ELM - On His Mind

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you…’ Jeremiah 1:5.  “I make known the end from the beginning…what is still to come.” Isaiah 46:10.  “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

There is a location on Lake Wylie one road over where Bruce and I have always gone to spend time together.  For over 24 years we have taken our chairs, music and some of our favorite things as we sat overlooking the lake.  We have witnessed thousands of afternoons when the earth beckoned the sun to come to bed.  We have laughed on that hill and cried on that hill as the ebb and flow of our lives together have played out.  I can remember like it was yesterday when we discussed the decision of having more children.  That day we sat on a quilt and talked extensively about a child who wasn’t even born yet…but nonetheless, a child who was in our minds and on our hearts.  By the end of that evening we had chosen to have another child and had beautiful discussions regarding the life of that child.  We tried our best to provide all of the good things to our children, steering them away from things that were unsafe or not beneficial in their lives. Our children are now grown and while we cannot see up ahead in their lives, we do the best we can walking alongside them as they walk out their lives.    

Thankfully we have a Father who can see up ahead and desires to guide us with every step we take.  Like we did with our children, He thought about us before we were even formed.  He carefully considered our purpose in life and chose our gifts specifically for that purpose.  He determined the path He would guide us on, and is delighted with the things He has planned to give us.  He makes decisions for us based on what lies up ahead in front of us.  He guides and reveals to us through His spirit what is still to come to help us discover the treasures of His blessings.  He is eternity focused and Kingdom driven so our purposes are intentional as He guides us into them.  ‘God did not create us for time but for eternity.  Every word, act, and purpose of God is in the context of His eternal perspective.  God never acts for the moment but works with the full knowledge of all that has occurred…leading up to the present time.  He does not speak or act...without knowing what the consequences will be…God knows everything about your future.  He foresees what crisis you’ll face as well as every triumph you’ll enjoy’ Experiencing God, p. 17.

This is wonderful news this morning as I consider all of the things I will face and the decisions I must make.  We are not left to this world on our own but are meant to walk in the daily decisions and dreams of our Father.  I can just picture God spreading out His spiritual quilt 54 years ago enjoying His sunset, and thinking about the life He would give me.  Like that quilt my unlived life was laid out before Him as He saw all the good and perfect gifts from His hand.  Be encouraged and humbled by the fact that every day was a planned day by our Father before one day was ever experienced by you.

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…’ James 1:17.

ELM - Our Enemies

“The LORD says to my Lord:  ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” Psalm 110:1.

Jesus Christ knew all about promise and destiny through suffering.  This verse was originally written by David, theorized by scholars with two separate meanings.  One theory is that David was speaking of his own son, King Solomon after God exalted him as King.  The other translation is more prophetic pointing to a future Messiah who would condescend to an earthly body and return to His rightful place after suffering under the hands of His enemies.  Through Christ’s sacrifice, death and resurrection we became co-heirs in Him.  This position in Christ gives us access through Him to approach the throne of God, and crawl right up in the seat next to Him.

In considering this verse today, I couldn't help but to think of a friend of ours.  Through a secret and dishonest business transaction, she and her family have become victims.  This transaction lacked integrity, taking away many rights she should still possess.  Their treatment of her is so extreme that she endures daily disrespect and deception.  This has been on my mind all morning and I knew that this verse was for her.  She has not attacked back nor has she allowed herself to get pulled into this web.  She knows that God is on her side and if she simply and trustingly sits to His right in His timing her enemies will be taken care of.  He will exalt her over them and they will become ‘a footstool for her feet.’  God will trample over those injustices done to His children if we will trust Him with the battle.  She will not fear because she knows that God is working for her ultimate good in this situation.  We went to God as three in the faith and His word and promises will not come back empty.  ‘…so is my word that goes out from mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’  Isaiah 55:11.

I believe that sitting to God's right is another way of saying 'Be still and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10.  Notice He commands us to sit while He acts.

In Foreign Lands

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.  There on the poplars we hung our harps… ‘How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?’ Psalm 137:2.

Life was sweet as the Israelites spent their days in continual worship in Jerusalem.  They built their lives surrounding the temple of God with the freedom and luxury to remain near His dwelling place.  But then one day they hear chaos in the distance…they can feel the shift in their circumstances…they can sense danger and despair all around them.  The Babylonians attacked their happy lives, destroyed what they knew best, and kidnapped them to a foreign land.  As they found themselves by the rivers in their new land they wept bitterly and longed for the city that was left behind.  The harps they used to play to display their joy stayed silent.  Their confidence and security were also kidnapped along with their physical bodies. 

