Duped Again!

“But he said, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing…’ Esau said…‘this is the second time he has taken advantage of me:  He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing…’Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’” Genesis 27:36.

I remember when my daughter was out of control I would look around at my family and friends’ teenagers.  They seemed perfect, happy and whole.  I would watch other parents live their lives not being good role models, and yet their children thrived and succeeded beautifully...smiling on the outside, dying on the inside…feelings of stolen birthrights and lost blessings.

I read this today and looked around to see if anyone saw my face turn red…luckily I was alone.  This story screams the sentiment of our hearts in certain times during our life.  We hope for something… we dream for that outcome…we even plan on it before it ever comes to be.  Then one day something happens and it’s gone…the door is closed…the path is blocked.  We look around at others and see how much their lives are lived in ease.  They don’t make time for church but they seem to be living the good life.  They don’t share their time or money with those in need, yet they continue to get blessed.  Their dreams become realities and their paths are scattered with smooth walks.  Like Esau we feel duped…unrewarded for our honesty and faithfulness.  We cry out to our Father ‘where are my blessings…why is this happening to me…why does she get what I can only dream of?’  Our secret thoughts might even be as extreme as Esau’s were, ‘Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.’ Genesis 27:41.

It can sure feel like God’s bag of blessings for us is empty just like the wizard’s bag for Dorothy.   But thankfully, this is no movie and God is no wizard.  He is the infinite and sovereign Creator whose love never changes…whose blessings never run out…whose deliverance is right on time.  We cannot have our eyes on others and have our eyes on God.  When we are counting the blessings of those around us there aren’t any fingers left to count our own blessings.  God is a just and loving God and can be trusted just as much on this side of Heaven as the other.

Not One-Two Lord, Not One-Two

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” Joshua 1:5.

 It seemed like yesterday.  We were having our annual girls’ trip to the beach with Mother, my sisters and all of our little children.  Have you heard a story so many times you can’t remember whether you actually witnessed it or not?  Well that is the story of my niece Kylie learning to swim that year.  Whether I was at the pool or not, I can picture her standing on the side with her floaties, and Benay in the water encouraging her to jump.  Benay would count to three and tell her to jump, and over and over they would practice, but Kylie wouldn’t jump.  One time after Benay counted out ‘One…Two…’ Kylie interrupted ‘No Mommy, not one-two, not one-two!’  Well Kylie ended up jumping and has been swimming ever since in every sense of the word. 

The world is full of God’s children standing on the side of the pool saying ‘No God, not one-two, not one-two!’  We see what our future holds, and we doubt we can survive it.  Our fear paralyzes our mind and our heart.  We can already picture going under the water, gasping for air.  But our Father is standing before us with His arms out gently encouraging us… ‘Jump child, I will catch you at the end of this doctor’s diagnosis…My little one, I won’t let you go under while you are waiting for your child to return home…Dear one, you will not drown during your grief.’ 

People in the Bible also felt this sentiment, ‘But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go...?’ Ex. 3:11. And then there was Gideon, ‘Gideon...go out boldly, and save your people…’ Gideon answered ‘O, Lord, how can I?’ Judges 6:14-15… ‘Not one-two Lord, not one-two.’  But the Lord intends us to jump and get wet.  He knows to jump is to experience Him in the most intimate of ways. He understands that to stay paralyzed on the side in fear and doubt is to miss the mysteries He wishes to reveal to each of us.  He will carry us above the water and move us from glory to glory…blessing to blessing. 

We must not fear the future for the Lord is in front of us and won’t let us sink if we will trust His heart and jump into His arms. 

The Good Land

“So it’s paramount that you keep the commandments of God, your God, walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him. God is about to bring you into a good land, a land with brooks and rivers, springs and lakes...It’s land where you’ll never go hungry—always food on the table and a roof over your head…make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God, the God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness...…in order to give you a taste of the hard life, to test you so that you would be prepared to live well in the days ahead of you” De 8:6-16 (The Message).

When the Bible uses the word paramount we had better sit up a little straighter in our chairs, and pay closer attention than usual. Since the beginning of time man has lived in the tension between knowing God in the calm, but intimately experiencing Him in the challenges. During calm times we tend to live out our relationship from a ‘knowing God’ stand point. We have what we need and a lot of what we want so our fellowship with God tends to be more of habit and history. When these are things that motivate our time with God we are missing out on experiencing the intimate person of God. But when the phone call comes or the paycheck stops, we are suddenly driven to our knees hungry for His presence and thirsty for His comfort. Our passage tells us that the importance of fellowship with God is not only the self-discipline of keeping His commands, but the reverential awe of what He is doing in every season. We are told that whatever road God is leading us down has a good destination of blessing after blessing, fullness of bounty and life.

