Keep Looking at Me

I know that God cares about me when He repeatedly instructs me with a particular scripture. In the past several weeks, the Holy Spirit has spotlighted different verses in Hebrews 12. Using this favorite passage, my Coach is retraining me to jump hurdles. On my own, I can't, but the Spirit of God in me can.  So I choose to keep looking to Jesus, the 'champion who initiates and perfects [my] faith' (see Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT).

As I face a succession of challenges--unfamiliar doctors, pain, broken machinery--I deliberately remember the biggies are beyond my ability and intentionally turn and look into Jesus' face. That focus, rather than the jarring circumstances, slowly renews my relationship with Him. Though confidence is thin at times, I remember it is well placed. Jesus Himself could face great suffering because He was closely linked with Father, so I ask for a stronger link: close, tight, and unshaken by circumstances. I read and pray the Scripture, applying it to the issue, and look to Truth to coach me in running the race set before me.

Interestingly, I rediscover my Helper created me to look confidently to Him at all times, not just when I see rough terrain ahead. My Creator loves me to trust and dialogue with Him. God desires to guide, strengthen and love me. So I'm looking, again and again, and learning new confidence in God's ways even when they don't make sense. It's relationship He's after.

Keep looking at Me, My child. Look into My eyes. I am looking at you.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  (Hebrews 12:1-2, NTL).

Are you facing a challenge that draws your eyes away from the One who is making you into a champion?

What can you do to refocus keenly on your Coach, Jesus Christ?

Spend at least one minute giving thanks for specific evidence of God at work in your life.

Guest Blog--Insights in the Dark

One of our daughters shared this experience with me and kindly agreed to share it with you also. Thanks, Charissa.

It's 4 a.m. and I am wide awake. My alarm certainly didn't go off, and I didn't get to bed till 1:30 a.m.. I lay in bed for a half hour hoping to fall asleep. My day is full--I know I need rest, but it makes no difference. So I get up and go to my desk to get some work done for the day.

It's now after 5 a.m. and yoga seems like a good idea. If I can't sleep, I might as well relax and stretch out my body from the craziness of the week. It's only 5:30 now. What to do?

I get a sudden urge to go down to the beach, so I peer out my window and see a quiet sky lit only by stars. The urge is so strong I don’t question, just change my clothes and grab my phone.

No one in the elevator, no one in the lobby, not even in the gym I pass by. I get to the stairs that lead down to the ocean. I stop and wonder, What am I doing? It's 5:45 in the morning--not a soul out, it's pitch black, and here I am going down to the beach by myself.

What if there are scary men down there? I feel a quiet check in my spirit saying what I’m doing is right, so I proceed down stairs I can barely see.

It is beautiful and creepy stepping into the sand. Not a person in sight, the little I can see is directly in front of me. The stars in the sky envelop me and the sound of the waves crash around me. I stumble upon some chairs near the stairs, so I decide to sit in what seems like a safe place.

I look up admiring the stars and the moon, thanking God for the beauty he has put on display for us. I close my eyes and breathe in the fresh salt air, thankful that God has worked healing into nature for mind, body and soul.

I open my eyes. There is a dark moving object on the shoreline. With each wave crashing, it takes new shape. Is this an animal coming out of the ocean? Will it harm me? Will it kill me? Should I be afraid? Realizing I shouldn't have watched those videos of killer whales surfacing on the shore to kill their prey then return to the water, I begin to feel fear release from my body. At a tender rebuke from my Creator, I close my eyes, focus and meditate on God, and breathe calmly again … even though I occasionally open my eyes to confirm there is no killer whale coming out of the ocean to harm me.


 

With eyes opened and focused on what is most likely a rock, I become aware of how fear separates me from the sweet connection I have with God when I focus solely on him.

I wonder: of what else am I afraid?

What if a man is going to walk up towards me, realize I am alone and harm me?
What if the company I so love working for has to close their doors and I am out of a job?
What if the house I am in now sells before I can find something else? Will I even be able to find a place I can afford?
Will I ever meet a Christian man I want to marry?

