The Hiding Spot

"You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance." Psalm 32:7 ESV

    When I was a little boy I used to love playing hide and seek. I mean, who didn't right? I always used to carefully select a place that would be very inconspicuous and neglected thinking that if I hid there no one would find me. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't but typically when I felt like I selected the right place I felt safe and secure with my decision.

      As I grew older I began to play hide and seek of a different sort. One in which I would select a path for my life that would be as Robert Frost once coined, "was less traveled." I felt like there was more to life than what most people aspired for and as I realized that God was the owner of this path. For me it became a place replete with safety and security.

      God is looking to be the hiding place not only for me, but for those who really want to understand the comforts of safety in the midst of trial and trouble. He wants to be the safety for us that we cannot be for ourselves. I realize however, that the only way for this place to be utilized is that it must be sought for first.

Continuously Perfected

"The Lord will perfect that which concerns me..." Psalm 138:8a (NKJV)

       This particular passage of scripture really grips my consciousness. For one I'm amazed at how good God is to me sometimes. Sure I know I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and all that but sometimes just reflecting on His love for me in spite of me is enough to leave me...well...speechless.

        I suppose the biggest reason why I'm gripped by this passage is the simple usage of the word perfect. Put in a different context, this Psalm speaks about what God will do (future) in spite of what is happening (present).

         I imagine David writing this with a bit of distress upon his life. After all, he tips his hand in v.7 by saying, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble." I guess the juxtaposition of what he is enduring to what he has endured is really shaping what he believes will happen next to him. For if God did not abandon him in his past why would he do so in his future?

          Many of us have to see God in the same way. Enough with us allowing our present challenge dictate what we believe for our future. If we are in Christ and we have seen the exploits of God in our past...then why can't we believe that He will perfect or in other translations "complete" our future. Trust can be the issue, but if God has the track record then why is it so difficult for some to continue to trust Him?

         I think the warring factions of doubt and faith have a lot to do with that. But like David I want to remind myself of the past victories God has accomplished for me to enhance my faith in spite of the doubt that wants to overcome me. This I believe will cause me to trust fully that He will perfect everything that concerns me.

-Amen

Why we hope

"But I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: the stedfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV)

     This passage is written from a very dark place. In the previous passages, the writer (Jeremiah) is engrossed in lamenting the failed glory of a once vibrant republic (Israel and Judah). At present, the writer is faced with peril at every turn and even worse a company of his own people clamoring for his life. In his darkest hour, he begins to think about the one thing that has never failed him, his God.

      Fast forward to the present day as I am completely drawn to the fact that though the writer faced perilous times his reason for hope is just as relevant to me. I stop to think for a moment why God does what he does. (don't we all?) One fact is inescapable to me...His faithfulness still is great! I don't know how one argues against that. After all, the sun still rises in the morning, the flowers still bloom in the spring, and the seasons keep changing.

       What's my point? I guess its to say that if the seemingly mundane has a rhythmic resonance to it, that no matter what, it will still come to pass. What is to make me think that I'm going to be left abandoned to the situation that seems bleak around me? As I grow older I understand more what the writer pens, "but I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope." Or as another writer put it, "And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here to day and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you..." (Matthew 6:30) This my friends is why we hope.

-Amen

Sought and found

"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 AMP

    I remember years ago I lost a set of my car keys and I went about the entire house searching for it. The search was so pronounced that I looked in places that I haven't even looked at in years. Unfortunately, my search produced no results and I was left wondering and searching for something that could not be found.

    While I would never liken my search for car keys to a search for God I won't forget the sentiment of loss I experienced looking for what I thought was a vital necessity for my life to function properly. A car was necessary to get me to work, and to places of commerce where I could purchase things that were of importance to me, or even go to places of worship. Though I needed to get around in my car without my key I was completely at a loss, until I was able to replace the key.

     I wonder if sometimes our search for the practical things we believe are of vital importance for us could be diverted to seeking God in the same manner. It's hard to comprehend how one can look for something replaceable with such fervor and not devote that same focus to seeking God. It's truly an indictment on the status of what we elevate as important.

