With the Angels

“‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself…and follow me…For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.’” Matthew 16:23-27

It was November, 2008 and I was spending the day with my younger sister, Beth. Her church had just had a fundraiser for her as she was battling cancer. The previous April, she had been given 3-6 months to live due to a rare and aggressive disease. I remember sitting on the floor with her writing thank you notes to those who contributed to the fundraiser. She had a wicked sense of humor and we laughed a lot that day. At one point she looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and said, ‘Brenda, am I dying?’ My heart dropped into my stomach and all I could say was ‘Beth, don’t make me say those words.’ I didn’t want to think about the unthinkable. I became much like Peter in our passage this morning. I didn’t want to consider the possibility of her death but she needed to consider the truth of her reality. My sister battled for 4 more months until one Sunday morning Christ came in God's glory with the angels I am sure and ushered her home for her reward.

I remember after her death praying to God in tears…asking why she couldn’t have lived longer…why she had to leave her husband and 8 year old daughter. I felt Him explain that my prayers for an earthly healing only gave her in part what God was ready to give her in full. Her eternal gain was my temporary loss. I certainly did not have in mind the things of God for I was not ready to lose her…my grief… the things of man…denying myself…being joyful that she is experiencing the fullness of heaven surrounded by angels.

This is tough stuff but when we focus our mind and heart on the spiritual things of God we know that we all are born to die…that we are not citizens of this broken world but residents of a home to come. So with a heavy heart and the mind of man I still grieve…remember…consider, but then I lay it back down at the foot of the cross, thanking God for temporal dwellings, seasons that end and future reunions that will last an eternity.

‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ Col 3:1-2.

Doorframes of Fear

“The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house…and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul.’ ‘Lord,’ Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints…And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.’ Acts 9:11-14.

Last year one of my children went through a very difficult time with a person in her life.  She was being constantly attacked, both verbally and emotionally.  She endured daily threats of her safety and fearful confrontations.  Like many of you who might face this situation, this mama bear wanted to take matters into my own hands.  I would go to God in prayer and tell Him all of the reasons I should take certain actions.  To make matters worse I had to face this person on a regular basis and did not want to extend a Christian hand.  This passage always makes we smile because it reminds me of my conversation with God during this time.  ‘Lord, this person has done this against my daughter.  Father, he doesn’t deserve my kindness and prayers.’  I would find myself in prayer reciting everything this person had done and might do.  Much like my own conversations with God, Ananias acted like he had information unknown to God.  But even after Ananias reminded God of all things, he was still instructed to go and face his fear and anguish.

It is easy to convince ourselves that God doesn’t have a handle on our life circumstances.  Surely He has forgotten some things when dealing with our situations.  We pray…we explain…we plea…we justify.  But friends, God has not forgotten the details of your life.  He remembers that your child has struggles… He is well aware that you are scared for your life…He has control over your future and your outcomes.  He knows the secret dreams of your heart and has the path to give you something even better.  We all face doors, some we walk through on our own and some through which life shoves us.  Either way, the walk before us has already been marked.  The door stands open to grab the hand of God and walk through the fear.  When the doorframe of fear seems opposing, let your faith do the walking to get on the other side.  God has not forgotten you…in fact…God is right there with you every step of the way.

‘…I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you…Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’ Joshua 1:5-9.

Our Very Least

“She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria!  He would cure him of his leprosy.’” 2 Kings 5:3.

Yesterday we considered the life and character of Naaman while today we will peek into the private quarters of his wife and their maid servant.  There is no doubt that Naaman’s wife battled continual concern and sadness for her husband’s condition.  There are fewer things that hurt my heart than watching my husband struggle over something.  My commentary stated that this disease had progressed over years.  I am sure that watching the deterioration of her husband’s condition was scary, heart breaking and required constant encouragement.  We can be confident that his wife turned to the young maid on many occasions in confidence, conversation and support.  What a blessing that young lady must have been when she offered a possibility for her husband’s healing.  The wife must have rushed to her husband immediately with new hope.  What was it about the humble servant girl that bolstered his wife’s confidence?  Was it the certainly of healing in the servant girl’s voice if only he would go?  Was there a spirit of peace and calm every time she walked into the room?  Was it the simple joy that she always possessed when dealing with her mistress?  Or was it just the pure desperation of his wife for a cure for her husband?

