See God {Day 17: The God of Rain}

Rain. 

 

Seems like such an odd thing to be praying for since we are entering a season that tends to be more wet.

 

 So, maybe it is a prayer for the spiritual realm instead of the physical, but the concept comes from a very physical and tangible concept.

God showered it over me:  the former and the latter rain.

I know what you are thinking, "What on earth is the former and the latter rain?!"  Because that was what was running through my head when every verse I encountered had to do with this subject.

James 5:7  "...he hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain."

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 "...if you obey...I will give you the rain of your land in his due season...the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil."

Job 29:23 "And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain."

Proverbs 16:15 "In the light of the king's countenance is life, and his favour is as a cloud of latter rain."

Hosea 6:3  "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD, his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."

Joel 2:23  "He gave the former rain moderately, he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month..."

Jeremiah 5:24  "...neither say they in their heart, let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season, he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

Zechariah 10:1  "Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them the showers of rain, to everyone, grass in the field."

I am not trying to take things out of context...just wanted you to see that this concept is everywhere! 

But, what does it mean?

On a surface and very practical level, the Palestinian area where Israel is located only receives a significant amount of rain a couple of times a year.  The first time is in the autumn months...around September or October.  This rain is for the purpose of preparing the ground for seed to be sown.  It sometimes only comes as a dew, but it softens the ground enough for the seed to take root into the earth.

The next rain comes in the spring, around April or May.  It comes just before harvest time, which occurs around June.  This rain develops and grows the crops so that the harvest will be plentiful.  It is a harder rain than the former rain.

I am not a dummy.  It would require great faith to live in this kind of environment and expect a crop every year. 

Sometimes what is physical for the Jewish people can be spiritual for the church.  So, what would that look like for us?  Why should we be concerned with a concept known as former and latter rain?

Many associate rain with the Holy Spirit (see Is. 44:3-4).  What if rain could be tied to a soul harvest?  If the former rain softens the soil and allows a seed to be planted, then maybe God uses our witness in this way.  God softens a person's soul, waters the seed that has been planted, and a harvest comes later on.

The rains always had to do with a harvest, so if we are going to apply it to our spiritual lives, then we can't forget this!  How might this work for believers?

In Clarke's words, God wants to do two things:
1.  Impregnate the seed when sown
2.  Fill the ear of wheat near the time of harvest (He wants to ensure what was promised.)

How might this apply?

 Here are just a few ways...

 1.  We can ask God to sow an understanding of Jesus and His word...to rain on it til it is manifested in our lives!  (We can ask the Holy Spirit to rain on our talents and gifts and use them for His glory!)

2.  We can look around and see what God is doing in our lives and ask God to send rain to bring about the result (for our family, God has sown a seed for loving the nations and we are asking God to bring rain to show us what to do with that love.)

3.  We can ask God to send rain on our children's souls...that He would soften the ground for salvation, or rain on the Word that has been implanted in their lives...so they will know Him and live their lives to glorify Him.

4.  We can ask God to restore the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2) (Through sin, suffering, and/or trials, things in life may have been stripped away...we can ask God for rain to send a bountiful repayment.)

5.  We can pray for rain to fall on our finances...that what we have will go far...and that if He wants to bless us with more, that it will be used for His purposes and name's sake.

6.  We can pray rain over our church and country.  (We can pray for a turning from sin and a turning to God's pure heart...we can pray that rain might lead to a revival of sorts...a true soul harvest.)

7.  We can pray rain over our friends' wombs and arms that are longing for children...that God would prepare the "ground" and fatten and grow that baby until the "harvest."

What seeds are you desiring to be planted?  They can be spiritual and physical!  Pray for the former rain...to soften and prepare the ground for it to take root...and then pray for the latter rain, expecting God to come through on His promise!

I think Jesus wants us to know that He is our former and our latter rain.  He came softly the first time, as a suffering servant.  But, when He comes again, it will be as the King of Kings, noticeable, and where everyone will witness His glory.  In our lives, He is both, as well....the one who allows things to start, and the one who brings them to completion.  Our alpha.  Our omega.  Our former rain.  Our latter rain.  Our very living water. (Jn. 7:38)

This idea of former and latter rain goes much deeper when dealing with the nation of Israel, but I wanted to focus on the church today. 

What would rain do for you right now?  Pray for rain.  And then you better open that pretty little mouth of yours wide open!
 

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground:

  I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

 and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses."  Isaiah 44: 3-4

See God {Day 16: God our Stone}

 

While sitting in church recently, I plead with the Savior.  Let me see you fresh this week.  There are things I never want to become stale in my life.  His blood.  His beating.  His begging, "Oh Father, please don't make me do this!"

