Why Doesn’t God Give Up on Me?

Sometimes I find myself asking that question over and over … ’cause I just can’t wrap my brain around the most obvious answer.

I’ve been following — or attempting to follow the Lord — for almost 45 years.  (Man, do I feel old!)  You would think that I would have some lessons learned — but, nope — some I just need to keep learning over and over.

This week I received some news that was a little disappointing.  I told myself that I was leaving the decision in God’s Hands.  I did what I felt was my part — yet, the final decision would, ultimately, be the Lord’s.  I left it with Him … or so I thought.  The next day, when I received notification that things weren’t going to go the way I had decided were the best for me — it wasn’t the answer I wanted … well, let’s just say that the first thing out of my mouth wasn’t “Praise God!”

It was more like — “This isn’t fair!  God, how could you allow this to be the answer??  Don’t You care about what I’m dealing with?”  And, for the next hour or so, God let me have my “pity party.”

Then, just like Elijah (1 Kings 19:12), God calmly and lovingly whispered to me my favorite Bible verse:  “But my God shall supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) 

“Judith, I’m in control … I’m still on my throne.  Even though you may not be able to see the next bend in the road, just trust Me – I’m right here with you.  I know what lies before you.  There’s a lesson you need to learn — it will be for your growth and good.  Just remember to trust in Me.  I love you so much … you are very precious to Me and ALWAYS in my heart and in my thoughts.”

Then … just to underscore that He is willing to “supply all my needs” … even my need for reassurance, just at that moment, He had a semi pass me.  I glanced up at the back of the truck and what do you think I saw written it? … Isaiah 40:31:  “…but those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I was starting to get the message … but God wasn’t through proving His point.  He reminded me of a couple of my favorite songs:

• “Praise You in the Storm” by Casting Crowns … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i5MzJ9nLjo … “And I’ll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am.  And every tear I’ve cried, You hold in your hand.  You never left my side and though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm.”
• “Blessed Be the Name” by Tree63 … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkbzAWW8Wvg … “Blessed be Your name when the sun’s shining down on me; when the world’s ‘all as it should be’ … Blessed be Your name.  Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering, though there’s pain in the offering … Blessed be Your name.”

I was watching a sermon this week by Pastor John Ortberg (one of my favorite authors).  He was talking about how many people trust Jesus to get them into heaven when they die; but then he asked, “What if you don’t die tonight? …. Will you trust Jesus to help you live? … Will you trust Him with your life?”

Yes … it’s simply a matter of trust … Do I trust Jesus with every aspect of my life?  Do I trust that He loves me and ALWAYS has my best interests in mind?  Do I trust that He is still on His throne and in charge of this world … even the little piece in which I live?

Yes!!!

So why do I still have moments of doubt?  How many times do I have to learn this lesson?  Why hasn’t God just given up on me and say that I’m a lost cause?

And then I read the words of the Lord found in Hosea …

“How can I give you up, Ephraim?  How can I hand you over, Israel? … My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.” (11:8)

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.  Where, O death, are your plagues?  Where, O grave, is your destruction?”  (13:14)

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely …”  (14:4)

Why doesn’t God give up and wash His hands of me? … Because He loves me (and you, too) — and I’m so very thankful that He does.

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

Thin Places

“O, Lord, my God … when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made …”

That’s part of the first verse from a song I love very much … How Great Thou Art.  I love every verse of that song … I love to sing it — it’s both a praise and prayer at the same time.

But this morning, the phrase above was particularly speaking to me.  “…when I consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made…” — and, yet, I am so blessed just by this one little world the Lord has given me!

It’s around 30 degrees here … but the sun was shining, it’s the blue-est sky I’ve seen in a long while … and I heard the birds singing.  I sat on the cold concrete of the back porch step (the yard chairs are still covered for the winter.) I gazed up at the blue sky, felt the sun bathing me in its warmth, watched three squirrels just having the time of their lives … and then I saw it.

My first cardinal of the pre-Spring season!  So beautiful and stately … red and confident — looking right at me.

“…I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder.  Thy power throughout the universe displayed.”

This world that we’ve been given is filled is limitless wonder … little blessings that are granted to us each morning — if we’ll just take the time to notice and be thankful.  Life isn’t perfect … it can be hard and painful.  Things don’t always turn out the way we would have imagined or hoped.

But the beautiful cardinal I saw this morning is nothing but a reminder of how much more I am blessed … I have a Heavenly Father who loves me to distraction.  He loves me so much that I sent His Son to pay the price for my shortcomings … for my sin.  Jesus died on the cross for me … “…that I might have life and have it more abundantly” — blue sky, squirrels, cardinals and all! (John 10:10)

“My God … How great Thou Art!”

I’ve been reading an excellent book by Michael Frost, The Road to Missional:  Journey to the Center of the Church.  In it, he talks about the Celtic thought of “thin places.” 

… a thin place is where the veil that separates heaven and earth is lifted and one is able to receive a glimpse of the glory of God.

That’s what I was experiencing this morning … a thin place — catching a glimpse of God’s glory.  And my heart overflowed.

