Planting and Growing

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it. (Isaiah 45:8)


As I read this passage, I was struck by how many times the Lord's work is described in terms of planting, growing, watering, seeding, sprouting, etc.  Not growing up on a farm and being unable to grow anything well in my yard (except maybe weeds), these metaphors probably don't speak as clearly to me as they might to someone who loves to get their hands dirty planting in their garden.  (SO not me!)  I guess It just means I have to ponder the verses a little longer than my gardening friends.  So, I wrote this verse down in my notebook and read through it several times, read another translation and waited.  What is God trying to tell me with this?  I can't seem to leave it alone.


Another verse in Isaiah has particular meaning to me - Isaiah 61:3:  "that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."  There's a long story that goes with my receiving that verse, but suffice it to say its meaning and impact has grown and blossomed (yes, I'm using farm-speak).  As I sat with the Isaiah 45 verse, "my" oak tree passage came to mind.  That tree is a planting of the Lord, not a planting of man.  Over the years, that's the part that has emerged and spoken to me.  We are God's creation, "planted" by him and therefore, cared for and nurtured by God so our "roots" grow strong, our "branches and leaves" are healthy and we grow into maturity.  


As Christians, we sometimes experience times of spiritual dryness - that feeling of being disconnected, going through the motions, sometimes feeling like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and not getting through.  Just as plants cannot grow in dry, crusty soil and need water to thrive, we, too, need the refreshing Living Water to cleanse, nurture and refresh our spirits.  In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we may be "rooted and grounded in love".  God is love.  As we are rooted and grounded in Him - abiding in him - we are nurtured with the spiritual food we need to thrive and grow.  


Imagine yourself, without Jesus, as a plant trying to grow out of dry, rocky, dusty soil.  It's a pitiful picture.  Now read the verse above.  God is raining down righteousness on your thirsty soul.  The soil around your roots is opening up to allow the rain to soak in and even changing its consistency as the rain revitalizes and transforms the dust into rich, life-giving soil.  Your sickly, pitiful plant has been saved!  You will not die of thirst and starvation.  Your roots are stretching out to receive the nourishing rainwater and you are getting stronger and stronger.  You get strong enough to grow into a mature plant, to begin bearing fruit.  You are becoming a beautiful creation - an "oak of righteousness".  You are a  source of shelter and comfort for those who come near.  You are able to stand firm against storms and wind because your roots are deep and strong.  And the Lord created it.  YOU are a planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Song

(Originally posted on May 17; re-posted to correct video problems)

There's a song by Rich Mullins that I just love and it's been rolling through my mind all day. I won't copy the whole thing here, but the title is "Sometimes by Step" (sometimes you see it as "Step by Step" or "Oh God You are My God"). It could be the theme song for my walk with Jesus.

I've experienced God calling me away from one thing without knowing where (at the time) I'm being sent. Hebrews 11:8 (NLT): "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going." It's a hard path to take - trusting God to lead you without all the information you'd really like to have ahead of time. But, like the song says, we follow "step by step" and "learn to walk in your ways". Thank God it's a learning process!

Too often, though, I focused on the first part of that verse and somehow overlooked the part about the inheritance God promised Abraham. When I took the time to focus on the inheritance God had blessed me with, as a result of following him on a difficult path, it took my breath away! What an awesome God we serve. I had become so busy with doing what I felt I was called to do - like an assignment to complete - that I almost missed the blessing and almost missed a huge reason to just stop and praise God for his goodness.

In my much-loved song, there is this verse:

Sometimes I think of Abraham

How one star he saw had been lit for me

He was a stranger in this land

And I am that, no less than he

And on this road to righteousness

Sometimes the climb can be so steep

I may falter in my steps

But never beyond Your reach.

Discipleship - following Jesus - is a joy, a blessing, a transformational experience, a steep climb, a rocky road . . . . but OH the blessings! Even though we clearly have a choice to say 'yes' or 'no' to the Lord, in my heart of hearts I have no choice. All I want to do is answer the Lord's call to follow him - up that steep road if need be - because when I see his faithfulness, his care, the "inheritance" he is providing and has provided, it just leaves me stunned. The only response is to praise him and watch in awe as he works out his plans and purposes in my life.

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You

I will seek You in the morning

And I will learn to walk in Your ways

And step by step You'll lead me

And I will follow You all of my days

Rambling Thoughts

I have been so struck lately by the sweetness and kindness of Jesus, his concern for every detail of our life – every concern. Nothing surprises him and nothing is too small or insignificant for his loving attention. I have also been reminded of how BIG he is; his plans and ways are surely more than we can imagine or see. He does give us glimpses into the plans at times but we wait patiently for him to unveil the bigger picture. That used to drive me crazy, being by nature, pretty impatient. However, that is something the Lord has freed me from to a large extent – at least when it comes to waiting on him. That’s not to say that I don’t still feel that sense of anticipation and excitement – the “can’t wait” feeling to see where God’s leading. Even when I move from anticipation and excitement and fall into the trap of worry and stress, I can still know that peace that can only come from the Lord and from trusting that his will for my life is always good and perfect. How freeing that is!