The waves continue to crash around me, but calm has come. God is replacing fear with truth.

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?

Fear and trust don't work together. I will focus on what I can't quite see, or what I can't see at all. Gazing up at the stars and the moon that is taking on more light from the rising sun, I choose to trust.


FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

Read Psalm 27 and Luke 12:22-43.


One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze up on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple (Psalm 27: 4).

David had reason to doubt and fear. Evil was planted at his door, but he made the choice to live in trust, not fear: to seek, dwell, gaze and seek some more.

What are the things that breed fear in your life?
How can you actively shift your gaze from the things you fear to God who is good, strong and our salvation?
What does it mean to seek, dwell, gaze and seek some more?

Attention!

“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”

When God communicates with us it can be like fading quill strokes on aging parchment: it takes scrutiny to read accurately. Sometimes, it’s like bold print on white background: clarity that makes our hearts jump.

Gabriel's presence and greeting were unmistakable and Mary found his presence troubling.

While he would explain more as she asked, the God-given assignment was going to stretch not only her womb but her trust.

But God had selected her for the task.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Read and meditate on Luke 1:26 -30

Has the Lord ever sent you a clear message that initially troubled you?

What did you do with your initial disequilibrium?  What insights did you gain?

[This painting looks like Ron DiCianni's work, but I can't decipher the signature. If you know, please let me know whose work it is. Thank you.]
 

Hope-ful Waiting

When, heartsick, hope slips through our fingers, despair squeezes in to take its place. News reports, politics, riots and rage all siphon off hope. Yet beyond what we can see, God's love is active. Unchanged. Unfailing.

We watched Jakob the Liar recently, an intriguing story of hope's medicine in a German concentration camp. It opens with Jakob's futile efforts to grab an elusive newspaper page until, because of curfew, he has to report to the Commandant of the camp.
 
There he hears a snippet on the news that the Russians are close. The next day he tells his friends and word spreads that Jakob has a radio.

 Their longing for hope precipitates imaginary news. That infuses life as they entertain the idea of freedom. Depression is not now as pervasive. Suicides are held at bay.

 
Without giving away the story, let me say that, even in horrific times, God's love brings hope. Theirs came as a snippet of radio broadcast and a good dose of imagination. Ours might come in a casual comment, an author’s perspective, or a verse of the day.

 
Today, Psalm 33 reminded me:

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV '84)
 

Waiting -- in hope -- changes the most dismal situation. The circumstances might resist change, but our choice to trust God becomes a shield against depression and despair. Thank God, this is not fanciful thinking. The good news is our King comes to save. His unfailing love rests on us as we hope in Him.

 
Exhale. And wait hope-fully.

 
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Meditate on Psalm 33:20-22 and listen for the Spirit's insight.

Recall a time when God used a small detail to unlock hope in your life. Ask for more insight about the events, and thank God for His unfailing love that came [comes] to rest on you.

 

 

Revealer of Mysteries

It's an interesting story of crushing circumstances, uncommon integrity, and courageous trust.

King Nebuchadnezzer had called his wise men and asked the impossible: that they describe his troubling dream and interpret it. If they didn't deliver, they wouldn't live.

Only the gods could do that, they said. And the gods didn't live among humankind.

True. Except for the one true God who can reveal mysteries.

Daniel and his friends fasted and pleaded with God to have mercy and give them the answer.

After God revealed the mystery, Daniel was quick to give God thanks and praise (Daniel 2:20-23).

 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you. (Daniel 2:23, NIV)

Sometimes only God can resolve our complicated situations. We do our research and weigh our options, but variables stretch like an endless country road. Our God is with us. He is real and vitally involved in our lives. As we earnestly seek God's wisdom, He will reveal what we need to know.

Trusting Him brings life.


FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

See Jeremiah 33:3, then read Daniel 2.

Where can you see yourself in this story? What can you learn about God? What can you learn from Daniel?

Do you have a mystery that needs God's help?

Notice Daniel's strategy. Have you ever asked others to join you in prayer for a critical situation? Have you ever added fasting with prayer? What kind of insights did you gain?

