God’s ways. . . .

This past few days have me thinking about many things. One of them is the faith of two refugee families. They love the Lord and are so joyful to be in this country with the freedom to worship Jesus Christ. We are delighted to be their friends.
 
I’m also thinking of Charlie Kirk. The news media makes this a political issue but those who know Jesus and know what the Bible says, are saying that what killed him was not his political views but his biblical views. His widow stated that “the spiritual warfare is palpable” and Kirk had often used similar language as he called the 2024 election a spiritual battle.

Then there is the man who spoke to a small gathering at our church. He had been with a Bible translation organization for sixty years, spending much of that time in a South American country, in the jungle, with a tribe that initially did not have a written language. He described years of learning how to speak it, write it, then teach the people how to read. It was put it into story books and other material and eventually Scripture. After more than two decades, this tribe of people knew and loved Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

This man glorified God. He told us that he never finished high school, had been kicked out of Bible school, and suspended from working with the translation organization for two years. His three daughters entered South America with serious problems. A doctor said one of them would be in a wheel chair all her life, but at sixteen she won a 100-dash at a sports event. God took this man and his family through incredible trials. He has written nine books mostly about the wonder and power of God to do what He did to change their lives and the lives of that tribe in the jungle.

These, and the things that are happening in my own life, are evidence of this truth:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)

The refugee families have a faith that belies how many Christians “trust” God in North America. We tend to praise Him for the good stuff, even to the point of idolatry, while they love Him for all things, even the persecution that drove them from their homes to come here. Now they are free to share their faith.

Oddly enough, Kirk is made out to be the bad guy for sharing what God says about the sin in this world. Yet the media portrays the reason for his death is his political affiliations. They are not going to call this hatred persecution. Is it because that would make them the bad guys?

At the same time, when I listen to most politicians, I think that they are doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. Most of them are not in a personal relationship with God, nor do they have the Holy Spirit living in them. While He can give them direction, they may not recognize it as wise because God’s ways are not our ways and most of His ways seem unreal, unpleasant, and certainly unwanted.

Then I think of the missionary who determined to obey God no matter what. He admitted to not being the smartest, best behaved person, nor did he have the qualifications most people would admire. Yet despite all that, dozens and perhaps hundreds of people have assurance of eternal life because God used him to tell them about Jesus. From various sources, I hear that Kirk did the same thing. Many who heard him, even watched him die, have put their faith in the Savior who also died for him, not just because the ‘religious’ leaders hated Jesus, but because God the Father so loved us that He sent His Son to take our penalty for our sin.

PRAY: Yes, Lord, Your ways are not like ours. It is easy to make my own safety and comfort a priority rather than boldly tell others of your righteousness and power. I know the pull of sin and the deep desire to ‘do my own thing’ rather than rely on You for everything. At the same time, those like the refugees, and Kirk, and our linguistic friend are a great encouragement to faith, to pray for all believers, especially those who are being persecuted for their faith, and for all who do not yet know You, including politicians, media people, anyone in leadership, and our families, friends, and neighbors. May Your will be done. Amen.

His ways are higher…

While many sermons and devotional readings make much of what God’s people are supposed to do, I find more helpful those that remind me of what God has done and promises to do. This is partly age — for at my stage of life I can no longer physically do actions that were easy when younger. But it is also the experience of trying to run my own life in many areas and realizing that it is the God-guided life that is fulfilling and leads to what is best.

That said, today’s devotional affirms it. I must believe that divine guidance is promised and my faith must confidently look for and expect it. If I seek it, I will be certain to receive it.

We visit Christian friends today that have many decisions ahead of them. Some tell us that many friends are telling them what they should do. While seeking counsel is usually good, it can be very confusing if the advice varies or contradicts other advice, so we are hoping that our conversation will be from the Lord. I’m thinking to ask, “What is God telling you to do?”

As His children, we know that our God has all knowledge and all wisdom, and that He will also guide us to whatever is best for us. We also know that what He tells us may seem confusing and even wrong to the short-sighted human eyes around us, and even to us. It takes faith to remember that God says:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)

God alone knows the end of things from the beginning and can judge what the results of any course of action may be. His love can run counter to the loving wishes of even our dearest friends. In order to be a disciple and follower of Jesus, I, or any other believer, may be called to forsake even my own family to do what Jesus asks of me:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

God’s children who listen and obey Him need to know this. For some, it is leaving a former religion, and there are some who will try to destroy family members who become Christians. For some, the anger or rejection will not be that severe, but family may consider the convert dead and shun them. Others will become aloof, distant, or even mock believers from their family or who once were their friends.

Today’s devotional ends with, “Unless he is prepared for this and can trust the Lord through it all, he will scarcely know what to do.” I know a young mother who follows Jesus. She has a son who is only beginning life and just started school, but she has been teaching him the reality of adversity and how to deal with it. This boy is a cheerful child and easy to like, yet his mom knows the reality of persecution toward even children. How wise her plan to prepare him for it and teach him how to respond.

This afternoon, our friends need support in what God has told them, regardless of the critics that might advise them otherwise.

PRAY: Jesus, this afternoon is a challenge. We do not want to further confuse our friends but help them to hear Your voice (which we think they already have) but not to let the many other voices they are hearing interfere with doing what You say. It may not fit with the ‘common sense’ of their friends or family, or even themselves, but may we encourage them to listen to You and do what You say, knowing that your ways are higher than ours and are always for our good and for Your glory.

Later: We experienced a totally surprising answer to prayer that had us jumping for joy with our friends. Lord, You are utterly amazing.

