Christian Reflection and Prayer

The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I
have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you
are mine. When you go through deep waters and great
trouble, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters
in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13,
1685, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which
stated that the Church of God is a department of the State.
Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and
worshiping in places other than a church, they were
ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When
they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were
forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to
death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to
posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The
older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were
given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood
firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed
throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death.
As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began
to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she
recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors
through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled
her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!"
She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance,
forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry
soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined
Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep
waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming.
How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in
the rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by
E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for
May 11.

“You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live,
and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where
I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must
obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the
LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person
who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.”
— Leviticus 18:3–5

God cautioned the nation of Israel: “You must not do as they
do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as
they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you … You
must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees … for
the person who obeys them will live by them.” God was telling
the Israelites that they were not to follow the crowd. They were
to swim against the stream and go against the flow in order to
obey God. And here’s the punch line: “the person who obeys
them will live by them.”

Our natural instinct is to be afraid of challenging the status quo.
We might be laughed at or in some places even killed for
different beliefs. But God is telling us, if we want to live, we have
to stand up for what is right. God is the source of our protection
and blessings. When we fear only Him, we will live and prosper.
It’s when we stray that we should be truly afraid.

In what areas of your life is God calling you to stand out from the
crowd? Where is it that you need to swim against the stream?
Don’t be afraid to do things differently. Stand up for God and He
will stand for you. Swim upstream; it’s the path that will carry
you to God.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!! NOT WHAT OTHERS
SAY IS RIGHT BUT WITH GOD'S WILL IN YOUR LIFE.
WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT!)

Read Luke 24:36-49.

TEXT: They shall come and proclaim His righteousness to
a people yet unborn, that He has done it (Psalm 22:31).

When Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His Twelve
and to many other disciples. Luke tells us, "He presented
Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs,
appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the
kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). These apostles boldly shared
the things they had heard and seen, and the church grew
tremendously under the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit.

By the Spirit's inspiration and guidance, the apostles
recorded Jesus' words and deeds in the four Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and in various letters and
writings of the New Testament. Through that word they
continue to speak of all the Lord Jesus accomplished for us.
They wanted to be sure that generations yet to come would
know the truth about Jesus' great mission of salvation.

You and I were among that people yet unborn when these
great events were accomplished for us. Yet God's Word has
come down to us, proclaiming God's righteousness, and
assuring us that our Lord Jesus Christ has done everything
necessary for our salvation. Comforted, strengthened and at
peace with God through this Good News, we cannot help but
go and proclaim God's righteous plan throughout the whole earth.

Unless Jesus comes first, you and I will also lay in the dust of
death one day awaiting the resurrection of the dead won by
Jesus Christ our Lord. May God work in us to go throughout the
world and faithfully share the Gospel. May we do this so that
many generations yet unborn may put their trust in Jesus Christ
and pass on His great salvation until the day the Lord Jesus
returns with all His angels.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, to You belongs all praise and glory. Continue
to bless and guide us Your people, that we may spread Your
story to a people yet unborn. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)