God is going to lead us through tough times to get to the good stuff. The good land is made up of a new heart full of compassion for what others are experiencing. It is a land flowing with opportunities of service showing the love of Christ to others. It will be a land where we will never want for anything because we have lost our earthly appetite for most things. Our tough roads to get to that land will be worth it so that we will be prepared and purposeful people. Our tough roads are where ministries are born, and parched hearts are comforted. It is where we encounter the God of our world and experience the power of the Creator.

It is paramount that we walk down the roads He leads us, and live out every command that He gives us. Our hearts must be committed to give God the respect and worship in all seasons that He deserves. Then one fine day we glance over our shoulder at the desert behind us, and the good land before us.

Waiting - A Two Way Street

“…and the older will serve the younger. Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’...So Esau despised his birthright” Genesis 25:23, 31, 34.

The scene was haunting in retrospect. Rebekah was pregnant with two babies, who were jostling and kicking her with such a force she questioned God as to what was happening. God clearly told her that the two babies would lead separate nations and that one would be stronger than the other. He wen...t on to explain that the older would serve the younger. She was privy to God’s will for her babies’ lives. It seemed from day one that Jacob, the twin born last, was her favorite. She made no bones about it and most certainly turned a blind eye to many manipulative dealings between Jacob and his older twin, Esau. I wonder if she had whispered quietly in Jacob’s ear God’s prophesy over his life. I wonder if they exchanged secret glances with secret meetings setting up trickery. After all, Jacob’s name means deceiver. Jacob started off for sure as a fraud and scoundrel who tricked his older brother into giving him his birthright. Why did Jacob feel that he had to manipulate and rush God’s plan for his future? God had already proclaimed that Jacob would lead in strength and power. But that wasn’t enough for Jacob and Rebekah. They took matters into their own hands to fulfill God’s plan…and boy did they pay the price. Jacob had to run for his life after he also manipulated his dying dad’s blessing. Rebekah was separated from her son for over 20 years. God’s plan pushed to the side…lost blessings along the way that God intended to give them.

How many times do we fully understand that God is doing something great in our lives but we take over at the helm? We elbow Him out and guide our own ships with our knowledge and timing. One day we realize our manipulation and calculation into God’s plan was our downfall. The very thing that was meant for blessing becomes our disaster. We never even saw the rocks as we guided the ship right into them.

When God gives us a vision we must understand that it is in part…part of it is revealed now and part of it will be revealed in His timing. We must accept that the success of God’s plan is the unfolding of His plan in His perfect orchestration of details. We cannot be like Jacob who rushed God’s plan but must be surrendered to Him. We cannot fathom God’s ways and must wait on Him for the blessings. Why is it that we can’t wait on God for very long? He waits on us continuously…waits on our fellowship…waits on our confessed sins…waits on our loyalty to Him.

‘Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him’ Isaiah 30:18.

Country of Winkies

‘You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror’ James 2:19.

The scene was perfectly written…the characters naively walking into a trap…the suspense heightening as we on the other side of the screen can sense their danger. Suddenly, one by one the characters are snatched up with a dreadful looking future. However, the face of evil responds differently to our heroine once they realized she was marked with the kiss of good upon her life. They completely understood the force and power of good over evil. “But Dorothy they did not harm at all. She stood, with Toto in her arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soon be her turn. The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her. “We dare not harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil.” The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 12. The Search for the Wicked Witch. L. Frank Baum.

We too have been kissed by the Power of Good. Christ placed His spirit into our lives and sealed each of us once we believed. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” Ephesians 1:13. Walking this land is a tough one as we watch people being carried off by evil. This woman lured into an office affair…that man cheating on his taxes. We watch bitterness and despair carry people off. These people have no hope apart from Christ, but are naively wandering into dangerous territories. Just like the scene from our movie they don’t set out to find sin and evil, it finds them. "Which road leads to the Wicked Witch of the West?" asked Dorothy. "There is no road," answered the Guardian of the Gates. "No one ever wishes to go that way." "How, then, are we to find her?" inquired the girl. "That will be easy," replied the man, "for when she knows you are in the country of the Winkies she will find you, and make you all her slaves." The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 12. The Search for the Wicked Witch. L. Frank Baum.