God’s Wisdom

 

I love the surprises of God. Sometimes they are little things like all the lights are green when I need to get somewhere on time, or I find a bargain that I’ve prayed to find, or someone calls that I needed to visit. Sometimes He surprises me with unpleasant news. I didn’t expect my sister to die so soon and so quickly. Or Sunday’s sermon ties in to a convicting devotional with both challenging me to unwelcome change.

The point is, I cannot predict what God will do, except those times when I pray with absolute assurance that He is going to answer the way I’m hoping. We once tried to rent a house only to be told it was taken, but I knew we were going to live in that house. The person who planned to changed his mind and we were given the house.

Another time I knew that I should call a store and confirm a sale price, even though it was printed in the newspaper. I did, went to the store, and was told the sale was over. I said, “But I called…” and the clerk said she remembered that call and gave me the item for the sale price.

More recently, I was praying for a prodigal and a song came to mind that he would soon be “coming home” and I was so certain of it that I just kept singing that song. Within a few days, he called to share he was again actively following Christ.

These things are wonderful when they happen, and when they do not, I feel like a starving person. When the devotional writer says we need to be careful that we are not worshiping the gifts more than the giver, I am convicted. Yet how can the two be separated? It is the same with our dearest friends. They give us reasons to consider them dear, and those reasons cannot be laid aside. They define who that person is.

The devotional writers says if we wiped every promise out of the Bible we would still have God left and God would be enough — but without the things that God does, how would we know that He is enough? If He just surprised me all the time, prayer for help in a crisis or guidance in making decisions would be pointless. I would have nothing to base my hope and confidence on if I didn’t know that God makes and keeps His promises.

It seems the devotional writer is saying I should not assume that God will do whatever I want Him to do or be presumptuous in any way. I can remember a plebiscite taken in a town we lived in and a Christian was certain the vote would go God’s way. I thought of sports pundits and news people who predict winners and are often wrong, but did not say anything. How can we mere mortals be certain what our God of surprises is going to do? In this case, the plebiscite was voted against what that person was so sure would happen and I learned something about God. Again, who can second-guess Him?

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)

Still, God is enough, yet this is the gist of it — not that all that God does is missing or unseen, but  His way of thinking and dealing with the world, the mess in the world, and the sinners that seem happy and in control is beyond my way of thinking. I don’t need a specific promise nor do I need a more solid doctrine, or deeper understanding. I just need to remember that He is able and my inability to see or deal with any of it with insight and understanding will always fall short. God’s ways will always be beyond my comprehension and that is precisely why I can trust Him. My ignorance of what God is doing is actually a form of proof for His greater power.

PRAY: Jesus, You know how I want to be a know-it-all who can figure out the reason things happen and the possible solutions that You will bring to those things. That is sheer arrogance on my part. It shows up in my pouting when it becomes apparent that I really have no clue what You are doing. Forgive my pride and lack of letting go of my suppositions, even if they are based on Your prior revelations of Yourself. I should have learned by now that even though You are faithful and reliable, You are also not likely to do the same thing twice. You will always surprise me with Your answers to my perplexities.

New life — adjustment required!

When I became a Christian, a neighbor said, “It happens in an instant, then you will spend the rest of your life trying to figure out what happened!”

Today, the book I’m reading says the same thing: “To explain exactly what happened to Saul is difficult.” Then it adds: “But there can be little doubt, from Paul’s own testimony, that the change in his life was due to a personal encounter with Christ and a new relationship to Him.”

Imagine what it is like for a person living in Asia or the Middle East to suddenly move to a country in the West where the language, culture, history and almost everything else is different. Adjusting is a challenge. Help is needed. This person cannot get a job without learning the language. Learning the language is difficult yet trying to understand idioms and figures of speech, and a new sense of humor is even worse. They also have many questions about appropriate behavior in the workplace. However it is no less challenging to instantly be in a personal relationship with the Creator!

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)

The experience of being spiritual reborn instantly puts new Christians into the delightful grace of knowing God loves us, He is with us and we understand Him — if only just a little. I remember feeling as if finally someone really understood me and I could say with the psalmist . . .

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139:2)

However, as with the new immigrant, the challenges are still there. I noticed the language, words like: redemption, justification, sanctification, propitiation and other terms that seem so familiar now but not at first.

Another challenge is learning to think differently, to drop all former values and cultural norms and learn that God’s ways are not my ways nor do they resemble the ways that I had been accustomed to before He came alone:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

The Christian culture is different from the world’s way of thinking and doing things, at least it is supposed to be. Sadly, I also realized that Christians can be stuck in former habits and ways of living. Entering the family of God can be the most welcoming and wonderful experience but it can also be confusing. Some family members often behave more like those outside the family and the challenge is learning how to discern the differences and choose the way of the Lord rather than what comes more easily.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16–18)

New Christians usually realize the importance of the Bible. It is God’s amazing gift — His guidebook for this new life. Hebrews 4:12 speaks of it as being “alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God uses it to help me differentiate between the old life and the new. He also gives that wonderful inner voice of the Holy Spirit so I can know what He is thinking . . . 

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:11)

The Bible tells me about the ways of God, the ways of people (both Christians and not), and how to live as an alien in this world because I’m now a citizen of heaven. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Dear Jesus, after nearly fifty years of adjusting to this reality, I sometimes feel like a stranger in my own skin. I’m so thankful that You are with me and very often make Your presence known. In the impossible and confusing situations of life, that sense of You is enough to give me peace and even joy. As for trying to figure out what happened, the best way to say or describe it is simple, only two words — Jesus happened! Thank You for blessing me with You. Amen.