Dodie

obedience, Ezekiel, speak, truth, bold, Oh Lord Help Us

Obedience: How Do We Speak In A Culture That Isn’t Listening?

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 27, 2018June 27, 2019

Today we are living in a time of spiritual drought. God told Ezekiel, His prophet, to stand up and speak out. He calls us to the same obedience.

Today I had coffee with a sweet friend. She and her husband recently visited the Creation museum, which is located in northern Kentucky. They both admired the attention to detail and beauty of the garden, but what completely awed her was how one man’s disobedience (Adam), and another man’s obedience (Noah), changed the course of mankind. Throughout the story of man, God raised up judges, prophets, and kings – some who were obedient to His voice, and many who were not. The results of each reverberated like tremors of an earthquake.

Drought

Does it ever feel to you as though we are living in a time of drought? Not literally, although Californians might beg to differ, but spiritually. Do you experience the tremors of a peoples’ disobedience?

With the latest surge of news concerning Bill Hybels and Willow Creek last week, and the recent indictments of the Pennsylvania Catholic church concealing more than 1,000 cases of clergy abuse of children, it’s one dry heat wave rolling after another. My heart breaks.

In my lifetime, our nation has gone from praying and displaying the Ten Commandments in schools and government buildings, most people at least believing in God, to the nearly opposite end of the spectrum – suing Christian businesses for not conforming to post-Christian cultural norms (i.e. paying for abortions, etc.). Adhering to Christian principles is mocked, equaled to “privilege,” and shamed on many college campuses, and Christians are sometimes referred to as bigots. As the people of God grow more comfortable in our bondage to the culture, it becomes increasingly difficult to stand up or speak the words of God to a rebellious people…which may cause us to become rebellious, too.

And Satan loves it so…

How can a holy God look upon this people and spare us? How does He continue to have compassion on us? How do we move forward when those we trusted or followed or admired have fallen in such disgrace? Why doesn’t Jesus return before we utterly and completely forever tarnish His name?!

God’s Response to Dryness

And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; And I heard Him who spoke to me. And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse – for they are a rebellious house – yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Ezekiel 2:1-5, NKJV

Wow; it sounds like God is speaking to us in the present day, doesn’t it? Rebellious, impudent, stubborn children.

Israel was living in exile in Babylon at this time. One would think they would be desperate for God to deliver them, desperate enough to listen to His priest and prophet, desperate enough to be obedient to His Word. But no. Like us, they had grown comfortable in their bondage…in their dryness…in their sin. They liked blending in with the culture which held them captive.

Our Response- Obedience

Consequently, Ezekiel knew his message, or rather God’s message would not be popular.

“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Ezekiel 2:6-8, NKJV

But remember, like Ezekiel, we are living among scorpions. (I hate those suckers! They sting like crazy, but they are not deadly!) We are not to be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks – and sister, you know the LOOKS you can receive when you talk about Jesus in the public square!! However, God told Ezekiel he had to speak whether Israel listened or not.

Our fearlessness comes from the certainty that it isn't up to us. Everything depends completely on God. Click To Tweet

God Speaking Through Us

But here is the great part: God doesn’t want you to speak unless HIS HAND IS UPON YOU! We aren’t instructed to babble incessantly to anyone who crosses our paths. (You know someone like that, don’t you?)

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones…And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophecy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Surely I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live”…So I prophesied as I was commanded.

Ezekiel 37:1-7, NKJV

Oh, dear sister! We, too, are living in a valley of dry bones. There are absolutely no words in any human language that will convince the dead souls around us that they are dead. However, when the hand of God is upon us He gives us His words to utter and they are filled with the holy breath of Life. It is never up to us to conjure up the perfect words to say! Hallelujah, amen, right?!

Our fearlessness comes from the certainty that it isn’t up to us. Everything depends completely on God. We are to do as Ezekiel was commanded – obey His voice.

So you might wonder what obedience looks like in a place of dryness. It isn’t really difficult. In the words of Brennan Manning:

Christ wants Christians to live in the present, to love now, to touch this person in these concrete circumstances.

Whose dry bones is Jesus asking you to love, speak to, touch today?

Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-willow-creek-elders-step-down-20180807-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/08/14/pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-on-sex-abuse-in-catholic-church-will-list-hundreds-of-accused-predator-priests/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.501b0862cfe1
http://www.beliefnet.com/news/home-page-news-and-views/are-us-colleges-hostile-to-christian-students.aspx
http://www.beliefnet.com/news/home-page-news-and-views/are-us-colleges-hostile-to-christian-students.aspx

weakness, strength, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, mentoring, scripture, ministry

Weakness: A Curse For Humanity or a Blessing From God?

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 7, 2018January 13, 2019

Weakness is hidden in our culture. It conjures up negative images. Chronic, and mental illness can feel like a curse, leaving us drained and tired of feeling weak.

The first time I heard the word weak used in a disapproving way was in reference to my mom when I was 13 or 14. Dad had called my older brother and me into the kitchen for a “talk,” which we can all remember usually meant bad news – either one of us was in trouble or someone had died! This time, however, dad told us he was taking mom to a local mental health hospital because he didn’t know ‘what else to do with her.’

Weak is a 4-Letter Word

During my lifetime, Mom had had many occasions of sickness when she couldn’t get out of bed, but when she was up and at it, Mom was a tiger. Mom ruled with an iron fist; nobody messed with Mom! Consequently, my young teen mind was shocked. I remember clearly saying to him, “But Dad, she’s so strong!” My 16 year-old brother scoffed at me as my dad said with a tone of weariness and disgust, “Dodie, your mom is weak…and she needs help.”