If we are true believers we have a responsibility as children of the Light to cast the radiance of Jesus to an evil world. We are sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit so the only power evil holds over us is the power of fear and threats. When we give into fear and fright in whatever we are facing we forget that we are kissed by God…sealed with His spirit…walking in the country of those forgiven, rescued and protected. When we walk in fear we enter into Satan's territory, giving him all kind of power. We need not fear the threats of this world for we are destined for a better place…a perfect place…a heavenly place.

There’s no place like home.

Kidnapped Hearts

“My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.  Look upon my affliction and my distress…rescue me…for my hope is in you” Psalm 25:15-21

As I have written before, my grandmother kept a spiritual journal for over 60 years.  Upon her death, I got them out of storage for fear that something would happen to them.  The temptation became too great and I opened one and began reading it.  I was immediately convicted that I was intruding on holy ground …eavesdropping on a sacred conversation…meddling in private pleas to her private God.  I closed the journals and haven’t returned to them since.

When reading this passage today, I felt the same type of anguish from the author but without the conviction.  God inspired David to pen this prayer of affliction, because He knew 3,000 years later we would be able to relate.  The word affliction in the Old Testament is translated as ‘a state of oppression or extreme discomfort in the physical, spiritual, emotional or mental.’  God knew that like David we would plead with Him in our afflictions.  I’m desperately looking for you God because I am stuck and trapped in my circumstances. He was well aware that we would feel like we were talking to His back and being ignored…Turn around and look at me Lord and give me some grace in my situation.  He already knew that our emotions would afflict us more than the actual trouble…In addition to being trapped Father I feel as if I am the only one experiencing this.  I’m sick of it…anguished in it…distressed by it!  And just as if that wasn’t enough suffering he writes that the troubles in his heart have multiplied.  I cannot help but to understand this as a cautionary tale. 

When we are in a troubling situation, it is so tempting to recount everything that has ever gone wrong.  It is human nature to view even blessings through the eyes of cynicism and pessimism.  We keep score…we measure our lives against others…we multiply our troubles because the devil convinces us that we’ve been duped.  He reminds our hearts of other times God allowed suffering.  He brings to mind how others have it so much better than we do….multiplied troubles…kidnapped hearts…hijacked minds.

That is why we have the Word as armor for our journey.  It is written that we are God’s children, loved and chosen. ‘How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God’ 1 John 3:1.  We are told that while we will suffer on earth we will never be apart from God’s presence. ‘And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”’ Exodus 37:14.  We are assured that whatever the evil one whispers into our hearts, God will shout victory in our spirit.  ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ Genesis 50:20.

God’s word is active, cutting right to the heart and breathing life where there seems to be death, hope where there once was despair. By getting in the Word daily the troubles of our heart will be met with confidence in God’s promises.  We will be delivered out of our affliction by the perfect hand of God.

 

 

The Anonymous Beggar

“Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate where he was put every day to beg…When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money…‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk’” Acts 3:2-6.

While everyone else in this story is named, the beggar remains anonymous.  I am confident that he has no name because his name can be any one of us.  Don’t you know this man dreamed of being healthy and whole?  Don’t you know that this man viewed his life with the backdrop of suffering and brokenness?  Day after day he laid there watching others pass by…their busyness compared to his brokenness…their normalcy compared to his suffering.  What day did he quit asking for healing and start asking for money?  How long had it been since he had asked for the thing that he really needed… legs…freedom from frailty…freedom from dependency on man…freedom from captivity?

If we are on planet earth, we are all crippled of something.  Have we been crippled from birth like the beggar or did something happen along the way that crippled us?  I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t striving for acceptance and approval…my actions begging others for their love.  I would pray for things that supported my need for acceptance…alms for the poor…when really I needed new legs.  I needed spiritual legs on which to stand, that told me that I am loved apart from what I do…that I am who I am because of what Christ did for me, not what I do for Him.  For so many years, I asked for things that were lesser than what I needed.  Faithfully, God gave me lasting things instead of fleeting things …spiritual legs that would sprint instead of temporary acceptance that would wane. 

What has crippled you in life?  What are you praying for that is so much less than what God has in store for you?  God is constantly surrounding us with people who can encourage and pray for us in our circumstances.  Silver and gold they may not have, but they have something so much more…they have Jesus, and they want to share His name.  They may not be able to understand your infirmity, but they understand the Healer.  While you may not be able to see your own healing, they do.  They believe that in the name of Jesus anything can happen…any brokenness can be made whole... and any suffering can be comforted by Christ. 

