When God Whispers Your Name

When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

Max Lucado, an author, minister and speaker, is someone who has given me much peace and encouragement over the years. I’ll share a few gems I found in this book.

John 2:1-2: On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

 Jesus was invited to the party. Why? Because he was known as someone fun. Someone they wanted there. He wasn’t famous yet. The miracle of changing water into wine wasn’t known by anyone there except the men who drew the water and Jesus’ mother.

The bible doesn’t say he preached a sermon at the wedding. He was someone who enjoyed parties, who liked to have fun. Who said Christians shouldn’t have fun?

Heroes can doubt.

John the Baptist is definitely a hero in the history of Christianity, sent to introduce Jesus’ ministry. Yet toward the end of his life, from prison, he wondered if Jesus was who he’d thought.

Jesus did not rebuke him for these doubts, but sent him words of encouragement. Matthew 11:1-15.

IN Acts 8, Philip was involved in sending Christianity to Africa, because he listened to what the Holy Spirit told him to do.

People who worship Jesus as God and hold that the Bible is the inspired word of God, sometimes have different understandings of what some of those words from God mean. If God accepts someone as his child, shouldn’t I call them my brother, my sister?

Because of Calvary, I have choices. I can choose the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, including peace. I can live forgiven. And forgiving.

Mr. Lucado reminded me of one of my favorite passages, Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus asks me to leave my burdens, my sack of rocks, my regrets, with him.

One day God will whisper our name, a new name he has made just for us. He must have quite a future planned for us, since he thinks we need a new name for it.

Revelation 2: 17: Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

And all the wonder we can imagine of Heaven won’t come close to the truth.

1 Corinthians 2: 9: However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—

In The Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado

I read another book by Max Lucado, a writer I respect and a teacher who has given me much peace—IN THE EYE OF THE STORM. In this book it says that “He is convinced Jesus’ tomb is empty.” That strength of faith encourages me.

The book is about one day in Jesus’ life, maybe the second most stressful besides the day of his crucifixion.  Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6.

He learned his cousin, John the Baptist, someone who probably understood him better than anyone else, had died. The news came that Herod might be after Jesus as well.

A good thing that happened on that day—his disciples returned excited about what god had done through them as they traveled teaching and healing. Jesus wanted to take them away by themselves for a while, but thousands of people followed him. He helped the people because he had compassion on them.

Mr. Lucado said the Greek word for compassion means from his gut, strong compassion. Jesus helped them because people are precious to god.

This was the day Jesus fed more than five thousand people, then they wanted to make him king.

Jesus knew what to do to keep his calm. He called home when the pressure was on, when the temptation was rising. The crowd was hungry, and his disciples didn’t know what to do. Jesus talked with his father.

He prayed before delivering food, and when the crowd wanted to make him king. He took the time to be alone to talk to his father.

It would have been tempting to let them make him king, to not go through the crucifixion, to get back at Herod for killing John the Baptist and possibly threatening Jesus. He didn’t want to listen to those voices. He wanted to hear his father’s voice.

Through storms of doubt, gentle lights can help. When big, terrible things happen, small, unexpected kindnesses and other delights can help. The disciples did not expect Jesus to come walking to them on the water. Like them, we need to be careful to watch for God’s answers to our prayers, which may come in ways we do not expect. God finds his path to us in the storm.

I’ve always been impressed by Peter, walking on the water. Sure he got scared and started to sink, but he had the nerve to get out there in the first place.

Often, our faith grows through fear, through terror. When Peter began to sink, he was terrified and called out to Jesus for help, and Jesus was there immediately.

Those times of terror are the times our faith can grow. Nothing Peter could do, nothing he was proud of, no legalistic religious strengths he had could help. Even his doubts didn’t stand in his way then. He just yelled for help, and Jesus was there.

I’ve called out to God many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a desperate place. My family has.

Almost seven years ago, I had a severe brain injury from a fall. For a time, they didn’t know if I would survive, or if I did, what shape I’d be in. I have very little memory of that time, but my family has shared some of what they went through.

Murray said on Facebook then: “We are completely helpless and have abandoned her to our sweet Lord Jesus.”

I know my family grew closer to God at that time.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Anxious For Nothing

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, FINDING CALM IN A CHAOTIC WORLD by Max Lucado.

Mr. Lucado bases this book on Philippians 4:4-8, and uses the word C-A-L-M: Celebrate, Ask, Leave, Meditate.

Philippians 4:4-8:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Celebrate; rejoice in the Lord always. This is not a feeling but a decision to depend on God.