But I know so many family and friends who don’t take that opportunity to experience thin places.  They’ve put on blinders, closed their ears and eyes, and have barricaded their hearts.  They don’t see thin places because they’ve built up layers and layers of doubt and blame … all they have are “thick places.”  And my heart weeps for them.

If I don’t point out the thin places … if I don’t declare God’s kingship … if I don’t speak of His unfailing love — who will?

In Hosea 10, we’re admonished to … “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on you. (v. 12)  The instructions are pretty clear:

1. Sow righteousness … do what’s right; not just what’s easy — show mercy and forgiveness — speak for those who don’t have a voice — serve the world with a “basin and a towel” — be a Follower of Christ, not a fan
2. Reap unfailing love … you can’t reap / harvest what you don’t plant — what kind of seeds am I planting?  mercy and forgiveness or blame and guilt? … am I serving because I think it will win me points with God or because I truly care for His children — all of them? … do I give others a listening ear or a condemning attitude? … do I look to the heart or fixate on the appearance? … do I cast the first stone or do I see all the stones lying at my feet?
3. Break up your unplowed ground … I’ve been given a task — no one else can reach those the Lord has placed in my path — “my unplowed ground” — quite like I can … I’ve been sent to them for a reason — there are no coincidences … plowing unbroken ground can be hard and painful work … if the ground is particularly hard, I may have to go over it again and again — no instant satisfaction …  but if I don’t plow — if I don’t prepare the soil — how can planting or harvesting take place? … will I share the Good News that has been given to me?
4. Seek the Lord until He comes … sometimes the day is short and the night is long — will I hold fast to my faith?  … He is coming — that’s a promise … will I take the time to see Him, to hear Him?  … seeking isn’t passive; it’s active … will I stand ready when He comes?  will He find me about the Father’s work?

I think back on the cardinal flying away and the trio of squirrels cavorting in the early morning sunshine.  They had no cares … yes, they had to work to make it through the winter months … they prepared, gathered their nuts, looked for their seeds.  There were days they were cold and hungry.  I’m sure they wondered at times if they were going to make it to Spring.

But they know the Master — they know their Creator.  They live within the thin places … constantly seeing and experiencing the glory of God.  I felt it this morning and I want it for everyone who the Lord has placed in my path — whether family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and people I pass in the grocery store.  I have been given “life more abundantly” … I want that for you.

“Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee … how great Thou art; how great Thou art!”

“May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.”

Where’s Your Trust?

In who or what do you place your trust?

There are a lot of things in the world that’s vying for our trust.  I’m told if I buy certain skincare and make-up products, I’ll reduce / eliminate the signs of aging.  (I confess, I’m intrigued by the thought!)  I understand that if I drive a particular type of car, I’ll have all the excitement and power I could want.  If I use this or that weight-loss plan, I’ll be able to eat anything i want and still have the pounds just drop off.  (Again, intrigued by that!)

I’m told that if I have enough friends on the “social network” or tweet enough that I’ll never be lonely and that my live will be full and complete.  That putting my trust in the virtual world is more satisfying and secure than the real world.

Of course, I’m also that if I support and vote for a particular politician or political party that all my problems will be solved.  I’ll never have to worry about money or taxes … my health will be taken care of, I’ll always have a job and I’ll never have to worry about the future.  (Not holding my breath on this one.)

And, yes, I’m told if I go to this church or that one, that it’s God’s favorite and that I’ll receive all the blessings I could ever want.  And, then when I go to that church, I’m told that if I follow these “rules” and traditions, that my place in God’s favor and my heavenly mansion is secure.

But are those things worthy of my trust?  Are those the items that bring peace, security … that bring me closer to God?

The children of Israel thought they knew what they should put their trust in — altars and sacred stones.  And really, when you compare altars and sacred stones to the list above, it does seem like they had a better handle on things.  In fact, God Himself, told the Israelites to build altars and gather stones as a way of remembering / honoring how God had provided, protected, healed, and delivered them.

But, somewhere along the way, Israel forgot their purpose of those items.  They forgot that the altars and stones were only symbols … a way to remember.  Instead, the Israelites started trusting in those objects for their provision, protection, health, and deliverance.

“Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself.  As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.  Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt.  The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones….Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars.”  (Hosea 10:1-2; 8b)

The only one Israel should have trusted was God.  The only one I should ever put my trust in is the Lord.

The danger we run into is when we start doing certain things — or we get into a routine — or we start devoting all our time to a certain ministry — and we experience a special blessing.  If we’re not careful, our minds can almost seem to disconnect from our hearts.  We start thinking / believing that what we’re doing is the reason for the blessing.  So, we think that if doing this particular thing once or twice was good … more must be better.  And, somewhere along the way, we edge God out.  We’re not remembering or serving to glorify God … but simply for the promise of a better life … for what we can get out of it.

And God won’t stand for it.

He may not always destroy the things in which we are putting our trust, but He may allow them to become useless.

Everything we do should be an act of worship … should be to give God the glory.  Everything.

