Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. (Deut. 8:2)
Many years have passed since the Israelites refused to enter the land of Canaan. They had been too afraid of the great size and strength of the residents to take possession of God’s gift and the fulfillment of His long-coming plan. They had not trusted in His ability to go before them and be settled in this good land.
Those people died in the wilderness and their children grew up, ready now to go into the promised land. Moses’ goal is to prepare Israel, teaching them important lessons and reminding them of all that had gone before.
In today’s verse, Moses helps Israel to recall their experience in the desert and the reason for those desperate years: to humble and test them and to know what was in their hearts. God’s pointed question was, would they keep His commands?
Moses continues to explain that God had caused them to hunger (vs. 3). He had brought famishment upon them…
…and then He had fed themmanna…
Why?
…to teach them that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (continuation of vs. 3)
The Father had withheld…only to pour back into them that they would experience HIM in bountiful and even miraculous ways and turn to no other.
Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell during those 40 years (vs. 4).
I imagine Moses looking deep into their eyes as he said, “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.” (vs. 5)
Our Lord did not flippantly bring hardship on the people. Every thought and plan He developed in His perfect mind was for their good, for their eventual trust in Him.
Moses instructed them to observe God’s commands, to walk in obedience and to revere Him (vs. 6). And in verse 7, Moses describes the prosperous land. “…a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.”
He continues, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God…Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied…your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (vs. 10-11)
The Israelites would soon be moving to a land where bread would not be “scarce” and where they would “lack” nothing…They would eat and be “satisfied.”
These were the exact words I used in previous blogs to describe our sacred meetings with God in the desert, a desert to which He calls each of us at one time or another; a place of loss, of stripping and lack, a place of scarcity in which He wants us to find our satisfaction in HIM alone.
Yet, here and now, He holds out His hand to His children to offer them everything He had once taken away. You see, whereas earthly things we pursue on our own are not so filling, anything from HIS hand can satisfy. Whatever HE brings can alleviate scarcity and lack within my body and soul.
Sigh…
I’m overwhelmed at these thoughts as I look up to God…and see soooo much love. His ways are too much for me to comprehend. Yet, I’m trying to understand.
He doesn’t just leave us in the deserts of our lives. He cares for our hunger and thirst through spiritual AND physical means. He expects us to be comfortable within His provision.
But it doesn’t just stop there.
God knows us SO well. He knows that we will easily become complacent when our desperate needs become plentifully met. He knows that we easily forget Him.
That forgetfulness makes me so sad, and I cry.
God wants to bless us, but the very blessings He gives can take us from Him. What a dilemma for our Father in Heaven.
So…before I eat my breakfast this morning,
I will STOP
and I will REMEMBER (I hope to never forget)
…who gave me the good food that sits on my table. I look around and recognize His hand in placing us in this beautiful home. And throughout the day, my gratefulness will help me visualize friends and loved ones that bless my life and visualize grace and mercy that cover my terrible sins. And the list goes on and on.
One day, when another thing gets stripped from my life, I hope with all that is in me to rise up and bless His holy name and worship at His precious feet. For He is God, and I do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. If I am being disciplined, I HOPE that I will fall on my face before Him and repent of wayward ways. I hope that I will be able to see and find His bounty all around me IN His presence and love and ever so much to be thankful for a roof over my head and simple things that make me smile. This is my prayer today, In Jesus name, Amen.
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Exodus 15:22-24
They went into a desert…
I’ve never been in one. But I know that deserts are dry and hot. What survives the harshness of the environment are plants and animals that have creatively adapted themselves to the environment. High temperatures rise during the day and strong winds blow. Rain and dew are sparse. Nights are much cooler, but the following day, the temperatures relentlessly rise again.
Deserts hold so much fascination. There are no sounds of cities, neighbors and noise. Not many distractions are found there. All around is simply raw nature.
There is also so much beauty: the colors of the ever-changing sky, a different sky in every direction, the whirling forms of the sand dunes and the tracks made by desert animals.
The needs in the desert are simple: light clothing by day and warm wraps by night, sustenance of food and, of course, water.
That’s why thirst was very real for the children of Israel. They were probably exhausted and confused as they looked at the sites around them. The desert wasn’t what they pictured freedom to look like.
Yet, the desert was for them a place of God’s testing. When there was no food or water, and temperatures and tempers were high, would the Israelites turn to Him in their emotional and physical desperate need?
