I have been amazed and bereft of speech when it comes to how God can bless obedience and submission to His plans!
For over two years now, I have been purposefully and willfully choosing to submit and to be obedient to God’s plans and timing with respect to a certain issue. It has, without a doubt, been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do my entire life. So many times, it would have been much easier to walk away from my authority and simply do that which seemed right in my own eyes.
Throughout this long journey, two paths were clearly discernable. The easy path was broad and inviting, lined with alluring promises and tempting offers. The other path was excruciatingly narrow and limiting, lined with boulders and strewn with obstacles.
Robert Frost talks about two paths diverging in a wood; one clearly defined and well-trodden, the other not as clear. Like the narrator of his poem, I chose – emphasis on choice - the more difficult, less-traveled, limited path. Many times along that rocky walk I questioned the sanity of what I was doing. Why would I subject myself to this difficult life path?
Because I had a promise. God had promised me at the very beginning that I would attain a life prize at the end… but I had to do it His way, not mine. Filled with fluffy and excited thoughts, I set foot on that path toward that promise. I had no earthly idea how difficult the road would be. I never guessed just how many rocks, boulders, obstacles, and pitfalls would be along the way. It never occurred to me how painful or how breaking my journey would be. I never thought it would take such a long time to traverse that path and never imagined what mountains I would have to climb or what lonely valleys I would have to tread.
I was never alone… and that with the vision of the promise given to me, urged and encouraged me onward in the harsh, restricting path. Though early on, I had many impulses to turn back and take the other route, at some recent point, the reward was so close that there was absolutely no point in even thinking of turning back or sneaking onto the other route.
The last mountain was actually a mountain range and I had to climb without human aid or consort to its peak. It was on that mountain range that I broke and became emptied of self, seeking only to let God’s will be done… it hurt too much to try and push my own agenda. Yet the struggle was not in vain and, footsore and weary I at last stood on that last mountain, looking into that Promised Land.
I have but taken a few steps down the mountain into that luscious valley and every step has issued jewels and priceless wonders. Blessings and miracles rain down on me at every turn so that I have no words to thank God for them. I cannot believe how much beauty and blessing are in this valley of promise – and I have not even descended the mountain!
Every sacrifice and every tear, every prayer and every cry, every choice to remain on that narrow restricting path has not gone in vain. The testimony of this walk has not gone unnoticed, the lessons learned have not affected only me – this story is much larger than I ever realized.
It is worth it all. I would never have appreciated the blessings which are starting to fall had I not been through the valley of affliction. I am amazed, stunned, blessed, agog with wonder, delighted, overjoyed, fascinated, touched, speechless at how God has blessed my faithfulness to Him. He has opened doors I never would have imagined and worked miracles my mind could not conceive of.
Now truly may I and those witnesses to my story say, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Showing posts with label miracle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miracle. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Minimize waning fellowship
The second chapter of Judges speaks about the children of Israel doing a two-step, engaging a double-minded relationship with God. There are clearly two phases in this relationship - forsake and retake.
In the forsake step, the children of Israel seek after other gods. Sometimes they are serving Baal and Astaroth, sometimes they are serving Baalim and the groves, but the scripture is clear - the children of Israel have left off serving God. God is not pleased with their decision to do so and punishes the children of Israel, mostly by taking away His protection ..., which always results in some form of oppression.
In the retake step, the children of Israel repent, realizing they still need Him, and seek after God. It does not include motive and such, but because it tends to follow some form of oppression, I would argue those seasons of seeking after God necessarily draw from that oppression. In addition, some time after their season of repentance, the children of Israel fall away again.
Anyone familiar with scripture should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of the children of Israel with God.
Anyone familiar with people anywhere should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of people anywhere with God.
It may even be why everyone loves an underdog - it reinforces our faith that when we are down, God will rise and provide aid, provided we seek after Him with a heart drawn to Him.
The point I should like to draw out here is simply this: our lives are full of daily opportunities to experience this same wave of fellowship with God. How often is it that that fellowship is waxing due to a wise decision on our part, followed by a season of waning due to a foolish decision?
I believe the goal of a believer, one who would fellowship with Christ, is to seek to cause the waxing season to be maximized and the waning season to be minimized. To recognize that both periods are inevitable for us, but they can be addressed and wisely considered.
Therefore, my call to action is: Minimize waning fellowship!
Document when you feel least close to God
There are few of us who do not feel inconsistent connectivity to God. This does not mean we ARE far from Him (for he does not leave us nor forsake us) but we can often FEEL that way. Record those periods when you feel less close to God and see if you can associate them with other events, thoughts, or situations. It is possible that those are periods where God calls you to seek His face or they might be periods of attack where your only resolution might be to claim 2 Timothy 1:7 and hold fast to God's presence.