Note to self: Weakness is bad.

No Room For The Weak

Mental illness was a shameful, embarrassing thing in my parent’s generation. To a degree, despite all the publicity and “awareness,” people battling mental illness today continue to be treated as less-than, dismissed, and weak. Sadly, even in the church, Christians seldom disclose their struggle with mental illness or chronic illness, for that matter. As author and life coach Amy Simpson stated:

Some have actually shared their pain or their ongoing battle with a loved one’s illness. And now people keep their distance. No one asks, “How are you doing?” because they’re afraid to hear the answer. Maybe they experience the biting dismissal of trite sayings or admonitions to “just have more faith” or “pray harder.”

Why speak up when they are accused of being weak in faith? But, aren’t we admonished to be “strong in the Lord and the strength of His might?” (Ephesians 6:10, NAS). ‘Victory in Jesus,’ and all that? I could fill volumes with the sermons and songs I’ve heard concerning us having strength in the Lord. And I understand the need for encouragement to persevere in the dark hours – heck, even daily; believe me, I do.

However, what are we to do with our weakness, especially if we can’t share it with our fellow believers?

All of my older teen years and adult life I have hated, loathed weakness in me. Of course, unconsciously, weakness reminded me of my mother, her addictions and the way she manipulated us with her “illnesses.” Weakness ‘hooked’ me, as a therapist would say. I fought and raged against it, kicked back, pushed away from it. And my resistance was worse after being diagnosed with a chronic illness, when my own body worked against me. I felt betrayed!

But what am I to make of Hebrews 4:15-16?

Jesus Was Weak, Too?!

…Because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.

Hebrews 4:15-16, CEB

Right, right, Jesus was weak for a while, but He was God…

NO. No ‘buts.’

Brennan Manning implored that Christians “enter into the seriousness of this revelation, of the conjunction between priesthood [of the believer] and weakness…” in Souvenirs of Solitude.

How paradoxical this mystery is: The strength of the priesthood lies precisely in and through the weakness of our humanity. Why? For two reasons, I think. Weakness relates us profoundly to the people we serve; it allows us to feel with them the human condition, the human struggle and darkness and anguish that call out for salvation. Further, weakness relates us profoundly and apostolically to God because it provides the arena in which His power can move and reveal itself; His power is made manifest in weakness.

Weakness Invites God’s Strength

So, truly the question is: do I want His power manifested in me in order to serve others with humility? Or do I simply want my own paltry efforts, which continually frustrate and fail me? I can trade my feeble efforts in for the awesome power of God by surrendering my weaknesses to Him and trust Him to use them for His glory. It seems like an easy choice, but some days the old mental tapes and pride wage a mighty battle.

I wonder, sometimes, how long Paul pleaded with God to remove his ‘thorn in the flesh’. We are told he asked three times, but how long between each request? Was Paul as stubborn as I am? In light of eternity, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Paul heard and obeyed the answer from God:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NKJV

I admit, I’m still learning to take pleasure in infirmities, reproaches and needs. At least I’m not kicking and screaming as much…and I’m thanking my Father more for this strange paradox of weakness leading to strength…

His strength perfected in weakness…may it be so, Lord Jesus.

I can trade my feeble efforts in for the awesome power of God by surrendering my weaknesses to Him and trust Him to use them for His glory. Click To Tweet

Karina Vorozheeva

Thirst, Quench, spiritual growth, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentoring

Thirst: Quenching the Desire Deep Within Our Soul

Devotionals, Stay SaneJuly 23, 2018June 27, 2019

We are thirsty creatures. There are different types of thirst and we search for a drink all of our lives. Some people are quenched while others are not…

During the month of May and early June, my husband and I devoted the Sabbath to visiting my older brother and only sibling. Each week we witnessed his life ebb away as his breathing became increasingly ragged and his body more skeletal. Cancer was winning another soldier in a long-fought battle.

Eternal Thirst

My brother lived a life of deep yearning and disappointment, which led to cynicism and bitterness. Until a decade earlier, he had attempted to quench his thirst with alcohol, different wives, and adventures in nature, but nothing satisfied. He blamed his thirst on our mother (who certainly had some culpability), God, a tragic accident he had as a child, or our “gene pool.” Until near the end, he seldom considered his personal responsibility.

In the weeks leading up to his death, we talked about eternity. He had never been interested before – concerning Jesus – had always strong-armed or insulted me away. But Hospice had been called and death was imminent. I’ve found that people are more willing to talk about eternity when death is looming larger than life. I asked if the chaplain had spoken to him about God and received a less than satisfying answer. “God loves you,” I said many times… I’m not sure he believed it. Finally, a week before he died, I asked if he was ready to meet God. He assured me that he and God ‘had an understanding.’

I don’t know what that means… but God does. He has known my brother since before he was born. From the beginning He has known his thirst and known how to quench it. I pray that He did.

Physical Thirst

Have you ever been thirsty, physically thirsty? I mean, tongue-stuck-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth thirsty? If you’ve worked outside on a sultry summer day, or exercised past your limit, you know what I mean. Quenching the thirst becomes tantamount to everything else. We’ll leap over tall buildings in a single bound for a drink! Approximately 60% of the human body is water, so it’s safe to say it’s important to stay hydrated lest we become weak and disoriented. Every health website/magazine I’ve ever read stressed the importance of drinking plenty of water.

But does it stop the thirst? For a while… until I’m thirsty again.

Soul Thirst

The same phenomenon occurs in our souls.

