Seeking Solitude

“Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place…So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 4:42, 5:16

One of the most important principles that the life and walk of Jesus exemplified is the necessity of rest, renewal and determined solitude with God.  Throughout the New Testament are snapshots of when Jesus quietly and intentionally separated Himself from the noises and demands of His work.  He was very intentional in teaching the Word and committed to the purpose in which God created Him.  But He also understood that the strength and power required to carry out God’s plan was given by God and through God.  In order to receive what He was to give to others He must first receive what God would give to Him.  Without His determined times of solitude with God, He would have experienced burn out and burden just as we will without rest and prayer.

I can’t help but to wonder how many of us today are facing circumstances that in our own power and wisdom will not be resolved.  I’m wondering how many of us shot out of bed, pulled out our to-do’s and rushed past our time with the Father.  Even if we get good rest through the night, that doesn’t mean that we will have spiritual rest during the day.  ‘When we acknowledge spiritual rest as an important detail that Jesus refused to neglect, our capacity to emulate His love for the world will increase…Know your limits…know that your time won’t look like someone else’s limits…Remember, carving out space for spiritual renewal helps us to listen to God’s voice with clarity, deepen our intimacy with Him, determine His will for our lives, and find strength to obey it.’ Determined, Heather M Dixon, p. 49.

We can only give to others what we have already received from God.  The more solitude spent with the Source will increase our capacity to love and serve those who God has placed in our lives. 

‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things will be given to you.” Matthew 6:33.

Stopped in our Tracks

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Last weekend my son Michael spent a few nights with us and had us almost in tears from laughing at a story he told. One of our grand pups is Lucy who is an adorable French Bulldog that looks like a little sausage but has a kind little spirit. Luna is another grand pup who is only a little over a year and full of puppy energy mixed with a little rebellion. Luna had gotten out and was running free and fierce away from the home. Michael ran out of the door chasing her and was closing in on her when Lucy bolted from behind, clipping Michael’s legs out from beneath him sending him to the ground. That little dog shot like a bullet from a gun and stopped Michael in his tracks. Every time I pictured that event I began laughing again.

Seriously though that snapshot reminds me of how God clipped my legs from under me as I was chasing the things of the world…image…acceptance…approval. Scripture tells us that every single one of us was created in Christ to accomplish things on behalf of God before we ever breathed our first breath. We were born in love and purpose and we are to live in love and purpose. It wasn’t until Feb. 2006 that God intervened in my chase of worldly things and put me on a new path…His path…His work…His walk. I still fall short in accomplishing the purposes that He lay before me, but that is the beauty of being His workmanship. ‘God isn’t looking for perfect people who know how to do everything right. He’s looking for people who are willing to choose habits of faithfulness. He will direct that outpouring of our time spent with Him to spill over where it needs to.” Determined, Heather M. Dixon, p. 40.

Each day we awaken to another day that God has ordained for us and the good work that He has purposed for us. How will we know what good is to be accomplished for others by the work of our hands without giving the ‘first fruits’ of our day to God? It is through worship, Scripture, prayer and obedience that will put us on the path that God has planned for us. And when we are chasing the things of God, we will be less likely to end up on the ground.

Navigating Landmines

“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” Luke 4:1-2

I am really enjoying this Bible study called Determined by Heather M Dixon that centers around the walk of Jesus, and His determined choices to obey God all the way to death on the cross. It is a concentrated look into a time period when the Son of God took on human flesh to both save us and exemplify the walk for us. This morning I was taken into the wilderness to watch the exchange between pure evil and pure Jesus. Our passage gives us an overarching theme to which we all should pay very close attention: when we are at our lowest Satan tries his hardest. Satan had harassed and tempted Jesus every day from the moment the feet of Jesus hit the wilderness. The Son of God had eaten absolutely nothing the entire time He was there. Satan waited until the end of forty days to crank up the toughest temptation, knowing that would be when temptation would be the most difficult to fight. Jesus was lonely, hungry and most like exhausted. But Jesus showed us how to combat with the devil and his tempting ways. Each time Satan presented an opportunity for sin, Jesus spoke the words of God in response to being lured into the schemes of the devil. But what I noticed for the first time this morning is the actions of the devil are just as important as the actions of Jesus.

