What do YOU do with the Disconnect?

More ideas for keeping a soft heart....
with notes from A Praying Life

What do you do with the disconnect between the way you've dreamed that life would be,  and the hard, cold, (often lonely) realities of life as it is?

Whether you're a young adult moving into the unknown of 'what next?' after years of working toward the goal of finishing school...

Or an empty-nester looking back at family life, career and all that's gone under the bridge and wondering what’s the meaning of the rest of your life...

Or a busy parent still in the thick of making your dreams a reality--in the daily-ness of family life, of kids that aren't always sweet, of unexpected bumps and detours on the way to one big happy family.

At any stage of life inevitably the days will come when our game plan isn't working, when even what we perceived to be God's game plan is malfunctioning. Didn't He promise...Didn't He say that if we trusted him everything would be ok?

We may have started out with clear-cut formulas and child-like confidence that God would open doors, lead the way and protect us from every ill. Pictures of perfection. Idyllic dreams. They seem to be in tatters. Have we been duped? Nobody wants to be duped. So what do you do with the temptation to 'throw in the towel' of your faith and take up a guarded cynicism in its place?

So much of faith feels theoretical.

I am ‘seated in the heavenlies’ and yet I feel this cracked hard Adirondack chair beneath my bones.

I believe in a God who superintends in all the affairs of man and yet...nations spiral out of control...the church is sick...families are self-destructing inside and outside its walls...and me, some days I don't even believe praying will make any difference.

With good reason Scripture is full of admonitions to pray for one another, to encourage one another, to love and care and tend to one another's needs... We are vulnerable to a creeping unbelief that seems a safe place to lick our wounds and protect our scars and allow some calluses to grow between our souls and a hostile world. Even the church can be an unsafe place to bare our hearts and find encouragement. What then do we do?

We hold on to what God says is true and we pray: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. And sometimes we get criticized for not facing up to 'the real world'. God's standards of morality seem hopelessly out of date. We look naively simplistic if we expect the Word of God to be an adequate guide for life in our times. And if we haven't lived and breathed the work-a-day world at its worst, it is questioned whether we have the competence to preach the truth?

I'm a home-maker in a practically empty nest now. Before that I was a home-schooler with a very busy nest of five. Before that, I was trained as a linguist/Bible translator and worked hard to learn an unwritten language. Once-upon-a-time I thought I might be a single woman missionary or perhaps a librarian would be about my speed... And way back when I actually had a job for a few summer months, binding Jews for Jesus tracts and working for a non-profit printer. Apart from a few months of candy-striping and a short job at a fabric store, I have theoretically never lived or worked in 'the real world', as it's called. But even I battle its agenda. I still fight for faith to keep believing when the things I see don’t budge at my praying.

I grew up in the faith, went to Christian schools, met a Christian man going the same direction, and committed to being his support from the home. I’ve been protected from many things that might be considered essential initiations to life in the twenty-first century. I vowed not to drink before I was wise enough to question making vows. I was indoctrinated about smoking by "Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue" and a very gruesome photograph of its effects (And I never got offered a cigarette anyway). I married young enough to forego giving into sex beforehand. I've had very little trauma in life, really.  Well, none that God wasn’t there for. Yes, I suppose I've missed out on a lot of the 'real world'... a lot of pain, and hurt and addictive hooks. Does that make the truth I stand on less real? Have I missed out on the really real world?

I was thinking this week as we drove along, what would it be like if everything that was not owned outright just dissolved into thin air--the cars, the boats, the houses, the contents of those houses...everything not paid for in full, everything bought on credit. In a sense, this 'real world' we live in is itself an illusion. We pretend to own things that are not ours. We assume we'll have the wherewithal to pay for them in time... But we have no guarantee of time, or ability to pay.

And consider the things you do own. They are yours, paid for in full. But how long will they last? Planned obsolescence  is for real. It once meant merely "instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary." But manufacturers now actually design things to break in a designated time or to go out of style. It's good for the economy. It forces innovation. So nothing's even close to permanent. How is this the 'real world'.

Even 'real estate' and precious metal are hardly a secure place to sink your investments. Markets are fickle. And ultimately it's all going to burn (II Pet.2:7). It's all going to be shaken--houses and lands, possessions and position. It's temporary, as are these fragile bodies we inhabit. Everything that can be seen is temporary except the Word of God. Even the human soul is unseen.

Just because we live in this world and we can feel it and taste it and touch it, does that make it the 'real world'? We are shaped by it and subject to its impositions, for now. But not forever. We will outlast it with this part of us that is real--this part that has nothing to do with our beauty or brains, our abilities or authority. We will live on. This part of us is for real. How are we nurturing it, growing it strong to withstand the pressures of a very tangible world that would bombard our faith into oblivion?

John says that "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world."
I Jn.5:4,5

Believing that Jesus is the Son of the living God is its essence. If I'm going to live in a way that goes beyond mere mortal existence, I must believe and keep on believing that this living Son of God is my Savior in all the messy, disappointing, perplexing 'now's of life. Whatever I can do to strengthen that faith, (in myself and in others), to know God's heart and make it known, and to live by His eternal words and teach them to others—these things are investments in the real world that lasts beyond the grave.

The 'real world' we see has a pretense of being all that matters, but it fails to deliver anything truly lasting.  It’s not a worthy setting for our greatest dreams.

Faith holds promise for this life and the next. By faith we engage a culture gone awry. By faith we look at things not seen and we ask God to intervene in the things that are seen. By faith we follow God's directives and make a difference in the world. But hanging on to faith in the face of 'the real world' is a fight.

The Word of God is our sword, and prayer our means of combat. (Consider Ephesians 6)

I'm looking again at a book I read a few years back, called A Praying Life.
It is the most refreshing book on prayer I've ever seen. It spoke to me where I was at then, and it speaks to me now where I find myself heading again. It addresses the cynical heart.

See if it doesn't speak to you too: "Few of us have...courage to articulate the quiet cynicism or spiritual weariness that develops in us when heartfelt prayer goes unanswered. We keep our doubts hidden even from ourselves because we don't want to sound like bad Christians. No reason to add shame to our cynicism. So our hearts shut down.

The glib way people talk about prayer often reinforces our cynicism. We end our conversations with "I'll keep you in my prayers." We have a vocabulary of "prayer speak," including "I'll lift you up in prayer" and "I'll remember you in prayer." Many who use these phrases, including us, never get around to praying. Why? Because we don't think prayer makes much difference."14

The author goes on to elaborate on the actual frustrations faced in praying--the distractions, the wandering mind, the worrying it dredges up...and the confusion about what makes for a 'good prayer'. Shouldn't we spend some time worshiping first? When that feels contrived guilt sets in...Then we make a prayer list...this gets dull and cumbersome...

He concludes, "Praying exposes how self-preoccupied we are and uncovers our doubts. It was easier on our faith not to pray. After only a few minutes, our prayer is in shambles. Barely out of the starting gate, we collapse on the sidelines--cynical, guilty, and hopeless."15

I can relate. That's why I've picked this book back up again to set my feeble knees straight.

Last week I talked about the cynicism that portends to steel our hearts from hurt but then robs us of hope too. It paralyzes us from making any difference in a world at odds with our faith. This author gets it, he's obviously been where I am.

Can I offer you a run-through of the 'cures for cynicism' he has drawn from Jesus' life?

Be warm but wary

Be innocent as a dove but wise as a serpent. Christians aren't called to wear rose-colored glasses that obscure the ugliness of evil. But we are called to trust that God not only sees what we see, but He sees beyond it. As Christ hung obediently on the Cross He was mocked for his childlike trust in His Father..."He trusts in God; let God deliver him." Mt.27:43 His confidence seemed naive, foolish, useless. But like a dove he held His peace and was obedient to death. And evil did not have the last word. God delivered Him on Easter morning buying us a great redemption!

