Be careful what you pray for. . . .

And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” ’ ” But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” (Numbers 11:18–23)

Just after Christmas I prayed asking the Lord to help me lose some weight. Shortly after that, I became ill and didn’t feel like eating for days on end. This affected my sweet tooth also, and I didn’t even want the 59 chocolates that had been gifted to me. Of course I lost weight. Also, a month off sweets seemed to kill that addiction. I’ve laughed and told my friends to be careful what they pray for…

The people of Israel liked the food they had in Egypt, even though they were in bondage there. When they whined about missing that food and were sick of eating simple manna, God gave them the meat they craved to the point of being sick of it.

I’m thinking of the parallel to Christian life. Those who follow Jesus sometimes get caught up in wanting stuff that does not fit with our profession of faith or the principles of living as God’s family. It might be an obsession to collect stuff, from salt shakers to luxury cars. It might be having the best and latest stereo or computer equipment. It could be a hobby or a sport. Not that these things are sinful (certainly eating meat is not necessarily a sin) but if they draw me or any of God’s people away from faith or away what God wants for us, it is a problem. He may correct it in a surprising manner!

Over-eating, whether it is sweets or just too much food,  is not good for my health. God desires to bless me with good health and has done so for many years. Bad habits in that or any other issue is not from Him.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

If I am filled with the Spirit, not filled with a pile of “I-wants” then God is at work in me and His life shows up. No self-control reveals that I have put Him aside and living as if my desires are more important that His will. Not only that, the other ‘fruit’ is missing, including love, joy, and peace.

Jesus, it bothers me when I see a brother or sister in Christ moping or suffering or complaining, as if God has forgotten them even though the opposite is usually the explanation. Selfishness can rob me from Your goodness. You can overcome that and sometimes do it by letting me have my way only to find out that it is not at all going to be a blessing. I thank You that You know exactly how to deal with my fleshy ways so that I don’t crave anything but being in a right relationship with You.

Cause and Effect

If I eat too much salt, my feet swell. If I watch violent movies, I might have nightmares. Today’s reading reminds me that God is not punishing me, only showing me the consequences of foolish choices. The world and the human psyche work in certain ways. He knows that and tells us to live accordingly. He is not saying ‘My way or the highway’ but ‘do this and live well’ because He wants the best for us. The devotion writer puts it this way:

If a man eats unsuitable food, he will have indigestion. An ignorant person may say that it was the wrath of God that brought on his indigestion, but we who understand the laws of health know that his indigestion is simply the result of the unsuitable food he has eaten. Similarly the sickly spiritual condition of so many Christians is not, as they sometimes think, a direct infliction of God’s displeasure but is simply and only the necessary consequence of the unsuitable and indigestible spiritual food on which they have been feeding.

Good parents think like this. If we know the ‘rules’ of nutrition and the effects of suitable food, we feed our kids a balanced diet, not candy, pop, and potato chips. They might want those things and some children throw temper tantrums at the checkout when mom will not grant them a treat from the shelves beside the till, but the child who trusts mom’s judgment is okay with a loving NO. This is how I am supposed to respond to the will of God, even the parts that restrict my I-wants and tell me that I cannot indulge. Does He not know what is best for His creation?

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:1–6)

Of course His knowledge is too wonderful for me and I cannot attain it. My IQ and all the advice and research done in the world does not even come close to the intimate knowledge of God concerning every person on earth. He knows what I need and knows what will harm me. My part is like the child who trusts mom when she says NO.

We left on holidays just over a week ago. The Lord put it in my head to stop eating desserts and other sugary food during this time. I have a sweet tooth that I blame on habit; growing up on a farm, we always had dessert. However, I sensed this was God's idea and good for me. The surprise? Despite eating in restaurants and lots of visuals with sweet stuff, I have not had any desire to eat it. This is the power of God for my good.

The same principle helps with shopping. We are at a location where prices of everything we see is half or less than what we pay at home. Besides that, it all looks good, appealing to my delight in well-designed whatevers. However, the Holy Spirit nudges me constantly regarding need, never mind the size of my suitcase. His desire for my good does not include adding more stuff when He now has me in a stage of simplifying life. I’m to be purging, not collecting or hoarding — and this too is for my well-being. He wants me to guard my wallet as well as my waistline.

PRAY: In this place, temptations abound. Yet I realize Jesus, that Your Spirit can keep me contented with obeying You, regardless of what gets dangled before me. Besides, You are replacing anything I might covet with other wonders, like deer in the backyard, squirrels playing tag under the trees, birds of all colors singing to You, and answers to prayers for seemingly impossible situations. You are almighty God, yet You know and care about even my thoughts and are always guiding me because You want the best for me — me, a sinner saved by grace. Such a wonder!

 

Another new path

2 Kings 24; Psalm 143; Joel 3; Hebrew 6

I have a flip chart of recipe cards on rings. Each card has a focus thought for the day, basically to help my scattered mind meditate on truth from God. Most of them contrast spirit-filled attitudes with selfish sinful attitudes. Sometimes they say exactly what I need to hear that day.

This morning, the card that came up was entitled: “HUMILITY vs. Seeking Honor” with the further instruction to, “Recognize and honor God and others who are responsible for my achievements and victories.” Along with this are the following verses:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10)

I’d done something yesterday hoping for a pat on the back. I didn’t get it. However, God helped me honor those who had accomplished the same goal. This morning, God reminded me that I must continually seek His honor and glory, not my own. Doing this begins with first and always seeking His guidance each day:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

A book I’m reading exhorts me to think more deeply about the truths that God brings each day. Humbling ourselves isn’t popular. Few people do it well or do it at all, mainly because starting the day at the feet of Jesus is a discipline, as is giving over to Him control of the path I walk, never mind figuring out what that path looks like and how to take the necessary steps.

The prayer is like this: “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” (Psalm 25:4) with this incentive to do it: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14) yet the motivation is elusive. Most people, including myself, have a daily routine that is necessary. My responsibilities and chore lists beg the question, “Why seek God’s way for doing stuff that I know how to do?”

One verse from today’s readings hit me with a few ideas for both humbling myself and seeking His ways:

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:8)

First, the love of God tells me that His way will be best for me. I can trust Him to guide me in a path that is good, profitable, fruitful, and joyful.

Second, I trust Him. Can I say that and continue to do my own thing? Trust is expressed by seeking what He wants for me; it is not about doing what I do out of habit or self-reliance.

Third, He must make His way known to me. I read last night about a man who God taught to worship while he was changing diapers. It was unusual but brought joy to him rather than resentment in the task. I’ve much to learn and need God to make it known!

Fourth, this involves lifting my soul up to Him and here is where the humility comes in even more. I’ve learned that the human soul is about intellect, emotions and volition. When I was unsaved, those faculties were governed by external things and I-wants. As a believer, my soul is brought under the power and leading of my regenerated spirit and the Spirit of God. However, this is a choice. That is, I can rely on my own understanding, or trust in the Lord — whose ways are higher than my ways. I can let emotions rule or let the Lord God rule my emotions. I can choose my own way or follow the ways of God.

Making these choices takes commitment and determination but also practice. It requires dropping pride in my own abilities — meaning humility. It means saying and thinking that God knows better, consciously and deliberately, rather than habitually going about my day without considering His way for those chores that have been habitually performed for many years.

APPLY: Meditation on what God says, lots of thought about how this works. Follow through. Pray about everything instead of praying about those things that seem to need prayer — which would mean forming a new habit. Humbling means realizing that I know nothing about the ways of God when it comes to many daily duties. Again, life with Jesus is an adventure, always into new territory and always making me realize how little I know about Him — and myself.