Red Rover, Red Rover

“But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” 1 Co 12:18.

When I was a little girl there was a game that brought both joy and anxiety to me.  It was called Red Rover and each team had their own members.  The team would stand in a line and chant ‘Red rover, red rover, send _______ right over.’ I was always insecure and stood there anxiously hoping to hear my name.  Who doesn’t like to be chosen and accepted? 

Fast forward 45 years.  A few months ago, life provided its own game of Red Rover.  I was approached by our pastor and invited to interview for a position in our church in Women’s Ministries.  I was extremely excited as I had frequently thought I would follow in my grandmother’s footsteps.  I went through the process and in the end the team did not call my name to be come right over. There was certainly some disappointment initially but within 24 hours I knew God placed the person He wanted in that role.  Not a day has passed when I haven’t realized that God knew that position would not have fulfilled me.  God knows what makes our hearts soar and fulfills our desires.  I know that where I am in His plan is better than where I would be in my own plan.  I attended a meeting with the lovely woman who God did arrange in His body…the church…and knew immediately that she was the one who should ‘have been sent over.’  It is obvious that not only does she have the passion for the role, but her strengths and talents are perfectly matched for the goals.

When we open ourselves up to the plan and purpose of God, we pave the way for His divine opportunities to play out.  Christ is the church and we are the body of His church, called to serve in the manner He determines.  We have not all been called to serve in the actual church but we have all been called to serve in the spiritual Body.  God has determined our vocation, our length of service and our impact, and it is up to us to walk it out.  We have a team in Heaven…God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who stand shoulder to shoulder and call each of our names to come right over.  It is our responsibility to make sure we are on the playground.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it’” Isaiah 30:21.

Deliverance From Ourselves

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” Psalm 34:4)

It is a spiritual fact that we storm heaven’s gates with much more passion and desperation in times of trouble.  When life is going smoothly we lift our prayers of thanksgiving to God with an ebb and flow spirit.  But when we discover ourselves in the doctor’s office waiting on our prognosis…when there seems to be little hope for pregnancy…when our boss calls us in to his office with bad news...these are the times that heaven really gets our attention.

I noticed in our verse this morning that David did not write ‘I sought the LORD and he delivered me from my circumstances.’  He wrote that he was delivered from his fear.  This is a scriptural gem that we cannot skim over.  James 1:2-4 explains that our faith must endure tests in order that we may learn to persevere in all trails.  Through the work of perseverance our faith is made more complete for future assignments.  We will all be blessed when we have stood firm in our tests.  So with the long-haul in sight we are encouraged to ask for deliverance from our emotions…fear…anxiety…hopelessness and sadness.  It will be through the daily seeking of the Lord’s settling of our emotions that will mark off the dark days which we are enduring.  Our confidence and endurance is in the Lord, being guaranteed of our deliverance from our emotions that contradict peace.

We must respond first in trust and obedience, making the appropriate adjustments in our life to God’s plan.  Through the crisis we will have a better understanding of who God is and how He operates in our lives.  While we cannot shorten the days of deliverance from our circumstances we can certainly shorten the days of deliverance from our emotions.  Deliverance is only a prayer away in every situation and every moment of each day.

‘When times of bewilderment overwhelm you, how you respond will affect your life deeply.  Some people withdraw or drop out; others worry or fret, even to the point of becoming sick; still others become angry or bitter.  But others turn quietly and persistently to God and wait before Him until He hears their cry and delivers them; they’re forever strengthened in their walk with God and they become more faithful servants of His’ Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby, p. 150.

Being Confident

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life…the present nor the future…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

Have you ever noticed how sometimes words of comfort come across empty?  I only have to consider my own responses to those who had experienced losing a loved one.  Before I lost my sister and dad my responses were more rehearsed than felt.  It wasn’t that I was cold hearted but rather heart protected.  I had never experienced that sadness before so I couldn’t really understand the depth of pain in which they were living.  Once I had experienced that suffering I truly understood the journey of hope… desperate prayer…decline…and ultimately death.  On the flipside however I experienced the healing of that journey.  Through the love of Christ I was able to accept…seek comfort…pray for our emotional healing…and receive the sustaining grace and love of God. 