 

As I sat there listening to our pastor, the Holy Spirit allowed one word to fall fresh.  Stone.  "So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb."  Mark 15:46

 

Stone.

 

When God utters something I know I am to delve into, I usually sit and write down what I know.  Then, I go to Bible Gateway and in the keyword search, type in the word or words to see what pulls up.  This time, I typed in stone/rock.  See, I am no genius, everyone including my nine year old could do this!

 

This could be an intense post, because there are a whole lot of references in the Bible to stone and rock!  But, I am praying to keep it simple...but at the same time, to open our eyes to some things that we may never have noticed.  That said, do two things for me before you read further.  1. Don't read until you have some time to think...give those kids a little Halloween candy!  2.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you truth! (I think if you hang with me until the end, you will be blessed!)

 

OK, here we go!  First, here are four verses that reference Jesus as our Stone or Rock:

 

1.  Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just..."

 

2.  1 Corinthians 10:3-4 "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ."

 

3.  1 Peter 2:4-5 "As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

 

4.  Daniel 2:31-35 "You looked, O King, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.  The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.  While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands.  It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.  Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, they silver, and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer.  The wind swept them away without leaving a trace.  But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth."  {This basically says Jesus's kingdom is the only one that lasts!}

 

OK, now that we have a visual of Jesus being our rock, I wanted to show some more verses that should bring us great comfort and courage!  I feel like God gave me a way to break them down...but I couldn't find any resources out there to support this whole thing...so either it is the Holy Spirit, or my crazy post four baby brain.  You pray and decide! Remember, each verse I give will reference either stone or rock.  Here we go again!

 

Jesus is our Source of Water

1.  Numbers 20:7-8 "Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.  You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." {Look above at 1 Cor. 10:3-4...see how it fits?}

 

2.  John 2:6 "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons."  This is the story of Jesus's first miracle...when he changes the water to wine.  Coincidence that stone is mentioned?  I don't think so!

 

Jesus is our Protection

1. Genesis 29:2-3 "There Jacob saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well."

{The stone protects the water from being contaminated and also keeps it from being wasted.}

 

2.  Exodus 33:21-22 "Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by."  {This is where Moses is allowed to see the glory of the LORD.  Notice Moses has to stand on the rock which symbolizes Jesus in order to behold that glory.  Rock of ages, cleft for me...}

 

3.  Daniel 6:17 "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed."  {This is when Daniel is thrown into the lion's den.  At first glance, we see the stone as a hindrance that blocks his way out...but what if instead, it signifies Christ's protection over Daniel?  Just a thought...}

 

Jesus is our Strength, Helper, and Victory

1.  Exodus 17:12 "When Moses's hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.  Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset."  {This is when the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites.  I never noticed before that when Moses got tired, he sat on a stone.}

 

2.  1 Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.  He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us.""  {Ebenezer means 'stone of help.'}

 

3.  1 Samuel 17:50 "So David triumphed over the Philistine (Goliath) with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him."  {How amazing that in verse 45, David says he is coming against the enemy in the name of the LORD...and it is a simple stone that kills the giant.}

 

Jesus is our Foundation

1.  Psalm 40:2  "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." {I love the message version..."He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip.}

 

2.  Psalm 118:22-24 "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.  This the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  {Ps. 118 was said at Passover, so these very words were probably some of the last that Christ said in regard to himself...at the last supper.}

 

3.  Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."  {The Message says it like this:  "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living.  They are foundational words, words to build a life on.  If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock."}

 

Jesus is our Sacrifice

1.  Judges 6:20-22 "The angel of the God said to Gideon, 'Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And Gideon did so.  With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread.  Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread.  and the angle of the LORD disappeared.  When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, 'Ah, Sovereign LORD!  I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"  {I never noticed the sacrifice was placed on the rock.}

 

2.  1 Samuel 6:14-15 "The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock.  The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.  The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.  On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD."  {Again, the sacrifice was placed on a rock.}

 

3.  John 19:13 "When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha.)" {The Stone Pavement is where Pilate handed Jesus over to the Jews to be crucified.  Maybe it is a stretch...but the place where Jesus is sentenced to be our sacrifice takes place on a stone pavement...hmmm.}

 

4.  We know Jesus died on Calvary or Golgatha, which means "place of the skull."  I can't find scripture reference, and I am not saying skull and stone/rock are the same.  But, I did find this on Wikipedia...so take it or leave it.