If I’m cleaning house (which my husband believes I don’t do enough of), I should thank God for the house I have the opportunity to clean.  I should be grateful for the health that allows me to clean … yes, even the toilet or the cat’s litter box.  When I’m walking the dogs, I should glorify my Lord for the beautiful day, thanking Him for the four-legged companions He’s blessed me with.  When I’m working, I need to remember that I have this job, not simply because of my skill … but because the Good Lord placed me with my company to serve.  He gave me the skills and knowledge that I have.  When I have a disagreement with my husband (some might call it a fight), I should thank the Father for a husband that does love me and a marriage where we can have differences but still find a common ground.  When I’m tired and hurt and depressed, I should thank Jesus for the ability to feel and know that I serve Someone who truly does care and has, in fact, experienced every emotion that I have felt, so He knows what I’m going through … and that He freely offers me His strength to carry-on.

Yes … there is only one person in whom I should ever place my trust and hope … Jesus Christ.

Is it always easy?  No!  I can get distracted … I can lose focus … I can be tempted to put my trust in things.  But everything — EVERYTHING — under the sun is temporary; it’s fleeting.

I choose to place my trust — my hope — in that which is eternal …  God and His unfailing love for me.  No matter what this world throws at me, if I place my trust in God — if I give Him the glory through it all — “I can handle all things through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

 

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

 

Grapes, Figs and Apples

I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been spending time with the Lord.  We have had some precious moments.  Life just got the best of me … and He had me focus on other activities.

However, I always yearned to make it back here.  I’ve been feeling the “words” welling up in me … so, now I know it’s time to put pen to paper … so to speak.   I think I’ll take up where we left off … in the book of Hosea, chapter 9.

My Bible has entitled this chapter, “Punishment for Israel.”  It’s basically saying that Israel shouldn’t rejoice because their sacrifices won’t be acceptable to the Lord … “…nor will their sacrifices please Him.” (v. 4b)  In v17, we read, “My God will reject them because they have not obeyed Him…“

Of course, the Israelites could argue that yes, they were most assuredly obeying God.  He gave specific rules on offering sacrifices and they were doing them.  How could God say they weren’t obeying Him?

Because they’re hearts weren’t involved.  They were going through the motions.  It’s almost as if they were looking at a list entitled:  “How to be a Good Israelite” and then picking and choosing which of those steps they wanted to take and ignoring the rest.

God never said they could pick and choose … He said “Obey … obey Me in everything!“

I need to be careful that I don’t fall into the same complacency.  It’s all too easy to obey God in the things I like:  spending time alone with Him, studying His Word, speaking with Him.  It can be more difficult, though, with other aspects:  freely loving, forgiving when I’ve been hurt for the “gazillionth” time, showing mercy instead of anger and revenge, serving with a “basin and a towel” when I’m tired, living with joy — when sometimes I just want to curl up and cry.

Yeah … sometimes I want to pick and choose.  But the Lord says “Obey.“

And obeying — in the hard things — doesn’t seem to be too a hard a pill to swallow when I read about how much God loves.

“When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.” (v.10)

I don’t know about you, but I get such a warm glow in my heart when I read those words.  I can’t help but smile.  I think because God must have burst into a smile when He thought about seeing Israel for the first time.  I imagine His face just lights up!

I’ve never been in the desert, but, here in Iowa, we can have some pretty hot, humid days.  I think back to some of those days in August when the heat index was in the triple digits.  If I was outside on such a day, and someone brought me a bowl of ice-cold grapes … all I would be able to say was … “Ahhhhhh!”  The coolness of the grape, the thirst-quenching of the juice … “manna from Heaven.”

I don’t have a garden here, but I come from a family of farmers … even Momma and Daddy had a pretty nice vegetable garden in the backyard when I was growing up.  So, I’ve been around around enough farmers to know how eagerly they await and look for for that first indication of a good harvest.  The anticipation of seeing that first bud on a plant and the joy of seeing it grow and ripen.

Both of those scenarios just bring a smile … and that’s exactly how God think of us … of me.  I’m His grape in the desert … His early fruit.

While I may sometimes cause Him to cry … I’m also what causes Him to smile.  And, I want to Him to smile so much more than cry.

I don’t want to obey to “get on His good side” … to go down a checklist of what it takes to be a “good Christian.”  I don’t want to “pick and choose” how to serve my Lord. 

I just want to joyously follow and serve.  I want to come to end of my life and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Will I mess up?  Yeah.  Will I still make Him cry?  Yeah, I will.

But I will pray for His strength and guidance everyday.  I will pray for joy to cover me and everything that I do.  I will pray for the Holy Spirit to infill me to serve and love more.  I’ll be praying the Holy Spirit will do the same for you.

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” (Ps. 17:8)

 

 

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

Holding My Heart

I’m so thankful that God is always willing to speak to me … I only have to be willing to listen!

Just a little while ago, I was out walking Lindi (our blue heeler).  I really wanted to get “pumped up” and make it good workout, so I set Pandora to my Third Day station.  It was just Lindi and I today … temp in the low 60’s … overcast sky … slight breeze.  The music started playing and we started trottin’! 

And it was good.