Read scripture daily
Scripture says, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) - and it is through scripture that we are girded from all sorts of mischief. Thus, one way we can reduce (or eliminate in large part) the destruction wrought by the arrows of sin and vice are simply to go to scripture. Pray before reading, seeking God's peace, and the delving into scripture will reap rewards and you will draw closer to Him. Likewise, your walk with Jesus will be greatly magnified and you will find the period of waning to be a great deal shorter.
Seek after God's heart
Take a moment today and ask God what you should be focusing on. Do not expect Him to answer in the next five minutes or hour, but consider that He wants to guide you and He will never forsake you, so it will be easier than you expect. But following the asking comes the hard part - the waiting. Often our faith is most tested between the requesting and the manifesting. If you find that praying for something rarely (if ever) provides the results that expect, seek God's counsel! This can take the form of other believers, delving into scripture, praying and fasting, or just simply daily prayer. In short, if an event could offer an opportunity to take away your faith, God will always provide a way to draw closer to Him through it.
In the forsake step, the children of Israel seek after other gods. Sometimes they are serving Baal and Astaroth, sometimes they are serving Baalim and the groves, but the scripture is clear - the children of Israel have left off serving God. God is not pleased with their decision to do so and punishes the children of Israel, mostly by taking away His protection ..., which always results in some form of oppression.
In the retake step, the children of Israel repent, realizing they still need Him, and seek after God. It does not include motive and such, but because it tends to follow some form of oppression, I would argue those seasons of seeking after God necessarily draw from that oppression. In addition, some time after their season of repentance, the children of Israel fall away again.
Anyone familiar with scripture should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of the children of Israel with God.
Anyone familiar with people anywhere should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of people anywhere with God.
It may even be why everyone loves an underdog - it reinforces our faith that when we are down, God will rise and provide aid, provided we seek after Him with a heart drawn to Him.
The point I should like to draw out here is simply this: our lives are full of daily opportunities to experience this same wave of fellowship with God. How often is it that that fellowship is waxing due to a wise decision on our part, followed by a season of waning due to a foolish decision?
I believe the goal of a believer, one who would fellowship with Christ, is to seek to cause the waxing season to be maximized and the waning season to be minimized. To recognize that both periods are inevitable for us, but they can be addressed and wisely considered.
Therefore, my call to action is: Minimize waning fellowship!
Document when you feel least close to God
There are few of us who do not feel inconsistent connectivity to God. This does not mean we ARE far from Him (for he does not leave us nor forsake us) but we can often FEEL that way. Record those periods when you feel less close to God and see if you can associate them with other events, thoughts, or situations. It is possible that those are periods where God calls you to seek His face or they might be periods of attack where your only resolution might be to claim 2 Timothy 1:7 and hold fast to God's presence.
Read scripture daily
Scripture says, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) - and it is through scripture that we are girded from all sorts of mischief. Thus, one way we can reduce (or eliminate in large part) the destruction wrought by the arrows of sin and vice are simply to go to scripture. Pray before reading, seeking God's peace, and the delving into scripture will reap rewards and you will draw closer to Him. Likewise, your walk with Jesus will be greatly magnified and you will find the period of waning to be a great deal shorter.
Seek after God's heart
Take a moment today and ask God what you should be focusing on. Do not expect Him to answer in the next five minutes or hour, but consider that He wants to guide you and He will never forsake you, so it will be easier than you expect. But following the asking comes the hard part - the waiting. Often our faith is most tested between the requesting and the manifesting. If you find that praying for something rarely (if ever) provides the results that expect, seek God's counsel! This can take the form of other believers, delving into scripture, praying and fasting, or just simply daily prayer. In short, if an event could offer an opportunity to take away your faith, God will always provide a way to draw closer to Him through it.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Healed, But Not Whole
4.15.07
Healed, But Not Whole
Luke 17 recounts the story of Jesus and the ten lepers and raises some interesting questions in my head.
When Jesus had entered a certain village, ten lepers called out to him that he might heal them. As soon as he saw them, Jesus told them to go shew themselves to the priests. As the men went, they were healed from their leprosy.
One of the men, when he saw he was healed, turned around and ran back to Jesus. Falling at his feet, this man gave thanks and glorified God. An interesting note here is that this man was a Samaritan; Samaritans and Jews had absolutely no dealings with each other and avoided even being in each other’s presence at all costs.
Jesus asked him where the other nine were and re-verified that there had indeed been ten healed. This man was the only one who returned to give glory to God, and a stranger at that.
Jesus told the man to rise and to go his way, that his faith had made him whole.
