Seeing God in everything…even Hurricane Ike October 2, 2008

Wow – I haven’t posted in several weeks! That’s what happens when a bout of bronchitis and a horrendous hurricane interrupt life! And another wow is really the only word to describe Hurricane Ike, which blew through southeast Texas and devastated many coastal cities. Where I live only superficial damage resulted but it was a storm that I don’t want to remember.

However, at one point during the aftermath of the Category 2 storm, I wondered if sometimes a hurricane or other natural disasters are used, maybe even needed, to get people to put priorities into perspective. Tons of people lost their homes and possessions. Crawling and digging through rubble, residents in Galveston and other beach-front properties tried to put some semblance of their lives back together. Even if they could only salvage a fork and a spoon, at least it was theirs. If they have nothing, then what do they have?

People who were without power for days and weeks found new ways to cope with significant amounts of time, much of which was spent during hot and humid days. But God was gracious in providing some cooler weather. But what thoughts raced through people’s minds as they were kept back from watching TV or using the Internet due to no electricity? What did they ponder upon? What changed?

There is no immediate way to determine how the hurricane has impacted people’s lives, other than those who are completely homeless. Many people seemed to remain hopeful in spite of the loss but deep down what questions were being held inside? How will I get through this? What will happen next? What if I don’t get my next paycheck? Where will I live? Where is God? Personally, I never heard Paul’s words in Philippians 3:7 more clearly:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Only a few days after Hurricane Ike, I read my devotional for September 17 and was amazed at how God could be so timely. Only in His perfect and infinite wisdom could He have known that the words written so long ago in Streams in the Desert for that day would be needed for this day. Focusing on seeing God in every circumstance and situation in life, the message says:

To see HIM, and to be sure that His wisdom cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain and loss, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

And what truly spoke to my heart and made these words of seeing God in all of life’s trials and tribulations even more applicable was a poem written by A.E. Finn that followed the devotional and I’ll post it here (the last one is MY favorite):

“Give me a new idea,” I said,
While musing on a sleepless bed;
“A new idea that’ll bring to earth
A balm for souls of priceless worth;
That’ll give men thoughts of things above,
And teach them how to serve and love,
That’ll banish every selfish thought,
And rid men of the sins they’ve fought.”

The new thought, came, just how, I’ll tell:
‘Twas when on bended knee I fell,
And sought from HIM who knows full well
The way our sorrow to expel.
SEE GOD IN ALL THINGS, great and small,
And give HIM praise whatever befall,
In life or death, in pain or woe,
See God, and overcome thy foe.

I saw HIM in the morning light;
He made the day shine clear and bright;
I saw HIM in the noontide hour,
And gained from Him refreshing shower.
At eventide, when worn and sad,
HE gave me help, and made me glad.
At midnight, when on tossing bed
My weary soul to sleep HE led.

I saw HIM when great losses came,
And found HE loved me just the same.
When heavy loads I had to bear,
I found HE lightened every care.
By sickness, sorrow, sore distress,
HE calmed my mind and gave me rest.
HE’s filled my heart with gladsome praise
Since I gave HIM the upward gaze.

‘Twas new to me, yet old to some,
This thought that to me has become
A revelation of the way
We all should live throughout the day;
For as each day unfolds its light,
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
Life will, indeed, a blessing bring,
If we SEE GOD IN EVERYTHING.

Yes, we can see God in everything because ALL THINGS can be used for His glory, for our refinement and for others’ encouragement. Yes, even a hurricane. For life will indeed a BLESSING bring if we see God in EVERYTHING!

Biblical Womanhood: If I Belittle… August 14, 2008

As a youth leader in my church’s youth group, there are two words I’ve heard more often than anything else among the high school girls I lead: gossip and drama. It appears to be inevitable especially among teenagers. They ask me regularly why there has to be so much gossip and drama? To be honest, it’s pretty cyclical. Things will be calm for a while and everyone is “on fire for God” and then they let worldly desires get the best of them and here comes the cat fight. I’ve questioned my involvement in youth ministry due to this very thing but God has encouraged me to not give up.

But you know something else? Gossip and drama aren’t only limited to teenage girls. I remember about four years ago when I was in the “working world” before my son was born I encountered two women who liked to speak negatively about others in the office. I often ate lunch with them and always tried to redirect the conversation but at one point I began to wonder what they said about me while I wasn’t there. For a few weeks, I ended up eating lunch alone and was quite thankful for the break. But I returned to them with a better idea – let’s start a lunchtime book club so we’re talking about something PRODUCTIVE. I do miss those lunches but not the gossip.