I was listening to praises being lifted up to God … my face was smiling … my soul was soaring!  (And, yes, Lindi, was behaving pretty good on the walk, too.)

And then, a song came on by Tenth Avenue North, “Hold My Heart.”  I confess, at first, I thought I was listening to a different group.  As I was trying to figure out exactly who was singing, God directed me to the chorus:

One tear in the driving rain,

One voice in a sea of pain.

Could the Maker of the stars

Hear the sound of my breaking heart?

One life, that’s all I am.

Right now I can barely stand.

If You’re everything You say You are,

Would You come close and hold my heart?

Wow!  Talk about putting into perspective where I fit in the cosmos.

I think about the times I’ve called out to the Lord, when I’ve been driven to my knees by a heavy burden, when the tears were flowing and didn’t seem like they’d ever stop.  When my heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces that “all the king’s horses and all king’s men could never put back together again.”

Yet … no matter how much my pain consumed me — where my every thought and focus was on what was happening in my world … there were literally millions of others hurting the same — for their own reasons.  I was — I am — one life among billions.  Did God really hear me crying out?  Was He truly concerned that my heart — among millions of other beating hearts — was breaking?

Yes!

I immediately recalled the scripture that has been in my thoughts for so many months — consuming me and not sure how to put my thoughts into words … until now.  Meditate on the words found in Hosea 11:8 – 9:

“How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I make you like Zeboiim?

My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.

I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.

For I am God, and not man — the Holy One among you.”

I read these words and I hear the pain and anguish coming from my God.  He, too, is in my pain … His heart is breaking … He’s been betrayed, lied to and forgotten.  Yet … yet … yet … He loves His children so much, He can’t destroy them.  He can’t live without them.  He loves them — us … me — so much that He sent His Son to die in my place.

A love like that knows my voice — whether it’s lifted up in praise or weighed down with pain.  A love like that sees me has His most precious child … I’m the most important person to Him — and so are you.  God definitely hears me my I cry out.  I matter because I’m loved beyond all measure. 

God won’t give me up.  I pray that I never give Him up. I can face each day — no matter what the world wants to throw my way — because I know Who’s holding my heart. 

Will you let Him hold yours as well?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEz2PsLJ-RI&feature=related

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

A Lingering Melody

Ever have a song that pops into your head and you just can’t shake it?  You’re not even sure if you have the right tune, if you’re remembering all the right words … but it’s there.  It lingers.  Sometimes it seems kinda comforting … this melody that you can’t shake.  Sometimes it seems rather frustrating … this song that won’t leave you alone.  Sometimes it’s there in the background of your mind; in your thoughts.  Sometimes it seems to be playing so loudly in your head, like it’s screaming at you.

Ever have that happen?

Well, I did … am … only it’s not a song — it’s a Bible passage.  I’ve the read words over and over.  I close my Bible and they’re still in my thoughts.  I have a cup of coffee and the words linger with each swallow I take.  I wash my face and the words reflect back when I look in the mirror.  I putter around the house … those words are puttering right along with me.  I walk the dogs, and as the dogs are pulling on their leashes, it feels as though this passage is pulling me.  Sometimes when the verse pops my thoughts I can say it with perfect clarity … sometimes its “tone” is all I can grasp.

And … it’s been this way for a few months.  The “song” … the passage … that just won’t go away.  I can’t get it out of my head.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”  (Hosea 10:12)

Think maybe the Lord is trying to tell me something???!!!

Okay … I know what it means to “sow” … it means to plant.  I’m pretty sure I know what “righteousness” means, but just to be sure, I decided to look it up.  Righteousness … “free from guilt or sin.”  I think of Romans 3 where we’re told “There is no one who is righteous, not even one …”  How can I plant “sinlessness” / “guiltlessness”?

How can I sow “righteousness?”

It’s not that hard for me to understand the part of “reap the fruit of unfailing love.”   In fact, that’s a real song I sing about all the time … “Amazing Grace.”  And, let me clarify, I understand the meaning … there’s no way I can fully grasp what it truly means, even though I rest in the Father’s love.  To think of “harvesting,” “partaking,” “feasting,’ on God’s constant, unflagging, eternal, inexhaustible love is a little mind-blowing!

But, is it possible for me to sow “unfailing love” so that it’s fruit — its consequences / actions — can be seen or felt by someone else?

And what is my”unplowed ground”?  Isn’t all that I am … all that I have opened and exposed to God?  What could I have that’s unplowed?  But then I think of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.  The sower scatters the seed, the Good News, but the only time it takes, is when the sower plants on plowed, prepared ground.  When the ground is prepared, the seed can be planted, cared for, take root and grow.  And who had to prepare the ground … the sower!

The song is becoming clearer in my head … and I have to bow my head in shame.  My unplowed ground … my unplowed ground … it is time for me to break up my unplowed ground.

Who have I not told about the Good News?  When have my actions, my conduct not demonstrated the Hope I have?  When have I selfishly clutched to God’s inexhaustible love, but not shown mercy and kindness to those around me?  When have I failed to be His Hands and Feet?

Too many times to count.

