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.

Adversity and Grace

Isaiah 52:1–54:17, Luke 20:41–21:24, Job 12:1–12

Isaiah 53 and 54 are two of my favorite chapters in the Bible. They speak of Jesus and His sacrifice for our redemption, and point to the promises of God concerning future guidance and protection. The original audience is Israel, yet this is the living Word of God; it speaks to me also.

It says of Jesus: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:3–6)

Such great injustice, or so it seems. Yet we so easily forget the prevalence of sin (don’t we all turn our own way much of the time?) and our need for redemption and forgiveness. Take time to think of what this says.

It says why Jesus had to die: “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:10–12)

Besides the plan of God, these chapters also declare His grace: “For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer . . . . All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you . . . . no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:7-8, 13-15, 17)

In the good times, we sinful beings tend to forget God. When adversity happens, we tend to blame others or the devil. Job had it right when he said, “In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip. The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand. But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:5–10)

Just as God planned the greatest injustice in the death of His sinless Son, He also is in charge of all adversity. He has a purpose for everything that happens to us. Even all creation knows this is true. What I don’t always remember is that when adversity comes, I can seize it as opportunity to share the goodness of God, just as Jesus said I should . . .

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”

That is not the normal reaction to terrible trials, but by the grace of God, it can be. Jesus adds further instruction so that I can bear witness to Him, no matter what: “Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.” (Luke 21:10–19)

Jesus encourages me to remember that God is sovereign over the good times and adversities. I can rest in His promise to give me His attitude, His words, His peace, all because of His amazing grace.

The value of adversity

Yesterday’s devotional reading extends for this day, commenting on the verses that speak of God shining light in dark places, even as stars shine in the night sky.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright. (Psalm 112:4)

These “stars” are for us, even if at first they are not welcome. Darkness, usually associated in the Bible with spiritual blindness, can also mean confusion in the life of a Christian. This darkness is often accompanied by suffering. Sometimes it is my own, but sometimes the light in that darkness is a challenge to be more aware of the suffering of others and work with God’s plan for them.

God can use poverty, illness, unemployment, war and the like to draw people to Himself, yet I don’t know that. Most often, suffering is the product of human selfishness and sin. Because God intends to one day wipe these things from the earth, then He could be calling me to be an agent in that purpose also.

However, the small light of figuring this out doesn’t do much toward bringing comfort in the great darkness of human misery. I know myself that when I am in trouble, knowing the cause of it is not nearly as helpful as having the power I need to get through it, to endure until the thing passes, if it does pass.

This brings another question about painful circumstances. It is not “why me?” but “How can I deal with this?” This is where the Word of God, both the pages and the Person, offer victory. My only power is looking at Him. What did Jesus do with suffering? The Bible offers this startling statement,

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. (Hebrews 5:8)

If Jesus, the dear Son of God experienced trials and troubles to teach Him what it means to obey God as a human being (He already knew how to do that as the divine Son) then I also need to look at that darkness and regard it and the stars in it as part of God’s design to shape my soul.

As my artist training says, an essential of good design is that there must be shadow as well as light, dull as well as bright. The stars do not appear to be shining unless the sky is very dark. The struggles I have make His light seem brighter, even more necessary than when all is well.

Besides that, how can fortitude, compassion, patience and endurance be needed, never mind seen, in a “perfect” life? I need trouble to train me for this high calling of following Christ, even to carve on me His gracious profile. I need resistance to test and use my strength, confusion to make me reach for clarity, darkness to make me look up to those stars.

Hebrews 11 contains the names of those in faith’s hall of fame. None of them enjoyed happy and unclouded days. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death by the sword, went about in sheepskins and goatskins, and lived lives of destitution, persecution and mistreatment. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. And I think my life is difficult!

The Bible is clear about suffering’s value, as is the history of Christ’ followers. Adversity has been in every age faith’s grim inheritance. I do not walk alone, but I cannot expect my path to be totally sheltered, nor always quiet, and protected. It is from suffering lips that this cry ascends…

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (Revelation 19:6)

Trained by losses

An Old Testament story sheds some light on the reasons that God allows adversity. We don’t like trials and troubles. I don’t like trials and troubles, but instead of pleading for their removal, I’m trying a different prayer.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. (1 Kings 17:1–7)

Elijah was a powerful Old Testament prophet. He had accomplished mighty things and instigated miracles. The current king was a godless man who had set up an idol and “did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). God pitted Elijah against this king Ahab, by sending a severe drought. He also sent His prophet to a safe place where he was protected from the severity others would suffer in the drought.

Often I’ve felt like that is what God has done with me. I’m in a safe place, at least right now. I’ve even said that I’m God’s most senior spoiled brat. However, I know comfort may not always be my lot in life. Job was protected and blessed by God, but lost almost everything, suffering greatly in the process. Here, Elijah was protected but eventually the oasis dried up. He also suffered along with the others.

Today’s devotional makes a point of that. Elijah, to be a stronger spokesperson for God and more apt to be heeded, must be ousted from his guarded and protected place. He need to suffer alongside the people if he would be a beacon for them. No one listens to those who live in ivory towers.

Jesus knew that, so He left heaven and came to earth. By doing this, He set an example to those of us who not only feel safe in God’s care but come to expect nothing bad can or should ever happen to us.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5–8)

Elijah and Job, and certainly Jesus did not do anything to bring disaster into their lives. Elijah suffered so he might be drawn even closer to God and into greater empathy with God’s people. Job was tested to prove that the faith God had given him did not depend on his prosperity and quality of life. Jesus became one of us that He might die in our place, the ultimate sacrifice for sin so that we could be forgiven.

Disasters tend to bring out something good in people that may not have shown itself otherwise. The devotional writer says that many a brook God dries up “so that we may cease from our pride and realize our kinship. There is no sympathy so deep and strong as the sympathy that springs out of a common suffering.” If we are excluded from what others have to bear, we become alienated from humanity.

We’ve seen that in the aftermath of hurricanes and floods. I’ve seen it in my own life, having more sympathy and compassion for those who suffer because I also have suffered.

That sense of protection and safety is lovely, yet I know it is not guaranteed. God does not promise a life without loss. While I might think that some things are hard to lose, in God’s sight it may be good to lose them. If taking away anything will make me more loving, more sympathetic and more kind, my life will be richer and warmer than it is now. If I become superior and exclusive because I’m kept in a place of comfort, then others might have no compassion or sympathy from me. While I may not ask for it to happen, sometimes my brook needs to dry up. When it does, my prayer is that God will make me a better person because of the loss.