For us, we don’t have to go to the desert to experience some of these things. We’re in and out of “deserts” all through our days, sometimes months and sometimes years.
The desert is God’s school of holiness where He wants to show Himself strong through the extreme basic needs of our lives. Everything we truly crave narrows down to only a few things (wants aren’t even in the picture except to want Him).
Some desert moments happen, however, within our souls in the midst of everything we could possibly want or need. God sometimes calls us even in plenty. It happens during life’s trials, and it happens when we choose scarcity of earth’s things (the plenty) just to wander alone with Him without the distractions.
When we’re in the desert, issues of our past sometimes surface to be examined. We meet God in the hard, raw work that must be done. The deepness of the endeavor makes us momentarily forget our needs, much less our wants, and we dive into Him with all we have. The moment is devoid of other voices and of touch, except the hope of the touch of God.
In some desert seasons, we search the horizons for Him, but we strain our eyes only to see nothing, we listen to the howling, harsh winds, but nothing else can be heard though we beg Him to speak. We feel no one’s touch. All of our needs and wants seem to be screaming louder than ever.
The waiting is hard in the presence of His holy silence.
Everything seems stripped from us, and allwe can think about are those things that would bring comfort, now. But they become stripped from us one by one. And even more, we hunger for what we think will satisfy.
As the desert clock ticks its time, and day after day our expectations of earth are not met, God steps in and makes Himself known, sometimes in the sunrise, other times in the hug of a friend. He is what we wanted all along. He meets our every need.
Only God…
This is the purpose of the desert: to come to the place where our minds our obsessed with our Father and all else fades into the distance.
Others around us enter their own desert places. We cannot hurry up their desert or fix it to make it better. These harsh, dry spells in their lives must be met in God’s timing and in His way. We can sit with them and watch and pray. Our offerings of water and food are left on their doorsteps. We soothe the blisters on their lips, shoulders and feet. Comfort comes from our help, but we cannot walk through their desert for them.
We wait in the presence of God’s holy silence.
In each of our deserts, we never know what will happen next, a metaphorical wind storm, a cool breeze in the night, a newly found spring of clear cool water or a terrible feeling of loss and forsakenness.
The Israelites had not found water for 3 days. What water they found was too bitter to drink.
Verses 25 says, “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.
What kind of God puts people into a desert and makes them thirsty enough that all they want is relief, and the only source of relief is Him?
Our God does, for a purpose.
This is their test! This is what they must learn. This is our test, too!
He is always there in the desert with us, no matter what we may be led to think. He simply wants us to call out His name. He wants us to trust even when we don’t see, hear or feel Him.
HE IS OUR GOD.
Even after the emotional high of the walk on dry ground through the Red Sea, with giant waves standing erect on both sides, the Israelites still needed to know that they would be cared for.
God needed to know that they would lean on Him for every turn in the road.
He went on to give His instructions, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Lord, show us how to creatively adapt to you wherever you lead us, even if it is to the depths of a spiritual desert. We may think in our minds that we want you to adapt to us and our desires. Yet, Father, truly you are THE Healer of our bodies, spirits and souls. In our deserts, help us in the harsh wind to imagine your breath breathing into us, life! Help us as we watch the silent sky to picture your artistic fingers painting it only for our eyes. Help us in the lack of touch, to feel your kiss on our cheeks from the dew in the morning breeze. Help us to finally experience the joy of the desert simply because YOU are there. We believe you are always there, and though things seem utterly lost at times, you will make a way for us in the desert and streams in the wastelands. Thank you, Jesus. In your name, I pray, Amen.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:2
Genesis 37 launches the story of Joseph which extends to the end of the book. In summary, the events of his life include how his brothers sold him into slavery and his master imprisoned him after hearing terrible false accusations. Then Joseph interpreted a few dreams for Pharoah in which several years of plenty would be followed by several years of famine. And Pharoah raised him from his work confined within prison walls to work within and over his kingdom. His job was to prepare them for the famine. In the end, Joseph heroically saved Egypt and his family of origin (the people of God).
The setting of today’s verse takes us to the beginning of Joseph’s time in Egypt as a slave for Potiphar, who was one of Pharoah’s officials. In this frightful stage of the journey, he was learning obedience. He was also learning discernment. And GOD was prospering him.
How did he know the truth of God’s blessings? Somewhere in his spirit Joseph had an inward sense to interpret his circumstances on a deeper level. God was with him through every hardship and hurdle, though Joseph must have been struggling and confused. He must have felt abandoned by his jealous brothers who had sold him into slavery.