Our beggar did the one thing that finished the transaction…he believed…rose up on those wobbly legs …and he walked.  ‘Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong’ Acts 3:7.  I encourage you this morning to trust, stand up and watch the healing power of God in your infirmity. 

What's In Your House?

“‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all…except a little oil.’ ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left’” 1 Kings 4:2-7.
This is an amazing story tucked away in 2 Kings to which all of us can relate. This woman has approached God’s messenger with a dilemma. Her husband was a mighty man of God and has now passed away. She and her two sons have drained all of their resources, and can no longer pay their debts. Her creditors are coming to take the only thing she has remaining, her two sons who will be taken as slaves. She is desperate and looking for an answer from the Lord’s representative. Believing she is destitute, she must reassess what it is that she is overlooking. He asks her to consider what she already owns which is a little bit of oil. He instructs her to use that resource and fill up some empty jars borrowed from neighbors. A beautiful thing happened as she was pouring the little bit of oil into the empty jars, she kept pouring…and pouring…and filling…and pushing jars aside. When all the jars were full she had enough to pay off her debts and live on the remaining. The success of her provision was recognizing what she already had, surrendering it in faith and allowing God to multiply the resource.

What are you running out of? Is it time, money or patience in your current set of circumstances? What is your little bit of oil that God can use to multiply your provisions? Like the widow we must seek help from the counsel of God. Like the widow we must consider the blessings that are already in our home. Like the widow we must be willing to part with what is precious. Like the widow we must have faith that what we surrender will be multiplied by God in our time of need.

In this powerful little story that none of us heard in our Sunday School classes I am sure, we are given the Christian principle of focused faith.  Through our focus on God He will bring despair to deliverance…spiritual blindness to sight…a little bit of something to more than we need.

Tell me, what do you have in your house?

A Watched Pot

“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” James 5:7-8.

There was a time in my family’s life when we lost precious family members three years in a row. These were family members who I helped care for during their final season in life. It was five straight years of directed focus, support and medical attention. There was chemo and radiation, procedures and surgeries, hospitals and a steady stream of caregivers in my home. It was a dizzying three year span at the end, with days crowded with responsibilities and emotional heartbreak. But the Lord carried us through those tough days. Then one day, I awoke to quiet mornings and empty households. The phone no longer rang and texts no longer came. For the next two years I sat here with little to do, unaware of what my life would hold in the future. I waited and watched…prayed and searched…rested and wondered. It has been like watching a pot of water come to a boil. But now, little by little I am seeing bubbles coming from the bottom of the pot. I am feeling the water getting warmer and seeing the steam rising. I am grateful for the patience God gave me over the past couple years. He knew what I would need in this season, and it wasn’t the busyness of last season. It wasn’t the heartbreak and anguishing prayers of years ago. It wasn’t the frantic dash to and from doctors. It was the day to day stride of sunrises and sunsets…walks and talks…gratitude in prayer…being in the moment with sisters and friends…enjoying my husband, my mother, my children and my grandchildren. God is moving me to new places through His nearness and guidance. It's time to put the lid on the pot and let the substance boil!

Are you in a season that demands your patience? What pot are you watching this morning waiting on a boil? God’s perfect plan consistently requires patience mixed with prayer…trust sprinkled with hope… endurance infused with faith. The Bible encourages us again and again that we are blessed when we listen for and wait on God. ‘Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway’ Proverbs 8:34. The Bible tells us that we can’t understand the way God is moving in our season but we can trust Him for it. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ Isaiah 55:9. We are told that we will never be left alone or abandoned in our circumstances. ‘The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’ Deuteronomy 31:8. We are told that Christ has overcome everything in this world and with Him so will we. ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ John 16:33.

So when you are tempted to watch your pot boil, leave the kitchen, go outside and walk in God’s creation. Lift prayers of gratitude and find a reason to praise Him. Arrange time with friends and family and truly be in the moment. And before you know it, one day you will see your bubbles forming and steam rising.

The Ultimate Cut In

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:6b-7.

One day when I was traveling on the interstate I was peacefully lost in my music and enjoying the sunny day.  Suddenly, this huge truck pulled over into my lane requiring me to swerve onto a rocky shoulder going 70 mph.  It scared the life out of me, taking me a little while to reorient my confidence and my emotions.  Whenever I would rethink the event I could feel myself getting mad all over again.  The event had ended and the trucker was gone, but even in retelling the story I found myself getting worked up.   After all, he had cut in on me so I was entitled to be mad…I could have been killed…he was neglectful…inconsiderate…or completely clueless.

