The Power of God

... so that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of man but in the power of God. 
1 Corinthians 2:5

Today I read the story about Peter and John healing the lame man (Acts 3:1-10).  He was asking for help - financial help.  Peter directed his gaze intently at him (Acts 3:4 AMP).  What was he seeing?  What was he thinking?  Was he listening prayerfully to his Lord?  Peter directed his gaze intently at him.  Apparently, the man was not looking at them.  Were his eyes downcast in shame?  

He was a beggar, dependent on others for everything; including his way of getting to the gate where he could beg for alms; his whole life must have felt driven by begging.  As he sat by the gate, all he'd see were the legs of those passing by.  It would have been physically uncomfortable, even painful, to continually look up all day long into faces going by; it was much easier to keep his head and eyes down. What a pitiful, shame-filled life he must have lived with.  No wonder he didn't meet their eyes!  I can't even begin to imagine how he must have felt, how isolated, lonely, even invisible.  It would seem everyone was so used to his presence and cries for alms, that they just paid no attention to this daily ritual.  This man, physically lame and emotionally crippled, must have had no sense of belonging, of being loved and cared for, of even being heard or seen - until Peter and John came by.

The wisdom of man, the power of God:  the wisdom of man is familiar, feels safe, more immediate and present; the power of God is mysterious, beyond ourselves, on its own timetable, beyond our control.  The wisdom of man would say that the life of the lame beggar was the best he could hope for.  The power of God said, "rise up and walk!"  The power of God looked and saw this invisible man, restored him, restored his identity, his person-hood.

Peter said to the man, "Look at us."  Eye contact with another for perhaps the first time in who knows how long?  Peter took him by the hand - the power of touch, human contact, fellowship.  Immediately the use of his legs is restored; no, not restored, created!  The man had been lame from birth.  Suddenly, he was able to walk, to leap; and, perhaps for the first time, he was able to enter the temple with friends walking and leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8).  What a beautiful picture!  This once isolated, ignored, avoided, crippled man is entering the temple with his new found brothers, praising the God who never overlooks anyone.

The wisdom of man is a gift from God but is limited and, in our fallen state, imperfect and flawed.  The power of God is limitless, perfect, pure.  Trusting in the wisdom of man can leave us anxious, fearful, uncertain, even misdirected.  Waiting on and trusting in the power of God brings life, light and far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

We, like the man in Acts, are all crippled to some extent; we can feel bound by circumstances that seem beyond our control.  May we trust in God more and more, wait patiently for him, be willing to step out of God's way and watch him work.  As in this story, the more dire the circumstances, the greater the opportunity for God to be glorified.  We can trust him.  We can loosen our grip on the things or circumstances that have us the most anxious or fearful.

O Israel, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;

he will bless the house of Israel;

he will bless the house of Aaron;

he will bless those who fear the Lord,

both the small and the great.

Psalm 115:9-13

Mountains

I came across this devotional that I wrote several years ago. It really spoke to me today so I decided to add it to my blog.  It's always amazing how God is at work in my heart teaching, preparing and guiding me long before I actually need the very thing he's teaching.


After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. Matthew 17:1-2

When I read this passage, the words that caught my eye were “high mountain”. The three disciples followed Jesus “up a high mountain”. How high? How rugged? How long did it take for them to hike to the top? How strenuous was the hike? For the first time I focused on what was going on before the transfiguration.

How many times have we prayed, “Lord move this mountain”? We’re faced with an uphill struggle in life – something that feels insurmountable – and our response is to avoid it, go around it, or simply have it “disappear”. Perhaps the mountain is part of the journey – part of the lesson God is teaching us. Unless we follow Jesus up that mountain we won’t see his glory.

As Christians, we talk about wonderful “mountain-top experiences”: times of great worship, fellowship, or special times of celebration. It’s as if we expect to be supernaturally transported to the top of that mountain. And sometimes that’s true. We attend a great conference, concert or event and bask in the spiritual “high”. But other times, Jesus invites us to follow him up a hard path – a long, difficult path. But, oh, the view at the top! The disciples with Jesus that day heard the voice of the Father, saw Moses and Elijah, and saw Jesus in his transfigured glory. That would have been worth whatever it took to get to the top of that mountain!

It could be that the next mountain in your way was put there by God. He may be inviting you to follow him and see his glory. The passage says that Jesus led the disciples; he will lead us as well. We won’t get lost if we keep our eyes on him. If we stumble on our climb, he’s there to catch us and put us back on our feet. He knows when the climb is getting too strenuous and when we need to rest. And, best of all, he knows the view at the top of the mountain and wants to share it with us.