However, Joseph would not have fared well (even in God’s prosperity) if a respectful, good nature had been absent from him. Joseph would not have flourished without forgiving what his brothers had done and bearing with his circumstances in absolute, humble trust in God. These attributes take a great self-control and decisiveness, without which he would never eventually have ruled over Egypt alongside Pharoah.
Both God and Joseph had their parts to play. Joseph, though so much had been taken from him, had to have had a heart to receive the grace God was pouring out on him (that could not be taken from him, but only graciously taken or sullenly denied).
Being betrayed by his brothers and becoming a slave would have carried with it great difficulties for Joseph that may have seemed impossible to overcome. Yet, everywhere he went in Egypt for 13 years, he was never harmed. He flourished in whatever circumstance came his way.
Joseph found favor in the eyes of Potiphar who, through time, trusted him with all he had. Later, the prison guard promoted him to the highest place over all the other prisoners. You would think that nothing but fear and dread would have met Joseph there. Yet, everywhere he went and person he met, the job was done well. And even though man had failed him, God used everything to point him to a destination He had ordained. Eventually Joseph would be raised to become second to Pharoah.
Perhaps if someone showed up at the tail end of the story, they would say that Joseph sure did have a bit of luck.
However, nothing that happened to him could be considered fortunate. GOD moved in each situation for His purposes. He took the evil that happened to him and made it into something spectacular.
When loss, distance or struggles divide us from our loved ones in our own seasons of confinement (many circumstances we go through feel like a prison), we can rest assured that nothing separates us from our Father, God. In the most humbling experience, we have our Rescuer and Deliverer. We have a work to do, and our work is as unto the Lord not unto people who fail us.
When we take the time to comprehend that we are always in company with Him, which satisfies all we’ve lost, we are able to receive the blessings He desires to pour out on us. Though we may not feel it, we can interpret our circumstances to see with spiritual eyes that we are indeed prospering (at all times) and God is prospering others around us as well. We’re finding joy in our trials by giving our best, all to the glory of God. We’re shining the light He shines in us.
On the other hand, is it possible that a complaining spirit could actually block the good God wants to do in our lives?
Father, Joseph could have disdained your blessings and refused to be moved from his despair. We could make that same sad choice. What would we miss out on? What would others around us miss as well? In our losses, help us to learn to bear whatever is thrown our way. Help us to know that you are with us and you are prospering us even now. In Jesus name, Amen.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Prov. 9:10
We are on the final lesson of this class. Today, I will be tying up a few loose ends in our search for wisdom and sharing some last words and Bible passages to broaden our understanding (for our life-long study of discernment).
In Matthew 25:1-12 we read a parable of Jesus, further emphasizing a point from an earlier lesson, that being prepared plays an important role in discernment. The story is about 10 unmarried women who were part of a wedding party and, as was the custom, they were to meet the bridegroom (whenever he showed up) and walk with him to meet his bride. Their lamps were to be filled with enough oil to last throughout the entire event. Five of the women were wise and brought extra oil for the occasion. The other five were foolish and didn’t prepare for the long hours of waiting.
When there was a delay in the bridegroom’s arrival, they all fell asleep and the light of their lamps went dim. At the announcement of his presence, the wise women used the spare oil to revive and brighten the lamps, joined the party and comfortably entered the home of the wedding banquet. The other women begged for some of their oil supply, but the wise ones only had enough for themselves.
They proceeded to the party with their lamps lit and ready. The foolish ones lacked discernment and tried at a late hour to go out and buy more oil. By the time they arrived at the wedding house, the door had been shut.
Verse 11 says that the frantic women cried out, ‘Open the door for us!’”
The response was: “Truly, I tell you, I don’t know you.”
Jesus’ was comparing this parable to the kingdom of heaven and what it would be like. He ends the story by saying, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” …of His return.
At first glance, this parable seems odd because the wise women and even the doorkeeper seem a little harsh. They wouldn’t share their oil or open the door to those left behind. We should always share and find ways to extend kindness, right?
However, the oil seems to represent something they could not give away – an individual’s responsibility for his or her choices that affect their own lives and souls.
If you came to me on the day of the Lord’s return and told me you were not ready to meet the Lord, and please, would I give some of my readiness for your benefit, I would not have the capability to help you, even if I wanted to. I would not be able to decide what you believe or don’t believe and what you accept about Jesus and what you do not accept. You cannot decide these things for me as well.