Whatever motivated the wife was directly connected with the humble service of the young maid.  We are all given a circle of influence.  God places people in our lives, and we are placed into the lives of others.  It is no accident with whom we come in contact, so we must be intentional in our words and steadfast in our faith.  We must look to others encouraging them in their faith, and comforting them in their challenges.  It cannot always be about our comfort and convenience.  There are people hurting out there…people who need to see a reflection of Christ on our face…people who need to borrow our faith for a moment.  My Bible Study states four important principles for being that little maid servant in the lives of others.  They are so essential I wish to share them with you:

-          Be confident – We have a great God, and there is nothing he can’t do.  Let’s live like we believe it!

-          Be credible – People always pay more attention to how we live than what we say.

-          Speak to people’s needs – If the people we desire to help are low on faith, lend them ours.

-          Do something small – Some of the most insignificant things we do have the greatest impact.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40

Humble Rivers

“Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram.  He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram.  He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:1.

We must understand that previously Naaman had led many battles resulting in great success.  He had experienced so much success that he was promoted up the ranks to the top of the army.  He enjoyed many years of financial success with great status among the people.  Over time, Naaman developed leprosy or something similar.  In an effort to gain healing at the urging of his wife’s maid, he traveled to the king of Israel.  There was a prophet of God in Israel who caught wind of his situation and sent for him.  He encouraged Naaman to go and wash himself in the Jordan River for complete healing.  This angered Naaman as he felt such great healing should come in the grand waters of Abana and Pharpar, not the humble waters of the Jordan.  ‘Like many of us, Naaman thought he could dictate the terms of his relationship with God. Like us, he was wrong.  When God didn't behave the way Naaman thought he should, Naaman acted: he rejected the Word of God toward him, took his marbles and headed home. Surely that would teach God not to trifle with someone as important as Naaman! Of course, God wasn't the one with leprosy...God gave Naaman his healing by grace -- and Naaman almost turned it down because the price was too low!’  Ivan Maddox, sermon. 

How similar we are when dealing with our own circumstances.  We live in the tension between successes and failures…advances and plateaus…comfort and pain.  There will be times when we are leading armies and other times when we are searching for a cure for our lives.  How can we avoid the mistakes of Naaman?  We must stay engaged and spiritually connected with the One who holds all of the answers.  We must recognize that deliverance comes from humble waters instead of expecting the grand flow in large proportions.  We must remember that God esteems the humble over the proud, using the small things of this world like little servant maids and small waters. 

When life transitions from calm to rocky…leading to following…delivering to needing deliverance let us drag ourselves to the banks of whatever river God calls us to.  May we be so connected with the Connection of heaven that we will recognize the cleansing and comforting hand of God.

When Jesus Runs Up Ahead

“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled…And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way…Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?'" John 14:1-9.

Jesus must have been exhausted showing His followers the trustworthiness of His heart.  They had walked with Him daily for 3 years, experienced over 100 miracles with Him and were comforted in scary situations by Him.  And yet, Jesus still has to encourage and comfort…remind and restate the obvious.  I do adore Thomas’ question and know that we can relate to his dilemma.  ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how do we know the way?’  I am sure this question resonates with many of us this morning.

Do you find yourselves in an uncertain season right now where you are asking God this same question?  Lord, I don’t know where we are going, so how can I keep on your path if I don’t know which direction to move?  How many times in our lives are we aware that the Lord has run up ahead and is preparing something for us?  We read the devotionals…we wear out our knees…we pray until our head is about to explode.  It seems that our resolution is as far as heaven is from earth.  We too, must be encouraged by God and comforted by His peace.  Just as Jesus reminded Philip, we must be reminded that God has been with us since He formed us.  Why would He give up on us now when He is bringing us into the place He has prepared for us? 

During these uncertain times, if we lose sight of Jesus we can at least focus on earlier times when we have been shown deliverance…mercy…resolution and blessings.  This is a remedy from the mouth of Jesus Himself:  ‘…at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.’ John 14:11. 

So this morning I will believe in my uncertain season because He has delivered my daughter from drugs…because He has carried my mother through her devastating journey of grief… because He healed my heart from losing my loved ones…because He has carried my niece without a mother for over 5 years.  Yes, I will believe in the miracles themselves as I wait on God’s purpose in steadfast peace and certainty.  Won’t we all join in this belief today and allow God to do the work on our behalf.

Carrying Our Mats

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up!  Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.  ‘The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ John 5:8-11.

A while back I was invited to speak at our church’s Women’s Winter Warmer in front of a wonderful group of women.  The topic was comfort and I knew for this to be a blessing it had to come from God.  I originally thought I would speak on the comfort God gave me daily when navigating through five years of terminal illnesses in my family.  During the night leading up to that event, I felt God impress upon my heart to share the dangers of turning to the flesh for comfort.  Many of you are aware that when my daughter was knee deep in drugs I turned to secret spending as a means of running away.  After three years God forced the situation and I told my husband the reality of our financial standing…a mess to say the least.  Through God’s grace and my husband’s love and commitment to me, we didn’t just get through it but we triumphed over it. 