 

All We Need

Often I try to extract a little more turkish coffee to add after the first sips from our full demitasses. Recently, the slow pour produced more than usual.  I was surprised.  

Walking away from the freshly filled cup, this thought popped into my mind: That's how I do it. I never shortchange My children. I always give generously. Keep watching for Me!

We've been looking at houses on the internet and praying for wisdom in our choices: location, compatibility with the community, and possibilities for serving the Lord. Many yet unanswered questions tempt me to worry, and the precious Holy Spirit reminds me to keep committing these concerns to the Lord.

God is generous, kind, compassionate ... and well able to provide all we need. Remember the widow's oil that kept flowing when she obeyed the prophet's word (2 Kings 4)? Sometimes, when we least expect it, our Lord surprises us with unusual provisions -- for both small and large needs. Whether it's an extra teaspoon of coffee or wisdom for a big decision, our generous Father provides our needs. His resources are endless -- steady and fresh every morning (See Lamentations 3:23-24, Philippians 4:19).

Lord, please help us trust you with our future. Help us focus on what is true about You, remember how You have provided in the past, and meditate on Your promise to provide what we need.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Ask God's Spirit to speak to an area of anxiety in your life.
What might He say?
What verse might you use to remind you that God's grace is enough for you?

Here are some for starters:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Psalm 23:1)

God is able to make all grace about to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

(The last two verses reference people who generously gave to God. They had experienced God's generosity to them and were gladly giving back to others in need.)

Reflections on Psalm 77

It's past midnight and your thoughts won't quiet.You shift your face on the pillow, but its softness is no comfort for worry. So you cry out silently to God. You beg for sleep and ask the Lord to take care of each situation that's playing in your mind.

That's what Asaph did.

"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever?.... Has God forgotten to be merciful?" (Psalm 77:7-9)

Distress blames and makes innuendo. Fear stands in the background, and worry stews.


Regardless of our source of worry, we have a choice. We can continue worrying, counter productive as it is, or start recalling God's interventions.

That's what Asaph did. It works for me too.

He meditated on God's mighty interventions. In His people's great trouble, Jehovah, more powerful than any opposition, intervened. Directing creation, He opened a path through the sea. It's true the Israelites could not see God, but they saw His work. He had promised to deliver and He kept His promise.

Like a shepherd who cared for his flock, the Lord delivered the people He loved (verse 20).

Troubled? Remember to meditate on God and His help. Your confidence will grow, and your relationship with the Lord will be revitalized.

True rest is the reward of trusting our Shepherd's guidance and power.


FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Cherish a memory when God made a way out when you were backed in a corner. Let that revive confidence in God's help. 

Will you take 30 seconds to praise the Lord for His "mighty arm"? That can set the tone for the next 24 hours if you so desire.

Ruts or Rhythms

After I shared that I would ask God to dislodge me from unproductive ruts this year, my husband commented. Ruts reminded him of confinement. I pondered. How about productive ruts, then? Don't we need ruts to streamline most of our activities?

But the more I thought, I liked rhythm over rut. Rhythm has musical connotations and I love music. Dance. Movement. Change. Even when we practice, repetitively, to master dance steps or calligraphic strokes, practice scales or conquer syncopation, rhythm's melody lifts us above the mundane. It reminds us that we are part of God's grand symphony.

In a rut, we easily lose perspective. Our spirits wilt and enthusiasm wanes. But, when we look for the Creator's purposes in our rhythmic activity, we climb out of our pothole. When we remember God's purpose even in mundane work, we revive, become more productive, persevere in our activity.

So, as I practice God's presence in 2012, I'm asking for new ways of reconfiguring the ordinary. I'm listening for the Holy Spirit's song.

It's bringing new delight in the Lord. Purposefully listening for my Jesus' rhythms, I'm drawn into His dance.

I trust His lead. I can learn these steps. This rhythm is no rut.


For Your Consideration

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

How might giving frequent thanks in your routine give you ears to hear God's rhythm for you?

