Author: Christine Wyrtzen

I CAN’T BEAT GOD WITH TIME

The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”   Genesis 25:22-23

   Rebekah is pregnant with twins.  She wouldn’t be the first to feel the angst of a child in her womb.  Much can be revealed there for the bad, but also for the good. One of Rebekah’s children fought with a sibling.  Many years later, Elizabeth’s baby in her womb would erupt for joy when he sensed Jesus in Mary’s womb.  We are naïve to think that we, also, were not affected by life around us while being carried to term.

Rebekah is wise and goes to ask the Lord about this ‘striving’ within her.  God prophesies that this spiritual rub between the children will be historical.  What is small now will involve nations in the future.  One will prevail over the other, one is destined by God to rule.

When God opens His mouth to speak, I can count on the fact that it is already history.  If I don’t like what He has proclaimed, I would be wrong to think that I can set out to change things with great effort.  To say under my breath, “Oh yeah?  Things may be this way now, but just wait!”  How foolish.  Can any man beat God?  Can any think of waging a contest with Him and believe they’ll win?

What God declares has always been true, is true today, and will always be true.  He is unchanging.  This is hard to grasp when I’m surrounded by humans who change their mind all the time.  Most of the things I felt strongly about in my youth, down to my favorite colors, have changed with the years.  But God?  I can’t beat His plans with time and ingenuity.

How did things turn out for the twins?  God’s prophecy prevailed as it always does.  One nation, born from the one God blessed, ruled over the other nation for years to come.  In 2 Samuel, King David (the blessed twin’s line) conquered the Edomites (the 2^nd twin’s line) and they remained under his control for 130 years.  No amount of fighting, whether in the womb, as toddlers, as adolescents, or as grown men, would change what God had decreed to Rebekah on that day.

There are parts of scripture that are easy to like and accept.  But there are others that can cause internal struggle.  Trusting God is a choice when I stumble over one of His ways.  I can think it ought to be different and then set out to prove it, only to reach utter futility.  God’s Word always prevails.

I learned the hard way that I am not exempt from what You have blessed and cursed.  Your Words rule over my life, but rule with power and love.  I’m so glad I stopped fighting.  Amen

Journal Question:  What fight do you need to give up today?  What war with God have you waged and how is that affecting your life, and affecting your heart?  Are you ready to believe that you will see futility ahead and consider repenting of pride and rebellion?  Ask God for the humility to learn from history.

WHEN I CAN’T MAKE IT HAPPEN

Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.  Genesis 25:20-21

         Again, God’s chosen family is visiting the grief of barrenness.  The irony of this is profound.  God gives Abraham a blessing that he will be the father of many nations.  But then he and Sarah can’t conceive; they can’t make anything happen to fulfill the promise.  God has to miraculously provide a child, Isaac, and the same blessing will fall to him.

         Now, we see that Isaac takes a wife and the same blessing is upon his shoulders.  But he and Rebekah can’t make it happen either.  They have to cast their burden upon the LORD for Him to miraculously provide again.

         When deprivation marks my path, I step up and give everything I have to change my circumstances.  I invest all my ingenuity to make something happen.  The best that I can produce is an Ishmael because I use someone outside of God’s will to produce a counterfeit.  It takes a while for me to learn that the promises of God are good only if God produces them.

         You may be living out this ironic plotline.  God has called you to do something, go somewhere, and He opened a door.  You rearranged your life to follow His leading.  Then, all seems dead. Dave Wilkerson calls it ‘the death of a vision.’   Most holy callings visit this temporary place.  They experience the frustration of barrenness and can’t make anything happen.  God promised, they thought, but now nothing is working.

         God is making sure that holy callings stay holy callings.  If I am in a seemingly dead place, the wrong thing to do is force something to happen.  The best thing to do is cast all my hope on God, declare myself bankrupt, and pray for His miracle to come.

I echo King Solomon’s prayer.  ‘I am but a little child and do not know which way to go.’  Infuse my journey with divine sparks.  Amen

Journal Question: Are you lacking the very thing you believe God promised you?  What has been your response to this emptiness?  Have you tried to produce a counterfeit?  Have you accused God and backed away from Him?  If today’s devotional has birthed a change of perspective, how?