A passage from Zephaniah 3 has been on my mind, in large part due to a song by my favorite contemporary Christian singer. Bebo Norman has a song called “Sing Over Me”. A line from the chorus grabs me every time I hear it: “sing over me, sing above the noise that I’ve been making”. How often I feel that my thoughts are so busy and so noisy that I can’t even hear God’s still small voice. Which is why I love the words in that song; they remind me that God is bigger than the noise in my head. He’s not handicapped by my failure to have the “right” kind of quiet time, the proper heart-attitude. The Zephaniah verse is this: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) Just think of all that verse tells us about God: he’s present – in our midst, he’s mighty, and he’s so very delighted in us! He rejoices over us and exults over us with loud singing --- not just whistling a happy tune, but singing loudly because of us! Incredible!! And those times when we’re so out of sorts, so dis-quieted, worried, stressed-out - his love will quiet us, settle us and bring us peace, calm the noises that distract us so.


While these two paragraphs may seem totally unrelated (and maybe they are) the sweetness and kindness of Jesus, his nearness, his joy over us, his peace that calms the storms in our lives or calms US in those storms, his guidance even when we’re not sure where he’s leading us ---- all of that is what keeps me awed and amazed. The scriptures tell us that God’s mercies are new every morning. Beyond that, our relationship with him – a living, growing relationship – is new every morning as well. I love being surprised by God – surprised by how much he loves us and the lengths he will go to remind us of his loving attention and presence in our life. I love the gentle nudges and reminders – even if they come from songs on my iPod – that our God is singing over us with a loud voice, rejoicing over us with gladness! How amazing!

Meditations on Isaiah 40

What was it like for the prophet to speak the words we read in the 40th chapter of Isaiah? What must he have been experiencing as he had yet another glimpse into the awesomeness of God? The chapter begins with words of comfort and ends with words of encouragement, renewal, endurance. We see pictures of our tender Shepherd and images of our great and powerful Creator God. The same hands that cradle the lambs are the hands that measured the earth's waters. Some of the most beautiful and memorable verses in the Bible are found in this chapter. They are so often quoted and sung that I wonder if we miss the power and majesty they describe?

It's impossible for me to put myself in the place of Isaiah, but how he must have been reeling as he uttered those prophetic words! He must have been weak in the knees as he tried to grasp the true impact of God's message. Maybe we need a bit of that sense of total awe and wonder in the presence of God's holiness! That the God who holds the earth in the palm of his hands is the same God who gently carries his children like little lambs, who lifts us when we're too weak to take another step, who renews our strength so that we can soar like the eagles.

Wait for the Lord. Watch him. Be willing to be awed by the presence of God. Be willing to open yourself to the presence of God in your life. Don't underestimate God's power and desire to reach into your situation - to renew your strength, to be your comfort, to make crooked paths straight, to give power to the faint.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)

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Note: After I wrote this in my notebook, I read a post on Facebook from my favorite author, Francine Rivers. I have to share this God-inicidence:

Francine Rivers: "Francine Rivers
Sometimes the pain of removing what holds us captive is frightening. Yet if we lay aside all those things that encumber our walk with God, we will walk and not grow weary, and fly on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)."

'via Blog this'

Adoption

"...and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”  (2 Corinthians 6:18 ESV)


I wonder how often we think about the fact that we have been adopted into the family of God?  Had it not been for God's mercy, we would still be outsiders, unable to know the intimacy with our Father and the kinship of fellow believers in the household of God.  


I was blessed to be adopted as an infant and brought into a family that loved me and cared for me.  From my earliest childhood I can remember my parents reading a book to me about what adoption meant - that I was chosen and special. I was wanted.  Hearing that story read, I remember having this image of my parents wandering around a big room full of babies looking for just the right one.  I'm so thankful that they conveyed that message to me - the "specialness" of being adopted; it has made it so much easier, so natural, to understand and appreciate what God has done for us.


As an adopted daughter, the mother and father that raised me were my parents - as real as any parents to any child I knew.  I had all the benefits and experiences of being a "real" member of my family --- it was (and is), indeed MY family.  I wasn't a second-class, settled-for, wish-it-could-have-been-different daughter; I was their child and they were Mama and Daddy.  