Paul penned this passage with authority and credibility, for the things he named were the things he had endured through God’s grace in Christ.  Paul’s words do not fall on deft ears for they were written from a man who walked this journey and overcame all of these sufferings. 

The love of Christ involves His protection when we are vulnerable and weak from our circumstances.  The love of Christ offers His comfort and peace when we are fearful and anxious in our situation.  The love of Christ bestows those special blessings on the days we need something extra.  His love reveals His heart when we cannot trace His hand in our suffering.  When we glance in our rearview mirror we can see how victoriously we were led out of other painful times.  In retrospect, we see how the love of Christ was there at every turn never leaving us, but always loving us.  When we can look at our past as overcomers our lives will pen our story through our testimonies.  In the spirit of Paul’s writings, I write my own as a testimony to God:

‘What shall separate me from Christ’s love?  Shall divorce, my child’s heroin addiction, secret spending, cancer, death and grief…No, in all these things I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me.  For I am convinced that nothing yesterday, today or tomorrow will be able to pry me from God’s hand since I am a co-heir with Christ.’

For a Little While...

“…though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith…may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6-7.

One of the most natural places our minds go during tough times is the quest for answers to our questions in our challenging circumstances. ‘Why is this happening to me? Is my situation a consequence to something I have done wrong? Is God mad at me?’ I know I have pondered these questions at times when my walk was painful and times were unsettling. While I totally understand and believe that God does discipline those He loves I am also confident that God’s nature is love first and foremost. God did not send sin and death for that was a result of man’s fall. God does however bring ‘beauty from ashes.’ If our suffering is always based on sin, then as soon as we repent things should get better. The Bible speaks consistently of suffering for greater reasons…purifying and perfecting our faith…bringing glory and honor to God… showing those unbelievers reasons to believe.

Since the time of Job, which many scholars believe was the first written book of the Bible, man has been trying to lay blame at the feet of the sufferer. ‘As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same’ Job 4:8. We know his suffering was not due to sin in Job’s life. The disciples assumed the same thing. ‘His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned', he said.’ John 9:2. Elizabeth had lived a barren life which other people had assumed was due to sin, but they were considered righteous people according to God. ‘Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren’ Luke 1:6-7.

We move into dangerous territories when we assign sin to the trouble of others. There are wonderful blessings that flow out of our suffering. A crisis accomplishes great things in our lives as considered in Experiencing God, Richard Blackaby.

- It points to God’s unwavering love;

- It promotes dying to self and surrender;

- It proves our faith and anchors our beliefs;

- It prepares us for greater assignments;

- It forces us to make adjustments to God in our lives.

It is not up to us to determine why a person suffers but we are called to comfort with the same comfort we have been given. It is up to us to share in the sufferings of others as we have shared in the sufferings of Christ.

The greatest suffering ever experienced was from a man who knew no sin. So let us not waste our time trying to figure out why if we have truly repented of all sins, and are striving to walk an upright and blameless life with Christ.

And So She Walks...

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness…But only the redeemed will walk…They will enter Zion singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads” Isaiah 35:8-10.

This is the 5 year and 4 year anniversary weekend of our redeemed, my sister Beth and my dad. They both now walk that highway of Holiness singing in unison with the angels. A while back I wrote a story of their last moments as I imagined them. As a memorial to my loved ones I hope this story will bless you and encourage you as they walked on the highway to Holiness.

