I've been thinking lately about the story of Jesus walking on the water and, in particular, Peter's venture out of the boat. In reading the account in Matthew, my Bible notes pointed out that since Jesus walked towards them during the third watch of the night, the disciples had been battling the storm and waves for 9 hours! In Mark's Gospel, it says "they were making headway painfully". That speaks to me! How many times do I struggle through the storm, "making headway painfully", when Jesus is standing right outside my "boat" ready to take my hand. Jesus doesn't promise to take us out of the storm. In fact, he assures us we will face trials. Taking up our cross and following him is not something to be taken lightly; but what we are promised is that we are not alone and we won't be overwhelmed in the storm.
Remember, that once Jesus got into the boat with the disciples, the storm ceased and they arrived at their destination safely; in fact, in John's Gospel it says they arrived "immediately". In Matthew's account the word immediately is used for Jesus' response to the disciples' fear. In their fright at seeing him walking on the water, he spoke to calm their fears immediately. It's so interesting how many times that one word is used in the gospels in connection with Jesus. Our Lord is not slow to react and respond to our cries for help. We're the slow ones! It seems to make sense at the time to fight the storms of life for the metaphorical "9 hours" rather than to get out of the boat, walk to Jesus and his outstretched hand. Then, we can see how he chooses to handle the storm - he may calm the storm or calm us in the storm.
Personally, and I say this with a little fear and trembling, I'm thankful for the trials in my life. Without them, I wouldn't have learned about the great faithfulness of God, his unconditional love, his care and protection as well as his mysterious but perfect sovereignty and will. I have learned and am learning the truth and reality of Romans 8:28 ("And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose"); and Romans 8:38 ("For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.")
I love it that when I cry out to Jesus he immediately responds to me with: “Take heart; it is I. [I AM]. Do not be afraid.”
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
God is Able
posted from Daily Light on the Daily Path Devotional from Samuel Bagster, Christian Bible Devotions
I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able. II TIM. 1:12
Able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Eph. 3:20
Able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. II Cor. 9:8
Able to succour them that are tempted. Heb. 2:18
Able ... to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb. 7:25
Able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the pres-ence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24
Able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. II Tim. 1:12
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Phi. 3:21
Believe ye that I am able to do this? ... Yea, Lord. According to your faith be it unto you. Matt. 9:28,29
Monday, March 7, 2011
Here I Am, Lord
I've been reflecting on the times I've prayed the prayer, "Here I am, Lord, send me" and how God has answered (is answering) that prayer. I know he puts the desire in my heart to pursue him - more of him - and that prayer comes out of a God-placed desire. I think there's always that fear of "what if God sends me to the place I would hate to go?" lurking around in the background of that sincere prayer; and looking back over my life and journey, I can surely see how I have been "sent" down a path I couldn't have expected.
I've been spending some time re-reading some of my older journal entries. Thank heaven for journals! I don't know about other folks, but I pour it all out on those pages - the confusion, hurt, anger, joy, peace..... So to look back and see God's hand in all of that - this process of sanctification and transformation - and how very present he's been even (especially??) when I haven't been all that cooperative in the process....it simply amazes me. It's been almost a year since I first felt the nudge from the Lord to write a Bible study on John's Gospel. Now there's an answer to my "send me" prayer that was out of left field! But what a blessing and what a humbling experience that was and what a season of closeness to the Lord!
The lesson (at least one of them) that I've been learning through so much of this has been in trusting God - no matter what. Wish I had that down pat, then maybe I wouldn't have to keep getting practice in it! It's clear, though, that if my heart is pursuing God and the path he's chosen for me, I need to trust in where he takes me and how he chooses to get me there. We spent some great time in 2 Peter during Sunday's sermon which meant that most of the passage is now underlined and has comments written all over the margins of my Bible. It was speaking volumes to me! This passage, in particular, (2 Peter 1:10) speaks to my ramblings today: "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." In answering my prayer to follow him, God has been giving me lots of opportunities to practice trusting him. He doesn't have to prove himself - he's always trustworthy and so very faithful; but in working to give up my need to control and order things the way I see fit (what a joke!), I'm able to move out in more faith and greater trust in the one whose plans and ways are perfect. I know it will be well worth the effort and beyond what could ever be imagined!
"But, as it is written,
'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him'”
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
I've been spending some time re-reading some of my older journal entries. Thank heaven for journals! I don't know about other folks, but I pour it all out on those pages - the confusion, hurt, anger, joy, peace..... So to look back and see God's hand in all of that - this process of sanctification and transformation - and how very present he's been even (especially??) when I haven't been all that cooperative in the process....it simply amazes me. It's been almost a year since I first felt the nudge from the Lord to write a Bible study on John's Gospel. Now there's an answer to my "send me" prayer that was out of left field! But what a blessing and what a humbling experience that was and what a season of closeness to the Lord!
