Author: Christine Wyrtzen

GOD’S PRESENCE IN HOSTILE PLACES

The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:2

         Joseph was called a successful man. How can that be? He was in hostile territory with limited influence. He was a slave. He was the victim of his brother’s scheming. He was far from home. He was trying to process an exorbitant amount of pain and yet this emotional challenge did not preclude him from ‘success’. Could the reason be that Joseph sought the Lord in the midst of his confinement?

         It’s difficult to dwell in a place where I don’t belong, a place where freedom is absent. When confined, the default response is to fight and to live in angst. The discomfort of slavery is consuming and all energies are spent trying to figure out how to get out! The thought of making ‘Egypt’ home and working with God for spiritual success is usually the last thing on my mind. Instead of seeing God as an ally, I view Him as an adversary and blame Him for bringing me to a place of internment.

         If anyone had good reason to struggle with God’s sovereignty, it was Joseph. He could have been bitter and turned his back on the faith of his fathers. He could have taken up ranks with the rest of the slaves and become nondescript. But his heart stayed open to God and he cooperated with purposes of God’s design on his life.

         Can I be a Joseph in the place where I’m churning? What would it look like for God to make me successful right here? Can I take all the energies I’m currently spending trying to escape and invest them in Egypt? Would those who oppress me be moved if they saw me joyful in affliction instead of bitter? What if I took my little corner of influence and infused it with the glory of God?

         May it be! As God’s child, I must learn to thrive in captivity. The world is an anti-kingdom. The culture is foreign and I am peculiar. However, everything I touch and my very demeanor can stir up confusion and wonderment. God’s presence begs to affect everything I happen to graze with spiritual success.

May it be said of me, “The Lord was with her and she became a successful woman.”  Amen

Journal Question: Take every question in this devotional and answer it. Ask God to help you discern the barriers to spiritual success and take note of them. Unless they are identified, they can’t be surmounted.

CAN I PRAY FOR YOU?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

         This sounds like the end of Romans.  Paul expresses a beautiful hope and prayer.  It is packed with everything anyone might ever need.  While His prayer moves my heart and I could write about it, the Spirit of God prompted me to pray these scripture over each of you today.  I hope it connects.  I hope it lights the flame of hope in your heart.  I hope you are stronger and resolved at the end of it.  It is a privilege to love and pray for you.

Lord, You can see Your child. She’s reading this and needing You to break through the barriers to her faith.  She’s tired, ready to cave in.  Afraid to hope.  Afraid to feel the pain of waiting for you.  The ability to endure no longer exists. 

She hoped in someone for something she needed and hope was smashed.  She has no joy and no peace in believing that You are true to Your promises.  She has not felt the power of the Holy Spirit in a long time.

First, I ask that You deliver her from evil.  Send Your angels to wherever she is right now and fight against what she cannot see.  Defeat her enemies and put a blood covering over her.  Restrict all enemies from speaking to her and moving against her.  In the authority of Christ Jesus, I cancel their plans to lie, steal, kill and destroy her faith.

I bind her mind to Yours.  Be large in her, Holy Spirit.  Every prayer that has been spoken over her, bring to full budding and blossom.  Every scripture that she has planted in her heart, bring out of the deep and put it within her heart’s grasp.  As she opens Your Word today, remove the veil from her eyes to see the power of Your love, the power of Your authority, and the power of Your hand to be the source of all that she needs.  Bring such powerful revelation as she reads that a journal page cannot contain her insights. 

Through Your Word, and through the God-moments that You will ordain today for her, grow her faith and her hope.  Transform the flickering flame of her faith into a blaze of glory.  Infuse her heart with fresh faith and the ability to stand in the cement of Your love and believe You!  You are not distant.  You are not passive.  You are a God of intervention and no one who has ever trusted in You has ever been put to shame.

Break through the fog.  Reveal Yourself to her so that she may see Your glory and live.  The kingdom is here now and near her. 

Seal this by the power of the Spirit and it is by the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of the world, and King of Kings, that I pray these things.  Amen

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him.  And the LORD shut him in.  Genesis 7:16

         Many children today flee their parents’ arguments by running to their room to shut the door.  The door separates an atmosphere of turmoil from a place of refuge.

         Doors have had similar significance in scripture.  A door has been used by God to separate the righteous from the unrighteous, good from evil, peril from safety.