Not only are we shown how we are to navigate through tough circumstances like Jesus did, but this story also shows us what we are to expect from the tempter. Satan cannot steal our salvation once we have been indwelled with the Holy Spirit since we are sealed. The next best thing that he goes for is our relationship with God. He will always tempt us to doubt that God will provide for us in our hungry times whether our hunger is physical, emotional, financial or spiritual (Luke 4:3). Satan will always discourage us from believing God has complete authority, power and control over all circumstances (Luke 4:6-7). He will always try to convince us that we can save ourselves and others, not needing Jesus (Luke 4:10). Satan is just as determined to wreck our relationship with God as Jesus was to show the way to have a relationship with God. And we live in the tension between the two. But we know the end of the story and Satan loses and loses big!

Just like Jesus our focus while on earth should be how to navigate the landmines of sin and temptation that Satan places before us. We must recognize how Satan works in our individual lives. If we have a propensity to lie, he will tempt us to lie. If we have behavior that we do in private, he will attack us in our isolation. When we are at our weakest Satan works his hardest so we must be ready for the take down by arming our minds and hearts with the words of God. God’s commands and our obedience to them are our weapons and will protect us and guide us through our darkest days.

When Heaven Opens

“…and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended…upon Him…and a voice came from heaven… ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’” Luke 3:21-22.

This scene is one of the most beautiful scenes in the Bible.  I wish I could have been in that crowd to fully appreciate what happened.  On that day, the region surrounding the Jordan River was crowded with people from all walks of life, and different ethnic groups.  They had all come to be baptized in the river by John the Baptist.  These people came looking for relief and hope during a time in their culture that was filled with chaos and political corruption.  ‘John began his ministry during a time of political fracturing in Israel.  While priests and procurators vied for power, the people desperately longed for a leader.’ Charles Swindoll, Insights on Luke: Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL:  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 83.  I can just see the people taking their turn to be baptized, and suddenly one stranger’s experience also coming out of the water is much different.  As Jesus breaks through the water and stands up, heaven opens up and God’s voice thunders over the region.  The Father speaks where all can hear identifying that Jesus is His Son, with whom He is so pleased and loved.  It would be the first time God spoke since the time of Malachi…400 years before.  And as if those circumstances weren’t amazing enough, the Holy Spirit descended from out of heaven and indwelled upon Jesus in full view.  That is quite an image to behold in my imagination. 

And yet, it is the very thing that happens daily when we open our hearts to heaven. Because of Christ we have the same authority to call on God’s presence.  Because Christ descended and died, we have the invitation to rise up out of the living waters and connect with God’s Spirit.  Because Christ died for us, we have the position of co-heir with Him as God’s children.  The event in our passage was when Jesus began His life in ministry, while there is another event of heaven opening up after prayer as Stephen was ending His life in ministry, ‘He looked toward heaven, where he saw our glorious God and Jesus standing on his right side.  Then Stephen said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!’  As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, please welcome me!’…Then he died.’” Acts 7:55-56, 59.

Whether we are at the beginning of our lives as Christians, in the middle of our spiritual walk or at the end of our lives, prayer moves heaven and beckons our Father to commune with us. We have all lost precious family members and there is no doubt in my mind that as we saw their lives ebbing away, they saw heaven opening just like Stephen. As we committed our loved ones to the Father saying our goodbyes, they were hearing the Father say, ‘ Welcome home my beloved child with whom I am pleased.’ We can never underestimate the unseen communion between God and His children at any given moment. But we know this...God is with us always in life, in sickness and in our transistion from earth to heaven.  