The foolish women made choices in the parable that represented sin and maybe even spiritual death. They were not allowed to enter into the banquet house. We, who do not prepare ahead of time will not be allowed to enter the kingdom of God.
Perhaps this one decision is the greatest decision of our lives. We all want to stand ready on the day of His return.
We also want to be prepared for the choices that come to us now, while we live on earth.
In our everyday decisions, it is good for us to follow today’s verse of fearing (respecting in awe and reverence) the Lord God which brings wisdom and understanding and leads us to better discernment.
There are so many ways that God shows us how to make wise choices: through promptings, dreams, intuition, His word, His people, sermons, books, songs…the list goes on.
When we have knowledge of what God would want us to do, we are learning to do it right away and with all our hearts.
When we don’t follow Him well, we tend to lose the ability to hear His voice and quench and grieve His Spirit as we’ve learned before. We often look back in regret and wish we had done things differently. There is no escape from making mistakes. Regrets are a part of life. However, sometimes, God uses our mistakes to remind us of our need for Him, to revive our hearts and bring us back to our listening, obedient ways, once again. He also uses our trials.
I’ve heard of some who have looked back on previous hardships in which they clungto the Master’s hand and then, once the hardship was over, they missed that closeness. Trials tend to move us to the only One who can satisfy our souls. Eventually these things become resolved and life may appear to be brighter and better. But during the difficulties (and the mistakes we make) is when we can become enamored by God’s presence more than at any other time.
When the blessings are overflowing, it takes discipline on our parts to continue walking closely with the Master, even when our need of Him seems less. It is always right to cling to the Savior on bad days and good.
In either situation, we keep our ears open to His voice! We make a difference in our corner of the world.
In fact, there should be a noticeable difference between ourselves and our neighbors in how we approach our decisions because of this very dynamic. As Christians we place our fear strategically at the foot of God’s throne (not at the feet of the world). We go to Him to help guide us in making our most profound and our seemingly small choices. We lean on Him to direct our paths.
Sometimes, God prompts our hearts in things He wants us to do. We would be wise to follow these godly inspirations. When there is nothing but silence, we do what we think is best, trusting that God is leading us.
We do the work we are called to do and the work we know is right.
Phil 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Who is actually doing the work, God or us?
Both!
I wouldn’t have much of a relationship with God if I didn’t respond (by working) to what He is doing (or working) in me.
Truly, may we all who see the accomplishments of God in our lives and know without a doubt that He is the Lord of all and the One to glorify. We let God’s name be praised and show the world the only explanation for any good done by our hands.
God loves to show off! Sometimes in going forward in what I know to do, I feel inadequate and unsure of myself. Discernment is not necessarily unwavering confidence. Good! That’s when God can explode through and show Himself strong.
There are times, I feel like hiding from a situation in which I have no other choice but to rely on God …while the crowd watches. In public, it can seem better to be hidden when I need Him to come through than to draw attention and not get any response. It is risky!
In I Kings 18, Elijah challenged God’s people about wavering between two opinions. Either choose Baal or choose God. He proceeded to reveal God’s power. Then he gave Baal a chance, who was simply a lifeless idol that gave no proof of his existence at all. God wanted to show up in their great need. He wanted to shine His glory, of which none other can take from Him.
I have to ask myself, when we make our decisions, if we don’t obey His promptings and callings, how can God, indeed, show the world who He is?
Here are the last of the words or phrases added to the Discernment Wheel. If we saw this particular chart for the first time, we would think it was simply one big mess. Instead, it is an intricate web of beautiful, Biblical ideas and helpful words and phrases to remind us to stay close to the Father as we seek to make important decisions. It is a beautiful mess!
Discernment is:
Fear of the Lord Committing my spirit (life) into His hands Not always ‘safe’ Peace in knowing God will help me whether the outcome is comfortable or not Not a promise of great results (old); Today I added “But we do hope” and “But peace (seen and unseen) can come even so; also know that a person may have to fall to rise (poor results can give way to great results later)
I also added the following:
Discernment is: Maturity/grace Entrusting myself to God. – When they hurled their insults at him (Jesus), he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. I Pet. 2:23 Knowing when to pull someone aside in a conflict (away from a group) and talk in private instead of embarrassing them in public. A gentle heart Walking the narrow road Not a fear of people
Lord, we will continue to add to this Discernment Wheel as we travel through the journeys of our lives. This study has opened our eyes to so many things about joining your will with our lives, walking a road of suffering and becoming more free than ever before. Keep our hearts soft and pliable. Keep our eyes fixed on you. Show us the fear of the Lord so we can have good wisdom and understanding. Help us to discern when we should be prepared for what is coming. Do your great work in us and help us to give you all the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let me stay on your tracks so that my feet will not stumble. Psalms 17:5
Once, as a young child, I remember being left at church. Forgotten. I don’t remember any other details except that I found myself in the car of a strange family (my parents knew well) who were kind enough to take me to them. Yet, I cried all the way home. I didn’t know how safe I really was and that there was no reason to be afraid. But a fear gripped me like none I’d never known before.