 

"The rockface: The Rock of Golgotha inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. During 1973–1978 restoration works and excavations inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and under the nearby Muristan, it was found that the area was originally a quarry, from which white Meleke limestone was struck;[20] surviving parts of the quarry to the north-east of the chapel of St. Helena are now accessible from within the chapel (by permission). Inside the church is a rock, about 7 m long by 3 m wide by 4.8 m high,[20] that is traditionally believed to be all that now remains visible of Golgotha; the design of the church means that the Calvary Chapel contains the upper foot or so of the rock, while the remainder is in the chapel beneath it (known as the tomb of Adam). Virgilio Corbo, a Franciscan priest and archaeologist, present at the excavations, suggested that from the city the little hill (which still exists) could have looked like a skull."

 

Jesus is our Identity and Security

1.  Exodus 28:10  In reference to the High Priest's Garments..."There are to be twelve stones (on the breastpiece), one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." {I love that the High Priest was to foreshadow Jesus...Aaron was the first high priest...so read this:  "Aaron will...bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD."  So, we too, are engraved on Jesus and he is constantly interceding on our behalves.  He is our identity and security.}

 

2.  Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."  {Oh, glory!  Up where we belong, in that true home that we can't wait to dwell,  Jesus himself will give us a new name...marked on none other than a stone.}

 

 

I like to think of the stone always pointing to Jesus and his victory.  He is our everything, and the stones throughout the Bible show us this.  He is our water so we will never thirst again.  He is our protection from the enemy.  He is our Ebenezer, or our helper.  He is our very foundation for life.  He is our sacrifice (he came to fulfill the law for us that was written on STONE!)  He is our identity and only security.  He is our everything.

 

He was even victorious over his own death.  Nothing could hold him down because Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  A huge stone blocking his burial site was nothing for him!  He holds all power. 

 

The stone that was thrust aside became a visual reminder of the Victorious Christ (The True Stone) and his victory over everything from sin to death.

 

Will you look to the Stone this weekend and remember?  I hope you experience Him in a fresh way and I would love to hear about it!

See God {Day 15: The God who Cherishes the Fetus}

While studying God's glory (kabod: weight) I came across Exodus 33.  Don't you love it when God will reveal something fresh and deep with a passage that you just think you understand?

It is the all-famous passage where Moses dares ask God to show him His glory.  Spurgeon says it is the 'greatest request that man could ever make to God':  show me your glory! I love how God doesn't reveal His glory at first, but prepares Moses for what His glory is going to look like.

It is as if God is saying "Number one, it will be seen in my goodness (towb:  goodness, beauty, bounty.)"  "Number two, it will be seen in my name (the LORD:  Yahweh.)"  And Number three, it will be in the fact that I am merciful and gracious to whom I want."  (We see that God's glory is evident not just in his mercy and grace but in His sovereignty over whom and how He wants to exercise that.)

So, God prepares Moses for this weighty thing that is about to occur.  But, who of us can ever really be prepared for His Glory?  God knows that it will knock us dead, so he tells Moses that He is going to allow him to stand on a rock...He will hide Him in the cleft of a rock while His glory passes by.  {Another occurrence of JESUS...can I get an amen?} 

Rock of Ages

Cleft for Me

Let Me Hide Myself in Thee

Do you see?  Our weight must be on the rock that is Jesus for us to behold the weight of God's glory!  We stand on Christ alone. Is your house built on the rock?  He is the chief cornerstone.  1 Corinthians 10:4 says "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ."  Jesus is our rock. He is our only hope of beholding God's glory and living to tell about it!

 

In Exodus 33,  God tells Moses what His glory is going to look like.  One of those things is regarding his mercy and grace.  "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."  (Ex. 33:19b)

What I discovered is that the Hebrew word for mercy there is "racham"  which means compassion or the womb or to cherish the fetus in the womb.

If you have carried a baby for any amount of time, then I know this makes your heart pound.  It stirs something deep inside of me to know that God's mercy towards me is similar to how I have felt towards my unborn babies. 
 

Each time was no different.  From the moment I saw the line turn on the tests, something changed inside.  I became fierce.  I became consumed with a whole new level of love.  I was willing to freely give up coke, coffee, and fried food while also being willing to swallow horse pills doctors call vitamins.  My dreams and ambitions became different.  I would do whatever was in my power to protect and care for the child inside.  If I had anything to do with it, the child would live and be guarded from anything evil.
 

I cherished each fetus, looking forward to not only what they were, but what they would become.

I think of a fetus inside of a mother and I think of how utterly vulnerable it is.  It is helpless, totally dependent on the mother for sustenance and life.
 

God is telling us that His great mercy towards us is that of a mother towards her unborn baby.  He sheds His mercy on us because He dreams of what we can be with His grace. 

 

See God {Day 14: God and the Gate}

Today, let's pray for eyes to see God in a fresh way.