‘Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.’ 1 Co 13:12

Unopened Bibles...Unopened Minds

“Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” Luke 2:46-47

It is so tempting to rush pass this passage documenting a day in the life of Jesus as a twelve-year-old. When I think about Jesus at this age, I consider my grandson when he was twelve. He spent most of his time pursing new video games, practicing for football and running around the neighborhood with other boys his age. It is difficult to fathom Jesus at that age already challenging the teachers in the temple on their understanding of the Old Testament. But it also says that He listened to the teachers who were affluent in the Scripture. Our verse records that ALL who heard Him were astonished at His knowledge and answers regarding the Bible and what the law stated. Jesus grew up under Jewish customs which meant He was drenched in the words of God. Although Jesus was the Word made flesh, His life shows us the way to receive wisdom and understanding. It is through listening to those who have God’s wisdom and knowledge about the things of God. It is by being drenched in the Word, being in communion with the Father and being obedient in God’s purpose for life. Without daily engagement with His word we will miss His message.

We have all been given the path to wisdom and understanding and in my Bible, it begins on page 3, 'In the beginning...' Ge 1:1. We must understand where God started when recording His story with mankind to understand where we will finish our story. Trying to apply His will to our lives without involving Scripture is like trying to build a home with a blueprint. The home we construct without direction and guidance will be built upon a crumbling foundation. But when we open the front page of that beautiful Book where God still breathes His way, His will and His promises we will gain wisdom and application for our lives. God doesn’t leave us alone to understand the message of the Word but faithfully reveals the beauty and mystery of the message that was written just for us.

“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45.

In That Instant

“Now there was…Anna…a prophetess…who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers day and night.  And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord…” Luke 2:36-38

I’m sure I have heard of this woman before but this morning my Bible Study invited me to come a little closer to fully understand this scene.  At first glance I read about a customary and somewhat routine service that the parents of all firstborn males were instructed to attend when the child was eight days old.  It was the service where the parents presented their son back to the Lord.  But as we soon learn from this story this was no common child and this was anything but routine.  This child was Jesus and His divinity would soon to be revealed.  After Mary had completed her days of purification, she and Joseph handed Jesus over to Simeon who was full of the Spirit.  He took Jesus in his arms, prayed to God in gratitude and declared that Jesus was ‘a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people of Israel’ (Luke 2:32).  So why did Anna, ‘in that instant’ begin thanking the Lord?  She began thanking the Lord the moment she saw Jesus because she had developed sensitivity to God’s Spirit.  Her days were spent fasting and praying, most likely for…her church…her circle of influence…her community.  The greater the time she spent before the Lord the more sensitive she was to His influence and His revelations.  She began her deep worship of gratitude because of her realization that the child before her would be the Savior to save her and mankind.  And that is the good news that we can take away from the life of a woman who was determined to worship God.

We too can be sensitive to God’s spirit the more we fellowship and worship Him.  We are New Testament believers which means we carry the temple of God within us.  And just like Anna we can pray and fast day and night when we meet God in our hearts.  We too will know things ‘in that instant’ when God gently nudges us through His spirit.  It is why in an instant someone comes to mind for prayer.  It is why in an instant we feel compelled to help a stranger.  It is why in an instant, songs are written, ministries are born, and sinners are saved.  Without worship our responses to the daily events we will experience will likely include irritation, anger, self-focus to name a few because we are not being determined to worship God.  ‘A worshipful heart prepares us for what we may meet in the coming day.’ Determined, Heather M Dixon, p. 18.  We too can be people who ‘do not depart from the temple’ and pursue the spirit of God and offer ongoing worship.  ‘Indeed, God the Father created our bodies, God the Son redeemed them, and God the Holy Spirit indwells them.  This makes our body the very temple of the Holy Spirit of God.’ Got Questions website.

‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?’ 1 Co 6:19. 