I have loved ones — family, friends, neighbors — who are lost and dying and hurting … who need to know the Hope, the Promise, the unfailing Love of the Father.  Have I told them?  Have I shown them?  Have I prepared the ground?  Can they see His love and acceptance reflected in my eyes, my actions?  If I don’t tell them … if I don’t show them … who will?

God, I can’t do this without You … without You providing me the words, the opportunities.  May I know — beyond a shadow of doubt — when You are telling me to “plow,” to share Your love.  I can’t imagine one day without You … with the Hope that You give, that fills my heart and brightens my day.  There have been times I’ve been alone, but never lonely … for You’ve always been with me.  I know there are others who haven’t experienced that … they feel alone and abandoned.  But they’re not … Your arms are always open.  Help me to be willing to love them.  I know I can’t sow righteousness, but I show You.

Jonathan / Bethany … God loves you and He wants to cover You with His Grace.  Craig, His grace is more than sufficient and He loved you before you were born.  Mary, I know you feel lost and alone, but He’s there; He wants to supply your every need.  Dani / Jake, you are loved.  Dave, I know you’re hurting and think you can handle everything on your own terms … but you don’t have to; Jesus died for you,too.

Yeah … there’s a reason this “melody” has been lingering in my thoughts and heart for so long … I pray it never stops playing.

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

Whistle-blower or Watchman???

It’s time for me to continue my journey through the book of Hosea.  I’ve been reading in it for some time, pondering the words, but have just had some difficulty getting my thoughts to “paper.”  I know there’s a lesson here.

Chapters 9 and 10 of Hosea is talking about the punishment that’s in store for Israel … they’ve turned their backs on God, going through the motions and have been unrepentant for their actions.  Now, God has had enough.

“Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents.” (Hosea 9:6b)

Brier patches and thorns hurt.  If you drop something in a thicket of thorns, you need to decide how bad you want it back … how much you value the dropped item … because it’s gonna hurt trying to get it back.  A thick patch of thorns will snag your shirt sleeve and prick the skin … you will shed some blood.  And, I’ve tended enough roses to know that the last thing I want in my house, where I sit and sleep, is a bunch of thorns.

What the Israelites treasured — their silver (money) — the comfort it could provide, along with the comfort and security of their dwellings (their tents), wouldn’t offer comfort any more.

Of course, the question is now turned to me … what do I treasure? … where am I placing my trust and security? … to whom or what am I looking to for comfort?

If it’s anything or anyone but Christ … well, it’s only an illusion.

“The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.” (Hosea 9:8)

These words seem to scream for my attention.  Of course, I’m reminded of the “watchman” from Ezekiel 3:17 where the Lord has appointed Ezekiel to a “watchman” over Israel.  As a watchman, Ezekiel was charged to warn the people of their deaths due to their sins, and, hopefully, to get them to stop and repent.  As a watchman, it wasn’t Ezekiel’s role to actually stop / prevent the people from sinning — that was their own choice and responsibility.  However, as watchman, Ezekiel was responsible to give the warning.

Yet, Ezekiel isn’t around anymore … so who is the “watchman?” … whose job is it to sound the warning?

The scripture says the “prophet, along with my God, is the watchman” …who’s the prophet?

According to the Dictionary the first three definitions  for a prophet are (1) one who utters divinely inspired revelations; (2) one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; (3) one who foretells the future.

And then I think of who is a follower of Christ.  The follower should be relying on the Holy Spirit to speak through him / her.  The follower knows the future:  “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”

Could this possibly mean that the follower of Christ, along with God, is a watchman?

Then my mind wanders to the word / concept of the whistle-blower — the person who informs others (usually the press) of someone else’s wrong-doings, i.e., falsifying records, scams, lying, selling secrets, insider trading, embezzling, etc.  Of course, the whistle-blower does so after the fact.  The watchman is to be proactive — before it happens.

Which am I — whistle-blower or watchman?

It’s so much easier to the be wistle-blower.  I can just passively sit back and let others “do their own thing.”  I don’t have to worry about being “politically incorrect,” offending someone, disagreeing with someone, sharing what I think, or do anything.  I can just blend into the background, watch, and wait.  Then when everyone is done — when things start to fall apart … well, I can step in and “blow the whistle.”  I can say, “well, I knew it was the wrong decision, but I didn’t want you mad at me … I didn’t want you to think I was telling you what to do.  But I knew what you were doing wasn’t the best thing for you.”

However, to be the watchman takes courage … to be proactive, to share — in love — when someone is going down the wrong path, making the wrong decision, to share a warning (maybe when no one else can see the danger) … yes, that takes courage.  A courage I don’t have … well, not on my own anyway.

It requires the courage, gentleness and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, I ask for Your forgiveness when I’ve taken the easy way out … when I’ve been content to be the “whistle-blower.”  I don’t want to be passive for You … I want to be fully engaged in the service You’ve called me to do.  I don’t want to pressure people — to guilt them — to criticize them.  I want to love them … as You do.  And, in that love, I want to make sure that I share that there’s a better way — Your Way.  A way that leads to peace, to comfort, to forgiveness, to mercy, to love, to life-everlasting.