Having a large family and lots of siblings, somehow they must have thought I was with them. I must have become distracted, away from my mother’s gaze. I must have strayed from the right path where she could keep an eye on me.
In my spiritual walk, God knows the better way, the good track for me to follow, and when I venture outside His path, things can get fearful and difficult. It is always so relieving to be back in His presence with His careful gaze watching over and protecting me.
The Bible says, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Eccl. 12:13
Solomon, the author, had made several unwise choices in his life and strayed away from the Father’s ways many times. At the end of his life, he discovered how wonderful were God’s words, how right were His commandments, how good were His precepts and how glorious was a life of one who keeps His statutes.
‘Precepts’ and ‘statutes’ are not typically in our vocabulary. But it all means the same thing: to follow His will. We learn to trust that what He’s asked us to do is trustworthy.
Certainly, there are challenges to staying on God’s tracks when I become weary or I’m tired of my difficult circumstances. In fact, it is interesting to note that when I am in the middle of a sin, I don’t even want the right tracks. “Leave me alone. I’m fine in my misery.” Right? “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll eat what I want, do what I please and go where I want to go!”
Pride, self-pity and arrogance have a subtle way of taking over when my flesh begs for more comfort and ease of suffering.
All of us would rather eat ice cream than spinach. We know to have self-control with our diets, to exercise daily, but more than anything to choose to have spiritual alignment with the Lord God (which only comes when we stick close to His word and in prayer fellowship on our knees before Him).
The feeling of being out-of-control is a terrible feeling. It is a dreadful thing to be caught in a snare with little hope of regaining one’s life through spiritual restraint. Addiction, in a sense, is stepping off God’s track onto whatever track we think is better and becoming entangled in that choice.
However, the feeling of welcoming God’s spirit as He helps a person in self-discipline simply feels like an unbelievably great accomplishment. THAT is true success!
Anytime I follow the Lord’s steps instead of my own, I am under the spirit’s control. I am free to live a life of surrender and trust.
I cannot stumble when my heart is in the act of following God.
King David said, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Psalm 119:71
A decree is another way of saying, ‘God’s track.’ David had many obstacles in his life in his journey with the Lord. Sometimes, David faltered and wandered away. Yet, one day, when he was met with the consequences of sin or trials, he wrote the verse just mentioned. He took the situation to heart and saw it differently than most would see it. He could have strayed, but instead, David came to understand that difficulties were a pathway to knowing God’s heart and will more precisely.
When my trials come, I am tempted to get off His path and casually stroll in the direction I prefer. Enemy voices lie and tell me this way will make me happy, fill me up and satisfy my soul.
Yet, the point of God’s commands, laws, decrees, statutes, lessons and teachings all through the Bible and throughout my life are for my good. That is truth.
Lord, please tell me what to do. I step onto your tracks and ask you to help me stay near you all my life. Help me not to wander. Keep my eyes fixed on you when the storms come and when I don’t understand your callings. Draw me into your presence daily. For you are my safe place, forever. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Exodus 32:1
Aaron listened to the people and provided for them a golden calf for the purpose of worshiping the way they saw fit.
This story shocks and horrifies me. God had chosen Moses, and had gone to extraordinary measures to use him to rescue the Israelites from harsh turmoil and slavery. Yet, now they were turning their backs on the one safe, never-ending source of all they truly needed.
They had been beaten, bruised and worn out all their lives. When they came out of Egypt and began to see God’s miracles, perhaps they assumed a pain-free, comfortable existence at the snap of God’s fingers, like a Santa Claus or a vending machine. But that’s not life.
Surely, you’ve already reached the ‘punchline.’ We, too, so easily fall back into old ways when the going gets tough. We so quickly forget our amazing God whose provisions and presence are completely adequate and satisfying and whose timing is always right.
