Following Glory

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

Last night Bruce and I went to our grandson Carson’s football game to watch them advance in the playoffs. It was a great game and a beautiful night for the win that they obtained. I love watching those young boys working together and pursuing a common goal. At one point the quarterback hurled the football down the field and a runner took off. He ran vigorously toward the endzone, and when he turned around he discovered the ball was coming right to him. With his arms open wide and his eyes keenly focused he received the catch and made the score. He chased after the touchdown before he even knew the throw was coming to him. Had he lagged behind he would never have been in position to be victorious.

This morning in my study time I discovered the Hebrew translation for ‘follow’ is to pursue, to chase after and to attend closely. ‘Follow me’ were the words Jesus said upon each introduction to his disciples. He wasn’t asking them to lag behind in a slow pace or a mediocre fashion. He was exhorting them to pursue Him…to chase after him…to attend closely to His words and actions. Jesus understood that the only way His disciples could be ready to draw people to God was for them to first be drawn to Him. The same is no different today as Jesus calls us to follow Him…to chase after the truths of God…to attend to His people closely. He never calls us to lag behind Him, but rather to chase after Him as He pursues good on our behalf and the behalf of others.

Once we have chased after His plans and discovered His ways we can run vigorously down the field with confidence. We can know that when He throws His blessings towards us we are in position to receive them. And when we receive His goodness we pass on the benefit to the rest of the team…those who need to know Jesus.

Stalked by Goodness and Grace

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6

This beautiful line from King David’s pen and heart doesn’t seem all that powerful of a statement, but upon further context it is quite the revelation.  David was most likely an old man looking back over his life.  As he recalled his earlier life, lots of guilt and shame could have been up front and center.  He had an affair that led to the birth of his child, only for the child to die.  He sent that woman’s husband into battle on the front line and basically signed his death warrant.  He could have been consumed with guilt and shame from that alone.  He had continuously been chased and banished from his own life and throne.  Bitterness and anger could have followed him for the rest of his life.  But what does David state that he is confident will follow him every day that he had remaining on earth?  He emphatically stated that goodness and mercy from God would be his rear guard.  And not just some of the days, but he had no doubt…all the days…every single one that God would give to him.

Can we have that same confidence that at the end of our life we can look back and sing the melodies of how God shared all His goodness with us?  Will our testimonies be drenched with details of how God has mercifully chosen to forget our sins upon repentance?  God wants us to always recognize how faithful He has been to us through it all, and how He applied His mercy to our mistakes.  He wants us to look back over our time and see what He has done for us, not what has been done to us.  He wants to show us that we are victors in our circumstances instead of victims.  I believe that David’s proclamation of being followed by God’s goodness and mercy is his commitment that he will look for the goodness of God in every day.  So why wouldn’t we do the same thing? 

Psalm 23 – The Shepherd with Me by Jennifer Rothschild sums up the heart of David that we should also strive to have.  ‘When David looked back at his life, he didn’t see his sin; he saw God’s mercy.  When he looked behind him, he didn’t see his shame – he saw God’s goodness.  Where there was guilt, there is now only goodness.  Where there were mistakes there is now only mercy.’ P. 176

Judge My Case!

“My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness…It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD…O LORD, you have seen how I have been wronged: Judge my case.” Lamentations 3:20-59.

I don’t know about you but there was a season a while back that produced such suffering and pain that I try to avoid revisiting the circumstances. It was a time when the only thing that would bring comfort to the pain was God Himself. I felt consumed by the grief of the situation and lacked control in any of the details. This passage could have been me and it might be you. I love this entire chapter of Lamentations because it reminds me that since it made it into the canon of Scripture that God fully understands how easy it is to focus on pain. The Book of Lamentations is a collection of ordinary people who have been done wrong…betrayed…abandoned. It is a blueprint for how to transform a bitter or consumed mind into a better and consecrated position in God. What is the secret to this transformation? Taking our hurtful remembrance captive and replacing it with the beautiful reminders of God’s character and promises.

For the parents whose child has turned away…remember God’s faithfulness to comfort you in fresh ways every morning. To the woman who has been betrayed…recall that God will judge your case and fight for your honor. To the lonely person…remind your heart that God has a compassionate plan for your life. For the grieving heart…believe there still goodness and joy up ahead as we wait upon the Lord for His healing. It is clear, that hope emerges when consuming fear and bitterness subside. God is the only answer to all our challenges, and He will not be careless with our hearts or our lives. In our wait, we will recall all of His triumphs on our behalf.

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:25

All In!