Lord, help me to be the watchman … to not allow Satan to silence the warning.  Help me to be the woman — the follower — You’ve called me to be.  Help me to love enough to sound the warning … love enough to help – to encourage those who are lost and hurting to run to You.  Amen!  Amen!

 

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

A Home-Coming

There’s an old song some of you might have heard of … “Country Roads.”  It was made popular many years ago by John Denver.

“Country roads take me home to the place I belong – West Virginia, Mountain Momma … take me home, country roads.”

Well, I’m not from West Virginia — the country roads of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina, to be more accurate.  But a few months ago, that song was definitely running through my mind.

Through work, I had an opportunity to attend a meeting in Charlotte, NC … since I had family in the area, my boss gave me the okay to take some personal time and drive in for the meeting from Iowa to North Carolina — that way I could visit with family and friends.  (Thanks Roger!)

I had a wonderful time visiting with my Dad and his wife, Argent.  I hadn’t had the opportunity to see them both for a some time.  I was blessed with the opportunity to go to church with them one Sunday and hear one of the pastors from my childhood, Bro. Jaynes, and visit with his wife, Karen (and hear her sing in the choir.)  Sitting by my Dad in a church service, hearing Sis. Jaynes’ beautiful voice praising the Lord and Bro. Jaynes’ booming voice delivering the Lord’s message … well, it brought back so many wonderful memories, I found that there were tears in my eyes.

But it wasn’t quite the same as it use to be … I wasn’t home.

When I drove from Kingsport to Charlotte, I decided to swing by Valdese, North Carolina.  My paternal grandparents — both with the Lord now — lived there.  I wanted to go by and visit their house — long since sold to strangers.  I had so many wonderful memories of spending time there during the summer — of Grandmother freezing corn and making me rice for breakfast; of Grandfather feeding the squirrels and having some of them get the peanuts right out of his shirt pocket!  I took pictures of the house and street side that bears the family name.  But there was no one there to greet me on the porch … I didn’t have the right to walk around to the back patio, sit and listen to the breeze in the trees.

It looked similar, but it wasn’t the same … I wasn’t home.

After my work meeting, I decided to drive from Charlotte over to Atkins, Virginia.  That’s where my mother grew up and where she’s buried.  I turned off of the old Lee Highway on to Rocky Hollow Road.  I passed my Aunt Skinny’s house on the right — it now has strangers living in it.  I thought of all the times I had sat at the table and had Skinny’s fried chicken, fried potato patties, and Brown Stone cake.  I thought of all the times, on Sunday afternoons, when we had all piled on Aunt Skinny’s bed to take naps.  I thought of seeing my 95-year-old Granny sit on the front porch, reading her Bible and singing hymns of praise.

I drove just a little down the road and came to Aunt Det’s house.  I turned into the driveway.  There aren’t any strangers there … the house is owned by Det’s daughter, my cousin, Rita June.  But no one was living there now.  I looked in the door at the side porch and saw the wood burning cook stove from the old home place.  I could almost smell the Dodger bread and taste the fried apple pies Granny use to make.  I walked around the house and snapped some pictures.  I thought of the times we cousins would play in the backyard, of the times Rita June would play the piano and we’d sing the old hymns.  I thought of the times Aunt Det would help me learn to crochet and make me wilted lettuce.

But neither Aunt Skinny or Aunt Det was there … I wasn’t home.

I drove on up the road and turned off the pavement to rough road (lane, really) that would lead me to the old farm.  I cried as I drove, flooded by so many wonderful, poignant memories.  The farm, house, out buildings are all gone now.  But parts of the stone fence remain.  However, I could picture where everything once stood.  I spotted the old, huge tree that the grandkids all climbed and played around.  I pictured the old porch swing and smell of the root cellar.  I saw and heard all the cats that use to run wild.  I thought of Granny in the kitchen cooking, Grandpa lying in his bed and “cousin” Dan skinning the rabbits and squirrels for family dinner.  I walked up the road a little further and saw the little family cemetery.  I took pictures of the homemade headstone for my great-great-grandparents, handprints of my Grandpa and great-Grandpa.  I looked out on the hills and fields I used to play and thought of so many adventures we cousins took, remembering the laughter, skinned knees, silly fights and love.

But the buildings were gone and no one came out to hug me … I wasn’t home.

As I was leaving Atkins, I swung by the cemetery where so many of my loved ones are buried:  Aunt Skinny and Uncle Woodrow, Aunt Det and Uncle Clyde, Grandpa and Granny, and … Momma.  I stood at Mom’s grave and told her I was so glad to have had her as my Mom.  I told her I loved and missed her.  There was a kind of peace when I stood there, but something was missing.  I looked at the headstone and saw my Dad’s name engraved, reminded that some day he’ll join her.  The freezing, pouring rain seemed to match my mood at the moment.

Yes … something was missing — Mom wasn’t really there to hold me and comfort me.  I wasn’t home.