That's what God has done for us - he has made us his real sons and daughters and he is our real Father.  We are chosen, wanted, sought after, and cared for.  We bear the family name and the family resemblance.  And a word about that resemblance:  just as in my family, we may not physically resemble each other (although some say we do), we've developed familial similarities in personality and preferences, ways of doing things and interacting with each other that are unique to my family.  As members of God's family, we experience the same thing.  As we live, mature and grow as fellow members of the household of God, lovingly molded and transformed by the Spirit into the image of Christ, we take on family traits otherwise known as fruits of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  We know and have access to our Father at all times, in all circumstances.  We are loved beyond measure, cared for beyond our wildest imaginings, and provided for eternally.  


Take some time to read again the beautiful, beautiful prayer that Jesus prays for his disciples and for us in John 17.  It is an incredible blessing.  To read these words is to know his heart - and the heart of our Father - for us, his children.  It's our heritage - our inheritance.  


"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are."  1 John 3:1 (The Message)

Be Still

Be still and know that I am God.  (Psalm 46:10)


Psalm 46 is only 11 verses long.  Most of those verses deal with the power of God in the form of earthquakes, destruction, desolation, his power over wars and the futility of man's weapons in the face of God's power.  If you imagine hearing those verses read aloud, they would probably be read with volume, with emphasis and forcefulness.  Then, in the midst of all that, is silence: "be still and know that i am God."  In the Amplified Bible, instead of "be still", we read "cease striving".  That's the heart of it.  In the midst of chaos, destruction, fear, our own ineptitude in the face of such power, we are to cease striving.  When you get right down to it, what else can we do in the face of the power of Almighty God?  


Not long ago, I sat through a long, drawn-out afternoon as a slow-moving hurricane passed through.  The wind was so strong and I watched the trees bending and the debris fly around and wondered when something was going to crash into the house.  No power, no phones, no cell signal.  And I was by myself.  This was not a huge, deadly hurricane or a tsunami or an earthquake.  But in the face of the force of nature - however forceful nature chooses to be - we are helpless.  Our arrogant notions of being in control fly out the window.  As I watched and waited out this storm, I couldn't help but think how awesome is the power of God!  Nature is the creature; God is the creator.  Even at its most powerful, the power of nature is only a weakened reflection of the power of its creator.  What else can we do in the presence of such an awesome God but stop our strivings - be still.  


The power and holiness of God aren't just displayed in catastrophic circumstances. God's power and holiness are most vividly displayed through his love - in the face and person of Jesus.  Jesus came so that we could know the Father - know his love, his grace and forgiveness, his healing power and power to restore what is broken in the world.  In the face of the hard questions - loneliness, loss, grief, illness - Jesus tells us that he will never leave us or forsake us.  God is holy, God is sovereign, God is in control. When we feel so utterly helpless and useless, God IS:  he is present, he is love, he is good.  Be still and know that he is God.  Cease striving, cease trying to "fix" what is too big to fix - what was never ours to fix in the first place.  


The last verse of Psalm 46 is this:  "The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."  In the midst of all this world can throw at us, the Lord of the universe is with us, he is our fortress, our comfort, our strength.  Be still and know that I am God.

Persuasion

Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. (2 Corinthians 5:11 NLT)

I wonder how many of us are of the same sentiment.  Working hard to persuade others doesn't mean harassment, certainly, but it does mean that how we live out our witness to others should be high on our priority list. A lifestyle of faith is a response; any lifestyle is a response to the priorities in our lives.  Where do I spend my time, my money, my energies?  What is the driving force behind every decision I make?  Those are the things that direct my steps, my relationships.  Paul knew the fearful responsibility to the Lord because of the transforming power of the love of Jesus - the transformation from Saul to Paul:  from a zealous pursuit and persecution of Christians to a zealous pursuit of the Lord's mission to bring others to Christ.  Nothing but the power of Love in the person of Jesus could accomplish such a change - such a complete turn-around and change of heart.  

When we recognize "from whence we've come" and see how the healing, transforming love of Jesus has re-made our hearts and our priorities, it gives us the motivation to share our story with others.  We don't have to accost people on the street with our message - just live it.  God can use everything in life - experiences, trials, blessings, hardships - as a way to minister to those he sends our way. We are obviously not all called to be another Paul but we are called and empowered to be who the Lord has gifted, created, and equipped us to be right where we live, work, and interact with people.  The work is God's:  in us and through us.  We get the privilege of cooperating with the Lord in his work.  

How we see ourselves is so very different from how God sees us.  He sees the child he's created for his good will and purposes, the child he loves and calls by name, the child that is a gift to this world.  He's in the process of calling that beautiful creation out in each of us - growing, transforming, healing, loving each of us - shaping us into the man or woman he's created us to be.   Pray for God to reveal himself to you in a new way; pray for him to give you a new understanding into who he is.  I know that's a prayer he loves to answer!  As you grow in your knowledge of who God is, your understanding is deepened and your life will be a reflection - a light - that draws people in and invites them to come to know the One who is the Light of your life.