The lesson (at least one of them) that I've been learning through so much of this has been in trusting God - no matter what. Wish I had that down pat, then maybe I wouldn't have to keep getting practice in it! It's clear, though, that if my heart is pursuing God and the path he's chosen for me, I need to trust in where he takes me and how he chooses to get me there. We spent some great time in 2 Peter during Sunday's sermon which meant that most of the passage is now underlined and has comments written all over the margins of my Bible. It was speaking volumes to me! This passage, in particular, (2 Peter 1:10) speaks to my ramblings today: "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." In answering my prayer to follow him, God has been giving me lots of opportunities to practice trusting him. He doesn't have to prove himself - he's always trustworthy and so very faithful; but in working to give up my need to control and order things the way I see fit (what a joke!), I'm able to move out in more faith and greater trust in the one whose plans and ways are perfect. I know it will be well worth the effort and beyond what could ever be imagined!
"But, as it is written,
'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him'”
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Like a Child
Do you ever have that feeling that God's trying to tell you something - get your attention? Twice today (in my morning devotional and in my Bible study homework), I've encountered this verse from Psalm 139: "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" The first version of this verse translated thoughts as anxieties. That's what caught my attention. How am I doing these days with "casting my cares on the Lord"? Not so sure I'm doing a very good job of that lately. Why is it, when we have a loving Father who wants to BE a father to us, that we struggle along trying to work things out all by ourselves - no help needed, thank you very much!
I had tears in my eyes during our sermon yesterday when our pastor reminded us of our dependence on God, comparing it to infants and their parents. That complete trust that a baby has; and the baby doesn't even know what trust is - other than that continual state of being a baby whose needs are getting met. How wonderful to think about resting in God's care so utterly and completely. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6) What's more humble than a baby? No pride getting in the way - the kind of pride that says, "I can handle this better!" It occurs to me that another word that deserves a second look is that little word, care. My heavenly Father doesn't just care about me (as in showing concern) but cares FOR me (as in tends to me - like the baby is cared for by his parents). Is it any wonder we're to have the faith of a little child?
Matthew 11:25, 29: At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children . . . . Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I had tears in my eyes during our sermon yesterday when our pastor reminded us of our dependence on God, comparing it to infants and their parents. That complete trust that a baby has; and the baby doesn't even know what trust is - other than that continual state of being a baby whose needs are getting met. How wonderful to think about resting in God's care so utterly and completely. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6) What's more humble than a baby? No pride getting in the way - the kind of pride that says, "I can handle this better!" It occurs to me that another word that deserves a second look is that little word, care. My heavenly Father doesn't just care about me (as in showing concern) but cares FOR me (as in tends to me - like the baby is cared for by his parents). Is it any wonder we're to have the faith of a little child?
Matthew 11:25, 29: At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children . . . . Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Saturday, February 26, 2011
By the Hand
This morning I was reading the account of the healing of the blind man in Mark's Gospel (chapter 8). A verse caught my eye: "he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village". Why did he do that? Why not just heal the man where he stood? I couldn't get the image out of my mind: Jesus holding the man's hand, guiding him away from the village where he lived before he healed him. Since this verse wouldn't leave me alone, clearly God had something to say to me in this. In my blindness - and in the place where I stand in that blindness - God is calling me away and offering to take my hand so I don't have to find my own way out.
I'm discovering a few things about myself as I walk through a process of deeper trust and faith. And, in a manner of speaking, they are blind spots to God's love and goodness towards me. I can sense him standing with me, offering his hand, ready to lead me out of this blindness into a place of clearer vision and understanding - a deeper knowing and trust in his goodness and faithfulness.
I wonder why it's so difficult to let go of those old ways. It's no wonder this letting-go is described as dying to self. It is a death and it's definitely not easy. We can hang on to these old ways and thought patterns as if it were a life and death battle. God's ways are so much easier and so much less stressful! The desert-wandering-Israelites weren't the only stiffnecked people -- I've been feeling my own neck stiffening a little. Lord, have mercy!!
Jesus heals the blind man in the Mark account in two steps - his sight is gradually restored - and all the while Jesus is lovingly ministering to this man, not giving up on him. That's so reassuring! As my spiritual eyes are gradually opening to the reality Jesus is revealing to me these days, I can trust that the process is in His hands, in His timing, and leading me to the point of seeing more clearly. And just like the man in Mark's gospel, I don't need to return to that former place of living in my blindness. "Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, 'Do not even enter the village.'" (Mark 8:25-26)
Isn't it interesting that the next passage in this text is Peter's cofession of Jesus as the Christ? Our Lord asked his disciples - "Who do you say that I am?" He's asking me that question these days. Who do I really believe Jesus is - in my life, my decisions, my future - and am I ready to trust him to lead me into a new way of seeing him? "He took the blind man by the hand and led him...."
I'm discovering a few things about myself as I walk through a process of deeper trust and faith. And, in a manner of speaking, they are blind spots to God's love and goodness towards me. I can sense him standing with me, offering his hand, ready to lead me out of this blindness into a place of clearer vision and understanding - a deeper knowing and trust in his goodness and faithfulness.