Rabbit Trails and Being Still

My quiet time often leads me down rabbit trails.  Or either it's ADD.  Either way, those diversions are often fruitful and lead me to think that sometimes they may be God-directed after all.  

This morning as I was being quiet and still, the hymn "Immortal, Invisible" came to mind.  I looked up the words (since I could only remember the first verse) and then became curious about the author of those powerful words.  That hymn was written by a Scottish pastor, Walter Chalmers Smith.  Following the biographical information were other poems he'd written.  This one was the prize for me at the end of this particular rabbit trail.  I hope it speaks to you as much as it did me.

Thoughts and Fancies (1887).

II. “Be still”

By Walter Chalmers Smith (1824–1908)

Be still, and know He doeth all things well,

Working the purpose of His holy will,

And if His high designs He do not tell

Till He accomplish them—do thou be still.

Why should’st thou strive and fret and fear and doubt,

As if His way, being dark, must bode thee ill?

If thine own way be clearly pointed out,

Leave Him to clear up His, and be thou still.

Was ever yet thy trust in Him misplaced?

And hoping in Him, did He not fulfill

The word on which He caused thee to rest,

Though not as thou had’st thought, perchance? Be still.

What if the road be rough which might be smooth?

Is not the rough road best for thee, until

Thou learn by patient walking in the truth

To trust and hope in God, and to be still?

A little faith is more than clearest views;

Would’st thou have ocean like a babbling rill?

God without mystery were not good news;

Wrestle not with the darkness, but be still.

Be still, and know that He is God indeed

Who reigns in glory on His holy hill,

Yet once upon the Cross did hang and bleed,

And heard the people raging—and was still.

Journals

I'm within a few pages of filling up another journal.  I always come to the end of another notebook with a little sadness.  Those pages contain my most intimate thoughts and prayers.  They're full of joys, celebrations, questions (lots of questions!), crying out to God, listening to God, letting go of some anger or frustration; but most of all they're full of new discoveries of God's loving care.  He reminds me in so many ways of his nearness - his presence in my life.  

Just today as I was journaling my reflections on a devotional I had read, I was reminded of this verse from Philippians 4: do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)  It's such a familiar passage that I almost didn't look it up in my Bible.  But I got that little prompting and turned to the passage and, as so often happens when reading the Bible, there was a verse that leaped out at me that I'd never paid much attention to.  Right there, just before the one I was so familiar with:  The Lord is at hand.  The Lord is at hand ---- therefore, we don't need to be anxious about anything!  What more needs to be said?  If I had simply read my devotional, thought about it for a few minutes and moved on to other things, I might have missed the blessing. Sitting down with my journal and writing down my thoughts led me down an unexpected but delightful path.

That's why I love to journal.  I can look back through those pages and see, time and again, that the Lord is and has been very much at hand.  No matter what.  I see where prayers were answered, issues resolved in God's perfect timing and perfect ways, worries dealt with, anxieties and fears calmed, just the right words spoken to my heart to comfort, correct, encourage, or bless.  Re-reading those old entries reminds me of God's faithfulness even when I might have been missing his answers and provisions at the time.

It took quite a while for me to discover how to fit this discipline of journaling into my life.  There were lots of stumbles and false starts but eventually I discovered my way. I so treasure the time spent with my pen in hand and notebook open to the next blank page.  The most amazing thing is that, once I start writing, I'm almost always surprised by where I end up.  The Lord leads me to so many new discoveries or realizations - such a blessing!

So, on to a brand new notebook.  Only God knows where I'll end up at the last page of this new one.  It reminds me of the title of a Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh the Places You'll Go!"

Lent

I began my Lenten devotional this morning.  The author of today's reflection challenged me to re-think my understanding and definition of anger.  For such a small word, I - and I suspect most of us - can be very creative in its definition.  We - okay, I - can also be very creative in justifying it!  To paraphrase my morning devotional author, he described the source of anger as a failure to live into the reality of our status as a beloved child of God. He further reminded the readers that we have the opportunity in this season of Lent to examine and relinquish anger to our loving Father.  

Being such a professional anger-justifier, I was taken aback by his words.  Is the true root of my anger the feeling of not being loved enough?  Or not loved well?  If I believe and am secure as a beloved child of God, what more love could I possibly need?  Anything else would be a bonus.  So, yes, I suppose I don't live into that reality as I should.  My eyes are too much on the world's view of love - what love should look and feel like; and that's such a sorry comparison to the love of God.  