In the Old Testament, we are told that anything "unclean" had to reside outside the confines of the camp where the people lived.  If a person had any sort of disease, they were sent outside the camp until they were free of that disease.

In Leviticus 13:45, we see one example of this: 
"The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, Unclean.' He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease.  He is unclean.  He shall live alone.  His dwelling shall be outside the camp." We later learn that for the day of cleansing for the leper, the priest is to go outside the camp where he is to make atonement. 

Did you know that after the bull and goat were sacrificed in the temple for atonement it had to be carried outside the camp where they were burned up? They saw the substitution as now carrying the sin of the people.  Anything unclean had to be outside the gates. (Lev. 16:27)

Can you start to see the type of people that had to dwell outside of the gates and camp?  They were impure.  Corrupt.  Condemned.  Diseased.  Isolated.  Excluded.  A reproach.

This is where my heart stops beating.

Did you know that Jesus was sacrificed outside the gate?   The place of Golgotha was outside the camp, away from the city.

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood."  Hebrews 13:12
The pure and spotless Lamb of God who knew no sin, took on my sin.  He clothed Himself with my shame, corruption, reproach, condemnation, disease, and death.  He had to go where the unclean go.

Don't you see?  Jesus left the gate so that He could become the gate. "I am the gate.  Whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out and find pasture." John 10:9

Can I just stop and say glory?

But the gate theme doesn't stop there!

"Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." Heb. 13:13

Jesus invites us into a story of suffering because He knows it will be the only thing that will make us look more and more like Him. John Piper says that we are to "move toward need, not comfort."  Jesus wants us to willingly give up the security, ease, and comfort of the "city" and go outside the gates to minister to those who need Him desperately.

We are to move towards the unclean.  Diseased.  Corrupted.  Contaminated.  Isolated.  Excluded.  Impure. Rejected.

Jesus endured the cross because there was joy on the other side.  We endure reproach, hardship, suffering, persecution, rejection, and heartache because we know that our "city" is not lasting but we do have one that is coming that will last forever! Now is temporary.  There is forever.  We cast off the love of this world because in the end, this world has nothing to really offer.

"He died so we would be willing to stop trying to make our private lives paradise on earth."  John Piper

I think our American church (as a whole) today somehow resembles being inside of the city gates. In Bible times, after Nehemiah had helped rebuild the city, the gates provided protection and security.  They were the means of entering the city...just as Jesus is our means of entering the salvation and the heavenly city.

I am not here to bash the American Church.  I believe that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the true church of God.  Do I think we have some things messed up?  Yes.  Do we have soul searching and some questioning to do?  Yes.

I think that being part of an American church is like being inside of a privileged city.  It is very comfortable.  We each have access to a Bible, even if it is located in the lost and found.  It doesn't cost us anything.  Even a tithe isn't required by the preacher before we enter the big glass doors.  We get fed and aren't required to feed others. 

It is easy.  It is comfortable.  Goodness, church even looks good on us.  But, I think we are bored out of our minds.

What if Jesus wants to come into our protected little city called the American church and break down the city gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder? 

Just to free us?

Luke 9:23 tells us to deny self.  Take up our cross.  Follow Him.  Follow Him where?  Hebrews 13:13 says that we are to go to Him.  He is outside the camp.  Outside the gates.  Outside the place of privilege.

The Greek word for camp there is "parembole" which means to put between or interpose.  We often want the lost to come into our camp called church...but what if God wants us to go to them? The word camp implies that there is a wall that has been put between us...will we go to them so they can become part of the heavenly city?

What on earth does this look like?

There has to be some sort of quitting of the world.  How do we as Americans quit the world when we look just like it?  Clarke says we have to leave the city and the system and take refuge in Jesus alone. 
I am not telling you to quit church.  God calls us to be part of a community of believers.   What a joy to live in a country that can worship The Beautiful One freely and without fear of being hauled to a dark place of imprisonment!

But, what if we decided to forsake the privileges?  Moses did this!  Hebrews 11:24-27 says "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible."

I think God spiritually cut down the gates of brass and the bars of iron of Pharaoh's house that held Moses from his God-given purpose.  He set him free.

What a sad life of not knowing the One True God...had Moses not left the gates and the privileged camp of royalty.

What if we can know Him, enjoy Him, and worship Him on a whole new level if we will simply go to Him? 

Outside the gates.

What would this look like? What if it could simply mean moving towards the need and away from the comforts?

~We could pray and fast for the lost. (Fasting is not in my comfort zone!)

~We could love on the orphans...providing either a temporary or permanent home.

~We could serve where the outcast live. 