Who has cut in on you?  What person has interrupted your peace, controlling your emotions?  Who are your allowing to stand in the way frustrating your fellowship with God?  While we all may be entitled to certain emotions, we are called to emulate Christ who only expressed Himself through love.  He didn’t act upon His entitlement, but continued to run the good and faithful race.  His expression of love was the ultimate expression, ending His life so we could have life.  His earthly race ended on a cross, but His eternal race began in an empty tomb. 

Christ giving up His life for us was the most powerful ‘cut in’ ever experienced.  None of us would ever make it to heaven if God the Father hadn’t sent His son to ‘cut in on us’ and offer the sacrifice for us.   Next time someone cuts in we must respond with the same expression of love that Christ did on our behalf.  The only thing that counts is our response as Christians while running our individual races.  The paths all lead to the same place so let us yield for one another and express love.

‘Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you’ Job 22:21

Seeing Ghosts

“‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ‘Look…it is I myself!’” Luke 24:37.

When I was a little girl each of us had our own bedroom upstairs. I started off in a back bedroom but eventually switched rooms with my baby sister. My sister Beth and I had rooms on the front of the house, both having a door leading to an adjoining balcony. For some reason, after I moved to the front bedroom I felt uneasy and scared at night. There was something about having a door leading outside near my bed. One night after I had fallen asleep my balcony door flew open with Beth entering wrapped in a sheet. She was making some unidentifiable noise which woke me up and scared me to death! It took a minute but I finally realized that she was sleepwalking. I was so angry at her even though she didn’t know what she was doing. Of course, we all laughed about it the next morning.

The disciples had fears and doubts of their own after their friend and mentor was murdered. They had heard rumblings that maybe Jesus had been raised from the dead. They heard the rumors from their own people, but it was easier is believe the worse than dream for the best. The women in their own group returned from the tomb proclaiming that Jesus had risen according to God’s messengers. Simon reported that he had personally seen Jesus. The two on the road to Emmaus reported that they had been with Jesus that very day. Sights and confirmations were given to the eleven, but still they doubted…still they despaired…still they didn’t recognize the risen Savior. But faithfully, Jesus approached them and revealed Himself in their doubting hearts.

Many times in life we face situations that scare us to death. We see things looming that overwhelm us with doubt and anxiety. We awake each morning seeing the ghosts of our future. Will our rebellious child ever come home? Will I ever find the love of my life? Will I be able to pay my bills? Will this medical treatment even work? These thoughts are ghosts in sheets making their way into our bedrooms at night, making noises that drown out our hope.

Jesus tells us not to be troubled for He has overcome the worst of circumstances while on this earth (John 14:1). We are to pray that our will not be done but the Father’s agenda take precedence (Matthew 6:10).  We can believe that we will never face any season without the One who creating the seasons (Daniel 2:22).  If we want to quit seeing ghosts then we must move our gaze to Jesus, and trust Him for all of our outcomes. We can have complete confidence that we will never be left alone in our circumstances with those beautiful promises. We have been given a ghost to focus on...to watch for...to move us from fear to faith...the Holy Ghost.

'But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you ' John 14:26.

When Jesus Won't Come to the Door

“Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you…” Mark 3:22.

Jesus’ half-brother James had heard all of the rumors. His big brother was running along the countryside like the family’s loose cannon…promising this…claiming that. James had enough so he gathered his other brothers and mother together and approached the house where Jesus was teaching. He demanded that the master of the home tell Jesus to come and speak with him, after all he had some things to say to Jesus…some requests to make of Jesus. Added to his frustration was the answer that was returned to him…Jesus would not speak to him, nor would he appear to James at the moment. Why? You see, Jesus was up ahead doing the work of God, His Father. He was attending to many people who would be instrumental in the new kingdom to come…the Great Commission. James would just have to understand that Jesus’ presence could not be demanded. His brother would learn that there was no favoritism in his position, but that everyone who believed in the message of the kingdom of God was equal in that family. So James must have left there feeling defeated, deflated and maybe even angry that Jesus wouldn’t talk to him.

How many of us have called on Jesus only to feel like He was withholding His presence? How many of us have approached that door of prayer only to experience silence instead of answers and confusion instead of revelation? Just as Jesus was doing the work of God back then, He is still running up ahead and orchestrating the things God has for our lives. It’s not that He has turned His back on us, but we see His back because He is up ahead paving the way in our troubles…preparing the path of our deliverance.