It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look – he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look – he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves:…

Isaiah 29:8, NKJV

It’s no accident that God often uses thirst as a word picture in Scripture. David and the sons of Korah are eloquent in several Psalms in their usage of the word:

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 42:1, NKJV

Oh God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1, NKJV

I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

Psalm 143: 6, NKJV

Are you feeling parched? Craving a bottle of water about now? I have one more:

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of the hearing the words of the Lord…In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst.”

Amos 8:11-13, NKJV

As author and Christian counselor Dr. Larry Crabb stated:

We cannot stop wanting to be happy – our souls long for whatever we think will provide the greatest possible pleasure. Our problem is that we are not yet fully aware that an “intimate relationship with God” is that greatest pleasure. In our foolishness we look for that experience in all the wrong places. We dig “broken cisterns” to satisfy our thirst and walk right by the fresh spring of water that is God.

An encounter with God is what we really want – we just don’t know it. We dream “lower dreams” and think there are none higher.

Larry Crabb, Shattered Dreams

Prescription for Quenching

There are a myriad of things in this world offering to satisfy our thirsty souls. Thoughts quickly turn to drugs, alcohol, and sex, but what about workaholism, religiosity, being addicted to exercise or the praise of man? The Israelites sampled everything available. Humans have sought to follow their example to this day. Each generation erroneously believes we’re more sophisticated, intelligent, savvy, connected…yeah, even the hip, ‘culture-current’ churches, (which is evident by recent ‘fall-out’ in megachurches across the land). But the Truth God spoke to His children then is the same Truth that quenches the thirst in dry, brittle souls today:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread…Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food [abundance].

Isaiah 55:1-2, ESV (parenthesis added to add NKJV emphasis)

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 4:13-14, NKJV

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6, NKJV

Everlasting Satisfaction

I wonder sometimes if Christians really believe this stuff…more honestly, I wonder if I believe it. We proclaim it, but we too often inhabit thirsty lives, ever searching, as Crabb said, “for whatever will provide the greatest pleasure.”

Be honest. What provides that for you right now, today?

This post has formed slowly, as it has etched across desert places of my own soul while my fingers have typed. My thirst is never quenched when I drink from broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13). But I must admit I return to them, again and again, looking for a quick fix.

Jesus said:

“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

John 6:33-36, NKJV

Are you thirsty? I am…and He promised to fill us with Living Water, over and over again.

Are you thirsty? I am...and He promised to fill us with Living Water, over and over again. Click To Tweet

Giacomo Buzzao

garbage, sin, forgiveness, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry

Garbage: Exposing Filthy Sin That Has Been Buried

Devotionals, Stay SaneJuly 10, 2018June 27, 2019

A lot of garbage is being revealed in the #MeToo movement, both inside and outside of the Church. How are Christian women suppose to respond?

I was in my thirties the first time a spiritual leader gravely disappointed me. Perhaps I was blind up to that point or simply naive, or maybe it was a different world then; I don’t know. However, during that season of my life there were several gut-wrenching blows to my Christian-leader bubble: Grievous moral failures of staff members, (that sounds too nice for what actually occurred). Our oldest son’s Christian school teachers was charged with murdering his wife (I kid you not!). The affair and subsequent divorce of a couple with whom my husband and I were friends and sang on worship team.

Also, I was attending the Southern Baptist Seminary, enrolled in their Christian counseling program when the trustees underhandedly decided to shut down the program AFTER the semester had already begun! It was a mess, believe me. Let’s just say that the other students and I had a crash course in politics intertwined with religion…so much garbage in such a good place.

Garbage In…

I’m not proud to say these combined events created a cynicism within me that took too many years to loosen its grip. (Can I hear anyone say, decades?) At first I felt entitled to my ‘righteous indignation,’ however, the Holy Spirit didn’t let me stay there long before conviction began. Much time in prayer has been spent seeking forgiveness for my attitude. Admittedly, it took a long time before I could pray for the pastor who had verbally beaten us up week after week, year after year, only to be discovered hiding his own insidious sin…more garbage. (A good insight into this phenomenon of why we stay in abusive churches- read the classic Secrets of Your Family Tree by Cloud and Townsend)

Human forgiveness is a strange thing…it is seldom ‘once for all’ like God’s. Each time I thought I had forgiven that pastor or the others, a new pastor at a different church would do something that reminded me of him or the ‘denominational authority’ stuff and the angry thoughts would rise up, again, and seek to strangle me. I have needed to forgive so many times over the years..! Do I smell something?

Garbage Out…

Now, why am I shoveling up all of this smelly, old garbage?

#MeToo seems to be shoveling up a lot of garbage…and the garbage needs to be taken out.

In recent weeks, the Southern Baptists have come under the microscope of the world with the fall and subsequent removal of Paige Patterson as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Patterson has been a prominent Baptist leader for decades. (If you have been unaware of the earthquake that took place in late May, simply Google Patterson’s name.) Due to the forcing of their hands by a Washington Post article, which cited proof that Patterson had told a female student and victim of rape to forgive her offender, (and then proceeded to put her on academic probation), the trustees fired Patterson from his position. They had initially planned to give him a generous severance package along with a new title: theologian-in-residence. This seems to have been the “MO” for the SBC when prominent leaders have been accused of various ‘moral failures.’

There have been many shots across the theological bough since that time. Dr. Albert Mohler wrote a scathing article about the judgment of God coming to the Southern Baptist Convention. Others blame him and those like him in leadership. Dare I say, the judgment of God is not reserved for the Southern Baptists?

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

I Peter 4:17, NIV

But I digress.