Learn to Hope Again

God is a God of hope. Jesus always brought hope to those whose lives He touched. Happy endings aren't just for the movies. But you’ve got to wait till the ending! Cynicism kills hope; God invites it. He will make all things new. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Rom.15:13

Cultivate a Childlike Spirit

"The cure for cynicism is to become like a little child again." (86) Begin by simply asking for the help you need. Cry out for grace like a hungry child. When you cannot pray, cling to the Good Shepherd. Pray through Psalm 23 and look for the Shepherd in the midst of the darkness. Don't focus on the evil that surrounds you.

Cultivate a Thankful Spirit

Cynicism's stepchild is bitterness. Nothing undermines its power like thankfulness. "Cynicism looks reality in the face, calls it phony, and prides itself on its insight as it pulls back. Thanksgiving looks reality in the face and rejoices at God's care. It replaces a bitter spirit with a generous one." 90

Cultivate Repentance

"A significant source of cynicism is the fracture between my heart and my behavior. While purporting to "see through" others' facades, cynics lack purity of heart." 91  Repentance is the solution. Addressing my own heart issues, my own sin, with a humble heart will save me from the critical, negative stance of the cynic. Cultivating a lifestyle of repentance is my salvation.

Develop an Eye for Jesus

"Cynicism looks in the wrong direction. It looks for the cracks in Christianity instead of looking for the presence of Jesus. It is an orientation of the heart...A principal source of cynicism comes from looking up at Christian leaders who have gotten Jesus' kingdom mixed up with their own." 97

Instead, look lower. Humility makes people disappear. Look for these ones who quietly reflect the presence of Jesus in the small things.

"Instead of focusing on other people's lack of integrity, on their split personalities, we need to focus on how Jesus is reshaping the church to be more like himself. We need to view the body of Christ with grace."99

"Christians aren't superior [to unbelievers], but our Savior is. He makes the difference. He is alive and well in his church."99

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I can see I need to get into this book again. It's easy to let my faith be overcome in the disconnect between reality and the things I'd hoped for. Then praying falters and doubt grows. I've been there lately.

I'd love for you to join me in reading A Praying Life. Do drop me a note and we'll compare notes as we go!  [For a more complete description, see my original book review at: A Few Good Books http://thestackofdawn.blogspot.com/2011/08/praying-lifemiller.html]

But whether you get to read this book or not, don't neglect to read the One that matters most--the eternal classic you can live by for eternity!

And as you read, by faith turn those words into prayer…

And keep believing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGMrU-rT5L0

I believe He is the Christ, Son of the Living God!

--LS

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, with is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel...

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A Praying Life--Connecting with God in a Distracting World is by Paul E. Miller, published in 2009 by NavPress.

Talk to the Rock

I was reading this morning the account of the Israelites finding themselves thirsty and miserable in the desert of Zin (hmm… could have been the Wilderness of Sin?)…wishing they were dead, blaming Moses for their plight, looking back to Egypt as if it had been Eden. “Why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place?”  No grain, no figs, no vines, no pomegranates, AND no water to drink.

Did they think to ask for water?

“Ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2

It seems so obvious when I read their story.  All they had to do was ask.  God had brought them here. He would take care of them.  He was orchestrating the paths of their lives to give them opportunity to see His power at work on their behalf.  Avoiding the desert wasn’t the point. Knowing God in the desert was.  He wanted them to know Him, to trust Him, to see His goodness and to love Him.

Instead they complained about their ‘misfortunes’, they blamed Moses’ leadership, and they entertained thoughts of returning to bondage!  All these reactions were characteristic of their underlying problem: They failed to trust God.  Their hearts were hard toward the One who had promised to be all they would ever need—the Great I AM.  He was the only One who could bring them safely through this wilderness into the land of plenty and of rest.   Instead of hanging onto Him for dear life, they clung to their own notions of what life should be and complained and resisted and dreamed of relief from this awful desert God had led them into!

Their refusal to believe that God was with them and for them and committed to doing them good all their days, cost them dearly.  Their generation would never reach the Promised Land; (only their children would live to see it).  They would never rest in plenty and in peace. They would never know lasting joy. 

Their hard hearts kept them wandering for a lifetime in the wilderness as one by one they died there.  Pre-occupied with their discomfort and consumed with discontent, they failed to understand that God was training their hearts to trust Him, always, in everything. They thought much of themselves and very little of God; trusting their own thoughts, they ignored His. A people ‘who go astray in their heart, and [who] have not known my ways.’ was God’s evaluation of them. (Ps.95)

But God did not abandon them to die of thirst. Nor did He wait for them to ask for water (or they may have died of thirst!)  He instructed Moses: Get everybody together to watch.  Take your staff with you, and your brother, Aaron.  And “Tell the rock to yield its water”.  (Numbers 20:8)

Simple.  Talk to the rock.  Again the people would see God act on their behalf.  Again they would have opportunity to know their God and to trust Him.

Unfortunately, Moses strikes the rock instead of talking to it and foregoes living to enter the Promised Land himself.  But God does provide for His people.  There is water for everyone.

The significance of this incident at the ‘waters of Meribah’ becomes clearer in the New Testament.  For that rock symbolized God himself in the person of His Son.  He invites, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Jn.7:37,38

God’s answer for all we need is in Jesus, the ‘spiritual Rock’ from which we are to drink all our lives.  (I Cor.10:4)  In Him our roots are to sink down deep and draw up the water of salvation. (Col.2:6)  We were never meant to out grow our need of Him, only to grow up in Him as our roots grow down to abide in His love. From Him will come our life as His Spirit produces in us what we are helpless to produce ourselves.

We aren’t destined to thrash about complaining in a wilderness of unbelief—following wherever our thoughts may lead us.  We can talk to the Rock, yielding our thoughts to His and trusting Him to meet us in our need, whatever it may be.  

And right here, right now, in the process of writing this post, I too see doubts and fears and raw unbelief in my own heart.  I may not be in a wilderness parched with thirst and thinking I’m about to die, but I know thoughts that rise laced with panic… “What’s going to happen to_______.”  And I thrash about in my mind considering options…what to do. what to say. how to solve this problem.  how to answer that query for counsel… ‘What is the Lord doing? Why has it come to this? What now?’  I too doubt.  I too give more credence to my own thoughts sometimes than to His!  And I too need to come to the Rock and trust that here is all I need for life and godliness…right now, in the Rock.

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;  from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Ps.61:1-3

--LS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD18ra41oKo

…when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock…

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence…” II Pet.1:3

You are complete (fulfilled, filled up) in Him. Col.2:10

"Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;” Deut.8:15,16

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;  let us make a joyful noise to the ROCK of our salvation!…For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Ps.95:1,7

This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.  For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? Ps.18:30-31

“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Jn.16:24

Has God got you Cornered?

 

The enemy was coming. They could see his chariots glinting in the sun. The thunder of horses' hooves made the ground shake beneath their feet. Terror rose in their throats. We're gonna' die; it would have been better to stay in Egypt, slaving, but alive.

This is actually what the people said. Poor Moses. Poor God! This must have pierced his heart. With his mighty arm He'd whisked them from under the enemy's nose and was in the process of leading them to their new home...like a gallant Prince.

Only there was this detour. It wasn't a comfortable one, but then it wasn't for their sakes that He'd turned them around and maneuvered them into this sticky position, between a rock and the sea. Somehow the Egyptians had caught wind of it and Pharaoh decided to go get his slave force back! It should have been easy; they were cornered in the desert. No way out, but for God.