I knew God wanted me to share my journey with the group.  He wanted me to be transparent with the cracked and dirty mat for which I had gotten up and walked away from.  He wanted me to walk up on that stage with my mat under my arm and walk it out in testimony.  His desire was for me to declare that the man who made me well told me to carry my mat with me so others could relate.  I remember the evening before I spoke I was beginning to feel nervous about the number of ladies at the event.  Sweetly and faithfully God spoke into my spirit, ‘Bless just one and my will be done.’  That gave me the confidence and security that I needed to settle my spirit.  I tucked my mat under my arm, said a final prayer and walked up on stage.  After my speech, a woman in tears met me in the corner of the room with the same mat tucked under her arm.  Her story was my story but she had just recently rolled up her mat at the insistence of Jesus.  She will be fine…she will be free…she will be triumphant because the Lord has cured her.  She was the one God spoke to me about blessing through sharing my mat.

We all have had those ‘flesh things’ in our lives that have tempted us, molded us and defined us.  We are all in need of a Savior who not only cures us but saves us from ourselves.  No one has ever lived a perfect life but the man who seeks to save us…Jesus Christ.  It is through His cures that we can carry our mats declaring God as the reason for our freedom.  When we hide our mats from others we are only obeying the first part of God’s command.  We turn to Him, turn it over to Him but must be transparent in Him.  There is no comfort for others in hiding our mats.

Don’t just get through your mat journey, triumph over it by sharing your testimony.

Remembering Our Leaders

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.  He had James, the brother of John, put to death…he proceeded to seize Peter also…So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying for him” Acts 12:1-5.

When thinking about this passage this morning I am led to consider my own pastor and leadership of our church.  This scenario plays out in my mind and strikes the very core of my heart.  The message of God was emerging on a large scale during this time.  Many were coming to the faith and required the tenacious shepherding of a leader who walked with the ultimate Shepherd.  Peter led the church with spiritual authority and credibility.  His passion for bringing others into the faith was the motivation for everything he did.  ‘It’s important to understand that Peter was the leader of the early church.  He was their trusted pastor, the person whom everyone looked to for guidance – he was the one who slept, ate, and walked with Jesus.  To say the church was devastated is an understatement.’ Spirit Hunger, p. 86.

I am a member of an amazing church with leadership that has a mission of inviting all into a living relationship with Christ.  They work diligently and tirelessly to communicate this message, apply this message and plant this message deep in our hearts.  They make it look easy…they make it look perfect …they are putting spiritual oxygen in dead places.  I can’t imagine walking into church one Sunday with the news that our pastor has been arrested by a group of extremist who has already murdered another in our church.  I know that our church would relentlessly be on our knees, begging God for his rescue and deliverance.  Peter was a threat to the power of darkness and so is our pastor.

There is a power of darkness out there who at every turn seeks to destroy any Christian leader who poses a threat against evil.  As our church leaders emerge in God’s power and purpose, it is imperative that we are a praying Body for our pastors.  We must pray like they are in danger…we must include them in our prayers throughout the day as they face trials and temptations.  We must give them the benefit of our doubts, and look for ways that we may help them instead of demanding more of them.  We all have a responsibility to love our Christian leaders, keep them covered in prayer and work as tirelessly for them as they work for us.  Many preachers are on Satan’s radar to enslave them and bind them in spiritual chains.  Instead of wondering what else they can do for us, let us take the lead and find ways to further the message in our own churches by our own hands.  Let’s take some spiritual responsibility in our circles of influence and not assume it’s the churches duty alone.  As a church, let us pray for all of our leaders who God is using to invite all people to connect with His heart in this never changing commission.

'Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.  Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.' Hebrews 13:7

Remembered by the Lord

“And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.  This went on year after year.  Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept…In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.  And she made a vow, saying, ‘Oh LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon…and remember me…then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life” 1 Sam 1:6-11.

Hannah was a believer in God and trusted in His sovereignty, power and abilities.  Scripture tells us that year after year she was unable to conceive, bringing her much despair.  It is written that she met most days in brokenness and extreme sadness, unable to eat.  I am sure her husband was broken hearted for her as he watched her suffer.  Although he attempted to console her, she was experiencing this alone.  It was between Hannah and God, seeker and Giver.  We are even told that there was provocation at the temple, God’s dwelling place, for her provoker even taunted her in that sacred place. 