~We could confront a friend who is living in sin. (Confrontation is not in my comfort zone, either!)

~We could move our family to a country that desperately needs to hear about grace.

~We could disciple someone and pass on whatever God has taught us.

~We could buy fewer Christmas presents so we can send more Operation Christmas Child Boxes.

~We could...what is the Holy Spirit whispering right now? Who is full of reproach that you want nothing to do with?

We need to stop hiding from the idea of persecution, hardship, and suffering because Jesus assures us of a very great reward.  It is OK to leave the comfortable gates because one day, we will dwell in a city forever, whose gates will never shut.  Imagine that.  You are always welcome.  Always protected.  You are home.

Revelation 21:25 "And its gates will never be shut by day--and there will no night there."

Jesus left the gate so that He could become the gate. He invites us to leave the gate of ease to join Him in suffering and minister to those who need the gate of grace.  One day, we will live with Him forever in a city that has no need for a sun or a moon because the visible glory of Jesus far surpasses any other form of light.  We will be at home, able to freely go in and out of the heavenly gate because we are sons and daughters of God Himself.

God, give us eyes to see!  How can we live outside the gates?

See God {Day 13: The God who Helps Each One}

He almost mowed me over with his battery operated shopping cart.  He was maybe 82 years old, frail, and alone.  "Excuse me, mam, do you know where the vienna sausages are?"  He pronounced vienna like vie-enna, slow and totally wrong.

I finally found his eyes behind the thick frames.  "No, sir, I don't have a clue."  And it was the pure truth.  Ever since our grocery store did the fancy-pants makeover, I have felt totally lost while hypertension has threatened to consume me every time I enter the doors.

Now, I will admit, the first thing that ran through my good-girl-Christian mind was that I could certainly help him find those blasted vie-enna sausages.  But, fatigue won out.  I had been at church from 7:30-12:30, received horrible news from a friend, still had to grocery shop and later fix some things for a cookout.

The flesh often wins in this battle called life.

So, I breathed easier as he motorized himself down the wider-now aisles thanks to the renovations that I am still bittersweet about.

And then, wouldn't you know it:  I went over a couple of aisles and came face to face with my worst meat farce of a nightmare:  vie-enna sausages.

Rats, I whispered to the Holy Spirit.  Now, I know I have to go track this feeble man down.

I ran into him three aisles over.  "Um, excuse me sir, but I found your vienna sausages.  If you'll follow me, I'll be happy to take you to them." 

He looked at me as if he had never seen me in his life.  And then a little light flickered and he powered up his ride, following me to his beloved sausages.

I led him to the location and then realized I would need to help him get them down.  Apparently keeping vienna sausages on the middle-catch-your-eye attention level wasn't working so well for the grocery marketers of the world.

"I like Libby brand the best.  I'll take two."

I put the small cans of meat in his buggy and told him to have a great day.

I wheeled myself away and then it hit me hard.

He was alone on Father's day.  In a grocery store.  Buying small cans of blended meat product.

 What was his story?  Did he have children?  Were they in town?  Did they care??? 

Why did he only get two cans of meat?  Why this kind of meat?  Is it all he can afford???

Questions ran through my mind and I was struck with why Jesus was always willing to stop and help the one person. 

He knew their stories ran deep.  He knew he could offer a listening ear and redemption.

Tears came easily and I thanked Jesus for the joy that consumed my heart in being able to help one single elderly man find two tiny cans of vie-enna sausages on a lonely Father's Day.

Will you stop today for just one?

See God {Day 12: The God who Plants Seeds}

This morning after trying once again my hand (or, ahem, legs) at running, I plopped my weary and sweaty self on the front porch steps.  I looked over at the gerbera daisies making their appearance and God gently reminded me of a truth I learned a couple of years ago. 

God makes provision for your needs even before you have needs.

Seeds. He is always going before us, planting seeds.

In Genesis, days before He created man, God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.  And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good."

Before God lovingly formed man and breathed life into clay, He made sure that every single necessary provision for the longevity and blessing of mankind was in place.

Perhaps that seems like a no brainer, but do we apply it to our daily circumstances? 

We have a crest of our family name hanging on the wall.  It says, Domini Nostri Praebenda.  The Lord Jesus is our Provision.

He is our provision for daily bread, salvation, mercy during trials, and rest.  We have absolutely nothing without Him. Not even a single breath.