I drove away.  I stopped to visit the house in which I lived for 18 years.  It was the only home I had as a child.  As I drove there, I was thinking of the huge backyard, the front porch where Mom and would sit on the stoop in the morning, the street where all the neighborhood kids would ride their bikes and play.  I thought of the laughter, joy and tears shed in that house … of the love that flowed in every nook and cranny.  But when I got there, I almost cried.  It just wasn’t the same — it looked old and run down.  It showed the passage of time.  I couldn’t just walk in the front door and come home …

Because it wasn’t home anymore.

I made one more stop on my journey … I went to visit the childhood church:  Anderson Church of God on Wagner Road, Virginia.  Other than the parking lot being bigger and a larger sign, the outside of the grounds and building looked so much like my memories.  I walked to the doors and — yes, they were all locked.  I so much wanted to go inside … I hadn’t been in that building for almost 20 years.  I snapped some pictures and had resigned myself to simply driving back to my Dad’s.  As I was unlocking my car, another car entered the parking lot.  It was the pastor.  I introduced myself, explained why I was there.  Pastor Gary smiled warmly and invited me the doors of the church.  He urged me to make myself at home and visit as long as I liked.

I walked all through the building.  To old classrooms — I saw my Dad leading the “Jet Cadets;” I saw my Mom doing flannel graph lessons; I saw Greta Easterling teaching Sunday School.  I remembered the sitting up and taking down the folding chairs in the fellowship hall.  I pictured the altars where, with my Mom, I knelt down and asked Jesus to be my Savior and Lord.

Then I wandered down to the newer addition — the new sanctuary.  I pictured LP Trivette leading worship and Jimmy playing the piano.  I found the pew dedicated to my Mom … the sanctuary she never lived to see.  On the other pews, I read names of the saints that used to attend — who are up in Heaven.  Pastor Gary joined me in the sanctuary and we started talking about folks who still attended.

And I cried … I was home.

It struck me that of all the places I had visited — each place where I had so many wonderful memories — each place where I knew was loved … those buildings were now locked to me and/or the people that filled them with love were gone.

But not the church.  Pastor Marlin welcomed me and so did Pastor Gary.  It just reminded me that’s the way it is with God, His love and mercy.  We are the ones who are guilty of leaving … He’s never left us.  His arms are always opened to receive us … always willing to forgive … always wanting to wrap us in His love.

When the journey gets long … when you think you’ve lost you’re way … when you feel tired and alone … remember, you can always go home — go home to Jesus.

Now, that’s a home-coming!

“Come unto me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matt. 11:28-29)

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

The “Rest of the Story” First

It’s hard to believe it’s been over a month since my last post.  Yes … I’m still here … and, yes, He has still been speaking to, and with, me.

While nothing major, a lot has happened during the last month — and the Father and I have had some very quiet, private chats.  Sometimes you just need to curl up in His arms and absorb.  I think that’s what I’ve been doing.  I didn’t receive any epiphanies or divine revelations.   No … just feelings, impressions and notions.

Just an assurance that God was there … watching … listening … caring … and loving.

And while everything single work and book of the Bible is a gift and important for the believer, I think that’s why I’m sometimes drawn to the Old Testament books on a more regular basis.

In the New Testament, we have the fulfillment of God’s promise and love … the birth, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.  We learn how the Apostles faced many challenges, walked and shared their faith and lived lives filled and directed by the Holy Spirit.  I have joy for today and tomorrow because I know — absolutely know — Who holds my future.  I know where I’ll spend my eternity.

Yes — I crave the words of the New Testament.  I also cling the words of the Old.

I heard some believers try to say that they don’t feel the Old Testament is as relevant today as it once was.  It’s almost as if they’re wondering if there’s anything that they can learn from words written so many years ago and it such a different culture and time period.

To which I respond … YES — you can!

Some of you may recall the old radio program with Paul Harvey where he would share the story or circumstance of a person.  He did it so well that you actually thought that you knew how the narrative was going to end.  Yet, at a certain time, Harvey would need to take a station break, have a commercial or two, and then come back on the air.  He would always start the same way … “And, for the rest of the story…..”

That’s how it’s for me with the Old Testament … but kinda in reverse.  Some believers spend a lot of time pouring over the words of the New Testament — the Gospels, Epistles, etc. — and we should.  We now know how the story is going to end.

However, knowing how the story ends becomes much sweeter and amazing when we consider the how it began … and the extreme love and mercy and grace that the Father showed us time after time after time!  The Old Testament really teaches us about unconditional love … which was fulfilled with the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

While we may try, not many us have ever truly experienced unconditional love here on earth.  A love that loves — NO MATTER WHAT!  A love that has been betrayed, ignored, taken for granted, bartered, sold and “spit upon.”  And, yet, God never forsakes His children.  He may discipline; but He never forsakes.

The Old Testament is witness to that love … the love of a Father who — despite all evidence to the contrary — never gave up on the children of His heart.  Who was always there … watching … listening … caring … loving.

We can’t have “the rest of the story” without knowing how it began.  So, I invite you to continue our journey through the Old Testament as He speaks to me — and you — about His unconditional love and care for each us.

 

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

Learning from Lindie

They say “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”  Well, I don’t know about that, but how about learning — or re-learning — an eternal truth from a new dog?