In considering this today, I was reminded of how easy it is for Satan to attack us as we are trying to approach God’s dwelling place, our prayers.  We all must move around Satan’s taunting, taking our prayer lives back.  We bring to God the very thing that seems to have been closed…a door that cannot be penetrated…that dream that seems to be locked away.  It is the very thing that we most pray for and think about, filling our prayers to the brim with pleas for God’s hand to move.  Hannah’s prayer entreated God to ‘remember her’.  My commentary states that ‘to remember is more than simply to recall that Hannah existed; is to go into action on her behalf’ p. 378.

Who needs God to go into action on their behalf this morning?  Who of us is being taunted by Satan regarding the very thing for which God desires to bring us?  Are we taking the very dream of our heart and committing it back to God like Hannah?  Do our petitions center around blessing God with our request or satisfying ourselves?  We must be cautious to not allow our lack to become our worship.  Like Hannah, it wasn’t until she laid her dream on the altar of God that she was remembered.  Once surrendered, her heart was full of hope and her future included a prophet of God.  ‘Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.  So in the course of time Hannah conceived…’ 1 Sam 1:18, 20.

So we can go…be encouraged…and know that God will act on our behalf when we offer all fears, hopes and dreams on His altar for His purposes.

Familiar with Suffering

“He grew up before him like a tender shoot…He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” Isaiah 53:2-3.

When I was young I loved the felt board my Sunday School teacher used in mapping the walk of Jesus.  His paper likeness was a man with a smile in sandals, and I loved moving Him from the side of the river to the gravel roads leading to church.  It is easy to picture our sweet Jesus as a ‘felt board’ Jesus… a man favored and blessed by God with the answers to everything.  But Jesus was no felt board man and His life was anything but calm.  As He grew in wisdom and stature, every circumstance led towards the final walk to the cross.  Although the cross was where He drew His final breath His heart had been shattered many times before…his brothers rejecting Him…his parents not understanding Him…His cousin John the Baptist murdered…one of His best friend’s death, and watching the heart wrenching grief of Lazarus’ sisters. 

We cannot glamourize the life of this man who was hated, rejected, abandoned and brutally handled by the sinful nature of man.  This tender man who was free of sin took on every wrong ever committed, and every future sin to be experienced.  As we feel rejected by others we can know we have a Savior who understands that feeling.  As we are heartbroken over the death of one we adore, we know that we share tears with One who also wept.  When our hearts feel so saddened by life’s circumstances we are not alone in our sadness.  When life makes us so familiar with suffering we can fellowship with Christ on that level.  I am sure that the joy Christ experienced on earth was much like ours…spending time with those we love… being comforted through prayer when He didn’t feel He could continue.  His fears had to be addressed just like ours and He no doubt used Scripture to bring Himself comfort. 

When we feel familiar with suffering, Chapter 53 of Isaiah is a wonderful place to start.  Don’t get me wrong…it is not a feel good chapter but a down in the trenches with Jesus chapter.  It sums up the walk, death and resurrection of a flesh man into the Spirit man.  It will humble, sadden, encourage, amaze and raise us up out of our own circumstances.  It beckons us to look higher to heaven, beyond this world, outside of our pain and live on that level until we exchange our flesh body for our Spirit body.  Be encouraged this morning that whatever you are experiencing is the temporal of this world with better seasons up ahead.  Take comfort in this and share this comfort with others - it is the way of our Lord and Savior.

‘For just as the sufferings of Christ flow into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.’ 2 Co 1:5.

Shaken and Removed

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Luke 1:45.

I cannot imagine many things for a woman more devastating than infertility.  I have a family member who has tried everything over the past three years to no avail.  I also have a family member who is very young in years and is going to be a teen mother.  What do we do with all of this when trying to reconcile matters of the heart?  Two other women experienced this parallel…Mary, the young unmarried teen who was asked to carry the child of God.  The other was Elizabeth, advanced in age and worn out from her unanswered prayers of a pregnancy.  Both sought God for answers, fears, His way and His will.  At the proper time, the ways of God were realized by both women.  They believed in the goodness of God and that whatever situation they were in was the orchestrated will and way of their Father.  That doesn’t mean that either had an easy journey, but they had more…they had God.

My Bible Study this morning speaks to the ways of God.  We read Isaiah 55:8-11 but do we really believe?  ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts…so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’ When we are waiting on God to move we feel like our prayers are coming back empty.  Since we feel that nothing is happening we believe that nothing is happening.  Since we feel we are in limbo regarding our dreams we perceive a lack of activity on God’s part.  We wait…we wonder…we doubt…we miss the blessing.  Many times the miracle is the peace in the journey while we wait instead of the actual outcome.  When we see that there is no reason to have peace, and yet we do, He blesses us.  We are blessed because we believe that God is doing a great work in our lives.  We do not measure the progress we may see or don’t see against the activity of God.  Let us just accept that we cannot understand God’s ways but He will bring about His best for each of us, and peace in the journey until we receive it.

‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.’ Isaiah 54:10.

Our Gardens of Gethsemane

“…and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray’…and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them.  ‘Stay here and keep watch.’  Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.  ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.’  Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.” Mark 14:32-37.

Today we consider what this scene in the Garden of Gethsemane was like for Jesus and His best friends.  We consider it from both sides of the coin.  Jesus knew the fulfillment that lay before Him while the disciples only knew the things He shared with them.   No doubt they had watched Him pray many times over the previous three years.  No doubt they had been a part of a prayer circle just as we have many times when lifting up our friends to God.  What was it like to look into the troubled eyes of their friend, teacher and mentor?  What a difference in seeing His distressed eyes where brilliant light normally shone through.  Were they still watching as He walked away and fell to the ground in total despair?  It seems amazing that they slept after He told them how He felt, but in all fairness they only knew bits and pieces of what was to come.  Although He surrounded Himself with His closest friends He knew that there was a point where He went to God in prayer alone.  When He fell to the ground asking the cup to pass, it was the private plea between Father and Son, Creator and the Created. 

We have all been on both sides of this scenario.  We have been the one who overwhelmingly has called our friends and family for desperate prayers…prayers for our dying loved ones…prayers for our children who have chosen dark paths…prayers for lost jobs…prayers for abandoned spouses… all gardens of Gethsemane.  We are the recipients of those intercessory prayers that our circle of loved ones lifts to heaven on our behalf.  We come to the throne room covered in prayer but like Jesus…there comes a point in our suffering when it is just between us and God, Father and child…the broken hearted and the Deliverer. 

At other times, we sit, watch and pray as those we love suffer through their set of circumstances.  Like the disciples, we only know bits and pieces of the journey they are walking.  We spend time with our friends in their pain, hold their hands and pray with them.  But at the end of the day we go home to our settled lives and they are still in their distress.  There is much taught in both of these scenarios… the importance of seeking prayer from others and the importance of praying for others.  The separation is in our circumstances which changes throughout our life.  Sometimes we will invite others into our garden while at other times we will be invited into the garden of others. 

Wherever you are this morning, know that you are not alone.  Most likely many are praying for you and your prayers are lifting others in their despair.  In the garden great prayers are lifted to a great God who reigns and rules…comforts and heals…rescues and delivers. 

‘Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray…Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord…Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.’ James 5:13-16.

Glorious Splendor

“…Jesus…went up onto a mountain to pray.  As he was praying…two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.  They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment.” Luke 9:28-30.

I remember when my dad was in the last couple months of cancer we were sitting at the kitchen table at my parent’s home talking about many things.  The conversation led to Daddy’s probable crossing over to Heaven.  I remembered feeling such peace from God during this conversation and was surprised at how easily this subject flowed.  I asked Daddy if he was scared and he said that he had no anxiety about having to leave this earth because he knew God would tenderly and faithfully take care of Mother and the rest of us.  He said that any anxiety he was experiencing was when he considered how it would happen at the end.  He said that his prayers included comfort in this area. 

When I read this passage this morning it struck me that Jesus must have had the same anxieties.  It is written that He went to pray and as He prayed Moses and Elijah came, and they discussed how His departure was going to happen. Did Jesus lay awake nervous and anxious on many nights maybe like my Dad?  Did the nights drag by as He rehearsed the end in His mind?  Did Jesus’ worries about leaving His family haunt Him on occasions?  Did the same prayer tumble from my dad's mouth as the words of our Lord?  We often lose sight that Jesus was human with human emotions and anxieties.  The New Testament is full of verses of Jesus retreating to prayer, withdrawing to prayer and asking for prayer.  This tells me that He struggled, feared and needed the same comfort we need today. 

Jesus experienced Hebrews 12:1 before it was ever written.  ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary, and lose heart.’ Hebrew 12:1-3.  I can’t help but imagine that during Daddy’s similar prayers about the end, God sending down spiritually powerful people from the past.  I can envision Daddy being surrounded by his mother and dad discussing the glorious splendor he will witness the second his heart beats in heaven instead of on earth.  I thank God for this vision this morning as it is another gift for the heart. 

No matter what you face today, take it to God in prayer.  Who knows?  Maybe a great cloud of witnesses from Heaven itself will descend upon you during your prayers.