However, I would like to go further into this passage.
To begin with, Moses was called up to the mountain by God; by GOD! The people knew this.
But he was so long in coming back.
So long…..
What typically happens to people who get antsy, restless and demand to control their lives: They give in to their lower selves. They come up with their own plans. They go ahead of God’s will.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Samuel asked King Saul to wait seven days for him to come to Gilgal before beginning the prescribed sacrificial offerings. The seven days came and went, so Saul took it upon himself to go forward, his way.
Then Samuel arrived. “‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.'” I Samuel 13:13.
The King didn’t ‘get it.’
As parents, once we set clear instructions for our children, we try to enforce the importance of obedience. King Saul should have been a better example, as all eyes were on him.
God wanted the Israelites to be His chosen people for the sake of preserving a Holy line to, one day, birth His Son.
For instance, in Exodus 35:1–3, if a person worked on the sabbath, the punishment was death! God’s guidelines were extremely clear. He was trying to teach His people to listen to His voice, even when the commands He gave seemed odd or exacting.
Samuel knew how imperative it was for Israel to have a king who would listen and follow instructions. Israel needed to practice these same skills. We all do! That’s why our children must see and experience their parent’s struggles towards passionately pursuing refined obedience.
Israel and Saul teach us to learn valuable lessons from their mistakes.
However, we fall into the same traps. “No, I want to make my own rules.” “I am being inconvenienced.” “God is taking sooooo long!” “My circumstances are becoming too intense. I MUST take control!“
People take too long. They don’t go as fast as we would go. God never seems to show up when or how we want Him to.
‘I’ take so long to change. But God isn’t in any hurry. He wants to know that I am willing and that I am moving forward in His direction and in His time.
The Covid-19 cure is so long in coming. Will we turn to the idol of complaining, fear and anxiety?
What should the Israelites have done during Moses’ prolonged visit with the Almighty? Could they have spent their precious time in prayer for him or in mutual service, learning more about trusting their Father and each other?
Hindered personal plans provide our own mountains to climb, making life strenuous and challenging at times. Think of some distractions that try to take us away from doing what is right on our paths to meet with God. How might we keep ourselves from being interrupted in our continuous, simple praises?
Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23) Patience helps us to succeed during inevitable, unmanageable delays.
When the obstacles are lifted, the joy of faithfully persevering through our long days and nights is absolutely exhilarating, pure and more fulfilling than any golden calf (or other gods we could turn to).
God is amazing!
He instructed the pattern for the tabernacle and later for the temple. These were places to worship and serve Him. He used precious stones, elegant materials and detailed plans.
Today, we, who are followers of Christ are the temple of God, the place where He dwells. We are being built and refined into precious spiritual stones. We are His elegant work, a people who are special to Him, a people who are learning to trust Him in times when our plans are postponed for a better time.
Father of All Wisdom, teach us in our limited lives. Take from us the weariness, confusion, fear and anxiety, the inward and outward wars towards one another, the golden calves of overeating, oversleeping, overplaying, and overuse of anything that separates us from you. Teach us to fall on our knees before a Holy, magnificent God and know that your purposes are greater than our timely plans. Build us into refined children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May we always listen to your voice and obey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As I said in last week’s blog, we relinquish everything to God and wait.
On the foundation of the Lord Almighty, we also proclaim and confirm our undying love for those we relinquish to Him.
I am not referring in any way to abandoning ourselves to abusive situations. Yet, even in the BEST of situations, how is this kind of commitment (undying love) achievable? What if people fail us or don’t reciprocate the love we show them (at least not in the way we want).
Sometimes it feels as if God is asking us not to be human, not to have feelings. Yet, today’s blog is not about feelings. We should express these. But the issue at hand is more about what happens after we express the feelings. What do we do when the expression of our feelings doesn’t make a difference and we don’t receive our wishes?
“After all, I have needs,” we say.
I’ve heard the needs of many around me for years and have felt them within myself,
“I need you to get to know me deeply and care about the things I care about.” “I want you to check on me and show interest in my thoughts and ideas.” “Your approval matters to me.” “Your criticisms hurt me deeply.” “I want you to love me and be there for me.” “I need you to stand up for me and defend me to others.” “I need you NOT to give your time and attention more to others than me.” “When you flaunt others in front of me, I feel jealous and withdrawn.” “I need you to stop rejecting what love I offer you.” I want you to make me feel special and show your love in ways I notice.”
