STABILITY

…he will be the stability of your times…  Isaiah 33:6  ( ESV)

When we were children, Papa decided it was time to find a larger house for his growing family.  We settled in a beautiful new home, and Papa’s diligent gardening made our lawn the envy of the neighborhood.  It wasn’t long, however, when hairline cracks began to appear in the walls of our dream house, and Papa announced that we’d be moving again.

This time Papa didn’t trust a ready-built house for his family.  Not at all.  He and Momo found a one-acre lot in a suburban neighborhood, and Papa and a friend built our forever home from the ground up.  When it came time to put in the landscaping, it was clear why Papa had chosen this particular neighborhood:  under the few inches of topsoil, there was solid rock.  The house is still standing, and when last I was inside, there still wasn’t a crack.

2020 was a year none of us will forget.  Perhaps, with me, you celebrated New Year’s Day with anticipation of a better year—a new vaccine for the dreaded Covid and the opportunity for our country to return to work and to life as we know it.  Perhaps we might even look forward to planning a family trip or a reunion with loved ones we haven’t seen since shut down.

Just barely into January we saw that relief would not be coming soon.  From any quarter around us.  UNLESS we look to the Rock.  Isaiah (51:1-3) from of old exhorts us to:

 ” Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD:  Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn…  For the LORD will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD.  Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.”

The foundation of our lives, the Rock on which we are built is the only stability that will see us through these stormy times.   And he is sufficient.  He IS the stability of our times; he will not be shaken; he will not be broken; he will not disappear.  Anchored to him, we can weather the tempests, and when they are over, we will still be standing.

              My hope is built on nothing less
              Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
              I dare not trust the sweetest frame
              But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

              On Christ the solid rock I stand
              All other ground is sinking sand
              All other ground is sinking sand.  (Robert Critchley)

Father, save us from ourselves and the false notion of self-reliance.  We stand in you.  In Jesus, our Lord.  AMEN.

HANGING IN THERE

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms… Deuteronomy 33:27

 

We’ve just returned from our annual staff retreat where, after prayer times, we were given a variety of activities from which to choose. At our beautiful retreat center in the Texas Hill Country, the staff has erected “The Screamer” whose name was not at all attractive to me. But I decided to see what there was to scream about, not sure I wanted to participate.
We approached a flat pasture where two telephone poles were erected with cables stretched from side to side and another cable falling to the ground. The idea was to get into a harness, be lifted up to the top by one’s friends, and then release a cable that allows “the screamer” to swing back and forth between the poles while making a descent.
Typically, I do not like heights. Yes, as a teen I climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty and I’ve soared down tall mountains on skis, but I don’t like teetering on the edge of a symphony box and looking down at the seats far below. I do not like heights.
But there was something different about this challenge. Trusted specialists had erected the course; trusted friends would strap me into a harness; the trusted camp director would himself hook me onto the cable; and trusted friends would hoist me into the sky screaming, “You can do it. Go, Marthe.” And so, I did. When I got to the ceiling of the clear Hill Country sky, I looked below and saw my friends laughing and smiling. I released the cord and found myself soaring. I flew in circles, and I swung between the poles. Effortlessly, I glided through space until I found myself in the arms of those who were waiting below.
Camp materials state that this kind of experience helps campers build trusted relationships, develop confidence, and promote a sense of being rooted, among other things. For me, someone who doesn’t like peering into the Grand Canyon, I was given a concrete example of what trust is all about. In no way could I have helped myself while I was suspended in the sky, but my friends were ensuring my safety AND my enjoyment.
Trust is not just about having faith in our friends, but, ultimately, it’s about having faith in the One who never fails. When God calls us to a situation, he’s the One who fits us with the protective gear we need (Eph. 6:11-18); he’s the One who has created the environment into which we are thrust (John 1:3); he’s the One who holds the rope that keeps us from wandering into danger (Isa. 41:13); and he’s the One who watches, cheering us on, ready to encircle us with his loving arms (Deut. 33:27).
Would you like to take a ride on “The Screamer?” You’ll learn a lot about trust, about protection, and about everlasting arms ready to enfold you.

Father, thank you that in you there is ultimate confidence, protection, security, and everything we need for this life. Help us to let go of everything that limits us and put our trust in you. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

STUCK

Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.  Deuteronomy 2:3  (KJV)

 

This journey God has called us to is a walk of faith.  Sometimes we forget that.  We want a map, signs and wonders, confirmations, voices from the blue, and blessings every step we take.  We want the fleece to be dry at the snap of our fingers and otherwise wet to reassure  us.  What does that have to do with faith?

By faith Abraham, when called…obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  That’s faith.  Abraham had no guide and no oversight committee, but he trusted God.  He was from a pagan society, but he trusted God.  And God didn’t fail him.  Every promise that was made to Abraham was fulfilled, and through him came our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Abraham listened and kept moving.

Moses, another faithful man, led the faithless Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and stopped on the way to get God’s instructions at Mt.Sinai.  He had barely trekked up the mountain when the Israelites asked Aaron to construct a god for them, a tangible symbol they could see and touch.  And, of course, there were many other times of disobedience and unbelief until finally God let them wander through years of sand and bare bones existence.  Their lack of trust in the God who had made a way through the Sea and through the chartless desert relegated them to a lifetime of unfulfilled wandering.

Finally, God said they had gone round and round long enough.  It was time to move on. Time to trust God to do what he’d promised, time to listen to him, time to obey.  Faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1).  It is not seeing the end from the beginning—only God does that.  It is not seeing the fulfillment of our prayer at the moment we say amen.  Only God does that.  It is not understanding God’s methods, his delays, or his silences.  And it is definitely not reliance in our own abilities.  It is simply trusting God to do what he promised and to always make everything work together for good (Rom. 8:28).