Buried Garbage…

I know, I know; this ‘garbage theme’ I’ve got going isn’t very appealing to ladies. But let’s face it gals, there has been an incredible amount of refuse being slung around both inside and outside of the church that affects women and children. When sin has been buried in the smoldering dark as long as this has, there is bound to be an eruption that spews far and wide. Abuse is destructive and evil in any situation. Within the church it is especially evil because it denigrates the image of Christ and completely perverts His call to love. Dr. Tim Clinton, President of the American Association of Christian Counselors, says

“It’s tough to believe in the fidelity of God, if all you’re experiencing is ongoing abuse in your life.”

Indeed.

The Answer to Garbage…

Many of the women who gained the courage to speak to their pastors were told to forgive the perpetrators/husbands who were abusing them; while the perpetrators/husbands were seldom called into account. To say this caused a crisis of faith within the hearts of women is a vast understatement. To suggest that this was a grave misunderstanding of Ephesians 5:22-25 seems outlandishly apparent; but obviously was not to a great many within the church! (The rest of Ephesians 5 had to have been ignored).

However, ultimately, forgiveness must come eventually in order for the abused to be set free… Free from your abuser, free from your past, free from the enemy who continues to haunt you with feelings of worthlessness and victimhood. Maybe not today; the pain may still feel too great, too enormous to bear right now. But the Father will invite you when He knows the time.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18, NIV

Forgiveness must come eventually... Maybe not today; the pain may still feel too great, too enormous to bear right now. But the Father will invite you when He knows the time. Click To Tweet

To Close…

Can I close with the words of Ann Voskamp? I can’t express it any more eloquently:

It happens – there are ways to look fine on the outside…and no one knows what you’ve really survived. But the truth is? You didn’t just survive, so let’s toss that myth out right at the outset. The way you keep walking? You may be wounded. You may be hurting. You may be limping. You may feel alone and overwhelmed and unspoken broken – but you’re no victim.

You’re not just a survivor. You’re a thriver. You may bleed – but you rise.

Yeah, it may not feel like it – but you are seen…how you just keep keeping your chin up and limping brave through the hurt…how you keep taking one step out of bed and another step through the door…

But I wanted you to know your wounds are seen and you are going to be okay – it is all going to be okay.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Ann Voskamp, The Way of Abundance

paul morris

Psalm 23, Shepherd, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry

Shepherd: The Response to Those Who Can’t Get it Right

Devotionals, Stay SaneJune 27, 2018June 27, 2019

Psalm 23 says the Lord is my Shepherd, but does that mean I am like a sheep? Read how the Lord responds to those of us who can’t seem to get it right.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1, NKJV

Despite loving and seeking to serve God for most of my life, at times I have sort-term memory loss when it comes to remembering His many-faceted, words-defying character. Also, sometimes it escapes my cluttered mind that God is the anchor of my soul in the storms of life…as cheesy as that sounds. (Think of the terrified apostles on the stormy sea and Jesus walking toward them telling them to ‘chill’.)

God’s Many Names

So… recently, I worked back through a Bible study by Kay Arthur entitled, Lord I Want to Know You. Within those pages, Arthur leads the reader throughout Scripture showing when God revealed a new characteristic of Himself to His people, Israel. With each one, a need they had was met and a new name for God was given to them.

I had done this study years ago, when I was gobbling up one Bible study after another, barely taking time for any root to develop. However, the many constellations surrounding my life have been colliding crazily and I needed a fresh reminder of the nature of my awe-inspiring Father. Many of the names of God spoke to my heart, but God as my Shepherd loomed large.

Psalm 23…

Psalm 23 has been dear to me for too many decades to count. I think I may have first memorized it in Vacation Bible School, if that tells you anything! (Don’t ever think kids aren’t taking something home in their hearts from VBS, moms!) When I suffer from insomnia, when anxiety is high or faith is low, my heart and mind often run to Psalm 23.

Being a shepherd himself, I understand David referring to God as a Shepherd. David could relate; it was his own lifestyle. He hung out on dusty mountainsides with smelly sheep all day every day. But that was then, this is now. How can a shepherd analogy work for today? Living today in the technological 21st century – can we truly be considered a bunch of dumb, sheep?…

A Flock of Sheep…

Uh…afraid so. At least that’s what Scripture declares.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the LORD has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6, ESV

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

I Peter 2:25, ESV

Without a shepherd, sheep inevitably are aimless. They will munch themselves off of a cliff and will gladly eat or drink things that harm them. It’s just their basic nature. That sounds like a lot of people I know. Wait – it sounds like me!

The late journalist, scientist, and shepherd Phillip Keller wrote in, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm:

It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.

Yet, despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us.

The Tender Shepherd…

Often in Scripture, God refers to His people as sheep and He as their Shepherd. I believe it’s probably an analogy worth investigating, don’t you?

After strongly chastising the priests/shepherds of Israel for allowing the people/sheep to be scattered, God had a message of hope for the flock:

For thus says the LORD GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

Ezekial 34:11-12, NKJV

I can envision this word picture; can you? Whether physically or metaphorically, are there cloudy and dark days when your spirit feels pummeled? Do you long for your Lord to seek you out to comfort you? Sister, He IS!

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:11, ESV

He will tend. He will gather in His arms. He will carry them. He will gently lead. My spirit is moved by the Shepherd’s tenderness. I wonder why we so often lose sight of this picture of God, this aspect of His character when He is on every page of Scripture!

The Good Shepherd…

In Luke 15:4-6, Jesus talked about leaving the 99 sheep and going after the ONE sheep that was lost. Then, what did He do? Berate the sheep? Beat it? NO! He placed it on His shoulders, carried it home, called His friends together and rejoiced!

If you were the one sheep who wandered off, the Good Shepherd would come after you.

