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.

I ride in the same boat . . .

 

 

READ Numbers 10–12

We took a week to celebrate our anniversary. It has been a happy week — until I ate a dessert when I was already stuffed with that special meal and realized this is the basic form of gluttony, one of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and the sin we normally associate with that word. The worst was how I’ve been concerned about a person who is a hoarder . . . another expression of gluttony. Finding out that I am no better takes a hit on my pride.

Today’s reading hits the same topic. The Israelites had been delivered from bondage in Egypt, a picture of deliverance from sin. They were on their way to the land God promised them but began to complain, first about their lot in life and then about the food God provided . . .

And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. (Numbers 11:1–2)

Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Numbers 11:4–6)

Moses took their complaints to the Lord with a compliant of his own. He said, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.” (Numbers 11:10–15)

Here I am complaining to the Lord about another Christian stuck and stunted in his growth because he cannot stop craving for reasons unknown and saves stuff that he does not need nor does anyone else need, filling his house with it and making excuses for it . . . and I often eat what I don’t need and have even complained to God about the burden of this other person because he seems to be hindering answers to prayer, prayer for some of the same things I pray for.

In that wilderness situation, God did two things. First He gave Moses some support by telling him:

Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. (Numbers 11:16–17)

Then God dealt with those who were complaining about their food not being what they wanted:

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?” (Numbers 11:19–20)

However, this desire to have their own way seemed contagious. Moses’ brother and sister began to attack Moses and had to learn the hard way not to complain about his leadership:

And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. (Numbers 12:5–9)

Miriam broke out with leprosy and Moses cried to the Lord to heal her, but He said she must be shamed for seven days outside the camp before being restored. (Numbers 12:13–14)

What is God saying to me? Be careful of judgmental criticism. While discernment is needed to know what is needed, God informs me so I will pray, not so I will look down my nose. I am a sinner also, and need to deal with my own cravings and complaining, my own gluttony that over-indulges. Not only that, I cannot bear any burdens without help because I am just as prone to sin as the people whose sin bothers me. That said, I’m thankful for Isaiah 12:2: “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.” He is amazingly patient with me!

 

Not by my goodness . . .

 

The roadside sign said, “Jesus Saves” and someone added, “So I must be thrifty too.” It would be funny if it were not such a sad understanding of SALVATION.

In the OT, yešûʿâ means “salvation, deliverance, Savior” and is easily seen as the Hebrew version of Jesus. He brought deliverance to His people from bondage in Egypt after which Moses stated, “The Lord had become my salvation.” This noun is used many times of the God who brings salvation, often from physical danger but also from spiritual peril:

Isaiah 12:2. “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 52:7. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ ”

Another noun speaks of physical deliverance also, yet is similarly used for spiritual victory in verses like Isaiah 45:17: “But Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.”

In the NT, both the noun sōtēria and the verb sōzō cover the saving power of God. It is not a salvation that anyone can earn by doing good for “all fall short of the glory of God.” However it is a salvation that changes lives. This is demonstrated in the story of Zacchaeus. When he professed his faith in Jesus and offers to change his entire manner of living, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

Salvation is an event, but far more than a one-time experience. When someone hears the truth and is saved, God brings them into His family, forgives their sin and gives them new life in Christ:

Ephesians 1:13; 2:5; 2:8–10. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit . . . . even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved . . . . For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Even though salvation is a past experience, God works salvation in the present. He tells me to live my new life with fear and trembling as Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” As my salvation, He changed me and He is changing me!

As for the future, Paul indicates “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” meaning that there is more to come of God’s salvation power until that day when I see Jesus face to face and become totally like Him.

1 John 3:2–3. “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Salvation came with that first experience of seeing Jesus for who He is. Every day as I read about Him and study who He is, salvation power is at work in me. One day that salvation work of God will be complete. As Revelation 19:1 says, after this I will hear what seems to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” And I will sing praises to the God of my salvation for all eternity. Amen.