“So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:21

One morning during the time of my sister’s terminal illness, my phone rang and on the other end was Beth’s weak little voice. She had endured a grueling chemo session the day before and had finally awakened for the day. On the other end of the phone was a plea for companionship. I offered to come and get her and bring her to my house for the day. As I walked in the door I heard moving around upstairs, so I sat down at their kitchen island. Beth had never been in a hurry to do anything, even before her cancer, so I tried giving her both space and time. Even as I type the word time I realize that I had never viewed time as an enemy until then. Every action, every conversation, every plan was framed by the sand spilling grain by grain in our hourglass as time selfishly moved on. I looked around her home as if seeing it for the first time. My eyes fell upon the family portrait that hung perfectly on the wall. Her touches of decorating were evident throughout the family room, representing places they had been and things they had done as a family. Pictures of our family displayed on their piano. My eyes fell upon their bookshelf filled with medical books and nursing resources, books Beth must have thumbed through a million times as a nurse. As I went to the fridge to grab a water bottle, I was looking at all of Sydney’s artwork when my eyes caught a calendar hanging on the side. I glanced at the month and saw where her handwriting had recorded future events…future events…my heart sunk. Would she feel like chaperoning that field trip in the fall? Would she even be here at Sydney’s Christmas break to pick up the fundraiser at the school? Precious appointments…reasons to push through and fight! But among those hopeful appointments, chemo and doctor appointments took front stage on this calendar. I felt myself fighting the tears and the gloomy disposition and realized I needed to refocus. Where was she? What was she doing? How could I offer help without threatening her independence?

Finally, I heard her coming down the steps and she rounded the corner. With life in her eyes and a million dollar smile she walked up with a grateful heart and a tight embrace. How did I allow myself to sink so low as she remained so high in hope and courage? It was a question I would examine continuously throughout this journey. We emptied her nursing tote and filled it with her new arsenal… crackers to settle her stomach, her medication log to know the very moment she could have another pain pill, telephone numbers of doctors, nurses and pharmacies. And of course, the dreaded cell phone…the new appendage that every member of our family attached to ourselves since she was diagnosed. None of us went anywhere without it as if it were a part of our body…it was…it was our lifeline. We packed her up and drove to my home for the day. As I got her settled in the lazy boy in front of the television I felt my stomach growling so I left the room and went into the kitchen. She had been sick most of the morning due to the chemo, so I certainly didn’t want to eat in front of her. I glanced in the den and saw that her eyes were closed and said a little prayer that God would settle on her with comfort, peace and rest. I quietly and slowly opened the pantry door and retrieved a handful of Cheez-Its, our family’s favorite snack. As I was placing the box back on the shelf I heard this little voice straining, ‘What are you up to out there?’ Busted, I sheepishly turned to her with orange crumbs on my mouth and a guilty smile and held the box out to her. She nodded her head and motioned with her little hand for me to join her. We sat there in the room that day and had a talk I will never forget.

There was something on her heart and mind that she needed to say so I settled in for a conversation that echoes in my mind to this day. Over the course of her life, Beth had varied ideas about different philosophies. She always believed in God as her primary religion but entertained different influences, hobbies in part but also in curiosity. She shared about different times in her life when would shift her focus back to God. She stated that every time she would engage with God something bad seemed to happen, so she would abandon the focus. She told me a story about a woman at her previous place of employment, an assisted living facility. This messenger from God gave Beth a book that really took root in her heart. As she focused solely on God and worked in this Bible study, her old fears began rising and the devil pushed the play button again. He reminded her of her horrible track record when she engaged with God. He always convinced her that when she puts her heart out there to God, He is careless with it…those horrible lies from a horrible enemy. With tear-filled eyes she explained to me that this time she had decided to shut down the lies and press through her fears. She began pursuing and loving God and feeling His love returned to her. Desired relationships in her life were emerging and her faith was growing strong. She was extremely active in her church and everyone there loved her gentle ways and willing spirit. God was working on her from the inside out for sure. Then, she turned and looked at me and said, ‘And now this…the worse that could happen has…worse than I had ever imagined.’ I was at a loss of words that morning and had no answer to a question I know will never be answered on earth. But she made peace with her circumstances and was ALL IN regardless of the outcome! While I will never know that answer, I do know our God and He loves fully, rewards greatly and blesses beyond understanding. I believe that He had watched her fear of getting close to Him for years and saw her trade fear for faith and fellowship. He watched her stand up to evil as she removed the power of fear over her life. He called her into the thick darkness like Moses and she ran in towards Him. He witnessed that fighting spirit where she allowed His power to stand up to the powerlessness of Satan…and for her stand the reward would be greater than anything this old earth could give. Only heaven could match the rewards He was ready to lavish upon her. “Therefore I am going to allure her: I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and make the Valley of Baca [Weeping] a door of hope.” Hosea 2:14:15

There is something very precious and tender about the thought of descending into the thick darkness to commune with God. It is a private and unique place where God will whisper and unveil truths for our lives. If we try to avoid or busy ourselves during our pain and suffering, we may miss the blessings that we can only obtain through our Valley of Weeping. Whatever we may lose in the darkness Christ promises to restore if we trust Him. What suffering depletes…God replenishes; whatever darkness steals…God replaces; whatever is destroyed … God rebuilds; whatever dreams seem dead…God resurrects.