Who of us finds ourselves in a foreign land this morning?  Whose heart is longing for last week before that relationship changed…last month before the doctor’s visit…last year before that job was taken away?  Where did the security go?  Where is the music of our hearts that played out like a beautiful synchronized symphony?  Remembering Zion…tough thoughts…bewitching memories.  While we walked out our Zion…those calm and secure times…we didn’t even know to fear losing it.  But now, our harps are silent for it has become difficult to sing. 

But blessedly, we have a Father who will sing when our sad hearts cannot.  ‘For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’  Zeph. 3:17.  He will turn our weeping to comfort if we commit our sadness to Him.  ‘He who goes out weeping…will return with songs of joy.’ Psalm 126:6.  We must remember that we are in a foreign land in more ways than just our circumstances.  We can never get comfortable on earth for life provides the backdrop for us to be kidnapped by our circumstances.  They attack our comfort and security and hold our hearts and minds hostage.  We cannot give into the despair but must continue to sing songs of the faithfulness of God in these kidnapped times.  The thing about foreign lands is that they are never our home.  God will return us to calm times….sweet times…secure and joyful times again. ‘When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy… ‘The LORD has done great things…and we are filled with joy.’ Psalm 126:1-3.

So don’t hang up your harps…our Great God will deliver you out of your captivity and the joy of the Lord will be ours.

Jesus Loved, Yet He Stayed

“‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’ Jesus loved…yet, he stayed where he was two more days.  So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.’  Jesus…came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  ‘Take away the stone…Lazarus, come out!’” John 11:3-43

This is probably one of the most familiar stories from the Bible which can be read with such familiarity that the reality of what happened is minimized.  I can tell you that my own Lazarus story was written and lived out.  My prayer for our daughter during her drug use was like the sisters’ prayer… ‘Lord, I know you love our daughter and she is sick!  Father, why are you taking so long?’   Months turned into years and seven winters would pass before we finally got our spring.  When things were the darkest and her life seemed to be losing its pulse Jesus walked into town.  By this time, many of us had rolled the stone over the entrance...expecting the phone call… anticipating the dreaded news …living through the inevitable outcome for a heroin addict.  But Jesus waited to heal her until He knew He had the audience of a large community…dozens of congregations from churches who watched and prayed.  And on that 8^th Mother’s Day of her drug addiction Jesus came waltzing into the city.  She called to say she was going to a treatment program to get her life back.  Jesus told me to take away the stone of disbelief and told her to come out of her tomb!  Now that’s a story that sells!

There are things this morning in each of our lives that seems to be losing its pulse.  There are prayers being lifted half-heartedly for circumstances that seem dire.  There are dreams that we have already pushed a stone in front of as they seem to be dying.  Oh, we are a disbelieving people!  So many times God tarries so that His glory may be shown to a greater number of people when He brings in the miracle.  Sometimes the miracle is in the peace provided when the outcome is not what we would choose.  There is no discrimination in pain and suffering for we will all be touched by its long arms.  But we have a Savior who has conquered pain, suffering and death.  We have a Messiah who understood the meaning of John 12:24.  ‘…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’  Jesus Christ was that kernel that fell and as a result of His death we are His seeds. 

Whatever looks as if it’s dying be encouraged that God’s greatest power is shown when circumstances look most dire.  Only God rolls stones across entrances according to His plan, so let us believe…truly believe…that the Father who gave up His son for us is working constantly to bring things to life. 

Maneuvering In Darkness

“Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  ‘Go…wash.’ So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:6-7.

Can you imagine being this man?  He lived in darkness his entire life being blind from birth.  My commentary states that blind people in this day had no other destiny except begging.  His entire life he had maneuvered in darkness, bumping into this and tripping over that.  This story does not state that the man went up to Jesus but Jesus approached him.  As the man continued to beg in his darkness, how surprising it must have been to suddenly have some wet and muddy mess on his eyes.  What on earth could have been going through his mind as Jesus told him to go and wash the mudpack from his face? Just when things were already bad, life got muddier.   But in a major faith move, the man rises and goes…believes and hopes…rinses and dries…opens his eyes and sees the beauty of his surroundings never seen before. 