Why? You may ask; He has others, others who don’t stray or who are less trouble.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:11-16, ESV

Precious sister, He knows you inside out. The good Shepherd knew we were sheep when He called us and knew the characteristics of sheep. He knew we were sheep when He laid down His life for us so that we could experience LIFE. Jesus would never abandon us. It’s against His nature.

He is the Good Shepherd.

All of us are a mess!
Share this message to encourage others who need to be reminded of God’s unrelenting love.

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Sam Carter

Almighty, big, Oh Lord Help Us, faith, blog, Christian, ministry

Big: Is God Human-Sized or Almighty?

Devotionals, Stay SaneJune 7, 2018June 27, 2019

When the God we serve is a small, human-sized god, it isn’t difficult to focus on our problems or on other people, but when He is big and mighty He is a fire in our bones.

I hadn’t planned on this being my next post; I’ve been studying another idea for a few weeks. But, we all know and history reveals that God is notorious for changing our well thought-out plans.

For decades I have been teaching, writing and preaching to others about the greatness of our God. In small group studies, in hospital rooms, in a cancer treatment center, in hospital chapels, in a master’s program of wanna-be theologians from different denominations, in counseling rooms where faith was small, in support groups, I have hailed the mighty, powerful nature of our gracious, forgiving Father.

At times, I have felt like a travel agent speaking of places I have never been.

Enormous

Not that I haven’t believed in the omnipotent, infinite God of creation – I did with all my heart…for them. The picture I held of God for the world was huge:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16, NKJV

That’s enormous, right? I believed. I believed throughout Kay Arthur studies and learning through Beth Moore studies; I even taught some of those Bible studies. I believed while listening to countless exegetical and topical sermons. I believed while singing on several praise teams and in worship services with hands raised in praise to a glorious Savior. Girlfriend, I did it all!

Not Just for the Big Stuff

But for me? Well, my God was only BIG for the big stuff, like the salvation of my children, the cancer of family members, the heartfelt prayer requests of friends, etc. It isn’t that I didn’t pray; it’s that I didn’t think He wanted to be bothered with the small things of my life…and SURELY not my chronic failures like depression and anger…and suicidal thoughts.

You see, growing up in a home where addiction was lord, I learned at a young age that hopes and dreams were squashed. They weren’t to be trusted because disappointment was sure to follow. Better not to hope or dream…Lo and behold, in my first leg of graduate school for a counseling degree, I learned that this behavior/belief is normal for adult children of addiction. Who knew?

However, somehow it carried over to my picture of God, the Father Who has set me free from so much bondage to falsehoods. Even now, after much healing, my ‘small God’ mentality seeps back in when I am not on my guard against the enemy. Sometimes, when I feel alone or the battle is raging around me, I want to cry out with Jeremiah, “Enough already!”

‘Leave me alone in my melancholy.’ The Shepherd replies, ‘I will not leave you alone. You are mine. I know each of my sheep by name. You belong to me. If you think I am finished with you, if you think I am a small god that you can keep at a safe distance, I will pounce on you like a roaring lion…then I will mend you, cradle you in my arms, and kiss you tenderly…’

Brennan Manning, Reflections for Ragamuffins

Fire in Our Bones

In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, there are definitely seasons where it appears he has a tug of war with the Lord. In chapter 20, Jeremiah tells God that he is weary of the constant derision he receives daily, (Jer. 20:8). He actually accuses the righteous Lord of deceiving him in verse 7! Therefore, the silly, little prophet – like us, thought he could decide not to talk about the Lord anymore, just close his mouth due to derision and persecution. He believed he had a level of control on this ‘small god’ whom he served.

But if I say, “I will not mention His name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”

Jeremiah 20:9, NIV (emphasis added)

The NKJV puts it this way:

But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. (emphasis added)

I know it isn’t much different, but I love the word picture Jeremiah gives us of a burning fire in his bones! He desperately attempted to hold back, to stop speaking the prophecies which God had given him to speak, but the power of God so overwhelmed him that he experienced physical symptoms of fire in his bones and weariness in his body.

Change of Heart

Look what Jeremiah once again comes to realize by verses 11-12:

But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.

Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.

Jeremiah 20:11-12, NIV

Our Mighty God

Oh, dear sister! Why does our God seem small, even impotent sometimes? Isn’t it because our ears are open to our enemies’ derision and lies rather than our Father’s words of truth and encouragement? Could it be because our eyes rest upon our failures, present circumstances, or the lives of others instead of our righteous, mighty Warrior who longs to deliver us?

I know that is true of me. Too often I bring the Awesome God of creation down to a human level and expect puny human things from Him when He is offering me the power and might of a resurrected life. God, forgive me.

May we be as Jeremiah was and be unable to keep the prompting of our Lord within us. May we answer His call and see His mighty works, whatever they may be for each of us.

Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3, NKJV

Too often I bring the Awesome God of creation down to a human level and expect puny human things from Him when He is offering me the power and might of a resurrected life. Click To Tweet

guille pozzi

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Life: Four Keys to Handle the Life We Didn’t Plan On

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 29, 2018June 27, 2019

Life is full of unplanned detours and painful pieces. So, how do we handle life when it doesn’t turn out the way we planned?

Remember the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump?” Among the many quotables, Gump uttered the famous line: “Momma said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Those words could perhaps be the subject matter of a college exit course, especially for the students who think they have their lives mapped out…

Unplanned Detours…

My husband and I attended a birthday party for the 32-year-old, handicapped daughter of some long-time friends of ours. This child came out of the womb with a heart condition, but mentally sound. However, due to complications and lack of oxygen during heart surgery days later, her brain was then affected. She is the youngest of three. Our friends did not have taking care of a multiple-handicapped child in their life plan, but you know what? They adjusted. They sacrificed, worked extra hours and extra years. I’ve never heard one complaint from their lips. Their other 2 children, and now their sons-in-law and grandchildren love her deeply. Life without her can’t be imagined, despite the hardship. And one day, when mom and dad are gone, one of those sisters will take over her care.