Well Done

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Rev 21:4

I’ve got to say that I do not know how pastors do what they do. Today will be my 3rd memorial service in 4 days in three separate devastating circumstances. All these families are of great faith and live with God at the center of their lives. The heaviness and deep sorrow that I have seen in their spirit and the family and friends who surround them make me so grateful for one of the reasons God gave us His word. He knew we would need life where death had left its footprint. He knew that our hearts would need to be encouraged that this earth was never meant to be the final destination. He wanted us to glimpse into the very place where our loved ones have entered. And that is what my heart needs at the end of this week. Wanting to focus on Heaven as a deposit of what is ahead for you and for me. Wanting the faces of our departed ones to appear alive again so our hearts can be comforted. As our loved ones closed their eyes here, what was seen in the next second was the kingdom of Heaven.

I’ll bet their eyes were wider than they have ever been as they scanned the great wall made of jasper. What did they think as they approached the city of clear glass with its foundations adorned with precious stones like sapphire, chalcedony, emerald and many more layers of gems? And then as they turned around, they must have been overwhelmed with the beauty of the multiple gates made of pearls with the street of gold at their feet. They finally felt worthy, healthy and completely at peace as they scanned the beauty of home. And then they looked up ahead and they saw the Glories of Heaven…there on that gorgeous throne sat God their Father, and Christ their Savior. And our family who have previously been called home were standing beside the crystal river of life that proceeded from the throne. And all our loved ones could do was drop to their knees and worship the One who knew them before we ever did. And as they tried to take in every ounce of Heaven, they suddenly heard the beautiful words thunder that for now we can only read, ‘Well done, my good and faithful one.’” Matthew 25:21

My heart needs to read this today as a reminder that the Bible houses truth and promise. This is the vision that God allowed John to give us to hold our hearts until we hear those words coming from the throne of God. I pray this will give you a break from any grief that you are presently experiencing whatever the circumstances. This is more than just words... it is the reality of what our loved ones are experiencing. They are walking in the joy of all past challenges and hurts being gone because the former things have passed away. Until then may take comfort as we picture our loved ones hearing these words face to face with God.

Sending Out Doves

“At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased…So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark…Then he sent out a raven…He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded…But the dove found no resting place…and she returned…And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out…Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth…So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return to him anymore.” Genesis 8:3-12

I recently was wondering why the story of Noah gets considered in our childhood but rarely in our adulthood. And yet I am just as guilty as I search for Bible studies for my morning meditation. I don’t believe I have ever googled studies on Noah, so this morning I decided to read his amazing story again. When we really think about the details of what he and his family faced it is really remarkable. God sent the rain to destroy every breathing thing of the earth due to the evil and corrupt condition of man. Noah and his family obediently watched the rain cover the earth for almost half of a year. I am sure they sat inside hearing the rain batter the sides of the ark day after day and night after night. When would their circumstances change? Would they ever see the sunny days again? When the darkness of the skies cleared what would life be like after the event? But I believe that the miracle wasn’t necessarily finally getting off the ark but the things that happened along the way during the storm. The relic of the dove tells a story of faith and hope in the middle of this overarching story. Noah sent out the dove as a belief that God is still in control and they would one day be delivered. Sending out the dove for the second time was a belief that God is faithful, and His timing is perfect. Sending out the dove for the final time was an offering of thanks for the God who rescues. I am sure Noah knew the dove would not return since the water had finally receded.

I cannot tell you how many times the miracle for me has been on the way to the outcome. God gave me hope when things were hopeless. God gave me strength when I was at my weakest. God gave me the desire to keep sending out the dove in hopes of seeing that God is still faithful, and God is so good. This story tells us to keep sending out the doves and hope and encouragement will find its way back to us. Doves come in different faces and different ways…an encouraging card…a comforting Scripture…a sermon that hits home…comfort and peace through prayer…a community of prayer warriors. Whatever you are going through don’t forget to send out the dove and watch for the freshly plucked olive leaf. God will bring miracles of hope and encouragement while you wait for the waters to recede. You are not alone! Then one beautiful day the darkness of the ark will be lit up when the doors to tomorrow will produce sunshine.

“Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.” Genesis 8:15-16.