Going forward with this anguishing word called cancer, I know God wants to remind us that whatever we need has already been provided.  The seeds have been planted and the earth is already bringing forth vegetation. We are walking blindly through a dark tunnel, but God is promising that He is already there, providing the right doctors and right treatment.  He is already there, providing friends to pray for us and hold our hands.  He is already there, allowing portions of scripture to jump off the pages and into our weary souls.  He is Jehovah Shammah.  He is there.  And the provision has all been taken care of.  Perhaps the most humbling and beautiful part of it all is that He was planting seeds for our needs before we even knew that we would have such a great need.

What a merciful and good God.

A God who plants seeds.

See God {Day 11: The God who Sings}

One of my favorite set of verses is in Zephaniah.  I love music and I love hearing gifted singers do what God created them to do.  But, the fact that the God of the universe sings over me just about blows my mind apart. 


It makes me wonder what His voice sounds like. One of my favorite male voices is that of the actor, Dale Midkiff,  in the DVD "Love Comes Softly."  His voice is just plain tender. Not tender in a feminine way, but tender in a "I am the most compassionate man in the world and I have come to rescue you" kind of way. I think I could listen to that voice all day long.

It is probably wrong to think of God's voice in human terms, but I still wonder...if He were singing over me, just what would that sound like?

Zephaniah chapter three says:

“14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing’” (ESV).

The KJV says He will "Joy over thee with singing."

On this incredible text, C.H. Spurgeon said:

“I can understand a minister rejoicing over a soul that he has brought to Christ; I can also understand believers rejoicing to see others saved from sin and hell; but what shall I say of the infinitely happy and eternally-blessed God finding, as it were, a new joy in souls redeemed? This is another of those great wonders that cluster around the work of divine grace! … The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him, imperfect though they be. He sees them as they are to be, and so he rejoices over them, even when they cannot rejoice in themselves. When your face is blurred with tears, your eyes red with weeping, and your heart heavy with sorrow for sin, the great Father is rejoicing over you. The prodigal son wept in his Father’s bosom, but the Father rejoiced over his son. We are questioning, doubting, sorrowing, trembling; and all the while he who sees the end from the beginning knows what will come out of the present disquietude, and therefore rejoices. Let us rise in faith to share the joy of God.” (sermons from 1837, #1990)

If you are waiting quietly for Him with expectation and prayer, He is singing over you. If you are trusting even though it seems like you don't have a reason to, He is singing over you. If you are returning to Him after a long drought of doing things on your own, He is singing over you.

He personally delights in you and one day you will hear Him audibly sing a love song over you.

Did you know that Jesus is the exact representation of God and that we can find Him singing as He walked this earth? 

In Matthew 26, Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.  It is the last time his close followers will ever enjoy a meal with Jesus.  Verse 30 says they sang a hymn together and then immediately went out into the mount of Olives where their friend and savior would be arrested and later killed.

I wonder what kind of courage it took for Jesus to sing a hymn to God, knowing what lay ahead in the next few hours. He shows us that worship is the right response even when the future seems bleak and we would rather run away from God's plan.

I wonder what kind of song was coming out of His Father's mouth as His one and only Son hung upon that tree? It had to be equal parts victory cry and tender sob as the plan for redemption was unfolding.

God Almighty sings over you. Bend your ear and listen...

See God {Day 10: The God of Jacob}

The God of Jacob is my God.  I don't know whether to be embarrassed or totally relieved over this fact.  I am leaning towards relief, but I am telling you, the Jacob I see on the pages of Genesis is not really someone I want in my spiritual genealogical line.

Or is he?

I see a man who from the womb was itching to pick a fight and have his own way.  He conspired with his mother in order to manipulate his father into giving him the family blessing.  He tricked his father in law, Laban.  Time and time again, I see a man who is a cheat.  A liar.  An arrogant manipulator.

And, then, I realize why it is called grace.

God had chosen Jacob to be a Patriarch of this great nation, Israel.  God had declared that His blessing would indeed flow through Jacob's line.  God's grace allowed this despite Jacob's character.  But, God's grace didn't leave Jacob to that ugly character.

Yes, that is the God I want to worship and be aligned with.  A God of infinite care and grace.  I want to worship a God who won't leave me in my ugly and vast pit of striving and selfishness.

So, in Genesis 32, we start to see God call Jacob out of this ugly self-preservation and pride.  He has allowed Jacob to leave his deceitful father in law.  He has prospered him with children and flocks.  He has called him back to Bethel, the House of God, the place where Jacob saw the ladder and the angels ascending and descending.  He is reminding Jacob of who he is.

But, first, he must deal with his double heart.
Jacob leaves one enemy but is faced with another. He is camped between two people that he has deceived in the past.  The first thing he sees is a host of angels.

What?  That is not what I was expecting...how about you?  Once again, we see God's grace.

God takes the veil off of his eyes for a temporary moment and Jacob beholds not one army of angels, but two.  Jacob names the place "Mahanaim" which in Hebrew means "double camp." 