A reunion was held at the church where Gary and I grew up and raised our children. We saw many old friends, some who have experienced great hardships since we have last seen them. One woman had been in a motorcycle accident and lost her leg two years ago, but stood before me thanking God that her life was spared. Another friend who had dated my brother-in-law decades ago is now running a business while taking care of a husband and a grandmother who both have dementia!

I have a chronic medical condition. Symptoms began not long after I started a career/ministry I loved – definitely not in my plans. For a while after I was diagnosed, I stopped participating in life, but not completely because of my illness. I was more limited by the meaning I had assigned to the illness and the power I gave the meaning.

Painful Pieces…

The reality of life is this – it isn’t only to be lived by well people, or people who have their lives going as planned, or the super intelligent or the super spiritual.

In the early stages of my illness, (and sometimes during tough seasons!) I did not choose life in whatever form God chose to give it. I wanted to pick and choose the life I wanted.

Rachel Remen, M.D. said in her beautiful book, Kitchen Table Wisdom:

When I accepted certain parts of life and denied and ignored the rest, I could only see my life a piece at a time – the happiness of a success or a time of celebration, or the ugliness and pain of a loss or a failure I was trying hard to put behind me out of sight…We are always putting the pieces together without knowing the picture ahead of time. I have been with many people in times of profound loss and grief when an unsuspected meaning begins to emerge from the fragments of their lives. Over time, this meaning has proven itself to be durable and trustworthy, even transformative. It is a kind of strength that never comes to those who deny their pain.

Life involves many types of pain; you don’t have to have many years under your belt to know this. It is in our flesh-nature to avoid/ignore pain, to hide it from others when we can, or to rage against it as unfair, but we are sojourners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11). Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians that things would become wearisome here.

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling... For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened – not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:2-4, ESV

Choose Life…

When God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:11-19, to “choose life,” do you think they had been listening for the previous two chapters? I ask because, in my opinion, God spelled it out very clearly what would happen if they walked with Him and obeyed Him, or what the consequences would be if they didn’t. However, it doesn’t seem as though they were prepared for the latter years of trials.

Despite how clearly pain and trials are delineated in Scripture, I fear that many Christians today are not well prepared for the Life to which they are called, either. Hardships, pain, and trials arrive and some become shell-shocked and believe God has thrown them overboard. However, Jesus succinctly warned in John 16:33 (ESV): I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

His disciples were clear on this point; in 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul invites Timothy to join him in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Suffering was a given.

Keys to Accepting…

I believe the keys to accepting the life God gives us each day is hidden in the Deuteronomy 30:11-20 passage. God said that it isn’t too mysterious for you, nor is it far off…but the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it (v. 11).

I love that – I can hear Him saying, “People! This isn’t rocket science!”

…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…

Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NKJV

The Keys…

Choose life
Love the Lord your God
Obey His voice
Cling to Him

Don’t wait for a new life. Live this one boldly as you cling to Him.

The reality of life is this - it isn't only to be lived by well people, or people who have their lives going as planned, or the super intelligent or the super spiritual. Click To Tweet

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Still: God Will Fight For Us and Prepare the Way Forward

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 16, 2018June 27, 2019

We do not need to be afraid. We are to be still and see the Lord at work, trusting that He will will fight for us and prepare the way forward.

Those who know me best would characterize me as an action person. Although in recent years health issues have slowed down aerobic activities, when a plan is adopted I want to attack it. Mulling over it, tweaking it ad nauseam, re-thinking the plan from multiple angles, or just plain procrastination can cause me intense internal combustion. In other words, my husband can sometimes make my head explode!…because don’t we usually marry our opposite?

Standing still is not my forte; never has been. A decision is made to be executed, so let’s not delay – make a list, mark items off as you go, MOVE!

So, in Exodus 14, let’s just say I totally GET why the children of Israel freaked out when they realized the Egyptians, now angry and vengeful, had pursued and caught up to them at – of all places – the Red Sea! They were shaking in their sandals. After they had left Egypt on such an ‘in-your-face’ emotional high, having plundered them of much of their wealth, (at God’s insistence), God had lead them the long way around the wilderness rather than through the land of the Philistines (Exodus 13:17-18). So rather than getting into a war with the mighty Philistines, Israel ends up with their backs against a wall of water and the fierce Egyptians bearing down on them! Ouch.

After considerable complaining (Exodus 14:11-12), Moses reveals to Israel the incredible battle plan… Are you ready?

Don’t be afraid
Stand still
See
Know The Lord Will Fight For You
Be quiet
Go forward

WHAAAT??!! That’s IT?! No spears? No forward group to distract them and rear guard to defeat them? Not even a trumpet sound???

Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

Exodus 14:13-14, NKJV

Don’t be Afraid…

Often, as we all probably know, fear can be paralyzing, but when a vast army of enemies is marching toward you, the last natural inclination one usually has is to stand still. Simultaneously, Moses instructed the Israelites to have more trust than fear and to stand still in the face of their enemy.

We don’t know the exact timeline, but let’s say just days before, God had released the people of Israel after many years of oppression in Egypt. Using jaw-dropping miracles, God made sure they were loaded down with Egypt’s wealth as He ushered them out of captivity. After the flush of victory had passed and they faced a test, did God’s people remember the miracles of God on their behalf in Egypt? Sadly, no…but then, do we?