We never spoke of this again, but I believe it was her statement of faith, that at some point in our lives when our fear intersects our faith, faith must be chosen even if it comes with a sacrifice …and boy did it for her…but she whispered, ‘Give me Jesus.’

Sadness of Heart

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven…so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’” Nehemiah 2:2.

Nehemiah had just been visited by some of his former friends of Jerusalem. This was his first report of the state of Jerusalem which had been attacked and set to fire. These men brought news of how broken their beautiful city of Jerusalem was, and how the survivals of the exile returned to a burned-out city. When the men departed, Nehemiah was heart-broken and distraught. He wanted things to be like they used to be before their city was besieged by the enemy. He wanted the days of yesteryear when there was joy and singing in the city. He wanted back the times where things seemed less chaotic…joyous laughter…more hope. Nehemiah did the same thing we must do when our beautiful past has been turned on its head. He wept…he mourned…he fasted…he prayed. His face reflected the sadness of heart that accompanied him.

I know that many of you today are experiencing the aftermath of your life being turned on its head. You never saw it coming…you didn’t plan for it…but parts of your lives have been attacked and now your heart is burned out. You try to put on a happy face but its more work than its worth some days. When we feel like our cities no longer boast beauty and joy, we must take our broken hearts and offer them to Jesus. While we look across the landscape of our lives and see brokenness, He sees a redesigned future. As we see disrepair He sees new building blocks for a new life. As we feel disillusioned He feels determined to carry us through our seasons.

We can never count future joy out, when we count the power of Jesus in.

Say it Again, Lord!

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” Ge 1:3.

This morning I heard a beautiful song by Hillsong called Let There Be Light. I began thinking about the command that God spoke into the darkness at the beginning of time. As I thought about that phrase, the beginning of time, I realized that the light marked our world’s beginning, not God’s. God has always been, so He didn’t speak those words of forming the light until He had purposed the perfect time. He determined when light would penetrate the darkness setting in place the creation of the world.

This morning I continue to be heartbroken with the gut-wrenching confirmation hearings and all that surrounds it. It makes me scared for my husband, son and grandson that someone might speak into their lives lies or misperceptions forever changing their world. It makes me fearful that my daughters or granddaughters might have something happen to them that no one believes. The brutal treatment of the human soul for these people feels like we have relegated the world back to its original darkness. It feels like evil is attempting to undo everything good that God has set in place. But this morning, I am calling all of us to ask God to say those words again. We cannot allow darkness to suffocate light. We will call for the Creator to speak those life-giving words again making darkness run for cover. Lord, let there be light for those confirmation hearings and FBI investigations. Let there be light for the person sitting in the chemo chair as the darkness of cancer threatens their life. Let there be light for the husband and wife whose marriage has been fractured by darkness. Let there be light Lord for the person who suffers with addiction, and the children who have no voice. Let there be light for the lonely, the grieving, the abandoned and the wounded.

Say it again Lord, say it again! Our nation, our cities, our families and our churches need a revival of your Light. We need healing in every areas of our lives. We need to have the courage and boldness to stand up and call upon the Father of all nations. We need to find our own light to shine in a world where darkness doesn’t have to work very hard. Let there be light on our tongues, in our hearts, and in our service. Light began with one phrase from God, and we have the opportunity each day to carry His light through the day. We have this little light that we can choose to shine, instead of hiding it under the darkness.

Say it again Lord, say it again!

My Twelfth Man

In 2003, the Seahawks installed a giant flagpole in the south end zone of what is now Century Link Field and began a tradition of raising a giant flag…in honor of the fans.  On any given Sunday, the fans rush the stadium understanding the important role they have of support, encouragement and cheering the team on to a victory.  For me when I see that flag waving in the breeze I get a lump in my throat because it reminds me of my ‘twelfth man.’ 

This past weekend my twelfth man…my childhood girlfriends…rushed onto the island, raised that flag and man did we have quite a victory.  There were touchdowns and a few fumbles.  There were sacks and lots of huddles.  It was us against the other team…the challenges of life.  We each came with our stories of what happened…what is presently happening…what could possibly happen.  On that little porch we analyzed…we laughed…we even cried a little.  At one point on Saturday night one of my teammates belted out ‘He Lives’ and every person sang with such passion, knowing every word of that ageless song of Christ’s sacrifice.  We know that God placed us together then and He moved us back together now.  It is quite possible that it will be another full year before everyone can get together again.  But the flag remains waving…the support and encouragement is only a group text away…the game still goes on.

God surrounds each of us with a twelfth man…that person or people who walk with us through life in addition to our wonderful families.  A twelfth man doesn’t walk away because of politics, religion or social status.  A twelfth man waves its flag proudly and with loyalty. It remains standing through the sun, rain, wind and storms of life...even the tough losses.  If you feel you haven’t identified your twelfth man say a prayer to God.  He handpicks people for us at different points in our lives and fills our stadium with these blessings. 

So, I will bring my sentimental words about a sentimental weekend to a close.  But thankfully one of us created our own flag and brought it this weekend.  What a flag to fly!