         God shut the door to the ark, separating Noah and his family from the unbelieving world who would face judgment.  Noah didn’t have to sort it out and decide who would have the door shut in their face. God could see the hearts of men and made the righteous judgments.

         A door provided safety for Lot too, his family, and the two angels who visited him.  A gang of men pounded on the door to his home, demanding that he release his two visitors for their sexual pleasure.  They took refuge behind the closed-door of Lot’s home.

         In the days of Moses, the doorpost of Hebrew homes became the dividing point between death and life.  While the angel of the Lord came to slay the first male child of every Egyptian household, the Hebrew children were saved when they applied blood to the doorposts of their homes.

         Jesus said, “I am the door.”  John 10:7 He is the only way a man or woman passes from death to life, from eternal judgment to eternal rest in God’s presence.  The majority of mankind rises up to contradict Jesus’ claim.  They swear that there are many ways to God but in the end, God is the One who will decide who enters and who is denied access.  Jesus is the door to the ark of safety and all who enter by Him will be saved.

         Noah and his family, most likely, heard the heart wrenching drama outside the ark.  For seven days it began to rain.  Those who had ridiculed the building of a strange wooden structure realized too late the dire consequences of their decision.  The price for rejecting Jesus, the ark of safety, is still as dire today.  Those who ridicule experience a false sense of security, as the judgment of God has not yet been released.  Our world enjoys ‘life as usual’ just as those in Noah’s day did for 120 years.  If only all men and women could learn from history.  I must pray hard for those close to me, those who are still blind, that God would open their eyes to the high stakes game they play.

Jesus, You are still saying, ‘Come!’  Let my words to them be filled with urgency.  Time is short.  Amen

A FATHER AND CONSEQUENCES

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.  Romans 1:24a

            When we see our children make bad choices, we usually want to rush in and prevent them from experiencing the consequences.  What we try to protect them from might have saved them.  Instead of facing the consequences, they grew to feel entitled to our interventions.  They continued to sin recklessly.  Continue reading “A Father And Consequences” →

DOES GOD HAVE A HEART FOR YOUR FAMILY?

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.  For we are about to destroy this place.”  Genesis 19:12

         The members of Lot’s family don’t appear to have a deep and abiding relationship with God.  Yet, when it’s time for God’s judgment to come upon Sodom, the angels ask Lot to gather all members of his family for salvation.  God is invested in families because of the spiritual life of one member.  If your heart is heavy over certain ones of your family, you’re not the only one who cares.  God does.  Why?

1. He loves you.  He cares about who you love.  He sees every tear you have cried over a son or daughter.  He feels the stress you feel over the fractures in your marriage.  When your heart aches, His heart aches.   You feel alone when you bear the burden of carrying your family in prayer?  You are not shouldering this by yourself.  Jesus rose again and lives to intercede for each of you. You often despair and think you are the only one praying?  You’re not. Jesus is!
2.   God made families and He is invested in what He creates.  Families didn’t come out of nowhere.  God made Adam, then Eve, and invented the marital relationship.  Children were born because God made a way for families to be born.  The first outcry that reached heaven’s ears came when the first two brothers fought and one killed the other.  So broken was the heart of God!

         Every single one of us thinks about eternity and it is a wonderfully bittersweet experience.  Ah, heaven and being with Jesus.  Finally!  But then comes the piercing thought of family who might not join us there.  God knows.  Just as He told Lot to go gather each member of his family, giving them the opportunity to hear of impending doom and to make the choice to leave the city, He will hear our prayers about those we love.  He is giving each one (though we may not know about it) many opportunities to be aware of Him and His Son, Jesus.  Every seed we have planted is not dormant.  It is active – stirred by the Spirit in their consciences and in their memories.

You invite me to bring my burdens to You and leave them.  Jesus, I will bring each person in my family, place them in Your lap, and pray while You work!  Thank you.  Amen

GOD PUT AN EVIL MAN TO DEATH

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Genesis 38:6-7

         This is an example of how God deals with evil. It is but one example. He put a wicked man to death to spare Tamar and their descendants from whatever evil Er would have committed.

         Here’s the question that comes next ~ Why does God annihilate the wicked in this particular story but not others? This is why some say they can’t trust God. His inconsistency is a stumbling block.

         No one has a definitive word on the purposes of God except God Himself. However, scripture gives a small window on why evil is allowed to exist. It is an invitation to showcase the power and glory of God.