After all that Pharaoh had already seen of plagues and death wreaked by this God, you'd think he would have known better than to mess with God's people. But this was as God had planned it. He'd led his people into this awkward position to tantalize the enemy to oppose Him one more time so that one more time He could show himself strong and 'get glory over Pharaoh and all his host' so the Egyptians would know beyond a doubt that 'I am the Lord.'  (Ex.14:4)

It's a story worth considering if you find yourself in a tight spot through no fault of your own. God may have you cornered for purposes that go far beyond you to the praise of His glory.

So what are you to do?

First, what NOT to do...

By way of negative example, from Exodus 14, written no doubt for our benefit:

1) 'they feared greatly' As long as we're focused on the terror this will be our lot. Had they paused to consider that God had led them to this place... and that God had gone to great lengths to free them from their enemy prior to this...they might have had a different response.

2) 'they cried out to the Lord' This would have been a good idea, if they had gotten past the initial panicked AAAAaaaaa!!!! to a prayer powered by faith. Instead, they turned on Moses...

3) they blamed their hero for all their troubles, completely disregarding the fact that he was in this mess for their sakes. And they ranted a jumble of terror-stricken nonsense about wishing to be slaves in Egypt.

That's what they did when they were cornered. And to be honest, I have done the very same thing in times of crisis. The memories stand etched in my mind as witness. But God didn't abandon them for their want of confidence in Him. He would use this crisis, (as He has used mine) to build their faith in Him and in their leader, Moses.

So what ARE we to do in times of crisis
when we feel cornered and helpless?

For this we turn to Moses’ instructions and example:

#1 Fear not. (smile) It's easier said than done, but nevertheless, our calling. And it will be more easily accomplished when we turn our gaze away from the crisis long enough to hear what God is saying. Singing praise songs is a time-honored strategy for gaining perspective. (See: II Chron.20)

[At risk of distracting us from the story in view, may I commend to you a parallel account of God rescuing His people. It's in II Chronicles 20 and I'll slip in some quotes from there as we go..]

"O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." (II Chron. 20:12)

#2 Stand firm. Was this the story Paul was considering when he gave the Ephesian church a strategy for the fight of faith? "...and having done all, to stand firm."  No running around willy-nilly, no jumping up and down in an agitated panic, no tearing off to hide. Just stand firm, feet planted, right where God has put you until He gives the next instruction.

"You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you." (II Chron.20:17)

#3 Watch God do the fighting! "See the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today." (Ex.14:13) We often think things are up to us that in reality are up to God to perform. He sometimes asks only that we stand on the sidelines in confident expectancy while He does the fighting and gets all the glory.

And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.' " (II Chron.20:15)

#4 Oh and last but not least they were to 'Shut up!' That's not exactly how Moses said it, mind you. To his credit he appears to have responded calmly and confidently to all the drama: "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Ex.14:14) Whew, what a welcome silence that would have been! The last thing that's needed in a crisis is to multiply desperate faithless words. Better to be quiet.

At that point Moses could hear God's direction--Stop crying out to me; use that staff I gave you to part the sea! Why of course, why hadn't he thought of that?! Maybe this is a reminder when we pray, to also listen to what God is saying in answer to our dilemma. It could be that we have in our hand the very thing God will use to answer our request.

We know the rest of the story--

...how God brought premature darkness and a cloud to delay the foe until the path through the sea had been blown dry...

...and how his people crossed safely but when the Egyptians followed, their chariot wheels ran amuck and God put them in a panic until they were the ones attempting to flee!… “Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

...and how He brought the waters crashing back down to bury the enemy in a watery grave.

And what was the end result?

God was glorified--made to look great, just as He'd planned! His own people now feared Him and believed in the LORD and in their appointed leader (Ex.14:31). And the surrounding nations were terrified and let the Israelites pass on by! "Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone." (15:16)

So if/when you find yourself huddled in terror, heart pounding in your ears as you imagine the worst--stand firm in faith and see what God will do. He has you cornered there for His own glory. He is mighty to save! Our Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Heaven's armies is His name! He will surely defend us. (Jer.50:34)

--LS

"You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode." Ex.15:13

Safely Home

The best part of a bad dream is when you open your eyes, and you're home--safe and snug in your bed, untouched by the perils you dreamt of. Whew! I had a particularly harrowing ride in the wee hours the other morning. I hung on to the side of a monstrously big truck, squeezing by, scraping through, narrowly missing…on my way to some unknown drop-off point where I needed still to find my car (and my keys) and get myself home…And then I opened my eyes. Ah—I'm home already! Whew!

I'm often lost in my dreams--on convoluted highways trying to choose the right exits to get me safely home. Or down long hallways of doors, none of which opens to my room. Or on elevators which go not only up and down but also sideways—very confusing. [I think this nightmare harks from my short and troubled career as a candy-striper in a big hospital—charged with collecting blood and urine samples from every possible department and getting them to the lab in a timely fashion… and then sorting and delivering the internal mail. I would gladly have stayed in the mailroom forever sorting and popping mail in slots. How I disliked those meandering halls and elevators.]

I am a homebody at heart, never so at rest as when I'm home with familiar walls around me and mundane predictable tasks to accomplish. Even an empty nest is a cozy place to be.

Likely that's why so often my dreams, and my prayers, are about someone finding the way home—safely.

I pray this for my Dad who is lost in the ever worsening confusion of Alzheimer's still. How long Lord, before you rescue him from this dysfunctional body and bear him safely home?

I remember the day my Grandma (his mom) died—and the comforting relief that came with the thought that now she was safely home beyond the reach of harm, beyond the confines of an aging body. She was the classic farm Grandma--the indispensable family hub we wished could stay forever. She collected eggs, kept the cookie tins full, hosted family picnics and well, she worried about all of us. This was her besetting weakness. But it seemed legitimate, the grandmotherly thing to do. She loved us, right? So whenever our family was away she would sit up late in her rocker, watching the road that ran by down at the foot of the farmhouse lawn. She would wait for us to pass. Then she'd know we'd made it safely home from our travels and she could go to bed…

Are such traits inheritable? Or is this just part of the human condition? Was my relief at her death for her benefit, or for mine in no longer needing to worry what might befall her?

I pray too for black sheep, or if you prefer, lost sheep, wishing them safely home—family and friends who have somehow lost their way and distrusted the wooing voice of the Good Shepherd. In shunning hypocrisy they have missed the reality of life in Christ altogether.

An uncle lives on the streets of a cold city this winter without even a birth certificate to call his own, or a homeless shelter's welcome. Somehow he was derailed from the Kingdom in his youth despite his God-fearing parents' devotion. We long for him to be brought safely Home.

Question: When are we safe this side of eternity?

When our children are young we hover and protect, thinking we can keep them safe. As they grow we train and warn, hoping they will play it safe with life. When they are 'all grown up' we watch and hold our breaths. But when do we get to breathe again? When is there nothing to worry about? When are we safe this side of eternity? Is there a magic age or stage that we reach and then it's smooth coasting, no worries?

What a nonsense phrase 'No worries' is! Who are we trying to kid? There is always something that can be worried about. And who better to do it than a mother?!

"I wouldn't worry about it", the husband says.

The wife's retort: "That's why I have to!"

But it occurs to me that in my longing for all I love to be 'safely home' I am left with a dilemma not resolvable till death! Ridiculous. My refusal to rest from anxiety till each is 'safely home' is little more than a death wish. For as long as there is life there will be uncertainty of circumstance. Risk. Danger. And even bad dreams that won't go away. In this lifetime there is ample reason to fear for their well-being, if I'm dependent on worry and faithless prayers to see them through!