SIBLING RIVALRY

         Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah.  Genesis 25:9

         This tiny gem of a verse can be missed.  It’s sitting on the edge of a long genealogical list and normally, it’s the part I’ll want to skip.  This morning, the meaning of the sentence hit me. The two brothers were alienated from each other.  Their estrangement began with fighting and Sarah would have none of it.  She ordered Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother from their household.  Hagar and Ishmael nearly died in their exile in the desert, and would have, if an angel hadn’t rescued them.  Hatred.  Resentment for being banished.  Would not all these run deep in Ishmael’s heart?

         Yet, they come together to honor and bury their father.  In their grieving, they found something in common.  Perhaps they even forgave each other.

         Oh how difficult it was to be siblings in the O.T.  Cain killed Abel.  Jacob and Esau’s rift is legendary.  Joseph’s brothers hated him enough to sell him off to slave traders.  Only Moses and Aaron were a successful pair, leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.

         Are you in unity with your siblings or are there hurts that run deep? A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred Gates of a citadel.  Proverbs 18:19  Family wounds are old, personal, and entrenched.

         Hosea says the same thing.  “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ Hosea 2:1

         Not all family wounds will be healed.  It takes two to reconcile and each must deal with the truth of the offenses.  But it only takes one to forgive.  By forgiving, I poise myself on the line of reconciliation and pray for my brother, or sister, to meet me there in truth and humility.

Nothing is too hard for You, Lord.  Reunite and bind together what is broken.  Loose families of grudges, misinformation, and pride.  Amen

Journal Question: Consider the relationship with the one from whom you are estranged.  Who is likely to make the first move toward truth and forgiveness?  What would it take for you to be willing to be the first?  Cast all your hopes on Jesus in prayer and ask for the faint beginnings of a miracle.

I CAN SEE IT FROM AFAR

These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.  Genesis 25:7-8

         How many parents die before seeing their child become secure financially, or come to Christ and give Him their life, or emerge out of a dark period.  I have personally seen people hang on, though near death, because they need closure with a member of the family.  Can such unrest turn to rest even though answers to prayer are not yet realized?  Oh, yes.  It’s called faith.

         Abraham lived 175 years yet he didn’t see the long-term promises of God fulfilled.  The writer of Hebrews described it. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.  Hebrews 11:13 Abraham didn’t see all his descendants with his physical eyes but he did see it with spiritual eyes.  He could die peacefully, in full assurance of what would come after him.

         Most of us live in the in-between stages of life; in-between praying for something and seeing it fulfilled.  While we wait, how will we wait?  Is there deep frustration with a God who appears to be taking too long to answer or is there joyful expectancy in what God will do?  The undercurrent of the first is unbelief.  The latter is fueled by faith.

         I remember talking to a retired missionary couple, mentors to me, about a wayward son who showed no sign of coming back to the Lord.  They shed many tears in prayer, admittedly.  But when I asked them about the joy that marked their life, even in the midst of their son’s detour from the kingdom, they hugged me and assured me.  “We are joyfully confident of what God will do.”  They both died before their son returned, but soon after they died, he did embrace Christ and has a thriving medical practice blessed by God.  Both his parents saw his future with spiritual eyes.

         God’s waiting room is the place where faith is either cultivated or destroyed.  The enemy is very present there, attempting to tip the balance to unbelief and anger.  How can faith win?  How can I be sure of what is unseen?  Believing in the character of God and the promises He’s made.  Nothing and no one should be able to steal my confidence.

Some of your promises may be fulfilled outside my lifetime.  If I’m not okay with that, show me what I’m missing so I can find peace.  Amen

Journal Question:  What is your greatest unanswered prayer?  Are you despairing or joyfully confident?  If not the latter, what is the block?  Nail it down.  Is it a character of God issue, a refusal to believe that His promises are for you, or something else?  Ask God to show you.

THE POWER OF A CONFIRMATION

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!  Genesis 24:60

               Eleazar enters the family dwelling of Rebekah.  He introduces himself, speaks on behalf of Abraham to recount the story of why he has come.  After hearing everything, her father and brother acknowledge the hand of God and give permission for Rebekah to marry Isaac.  As she prepares to leave, her family bursts forth with this blessing about her offspring.  They could not know it but they were speaking the very words God had spoken over Abraham and all his descendants.

               Have you had this happen to you?  God speaks a word to you.  You second-guess yourself and wonder if you heard correctly.  The price of acting upon it is risky as so much rides on it.  You need to know that the ‘word’ was God-given.

               Then, out of the blue, someone speaks that very word on the day you’ve put it all on the line with God.  It could be in a sermon.  It could come from a cashier in a market or said within the context of saying farewell to an acquaintance.  The same phrase is spoken and though it seems to everyone else that nothing consequential happened, you are ready to collapse in shock and fear of God.