‘…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Matthew 6:10.

And Angels Came...

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him…Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan!  For it is written:  Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:8-1

Yesterday we peeked into the desert and saw the interaction between the serpent and the Savior.  We watched how Satan used Jesus’ vulnerability of hunger as a form of temptation.  We saw how Satan took Jesus to the highest point and dared Him to jump.  Finally, we saw the most alluring temptation of all…power…prestige…everything God promised Jesus, just earlier than God intended.  I can just hear Satan now as he is so good at what he does in temptation.  ‘Come on Jesus…you know God has already told you it is yours!  You know He has promised it to you so what is the big deal…just reach out and grab what has already been promised.  Satan will always tempt us on the highest mountain…that dream in our minds and heart.  The reason the mountain was so high was because the price Jesus would have paid was so high.  He would have lost the very thing He came to gain

 

One of the most dangerous things we can ever do is act on a promise before God is ready to give it to us.  Whether it is a relationship, a ministry, a job or a child, we cannot give into the temptation of grabbing it before the appointed time.  God will not bless our efforts if we do not silence.  It was only when Jesus stood face to face and commanded Satan to withdraw, reminding him that His life was about worship and service to God.  The blessing that followed Jesus’ courage and bold affirmation was the sweetest blessing ever…the same blessing afforded to you and to me.  ‘Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.’  Matthew 4:11. It is the greatest scene ever written.  It is not the scene out of some childhood Bible but the reality of a man who was parched and starving.   It was how one man looked beyond His circumstances of fear and weakness, focusing on God.  It was a man who in His weakness took on God’s strength through words, standing against temptation in the face of gaining everything.  The angels came when the devil departed, and the devil left at the insistence of Jesus.  Jesus was still that hungry and parched man but every need was met by the angels of God.  We too are the beneficiaries of the hands of angels.

‘Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?’ Hebrews 1:14

 

These Things...

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” 1 Co. 10: 11-13.

He had gone without food for forty days.  He had watched the sun rise forty times as His stomach growled and grumbled.  No doubt He lay awake at night wondering how long He would be required to endure the desert.  His name was Jesus who slipped into the flesh…who can relate to our challenges. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus knew up front that He would be there for forty days.  We as the readers of the Word have this knowledge, but we have to assume, like our wildernesses, only God knew the duration of His wilderness stay.  The days in the desert were getting harder and harder as His energy drained from His body.  One hour must have seemed like a day and a day like eternity.  Following His baptism He was carried off by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested.  The test would not be until He was at His weakest, the time when He would no longer be able to operate in His own strength or power.  There were three areas in which Satan tempted Jesus…lack, will and desire. 

These are the same areas where we will be taken into the valley and tested by God.  In our tests, God allows Satan to tempt us in these three areas.  Satan will wait until we are emotionally famished and physically depleted.  He will offer whatever our lack may be.  ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ (Matthew 4:3)  He also tempts us in our will as He bids us to jump when God has told us to stay.  ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down.’ (Matthew 4:6)  Lastly, he tempts us in the desires of our hearts.  ‘All this I will give you,’ he said… (Matthew 4:9)  The one thing that Jesus’ responses had in common was that they were the direct words of God.  He used these words as weapons ‘against the power and principalities of evil’ (Eph. 6:12).

 

Our chosen passage this morning is the answer to standing firm against all temptations from Satan.  God in all times of testing has already provided the way out…His word…His final say on things.  How can we take the escape hatch if we lack the knowledge of what God says in every situation?  I love the manner in which my Bible Study author phrases this thought.  ‘At times I’ve abused my body, nurtured thoughts that led me to dark places, withdrew when I should have pursued, and challenged when I should have submitted.’ Spirit Hunger, p. 35.  Through knowing God’s word and applying it to our wilderness, we will be fitted with the armor of God to stand strong in our faith.  This steadfast footing will keep us safe until our forty days are done

 

Recognizing His Provision

“When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.  When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other.  ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was.  Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.’ Ex. 16:14-15.

Bruce and I have started on a diet that requires us to eat many things to which we are not accustomed like healthy vegetables!  I am embarrassed to say that it has only been two days and I am starving.  I miss my pizza, my constant handfuls of Cheez-Its and Palmetto Pimento Cheese on Stacey’s chips.  Whatever I’m craving I am certain it is not on this diet!  Last night as we were looking over the menu, there were things on it that we had never heard of and had to Google.  Like the Israelites instead of being thankful for food we said, ‘What is it’ and turned our nose up at it. 