I was recently playing with our newest family member, Lindie Rigs … or Lindie Lou, which ever you prefer.  Of course, it seems like we’re always playing!  This young Blue Heeler is full of energy.  She approaches each day with joy, happiness and excitement.  She wakes up early — like she just can’t wait to see what this new dawn will bring … what adventures are lying in store.  And, as a child of God, I should be approaching each day the same way.

However, that’s not the lesson, the truth, I want to talk about here … maybe we’ll save that one for another day.

No, the lesson I’m now referring to occurred when I was playing frisbee with Lindie.  I think we’re all pretty much familiar with the concept.  You throw the frisbee and the person — or dog, in this case, catches it.  Usually, the throwee would throw the frisbee back to the thrower, yet, while I think Lindie is exceptional, as a dog she’s not quite up to the “throwing back” part!  Instead, she’ll put the frisbee in her mouth and run — full-throttle — back to me, so that I can throw it again.

Nothing too complicated, right?

Well, because Lindie’s favorite game of all time is “tug of war,” when she brings the frisbee back, she doesn’t just drop it in your hands or at your feet.  No!  The round’s not over until you enter into a test of strength — and wills — in trying to wrestle away the frisbee.  Of course, when that happens, the frisbee ends up the worse for wear and just doesn’t fly as it should when thrown.  Of course, Lindie doesn’t much care.  As long as she can play “tug of war” and then go chase anything that’s thrown, she’s pretty happy.

Recently, while playing frisbee, I wondered how often I do the same thing with my concerns, my burdens, my worries and the Lord.  Oh, not that I’m equating praying like playing frisbee.  No.  But how often do I bring a request — a burden — to the Father … I pour my heart out … I ask Him to give me wisdom and strength and guidance … I ask Him to be in control … I laid that burden down on the altar … and, yet, I refuse to leave it there?  Do I ever enter into a “tug of war” with God when I bring Him my concerns?

How many times do I come to the throne of mercy, lifting my hands up high, with my burdens in their palms?  I say, “Lord, here … please, take this concern.  I can’t do this on my own.  I need Your help.”  I know that God heard me and said He would help me.  Yet, I won’t turn my palms over and let the burden drop to His feet.  Instead, I clutch it all the more tightly to my breast.  “You know … God might not completely understand my situation.  It’s great that I’ve made Him aware of it, but I’m sure He’s going to need me to micro-manage it.  Just to make sure He gets it done right.”

Laying our burdens down at the Master’s feet … and then walking away — empty-handed — is one of the hardest, and most trusting, things we can do.

My earthly father learned that lesson well — years ago.  My Mom had been struggling with cancer for years, coming in and out of remission.  I can’t even fathom at the number of prayers that were reaching Heaven on her behalf.  And, I know, absolutely, that God heard each one.  But I think the one He was waiting for was the one my Dad had to pray, the hardest prayer I think he ever had to bring before the Lord.  One night, after praying for Mom’s healing, faithfully believing in the power of God to heal, he finally said “Not my will, God … Yours be done.”  My Dad took the request for my Mom’s healing and, that night, totally, and completely, left it at the feet of Jesus.

And God decided to grant Mom the ultimate healing … He called her home.

I look back on that time and think of how many times we had prayed for healing.  And there were many instances in which our prayers were answered in miraculous ways.  However, we weren’t really praying for what was best for Mom or what God’s will was.  We were praying — or I was praying — to keep her here with me because I couldn’t bear to let her go.

I brought the burden to God … but refused to lay it at His feet and walk away … trusting that He would do what was best for all.

In His last few hours on earth, Jesus was brought to that same point … would He trust the Father to do the right thing?  As He brought His request to God, would Jesus trust Him enough to leave it at His feet?  Or … would He decide that God didn’t quite “get it” and that He, Jesus, would have to fore-go the cross in order to stay around and make sure that God got it right?  Recall Jesus’ prayer in the garden as He was thinking of His disciples:

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one….My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:11b; 15)

Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross … He could have decided that the group of followers he’d lived with for 3 years needed Him more … needed Him right then.  He had a choice to make … Would He trust God to do the right thing?  Would He lay His burden down at the Father’s feet … and leave it there?

We all know the answer … He did.  He trusted God with His request and Jesus went to the cross and defeated death, providing salvation and life for those would who believe.

When Lindie plays “tug of war” with her frisbee, when she refuses to place it my hands or lay it at my feet, it ends up really frustrating me!  I know that the quicker she gives it to me, the quicker I can honor her request to throw it … letting her soar high to catch it.  (Kinda like on “the wings of eagles.”)  Also, the more she pulls at the frisbee, trying to “tug it away,” the more that frisbee gets nicked and torn.  So that even when I can get it and throw it, it doesn’t quite fly the way it should.

When we refuse lay and leave our requests on the altar, how many blessings do we miss out on?  How many times do we frustrate or grieve the Father?  The question really becomes …

Will you trust God enough to answer the burdens that you bring before Him?

Ponder these words:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1)

God wants to meet our every need … trust Him to do just that.

May everything we say and do be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.