         I have been close to evil. Our family suffered over the course of a few decades because of our proximity to it. We initially called it senseless. I sunk into a deep depression.  It appeared it had no value whatsoever except destruction. But God kept speaking, kept wooing, kept inviting each of us to bring Him the pain we suffered. He gave us the grace the work through it emotionally. He also invited us not to live in the middle of the story. He showed us promise after promise that He was a Redeemer of suffering. While the story is far from over, the redemption of what was perpetrated against us has been overwhelming. On center stage is God, Himself. His power is unmistakable; His glory on full display.

         Does this seem hollow? If you have suffered, or are suffering from the aftermath of something evil, you may be in the senseless stage. Your cries have been audible. “Why didn’t God stop it?”

         For every evil committed, there is a redemption. For every devastation, there is a promise. The reason so many are angry with God is because they haven’t yet seen the redemption He offers. When He reveals Himself to the brokenhearted believer and begins to personalize a redemptive story to match their tragedy, His power and glory are blinding. Don’t get stuck in the middle of your story. If the cross can be called the ‘cross of glory’, any kind of evil is a candidate for resurrection power.

Walk into the darkness with those today who think You are absent. Amen

A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW

Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.  Genesis 37:36

Do I ever consider what will happen to my family a hundred years from now?  If I’m wise, I will remember the story of Isaac and Ishmael.  Why bring up them in the story of Joseph?  Because the Midianites is an overlapping term for Ishmaelites, the descendants of Ishmael.

What is really happening here is this ~ Joseph was sold to blood relatives.  If ancestry.com had existed, and if everyone involved had done a genealogy study, they would have discovered that they were related.  Did the slave traders know that they purchased their own flesh and blood?  No way.

Ishmael was once the favored son of Abraham; a firstborn and an heir.  But through no fault of his own, he found himself in disfavor once Isaac was born.  He and his mother, Hagar, were turned away to an unforgiving desert existence.  God did not forget them and they not only were spared, but went on to prosper.  Ishmael had 12 sons and they populated much of the Middle East.

Who did God use to get Joseph to Egypt?  Ishmael’s descendants.  In God’s grand redemptive narrative, there are unexpected twists and turns that are really quite stunning.  Even though family plots are complicated, God’s purposes are never thwarted.  As badly as we can mess things up, God is never stumped in how to save, how to redeem, and how to accomplish what was written before time.

Joseph couldn’t appreciate what his slavery meant.  Neither can we.  But consider how rich his worship was at the end of his life.  As he looked back, he could see the threads of God’s glory throughout his own storyline.  Amazed, his view of God had to be enlarged beyond comprehension.

Can I trust God enough today with the seeming dead ends, tragedies, and unresolved conflicts in my own life?  I cannot even begin to imagine how He will work with the dark threads of my own story to bring about another Joseph-kind of narrative worth reading.

On the way to Egypt, Joseph lay in the back of a caravan.  He was bound, dirty, nameless, and despairing.  Later, he was crowned royalty, given a new name to match his level of leadership, and went on to save his entire nation from extinction.  Oh, the difference of a few decades.

What often casts me into unbelief is downright ludicrous.  Bind me to the miracles of my spiritual ancestors.  Amen

“CAN’T YOU HEAR YOUR BROTHER CRYING?”

And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. Genesis 37:25-25a

               A group of grown men seized their own flesh and blood brother, stripped him, threw him into a pit, and then commenced to sit down and eat a meal. They were immune to the despair they inflicted. It’s unconscionable, or is it?

              Consider how callousness starts. Brothers and sisters, even very young, reach out to hit their sibling and discover a surprising sense of glee when they realize they can make them cry. Good parents come and try to instill empathy. “What you did hurt your sister. Tell her you’re sorry!” And yet, the apology is hard to muster. Cruelty is in our fallen nature.

               How will I develop keen sensitivity to others’ pain? How will I feel another’s sadness when I see pools of tears in their eyes? How will I feel enough remorse when my need for revenge caused me to injure someone beyond human repair? How will I come to regret an angry outburst against my child when I hear him whimpering in his room? Without God, callouses of my heart grow thicker with the years. I can hear weeping and still walk away unmoved.

               But with God, I am affected and changed by His Spirit that lives inside. When I see someone’s pain, His compassion rises up and challenges me to express it. When I wound another with my angry words, His Spirit convicts me and opens my eyes to see the damage. In this life, I will continue to sin but when I do, I will feel how God feels about it and try to quickly make things right.

