April 22 – “Changing focus”

I had a great day visiting with old friends at South Oaks Baptist Church yesterday.  The first handshake I received was from the greeter at the door.  He was proud to have just turned 90 years old few months before.  Right behind him was a guy who had just recovered from the same back surgery I have had several times over the years.  That’s a connection I wish we didn’t have, but he looked like he was doing just fine.  I sat near the back so I could continue my commitment to standing up and moving around.  I didn’t want a recurrence of the numb foot and leg from Friday.  It worked out well, though, because quite a few of the folks I knew were back there.  Hmm.  Wonder what that says about the people I hang out with.  Look for us on the back row where we can cut up most effectively without getting caught, right?  Maybe.

I did know the guy who prayed before they took up an offering.  He did an admirable job, too.  I told him after the service that I was particularly impressed with his comments before he prayed.  One thought he expressed was, “Why do we pray?  It’s because we have a job to do that can’t do ourselves.”  That’s some deep spiritual thinking there. 

The sermon was from, of all places, Nehemiah.  I just finished a long series from there.  The Jews had begun rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and were facing some pretty stiff antagonism from their neighbors.  When they stepped back to take a look at what they had accomplished, all they could see was a big pile of rubbish and barely half a wall.  The cry of Nehemiah was that they change their focus.  They were not looking at a pile of rubbish, but instead a storehouse of building materials.  And it wasn’t “just half a wall.”  They were more than halfway to accomplishing their goal.  It was cause not for depression, but for encouragement, for renewed dedication to the task at hand.  I like Nehemiah.  He’s an eternal optimist like me.  The glass is half full, not “nearly empty.”  Be encouraged.  God is at work all around us.  We just need to open our eyes and keep our focus on him.  Good stuff.

Nehemiah 4:14 says, “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’”

What a week last week was.  The Boston Marathon bombings.  The West, Texas explosions.  But from the chaos I heard several of the best words of encouragement.  From Mr. Rogers’ mother (yes, the TV Mr. Rogers) we heard, “When you see bad things happening, look for the helpers.”  Focus on the right things.

From good old Nehemiah I heard, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (4:19-20).  Pull together in unity and God will join us.

And finally, I heard a prayer at that church I visited that was one of the best I have come across in a long time: 

“Father, we are horrified by the tragedies we see around us in Boston, in West, and all over our country.  Don’t let us become the hate we see and hear.  Amen.”