. Feel His peace. Hold His hand.

Challenger the Eagle...

I took Jay and Megan to the University of Tennessee football game the other day. It was their first such experience in America and my first time in several years, and we all enjoyed it. I compared the stadium with all the orange clad people to Jeju Island in Korea. Jeju is where they have the Mandarin orange groves. We watched the marching band, and I explained the game as it was played.Before the game, we stood for the singing of the National Anthem, and witnessed the flight of Challenger the American Bald Eagle. Challenger is an eagle that was found when he was very young and raised by humans. He has remained with them and now does these flight demonstrations at events all over the country.

We saw the handler with Challenger in the upper deck near us, while the other handler stood down on the opposite end of the field. When he was released, Challenger soared and swooped up over the stadium. The crowd roared with excitement as Challenger circled the field. He glided half a dozen loops, seemingly teasing the crowd and the handlers. Several times, he swooped down as if to land, only to climb again at the last second. Having never seen it in person, I wondered if he was going to fly away. But just when the thought entered my mind, the majestic bird flew down and down and landed on the gloved hand of the handler. As I looked at the huge screen, I saw the closeup of Challenger as he received a treat from his friend.Days later, I was still thinking about Challenger. I was deeply impressed and awed by what I saw. And my thoughts included a question... Why did he land? As he flew against the dark night sky, I realized something. He was free. He had no tether... no chain... nothing to hold him down... yet his first instinct was to search for his friends. He found them, and after performing his task, he went straight to them. Was it for the treat? Perhaps that was partly the reason, but I tend to think he knows there are plenty of treats out there.

As I pondered this, God gave me the answer. It is not a reward that makes him land. It is not obedience or even training. It is a relationship. Challenger knows these people better than he knows anything else in the world...even other eagles. They saved him and raised him. They provide for him. They love him. And he loves them. He is free to leave whenever he wants, but the love they share compels him to stay. That is why he landed.

That's what God wants for us. He has given us our freedom. We can choose to fly away and never give Him a second glance. Many do just that. However, some have found what He wants for all of us...a relationship. Those of us who follow God, do so not for the reward. It is not even obedience or training. We follow God because of the the relationship we have with Him through Jesus Christ. He loved us enough to save us from our lost condition...to raise us from the pit of sin...to provide for and love us like no other ever could.

Why would I ever want to fly away from Him?

The Trees of the Field...

I told Todd the other day that I was going to help my Dad cut a hickory tree. He responded, "I'm surprised your Dad has any trees left!" I guess I often talk about the manly art of cutting trees. There's nothing better than a day with a clear blue sky, comfortable temperature, family all around and the sweet sound of a chainsaw. Get's my eyes misty just thinking about it. As I thought of writing about it, I knew I had to find an appropriate scripture. These immediately came to mind.

Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Genesis 1:28 ... fill the earth, and subdue it.

Here we are:

Papa Johns...

For lunch on Wednesday, my team took me to Papa Johns. Being the only customers, we held the full attention of the waiter. We ordered a family meal, and our driver charmed the poor guy into giving us individual drinks instead of the usual pitcher. He actually looked over his shoulder before shrugging and nodding with a smile.
After ordering, our driver asked the waiter if he had a free moment to listen to my message. He said he would but first had to make a delivery. Donning his helmet, he left the store and handed us over to a girl. That was when another of our teams entered the place. We enjoyed sharing stories before our food came.
As my team was preparing to leave, we realized the delivery guy had never returned. Glimpsing him hiding out in the kitchen, we charged the other team with the task and left for our next appointment. It was nearby, and soon afterward we were back in the car. That's when we saw the pizza guy again. I suggested we follow him and share the gospel, but we lost him at a red light. Then we got silly, talking about ordering pizza to the church so we could share. We could order pizza, chicken and every other thing they deliver in Korea. The ladies thought it was a good idea.

Side note: If you park in an apartment complex without a sticker, they let you know their displeasure by pasting a "Don't Park Here" sticker on your windshield. Your punishment is to remove it. It's not easy.

냇 킹 콜...

So we're walking down the street passing little shops and produce markets. We stop in one store to speak with a lady, and she invites us in. I sit down with her on the little stoop in the back and begin to share the gospel message with her. My translator is kneeling in front of us, and the lady listens intently. As my translator is speaking, something odd competes for my attention. I hear it in the background as I share the next part of my message, and as the translator takes over, my mind focuses on the sound.

"Unforgettable... that's what you are...." Here I am, halfway around the world, in a tiny fish shop in the middle of an old neighborhood in South Korea. And from an old radio nearby comes the familiar sound of Nat King Cole. As I've said about a hundred other moments... only in Korea.

P.S. In case you haven't guessed already, the title of this post is "Nat King Cole" in Korean.

Not House Guests Anymore...

Isaac, Sayone, Hanul & Sarang were kind enough to open their home to us. Mike has been coming here every October for the last 5 years, and my history with this family is well documented. Therefore, it's no surprise that we are no longer the strange American house guests. We are family.

Sayone asked me how I like my bacon... then she just said, "Here, you cook."
Sarang and HanulMike even helped to unclog the toilet. Of course, it was his fault anyway, but that's another story.

Does God Have A Plan?

Monday began a long week of running here and there to share the gospel with people. As most of the volunteers are stay at home mother's, many of the appointments are with other stay at home mothers. My team (5 of us) piled into a little car and dashed off. We were going to see a seamstress at a local mall. Upon seeing us, she busied herself and would not allow us to share. It was a disappointing start, but as we reached the car, we met the parking attendant. (I impressed everyone by producing the correct amount of change when he told the driver what she owed.)

As he walked away, someone suggested we chase him down and share with him. We followed and realized he was too busy with his job, so we stepped into a salon instead. The place was empty except for two ladies who listened patiently and responded to the gospel message. One of them shared that she was already a Christian.

As the conversation progressed, one of our team realized that she lives next to the lady's mother-in-law and has actually met her daughter. Information about Calvary Church was shared, and she commented that she has lately been feeling God leading her in another direction and had prayed the previous day that God would lead her to a church where she could serve and fulfill her potential.

So, did God lead us down the street after the parking attendant only to redirect us into this salon? YES! God knows exactly what He is doing. All we have to do is follow. Disappointment was changed to joy.

The rest of the day was filled with such encounters. A young mother in her apartment. A Buddhist dry cleaning man who reluctantly listened as he worked. At one stop, we hurriedly pulled into the only available space right in front of the door. One of the ladies said, "God prepared." I agreed.


An afternoon visit was to a group of ladies at some sort of community center. I was told it was a group who gather to teach their children English and was asked to share the gospel and then to read them a couple of stories in English. They were very receptive and all accepted Jesus except for one who was already a Christian.

The children were alot of fun. They each have English names and I asked them questions and engaged them in simple conversation. They all communicated well except for Dora who was quite shay and Daniel who started laughing every time I said something to him. Jimmy arrived late. As the door opened, he took one look at me standing there, turned and reached for his mother and said, "Anyooooooooooo!" (That means "Nooooooo!") After several attempts, she finally got him into the room. He clung to her and hid his face for a while, but eventually, during my reading time, he opened up. Boy did he open up. These kids are 5 years old. He knew every animal name and every color in English. I finally had to ask him to wait and let one of the other children answer. At the end, he wouldn't join the group photo, but I managed to sneak one of him.

(LtoR) Jamie,
Bill, Dora
& Daniel









Jimmy