What is the value of a faith that doesn't dispel such fears and live at peace?

Home is our destination, but it's the walk of faith that takes us there. And in this life we will always be sojourners, never having quite arrived. Thus the need for faith—that assures us of things hoped for but not yet seen (Heb.11:1).

This week's Sunday sermon challenged us to consider how our lives give evidence of such faith. The proverbial chair that we say we believe will hold us up, is sitting there. Will we sit down in it? Or do we stand idly by boasting of the faith we possess but unwilling to put it to the test? James wrote: "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." He demonstrated that 'faith apart from works is useless' (James 2:20) by citing the life of Abraham.

I went back again this week to Abraham's story noting the things he did by faith.

He left with God the responsibilities that were God's. But he paid close attention to each thing God required of him in the process of fulfilling His purposes for Abraham.

So, what did Abraham actually do to be commended for his faith?

First and last, he listened to God's voice, with a heart willing to do whatever He said. In the middle, he obeyed and waited.

Contrary to some popular teaching, listening to God isn't a matter of just tuning in to a voice that's always speaking and immediately responsive to our every inquiry. But God does speak in ways we can hear. After all, He designed us to commune with Him. And in Christ that fellowship is restored so that by His Spirit living in the believer, He speaks.

The question is, how am I at listening? Am I 'slow of heart' (Lk.24:25) to believe what He says? I know I can be hard-hearted, resistant to trusting God's direction, preferring my 'tried and true' solutions sometimes. Ideally we will have soft hearts that purr with 'Yes, God, anything You say I will do. I trust You completely. All your ways are good.' Abraham had this kind of heart. He believed God. And God spoke to Him.

God said out of the blue: "Go, to a land I'll show you." (Gen.12) Abraham could have responded with: 'Who are You, anyway?' or 'Why?' or "No, I'm happy here." But he didn't. He got up and went, leaving his comfortable life and home behind to spend the rest of his life living in tents. [Question: Was he living in tents before this time? I don't know.] He went, listening all the while for where to go and when to stop! He trusted God.

Little by little God's plan for him unfolded. Little by little he obeyed. There were questions: How will I have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky if I have no children? Will my servant be my heir? But when God answered, Abraham believed Him and set his heart to wait for the fulfillment of God's purposes. That's the second thing I noticed that Abraham DID to give evidence of His faith. He waited.

He only got into trouble when he gave in to fear ('She's my sister'—Gen.12) or when he listened to Sarah's voice rather than God's (Gen.16). She had such an innovative plan for accomplishing God's will! (We women can be good at coming up with these!) Wrong plan. Wrong heir.

No, a big part of Abraham's obedience was waiting God's timing. He was 75 when he packed his bags to live the rest of his life in tents in a strange land. Eleven years  passed before Ishmael was born! Now he was 86. Then there was silence for another THIRTEEN years while he and Sarah just got older and older…increasing the impossibility of fertility even further! Sometimes waiting on God is the very best way to show that we believe.

Then came another opportunity to act. God said: Circumcise all the males in your household. And Abraham did it 'that very day' (Gen.17). He was NINETY-NINE by then. But no dawdling. He was a 'doer of the Word' (James 1:22) if ever there was one.

Shortly thereafter came the big announcement, and another opportunity for Abraham to take action. God said: This time next year your wife will have a son. (Gen.18:14) Here was a part for Abraham to play—making love to his ninety year old wife—yet another step of obedience in the fulfillment of God's purposes.

You get the idea, there were actions Abraham took because he had faith. He moved. He waited. He circumcised the males in his household. And he had sex with his wife. But the fulfillment of the seemingly impossible promises was entirely up to God.

"Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Gen.18:14)

Andrew Murray puts it this way, in his reflections on Psalm 37:
"Do what God asks you to do; God will do more than you can ask Him to do." (Waiting on God, p.65)

God doesn't ask us to do the impossible, only to believe that He can and will in His good time. We show we believe by doing the things He asks of us on the way to fulfilling His purposes.

As I studied this story again this week I prayed, "Lord, let me not be a Sarah, figuring out ways to make things happen that you have promised." I can be like that, chafing that I'm not 'doing anything' to make things change or to bring about what I perceive to be God's will.

If it's up to me to make things happen, when am I ever 'doing enough'?

I can even use prayer in this way—like a juggling feat—as if the success or failure of those I pray for is contingent on my keeping the oranges up in the air…If I don't pray enough, they're doomed. Yes, intercession is important, but it must be Spirit-driven and empowered by the faith that He supplies! A false sense of my indispensability, even in prayer, is a case of misguided significance at best, arrogance at worst! Faith trusts God to direct even my prayers. It leaves with Him the means by which He will accomplish all that is in His heart.

Meanwhile faith waits with a ready posture, humbly willing to obey. It neither rushes ahead to do things my way, nor lags behind overcome with disabling doubt.

"I am God ALMIGHTY—walk before me and be blameless"

This was God's call to Abraham (Gen.17:1). Isn't this what He has called all believers too? We too are sojourners in a world not made to be our home. We walk through it by faith in our God to guide our going and our staying, our acting and our waiting, and ultimately to grant us our last breath and take us safely home. For all this we can trust Him.

The ultimate test Abraham is known for was his willingness to give up his only son, his promised heir, as an offering to God. He trusted God could raise him from the dead if necessary. Perhaps in a lesser way, this is the test of every parent—to yield our offspring up to God's purposes, for Him to care for, discipline, and direct through their life's journey. Their destinies are in His hands, not ours.

But richer still is the true symbolism shown in Abraham's offering up of Isaac, that is, God sacrificing His own Son for the life of us all. And yes, He did raise Him from the dead as Abraham supposed he could! He was "delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Rom.4:25) Think on that. What more is there?

And just as Abraham was declared righteous because he was 'fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised' (Rom.4:21) so are we who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead on our behalf. It's all pre-figured in the life of Abraham and precious to consider again. In light of such a testimony of faith, my anxieties for those I wish to see 'safely home' are laid to rest, again. The God of Abraham is my God. My destiny and that of those I care most about is with Him. He's not asking that I accomplish their rescue but that I trust Him to do it while I listen for His directives…

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Rom. 8:32-34 ESV

But getting back to an answer to the sermon's question: How does my life give evidence of saving faith?

--By my willingness to sit down in the chair of God's provision, and to rest there without fear or nightmare of how we all shall get 'safely home'. I will trust Him to do it while I listen for His bidding, ready to obey.

--LS

"You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." I Pet.2:25

[May] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thess. 5:23

Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Ps.107:30,31

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
II Tim. 4:18 ESV

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24,25 ESV

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ…to bring about the obedience of faith-- to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Rom. 16:25-27 ESV

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P.S. May I urge you to sit and enjoy Abraham's story for yourself? Watch for the voice of God and the response of Abraham—Gen.12-25; Rom.4; Heb.11).

--And if you have a prodigal, consider Abraham Piper’s own story and suggestions here.

Epic or Holocaust? —just depends…

The prospects were bleak. The odds overwhelming. Most everyone else had retreated trembling to await their fate. They had no weapons for defense. Their leader had a sword but no idea what to do with it… They were stuck, helpless, like sheep without a shepherd while wolves ravage the flock.

The story is a very old one. Its setting is the stuff of an Epic, or a Holocaust, just depends whether a hero rises to the occasion.