               The heavens opened. God proved His love for you once again.  It, for you, was a burning bush kind of moment.  You can now move ahead without fear.

               Rebekah had no idea as she heard her family’s blessing that it was a duplicate of that made to Abraham.  Only as she married into the family, learned of their exodus from Ur and the many things spoken by God to them, would she understand that her own story was part of the plotline.

               And so it is with steps of obedience.  What God leads me to do today may seem small and isolated but with time, I will come to understand that it is connected to others’ stories.

Someone reading this today is waiting for You to confirm something.  When you do, they will ‘leave Ur’.  Their steps will go in a new direction and they won’t look back.  Speak, Lord – and open their spiritual ears and eyes to detect the miracle.  Amen

Journal Question: Is there anything you feel God told you long ago but with time, you discounted it?  Write out what you believe you heard.  Pick it up out of the cobwebs.  Ask God for confirmation.  This might be the day on heaven’s timetable for heaven to move.  And if God does not confirm, you can finally lay that word to rest and find peace.

THE OPPOSITE OF SELF-CENTERED

“Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah. We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”   Genesis 24:23-27

         For the most part, people are consumed with themselves.  Any passion they feel about life has to do with something that directly affects them or their family.

         I have to fight self-centeredness, don’t you?  It’s part of the default nature I inherited from Adam.  For the most part, I don’t recall getting something I really wanted as a child and willingly offering it to someone else instead.  No, I clutched it to myself and said, “Mine!”  Such is the stuff of sinful human natures.

         What strikes me today about Eleazar is the spontaneous burst of praise that erupts when God confirms that Rebekah is the wife for Isaac.  He is so elated for his master that he stops to worship and exclaim God’s faithfulness.  Quite frankly, I’m struck by the times I’ve made a commitment to someone, fulfilled it, and said, “Whew, that’s done!” I enjoyed crossing it off my list.  What a contrast between Eleazar and me.

         It would be good to consider how many I would make sacrifices for.  How many am I really invested in?  How many outside of my family?  Jesus made the Christian life pretty simple.  He boiled it all down to loving His Father and loving others.  I can hear His specific words in my spirit as I’m writing this.  “No greater love hath any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.”  Eleazar’s whole life revolved around serving Abraham.  It was not done begrudgingly ~ as evidenced by just this part of the story.  With his response before my eyes today, I can see that the ongoing transformation of my heart, until I am glorified with Christ, has to be my priority with God.

Willing to serve You, Lord?  Or eager and happy to serve You?  I’m searching my heart.  Amen

Journal Question:  The first friend each of us is called to give our lives for is Jesus.  Talk to Him about whether or not your heart is engaged with joy, resignation, or obligation.

WATCH FOR THE LITTLE THINGS

Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.  Genesis 24:17-20

         I will tell you that my past is riddled with the fallout of being a bad judge of character.  Though I am by nature an intuitive person – especially about people in pain, I have been naïve about evil.  If someone proclaimed themselves trustworthy, and a Christian, I gave them the benefit of the doubt.  I trusted them beyond a point that was prudent.  This came from lack of instruction in my home.  There was none.  My parents were also naïve, though I came to understand that they had reservations about people they failed to act upon.

         God has been growing me up over the course of my adult life to understand that it’s the little things that give a person away.  And, it’s the little things I can easily discount and excuse that will get me into trouble.

         Eleazer was watching young women carefully, looking for the one with good character and heart.  It was a little gesture from Rebekah that allowed him to discern that she was qualified to be Isaac’s wife.   Though Eleazar only asked her for a drink for himself, she went above his request to offer water to his entire group of camels.  This meant considerable physical labor for her.

         How many have made bad choices in marriage by ignoring the little signs?  If a man (or woman) is guilty of angry outbursts in their twenties, you can be sure that, left unchecked, it will only escalate.  To say, “Oh, he just had a bad day!” is to be naïve.  Everyone has bad days but many show restraint and patience in response.

         In these end times, it is imperative that each one in God’s family asks for wisdom and discernment.  There are many out to deceive and draw the flock away from Jesus.  They look good, even sound good, but it’s the little things that will give them away.  If you’re looking for a pastor, or business partner, or marriage partner, or prayer partner, be careful.  Excusing bad behavior, even in the mundane, will prove disastrous.