In essence, I call God a liar when I grip my fear tighter than my faith in God’s character and intentions toward me. I’m confessing He is not who He says He is and doesn’t do what He says He will do. It has taken me a lifetime of struggle and stumbling to reach this understanding rather than to simply beat myself up with guilt each time I am convicted about my lack of trust in a given situation. We are a fearful people. God already knows that about us, but we don’t have to live there. Our mighty God is greater than our most entrenched fears.

Don’t be afraid. Fear not. Remember when He has rescued you before; He will do it, again.

In essence, I call God a liar when I grip my fear tighter than my faith in God's character and intentions toward me. Click To Tweet

Stand Still…

I liken standing still to waiting. These are areas where I learn from my husband’s more patient nature. He doesn’t rush headlong into things; therefore, he sees potential problems that I might miss on my initial fly-by. He has an eye for details; I like the big picture. Standing still can take in the small things. Being still is necessary for knowing God more intimately (Psalm 46:10).

Moses instructed the people to stand still, to wait, in order to see the salvation of the LORD, (or the deliverance). If they remained fearful or panicky, running into action that God had not ordained, I am convinced Israel would have missed the deliverance God had planned for them that day. They would have been too preoccupied with what they were doing to see what God was doing! Or they might have been crushed.

I question how often I miss the wonder of what He is doing because I’m busy ‘helping God’ do His ministry or whatever I think He needs to be doing…

See…

The more I see what God is doing and join Him there, the more convinced I become that He is, indeed, fighting for me, and not just me, but for His people. God told His people in Deuteronomy, Joshua, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah and Isaiah that He would fight for them or their victories had been due to Him fighting for them.

Know the Lord Will Fight for You…

I love the picture of God slaying the enemies for Israel, but at the same time, I am aware that I often fight against doing nothing while trusting the Lord to do all the fighting in a battle that is raging around me. I don’t like to admit it, but I believe that it’s a mixture of pride and some skewed notion I learned a long time ago concerning works. Not a good combination!

If the Lord God Almighty says He will fight for you, then sister, you and I can put our absolute trust in Him because He is faithful!

Be Quiet…

“Oh,” Moses said, “By the way, while God is fighting for you, you shall be quiet,” (this is the Dodie version).

Not that any of us are like this, but the children of Israel were the biggest whiners and grumblers you’ve ever seen! So, I have an idea that God just wanted them to button it up for just a few minutes and watch Him deliver them in a miraculous way. Like when God doesn’t answer that prayer how I wanted or when I wanted or where I wanted…you get my drift, don’t you? I don’t want to be quiet. I think He needs to be reminded because surely He didn’t hear me correctly, or maybe He forgot!

Be quiet. In fact, in verse 15, God wants to know why they are still TALKING and CRYING OUT to Him! Uh oh.

Go forward…

Now, God says GO FORWARD.

Um…Lord, have you noticed this large body of water we are standing in front of? We don’t have boats, and uh, what about the children? And we don’t swim!

Be quiet…Go forward…oh, what glory you will see.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward…”

Exodus 14:15

What is your obstacle? Does it feel like the Red Sea is before you and the vicious Egyptians are behind you?

Don’t be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Erda Estremera

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Relationship: From a Love Affair to an Intimate Closeness with The Father

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 22, 2018June 27, 2019

Love affairs are intense, exciting, and fleeting. Our feelings of love will fizzle over time, which is why we must be continually falling in love with our Lord. This maturing of our love leads to a deep, intimate relationship.

Every now and then I realize a need in my psyche to listen to chick music. I’ve told my husband that this is necessary for healthy, female existence…at least for me. It consists of different artists for each of us, but I imagine you know what I mean. Your gal may growl out her salty words or she may purr velvet blues, but depending on the day and my mood, I can bounce from Sara Bareilles wanting to see me be brave to Adele sending her love to his new lover. Probably like you, I can swing from Julia Fischers’ fingers dancing over her violin strings to Taylor Swift singing “Getaway Car.”

And that, dear sister, is where I landed the other day while upstairs doing particular household chores which I least enjoy. It was a Taylor day. Her song, “Sad, Beautiful, Tragic,” tugged at my heart in an unusually strong way. I replayed it several times, listening intently to the words as I questioned internally why this and one other song (“Begin Again”), on the album was arresting my attention. Most chick music falls in this category: girl meets boy; boy breaks girl’s heart; girl is shattered, can never trust again OR she’s tough, moving on, getting revenge, etc.

It occurred to me that too often over the years my relationship with God has been more like a love affair than an intimate, covenant relationship; maybe yours, too.

A Love Affair…

Love affairs are initially characterized by warmth, infatuation and hormones raging. Dr. Richard Schwartz, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a consultant at McLean Massachusetts General Hospital said that in the early stages of love our levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, rises in our system. In addition, love turns on the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers, and drops the levels of serotonin, which “adds a dash of obsession.” When this formula is added together, the equation always equals the exciting, crazy, dare-I-say silly feeling of an early infatuation/love. As the love-year progresses, chemicals gradually return to a normal balance and, if both hang around, a mature type of love follows. The hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin increases to produce calm and helps to cement the bond that is being created between the two people involved. Other brain specialists concur.

Pretty amazing how the Lord-of-all worked those little details out, huh?

The problem is, we humans like that crazy, exciting, OMG! first-love feeling all the time…in every relationship.

It might explain our divorce rate…might help us understand why so many singles hit the dating web sites night after night…

Might even explain our prayerlessness.