Could it be a faint reflection too of the state of the Church in our own times? The world, the flesh and the Devil pose a daunting threat. The troops are 'caving' and vast numbers have misplaced their one Divine-issue offensive weapon—"the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

But there's hope, there always is when you're on the winning side, right? And there is a hero ready to step out and see what can be done. He's only one man, but he has a sword and he has armor (and a friend to help him carry it!) No, this is not the tale of David and Goliath. But perhaps the lesson is the same. Big enemy, but bigger God.

It just takes someone willing to believe it, and to step up courageously in His name, sword in hand, to see what God will do.

That someone was Jonathan. While his fellow countrymen scurried to hide themselves in caves and holes and rocks and tombs and cisterns(!)
I Sam.13:6 Jonathan looked at his armor-bearer and said, "Come on, let's go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised… It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few." I Samuel 14:6 He was ready and willing to step out 'as is' with just a young lad and a sword at his side, and see how God might choose to intervene.

It would be just chapters later that the young David, would challenge the mindset of the culture surrounding him with similar words: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" I Sam.17:26 No wonder he and Jonathan became bosom buddies! Each lived seeing beyond the visible enemy to the Invisible God--Lord of Heaven's Armies. And each in his turn dared to step out and see what God would do.

And God was pleased to act. Jonathan's sword took down twenty men in short order. Panic ensued. As did an earthquake! Now it was the enemy's turn to tremble in their boots. Mass confusion ensued and soon the enemy was destroying itself and fleeing in droves. "So the LORD saved Israel that day." I Sam.14:23 But it all started with a man saying, "Come on, let's go over and have a look...and see what the Lord will do."

Where does this kind of God-confidence come from? I'm pretty sure of one thing—it's not caught from hanging out in a cave commiserating with woe-be-gone companions about how bad things are. They are, no doubt about that. The enemy is strong. But we are God's people! And we've been given His Word. In it we are given all that we need for life and godliness in any age, (II Pet.1:3,4) because in it is the knowledge of God and of His commitments to His people via great and precious promises which are for all time.

Sin is rampant, in and out of the church, and no less destructive than the fiercest Philistine raiding party! But God's power to transform us is greater. He invites us to escape 'the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire' II Pet.1:4, again, by taking Him at His Word.

How then do we keep our confidence in the LORD of Heaven's armies, so that we are ready and willing to step out in faith and see what He will do on our respective battlefields?

I can't help noticing that sword Jonathan held. It was one of only two swords available to the Israelite army. (His father, King Saul, held the other one) Their oppressors had seen to it that they had no weapons with which to defend themselves. This is not the case for the North American church. We have Bibles aplenty! My hunch is that the reason we lack Jonathan's courage to emerge from our holes and see what God will do, is that we are more familiar with the culture that surrounds us than we are with God's Word.

Could it be that our culture has shaped our mindsets about sin, our selves and our God, more than God's Word has?

I love the Word. But it's been a long while since I read the whole of it. And with the New Year I've been considering what changes to make in the way I read it. I've slipped into a rather 'devotional' approach to reading (more on that another time?) geared toward finding nuggets for me rather than just reading for what God wants to reveal about HIMSELF! So I'm taking on a new system of reading that I'm really excited about.

I've read the Bible through before but never this way. And already, in just a week's time I'm encouraged by seeing the Big Picture of a Big and Holy God who is intent on Redeeming small and sinful man, no matter what. The theme is there over and over again, no matter what book or chapter you read, but it's never so plain as when you read across various genres and books in one sitting. And that is my new plan.

I've outlined it in detail on a stand-alone 'page' at the top of my homepage. Just look for the tab that says, ‘JUST READ IT!’.  And I'd love it if you'd join me this year for the grand tour of God's Words to man across the centuries. So may we be ready to step out and see what our great God will do despite overwhelming odds. He is able!

--LS

"The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress." ^{Ps. 46:7}

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,…" Eph.6:17,18

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." II Thess.1:11-12 ESV

Advice for life—the everlasting way

Well, that was it.  Today I unceremoniously came to the end of a 23 year career of home educating my offspring.  We ended with the dissection of a fetal pig.  He didn’t get much of a chance at life, but there he, no she, was-- perfectly formed from her little piggy snout to the tip of her tail, with all the appropriate ‘middle’ things encased ever so predictably inside that  tiny pink body.  You won’t mind I think, if I spare you details, and the photo? We are quite through with dissections around here, and forgot to snap a photo of this one. 

Meanwhile with great pomp and ceremony, kids are graduating into life-after-highschool all over the place, including two nieces and a nephew.  I pondered this week what advice I have to offer someone heading off into the wide world to try out their wings (and faith)—It came together in the form of an analogy.  We drill into our kids what it takes to stay physically healthy, you know: eat right, get some exercise, learn to manage stress and get your sleep.  So I got to wondering, are there corresponding means to encourage soul health, and avoid falling prey to floundering faith?

Eating right reminds me of the Word, our manna.  We need it, daily.  To be chewed and swallowed and digested—meditated on, pondered. And we need a balanced diet of it—not just the sweet morsels, not just a chunk here or there, but the whole meal deal, from cover to cover providing all the essential protein and carbs, vitamins and minerals to make us competent for whatever our calling (II Tim.3:16,17)  For variety of cuisine, we have teachers and preachers who cook with the Word and prepare it in appetizing ways for our consumption.  Whether in church, or on the Internet or in a book there’s no want of good food available.  It’s just up to us to shop discerningly and consume consistently.

Then it’s time to exercise—to see that that good Word doesn’t turn into unbecoming flab on our hips or our lips (Mt.15:8).  We’ve got to allow it to energize our Walk through life.  Here’s where the exercise of faith comes in.  Without it no amount of eating will make us strong.  We’ll be dropping like flies in the wilderness à la the children of Israel, remembered for their hard hearts and unbelief.  “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them,* not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” (Heb.3:7—4:2).  Walking by faith is to be our normal lifestyle, not just huddling ‘round the feed dish like a bunch of ‘meat birds’. 

[If you have ever raised the kind of chickens bred for their meat you will appreciate this analogy.  We tried both ‘meat birds’ and ‘layers’ one year.  While the young egg-layers scampered about in their yard enjoying the sunshine and scratching about for unsuspecting worms and arthopods while they grew strong for a life-time of productivity,  their housemates, the ‘meat birds’, could not be bothered to leave the feed dish.  They sat and gourged with no thought of being made with legs and wings for a purpose.  Their life expectancy was accordingly short—a mere 6-8 weeks. Let that be a lesson to us ( : ]

Analogies aside, from my experience, the need for exercise  is relentless. It’s not enough to get in shape.  You have to keep on working at it—getting out there and pedaling, or stretching, or walking or whatever you do to keep fit—or your body starts to sag and fitness begins to wane.  Just like exercising faith.  No matter where we are on the journey, faith is required, continuously. Let down your guard and doubt slips in, or fear, or anxiety, or whatever default you are most prone to return to.  Exercising faith is a relentless requirement for soul fitness.

Faith has everything to do with the third requirement for good health—learn to manage stress.  Of course, the lifeline for our souls in this regard is prayer—’Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ Phil.4:6,7 I know these verses by heart, but does my heart know this kind of peace? Learning to ‘manage stress’ is really a matter of learning to cast it on the only One who can really carry it without falling apart.  Why then do I try to carry it myself? With good reason Peter 5: 7-9 became one of my favorite passages many years ago: “Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you…”  We can’t carry manage stress on our own. We weren’t designed to.