Looking for Goodness

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” Psalm 27:13-14

If there has ever been a week to ‘lose heart’ it is this week. Yesterday I attended the ceremony of the passing of my precious cousins’ granddaughter. She had only marked off 21 years on this earth before she arrived in her heavenly home. Today I will attend another ceremony of some dear friends who will also be committing their sister and daughter back to Jesus. I have had such a heavy heart for these families since last Friday. This morning, as I lifted my petitions of prayer on behalf of these families, I asked the Lord to guide me to fresh words to comfort my soul. The passage above washed over me with new mercies that my heart needed and maybe your heart needs this morning.

In the middle of heartbreaking circumstances this passage reminds us that the way to navigate through a shattered heart is to believe. It promises that when we approach God with the belief that we will see goodness from the heart of God it will open our eyes to the land of the living, even while we are experiencing death. His word advises us to wait on the Lord…wait in the still and quiet moments of prayer and He will comfort and give peace…wait for the process of healing and the restoration of the soul. Further it tells us that it will take courage to wait…courage to really believe that He is still with us and hasn’t forsaken us in our circumstances. And the blessing that follows this belief, patience and courage is the strengthening of our heart and the vision to still see the good.

Let’s face it…grief stinks! It is love turned inside out laid raw and visible for the world to see. But in that description, we must also realize that while God is holding us with one arm He has our loved ones cradled in the other arm. They have closed their eyes to this world of sin, darkness and trouble and have opened their eyes as residents of Revelation. The last beat of their earthly life of Genesis…temptation, sin and sorrow has been replaced with a new heartbeat…a Revelation heart…a reality of reunions, perfection and no sorrow. But while they are experiencing perfection in Heaven God promises to not leave us in our grief. He longs to show us how to continue to see the good things in the land in which we live until the reunions are our reality. So, for now our part in seeing His goodness and having our hearts strengthened is to believe…to wait…to be courageous in our brokenness…and He will deliver everything we need in our suffering.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18

Every Good Gift

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” James 1:17.

I believe that every one of us has at least one unanswered prayer that seems like we’ve been lifting to Heaven forever. Even now, most likely something just came to mind when you read ‘unanswered prayer.’ Last month our youngest daughter became engaged which was one of her unanswered prayers leading up to the engagement. Her fiancé had communicated with us a few weeks prior and gave us the details of the special day. Of course, she had no idea and was operating on the premise of her desire not being fulfilled. The morning after he told us about the plan, I had to run by her house to give her some items. She was having a tough morning and seemed to be down and out about a lack of engagement. As I sat there listening to her dismay and frustration I knew in my mind and heart the exact day, the exact way and the exact place of the fulfillment of her dream. My advice to her was to trust Robbie’s heart and be patient in the wait. I took pleasure in knowing that she only had to hang on for two more weeks.

I can’t help but to believe that God takes pleasure in watching our desires unfold. He knows the exact when, where and how of every event that will happen in our present and our future. As we wrestle with our unmet expectations, He is wrestling on our behalf to align the details up in perfect timing. Many times, we don’t receive our desire because the heart work required has not been completed. God will change our heart before He will change our circumstances. Some of the most precious gifts I have received were those I had to wait on the longest and work at the hardest. Looking back, I can see that God did a lot of heart work with me before He ever answered my prayers. In some cases He changed my heart of wanting certain things, and aligned my heart with His desires.

I’m unsure as to what your unanswered prayer is this morning and how long it has been your petition. But just like the advice I gave my daughter we must choose to trust God’s heart and pray for patience in the wait. God really does have amazing things for every one of us and He knows the perfect time to propose the perfect plan.

How Could You?

“Gideon said… ‘O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles…But now the LORD has forsaken us…’” Judges 6:13.