      Each time I lose my way, I stop to reflect on that feeling I had when I looked for those keys, and it helps me recalibrate my focus on what's most important. I start to think about if I lost my connection to God like I loss that key I would be worse off than anything that key would ever provide me. The great thing about God is that He always makes himself available for us. Never once in any passage of scripture can you find where God does not make himself available to those who seek Him. That is a tremendous encouragement and comfort. Makes me want to undergo the search daily, so that I experience the things that are truly vital and necessary for my life.

Thank God!

"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT)

         At the end of the day what matters most in life is us taking a moment to appreciate what God has done for us. Many of us begrudge this fact by saying, "well my life isn't what it's supposed to be, and things around me aren't all that great." My answer to you is...perhaps that's true, but is that a result of what God has done? Or what you have done yourself?

          I've grown to find that at least in my life when things go wrong, I had a lot to do with it. Conversely, when things start breaking my way, curiously I had nothing to do with it. I maintain that typically the cause of my demise is... well... Me. I guess that's what compels me to write. Not because I want people to read about me for me, but instead serve as a warning for what not to do when all you want to do in your life is work out your own problems and issues.

            This passage of scripture matters in life because it sums up the purpose of why we live. It gives us perspective that in this world there IS a greater power at work within us, doing things we can't even come close to doing on our own merit if we allow it.

            I stand in awe of the greatness of God because he took a guy like me and placed me in places I never dreamed I would have been. The world needs to know this because this is actually a person giving credit to someone other than themselves, which was supposed to be the point all along.

The right time

"So let us not grow tired in doing good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing, if we don't give up." Galatians 6:9

       This is an interesting passage to read because one would surmise that it's critical advice for those who see much labor but little fruit for their labor. I think many people misunderstand cause and effect. Many people think that the cause of one immediate thing should often produce an immediate effect and often times that is just not the case. 

         I'm sure that Paul saw a lot of his dear friends in Galatia experiencing this type of frustration, as I'm sure many were falling away from their faith because they were being faithful in doing good, but it wasn't quite producing the results they were imagining it would. He felt the best way to respond to this type of frustration was to show others that there indeed was a better way, but sometimes the better way is not always revealed at what we would consider "the right time." 

         More often than not when I wallow in my frustration with doing good but seeing no results God always reminds me of this passage in Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." This was God's way of helping me understand that there is a higher purpose at work that I can't possibly fathom. 

         Could it be that what you thought was leading to nothing would indeed be something that would be life altering for you? I mean I would consider a harvest of blessing to be life altering for sure. My advice to you is to keep moving forward, keep grinding, keep up the good work, because you just never know when that harvest would show up in your life. But I do guarantee that it's going to be enough to alter the course of where you were heading. That's just how God works.  

 

The Heart of Redemption

"When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others why are righteous and haven't strayed away." Luke 15:6-7 (NLT)

       When I read this passage I look at it from the perspective of a father. Being a dad has really shaped the way I have begun to look and evaluate things in my life. It also helps me understand a little better the way God looks at us.

         Here Jesus uses the portrait of a shepherd to help us understand how God views the unsaved or lost. How if he has 100 sheep and one strays away the shepherd will leave his 99 and go through all hell and high-water to find the lost sheep, and once the sheep is found there is great rejoicing more over the one who was lost than the ones who remained.

          This may seem paradoxical to some that use human reasoning because we tend to favor and reward those who are faithful and loyal and don't stray, but it is interesting that God while happy that you have stayed and remained loyal places a premium of concern and joy to those who are redeemed. I guess it all makes sense now why He will send his Son for our redemption, and why we should feel the same about those who are found. We demonstrate the heart of God by rejoicing with him for those who are found.

I know

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

        This is a very well known scripture in Christian circles because lots of people love to hold on to its promise. They love what it says about their future and the hope that comes with it all. But what about those times where you take the future in your own hands? When you decide you know what's best for you and proceed to do it. Then when all of your options have failed you turn back to Him for help. What happens then?

         Recently, I faced such a situation. A place where I felt I needed to handle some business and take matters into my own hands. I prayed to God for assistance in the matter but I didn't allow Him to work the matter for me because I felt I could handle it (How audacious of me). I came to realize my efforts to save myself were consistently adding to my detriment. The more I worked on the matter the worse it became. And yet I kept praying for God to help me and it seemed like He was not.