And then once sweet day, Christ Jesus appeared to James. “Then he appeared to James…” 1 Corinthians 15:7. Did He come up from behind and tap His grieving brother on the shoulder? Or did James see a silhouette coming on the horizon, and recognize Jesus as He got closer? However that private and sacred fellowship occurred, that is the point. Jesus went out of His way to appear to the one whom He had earlier been silent. Jesus appeared when the timing was perfect, and James could finally see Him in His glory. Jesus finally spoke when the cross had been defeated and the resurrection had been completed. Any communication earlier would have been in vain…premature…ineffective. James would never be the same. 

We must hold on to certain truths when we are knocking on Heaven’s door in prayer. These truths are that our prayers are being heard. We must have confidence in the truth that just because we don’t see the Lord working doesn’t mean that He is not. We must trust that when the timing is perfect He will approach us from behind or come to us on the horizon. But the point is He will come to us in our troubles and have the answers for us in our deliverance. The important part is that we keep knocking… keep asking for Jesus…keep our eyes open for His presence.

Honest Prayers

“Free me from the trap that is set for me…Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth…You have not handed me over…but have set my feet in a spacious place.  Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress…I am forgotten…But I trust in you, O LORD…My times are in your hands…How great is your goodness, which you have stored up…In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.  The LORD preserves the faithful…Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” Psalm 31:4-24.

Poor David!  My heart goes out to him as we are privy to his heartache.  Through the Psalms he wrote and recited, we get a glimpse into the nature and character of a man who knew how to pray.  He wasn’t afraid to remind God of his dilemmas…to accuse God of His abandonment…to credit God with His faithfulness.  Feelings of being trapped turned into commitments of surrender.  Pleas of hopeful redemption were followed by affirmations of God being in control.  Descriptions of God’s goodness and blessings interrupted with panic and his belief that God wasn’t seeing his situation.  He accredits God with mercy that follows his accusations, and faithfulness that is anchored in hope in the Lord. 

I would be embarrassed to have some of my prayers written out for the world to read.  Much like David, there have been times when I have reminded God of what my situation is as if He didn’t know.  I have felt so trapped in past circumstances the days drifted by like years.  When faith and hope waned, I had to recommitted my trust and faith in Him again.  I have prayed verses back to God even if I didn’t feel as if I truly believed them.  I have thanked Him for His rescue of one situation only to turn around and wonder if He sees the next one.  But at the end of the day I know beyond a shadow of a doubt certain things that David knew.

-          Feeling trapped is a just that – a feeling, not a destiny.

-          We can recommit our spirits to God any time.

-          We are in God’s hands and so is our future.

-          We can expect His mercy, and be confident in His presence.

-          He has set aside future blessings but the timing must be right.

-          We will move beyond our panic if we call on Him.

-          Our strength and hope comes from the Lord.

-          No situation will ever be met without God.

So when you pray, take confidence in the fact that God is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-loving in bringing you out of your circumstances. 

‘My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare…because my hope is in you.’ Psalm 25:15, 21.

The Importance of the Mundane

“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son…for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will go on before…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” Luke 1:13-17.  “You will be with child and give birth…He will be called the Son of the Most High…his kingdom will never end” Luke 1:31-33.

I take great comfort in the truth that God orchestrates every detail of our lives, and we all have a perfectly timed purpose in this big world.  God bound these sweet women together forever through two births…two hearts…one purpose.  Their joined lives created the ministry for which all people would be reconciled back to God.  Their part was to be faithful in the day to day protecting the lives of those boys who would be called to lead the way.  This great plan of God wasn't realized in a one-time event, but played out in the everyday play of two little boys.  Think of the number of people God had to prepare in advance to complete His mission.  He had to place a spirit of courage in their call in the hearts of the women.  He had to place a sense of provision in the hearts of the fathers.  He had to place a sense of His calling in the hearts of the boys.  He had to place a desire to repent in the hearts of all of His people who would come to the waters.  It took 30 years for all of this to fall into place…God working…the women living out the mundane of everyday life…the boys playing in the dirt and running through the streets…the people who were longing for something more than the sin for which they had found themselves.  All of these details had to reach a common crescendo, a perfected orchestrated time in history to complete this ministry.

There is nothing sweeter than serving alongside another in a ministry.  I have been fortunate to have been placed by God in the path of a wonderful woman who has given everything for her calling.  It is through this ministry that God has called both of us, but at very different times.  Just as Elizabeth and Mary were bound by God’s calling we have also been bound by ministry.  She has walked out her calling in the day to day, and I am walking out mine.  God is working in both the details and the hearts of those we will meet along the way.  Just as Elizabeth and Mary could not see beyond their tomorrow, we also are bound to our sights on today.  But, that is faith…knowing you are where you are supposed to be and trusting God for your tomorrows.