The author said anxiety is not a sin; it’s an emotion. Like anger, anxiety is not the sin. Sin comes with how we handle the emotions.

Be anxious about nothing does not mean to never be anxious, but not to allow ourselves to remain in a constant state of anxiety.

Mr. Lucado said some people will need counseling and/or medication to deal with their anxiety, and he said we should not let that make us feel like a person of less worth. As someone who has dealt with chronic depression and anxiety for years, this was a comfort for me to hear from a well-respected Christian leader.

Rejoice always, because of God’s Sovereignty, because he’s always in control. Rejoice always because of god’s mercy and forgiveness. Because God is always near, we don’t need to be anxious about anything. “Anxiety is needless because Jesus is near.”

Ask. Pray. Pray specifically, in detail, a child honoring their father with what they need. Sprinkle our requests with “thank yous,” thanking God for what we already have when we’re asking for more.

Leave our anxieties with God. He is our Father, who, when we gave our lives to him, took control and responsibility for us. We are his children and are free to call on all of his promises. His peace, which transcends understanding, will guard our minds.

When I was going through one of the hardest times in my life with anxiety, a man from my church first introduced the meaning of verse 7 to me. Many of my worries were irrational, and most of the time, I knew they were, but they still crushed me. He told me God could give me peace, even if I didn’t know why.

I haven’t found all the answers to all the things I fear and worry about, but God has given me peace still. Many times over the years, I have found such comfort from this verse.

Meditate on good things. The author said we don’t have to run every thought through the list in verse 8. We just need to keep our mind focused on Jesus, like abiding in the vine in John 15. Jesus holds up to all these qualities, so work to have our thoughts match up to Jesus.

We need to take action for these verses to work for us. We actively need to think about good things, the bible, hymns, God’s promises. Determine to learn more of god’s promises. We have to choose to put these things into our minds to get rid of the bad thoughts and anxieties the devil shoves at us.

I have enjoyed reading Max Lucado’s books for years, and I thank God for this Christian brother who is an encouragement for me.

And The Angels were Silent

This is another book by an author who has often brought me hope, encouragement, and a greater knowledge of the Bible: AND THE ANGELS WERE SILENT by Max Lucado.

The last week of Jesus’s life. He knew what was ahead, and he dreaded it. But he kept his focus on those who needed him. He continued to show and teach crucial points.

In Matthew 20 he taught about the land owner who was generous with the workers who stood around all day and no one hired them. Just as God is generous with those of us who no one wants.

Two brave men, blind beggars, kept calling to Jesus to help them, even though the crowd tried to silence them. Jesus took the time to stop and treat them with compassion.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him at the end of this week, but he continued rigorously meeting our needs. In Matthew 23 he spoke harshly against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who made salvation so hard for people to obtain.

In Matthew 24, he encouraged his disciples, and us, saying those who hold on to God through horrible sorrows and troubles will be saved.

And John 17 shows us that Jesus thought of believers who are alive today, and prayed for us, on his last night as he walked to the garden.

John 17: 20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

At the end of the book is a section which an individual, or a study group, can use for discussion and Bible study. I often don’t pay attention to these question sections at the end of books. But this one impressed me, with thoughtful questions and an in-depth Scripture listing.

The Higher Grounds Cafe

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café, by Max Lucado, Candace Lee, and Eric Newman.

I love reading books by Max Lucado. He has many times helped me find hope from the grace of God. Recently, I found a fiction book he wrote with two other authors, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café.

It was a delight.

Chelsea and her family are definitely in need of a miracle. Separated from her husband, she is trying to run her mother’s coffee shop on her own, handle great debt, and find hope for a new life for herself and her children.

Her guardian angel, Mannie, is sent down to help her. He is disguised as a clumsy, laughable, lovable human, who needs a job just as Chelsea’s assistant leaves her alone. He, and a couple of friends, bring the God blog to the coffee shop.

Only at the Higher Grounds Café can people come to ask God a question, and the business has a speedy growth.

The answers on the blog claim to come from God. They sometimes use Scripture, always agree with Scripture, and each one is personal.

Besides the blog, the story takes Chelsea, her family, friends, and community on a ride with many twists and turns, ups and downs, like one of the frightening amusement park rides Chelsea’s son loves.

A pastor and his wife need to reexamine the focus of their ministry. People with broken hearts find grace. Others come to believe in God, and there’s a Gideon-like sign.

After surprising sorrows and frights, God leads Chelsea and more hurting souls in a dance to find his love and grace, and pass them along to those they would never have believed they could meet with grace.

Psalm 86: 5: You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?