          Later on the thought had occurred to me, that He was allowing me to go on my own because He doesn't want to mix oil and water (my way and effort with His power). Suppose for a moment He "helped" me, and I got what I needed to get out of this situation. While I may have given Him part of the credit, the majority of the credit I would have given to myself (after all that is human nature). You have to understand, "He shares His glory with no man," (Isaiah 42:8) so why would I think He'd ever contribute to my failed effort? Yet here in the key scripture lies the true answer to my dilemma. Two simple words often overlooked in Jeremiah 29:11 that revolutionize the way you we should look for answers. "I know."

         The words "I know" give us every indication that we need to stop where we are and let the one who has intimate knowledge of the path lead the way. It may be hard to comprehend or recognize because it take a great measure of faith to allow Him to work, but consider how great you will feel when you release the burden of trying to figure it out. I think it's as simple as taking Him at His word. If He says He knows... and what He knows will lead to good and not disaster. In my feeble, mind I think that's good enough to at least give it a try. Don't you?

When you're in a pinch...Cry for Help

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles." Psalm 34:17 (ESV)

        The simplicity of life is at times astounding. It's amazing how complicated we make it sometimes, almost frightening.  Not too long ago I was wallowing in my misery thinking about the problems I had in my life and how I was going to solve them. Sure I wanted God's help but my limited reasoning had me to believe that He's bailed me out too many times before, I think I may have used up all my currency (amazing how we think sometimes, huh?).

         As I grew more anxious because my problems seemed to mount up higher than I expected I began to do something curious. I began to read the bible, not necessarily in search for answers but more like trying to forget about what had been racking my brain trying to figure things out. I turned to the Psalms because that's sometimes a good place to find encouragement and as I fell on chapter 34 I began to read.

          I'm sure many of us who have read the bible before have read passages over and over only to find a passage that sticks out like something out of place. You can't help but go back in your memory banks trying to figure out if you remember seeing that there. I believe it is these very moments where God speaks loudest to us. You may have glossed over that particular passage because it wasn't ready for you to discover yet. (Let that sink in for a moment)

         Now when I read this Psalm and glanced upon verse 17 I immediately put down my bible and began to think. "This is too good to be true." "Is that really there?" "Did I really see the right thing?" So I slept on it, thinking more and more about it and started obsessing over the fact that this is the answer to all of my problems, not only now but in the future as well. How could I overlook what just stared me in the face? The answer was, I couldn't. Not anymore at least. I began to understand a layer of God that I simply overlooked and I believe many people do when the going gets tough...It's not your fight to win.

         I've never seen a drowning man keep silent, nor a person badly wounded where someone else is around. No, those people cry for help because they know someone can help. There should never be a moment where you feel your problems are bigger than the one who can help you. What's more is that He not only promises to deliver you from the specific problem you're praying about, but also any other problem associated with it that you WEREN'T EVEN THINKING ABOUT. How's that for incentive? Further proof that the God of Grace is much greater than your own human reasoning can quantify. I guess the only recourse in life is just to trust him, and when you're in a pinch cry for help.

Handfuls of Purpose

"Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them that she may glean them, and rebuke her not." Ruth 2:15-16 (KJV)

     I came across this story yesterday and received an entirely different perspective than what I had about it. In times past, I would read this story and would consider it a sweet love story in which a down and out woman meets a rich man and becomes his wife. How nice. However, when I read it again yesterday I noticed some intricacies that had once eluded me.

       Ruth was a woman who had an elevated status when her husband was alive. When tragedy befell her she went from prominence to abject poverty in the blink of an eye. She faces a tough choice soon after, go with her mother in law who was heading back to Israel to endure her bitterness, or stay with her sister in law in a place that was familiar to her and safe. As we all know, Ruth left the familiar and ventured into a land completely unkown to her and allied herself to a God she did not know.

        Many of us have sympathy for widows, but if we truly understand the times they lived in, consider that women were second class citizens, and widows were viewed as even less. Now Ruth had the responsibility not only to take care of herself but her mother in law as well. A daunting task at best. Yet, this unknown (to her) God began to show her favor in unprecedented ways so much so that this rich man who owned a field saw her and commanded his servants to leave her handfuls of grain for the purpose of showing her favor.

        I wonder how often in life when I feel down and out, when it seems like everything in my life is conspiring against me that God gives me handfuls of purpose. To keep my head up and keep me moving. What is lost in this story is that the down and out servant picking up morsels that everyone leaves behind for her, ends up owning the whole field. Makes me pause to think about for a second, what God has in store for all of us who just keep moving forward.