But you know who else knew that gossip would be a problem among women of all ages? Our loving Heavenly Father. In His infinite wisdom, God still created us women even though we like to let our mouths run – some more than others. However, He didn’t leave us without instruction or a guide to dealing with our mouths. He commanded us in Titus 2:3-5 how we are supposed to be:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Not malicious gossips…ouch. But isn’t that true? I mean really. What kind of gossip isn’t malicious? You might be thinking that sometimes we just want to keep others around us “informed” about certain situations so we open our mouths. Or maybe what so-and-so did was just so rude that we couldn’t keep the pain of it inside. Yet women are commanded by their Creator to not be this way. Not only is gossip denounced in this passage in Titus, but 1 Timothy 3:11 says the same thing and the book of Proverbs is filled with verses about the use of our mouths. Not to mention James chapter 3 – nothing but description upon description of how our tongue can be used for good and bad.

We have this call to use our words wisely because people are watching. Claiming to be a Christ follower yet allowing your mouth to speak unkindly of others is nothing more than a bad testimony. For those of us who are moms, I can’t imagine what kind of message that sends to our children. I think for me what spoke most loudly about this issue was a recent devo in which great missionary Amy Carmichael wrote:

If, in any way, I belittle those who I am called to serve…

if I talk of their weak points in contrast, perhaps, with what I think of as my stronger points…

if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting to consider the wisdom of the voice that asks me, inwardly, “Who made you different from the one you are criticizing – and what do you have that you have not been given?”

if I can easily discuss the shortcomings of the sins of any man or woman…

if I can speak in an offhanded way, even of a child’s wrongdoing….then I know nothing of Calvary love.

The Calvary love is the love of a sinless Shepherd dying for sinful sheep. A Savior like a lamb who was led to the slaughter yet did not open His mouth, did not say a word. A Man forsaken and forgotten, bearing the iniquities of generations. The Christ who died for all.

Perhaps the negative words the come from our mouths have their beginning a little higher up in our minds. Maybe our thoughts need to be taken captive under the control of Christ so what is in our hearts and minds will become blessings that we want to come from our mouths. Instead of choosing this day to bash your husband, friend or child, even for something you consider justified, ask God to give you only words of encouragement, love and support, and follow the Ephesians 4:29 principle:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Does God have a sense of humor? August 2, 2008

Have you ever wondered why God, through His Holy Spirit, was bringing to your mind specific Bible verses or passages of Scripture? This usually happens to me while I’m going through some sort of ordeal and I am reminded of people in the Bible who have faced similar circumstances, and then I find comfort in those verses.

Other times, which I’ve noticed this week, God sends me to sections of Scripture to prepare me for something. This has been happening with Psalm 23 and a book I’m reading called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It’s a fascinating book that vividly portrays the life of a shepherd in protecting, caring for and loving his sheep, and relates how this is our God, the God of the Bible. “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The author, a former shepherd himself, describes wonderfully how Christians can rest in their Lord and Savior knowing He is ultimately in control and genuinely cares for the well-being of His children. As a person prone to anxiety, this is the most peaceful thought for me.

However, I didn’t realize until a day ago how important it would be for me to grasp these truths about my Heavenly Father. Through a phone call early Friday morning, I learned that my part-time at-home freelance writing job would take a hit. Cutbacks are expected at this certain publication and I would be restricted to the amount of stories I can write, therefore restricting the amount of money I can earn. Not good news in a lagging economy with high gas and food prices (although I was quite excited to pay $3.69 per gallon for gas – in Texas.)

After I hung up the phone, I expected to go into panic mode but didn’t. It could have something to do with the fact that I was hanging out with my son and didn’t want him to see an emotional response to a situation that God had allowed to come into my life. But more than that, I realized that I had taken to heart (and mind) what God had been teaching me about Himself through Psalm 23.

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.

God is all I need. Everything else is just well everything else. The Lord is my Shepherd – He is guiding me, caring for me, providing for me. I need not worry about a change in income or work because God is in control. What else was fascinating to me was my next thought – God knew long before I found out about this cutback that there would be a bit of a drought. He knew! So, how would I respond?

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Amazingly, God brought these verses into my life through a devotional. And I had these verses written on a note card stuck to my fridge. Trust. Would I choose to trust God in this circumstance knowing that He had allowed it, knowing that He is MY Shepherd? Could I possibly be that tree described in Jeremiah that does not fear when the heat comes, that will not be anxious in a year of drought?