So, isn’t it time to get up and move (Deut. 1:8)?   We’ve spent too long going round and round the mountain.  Onward.  God is able.

 

Father, we really expect magic from you at each point of distress.  Pull that rabbit out of the hat or part the waters at our command.  Forgive us.  Faith is hard, but it’s also your gift.  Help us to grow up and to move out in faith.  That pleases and blesses you.  Thank you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

TODAY

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

 

We’ve awakened today with a gift from God—this very day.  There will be so many choices and opportunities.  What will we do with the gift?

We will enter his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts (Psa. 100:4) reflecting on the benefits we derive by being his child.  Thank you Lord for your abiding peace no matter what may come this day.  Thank you for grace to address every situation.  Thank you for wisdom to deal with complex issues today.  Thank you for strength to handle all my responsibilities.  Thank you for guidance with all the different options in this day.  Thank you that you never leave me even when my senses don’t perceive you.

We enter his courts with praise, confidently abiding in the presence of the Lord.  …in him  we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17:28)  Today if something should try to shake my rest in him, I will redirect my attention and climb back into his arms.  After all, Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

What a great day.

 

Father, keep us steadfast in your love today, rejoicing in you and not allowing circumstances to determine our attitudes or behavior.  We are your children; we rejoice in you.  AMEN.

A GOOD WORD (OR TWO)

I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  II Timothy 1:12b  (KJV)

 

 

At the outset of a New Year, it seems good to consider the security of our families and ourselves in this rapidly changing cultural, political, and spiritual environment.  As the gatekeepers of our households, how will we guard and provide for the welfare of those we love?  How will we keep them safe?

In the Middle Ages it was common for the nobility to erect towers as part of the fortification of their castles.  These towers, called keeps, were built of wood or stone and often served as places of last resort when outer defenses fell to attackers.  From Ireland to Wales, throughout England, France, and Spain, there remain vestiges of these early structures.  Tourists love to explore the ruins and imagine the stories held secret in the decay.

While physical security may not be the primary danger to present-day western families, at every turn there seem to be assaults upon our core beliefs, family values, institutions, and even our way of life.  Today’s parents of young children and teens have to be especially “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” in dealing with today’s threats (Matt. 10:16).  Information (and mis-information) barrages all of us relentlessly, while political correctness is a constant challenge.  It’s critical to our spiritual health that we know how to discern and keep ourselves and our loved ones.

The word keep can be used both as a noun and as a verb with God’s Word giving us plenty of indication of his and our responsibilities in this keeping relationship.  To begin with, there are numerous injunctions of what God expects of us, his covenant people.  For example, we are to keep his commandments (Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 7:12, 29:9; I Chron. 28:8, John 14:15, 23), and in exchange, he promises to keep us, show us mercy, and prosper us (Deut. 7:12, 29:9; II Chron. 6:14).  In Psalm 91:11 God says his angels will have charge of us and will keep us in all our ways while Proverbs 3:26 says that he will keep our foot from being taken, referring to physical (and spiritual) protection.  (The 91^st Psalm, sometimes called the Soldier’s Psalm, is often prayed for those on the battlefield.)

While I appreciate the promises for mercy and physical oversight, I particularly relish those verses that refer to mental, emotional, and spiritual protection.  God has promised to keep us in his perfect peace when we trust him and stay focused on him (Isa. 26:3).  This supernatural peace that cannot be understood (because it only comes from God) will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).  It follows, then, that remaining at peace is a product of abiding confidently and securely in Christ.

And if we ever get concerned about losing our place in him, Jesus prayed that his Father would keep us from evil (John 17:15).  Of course, we have to exercise our own will and cooperate with his leading, but he can be trusted to do his part.  Finally, Jude 24 describes Jesus’ power as able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.  That is the ultimate protection, and these verses are only a smattering of God’s expressions for guarding, for keeping, his children.

They are good words to ponder for ourselves and to teach our children and grandchildren as we go forth into this New Year:  obedience and trust results in being kept.  Just like those families in the Middle Ages, we, too, can run to our strong place of safety and protection—but ours is one that never fails.

 

Father, thank you for so many precious promises that give us life and hope.  May we glorify you as we trust your keeping power.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

CONFIDENCE

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:35 (NIV)

With Easter approaching, our choir was doubling down on rehearsals and more complex musical offerings. Sadly, our choirmaster had’nt yet discovered the joy of music, so rehearsals were often exercises in discipline. One particular evening, he scolded the sopranos particularly severely and shuffled our section around several times. Over and over we rehearsed our passages as he frowned upon us. I could hardly wait for the session to end.

I went home that evening convinced that I was the sour note, unable to contribute to a harmonious whole. The next few days I sat at my piano going over and over the offending phrases. Rather than feeling increasingly confident in my part and eager to sing God’s praises at Easter, my mood was more in line with the confused disciples who hid in the shadows on that fateful Friday.

And then I read that there are times when we take our confidence and throw it to the wind if our expectations aren’t met. We actually take the confidence we’ve gained through years of experience with our Father and toss it from us because of adversity, real or imagined, large or small. And here was I allowing some unsatisfactory choir rehearsals to color the rest of the days in my weeks.

I retrieved the confidence I had – which was in the Lord – and returned to rehearsals determined to hear the messages in the music and to use my voice, imperfect as it might be, as an instrument of praise. It appeared that my heart was more out of tune than my voice, and when that was corrected, I was more prepared (and equipped) to sing .

Easter Day was glorious; the choir’s melodious praises filled the sanctuary. And I learned a valuable lesson that had more to do with attitude than music.

Father, every time I make an incident about me, I become distracted. My confidence, my hope, my inspiration are all from you. Thank you. AMEN.