Author: Christine Wyrtzen

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.”  Mark 4:26

What a wonderful parable to start our series. It offers great comfort if you need reassurance that the spiritual seeds you have sown will continue to flourish, even in your absence.  When sown into a person’s heart, it works in secret. Jesus intentionally conveyed the nature of the combustible seed of the Word of God.  I can count on its power. 

If I’ve planted seeds in the hearts of a loved one, those seeds are still at work. “Oh, but I don’t see any signs of change,” you might say. No matter. The overarching message of Jesus’ words is that the one who sows might not see evidence right away. Our confidence rests not in our ability to sow but in the power of the seed. God oversees the process, and transformation belongs to God alone. 

I have a window of time with each person in my life. With my children, it’s the first eighteen years. With a spouse, it’s longer. With a friend, there is usually an adequate window. I faithfully plant the seed when there is proximity. That access may one day end, and I may become discouraged, thinking my ability to effect change is over. Oh no! The seeds I’ve sown by the power of the Spirit are still there, still at work, still stirring up the soil and bringing holy conflict. The one I love may be out of my sight, but the Word is more active than it has ever been. 

I can find comfort when I see little or no harvest. While I sleep, the seeds are working. While I pray for them from a distance, the seeds are germinating in the soil of their hearts. My prayers of joyful confidence water the seeds, even from afar.  

I forget how thunderous Your Word sounds in the soil of a man’s heart.  What has been sown, You will faithfully cultivate, and in that, I rest. Amen

Listen to the LORD who created you, to the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

Brennan Manning said, “We often feel like the homely peasant girl for whom the king has come to take a bride.” Our sense of self-condemnation makes us back away from God’s call to live as His beloved. We feel unworthy. Our own view of ourselves overrides His words. Imagine someone asking you today, “Do you believe that God loves you?” You would nod your head appropriately and answer yes. You know the scripture verses. You learned the Sunday School songs. 

But the problem is, our understanding of love has been compromised by our experiences with others. In varying degrees, we have all felt degraded, excluded, rejected, ridiculed, passed over, and a host of other things related to rejection. Each memory festers in our soul. Each arrow of inflicted pain still sits there, infected by time. Oh, how we need our Elohim Hu Ahava to do spiritual surgery to remove the arrows. His Spirit can heal the wounds as the truth of His love replaces the lies of our past.

No one gets to define our worth except our Creator. Not a parent, not a caregiver, not a teacher, not a pastor, not a child or spouse. But many were made to feel unworthy by their parents. They were never anyone’s priority. Work came first. Or other children were preferred. Spouses can communicate that their mate isn’t worth much. Children tell their parents, “You’re a bad father, or bad mother.”  We tend to absorb their opinions. We rationalize that these are the ones who know us best and that makes them credible, right? No.

How do we live cherished in a world where few are cherished? We believe our Father’s proclamations of love, by faith. We are to no longer be crippled by the hole in our souls. The story of our new birth becomes a narrative we can tell others to extol the incomparable Fatherhood of God.

Extoling begins on my knees and there’s so much to thank You for. Amen

I remember sitting in Sunday School as a child, looking at a flannel graph, and seeing a felt image of a lion.  “Satan is a roaring lion…” Mrs. Dixon said. “He’s on the prowl and looking for someone to devour.”  First, this is a dark message for children without telling them the rest of the story ~ Jesus is more powerful than the enemy!  

Only as I’ve grown older have I looked carefully at the scripture she quoted.  “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  I Peter 5:8-9   She left out an important word. Satan is not the roaring lion.  He prowls ‘like’ a roaring lion.    He sets out to mimic God.  Let’s be clear and comforted ~ The real lion is our Aslan, the Lion of Judah.  

There’s an interesting disclosure about lions in Amos 3:4.  Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?  A lion roars to terrify its victim.  He knows his prey will freeze before being easily captured.  Then the lion growls as he begins to devour his catch in order to attract other lions to come and enjoy the feast with him.  Doesn’t our enemy deal this treacherously?  He roars.  We freeze, or so he hopes. 

But Satan is not the lion.  We are told he roars ‘like’ a lion. Remember, he’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s a lion impostor.  This fake lion has already been defeated, and we are the children of Aslan, fighting our fear with this truth.  

“God is a shield to all who trust in him.”  Psalm 18:30

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.”  Psalm 28:7-8

Let’s talk about this big thing that overwhelms you; that thing you bring before God nearly every hour of the day.  I know you wish it weren’t there, that He’d reach out with a sweeping wave of His hand to remove it.  You are frustrated that He’s not doing it when all power is His. David reminds us of God’s declarations ~ He’s our strength and shield, our trustworthy helper. However, it doesn’t always seem that way.

God told His people when they were traveling through the wilderness to Canaan, “Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”  His plan is for each of His children to become mighty in wisdom, strong in muscle strength, and fluent in the ways of the kingdom.  Slaying one giant at a time will build into your life the things that are critical for your future.  Never underestimate what is gained when you walk with God and see the progress that is characterized by baby steps.

God is not stingy, nor is His power limited.  It is His love that restrains His hand from completely rescuing you so that He can do what is ultimately best on your behalf.  I know that this mountain makes you tremble, even despair.  However, by dealing with your fear and choosing to stand in faith, you are being transformed into a champion.  When you can’t see your progress, God can.  You have already changed more than you know. He has been, and is your shield, and He is working on your behalf in ways you could never guess.

I rest in Your faithfulness and my invisible growth. Amen

“You are my refuge and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114

God has been faithful to show me where my hope has been misplaced. 

There were people in my life who claimed to have solutions for things that distressed me. Sometimes they did, but most of the time, they did not. They were unreliable shields.  Misplaced hope.

There were a few who, early in my ministry, did whatever they could to coerce a friendship. They worked to make themselves indispensable, rising to the occasion to provide whatever I was lacking. I let unsafe people close and as their real selves surfaced, I got angry, then depressed. Misplaced hope.

Though lifesaving, God’s lessons are hard to learn. He pushed the idols off my pedestal and exposed them. It took time for my hope in them to grow faint enough to place all my hopes in God. I learned that hope trembles before it becomes a phantom. 

Hope in Yahweh Magen is never misplaced.  In God ~ I have a shield against arrows that would kill my faith. In God ~ I have a defender against all accusations. In God ~ I have a refuge for the storms that loom on the horizon. In God ~ I can take refuge no matter how big the threat.

The roots of my faith are in an un-created God. He is ageless and His names are old and tested. His protective nature is firmly writtenwithin the context of Jewish history. He not only releaved His name to them as their understanding of Him was under development, but He demonstrated it in battle. I can know that this name has stood the test of time.

Oh Lord, you are my unshakeable shield, my hope and my defender. Amen