Falling in Love…

While some of us still possess the buzz of the first blush of being a new Christian, many do not. So, as John Wimber, (one of the founding leaders of Vineyard USA), said to his first pastor after a few months of sitting in a pew, “You mean I gave up drugs for this?” Wimber wanted to do what he saw Jesus doing in the gospels, but didn’t see it happening in his church. Unlike many of us, however, he didn’t settle for a cooling agnosticism to replace the fire of his first love. Wimber studied the scriptures faithfully and passionately; he learned that if our love affair wasn’t with Jesus, it would be with something else. “Show me where you spend your time, money, and energy, and I’ll tell you what you worship.” he often said. Further, Wimber later claimed,

It seems the more I think about not sinning, the more I sin, but the more I think about just loving Jesus, the less I seem to sin. Falling in love seems to be the key.

John Wimber, Power Evangelism

There it is, again – falling in love. But this love is ongoing, maturing. It’s the kind of love that is patient, kind, and not envious, boastful, or rude. This love doesn’t always have to have its’ own way, and isn’t irritable or resentful. It doesn’t do a happy dance at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love in its’ truest sense bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. In fact, it never, ever ends (I Corinthians 13:4-8).

Impossible, right? Why yes, it is!! Apart from the power of Christ within me, I am the antithesis of all of those attributes listed! I can be impatient, envious and rude -all in one breath! I can be irritable and demand my own way when my coffee isn’t prepared the way I like – all before 8 a.m.!

But God…

…has rescued me from the power of darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of His dear Son…

Colossians 1:13, NLT

It seems the more I think about not sinning, the more I sin, but the more I think about just loving Jesus, the less I seem to sin. Falling in love seems to be the key. ~John Wimber, Power Evangelism Click To Tweet

Intimate Love…

Why, WHY does the Father continue to rescue, forgive, and empower me?

Because He loves me…and you…with a deep, everlasting, intimate love that surpasses human understanding. When we became His children, God made a covenant with us through the work of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:13-20). It is a covenant of grace, filled with mercy, authored by Love.

It seems like drinking from a cracked cistern, really, when we, you and I, continually search for a new ‘first love’ feeling or sense of fulfillment by sipping in new relationships or attractions, whatever those may be, when Love Himself, the fountain of living waters- who has loved us like no other – is available to us at all times. He is waiting to give you, and me, a fresh drink.

For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV

Sharon McCutcheon

You are fiercely loved…

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Hope: Live with Longing and Expectation as Prisoners of Hope

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 10, 2018June 27, 2019

To hope in God is more than a wish. It is a longing and an expectation. It is this hope that sustains us through darkness. How do we live as prisoners of hope?

When I was a young girl, I hoped I would grow up to be a fabulous journalist. Later, as a teen, I began to see and understand the darkness of addiction that had insidiously invaded our family. Then I began to hope and pray for a Godly husband with whom to build a strong, enduring family of faith. Was I hoping or wishing…or both?

Wishing

Hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation; to want something to happen or be true…at least that is how Merriam-Webster defines it. This somewhat sterile definition sounds more like wishing to me. An online dictionary pared it down a bit more: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. But perhaps that’s how we use it today: “I hope it doesn’t rain; I hope we can get together soon; I hope you like this new recipe I tried for dinner.”

Hope has become a word we throw around like the word ‘love’ and several other words in our language; the meaning has been blurred, but we continue to use them. I can ‘want something to be true’ or ‘cherish a desire with anticipation’ all day long, but if that’s all I’ve got…well, as Paul said, then I am of all people most to be pitied (I Cor. 15:19 NIV).

Longing

When I hear the word hope my mind turns to deep longing; a blossom in the soul that is waiting to unfurl.

I found it interesting while researching meanings for hope online that after two definitions, every single entry afterward was about Christian hope.

Now, why would that be??

The answer might be found in a 1986 sermon by John Piper: “Biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.” There is no wishing here, no uncertainty in our hope. Piper said, “Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen.”

Do you have that kind of hope? A certainty and confident expectation that God intends only good for you and your future?

Expecting

Sometimes, as the Psalmist urged, and Piper reminded, we must tap ourselves on the shoulder. We must say to ourselves in the mirror on those difficult mornings or those dark evenings when the clouds of doubt or the trials and suffering threaten to overcome us:

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5, NKJV

HOPE IN GOD! Sometimes, I want to tattoo that message on my forearm or over my heart so that I see it as a daily reminder that hope in God is the anchor of my soul. Beth Guckenburger said in her book, Start With Amen, “Hope keeps a medical diagnosis or wayward child from taking us under. It’s the best weapon we have on any given day. It says, “I don’t care how it looks or what I feel. I know this story isn’t over. I know Jesus sits on the throne…””

Besides Jesus, what better example than David do we have of someone who has placed utmost hope in God? Throughout his days we witness him praising in prosperous times and heart wrenching, sorrowful times. David dances with gladness before the Lord and falls before Him in repentance after he sins with shocking abandon. David portrays confident hope in Adonai, the LORD of lords Who is filled with compassion.

I love how Acts 2:25-26 reframes a Psalm by David in The Message:

I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.

Prisoners

Dear sisters, may we pitch our tents in the land of hope. Yes, may we even be ‘prisoners of hope,’ as Zechariah said in his missive. While we have been, and may at this moment be prisoners of many things, let us covenant to be only His prisoners, prisoners of righteousness and hope. Our Lord is faithful and true; He is worthy of our hope.

Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

Zechariah 9:12, NKJV

While we have been, and may at this moment be prisoners of many things, let us covenant to be only His prisoners, prisoners of righteousness and hope. Click To Tweet

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