The easy answer is yes; but as I stated before I am a person prone to worry. Could I relinquish my anxiety and worry, and truly allow God to do what He does best? Provide for me through fire and drought? For what purpose does worrying have? None, according to Corrie Ten Boom:

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.

So, unbeknown to me, God had been preparing me through His word and specific Scriptures, for a trial to come. He allowed me to meditate upon His word and come to know better His characteristics so I could put into practice what I learned. This is a situation, no matter how scary it may seem to decrease your income, that was only able to come to me by passing through the hands of my loving, Sovereign Heavenly Father. It almost seems funny to me that God would work in this way. Coincidence, no, because God is in control. There are no coincidences for the believer in Christ.

Does God have a sense of humor? My God does.

Where is God when you need Him? July 15, 2008

This poem recorded in today’s Streams in the Desert devotional spoke directly to my heart:

It is easy to love Him when the blue is in the sky,
When the summer winds are blowing, and we smell the roses nigh;
There is little effort needed to obey His precious will
When it leads through flower-decked valley, or over sun-kissed hill.

It is when the rain is falling, or the mist hangs in the air,
When the road is dark and rugged, and the wind no longer fair,
When the rosy dawn has settled in a shadowland of gray,
That we find it hard to trust him, and we are slower to obey.

It is easy to trust Him when the singing birds have come,
And their canticles are echoed in our heart and in our home;
But ’tis when we miss the music, and the days are dull and drear,
That we need a faith triumphant over every doubt and fear.

And our blessed Lord will give it; what we lack He will supply;
Let us ask in faith believing – on His promises rely;
He will ever be our Leader, whether smooth or rough the way,
And will prove Himself sufficient for the needs of every day.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Doing ordinary things for an extraordinary Christ February 27, 2008

Do you often find yourself wondering how your small, menial tasks make any sort of significant difference to God? How can your very-ordinary-everyday-often-the-same-sometimes-boring tasks bring glory to a God who created the universe, placed each star in the sky and did all this just by speaking? How do our small acts of obedience, from laundry and dishes to oil changes and number crunching, day in and day out glorify our risen Christ?

I often wonder if John the Baptist felt this way. Called to be only a voice in the desert, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth paved the way for Jesus to be revealed to the Jewish people as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. This was John’s sole purpose as recorded in Luke 1:76-77:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

He is aptly named for his work in admonishing the Jewish people to repent and be baptized, therefore baptizing them with water. John the Baptist preached the Gospel with such power and authority that the Bible says people wondered in astonishment as to whether he was really the Christ, their Savior. However, John was quick to correct them:

John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Luke 3:16-17

John knew his place and his purpose. He was determined to fulfill the work that God had set out for him. However unfit John believed he was to remove Jesus’ sandals, Our Heavenly Father allowed the prophet to baptize Christ which was the starting point of Jesus’ ministry. Despite this awesome honor, John did not consider his work extraordinary or allow the number of people baptized to become a matter of pride. He continued preaching and baptizing, fulfilling God’s will. He even explained to his own disciples that it was necessary for more people to go to Christ to be baptized than to himself, saying:

“You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:28-30

John knew his time in the limelight was nothing more than a foreshadowing of what Christ would do for us all. John’s work was quite important but at times may have seemed ordinary in light of who Christ is and what Christ would do for all people – bring salvation to many. John prepared the way for the One who would rescue those sinners who believe in Him from eternal separation from God.

The people were amazed by John but were even more astonished by Jesus and His words, works and wonders. And this actually pleased John so much that he says his joy was made full. No resentment, no pettiness, no wondering why he’s not being praised for the work he did before Christ got on the scene. John quietly and joyfully accepts what God has planned since the beginning of time:

“He must increase but I must decrease.”

What season of life do you find yourself in, where God has placed you? What are you doing today that seems ordinary, that seems to be so mundane you can hardly stand it? What are you doing today that is going unnoticed and unappreciated by others around you, that maybe had some purpose at one time but is no longer the focal point? What are you doing that others may be receiving praise for? What are you doing today that is bringing glory to Christ but is unseen by many around you, or perhaps unknown by others?

The ordinary-everyday-things you do for Christ will be rewarded in due time if you do not grow weary and lose heart. The work you do, no matter how small, has a significant place in God’s plan because He has ordained it. But the greatest purpose is to glorify Christ. To show that Christ is Lord of your life, that He reigns supreme in your day-to-day busyness, that you serve a great God. Rather than seeking accolades for yourself and what you do, let Christ shine. Instead of placing yourself on the pedestal, allow Christ to be lifted high.

In everything you do, seek to allow Jesus Christ to increase so you can decrease.