“During the last two weeks of Beth’s life, her constant smile was replaced with a distant stare. Previously, she would fight her worn out body by willing herself out of bed, as if showing both cancer and death who was boss. But now, both her mind and body were emptied of any fight and both were surrendered. Our bedside joking and laughing were replaced with silence and subtle acknowledgements.  During those silent visits, I remembered previous conversations with Beth which brought tears to my eyes, but a smile to my face. Due to the high dose of pain blocking narcotics, she seemed on any given day to drift between reality and fantasy. One day as we were sitting together in the Hospice House, she patted her bed with her fragile little hand signaling for me to join her. She reached over and grabbed a pad and pen and the fantasy of planning her wedding unfolded. I was painfully aware that even in her deep confusion, the reality of death and her funeral was never far away from her. I so appreciated the grace of God painting this picture with the beautiful colors of a wedding instead of the dark charcoals of a funeral. Her questions warmed my heart as she would record my answers by drawing little bubbles on the page, much like a stenographer would record every important word. I still smile when I consider the questions coming from her place in fantasy met with God’s grace. She asked, ‘Now should we serve hors d’oeuvres in the front of the church? Will there be a celebration afterwards? What kind of music shall we play?’ Many days were spent planning her wedding with questions and answers that never changed, and the same plans ‘bubbled on the pages of her wedding planner.’ Never in a million years could I have predicted that this wedding day would occur on the same day 14 years previously when she gave her heart and life to her husband, Paul. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was experiencing in those quiet, unreachable days when she was finally bed bound and could not walk. Was this in between living holy ground for which no one could enter? I cannot help to feel that as she could no longer walk on earth, she was preparing to walk to heaven. So, in the spirit of all of our planning, our talks and the bubbles on the page, I share my version of her experience in those last days when she couldn’t be reached between death on earth and marriage into eternity.

‘She must be nervous for off in the distance she hears the echo of music playing and soft murmurs of familiar voices. She has considered this walk a million times in her mind, but this time was different…no fear… no anxiety…no turning back. She could finally see what was up ahead of her and it was grander than anything behind her. No turning around this time for she was embracing this wedding day, and would kneel on the altar of eternal commitment – the surrender of total body and spirit to the One who formed and created her 42 years before. She treasures in her heart that for the second time March 14th presents the day she offers her love completely to another whom she adores. She lovingly remembers how her earthly father offered his arm the first time. But, this time it will be her heavenly Father that offers His arm to walk her down the aisle. The Director comes to her and whispers that it is time and she hears the music swell. She nervously steps out into the aisle with a pounding in her heart and a radiance surrounding her. Her radiance is met with the radiance of her Father as He offers His arm to her. How beautiful she looks to Him! She carries a bouquet with the fragrance of her courageous walk during her suffering. She is dressed in a white linen robe instead of sequins and lace. Her hair is held back with ribbons of righteousness as she is being made perfect and pure with every step. Her earthly knowledge is being replaced with pearls of wisdom as everything is becoming more clearly seen in the spiritual realm. Her vision is still slightly blurred by the thin veil of her earthly inhabitation of flesh. How excited she must be at the thought of her veil soon to be lifted by the One whom she loves, as their eyes meet each other’s gaze. She trustingly reaches out her tiny arm and joyfully slides it into her heavenly Father’s arm. The music builds in intensity, the processional begins, and so they walk. The delicate petals of her faith are scattered along the aisle from earth to heaven. The petals are seen from both sides, the view from the earth as petals of inspiration while the view from heaven as petals of fulfilled purposes. As she walks she hears sobs of those she loves who must give away the bride. The further she walks down that divine aisle, the sobs are replaced by the anticipation and joy of her new family as they welcome her into their eternal family…familiar faces...smiles that warmed her down on earth. While her heart is burdened for the temporary separation of her earthly family, her new wisdom reminds her that one by one they will join her someday…And so she walks…

A little while later as Beth was tending to her heavenly Kingdom work, in the distance was singing that beckoned her attention. Music was a constant in heaven, either in praising God or celebrations of people coming home. But this celebration seemed different to her…more personal…more familiar. The words drifted into her heart and spirit drawing her to that particular celebration, familiar voices, and those wonderful lyrics. Someone special is coming home she thinks to herself. She moves closer to the crowd and positions herself among her heavenly family who has gathered together for the entrance of another family member. She steps on her tip-toes to see who is coming home as the words of the song resonate in the deepest part of her soul. She turns and sees who steps out onto the heavenly aisle…she recognizes him and smiles that million dollar smile as her earthly daddy walks towards her. She knows the others will follow in God’s perfect plan and timing. She joins him with joy and is reminded that there is no need to worry or fret for all is perfect in eternity.’

