So here we are, in the midst of a quarantine.  It’s no accident that the word quarantine comes from the Italian word “quaranta,” which is translated to 40.  According to the Jews, the number 40 is associated with a period of trial and tribulation.  It appears throughout the Old and New Testament of the Bible. 

It rained for 40 days and nights during the flood in Noah’s time.

Abraham asked God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if 40 righteous people were found.

Jonah warned the Ninevites about destruction for 40 days.

The Hebrews wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Elijah fasted for 40 days on Mt. Horeb.

Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days.

Jesus was tempted for 40 days and nights.

Jesus prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened 40 years later.

Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.

We are in a season of tribulation, where turmoil and the unknown are seemingly in control.  We are in the middle of a storm and we are being swept up by this current of disease, disorder and total disruption.  I stop and remind myself of who God is and I feel peace because He is still on the throne. 

All I need to do is look at the past and behold the salvation of our God through His promises.  I hold on to these promises knowing that God is good.

After the storm, Noah saw the sunlight once again.

After being lost in the wilderness, the Hebrews made it to home, sweet home.

Moses encountered God himself on the mountain top and he was forever changed.

Jesus survived the worst conditions, both physically and spiritually and left the desert in victory.

The word in Isaiah says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

We will be victorious after this terrible season and we will see the deliverance of God. This is our flood, our wilderness, our desert.  More importantly it will be our triumph, our salvation, and our victory.  He sees all things and knows all things.  He’s got us and He will take us up to the mountain top and we will encounter His presence and healing once again. 

I was asked once who I loved more, God or my children. My first thought-this is one heck of a trick question. My second thought-how do I answer this question. My third thought-Hold on, I need a second to think about this. This was my answer: I love God more because I trust Him with my children’s lives.

God created these incredible souls and gifted me with the privilege of carrying them into this world. The wonder of it is that He selflessly shared them with me. They carry my imprint in their body and soul. He gave up custody and trusted me with His beloved creation for a time. I must allow Him to work through their lives and determine when they go back to Him.

To love a child is to love them right into eternity. This powerful love intertwines with faith and trust in God when you’re standing right on the precipice and you have to let go trusting that God has already grasped their hand on the other side and will not let them fall into the abyss.

It is no accident each of you run and dance, for “beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good news.” Roman 10:15

The way each of you move reflects how you go through life.  I believe it’s symbolic of all you will do and accomplish.  By the way, I stand in awe of what both of you do.  I have the honor of calling two of the most committed, courageous and hardworking people I know my children.  You give 100% and bring excellence to all you do. 

God gave me this word for each of you:

Daniel, you will run through life with pounding feet and long strides.  You run to the rhythm of two feet thunderously hitting the ground, unrelenting and traversing difficult and unknown paths.  You will have hills and valleys in your journey through life, but you will conquer the terrain.  Daniel you were meant to “run and not grow weary.”

Susan, you will dance through life with leaps, turns and complicated steps. 
You will move to the beauty of life’s music, sometimes happy and energetic and at times sad and soulful. You will demonstrate how grace and strength can be used together to be mighty and powerful. Susan, you were meant to “soar on wings like eagles.”

Life, much like a race or performance requires determination and is filled with pain, sweat and tears.  The journey is difficult, but the goal is to make it through to the end of the race and performance.  You will be bruised along the way and at times feel faint, but it will still be the desire of your heart.  You live for the victory of knowing you finished the task and you see the beauty at the end.  Remember, God promises to renew your energy and be your source of strength. You will know you have won in this life when you take the bow and cross the finish line.  Let your ribbon and medal, flowers and applause be found in Jesus Christ.  Finish strong, catch the wind of the Spirit and soar higher and faster than you ever dreamed of for both of you carry His presence and “were born for such a time as this.”

To live in this world and live out your life you have to shift your soul’s way of thinking on what is really truth and dare to live in a way that is opposite to what the world holds as valuable. It’s a refocus of how you see things and a deeper understanding of what I call God’s paradoxical truths.  He dares us to believe that the impossible is more than possible. I say this because a paradox is something contrary to what we expect.  It might not make sense initially, but when you meditate on it, the paradox holds truth and a deep life lesson. God’s truths are contrary to everything that we’re told is strong, victorious and powerful.  We believe in the poorest of Kings who didn’t have material riches, wealth and power as this world defines it and who held absolutely nothing back when it came to saving His beloved creation. His followers weren’t asked to protect the King when the enemy rose against Him, but instead the King protected us from the enemy.  He is the God that dares us to walk by faith and not by sight; to disregard evidence that we clearly see and live in the certainty of what we hope will come to pass.  He challenges us to move beyond the tangible and reach into the invisible spiritual realm to discover the greatest mysteries of life in the Spirit.

I love His truths, which are opposite to our limited truths and understanding. He dares us to live in the realm of the miraculous, selflessly and with abandon.  Here are a few that come to my mind:

He says the weak are strong.

He says surrender is not captivity, but freedom.

He says the poor are rich and the rich are poor.

The lower your knees go in prayer, the higher your cry reaches into the heavenlies.

The meek are not weak.

He calls things that are not as if they are.

You can be consumed with the fire of the Holy Spirit, but never get burned.

He says death is life.

His blood does not stain but cleanses and purifies.

If you lose your life, it will be returned to you.

His kingdom is not for magnates, scholars and the powerful, but for the most neglected, weakest and insignificant of the world.

He says to battle the world not with sophisticated weaponry, but with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

He says a ruler must become a servant.

He says the first are the last and the last are the first.

Because of His ways, the childless Abraham becomes the Father of countless millions, the speech impaired Moses becomes the voice of a nation, the small and powerless David takes down the giant.  It is why a handful of flawed men change the world by proclaiming the teachings of Jesus and why Paul, who took life preached about the Giver of life.  He flips the world upside down by always working things the opposite way we would expect.  He is so amazing, and I love this about Him.  He can make our greatest flaws and failures the tools of triumph and turn our greatest hardship and affliction into a miracle.

Thanks for joining me!

I wish that my words were written down, that they were recorded on a scroll!- Job 19:23