In our spiritual life many times situations arise where we question the same and turn up our nose … What is this?  How are we supposed to deal with this?  Why is this?  Whether it is person attacking us, a hefty bill upon us or a medical condition plaguing us the answer is the same as Moses’ answer.  It is what God has given us.  He has commanded that this come into our life.  With every circumstance in which we find ourselves, God has orchestrated events and activities that led us to this point.  Provisions come masked in many forms, leaving it up to us to recognize them as God’s way.  If we see a blessing that is going to solve a problem we shouldn’t question it but thank God for it.  It may not be in the manner we thought, but we must surrender our plans and trust that it is a God provided blessing. 

Once the Israelites trusted, gathered and received they were blessed by the filling of their desires.  It was a different way to experience the character of God as provider of their needs.  The more deeply we go with God the most recognizable His provisions will be in our spiritual lives.

Forgetting Past Miseries

"The LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery…I have heard them crying out, and I am concerned about their suffering, so I have come down to rescue them…and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land filled with milk and honey.” Ex. 3:7-8.

As God looked down from heaven He saw a group of people whom He loved…His children…His chosen.  They spoke during the day of how many hours they worked and the extreme circumstances required of them.  They would no doubt drop in bed at the end of the day with no energy to even enjoy life.  They sat in groups at meal time rehashing the harshness of the day and how miserable their lives had become.  They had plenty of resources but lacked contentment and joy in their lives.  God was saddened to see His children joyless and enslaved by their lives.  He stood up from the throne and responded to their cries of unhappiness.  He sent a passage out of their miserable lives, but little did they know that deliverance to joy was on the other side of a desert.  What was their response?

‘The Israelites said to them, ‘There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve.’ Ex. 16:3.  How quickly misery turned to freedom and freedom back to misery.  They longed for delivery and after receiving it they longed for their former lives…slavery again.  They glamorized how their lives in Egypt were great because they focused on what they had…not the way they felt.  If they had only remembered the suffering from which they had come, they would have been more accepting of where they were.  They were impatient, stubborn and short-sighted people who would end up never seeing their spacious land of milk and honey.  They mistook the desert for punishment instead of deliverance.

When we are discontent with our lives and cry out to God, we must be willing to accept the path of deliverance that God uses to answer those prayers.  When living in the tension of the in-between… where we were and where He is taking us… we must remember how miserable we were in our past circumstances and trust Him for joy and freedom in our future circumstances.  ‘Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion… Blessed are those who wait for him.’ Isaiah 30:18.

When our Father rises on our behalf, we must kneel on His behalf and honor the path of deliverance which He has determined best.

 

 

Losing Pulse

“When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.  Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’  And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob” Gen 21:15-16.

I don’t know what is most difficult – knowing that something is going to be lost or actually losing it.  This was the case with Hagar when she and her son were banished from the home of Abram and Sarai.  She had not asked for this boy for she was just a maidservant in this home.  He was the result of the couple’s interference with God’s plan, but she had fallen in love with her son.  Now they were being asked to leave with nowhere to go and limited resources.  With the last drop of water given to her son she could see the writing on the wall.  No one lasts long out in the desert without water and they would surely be the next victims of the unforgiving land.  She could not bear to watch him breathe his final breath so she laid him under a tree and in despair walked nearby, sat down and bitterly wept.  Her fears seemed to be coming true and life would never be the same. 

We all have things in our lives that seem to be losing their pulse.  We can’t bear to see where the road seems to be taking us so we try to distract ourselves.  But there is no running away from our thoughts… our minds…our fears.  There lies our dreams, dried up and needing new life.  We count it as well as dead mourning what hasn’t even happened.   But blessedly where we see death God sees life, and where we feel the final breath of a dream God feels its quickening pulse.  ‘What is the matter…?  Do not be afraid; God has heard…’ Gen 21:17.

Whatever you perceive regarding what your future holds we must remember that God holds our future. 

Perhaps, I...

“So she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children.  Go, sleep with my maid servant; perhaps I can build a family through her’” Gen 16:2.

We most likely have heard this story a million times…God promised a baby…Sarai became impatient …she advanced her own plan…the woman got pregnant…Sarai got mad.  One of the most dangerous things in reading Scripture is not connecting with a story’s application due to familiarity.  Yet when we slow down and read this story as if it is our own it becomes overwhelmingly relevant.  There have been more than a few Christians who have uttered these same haunting words… ‘Perhaps, I…’

There are fewer dangers greater than taking matters into our own hands regarding a promise God has sweetly shared with us.  Promises are heavenly things that come directly from God’s hands.  ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father’ James 1:17.  What makes it good is its nature but what makes it perfect is God’s execution of giving it to us.  God promised Sarai that she would have a baby.  But she became tired of sitting in the uncertainty of the when’s and how’s.  She was most likely sleep deprived from lying awake at night wondering would this be the day.  Her thoughts always circled throughout the day back around to the lack in the situation.  Then one day her thoughts of lack motivated her to move into her own plan.  The results were devastating for her entire household and still she came up empty with her dreams. 