So, what's keeping me from knowing that depth of God's love and living out of that love?  Why is it only at certain times?  How do I make room in my crusty, stony old heart for more of God's presence?  That's where, as my devotional pointed out, the season of Lent is such a blessing.  I need this reminder to take time for self-examination, a spiritual house-cleaning.  Those sins that contribute to my hardness of heart need to be brought into the light of God's presence.  I need to ask myself the hard questions and be brave enough -- willing enough --to search out and hear the answers.

Anger, for instance, can be too easily justified.  After all, if so-and-so hadn't done or said "whatever", I wouldn't be so angry!  (By the way, I'm referring to that anger that can become sinful, leading to resentment, bitterness, hardness of heart.)  Therefore, it must be all that person's fault and I'm freed from any responsibility, right?  Wrong!  While I'm not responsible for wrong, sinful actions done against me, I am most definitely responsible for my response to them.  Jesus had a great deal to say about that subject.

So my morning devotional reading has challenged me to examine my heart.  Where there is anger, I want to release it, leave it at the foot of the cross where it was dealt with once for all time.  In doing so, I'm reminded so vividly of the love of God for me, in me and through me.  A hard spot in my heart can be "tenderized".  Instead of having thoughts and feelings leading to anger, I can offer thanks and praise to the God who has forgiven me, loves me and is in the business of transforming me more and more into the image of Christ.  


For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)


P.S.  Did you see that?  "That you may be filled with ALL THE FULLNESS of God".  That's a promise well worth my discomfort at facing my sins and confessing them to the Lord.

Trust Me

I find myself dealing with trust issues these days.  Not lack of trust in any one particular person in my circle of friends and family but I find that God is asking me to trust him more and more.  I thought I was doing a pretty good job with that but in his gentle and loving way, he's pointing out the areas where I'm holding on to MY will rather than trusting in God's perfect plans.  

I pray for loved ones and friends who are suffering.  I want them to be happy.  We don't live in a happy world and my Pollyanna hopes are well-intentioned but not getting to the heart of the matter.  

How do we endure hardship?  How do we watch others endure hardship?  

It's so difficult to resist the urge (especially with my strong Mom instincts) to run in and fix things or pray for God to hurry and make it all better.  

Praying yesterday, I had a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and the power of the Light that cannot and will not be overcome by darkness.  At the same time, he reminded me of his nearness and intimate knowledge and care for the one for whom I was praying.

"Do you trust me?" is the question I hear in my heart.  

And then more gently the simple words repeated over and over:  "Trust me".  

Going Fishing

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken....  (Luke 5:4-9 ESV)

These men are just beginning to discover who Jesus is.  What an amazing thing it must have been for them to bring in such an incredible number of fish, all the while thinking the whole venture was an exercise in futility!  They'd already tried; they were skilled fisherman and had been hard at work all night. This morning as I read this passage, some new questions came to mind.  Not to read more into this account than is there, but when have I "toiled all night and took nothing"?  When have my labors been self-directed or self-driven and led to low outcomes?  

When I was writing my first Bible study I can remember laboring over a particular lesson, spending hours writing, thinking, studying and writing some more, only to feel that I was going nowhere fast.  I had "labored all night and took nothing".  Finally, I would just stop laboring, look to Jesus and ask him what he wanted me to write, ask for his message for those who would be doing this study.  I'd wait quietly then "let down my nets in deeper water".  It was amazing!  The words would flow.  Deleting all my words, rewriting the material afresh, I would often be so surprised and blessed by where the Lord would take me - the message he gave me to share.  How many times I was brought to tears or sat in awe of what I was being shown!  My "nets" were overflowing with the abundance.

I wish I could tell you that I learned my lesson and only had to do a big delete and re-write once or twice.   But even though there were hours of self-driven effort that were undone by the Lord's directions to put out into the deep and drop your nets for a catch, I'm grateful and so thankful for the experience and reminders of the bountiful results when God directs our efforts.  Like Peter and his friends, I came to discover who Jesus is in a new and amazing way.  I learned more about his love for his children, his heart and compassion.  I came away with a love and excitement for God's word that is only growing stronger.  I could feel his delight in my discoveries of the hidden jewels in the Scriptures. What a blessing!  Is it any wonder that Peter fell to his knees in awe and wonder before his Lord?

Our results or "catch" may not be seen immediately but we know that when we're co-laboring with God, the results - the fruit - have eternal significance and may be evident in ways we simply cannot see with your limited, finite vision.  Regardless of what we can or cannot see, the "nets" may be bursting at the seams. God's gifts, provisions, answers and blessings are greater than we can ever imagine!  Trust him when you sense him nudging you to go out a little deeper.  Drop your nets in faith and watch him fill them.


Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)


The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)