What does it mean for you to speak and act in the name of the Lord Jesus?

Letter To A Friend

My dear friend,


Your note struck home with me. Reminded me of times the accuser gets in my face taunting me with my own shortcomings.

The Lord reminds me that because we have experienced Christ's forgiveness and are journeying to freedom, we are truly bearers of good news.  If we had no struggles, we could not empathize with each other.

I pray that the Lord will help you STAND while He purifies you. I know it's hard... even excruciating at times. We need the LORD's protection to keep the enemy from gaining ground. The conniver would like to pummel us into the ground, tell us how worthless we are -- poor representatives of fabulous good news.

Humility and trust are hard lessons to learn.

HARD lessons -- but so worthwhile. They are gained by dying to our preferences and discovering Christ's power, humility, and faithful love.

I agree. This is not an easy journey. But the Holy Spirit faithfully teaches and reminds us we can't do it on our own. He loves to help us!! Praise Him.

Praise Him quietly.
Praise Him loudly.
Praise Him as you wash dishes.
Praise Him as you help with homework.

Praise Him as you love.
Praise Him as you are loved.
Praise Him when you feel unloved.
Praise from a broken and contrite heart.
Praise Him for He is WORTHY of our best praise.


May Christ's peace and transforming presence keep you from beating up on yourself.

New Lenses

Praying desperately for a full term baby...
Counting the days before you can escape danger whistling past your ear...
Offering to help an ailing parent who resents your help...
Agonizing over how to resolve conflicts in your church...
Begging God for relief at your spouse’s bedside...
Reminding your discouraged heart to look to the unseen...
Searching the scriptures in search of an encouraging word …

We all have crises where our expectations topple. Still, we reach for hope. We call out to God in desperation. And we pray for a good resolution.

A conflicted board meeting, tense operating room, slow grocery line, difficult conversation – all may be uncomfortable places where God offers us new lenses.

While we can’t always understand God’s ways in those times, experience discovers that God is trustworthy. Careful study and meditation in the scriptures give us new glasses -- and confidence in God’s goodness. Experience secures the glasses while we hold on to hope that only God can give. In our desert, we learn our Deliverer is trustworthy.

Just as God walked the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, so our Deliverer walks us through pain and dashed expectations to a new geography replete with good provisions. Our precious Savior loves us and can work things together for good when we ask.

Journeying through the extremes of my desert, I rehearse God’s previous interventions. I'd encountered Christ's presence and was given new lenses to see my Deliverer making a way to accomplish His good promises.

My Lord will do it again. I just need to keep my glasses on, and hold tightly to His hand.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16, NIV).

See also Isaiah 55:9 and Romans 8:28.

Where do you get new lenses to more clearly see God's faithfulness and provisions? What scripture passages have shaped your view?

Recall a dark time when you encountered God's light. Spend 30 seconds in praise and thanksgiving for God's guidance, transformation, and presence.

Did God Really Say?

I have noticed that when I am forging ahead with some idea God gave me, and I encounter repeated obstacles, a seductive voice whispers, “Did God really say for you to do that?”

When that siren voice sings, I have to call all resources on deck to keep me on course. I have to be on guard against doubt that relishes a slippery deck and rubbery knees.

Maybe what I thought was God’s instruction was really my wish—merely a pipe dream—and not a worthy plan. I wonder how my boat can handle these choppy waters.

So it’s a good time to check the boat, my motivation and my destination.

If my initial check and double check with God’s Spirit and word has been confirmed by other sources, if I had no vested interest in the destination, and if I keep my communication open and current with the Captain, then I can trust all will be well… rough seas or calm.

What God says, God will do. When white waves throw salt water in my eyes, I wipe them off by faith.

Trusting what God said helps us ride our waves. The storm may rage, but Christ is in our boat.

As we listen to our Captain, His infinite wisdom speaks saving grace one word at a time. Hold on to those words already spoken into your mind and heart, then choose to keep thanking our able Captain for what you already know to be true.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
(Genesis 3: Reference to Eve and Adam’s temptation to distort God’s instructions and choose their own desires over God’s.)