There are three P’s when God promises us something…Promise, preparation and proper timing.  Whatever it is He has promised takes planning and preparation in fulfilling that promise.  This is where so many Christians get tripped up.  They move from patience to impatience and faith to folly.  ‘Perhaps I…’ becomes their focus instead of ‘Certainly He...’  If God gives us a vision or a promise we must allow Him the time He determines best fulfills the promise.  We cannot see the things that God is arranging in the heavenlies.  Just because we are sitting stagnant in a situation doesn’t mean that God is.  He is up there working, planning and thinking about you desiring to give you the dreams in your heart.  We cannot get overly discouraged in the wait and scheme to work Him into our plan.  We must stay steadfast in our faith so that He can work us into His plan for our lives.

 ‘Let us not become weary…for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ Gal 6:9. 

Life As a Psalm

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives…and heals…who redeems …and crowns…who satisfies…youth is renewed…compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Psalm 103:1-8.

I would give anything in this world to hear David sing this song while playing his harp.  He lifted these words to God, words void of requests…absent of groanings…short on pleas.  He was fervently worshipping with every fiber of his being all he knew of God.  It was a time of reverence and worship, and we get to be blessed enough to scoot up our spiritual chairs next to him.  As we close our eyes and experience his Psalm do we really feel in our soul the awe and reverence that he was experiencing?  Do our souls explode with praise when considering all God has done in our lives?  When going about our day do we lift prayers filled with gratitude of who God is?  Do we praise and worship Him apart from our petitions, requests and pleas?  Is our attitude like David’s… a spirit of engagement with God instead of entertainment with music?

Our fellowship and worship should form our own psalm, our own affirmations of who God is coupled with gratitude and praise. We do not need a musical instrument or a good singing voice for our hearts to write our own spiritual psalm.  We should live our lives as a psalm sharing our testimonies with others.  I love the image David paints through his words describing God’s love and forgiveness. 

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12.  He equates God’s love from heaven to earth…vertically…and His forgiveness from east to west…horizontally.  When the vertical love of God is crossed with the horizontal sacrifice of Christ the cross is formed.  God’s ultimate love and forgiveness is found at the intersection of the cross.  

Everything we are and everything we experience is rooted in this love like none other from our awesome God.  May our words, actions and activities form the beautiful music like a psalm from yester year.

Taking Hold of the Snake

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’  ‘A staff,’ he replied.  The LORD said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake…Then the LORD said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’  So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.  ‘This…is so that they may believe…that the LORD has appeared to you…But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it.’” Exodus 4:2-19.

It is interesting how God took a simple tool Moses had used in his vocation to empower him.  His staff had been instrumental in his previous job in guiding, prodding and disciplining his sheep over the past 40 years.  Moses might have possibly used his staff to lean upon when he got tired.  His staff was the one constant thing in his possession used during the course of his responsibilities.  It is no wonder that God asked him to lay down the work tool that was most familiar to him.  God transformed it from a comfortable prop to an item of fear…a snake.  He commanded Moses to take hold of the snake in spite of his fear.  The power of God was upon the staff once Moses had worked through his fear and grabbed the snake.  It was at this point the tool in Moses hand became power instead of a prop.  The staff God empowered would be the instrument used by Moses to accomplish God’s work in the next phase of his life.   What appeared to be a snake was really God appointed power and purpose.

We all have something in our lives that God will use to His glory.  For me it is writing, something that I previously only did when necessary.  It wasn’t until I moved more deeply into my intimacy with God that He took something so common to me and empowered it for His plans.  Like Moses, I was surprised that something in my possession could be transformed by God into something so beautiful.  When God began inspiring my writings they went from ‘staff to snake’ – prop to power.  Every time I begin to write I am aware that it is a gift from Him, only effective through Him.  I know that without His power pouring into my projects my writing would be simply letters of the alphabet forming meaningless words.  I stand in awe at what He accomplishes in the life of this simple girl.

You too have a specific calling on your life with something God has already given you.  It is through our willingness to ‘take hold of the snake’ that we will see God transform things into power.  Don’t be scared when God commands you to embrace what looks scary for He is about to show those around you that He has appeared to you.

‘And he took the staff of God in his hand.’  Exodus 4:20.