Think about our enormous pile of needs. What needy expectations (not talking about responsibilities) do we tend to hold over people we love?
Imagine today is Black Friday and shoppers are fighting to the death over a discounted computer or toy for their kids. Compare that to how we fight for our needs and punish those who withhold from us. We are insulted and offended or silent in our confusion.
In these situations, it’s hard to concentrate on doing any good for the world, because we are stewing about our own griefs, which, by the way, takes a lot of energy. Who has time for community service and goodwill?
Yet, God puts within us a deeper desire to wisely and intentionally spend our offenses on greater injustices that offend Him, not by what needs we constantly call others to fulfill for us.
So, we repent, not of neediness (we DO have needs), but of taking our neediness and laying it at the feet of frail humans (that let us down) and not at the feet of our Lord (who always meets our needs). No one or no ‘thing’ fits this enormous missing puzzle piece we have inside us. It’s a void that only God Himself can fill.
Psalm 86:11 (NIV) says, “Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
We have division in our hearts, division between our longings for earth, our longings for God and God’s longings for us. Yet our true desire is NOT to be divided in our allegiance to Him.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2NIV).
God satisfies our every need, in His way and in His time. Any drought we experience deepens our hunger for Him (which He fills), and then He renews our attitudes to be capable of giving love to His people in confidence, strength, and courage!
Yesterday, His name was El Shaddai. Out of all the names of God in the Bible, this one is my favorite. Here are a few suggestions of what this name means:
God Almighty, all sufficient, all-bountiful, the source of all blessings, many-breasted God – who nourishes, satisfies, and supplies the needs of His people.
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai}; walk before me faithfully and be blameless (Genesis 17:1 NIV).
I can walk before a God who meets my every need, especially since my most felt need is to rise above all I think I ‘lack’ and abundantly give love with no thought of it being returned. My central focus on God stirs my faith in Him concerning my needs and promotes a desire to be pure (blameless) in His sight.
When I’m not-so-blameless, it is because I have put my faith in a person or thing and not in El Shaddai who is more than enough for me, forever.
My El Shaddai has cared for me all my life and has nourished me bountifully. He has always over-provided and over-given me what it takes to nourish others around me. It is my choice to go forward in love, for He makes me able.
I have no lack, ever (Psalm 23). HE is always my full and overflowing portion.
In the children’s story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears written by Robert Southey, Goldilocks comes into the bear’s home and tastes 3 different bowls of porridge, sits in 3 different chairs, and lies down on 3 different beds until she finds what she is looking for, “…this is just right,” she says.
However, there is no place on earth that is just right, no matter how many bowls of porridge, diverse chairs, or selections of beds I try, no matter how glaring my needs feel that any one person or thing is supposed to meet.
When I have sought and found God and have fallen on my face before him, I can say like Goldilocks,
“Ah, now, this is just right.”
Even though my own home and location is the closest to the Garden of Eden as can be, even though I am witnessing such love and service around me, feeling included and drawn into love, I still feel lostin my most recent move. It’s been over a year now. Yet, in the place I previously lived for 21 years (and crave to live now), I also had times I felt lost.
In some ways, I feel lost no matter where I am as long as I’m here on this earth.
Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”
No one here is supposed to make me feel ‘found.’ They can’t do that for me.
Again, a great love surrounds me, in my marriage, with my friends, and new church family. Yet, the older I become, somehow this lost feeling has grown keener. What my soul longs for is God. Where I long to be is with Him. That’s why I hurt and get grumpy and restless. Satan would have me think otherwise, that my unmet needs from people are causing my frustrations.
My need is really my perception of what I think I need. So I may find myself saying, “That person is not fulfilling my need. THEY are lacking!” My words, in essence, are saying that if they don’t complete the list of things I want, they are deficient in some way or another. They have something wrong with them. Maybe, instead, the lack is within ME.
I have no problem asking people for what is important (God uses His people to fulfill my needs). Today, I asked my husband if he would take me to a movie. Sometimes, I have him bring home groceries or give me a hug when I’m sad. Sometimes, I call a friend and express my need to vent or to share my joys!
My husband and friends ask for things, too. Some of which I can provide and others I can’t.