I love the story of Gideon which reminds me of the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz. There is a scene where the Lion approaches the wizard and tries to stand up to him. As soon as the Wizard speaks, He runs to the back of the foursome terrified. It certainly is easy to be brave in a group but when called out individually we just might also run for cover. Gideon began his encounter with the Angel of the Lord by demanding answers from God's messenger. He certainly appeared to be brave in his accusatory words, but God’s voice was stronger and louder. ‘Have I not sent you?’ Judges 6:14b. What is interesting about this exchange is that God never answered His questions. God didn’t begin naming the miracles that Gideon’s family had received. God never tried to defend His actions to Gideon. He simply reminded Him that Gideon was called by God to go. And just like Gideon, we are called to go...to go to a new way of living...to go into tomorrow without dragging the casualties of yesterday...to go and walk out the will of God.

One of the things that I love about this exchange is that it gives voice to our own heart cries. ‘Why did my loved one have to go to Heaven at this time?’ ‘Where were you when...?’ ‘How could you...?’ ‘Why have you forsaken me and my dreams?’ These are questions that if we are honest have most likely entered our thoughts even if they never came off our lips. I love that God allows our honest hearts to cry because it builds a foundation of His faithfulness wherein God reveals Himself in the pain just as much as in the celebrations. When we cry out God will refocus our hearts and minds on moving forward if we have an open spirit. He knows that the only way to move forward in our pain is to gently nudge us to move forward to where He is sending us. While we want to focus on the here and now, He wants our focus on the ‘up ahead.’ Ministries are born in the ‘up ahead’. Prodigals return in the ‘up ahead.’ Marriages are healed in the ‘up ahead.’ We get to be reunited forever with our loved ones in the ‘up ahead.’

Whatever we face in this tough life Gideon gives us permission, even in our weakness, to question God and search for answers from God. But his story also shows us the correct response to God when there are no explanations. ‘O my Lord, how can I…Indeed my clan is the weakness…, and I am the least…’ Judges 6:15. Gideon replaced his ‘how could you?’ with ‘how can I?’ And in God’s great love He reminded Gideon of the same thing that He promises you and me.

“And the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat…’” Judges 6:16.

But God

“And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead” (Acts 13:29-30)

When I read this verse today the words ‘they had carried out all that was written of him’ I couldn’t help but to consider my life and your life. The Old Testament is a beautiful string of divine prophesies of the story of Jesus, His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection. Every single event that God said would happen was fulfilled. The life of Jesus was perfectly orchestrated in purpose, perfection and power. It wasn’t a glamorous life by any means, but more of a humble life…an obedient life all the way His death…a sacrificial life. The greatest ‘But God’ moment ever was the moment Christ was raised from the dead…But God!

You and I are also living out our own prophesies that God has written into our stories. He has perfectly planned out the duration of our lives and has seen to every detail. Like Jesus, there will be times when we are humbled. There will be seasons when we are broken. There will be circumstances when we are on our knees in our Gardens of Gethsemane. But God… There has never been a situation since before the beginning of time that God didn’t have the love and power to help mankind triumph. But sometimes we certainly act like He lacks power in our challenges. We fret and we worry convincing ourselves that the worst will happen. We repeatedly relive past wounds keeping us stuck in our pain. We are so anxious waiting on the future outcome that we ignore the 24 hours that we are actually walking out. But Acts 13:30 gives us a hopeful voice if we will just speak it into our circumstances…But God.

To the husband and wife who doubt their marriage can be saved…But God can redeem your marriage. To the family who is sitting beside their sick loved one…But God can heal them on earth. To the broken hearted who had to say their temporary goodbye to their loved ones…But God has raised them in glory and power to live eternally with Him. There are so many situations where we can speak those two confident words in our space of disbelief…our space of fear…our space of loneliness…our space of being crushed in spirit.

God is writing our stories and at the end of every one of our lives, all that was written of us will have been fulfilled and we will close our eyes to this world…But God will open our eyes to His perfect and eternal world.

All Things

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28.