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” Psalm 139:16.

And So We Know...

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us” 1 John 4:16.

My husband Bruce has been teaching himself a computer program that is extremely complicated.  It makes my brain hurt just to look at how thick the instruction manual is.  He works tirelessly learning the information he will need down the road when putting this knowledge to the test.  The funny thing about knowledge is that the value comes through application, not just knowing the information. 

The same is true about our knowledge and reliance on God when we hit a crisis point.  Times of crisis will expose what we really rely on, not what we think we rely on.  Knowledge without reliance is like owning a car with no tires...we stay parked in fear...we move nowhere.  ‘What we do in times of distress reveals what we really believe about God.  A crisis is a challenge but also an opportunity for the Christian.  During such difficult times we endure the loss of health, jobs, possessions, and often are discouraged.  From a human prospective, crisis means loss.  But God plans that we benefit from every trial we face’ Experiencing God, p. 125.  Christ climbed up on that cross…the greatest crisis man ever faced…and yet we benefit from His crisis daily.  We are loved through the sacrifice of Christ…we are adopted into His family in Christ…we are forgiven continually because of Christ.  No matter what circumstance we are in we must settle the love of God first and foremost.  We must not only have the knowledge that He loves us but sincerely rely on God’s loving nature and promises to work all things out. 

Secondly, we must rely on the truth that God will keep His promises and give His best to us.  ‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ’ 2 Co.1:20.  God is bound by His promises and would be going against His character to give us less than His best.  It is important that we know His promises, but more important that we rely on them. 

So whatever season you are facing this morning, know and believe that God is love and His love can drive out any fear that is in your heart.  ‘God is love…There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear’ 1 John 4:16, 18.

Confident of This Very Thing

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ ‘…I…prepare a place for you…I will come back and take you’” John 14:3, 5.

There are times in our lives when we just have to be honest with God and say, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going with our circumstances. We don’t see the path laid out before us.’  How can we know in which direction to walk when the way is not lit?  Many times Jesus will call us to leave a certain season of our lives behind, not showing us future plans.  It is most frequently the way of God to call us out of our comfort zones, and have us walk in the unknown.  He did the same with His disciples when He asked them to leave their present vocations and follow Him.  He didn’t tell them much, just enough to keep them taking baby steps towards His goal for their lives.  For whatever reason, they didn’t think twice about walking away from their jobs.  But I am sure they gave second thoughts during the days that followed.  Did they arise in the morning longing for their former jobs and security?  Did they wonder how they would eat that day living out this new strange way of life?  One thing for sure…they depended on Jesus for their daily provisions instead of their former way of life.

When God does something new with our circumstances He already has the plan.  He hasn’t haphazardly begun something that He doesn’t know how to complete.  The Bible says that we can be ‘confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.’ Phil. 1:6.  God can do more with our lives that we can ever imagine.  Our circumstances, placed in the hands of the Lord can become a power instrument for the furthering of our faith.  But we must be patient in the wait, faithful in our belief and expectant in our prayers.  While things may seem stagnant God is moving…while we have questions God already has the answers…while we reside in the unknown God is orchestrating the known.

Whatever your present circumstances are, be encouraged that your situation is an expression of God’s activity in your life.  I read something yesterday that encouraged my heart in this unsettling season in my life.  ‘Where you are today is no accident.  God is using the situation you are in right now to shape you and prepare you for the place He wants to bring you into tomorrow.  Trust Him with His plan even if you don’t understand it’ Unknown origin.  He is preparing a place for me right now…He will come back when He has completed all of the plans for my future…He will take me to the place, His perfect plan, that He has worked out for my good, and the good of my family.