I wonder why it's so difficult to let go of those old ways. It's no wonder this letting-go is described as dying to self. It is a death and it's definitely not easy. We can hang on to these old ways and thought patterns as if it were a life and death battle. God's ways are so much easier and so much less stressful! The desert-wandering-Israelites weren't the only stiffnecked people -- I've been feeling my own neck stiffening a little. Lord, have mercy!!
Jesus heals the blind man in the Mark account in two steps - his sight is gradually restored - and all the while Jesus is lovingly ministering to this man, not giving up on him. That's so reassuring! As my spiritual eyes are gradually opening to the reality Jesus is revealing to me these days, I can trust that the process is in His hands, in His timing, and leading me to the point of seeing more clearly. And just like the man in Mark's gospel, I don't need to return to that former place of living in my blindness. "Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, 'Do not even enter the village.'" (Mark 8:25-26)
Isn't it interesting that the next passage in this text is Peter's cofession of Jesus as the Christ? Our Lord asked his disciples - "Who do you say that I am?" He's asking me that question these days. Who do I really believe Jesus is - in my life, my decisions, my future - and am I ready to trust him to lead me into a new way of seeing him? "He took the blind man by the hand and led him...."
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Waiting
I read Oswald Chambers' devotional this morning and focused on this statement: "But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God." He describes the difference between perseverance and just "hanging on". According to Chambers, "hanging on" can expose our fear of falling. Lately, as I've been traveling down a road of "walking by faith and not by sight", I've felt myself hanging on for dear life. My mind has been full of what-ifs! Of course, that means my eyes are on the circumstances and my supposed strength or ability to accomplish them, as opposed to the One in whom I put my faith.
Why can I have such strong faith for the big questions of life - suffering, sickness, etc. - and find my faith shakier in those circumstances close to my own heart? Do I feel myself that far removed from suffering in the world? It's "easier" to have faith in something farther off? I pray not!! I have had my share of suffering and hardship and have seen God's power and sovereignty in those times. My faith has grown tremendously as a result of knowing my Lord has never abandoned me but has held me close. That knowledge hasn't taken away the hardship or pain in the time of trial but it has kept me from falling - from being completely overwhelmed. It brings to mind Isaiah 43:2: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." God promises to be with us THROUGH the trials; the "fire" is still there but we're not consumed by it.
I believe that promise; I've experienced that promise! So why is it still so difficult in the waiting? The devotional goes on to say this: "If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified." There it is: sanctification, transformation, stripping away 'self', dying to self. Discipleship is costly. But it's clearly a cost worth paying. The Spirit is growing my faith; strengthening my ability to persevere - not just hang on. I know the God I serve - his promises are true, his plans and purposes for my life are perfect. The theme verse God gave me for my Bible study is 1 John 3:1: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" As his child, my loving Father disciplines and corrects me. As The Messsage puts it: "God is educating you . . . He's treating you as dear children . . . it's training, the normal experience of children" (from Hebrews 12).
So, I will continue to walk "by faith and not by sight" but hopefully with stronger faith and perseverance and less hanging on for dear life. "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14)
Why can I have such strong faith for the big questions of life - suffering, sickness, etc. - and find my faith shakier in those circumstances close to my own heart? Do I feel myself that far removed from suffering in the world? It's "easier" to have faith in something farther off? I pray not!! I have had my share of suffering and hardship and have seen God's power and sovereignty in those times. My faith has grown tremendously as a result of knowing my Lord has never abandoned me but has held me close. That knowledge hasn't taken away the hardship or pain in the time of trial but it has kept me from falling - from being completely overwhelmed. It brings to mind Isaiah 43:2: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." God promises to be with us THROUGH the trials; the "fire" is still there but we're not consumed by it.
I believe that promise; I've experienced that promise! So why is it still so difficult in the waiting? The devotional goes on to say this: "If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified." There it is: sanctification, transformation, stripping away 'self', dying to self. Discipleship is costly. But it's clearly a cost worth paying. The Spirit is growing my faith; strengthening my ability to persevere - not just hang on. I know the God I serve - his promises are true, his plans and purposes for my life are perfect. The theme verse God gave me for my Bible study is 1 John 3:1: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" As his child, my loving Father disciplines and corrects me. As The Messsage puts it: "God is educating you . . . He's treating you as dear children . . . it's training, the normal experience of children" (from Hebrews 12).
So, I will continue to walk "by faith and not by sight" but hopefully with stronger faith and perseverance and less hanging on for dear life. "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Be At Peace
This is attributed to St. Francis de Sales and was passed on to me by a very wise friend --
"Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise. God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them. He has kept you hitherto, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in His arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and everyday. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. BE AT PEACE and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."
If I don't remember anything else from this, being buried in the arms of God is an image that is worth holding on to!
"Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise. God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them. He has kept you hitherto, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in His arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and everyday. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. BE AT PEACE and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."
If I don't remember anything else from this, being buried in the arms of God is an image that is worth holding on to!
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