One of the dangers of studying the Bible is becoming so familiar with the verses they seem to lose power. God didn’t give us the Bible as some out of date stale words on paper. He always intended us to view it as active and alive, breathing its application into our circumstances. Romans 8:28 is one of those verses that roll off Christians tongues much like the platitude ‘Have a good day.’ But there are hundreds of applicable examples of Scripture breathing life into our situations. On Sunday, I was overwhelmed with a new freshness of this verse because of the way God worked in our details. I could hardly talk about it to Bruce because it resonated in such a tender spot in my heart.

When we put our townhome on the market, we were confident a buyer would want our furnishings since most of these townhomes are vacation rentals. We thought we would simply pack up our things we chose to take home and 90% would be sold with the property. Two weeks ago, we got word that the buyers wanted nothing, and we began to scramble. Had we known in advance we could have had friends and family come to Folly and choose things that would bless them. But here we were with a full townhome of furniture, bedding, and a full kitchen. We went down so many rabbit holes in Charleston only to come up empty. Who knew it would be so difficult to give away so many things? Every idea and effort we had was met with a closed door. Finally, we texted our realtor in a panic asking if he had any ideas. He suggested we reach out to his ‘stager’ who had worked with us when we first put our home on the market. The texting started and God began His Romans 8:28 miraculous and timely march working everything out. The stager wanted every single item of the remaining contents that we were not taking home. She is involved in a ministry with the church that we always attended while at Folly. She has a storage area where she stores anything that would be a blessing for families in need. Not only does she love God but I’m certain that the families who are the recipients of our furnishings love God too. They are coming this weekend and gathering ‘God’s good’ to take to families who barely have anything. I can’t get over how God cares and love us enough to roll up His sleeves and really work it all out if we will take our hands off our circumstances.

I know that many of you are facing much more challenging circumstances that our issue. But I want you to feel a new breath of God’s promise. He states that He is ready and willing to work out ALL things for you no matter what you are facing. He will not leave you alone in your loneliness…your fear…your grief…your confusion…your challenges. He will place His hands on our situations if we will take our hands off trying to control things. He has the wisdom of what needs to happen. He sees the future so there aren’t surprises. He knows the people He intends to use in our circumstances. He does not blindly or randomly work out our outcomes, rather with great precision and purpose aligning everything that benefits us and others.

When we consider God above our circumstances and pray His promises back to Him, we unleash His power and come in for the Romans 8:28 promise. ALL things will be worked out!

A Single Coal

“Single coals do not hold fire but gathered together there is glow.” BibleHub website, Biblical Illustrator.

Yesterday morning as I was walking, I was approaching the place I always stop and briefly rest after my first 3 miles. It is my Holy of Holies where I go ‘behind the curtain’ to fellowship with God and worship to my music. It is where I continue my prayers and have most deeply experienced God. It is my routine that I began 8 years ago when we first purchased our townhome. Don’t get me wrong, there were many days that I didn’t experience God but that doesn’t mean He wasn’t there. Just as the sun remains in the sky hidden behind the clouds His presence never leaves us. I’m sure there is a special place you go to worship and experience God…you own Holy of Holies behind the curtain.

I want you to know that the bench overlooking the ocean is where I have fervently prayed for those of you who have asked or even who haven’t asked if I knew your situation. I’ve prayed for marriages…prodigals…illnesses…addiction... grieving hearts and many more needs. It has been an honor to pray at this place and I’m so humbled to know that as I sat there, your prayers have also covered me. Much like our quote above as I sat on that bench as a single coal you gathered around me through prayer, and because of your love and support I find a glow around me. I read a beautiful excerpt on our places of prayer. I hope it will bless you like it did me this morning.

“The place of prayer is a place of power. Miracles are done in it. The word of truth is unfolded there; mysteries are explained; promises are fulfilled; deliverances are wrought. The place of prayer is a place of rest after toil, of comfort in perplexity and trouble. The gates to the mercy seat are many, and, like those to the golden city, stand open day and night, that every soul may enter in. It is a place for replenishing the daily losses of the heart, and enthroning God again at the seat of the soul.” BibleHub website, Biblical Illustrator.

I would love to know where your most precious place is where your heart intersects the heart of God.