Up and Down Days

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. . . . (Micah 5:2–5)

Yesterday was up, then down. A couple of nice surprises encouraged me. Then circumstances with others pulled me down as it seemed my prayers for certain people would never be answered. Yet last night I asked for sleep without anxiety and received it. This morning I asked for encouragement and the above passage popped up. God promises the One who would come and be my peace, turning my thoughts to the power of Jesus. He is my peace. Another passage reminds me that my inner joy does not depend on outer circumstances. Paul wrote this from prison:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. . . . Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:8;11–13)

Many times this passage is interpreted to mean that God will give me the ability to do whatever task that faces me, but “doing all things” is not about accomplishments because the context says it means having a deep confidence that God is in control and being content no matter the circumstances. 

It helps to know people who think positively like this, not that they can do everything but that their attitude of deep contentment overrides whatever is going on in their lives. Our friend BT was a great example. He had more reasons to be discouraged than anyone I know. He recently went home to Jesus, and I miss him and that “I’m fine” attitude that was totally genuine. Life is full of lemons yet he always poured out sweet lemonade, not a pollyanna happy-happy, but a deep joy in Jesus and His gift of thinking praiseworthy thoughts rather than ‘poor me’.

My mom is missed too. Her attitude, even into Alzheimers, was “I must need it or I would not be getting it.” That means that God wants me to see the lack of godliness in those I love? Is this to show me more about the attitude of God toward them? Or more about my need to trust what I cannot see? 

Micah wrote more and these words tell me to keep waiting and keep praying:

Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (Micah 7:5–7)

Micah says the worst yet kept his focus on the promises of God. He tells me not to trust what my eyes tell me, and look to the Lord when it seems that liar who is our enemy is in control.  

Lord God, so often I just want to hide from the ugliness around me and the messy news and all that makes me sad. Thinking excellence is deeply challenging when the ugly messiness is nearer than a TV newscast. Instead of escaping, deepen my faith in You and deepen my prayer life so that I can be content even when Your will and my wants seem to oppose one another. Your goodness is far deeper. I need to trust You more, even when it seems like You are not hearing my heart cries. Deepen my faith.

 

God’s ways are not our ways. . . .

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom. (1 Kings 11:9–14)

Trials are part of life. Some of them are allowed to test my faith and build it, making me more mature:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

In contrast, some trials are God's way of chastening me for errors in my thinking that are rooted in selfishness. Both are important activities of God as He uses everything for my good, that I might be more like Jesus.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

Those trials to correct are almost always a surprise. I didn’t realize that I was wrong (stubborn and stupid?) but this was not the case for Solomon. He was warned about idolatry and did it anyway. This meant severe chastening from an enemy that had previously escaped death when David and his army of men destroyed the people of Edom.

In some ways, this Edom/Israel is a centuries-old conflict. Edom is where Esau lived, the twin of Isaac who had little interest in God or godliness. For generations, the descendants of these two men have been in conflict. If they are seen as types, they would point to the Christian battle between flesh and Spirit, a war often at the root of struggles in my life and a war often involving idols — or to put it bluntly, a war between me, myself and I and the Spirit of God. The only way to win it is by yielding my I wants to the will of God. 

Solomon started out by yielding to God, but was turned aside by idols. Ironically, Hadad was also the name of an idol, and of several kings of Edom. God was using this enemy to chasten this ‘wise’ king. Could it be that a trial to rebuke me is somehow connected to the reason I need the rebuke?

Jesus, Your wisdom and understanding always seem to use the events of life to match up and speak to my needs, even to use as shaping and correcting me. I am amazed at You, and even rejoice that You can use enemies to glorify Yourself in the lives of Your children. I’m glad that nothing is impossible for You.

Fearing God?

 

The last few days have been emotional for me. I’ve been reading Charnock’s incredible descriptions of God’s sovereign power at the same time as the OT prophets. For some reason, my focus has been negative when it should not be. The previous section of Charnock’s book was about the goodness of God and I was reading the Psalms and Proverbs. Today this verse challenged my negativity:

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)

Fearing God is not about being fearful of the unpleasant things He could do. Instead, it is being so in awe of Him that He is trusted completely. I might not understand His ways, but this verse says that having that kind of fear means He will give me greater understanding of what He is doing, particularly regarding His covenant promises for His people. 

He wants holiness in my life and may use unpleasant circumstances to deal with anything that should not be in my thoughts or actions, yet when He works that way, the results are worth any pain I might experience. I need not fear my heavenly Father with dread, but with anticipation.

That said, one of the minor prophets heard from God that He was going to use Assyria to punish Israel and Babylon to punish Assyria and Judah. Habakkuk’s question was how can God use a wicked nation for His divine purposes? God judges all nations eventually and this didn’t seem to fit His nature. However, this prophet was able to say, “the righteous shall live by his faith” and those words are later quoted several times in the NT.

For me, this fear I’ve been feeling gets a smack on the side of my head. Instead of dreading what God could do, I need to remember His promises and that He uses all things for my good, not to harm me.