It was this phrase that struck me. Although it appears all ten men did receive physical healing from their leprosy, only this man was made whole. It makes me wonder what the others ended up lacking even though they were cured from the disease. Healed, but not whole… and just because they couldn’t stop for a moment and give glory to God; they were in too much of a hurry to get the priest to confirm that they had indeed been healed.
How often do we remember to give God the glory and thanks for the miracles He does in our lives? How much more blessing are we missing out on because we are so involved in the effect a miracle has on ourselves as individuals? How often do we look to our friends to confirm a miracle God has done in our lives instead of thanking God from the bottom of our heart for that miracle.
Let us accept the miracles God places in our lives in full faith, thanking Him for working in a miraculous way… thank Him instead of seeking confirmation from friends or family.
Healed, But Not Whole
Luke 17 recounts the story of Jesus and the ten lepers and raises some interesting questions in my head.
When Jesus had entered a certain village, ten lepers called out to him that he might heal them. As soon as he saw them, Jesus told them to go shew themselves to the priests. As the men went, they were healed from their leprosy.
One of the men, when he saw he was healed, turned around and ran back to Jesus. Falling at his feet, this man gave thanks and glorified God. An interesting note here is that this man was a Samaritan; Samaritans and Jews had absolutely no dealings with each other and avoided even being in each other’s presence at all costs.
Jesus asked him where the other nine were and re-verified that there had indeed been ten healed. This man was the only one who returned to give glory to God, and a stranger at that.
Jesus told the man to rise and to go his way, that his faith had made him whole.
It was this phrase that struck me. Although it appears all ten men did receive physical healing from their leprosy, only this man was made whole. It makes me wonder what the others ended up lacking even though they were cured from the disease. Healed, but not whole… and just because they couldn’t stop for a moment and give glory to God; they were in too much of a hurry to get the priest to confirm that they had indeed been healed.
How often do we remember to give God the glory and thanks for the miracles He does in our lives? How much more blessing are we missing out on because we are so involved in the effect a miracle has on ourselves as individuals? How often do we look to our friends to confirm a miracle God has done in our lives instead of thanking God from the bottom of our heart for that miracle.
Let us accept the miracles God places in our lives in full faith, thanking Him for working in a miraculous way… thank Him instead of seeking confirmation from friends or family.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Betroubled and blessed through a curse
Today's observation has two parts
the minor relates to Proverbs - it again speaks on the wicked. In this case (11:8) it compares the propensity for trouble that wicked has ... not only do their actions cause them to bear the fruit of trouble, but sometimes the trouble they experience was caused by someone else. This verse indicates that trouble CAN befall anyone, but sometimes its rightful recipient (the righteous) are saved from it by God, and so, being a faithful delivery of itself, the trouble still has a delivery - to the wicked!
So this is a great segue (this word always looks awkward to me) - for God is faithful, greatly to be praised, and performs many, many implicit miracles.
Today's reading (Luke 1:20) in the OYB points to an implicit miracle ... one that I have never heard discussed. There is a one-to-one relationship between the ability to speak and the ability to think and reason. Not that self-awareness is completely absent when someone loses the ability to speak, but the reality is that there is a difference in self-ness with the loss of speech.
The miracle I claim is that Zacharias was able to think as coherently before he became mute as after. Another is that John was born into a family with parents who truly loved God, and where John was likely forced to learn patience, humility, and self-restraint ... all qualities you would pick up from a father who was a mute priest. So, in a way, by cursing Zacharias for lacking faith, He blessed John as well.
Which is just like God - he's the ultimate multi-tasker!
the minor relates to Proverbs - it again speaks on the wicked. In this case (11:8) it compares the propensity for trouble that wicked has ... not only do their actions cause them to bear the fruit of trouble, but sometimes the trouble they experience was caused by someone else. This verse indicates that trouble CAN befall anyone, but sometimes its rightful recipient (the righteous) are saved from it by God, and so, being a faithful delivery of itself, the trouble still has a delivery - to the wicked!
So this is a great segue (this word always looks awkward to me) - for God is faithful, greatly to be praised, and performs many, many implicit miracles.
Today's reading (Luke 1:20) in the OYB points to an implicit miracle ... one that I have never heard discussed. There is a one-to-one relationship between the ability to speak and the ability to think and reason. Not that self-awareness is completely absent when someone loses the ability to speak, but the reality is that there is a difference in self-ness with the loss of speech.
The miracle I claim is that Zacharias was able to think as coherently before he became mute as after. Another is that John was born into a family with parents who truly loved God, and where John was likely forced to learn patience, humility, and self-restraint ... all qualities you would pick up from a father who was a mute priest. So, in a way, by cursing Zacharias for lacking faith, He blessed John as well.
Which is just like God - he's the ultimate multi-tasker!
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