Strength in Waiting

"You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress." Psalm 59:9

        I know it's oftentimes difficult to associate strength with inactivity but with God that is precisely the case. In fact, the more inactive you are as you wait for Him the stronger you become. Completely oxymoronic I know.

        You can ask King Saul what waiting a little while would have done for his kingdom, or even the 5 virgins who decided to cavort and have fun instead of being ready waiting for the bridegroom. Each of these examples at one point or another reasoned to themselves that waiting wasn't worth it.

        I'm a firm believer that if you don't know what to do, do nothing. I know this to be a sound method of activity because if I do something when there was uncertainty there is a 50% chance I made the wrong decision. However, if I wait for God to rescue me my chances of success are realized without any measure of doubt. 

        David, the man whom inherited the throne after Saul's failure knew this and as a result saw the grace of God manifest itself in his life in unprecedented ways. I wonder what following his example would do for us. 

A Servants Heart

"Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26b-28

        There seems to be a prevailing thought in society today that this generation is all about entitlement. Demanding things that they necessarily haven't earned. I seem to think that while it may be a generational thing we all have a bit of entitlement in us. Why else would we feel the way we do others get something we want? Or better yet, criticize how someone got something because we "felt" they didn't deserve it.

          Jesus dealt with that mentality here in this passage. Two disciples vocalized what I'm sure they all were thinking. They wanted a spot next to Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus however, knowing the condition of their heart postulated something to them that was probably the furthest thing from their mind as He told them, "why don't you be a slave instead?" (paraphrase mine) 

            The simplicity of this statement was overshadowed by the harshness of the reality these disciples must have faced. I'm sure they thought, "I just asked to be on top but Jesus told me it's better to be on the bottom instead, better being a servant to others instead of a leader." What they missed however, was Jesus was doing this all along. Sure he did the miracles and wonders, but He was a servant first. Jesus tried first showing them his example, hoping that maybe he wouldn't have to tell them what they didn't want to hear. 

             I wonder how many of us pay attention to his example and really recognize that the power is not in asking for what we think we deserve, but instead recognizing that its better for us to give what we have then demand to receive what we don't. I think that's what a servants heart is all about.

Of Whom

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1 AMP

       People I'm sure have wondered why did David start off with referring to God as light and salvation. I know I have, but as I began to think of it I realized that the answer could possibly be found in one of the very first acts God did on this earth as most of us know that in Genesis 1:3 "...God said, "Let there be light"...."

       God saw that earth was dark and formless and He solved that problem with bringing His presence of light to the earth. David having a full understanding of the character and nature of God saw illumination as a part of His characteristic, so even if David saw darkness invading his personal situation he knew inside his heart there was nothing to fear.

       Similarly, David knew that God over the past 800 years of the existence of the people of Israel countlessly provided protection from the enemy against all odds, becoming a fortress or stronghold for them in the presence of their enemies. And if God doesn't change then, it stands to reason that this same God could be the very same thing for David, then of what should he be afraid of?

        Often times, we want to overcomplicate God when all we have to do is realize there is nothing we should fear or be afraid of because of who God is. Simple as that. He has eon's of data to support His character and it has been remarkably consistent throughout the history of earth. I guess the simple question we have to ask ourselves is of whom should we put our trust in?

A Gentle Tongue

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." Proverbs 15:4 (ESV)


      We live in a society of opinions today. Lots of people have lots of things to say, and rarely the things they have to say bring edification to others. It's quite sad if you really think about it. Yet, there are those rare people who always have something nice to say and are a pleasure to be around. Got me to thinking... which person am I?

       I love how the bible says that a gentle tongue is a tree of life. Back in the day, when God first created the world he created two trees for Adam and Eve and one of them was a tree of life (they could have eaten of that tree, by the way) yet, Adam and Eve chose the tree of knowledge of good and evil instead of the tree of life. I think it's curious how sometimes we too prefer knowledge over life, just an observation I guess.

        My challenge is and always has been to be the man that God wants me to be, and I'm realizing more and more that in order to be like this I have to chose to speak life into the lives of others. To tell the one who wants to give up You can do it, or It's going to be alright. I guess I want to bring enough encouragement to others that I would be accused of being a Tree of life.