And my last piece of advice to the young graduate chomping at the bit to be on to greater things was: No matter how busy life gets, always get your rest. Your soul needs it too. Remember that Jesus wants to know you more than He wants your service. Learn to rest in who He is in you when you feel inadequate. Don't carry burdens you were never intended to bear; His yoke is easy, His burden is light. If you find yours to be too much, you're carrying more than He intended. Sit and talk to Jesus a bit and get His perspective. Here you'll find 'rest for your soul' (Mt.11:28-30)

Soul rest is more than a temporary activity, it’s to be our state of being—resting in the work Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, resting in His promises, knowing that what He requires of us He will accomplish in us as we walk with Him and share His yoke….

No sooner had I put these thoughts together into a letter  to my niece then I realized that this same advice is not just for young people beginning steps toward their careers, it is for old people set on finishing well and middle-aged people navigating the ‘as-is’ of  life.  And this advice is for me, wrapping up one phase of life and peering out into the future with a lump in my throat and a prayer on my lips: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Ps.139: 23,24

Feeding on the Word, walking it out by faith, casting all that matters to us on the One who cares most for us, and making every effort to rest—these are ageless tips for living well, for this is the everlasting way to live! 

After all, do we ever cease to need daily Bread just because we’ve been eating it for so many years?  And is the exercise of faith not as necessary a daily discipline as when we first believed?  Walking by faith still goes against the grain of our ‘natural’ (flabby) way of responding to life.  And what of stress?  Does it ever go away, at any stage of life?  And is not rest all the more needful the older we get? 

Perhaps I should write myself a letter, then again maybe I just did…

Blessings on you and yours at whatever stage of this great and everlasting life you find yourselves!!

--LS

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” Is. 55:2

Sharing life over tea

A hot cup of tea with a bit of sugar and some real cream is such a wonderful relaxing, friendly thing to share.  I’m sitting here this evening with the tea things still out and the house suddenly empty and quiet as the mom and her young tribe that came to share some sips and look at all my give-away books has evacuated, a box of homeschool books in tow.  It is Thursday, my quiet evening to ponder and write alone.

Why the door?  It reminded me of the passage I was pondering this morning, that one where Jesus stands at the door knocking, inviting anyone who hears his voice to open the door.  He’s just waiting for the invite to tea—well, to a meal together really.  Who wouldn’t open the door?  Why was it shut with Jesus on the wrong side in the first place?

Although this verse (Rev.3:20) is often used to describe opening one’s heart to Jesus at salvation, the context is not quite that.  It was this context that brought me here this morning.  Jesus is addressing a church that has lost sight of its need for Him.  “You say, I am rich , I have prospered and I need nothing”.  When in reality they are ‘wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked”! Jesus counsels them to come to him for true treasure—for gold refined by fire, (symbolic perhaps of a faith that perseveres through trial; see I Pet.1:7),  and for His righteousness (white garments) to hide their shame.  And for salve to heal their blinded eyes.

He reminds them His reproof is driven by love and urges this lukewarm church to get zealous, not about doing good works, but about repentance! It is out of this context that the words pop out: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

Jesus was on the wrong side of the door perhaps because the Laodiceans felt they were no longer in need of Him.  They are ‘doing very well, thank-you’.  But Jesus’ own teaching makes it pretty clear that it’s not the one who never visibly wandered but the one who returns home, this one that is blessed.  It’s not the ‘righteous persons needing no repentance’ but the sinner who repents that causes all Heaven to party!  It’s not the ‘very well, thank-you’ but the sick, that Jesus came to heal.

As you can see, I haven’t quite shaken that ‘elder brother’ lesson from my mind—the goody-goody brother that never left home but somehow still missed enjoying a healthy relationship with his dad, you know the story.  Well, being ‘good’ dies hard.  I’ve been preaching to myself this week I guess and thinking about those words of Jesus—about all heaven rejoicing far more over the one sinner repenting than over the 99 who feel they are above repentance…

The thing to be celebrated it would seem is repentance, not one’s conscientious ‘goodness’. 

I hear it in the story of the rich young ruler too, approaching Jesus confident that he’s on the right track to eternal life, just needing a bit of assurance, or one more official ‘to do’ and he’ll have it.  What assignment does Jesus give?  Sell all you’ve set your heart on and follow me.  Make me your god, not your own self-sufficiency.  It’s as if he were saying, it’s not your righteousness that matters, but mine.  There’s no premium on ‘goodness’ when it comes to gaining eternal life.  We’re not saved because of it, not favored because of it, not loved more because of it.  It’s His goodness that counts, His name that is to be hallowed, His glory that is to shine through any good that comes from our lives.

I guess that’s why Jesus was always inviting people to Himself: follow me, abide in me, take my yoke and walk with me, come to me, open the door and let me eat with you…Where did I get the idea that my calling was to ‘be good’?  How many times have I admonished my kids to do likewise? 

I came across a blog this week by Emily Freeman that set me thinking more about this business of ‘being good’: 

one thing your daughter doesn’t need you to say

It made the case for NOT pressuring our kids to be a good example!  Because this could just be a primer to believing that  “being a Christian means having it all together, saying all the “right” things, staying a few steps above everyone else.”

She pointed out that requiring our son/daughter to be a good example may set her up to become  “a person people look up to, but …[not] someone they can relate to.” It continued:

“She may be successful at managing her behavior, but she will always struggle to manage people’s opinions.”

“She may have a great reputation, but her character will be clouded with bitterness and anger.”

“She may be a good church-goer, but she will not know how to be a good friend.”

“This may keep her out of trouble, but it will suffocate her soul.”

The author seemed to read my objections (and perhaps yours) “But what about holiness?”  What about being a light in a dark place?  She then points us back to the reality of whose goodness we’re representing.

What’s the alternative to ‘being good’ on the outside and keeping a lid on the rest ‘for example’s sake’?  What truth is missed in this scenario?  Precisely this, that: “Her light comes from Jesus, not from her awesome behavior.”

I found this to be good food for thought, not just for my daughters (and sons) but for myself. Because so easily being ‘good’ can be about my reputation, my appearance, my credentials, my standing before people. Being known as ‘nice’ or ‘sweet’ or ‘quiet’ or any of those bland descriptors used of people we hardly know…What’s the value of all that?  Does it point anyone to Jesus as the One who’s so incredibly good that I owe all I am to Him?

And I sit sipping my tea with all these thoughts as a backdrop.  I pore over my frustrations at not knowing what to do to ‘fix’ situations, at not feeling sufficient for those who ‘need’ me to ‘do something’.  I find myself wishing this knocking were more audible and this conversation over tea with Jesus more literal.  But maybe that’s what faith is for?

It’s soon time to get up and get breakfast going whether I’ve got the advice I’d hoped for or not.  I didn’t, at least I didn’t think so at the time.  But one thing I take away from this encounter with the Living Word is that I think I’m always meant to need Him. Never meant to think myself ‘good enough’ or responsible enough  to do life without Him, never intended to bear the weight of that, to close the door and sort things out in solitude-- doing my best to figuring out what to say, what to ‘do’ because surely somebody’s got to do something(!). I’m not meant to rely on my cleverness or find answers by scratching my own head! 

Could it be He hasn’t called me to be ‘good’ (or clever or responsible)  but to be open to Him, to be ever dependent--inviting Him into my messes, to be ever repentant and forgiven, to be ever listening for His voice.

Mercifully, He keeps knocking when I forget these things.  He’s seems intent on sharing His life with me.

--LS

"I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves.” …"This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Lk.22:15-20 

“Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;” Is.55:2,3

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
I Pet.1:8,9

“But you are…a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Pet.2:9

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You may want to visit Emily at www.chattingatthesky.com  She has some timely words of grace for the ‘good girl’ in need of relief. Her article, “One thing your daughter doesn’t need you to say” is here.

How Long?