One of the other OT prophets also gives me a kindly smack with this:

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. (Zephaniah 2:3)

The ‘perhaps’ could put more negative fears in my mind, but the promises of God and the words of Habakkuk remind me that God wants my attitude to be in awe of His power but also to be in awe of His desire to protect and keep safe those who humbly rely on Him. In this world it seems those who are evil are being used to wake up the people of God to a deeper trust and obedience. This prophet’s attitude is to be ours, to be mine, rather than letting all the bad news scare me:

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17–19)

One more passage speaks to the current attitude of many who claim faith yet are not cooperating with God to build up His church. I am thankful for all that is good in our church, yet see the needs of many who have become complacent. The OT prophets reveal this from God about a need in the lives of His people then, and perhaps even now:

“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. (Haggai 1:4–6)

PRAY: Oh Lord, too often we pray for our comfort level to be preserved and not so much that Your family (also called the household of God) is built up and godly. Jesus, this concerns me, but also applies to me. It is not right to withdraw into a fearful ‘what happens next’ mood rather than share the confidence that You alone give. Even if the world falls apart, You can enable me to walk in high places and have joy in You and Your power to make good out of what seems entirely negative. So I give You my anxieties about a world with so much brokenness, ongoing threats of terror, and increases in illness and drug use. I cannot add one minute to my life through fear but can ruin my life through trying to carry burdens You alone can carry. Change my “what if” thinking into praise that You, my loving God are in control. 

Wait and see that God is good…

   

These days I’m more verbal about God’s purposes for trials. From the beginning, He taught me that He uses them for good. At first I thought that meant ‘feel good’ or comfort, but then learned it was the good of being transformed into the image of His Son:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

That doesn’t always feel good, at least the process. I’m reading the story of Joseph, a story that is such a blessing as long as it is read to the end. Joseph’s life was not comfortable for many years. He’d been pampered at home, and that could have ruined him, but God had other ideas. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery and although he did well wherever he landed, he was mistreated. But he was also aware. In the end, when he rescued his family from famine and his brothers expected retaliation for what they had done, he said to them:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

Without that ending, it would seem that people, circumstances, and even the Lord was against Joseph, but somehow he knew that his Father in heaven had better plans for him. He had been the favorite of his father, hated by his older brothers, a victim of false teaching, put into prison, but wound up second in command of Egypt!

All of this was preparation, as the prophet later said, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” (Lamentations 3:27)

This makes me think of my trials when younger. I spent much time in a hospital bed, didn’t get to school with others until grade seven, learned to love being alone, but later married an alcoholic who had many heart-breaking faults. As women often do, I blamed myself and that led me to seek something better. Then Jesus, the greatest ‘better’ came into my life. However, I married an unsaved man without realizing this was not a good idea. I spent ten years wondering if God would ever change Him, not realizing that He was changing me.

There is more in this story, but reading Joseph’s story helps me see what God was doing in all the dark places, in the more than thirty moves, in the trials of raising children, and many struggles learning what it means to walk with God instead of trusting myself, I saw how God was using this for my good.

Now I do not look at trials with fear or dread or suspecting God has forgotten me. I can also urge others to embrace what they are learning or will learn about Him from what He will do in their dark situations. We do question God when His ways seem strange or do not make sense, but that is only because our focus is on the problem rather than on our mighty and gracious Savior. He knows what good He will do even when we cannot see it yet. Instead of praying, “Take this away” it’s a good idea to pray, “Surprise me” and wait. As the psalmist says: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)

PRAY: Jesus, I know that many of Your people are struggling, not only with world events but also personal distresses, relationship issues, finances, all sorts of things. May all be encouraged and look to You, and even learn to say, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) whether we can see it yet or must wait for a while longer.

Thankful for ALL things?

Yesterday’s thoughts are still with me this morning. God tells me to follow Him like one of His children should, then gives a list of what this means in ordinary life…

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:1–21)

This passage starts with therefore because the previous passage is about what God has done for me, including forgiveness of my sin. He has given me the ability to turn from sinful things and names many of them, then tells me to be filled with His Spirit which often includes a song in my heart and that I will be thankful for everything.

Reading that again makes me realize that if I am not thankful then I am not filled with Him but full of my sinful self, that old nature that wants what I want and quickly forgets that only God knows what I really need. And like bad news from my doctor and the resulting painful cure, I need to be thankful for whatever He uses to fix my broken and stubborn attitudes and behaviors.

In changing to more accurate imitation of God, starting small seems the best idea. Instead of griping when I sew a wrong seam, or my computer acts contrary to my wishes, or I burn my toast, I can find reason to be thankful for a good sewing machine and the ability to rip out an errant seam, thankful for a computer that saves me hours of time and give access to many resources, and the fact that there is more bread in the pantry to try again.

PRAY: Jesus, I so easily complain about such little things, yet if I cannot be thankful for the least of them, I will never be able to see Your goodness in the ALL things, including painful experiences and sad events. Fill me with Your Spirit for I need You to be thankful, but also enable me to have an eternal perspective that looks for ways to be like You even while I’m here living in time and in this very messy world. Open my eyes to see You — in everything, no matter what!