If you find yourself in a season where you really don’t see where your feet are taking you, be encouraged that plans are being made and hearts are being aligned with God’s plan for you.  As you sit idle He is working.  As you are sleeping He is designing.  As you are wondering He is all-knowing.  Ministries and callings are being created right under our noses, but thankfully God only shows us what we can handle. 

Think about it…one of the most critical and significant works of God was played out in the mundane day to day lives of two little cousins. 

When Dreams Differ

“But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years” Luke 1:7. “…God sent an angel…to a virgin pledged to be married…her name was Mary… ‘You will be with child and give birth to a son…’” Luke 1:31.

Both of these women had dreams, one had prayed for decades to become pregnant while the other was dreaming of romantic moments to be shared with her fiancé. One saw her life as a mother but had only been a wife, while the other saw herself as a wife but was called to be a mother. God had very different plans and timing for both of these faithful women. For Elizabeth, every celebrated birthday must have come with pain as she realized that one of her greatest desires must be surrendered. For Mary, she must have battled fear and confusion as her dream was drastically altered. As a young woman, when Elizabeth saw herself as a mother she never knew it wouldn’t be until she was old enough to be a great-grandmother. When Mary thought of her new life with the man of her dreams, she never imagined having to begin their relationship judged, ridiculed and with an infant. Through their stories we witness two dreams …two women…broken hearts…altered realities. They experienced and even embraced a life apart from what they had dreamed. We can be encouraged by their responses to God’s altered plans for their lives. Both women suffered but both women were faithful. Both surrendered their heart’s desire so God could do significant things that were preordained for the greater kingdom. We are reading their stories today because they lived their lives with the understanding that God was writing their story, not the other way around. Their stories made it into the Holy Writ because their pain was their offering and their suffering mattered.

I know that God encourages us to place dreams in our hearts but we must remember to make space in them for God. If we live our lives trying to write our own stories introducing God into certain chapters, we will miss the whole point of life and death…joy and pain…suffering and healing…eternal significance. God has been writing our stories since He breathed life into us and we are to be open and surrendered to walk out the storyline. Like our predecessors we must not hold on too tightly to the desires of our hearts, but reserve the final outcome to God. We must trust when there is nothing to trust, and we must find our joy in Him when there is nothing to be joyful about. We must realize that His perfect pathways are through our dashed or delayed dreams. We cannot fathom the ways and whys of God, but we can trust His heart and love for us in every circumstance.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” Isaiah 55:8.

The Only One

“And the word of the LORD came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ ‘I am the only one…’ Then a voice said to him… ‘What are you doing here,’ ‘I am the only one…’ ‘Go…I have reserved seven thousand.’ So Elijah went from there and found…” 1 Kings 19:9-19.

Bruce and I have always lived in a small farming community in Charlotte, which has now grown up beyond recognition. When our children were small and the cows grazed it seemed that everyone knew each other in our little piece of the world. But when we began to experience the darkness with our first born, I was confident that everyone was well aware of our situation. It was the loneliest place in the world, and other than Bruce I felt like I was all alone in our community. Like Elijah, my emotions had colored the reality of my situation. Like Elijah, I felt as if I was the only one experiencing a child making poor decisions. Like Elijah, I was the honored guest at my own pity party. It wasn’t until I had moved beyond that experience that I realize my perception was only that…a perception. I look back and see the 7,000 who God had reserved to surround me and provide for me…first and foremost my partner in life who always supported me…my parents and sisters who always prayed for me…my best friend who never judged me…my church family who was always there for me. I wasn’t alone, and I certainly wasn’t the only one who was experiencing this heartache.

It is so easy for us to go through heart wrenching experiences and feel as if we are the only one going through it. Through our ‘I am the only one’ spirit, we invite the evil one to waltz right in and join the party. His party conversation echoes what is in our minds and hearts...I’m the only one whose child is out of control…I’m the only one who has lost a parent…I’m the only one who doesn’t have a job…I’m the only one who has no one with whom to share my life.’ The banter goes on and on for a while, but then God, who loves us more than we can comprehend, shows up, turns on the lights and declares the party over… ‘What are you doing here? Go…’

God will not leave us in our despair. He will not only move us out of our misguided attitudes, but will show us the way back. He goes ahead of us and has orchestrated His perfect plan for us. He has placed people in our lives to be part of that glorious 7,000. He has arranged for circumstances to occur that provide manna for this day…hope for that day…faith for the delivery of our situation. What is our part to receive the blessing of the 7,000? We are to open our eyes, look around and see who God has provided. We are to give thanks for who we have in this season, and trust God for who He has already placed in our future for latter seasons. We cannot be afraid of the future and we cannot be cynical about the past. God has reserved for each of His children His full bounty, but we cannot receive what we do not believe...we cannot find what we do not search for.

‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see. Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots…’ 2 Kings 6:17.

Invisible Fruit

“When John heard in prison…he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.’” Matthew 11:2-6.

John the Baptist had known for most of his life that he was born with a unique calling on his life to prepare the way for the Savior of the world. He had been well trained in the Scriptures and had patiently waited for the day in the desert when the OT prophesies would be fulfilled. As his cousin Jesus approached him, he knew the time had come and felt unworthy to be the one to lower God’s chosen into the water. But Jesus, Son of God, gave him permission. ‘Jesus replied, Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented’ Matthew 3:15. John continued with his own ministry, pointing out the sins of the people in the region and baptizing them. Day after day strangers would come and strangers would go. He must have wondered if the impact he made on them lasted when their clothes had dried and they had returned home. Was his ministry even effective? Were those he introduced to Christ living it out and sharing the word? He was so lonely out there but continued his call. Then one day he was imprisoned for pointing out the sins of the leaders. Again, he found himself alone with nothing but time to ponder his effectiveness. He even began to doubt the One around whose life his purpose was centered, 'Are you the one?' In the beautiful way of Jesus, He sent messengers to John to describe the fruit that was being harvested as a result of the one who prepared the way. John’s ministry had not been in vain! The call of his life had been incredibly effective and essential! He could endure the loneliness and darkness now just knowing that he had finished the work that God had prepared him in advance to accomplish. He could have total peace in his last days, for his life had produced fruit and he had been faithful to God’s calling. All in all, John did not fall away from his life’s message just because he couldn’t see the fruit it had produced, and he was blessed.

We should all live in spiritual awareness of every season and what God is calling us to do. We were all set apart at birth to accomplish significant things in the kingdom. We came with purpose, privilege and power through Christ. We were equipped in advance to produce fruit through His Spirit. Many times we will never see the fruit of our ministries or the work of our hands but we are to believe in the power of God furthering any seed that we plant. We must give God all the glory of every circumstance in every season. We must look for opportunities to share our ministries with others, regardless of the outcome.

‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow…The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor’ 1 Corinthians 3:6, 8.

Our Cisterns

“So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe…he was wearing – and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty” Genesis 37:20-21.

If you ever considered whether the Bible could still be related to in our times we only have to look at the story of Joseph. While Joseph might have been a little bit on the spoiled side and favored by his father, he certainly didn’t deserve the treatment from his family. Full of jealousy and hatred the brothers plotted to get rid of him and rid themselves of their brother once and for all. Joseph was extremely favored and enjoyed much of his father’s wealth and kindness. Then one day he found himself completely stripped of everything and the hands of his brothers, sitting in the bottom of a cistern or well. Those five haunting words that ushered in the power of God...Now the cistern was empty.

God could have placed anything down in that well for He was aware of the circumstances that Joseph was getting ready to endure. But like many times God wishes us to reach out in faith during those dark times when we have been stripped of something. He uses the darkness of our cistern dwellings to provide water when the well is empty. He dwells in the damp places of our dark souls during these fearful and uncertain times. How many days did Joseph sit in the bottom of that well on the cold floor? Did he daydream of the days of the past when he had everything he needed and enjoyed the prosperity of those times? Or did he look up at the sky in faith trusting God for his rescue and his future? Would he ever leave that place and return to a life of certainty, calmness and normalcy again?

Can we relate to this? Ask the woman who is waiting for her soul mate after so many dashed relationships. Ask the couple who has been on their knees for years praying for a child. Ask the man who is unemployed and trying to support his family of six. We all have had times where we have been stripped of something and thrown into a situation that looks dark and lonely. We are stripped of our peace because of that situation…we feel that we will never climb out of our cistern and see the daylight of resolution.

We must be confident that God will not leave us in our deep wells. ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Joshua 1:5. We have to truly believe that whatever challenges we face will be used for our good and God’s glory. ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…’ Genesis 50:20. We must remember that we are not citizens of this cistern but are future residents of Heaven. ‘But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ’ Philippians 3:20.