OK, I am a slow reader and a slow writer and an even slower reviewer of books—takes me a while to put my thoughts in words (especially if they’re going to be read!) but I did want to put up a review of Joni’s memoir: The God I Love.  And at last it is done.  [See:thestackofdawn.blogspot.com]

This memoir by Joni Eareckson Tada is a delightful read with a tender balance between portraying  inner thoughts and actions.  Joni was a lively kid with an enviable family life which makes for fun reading and now from the vantage point of maturity she follows the thread of God’s wooing her from the time she was little right up to the present. 

Some people aren’t comfortable with a story like Joni’s. How could God really allow such an ‘accident’ and leave such a talented, vivacious girl paralyzed?  They figure it should be hushed up, as though a Christian  quadriplegic were a contradiction in terms or a shame to the gospel.  As though she hadn’t enough faith to be healed and now she should just be quiet about her story rather than encouraging others to accept their weaknesses as God’s plan for them too.  Does a story like Joni’s really undermine faith? 

I don’t see it that way.  I love her explanation of the hard things, the evil things, the ‘wrong’ things that trouble our lives and our world.  She says God permits them, even though He hates them, because He has a greater purpose, something the love of which overrides the allowance of evil.  Well, she didn’t say it quite that way.  Her way of saying it was:

"God permits things he hates [ e.g. quadriplegia], really hates, to accomplish something he loves [e.g. my growing need of Him]." p218

Or, in other words:

"[God] permits what he hates so that his power can show up in people like you and me."p263

Her whole story is a triumphant affirmation of Romans 8—what shall separate us from the love of God?  And, ‘for those who love God all things work together for good’ (Rom.8:28) We sometimes stop there with our own definitions of ‘good’ in mind, and wonder ‘What happened?!’  But the verse continues: '…for those who are called according to His purpose.’  And what exactly is that purpose? 

We, as believers, are destined ‘to be conformed to the image of His Son’.  By nook or by shepherd’s crook God has in mind to conform us to Jesus’ image, this Jesus who ‘learned obedience through what He suffered’ (Heb.5:8) who humbled Himself to the point of death, (Phil.2:8) bent on obeying the Father in everything, yielding His right to life itself to the Father’s good purpose.  (Or else where would we be?)

Joni’s suffering affirms the value of trusting God with our lives, for His eternal purposes. Through her suffering Joni has come to realize the deep compassion of God for her. God has suffered too. He knows. He suffers with us.  She actually came to love Him more than she had before her ‘accident’, thus the book’s title—The God I Love. This is not always the outcome for those who suffer, or who watch people they love suffer.  I guess that’s why I appreciate Joni’s story.  It shows me a faith that works, not in getting me everything I think I want, but in transforming me into the image of Jesus. Isn’t this what I really want?

I confess I’m wimpy when it comes to pain/sickness/suffering.  I quickly fixate on me, myself, and I and wonder ‘how long’ is this going to last? Have you noticed how sickness feels like ‘forever’ until it passes and then it is as quickly forgotten as a passing dream, a mere triviality—a ‘light momentary affliction’ –which it really is compared to the ‘eternal weight of glory’ it’s preparing us for.  II Cor.4:17 It’s all a matter of perspective…

So I got to looking at the ‘how long?’s of Scripture.  We are in good company.  Seems the human condition predisposes us to ask this question.  It tends to go something like this:  ‘How long do I have to suffer?’

Not unexpectedly, a string of them happen in Job:
“How long will you torment me with words…”  Job 19:2

And a whole slew of them in Psalms to this effect:
”My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD--how long?
Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me…” Ps.6:4

We want relief. 

There is also another legitimate ‘how long’. It has to do with our inborn  sense of justice that remains unsatisfied as long as evil goes unpunished. We see it in the martyrs cry of Revelation: They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true,how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Rev.6:10 

But here it is not a self-oriented cry. They are already dead!  The cry for justice here is a cry for God to be glorified as the rightful Judge of all the earth. We’re getting closer to the ‘How long?’s of God.  When I look at what God is waiting for I see a different sense of priorities.

'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me’  were words addressed to Pharaoh by God. Ex.10:3

Then there’s the incident of the Israelites on the verge of marching into the good land God had prepared for them. When the spies bring the report of its greatness, the people quail at the prospect and start whining that they never should have come on this trip. They should have stayed in Egypt! They simply don’t trust that God has their best interests at heart.  Or that He can bring them through the necessary battles.

And God says:
"How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 

"How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.” Num.14:11,27

We hear the echo of this unbelief in Elijah’s words generations down the line as the people dabble in idol worship: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." I Kings 18:21

This bent to doubt can be traced to Jesus’ ministry years too: "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here,” Jesus said of the demon-possessed boy no one seemed able to help. Lk.9:41

God’s ‘How long?’ s are so different than mine.

I say,  ‘How long….do I have to put up with this?’…How long…till this pain goes away?

How long…does my dad have to suffer the loneliness and confusion of Alzheimer’s disease?

How long…till ______________ comes (back) to the Lord?

How long… till revival comes? till the church reflects the glory of the Gospel in a way that compels the world to take notice?

How long…till I see what I’m hoping for?
How long…till there’s relief?

And God says:  How long till you stop grumbling, and fearing, and wavering in your loyalties and trust me with your life, as is?  How long till you follow me with your whole heart and leave what you think you most want in My Hands.  How long till you believe that I am in control, working in all things for my greatest glory, which is ultimately your greatest good?!

Man says: "Where is the promise of his coming?” (II Pet.3:4) …nothing has changed. Nothing’s happening.  But  God says, when I come will I find faith on the earth? Lk.18:8

Good question, when you put it that way.

Lord I believe, help my unbelief (and THANK YOU for these testimonies to true faith along the way!)

--LS

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Rev.22:20,21

“We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved…if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Rom.8:23-25

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Rom.5:2-5

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For more on Joni’s book see my review at: http://thestackofdawn.blogspot.com

SEE

What would it be like to live for a whole year with this word, “SEE” in focus? Would I learn to see more clearly, more fully, more like God sees?

I say I want to learn to draw more and better than I do. They say it's really a matter of learning to see, to perceive things as they really look, not as you suppose they should be. As children we draw squares topped with triangles, add chimneys and call them houses. We plunk in a little rectangle and perhaps a wee circle where the doorknob should be. We add some squares for windows and voila we have a replica of our home… But as adults we begin to see there's more to the drawing of a realistic house. But how do we do it? We learn to see the lines and angles that are really there.  Only then can we transfer them to paper… I want to learn to really see and copy what is there. This is one of my intentions in this New Year.

But there is more to seeing than being able to draw. Sunday's sermon was taken from John 1. John the Baptist had done his job. His own disciples were fascinated with this God-man Jesus that John had pointed out to them. "Behold", he had said…That's the King's English imperative for: "SEE, look, take note, observe, pay attention". And they did. Before long, John's disciples were becoming Jesus' disciples. They just literally started following Jesus till He turned to ask them what they wanted. They wanted to stay with Him wherever that was. Jesus invited: COME AND SEE. This was just the beginning for these uneducated fellows. They were learning to see who this really was, and they would never be the same.

I want to learn to see like that too, to see the real Jesus, to see where He stays, to watch what He's doing, to walk with Him and follow His directives till I am turned around and made into all He wants me to be. Then others will see Jesus when they look at what's happening in my life, for it will be His doing! That's the way it's supposed to be anyway. Remember what was said about Peter and John?

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

God expects others to see our good works and glorify Him! (Mt.5:16) For He's the Source of all goodness. (Lk.18:19) A good piece of artwork draws attention to its creator. Do the details of my days point to Jesus? Are they covered with His fingerprints?