My heart beats faster and I wonder why it is a double camp he is allowed to see...why not just one single camp of angels?  Isn't one camp enough when God's mighty warriors are involved?

I can't get three ideas out of my head.

1.  Jacob had two adversaries:  Laban and Esau.  He was sandwiched right between them.  Perhaps God wanted him to know He was sufficient for all his troubles.

2.  Jacob had two wives and therefore, two camps of families.  Maybe God wanted Jacob to know that He would be providing double assistance for his double portion of responsibility.

3.  Jacob still had a divided heart.  Maybe God wanted to show him that he had two camps in his inner being...one that acknowledged God and the other that looked to self for provision. 

Mahanaim...double camp

Call me a tad shocked after Jacob is allowed to see the heavenly hosts in all their glory...all two camps of them and resorts back to his old ways.

Or am I shocked?  Am I not the same?

Right after the heavenly vision, Jacob resorts immediately back to fear and taking matters into his own hands.  Instead of resting in God's protection and plan, Jacob frets, divides his people into two camps, and schemes his own plan.

Do you see a theme here?  God shows us a double portion of His glory and instead of walking in faith, we cower in fear and divide.  Anytime we choose unbelief, we will take matters into our own hands which leads to division with God, stripping ourselves from intimacy with Him.
 
But, God doesn't leave Jacob in that place.  Once again, we are reminded that our God wants to change our character.  He wants to offer us life and change our very names.

Mahanaim...double camp

God wants to show Jacob what is in his heart, so He enters into a wrestling match with him.  If Jacob is to return to Bethel, the House of God, the place of intimacy and communication with God, then He is going to have to have his old character stripped away.

Currently, Jacob claims to know God, but He has some major trust issues.  His heart is in a double camp.  He is walking in the flesh and claiming to serve Jehovah.  He is battling the supernatural vs. the natural.  Faith vs. flesh.  A life walked in the Spirit vs. a life walked in Striving.

I am glad the God of Jacob is my God.

God wants Jacob in His camp.  Solely.  Not God's camp and Jacob's camp, but God's camp.  Period.

There are a million trillion things that can be said about this wrestling match.  I want to mention just two.  First, God forces Jacob to say his own name.  The last time Jacob was asked his name was probably when he deceived his father and told him it was Esau, not Jacob.  In saying his name, Jacob comes face to face with his ugly character.

After God shows Jacob who he is, he doesn't leave him there.  He shows Jacob who He is.  A God willing to bless.  A God willing to rename.  A God willing to show off his gracious character...his very face.  "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (face of God): for I have seen God face to face (paneh:  the face, as the part that turns) and my life is preserved." Gen. 32:30

Jacob saw the Face that turned Jacob into Israel.  He saw the Gracious God who not just spared his life, but turned him from a supplanter and deceiver....one who manipulates and schemes...into a man who will rule as a prince of God...for the glory of God.

What is your Mahanaim?  What is your double camp?  Do you have two adversaries?  Two huge responsibilities?  Two portions of your heart that should beat together as one?

The God of Jacob has a double camp of warriors ready to assist.  He is the God I want to worship.

The God of Jacob is my God.

See God {Day 9: The God of Conquest}

The wilderness wanderings were finally over for the Israelites.  After years and years of it, I wonder if it had become comfortable.  The new normal.  A whole generation only knew of the wilderness.  The manna.  The constant life of a nomad. 

And then Moses died.

It was time for Israel to embark upon a new season of life.

It was time for action.  War.  Conquest.  Taking hold of God's promises.  Comfort had to take a back seat so that the warrior side of each man could rise to the surface.

God had promised them land.  Land that supposedly belonged to others.  The Israelites could only proceed with faith in a God that said He would personally drive out the enemies that occupied their land. 

The conquest recorded in Joshua required a Holy Dance between Jehovah and His people.  God promised, the people followed the rhythm with actual steps, God showed off, and the Israelites gave credit to the Master Choreographer.

His promise never negates our responsibility of action.

God wouldn't even part the waters of the Jordan until the Priests had entered the river with their feet.  The river was filled to the brim at flood stage, impossible for a huge group of people to swim across.  I wonder what was going through their minds at that moment. 

What mattered is that they entered the waters no matter what was going through their minds.  Their faith was tested.  And God proved faithful.  He always does.

Once on dry ground, the people of Israel were now referred to as a nation.  They had stepped onto their Promised Land, and they were now a nation, not just a group of wanderers.  God's promise to Abram in Genesis 12:2 that says He was going to make Israel a great nation had just come to fruition.