The problem is not in asking for our needs or wants. The problem exists when someone doesn’t read our minds, yet they have no clue why we’re so angry. OR, we ask for things and they forget. OR, they say no and give their reasons why. OR, they say yes and then don’t do it. OR, we explain our viewpoints of life and they disagree and find solace in company of like-minded souls instead of with us. OR, we give extravagantly of ourselves and our gifts feel unnoticed (we have a need (a want) to be valued in what love we offer). This list of “lack” can apply to anybody in our lives. This list basically is simply saying, you didn’t meet my needs.
So, in the end, the list leaves us in want. In fact, we feel a void, especially in not being valued for what gifts we give. The task we are led to give next time feels scary, like jumping off a cliff into nothingness. Instead of giving, we are tempted to withhold from those who withhold from us.
The fact is, it is possible to be content regardless of whether we get that hug or not. God is our comforter, and most times he will send us a friend to give us the hug or ‘whatever’ we need. It just may not come from the source we want.
I am still growing in this, but I have found that God helps me not to be shaken by ANY lack that I perceive.
This idea has been earth-shattering. This idea is a solid place to stand, in which no one has power over me to prevent my offerings of extravagant love.
Their ‘lack’ should never be a hindrance to my ‘gift’ of love.
I started considering what their needs are. They have a list, too. They have things they deeply desire from me. Thinking outside the box I had to learn to move towards someone else’s needs.
“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” Psalm 16:8 (NIV).
“Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken” Psalm 62:6 (NIV).
King David, even in his hardships, put his thoughts on the Lord. He thrived on God. He knew the things of earth would let him down, but God would not. He knew he might get angry, extremely sad, depressed or confused at the betrayal of people closest to him (which we all will experience). Yet, during the times he chose to find his strength in the Lord, the Lord set him back on his feet in more abandoning of self in worship and more focus on God than before.
When it comes to loving those God puts in front of us, God always provides what we need, regardless of what lack we feel.
Take a look at man’s best friend. Why are they so good for you?
Our doggies have such delight when you walk through that door! You don’t have to be wearing the latest fad, you don’t have to say things in a perfect way so they’ll listen. In fact, you can talk their ears off and they’ll love you more! You might even be in a bad mood having had a pretty rotten day, so you push them away. But something about that doggie, who comes right back to lick your face, makes you feel loved DESPITE your ‘lack.’ And something about that doggie changes your mood. Pretty soon you find yourself petting his head and throwing a tennis ball with this furry creature. You will do the silliest things for that dog. He has won your heart through and through by his LOVE.
And so, I want to learn a lesson from this lovable, shaggy friend.
A person in any relationship (our mates, friends or neighbors) might have moments of neglect (at least that’s what we perceive). They might be critical at times, or rude, but our commitment to love those God calls us to love is forever.
In fact, I see the doggie wagging his tail, wildly. He’s like, “I love you, get over it. I’m not moving from this place of love.”
So it is with us. God made ME to love! God made YOU to love!
People may not always love us perfectly, but that simply reminds us of where our truest love is, and that’s with God. We can still love them. We may not love them perfectly either, but we don’t have to allow their ‘lack’ to slow us down or to alter or halt what love we have to give.
God has made us able to love others because when ‘we’ were neglectful of the Lord and turned our backs on Him, He came to earth and shed His blood for us. He offers us plentiful sustenance that the world and its awesome offerings or lack of offerings will always pale in comparison.
I often shed tears from such attention, such devotion and such presence….all around me, all the time. I simply have to turn my head away from what I think I lack and NOTICE Him, for He is always there, waiting for me to reach out my empty hand to Him for my need. And, not only does He meet my needs, He gives me enough love to give to His people to last a lifetime. I do not ever have to be shaken.
Father, these last few weeks have been especially hard for some reason. Yet, I LOVE how you love me. I love how you teach me things that could never have come from ME. You blow me away with your comfort and provision. I may not always see it, but I know I will never have lack with you by my side. Please forgive me for times I didn’t turn to you, and I wrung others dry with my needs. I look to you for my help, always. For you always place people in my life at the right time for the right need. When I have needs that go unmet, lead me to hunger more for you. Keep me alert for when you want me to be there for others. Keep me from distractedly focusing on my own hurt when all the while you are fully present and providing. I have been left breathless and in tears from the fullness you give me. Nothing this earth has to offer can do that. Only you can satisfy my truest needs. Make me ready to give away love when you desire to use me as a vessel for others. I know I cannot always meet every need, at every time, for every loved one in my life. So give me wisdom with my time and energy. Show me how you would have me to love. In Jesus, name, amen.
Search me, Oh God, and know my heart Psalm 139:23 (ASV) 