What has God already told you that you need to remember?

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to bring you a scripture promise to meditate on and to transform your situation.

Faith to Overcome

I keep asking God to increase my faith.

When people or things I love are thrown to the ground, I sometimes feel like the man who asked Jesus to heal his mute, epileptic son. Jesus' disciples had not been able to cast out the spirit, and the man wasn't so sure now that Jesus could do it either. "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can" (Mark 9:22, NLT)

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes” (verse 23).

He looked into Jesus' eyes, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (verse 24).

I expect Jesus' question penetrated this father's best hopes and fears. He believed, but he had his doubts.

Unbelief shrinks God to what we've seen and heard. When the limitations of our mind stop us short of the goal and when trusted experts hit the wall of their own expertise, hope get thrown to the ground like the young man. Our senses and experience lie that we are undone and tempt faith to step back from trusting God.

Those are the best times to turn to our Helper. Those are opportunities to let Jesus help us overcome blocks to belief -- to have overcoming faith. They are occasions for God's Holy Spirit to remind us of His presence and greater power at work in us. (See Philippians 2: 12-13; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.)

Paul says that hearing comes by faith through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), and John writes, "The Spirit of truth ... will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13).

Regular hearing, reading and applying God's word, then, is critical for opening us to the Word and the Spirit. They train us to jump unbelief's hurdles.

As we make ourselves available to Christ's transforming word, God's grace helps us hear Jesus asking, 'Do you believe I can do this?'

Yes, Lord. Help me believe.

For Your Consideration

When you become aware of doubt, look for your underlying belief:

Do you assume God doesn't love you? That God is surprised or disappointed by you? Or do you think God is either powerless or disinterested? Are you blaming God for consequences of your own behavior? Or are you projecting onto God? -- How do the scriptures speak specifically to the issue you have identified?

What will you do about your discoveries?

Desperation

Feeling desperate is awful. Lonely. Scary.

Yet, as I've experienced the fruit that desperation can bear, I'm more easily able to thank God for how He will use my situation to transform me. So, by the grace of God, desperation is a door to a wider place.

Currently, in my circle of acquaintances, there are several people who are feeling desperate.

Death, economic pressure, job loss, personal failure, anger, fear, feeling out of control... these are some of the pressures we face. These are hard situations, not easy to solve.

I remember when I was a young mother. My husband was gone many days and evenings with his new job, and I, hundreds of miles from my family, was trying to be a good mother. I was doing a good enough job, but in my eyes, I was failing miserably. No matter how much resolve I mustered, I could not seem to be the even keeled mother I wanted to be.

During that time I became depressed, which, in turn, made me aware of my need for someone wiser to help me sift through the important things, and let the unimportant blow away. I was sweating the small stuff as I juggled being a young wife and mom in a new community with a yet undeveloped support group. In addition, in my public life I was trying to be the pastor's wife I thought I should be -- no small demand.

I cried out to God from the depths of my being. And God heard me.

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge" Psalm 62:7-8, NIV.


This was a good time to trust Him. As I poured out my heart to God, Mercy led me to a book, Women Who Do Too Much,(Zondervan,1992) by Patricia Sprinkle. God used it to pry me out of a rut and see my situation with new eyes. Then Grace lead me to Hosea 12:10 which helped till and water my fallow ground. I knew I had to camp there for a while, so I memorized the verse. The repetition and focus helped me absorb its truth.

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you" Hosea 12:10.

From ground freshly prepared by desperation's vulnerability, I reaped a more consistent time with the Lord. No longer was it a good thing. It had become necessary: like breath for life or rain for parched ground. That was the lesson. And that led me to a daily, transforming interaction with the Word of God.

It was an opportune time to seek the Lord, and as I did, God came to me with soothing showers.

For Your Consideration
Is it hard to admit you are desperate?

Can you identify good fruit that God has grown out of your desperation?

Because you know God's love and mercy will bring good out of it, would you pause and thank God for a difficult situation? (Romans 8:28)