Of course these first followers were so excited about what they saw when they met Jesus that right away they began pulling others into the picture. Andrew dragged his impetuous brother Peter to Jesus to prove to Him what a 'find' he'd made--The Messiah had come!

Philip told incredulous Nathaniel he'd just have to "Come and see" for himself. And Nathaniel was convinced, for to his wonderment Jesus told him that He'd seen him there under the fig tree. Had Nathaniel been deep in thought there--waiting and wondering when the Messiah would come and how he'd recognize him? Perhaps. Jesus pronounced him to be without guile (precisely what the religious leaders in Israel were full of, cf.Mk.14:1). There was no deceit or trickery in Nathaniel, and right away he believed, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."Jn.1:49 We might have thought Nathaniel gullible. Jesus was delighted with his faith and assured him he would see far greater things. The eye of faith sees what others miss. I want to see like that.

I woke this morning with an old song in my head:

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!   (Clara H. Scott, 1895)

Yes, that's what I want to see in this New Year, truths I've missed and the lies I've believed that keep me bound up. I want to see how God sees and walk in His perfect will for my days. When John came baptizing, spurring people to repentance, he was fulfilling God's calling for his life and in so doing he 'made manifest' the Messiah. This was the point of his ministry, (Jn.1:31) not to be somebody but to devote his life to making Somebody else known!

It started with recognizing Jesus: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him". Only then was  he able to point Him out to others: "Behold (lit: "See"), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!." Jn.1:29

May we have our eyes open this year to see Jesus nearby so we can point Him out to others. And may the art of our lives show others what He's really like as we trace His design in the way we live our days.

--LS

“And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” –John the Baptist, Jn.1:34

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” –John1:16

The “W” Word

Louie was a dog with a serious side, being of German extraction. Playing 'fetch' was no game. It was growling serious that he 'win', that he possess that stick and keep it from lying lost on the lawn or being snatched away from him…This was his work and there was nothing playful in it. He was focused and serious. I suppose that's why German Shepherds are chosen for police dogs and working occupations…

We made a good pair that way. I too see the serious side of any given incident, even if it's meant to be a joke. I suppose I take even myself too seriously. Always have. It was once about earning A's, pleasing the teacher, and so establishing my identity as a 'good' student. Did I transfer this mentality to God? I wonder sometimes. Do I work still for A's so He'll be pleased?

There's one snag in the whole thing. I'm not really an 'A student' when it comes to the heart of the matter. 'Full of dead men's bones' is how Jesus described anyone trusting in their own performance but not concerned about the hidden matters of the heart. Only Jesus can change that. I've just finished listening to an excellent series of messages by Charles Price, addressing what's to be done to live the Christian life without it becoming a 'try-harder-to-be-good' sort of thing (which is futile, frustrating and a booby trap for prideful self-delusion!)

The concept of welcoming death to self in exchange for union with Christ keeps popping up for me. I'm a slow learner? No sooner did I finish this very encouraging series, then the following morning in church the message was taken from Romans 6—a matter-of-fact presentation on our 'union with Christ'—the key to having any capacity to please God. United with Him in His death—so we have died to our old sin nature. United with Him in His resurrection—so we have a new life, His life, motivating us from within.

So there it was again, this Christ who IS my life. I so readily fall out of grace and into effort. Surely I must need to DO something myself to be really pleasing. I so readily forget it's faith that pleases God and the obedience it engenders. To attempt obedience without faith is to follow Abraham's misguided effort to fulfill God's promise in his own strength. Disaster!

Another tell-tale sign of misunderstanding my standing as one dead, but alive despite myself, is that when I do fail or disappoint (myself or you!) it's a hard blow, as if it threatened my whole identity! God is not disappointed. He knows me through and through, knows my points of weakness, knows what I'm made of and has all that covered with Jesus! From me He expects repentance and a confident coming to the 'throne of grace' for all I lack. It is enough. I am able to resume life, humbled maybe at the recognition of my own propensity for sin, but forgiven and unashamed, accepted in the Beloved. As I write this I am preaching it to myself. It does not come naturally or easily for this would-be-perfect-in-her-own-strength girl. Reminders come.

I guess that's why I've so appreciated Price's messages this week with their emphasis that the Christian life is not about self-improvement but about dependence on Christ to live HIS life through me. The devil's not to blame, (or anybody else!). I am. But that's OK. Repentance is a breath away. And it's a relief to cast myself on One who really is good and wants to live His life out in me. He knows how to do it right!

What's the trick? There is none. The most confusing thing about the Christian life, Price suggests, is its simplicity. You cannot live it without Christ but when you're abiding in Him, by faith, things happen. It's like flying. You can't, until you're in the plane. Then there's nothing more to do but trust the plane to get you there. Even the anxious traveler arrives, though he may miss the pleasure of the trip! It boils down to faith. Just as I came to Jesus in the first place by faith acknowledging my helpless sin-bound state, so this is how He expects me to live the Christian life, by faith, dead to my old self and alive to Him.

I can get in a pretty serious state looking at the 'old mare' and her propensity for selfishness. I can be like Louie, taking life way too seriously. 'This stick is mine and I'm going to see that it stays in my control'…But Louie had another side. A single word could transform him into an ecstatic, tail-wagging, happy bundle of energy. The "W" word, my friend used to call it. And if you have a dog, you know it well.

(shhhh… I'll say it quietly) The word is walk. Why keep it quiet? Well once it's out, there's no rest for the speaker until the leash is fetched and the door opened!

I smile to myself to realize how the "W" word applies also to me. What will rescue me from my moribund hold on good intentions?

The Spirit invites me to WALK with Him. And as I do, all the rest of the Christian life falls into place. He's got the trail planned. He knows the destination and all the highpoints and muddy crossings along the way. He directs my steps. I need only obediently trust His lead. This is the way to live the Christ life, not fixated on the flesh and what it's up to but ambling down the road eager to comply with my Master's directions. By faith heeding his: Heel, Fetch, Sit, Down, Wait… He's got my days planned and my trails are by His appointment. I'm his concern after all. How carefree is that?

And look at the side-effects of walking by the Spirit..Not only will I not gratify the desires of my sin-bent nature (Gal.5:1) which do damage to myself and those around me, but there'll be an overflow of love and joy and peace, patience and kindness and even goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22,23) Sounds like something to get excited about!

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him… (Col.2:6)

Did Someone say, "WALK" ?!!!

--LS

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Gal.5:5,6

Having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfected by works of the flesh? Gal.3:3

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Gal. 5:25,26

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil.1:6

Before I scamper off down the trail may I leave you with a poem that grabbed my heart this week. It portrays so well the relief of repentance and the joy that is its reward. Would we not cease to trudge downcast through life if we kept this gracious prospect in our mind's eye?

"Prodigal"

"Come to myself, I trudge down distant roads.
Tired of the husks of life, I hurry home.
Knowing the cross awaits, I still must come,
Prepared to be a servant, not a son.

Your longing love outreaches me, outruns
My tardy progress borne on dragging feet.
Blessed, kissed, forgiven, lifted to my place,
I find the dreaded welcome sudden sweet.

Is this your punishment for sin, dear Lord?
The father's kiss? The ring? The robe? The calf?
Heart-heavy, I had feared repentance, Lord.
I came to cry, and now you tell me, "Laugh!"

--Elizabeth B. Rooney
[from Storing September, 2001, p.75]

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Note:
Charles Price’s series of 5 messages on letting Christ live His life in us were delivered at Prairie Bible College during "Christian Life Week", Sept.25-27, 2012. They can be heard and/or downloaded at Prairie's website under "Special Events" at:  http://www.prairie.edu/page.aspx?pid=450

They are also available on YouTube.