               As I’m writing this, I’m suddenly aware that I can be callous to God’s tears. Does knowing that I will hurt Him cause me to sin less? Or do I avoid sin because I hate the consequences? That should be a side issue. What should deter me is knowing that my sin hurts my relationship with Jesus.

               So, how difficult is it to apologize to Jesus when I’ve hurt Him? Excusing or rationalizing my behavior creates spiritual callouses. The cure is to spend time in the presence of God. Being near Him will sharpen my recognition of good and evil and give me the tender, teachable spirit of a toddler. Spiritual regeneration is when God turns back the clock to transform the person with a hardened heart of stone into a person with childlike sensitivities. At rebirth, I am putty in His hands as He begins to awaken my heart to beat like His.

Keep nudging me, Jesus. Keep asking, “Do you see it? Do You feel it?” Make me more aware of what moves you. Amen

WHO DOES SUCH THINGS?!

         Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Genesis 37:26-27

         Older brothers sell their younger brother into slavery for money. The thought is repelling. I’m naïve to believe that only ancient cultures are this brutal.

         Several years ago, when a poor family in Cambodia accepted money from loan sharks, they believed they had only one way to pay what was demanded. They took their 12-year-old daughter, Kieu, to a local hospital. Doctors issued her a ‘certificate of virginity’. Her parents then delivered her to a hotel, where a man raped her for two days. Kieu fled her home many years later to find a safe house.

         “That’s in Cambodia!” many say. Consider Atlanta. Atlanta’s illegal sex trade has grown to 290 million dollars. Some of these children were kidnapped but some were sold to sex traffickers by family members.

         How hard does a heart have to be a sell a child? This kind of hardheartedness is not the momentary kind. The conscience of a family member who does such a thing died a slow death years ago. Child victims like Joseph all say the same thing. The worst pain is not the pain inflicted by strangers. It is the searing agony they experience because their family betrayed them.

         For over two decades, Joseph will have to try to process his brothers’ cruelty. They turned him over to strangers who carted him away as a slave. Never could he have conceived such a plot as he played on the plains of Hebron by day and slept under his father’s favor by night.

         Many will live and die and never experience such betrayal. But for those who do, pursuing God will have rewards the likes most in the church will never experience. To the degree any of us have been hurt, God gives the same capacity to know Him and experience Him. This is redemption. He is the Redeemer.

Man does the unthinkable and I shudder. You did the unthinkable by sending Your Son to die. I tremble in awe. You are my treasure of the darkness. Amen

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE IN HEAVEN

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. Genesis 37:23

         Joseph was stripped of his royal kind of robe. Jesus was stripped of his robe, too. The momentary humiliation didn’t change the destiny or the spiritual identity of either. Jesus stayed in touch with that but I suspect that Joseph did not. History would prove that the brother’s destruction of the robe of many colors and treating their brother like a criminal would do nothing to stop Joseph’s ascension to a royal position in Egypt. Their sin against him only propelled it.

         Jesus was God’s Son whether anyone acknowledged it or not. If the accusation flew that he was only the illegitimate son of Mary, Jesus was still God. When the crowd publicly humiliated him by accusing him of demonic possession, Jesus was still God. When His family eventually turned on Him and believed Him to be mentally unstable, Jesus was still God. When He hung on a Roman cross and died the most degrading death in existence, His spiritual status did not change. Jesus was still God.

         If ever there were a world in which I needed to settle my spiritual identity, it’s this one. It is growing more and more unfriendly to the name of Jesus Christ and anyone who is associated with Him will experience discrimination. If a barb from a parent can lay me low for four decades, how will I survive if a community ostracizes me? If unfair criticism from a local spiritual leader sends me into hiding, how will I sustain the intentional diatribe of non-Christians who are looking for things to mis-represent?

         No ill-treatment in this world can change my status in heaven. Heaven is what counts; it is eternal. Earth should be discounted; it will pass away. Though I am hated here, not one ill feeling comes from the Father who calls me His. While earth bestows the basest kind of shame, God bestows the heavenliest kind of honor.

         The only way to stay in touch with these beautiful realities is to read a Word that is eternal, not temporary. Whatever it says, I can stake on it being true forever and ever. Today, I may be Joseph in a pit. Tomorrow, I will be reigning with Christ.

Every time Jesus was crushed, He looked up until He felt Your favor. I lock my eyes on You. Amen