Whatever it takes…

 
Realizing that God is totally sovereign and that everything that happens to me is part of His plan for my life makes possible the reason and ability to give thanks in all things. That is, even the most disagreeable event of life is a bearer of blessing. If I look beyond the pain and discomfort, God is apt to reveal to me the good He has in mind in allowing it.

Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. (Psalm 119:90–91)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

I’ve wondered about the will of God when I see so much evil in the world, and even more, when I see my own sinfulness. Yet I’ve missed many messages from Him because they were wrapped in ugly packages or delivered by unkind people. Most of the opposite idea involves teaching about God's goodness and that He desires my comfort. With that, I complained about the rough stuff and do not hear what God was saying to me.

Yet some years ago, and with other believers, we began praying for the salvation of unsaved loved ones using the phrase “whatever it takes” even as we realized this was a dangerous way to pray. We knew that God could bring disaster into their lives to alert them to their need for Jesus. Even so, it took me a long time to realize that I also may need disaster to expose my selfishness and to realize how little I depend on the Savior.

Today’s reading says “welcome every event of life as God’s servant bringing me something from Him, to overlook the disagreeableness of the messenger in the joy of the message, and to forget the hurt of the trial in the sweetness of the blessing it brings.”

The example is Paul. He wrote:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)

I learned the same thing — that it is good to be weak and that is when God’s goodness shines brightest. What I’d missed is thinking about the thorn in the flesh. I saw it as a messenger from Satan to keep me from being strong in the Lord, but didn’t see it also as a messenger from God to tell me that I needed His sufficient grace rather than removal of the thorn or a cure for the discomfort or even rest from the agony it was producing in me. He allowed the thorn to be put there — remember, all things are His servants, even thorns. Even the evil one cannot do anything without His permission (read Job 1-2).

PRAY: Jesus, I cannot be thankful for my sinful failures but I can be thankful that You use even them to show me how much I need You and how much You love me and want me to live for You… whatever it takes.

Hear it, Learn it, Do it . . .

God continually amazes me. Yesterday I had an appointment at the Pacemaker clinic for a regular checkup. I got there in time but the large parkade was full. I drove around it twice hoping to catch a space, but to no avail. So, I returned to the street, drove half a block to the Emergency lot. It was full too, but as I turned to leave, a large white truck left ahead of me, so I took his spot. Already late for my appointment, I ignored the payment machines thinking if I get a ticket, at least I will make my appointment. I ran.

The check-in process was quick, and I didn’t even sit down before my name was called. The orderly took me to the clinic, and within a couple a minutes, the technician called me in for the procedure. After telling me my pacemaker was working perfectly, I said something about God and this man responded to talk about his faith. We spent nearly half an hour sharing stories and praising the Lord. It was lovely. Then I returned to my car — no ticket.

Today’s devotional is about the power of Scripture to give God’s people what we need to guide our thoughts and actions. My first response is that God can use anything to teach me what I need to know — namely that He can grant my prayers for a parking space, but He can also say no because He has a better plan. With a staff of rotating technicians, He wanted me to talk to the right one, the blessing of rich fellowship with another Christian that I may have missed had I got there on time.

We learn by experience, yet without God’s teaching, my attitude would have far less calm when things were not going well. Because of this, I totally agree that:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

Without knowing the Bible, I may have pounded my fists on the steering wheel, been totally upset to be late, and too crabby to chat or discover a fellow believer who encouraged my faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture teaches me that God works all things together for my good, and getting hyped is not it.

There are no Bible verses about full parking lots and nearly missing important appointments. However, the Holy Spirit lives in me and the anointing that I received from him abides in me, and I have no need that anyone should tell me how to react to minor upsets and what to do about them. His anointing teaches me about everything and is always true. He never lies to me. I can trust and abide in Him. (1 John 2:27)

Not only that, I have the mind of Christ. I do not need to let my fears and foibles ruin my ability to think or misunderstand God, or be upset with Him, or in foolishness teach Him what I want Him to know! (1 Corinthians 2:16)

Yet there is warning in Scripture too. Having the ability to understand spiritual truth doesn’t guarantee I will obey what I know. God said to the Israelites through His prophet Hosea:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)

In the revelation God gives of Himself, it is vital to realize, believe, and totally trust that He wants the best for His people. Disobedience demonstrates that I don’t know or don’t believe that. As MacArthur says, there are many who lament that they could have avoided much grief if only they had known the Bible more thoroughly — if only they had taken the time to learn what God expected of them in a particular situation. The only way to avoid that mistake is to saturate my mind with biblical truth and discipline myself to do what He says.

PRAY: Jesus, You never fail me. Even when I thought You would supply my need (for a parking place) You had a better plan and used the delay to create a situation for Your glory. Now we have a big day ahead of us and my prayer is that You will use the circumstances we face to draw us closer to You and to be glorified in our lives and the lives of those around us.

PONDER: Sometimes it is good to think of negatives, of what I would do if I didn’t know what the Bible said about many things. Tonight, we will be in a situation calling for wisdom and compassion. I need the mind of Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be able to do what God wants. I also need to be alert to my own ignorance and inability so I will say or do foolish things, but consciously rely on Jesus.