Life is challenging and sometimes when we think things can’t get worse they do.  Things that are already dark seem to get even darker and more disparaging.  We fall into sleepless nights and reach out to steady ourselves when we constantly are tripping over our emotions.  But, we cannot give up and resort to a life of begging…praying to God with little hope.  Our destiny is not darkness but freedom regardless of our circumstances.  We must power our prayers with belief in the goodness and love of God even when our walk seems dark.  When Jesus places His hands on our circumstances they have been touched by the power of God.  The fall of man ushered in sin and sickness but God uses it to display His power and authenticate His kingdom to come.  We must believe in God's purpose and plan for our lives.  '...but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.' John 9:3.  Sin and sickness do not have the final say for they are temporary blind spots along the way towards living in complete Light.  I might be feeling around for answers on earth but I know that the little sight I have on earth will be nothing compared to the view from Heaven.  There will be a day for all of us when we feel the warm hands of Jesus cover our eyes and when we awake we will see our eternal surroundings like never before.

Eyes closed to this world…eyes opened to Heaven.  Eyes closed to nurses…eyes opened to my loved ones.  Eyes closed to sin…eyes opened to purity.  Eyes closed forever to Satan…eyes opened to the sweet smile of Jesus. 

When Evening Comes...

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off…By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.  When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.  But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” John 6:17-21.

I can still remember calling Mother asking her if she wanted me to go with them to the doctor to get Daddy’s results.  At first she declined stating that she thought it would be fine but appreciated the offer.  A few days later she called back and had decided that she would like me to join them.  So on that day, a day forever burned in my mind and on my heart, I left the doctor’s office a different person than when I walked in.  I walked in as the daughter of a healthy daddy, but walked out as a daughter whose world had just been rocked.  I walked in as a daughter who still enjoyed being nurtured by her mother, but walked out as a daughter who would nurture and encourage her mother.  I walked out to the parking lot and called each of the sisters preparing them for our upcoming journey…‘evening coming…strong winds …waters growing rough…terrified sightings.’ 

Many of us are walking out our evenings…we received the test results…answered that phone call …witnessing circumstances that beckons us to live in fear instead of by faith.  It’s easy to fear, disbelieve and row our boats towards disaster.  Our passage is encouraging to me as it demonstrates that however far we run up ahead in our heads Jesus won’t let us steer into the rocks.  He comes to us where we are and turns our fears into comfort.  In Matthew, this same story is told with the disciples mistaking Jesus as a ghost.  In the rough and stormy waters, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples.  They had two choices…to receive Jesus into the boat or to continue rowing themselves heading towards destruction.  Once they received Him they reached the shore safely. 

Jesus revealed Himself over and over again in our evening.  When things looked ghostly He showed us His greatness. When things were painful He demonstrated His sustaining and enduring grace.  In the dark and dreary night Jesus walks…in the stormy and scary circumstances Jesus reigns…in our uncertainty and disbelief He steers and guides us back to His peace.  He is the anchor in our rough waters and the rock on which to cling.  Receive Jesus into your boat and you will safely reach the shore where He is leading.

Friends In the Furnace

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up…and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace” Daniel 3:17-23.

Growing up there was a group of us who did everything together, some awesome things and some things that will not be included in this writing.  There is nothing like the reconnection with precious friends from the past.  It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or what we have individually suffered, hearts connected by childhood stand stronger than most other.  All of us in our group have been thrown into the blazing furnace without exception.  As two received unsettling medical news another will travel to be by her loved one’s side, while yet another one watches the unsettling state of an aging parent.  But our little army of friends, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are firmly tied together.  When one falls into the furnace we all topple down.  The beautiful thing about the furnace is we are not alone…God is at the center for all of us.   ‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement…Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire…Look!  I see four men walking around…unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ Daniel 3:24-25.

Sin, sickness and death were never a part of God’s plan, but became our companions with the fall of man.  Satan is the king of darkness that tempts us to blame God.  It was the first trick he used on Eve and continues to use on all of us when we are thrown into the furnace.  Our story clearly reveals that the king of darkness was nowhere around the blazing mouth of the fire, but the King of Light was right there in the fire.  I have been one who emerged from the fire with a miracle regarding my daughter (‘the God …is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us’).  I have also been one who emerged from the fire without my sister and dad (‘But even if he does not…).  In both instances everyone received life, my daughter on earth for a bit longer and my loved ones for eternity.  When we get to the point where we can live out these verses we have become seasoned believers.  “In essence, Daniel’s friends said, ‘God can make all of this go away and save us from this situation, but even if he chooses not to – he’s still God” Spirit Hunger, p. 182… (And we are still all destined for eternity).

God did rescue my family members from the hand of darkness.  They will never have to face sin, sickness or death again for they are walking around in heaven with the One who walked in the furnace with them.