We, too are part of a nation.  The Kingdom of God.  Once washed in the purifying blood of the Lamb, we become citizens of Heaven.  A royal priesthood.  A holy nation set apart to declare the praises of the One who called us out of darkness.

Back to the Israelites.  The new generation was circumcised.  The Passover was celebrated.  The new way of life was about to begin.  The manna stopped.  The day after the new nation ate of the produce of their new land, the manna stopped.  God's timing of provision is perfect.
 
Conquest was about to begin.  Jericho.  Ai.  City after city fell.  Utterly wiped out.  God gave the victory, but man had to enter into the fight.

You wonder if Joshua and the chosen nation of God got comfortable.  Perhaps they entered into a new normal.  Because in chapter 13, the Lord tells Joshua, "You've had a good, long life, but there is a lot of land still to be taken.  This is what remains..."

Joshua must have taken the Lord at His word, because he later asks the people, this new nation, how long they are going to sit around on their hands, putting off taking possession of the land that GOD, the GOD of their ancestors, had already given to them.  (Joshua 18:3, the Message)

The Lord had fulfilled all His good promises to His people.

How were they going to respond?

How will we respond?

Will we go forward and possess what has already been given to us?

What does this look like?

What do we possess that we won't take hold of?

If Christ is our primary inheritance, what keeps us from enjoying and partaking of Him fully?

Perhaps we are overcome with fear as we see walled cities and giants on our land.

Maybe God wants us to ask Him one simple question:  "In my life, what land remains to be taken?"

God wants us to do as Caleb did.  Despite the fact that he is 85 years old, he marches up the mountain of Kiriath-arba and overcomes the Anakim.  He takes down the giants.  The land had been promised to him long ago.  He waited 45 years for it.  And his age was not going to be his deterrent. 

He changes the name of Kiriath-Arba to Hebron.  Hebron means Communion.  Friend.  Association.  Life.

He renames it life because Caleb knew one thing:  There is life when we take possession of our land.

See God {Day 8: The God who Delights in Creating Man in His Own Image}

While going through the most trying and heart wrenching time of my life, God introduced me to photography.  He would use it to help do a work of healing in my life.  I started to long to see God's face and character in the very people He created.  He gave me a new passion six years ago...to capture the essence of each person that reflects the glory of God Himself.  Linger through the images and see a small glimpse of the glory of the Creator. He created you in His very image...and that brought Him pleasure!

 

 

 

 

 

You are created in the beautiful image of God.

He delights in the fact that you reflect His glory!

See God {Day 7: The God of Rest}

 

My mind has been a playground. A playground that has left me fatigued and spent after the thoughts have run around and around the Spin-A-Bout, afterwards only to fling the rest of me onto the hard concrete wondering which way is up.

My mind is weary from all of the anxiety. A father in law with stage 4 cancer, a dad with blood clot issues, and a schedule that just won't let up.
 

In the classic story of Mary and Martha, I am reminded that when Martha didn't choose the one thing that was truly necessary...sitting at the feet of Jesus, then she was left worried and upset. Beth Moore says "upset" is "turba" in Greek and means "crowded."
 

That has been my mind. It is crowded. Crowded with many ideas that don't know which way is up. Crowded to the point of exhaustion, anger, and unbelief. Ideas that aren't bad in and of themselves, but have become a root of sin as I have tried to take control and become obsessed with how to proceed with them.

I read a verse that made me thirsty. I want it in my life! Psalm 94:12-13 says "How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your Word, providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil, while a jail is being built for the wicked."

I want to trade the crowd for a circle of quiet.

I think I know the way back to that. It is like going home.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..."

"Be still and know that I am God..."

"Know that the LORD is God..."
 

"Commit your way to the LORD and trust in Him..."

When I was at the zoo, I saw a pelican going from a state of work to a state of rest. I was just simply amazed! It wasn't like I had never seen a bird at rest, with their necks doing a 180 as they tuck their beaks into their feathers. I think it caught me off guard because I was standing about 2 feet away from him. He was oblivious to the crowd around him and decided it was time to rest. And, so he did.

Apparently, this method of rest is called the "Wing Tuck" method. The birds rest their heads on their backs while they nuzzle their beaks into their back feathers (which acts as a pillow) and allows them to rest their neck muscles and tends to help them conserve heat.

It reminds me of the verse that says "under his wings you will find refuge."

It struck me as hilarious that when my "beak" or mouth is hidden beneath His feathers, I can no longer spout off words of insecurity, confusion, anxiety and unbelief. My desire for control has basically been muzzled.

I so long for a circle of quiet to replace the crowd. I lay every single burden at the foot of your cross and choose to rest.