I’m surrounded by holy activity that looks good, with words that sound good.  I pray that you will teach me to love as You love, but with Your discernment.  Amen

Journal Question:  When was the last time you were burned because you trusted without wisdom?  Let it be your teacher.  Step back from the hurt and describe the first signs you saw of bad character.  What were the little things that you missed?  Are you repeating bad judgment today or heeding the lessons from your past?

A SIGN OR A DEMAND?

Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’ – let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac.  By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”  Genesis 24:14

         Because of Jesus’ harsh words in the Gospels about asking for a sign, I can wrongly conclude that asking for such a thing is displeasing to God.  But this story is just one passage in the Old Testament that proves God gladly gives signs.  The difference between an acceptable request and an unacceptable request is the reason someone makes it.

         Eleazar was on a mission for his master, Abraham.  Not just any girl would do for a wife for Isaac.  Eleazar knew that her life would be blessed but very difficult.  It would require unusual character and stamina, someone who would go the extra mile and not take shortcuts.  While other young women might offer a stranger a drink and be done with it, there would perhaps be one who would go above what was asked, to extend the invitation to drink to all his weary camels.

         There is a great difference between asking for a sign and making a demand. The latter comes from unbelief.  The undertone smacks of blasphemy.  In a dark period of anger and unbelief, I remember putting God in a corner. “If you love me, You’ll reveal Yourself supernaturally to me in the next 24 hours.”  He didn’t and my anger grew and accusations abounded. Humility goes a long way to bring answers to prayer.

          If signs were evil, then why would God give Jesus as a sign?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Is.7:14   When His people, in the context of relationship, looked longingly for salvation, God gave the best sign of all.  His only Son!

         Perhaps God has spoken to you about your future.  You know that God is a covenant keeping God.  You have been standing in faith, watching for the fulfillment of what He has promised.  But let’s face it, there are discouraging days.  We have an enemy who assaults us on all sides and undermines God’s character. We cry out to God for a sign, for a commemorative event that will strengthen our weakened hearts. God knows the deep weariness that plagues His people in the midst of their obedience.  He is the one who sent angels to minister to Jesus in the wilderness when He was depleted and weary.   He is the Father who rewards faith with signs and answered prayers.

Thank you for the many signs You’ve given, all in good time.  Thank you for not rewarding bratty behavior but waiting to develop in me a true seeking heart.  Amen

Journal Question:  Is there anywhere in your life where You’ve put God to the test.  “If He loves me, He’ll do this!”  Would you be willing to let this go and humbly ask for forgiveness?  This weekend, do a short study on those who asked for signs in scripture and why.

HOW TO HANDLE THE WHAT IF’S

            The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”     Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.  Genesis 23:5-7

            By nature, I have been a fearful person, a chronic worrier.  So was my father.  So was his mother.  I can remember visiting my grandmother often as a kid and seeing her wring her hands with a far off look in her eyes.  Asking the ‘what if’s’ has been a spiritual family trait.  Fighting for faith instead of fear is hard work, especially because each ‘what if’ seems so logical.  If it didn’t seem feasible, worry wouldn’t be present.

            Abraham models how to handle the uncertainties of the future.  He’s about to send Eleazar on a long journey.  He wants him to visit the land of Ur, his home country, to secure a wife for Isaac from the Jewish line.  But Eleazar sees one huge obstacle.  ‘What if’ the potential bride refuses to return with him?  What then?

            Abraham won’t go there.  He won’t even consider it.  His response is that God will go before him and make all things possible.  His trust that God will protect His line of descendants is rock solid.  He had a string of miracles to prove it.

            A close friend of mine is eight years older than I am.  She models this kind of faith well and I’m amazed by it.  I know her life and it isn’t easy at all.  She has been the recipient of grim news many times throughout the time we’ve been friends.  The ‘what if’s’ could have eaten her alive but I’ve never seen it happen.  She’s trusted God, prayed about everything, and to this day, lives in peace.

            No wonder scripture begs us to take every thought captive.  Reign it in.  Don’t feed it.  Not only can I think of many ‘what if’s’ but so can my enemy.  He’s right there to feed the likelihood of dismal outcomes.  But God….ah, there’s the cure.

I can worry about the future as if You won’t be in it.  Not only do You promise to be there, but You are preparing my way there.  Let this slow the beating of my heart.  Amen 

Journal Question:  What is your biggest ‘what if’ today?  Can you put it in God’s hands, knowing He has already taken every step between now and then?  You just might sense him throwing your ‘what if’ into the abyss and calling it irrelevant.