Author: Christine Wyrtzen

AN ALLY FOR YOUR FAMILY

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”  Genesis 24:1-4

            Who near you is a spiritual ally for the spiritual life of your family?  Who loves them because you love them?  Who will invest for their future with sacrificial acts on your behalf?  I think of how many deathbed requests have been made.  “Please take care of my son, or wife, in my absence.”  Even Jesus, near death on the cross, couldn’t stop thinking about his mother and asked John to treat her as his mother.  For the rest of Mary’s life, she was in John’s household.

            With Sarah gone, Abraham knew he was at the end of his life.  He believed God for the promise of future generations to the point of great sacrifice.  As long as he was alive, he could stay in charge and inspire fidelity and obedience.  With himself out of the picture however, the line and promises of God were vulnerable.  Isaac was near the Canaanites and the chance of marrying one of their women was high. How many families have taken a bad spiritual detour because of a bad marriage!

            There was one nearby to whom Abraham could entrust his heart and his passion.  Eleazar, the long time steward of his household, had traveled with Abraham and Sarah through most of their journey.  What a comfort for this old father to know that Eleazar would accept the challenge and responsibility for Isaac’s future.

            Some have large families and know the benefits of having many blood relatives who will nurture the spiritual life of their children.  Others have little family and, as God intended, nurture the relationships of spiritual family.  With a chosen few, they enjoy a bond like that of Abraham and Eleazar.  How many mentors have raised others children and kept them true to the future God had for them.  The promise Eleazar made would mean a long faith journey to find Isaac’s wife.  Love for God and love for Abraham fueled his journey.

Help me nurture right relationships beyond my own life.  Amen

Journal Question:  Ask God if there is someone’s child you can affect this year for the kingdom.  Right now, a parent might be despairing for their son or daughter’s future and you are the answer to their prayer.

THE PROOF OF MY BELIEF

“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”  Genesis 23:4

         God makes some pretty outrageous promises.  The life of faith is marked by unbelievable proclamations of favor.  It’s easy for me to doubt most of what God says to me even though I say I believe Him.

         God called Abraham away from his home, called him to embark on a life of travel to a promised piece of land that He would give Him.  He left everything.  Abraham proved his belief in God’s promise by waiting to make his first purchase of land in the territory of the Promised Land.  He bought a place for Sarah’s burial and paid an exorbitant amount for it.

         God will call me to take a huge step of faith some time during my lifetime.  The call is ludicrous, insensible, and therefore frightening.  Few will understand my decision to follow God’s voice and in the midst of my own faith struggle, I will suffer disapproval and rejection from those whose opinion matters to me.  Unrest begins to erode my confidence and I think of taking shortcuts. Yes, I start out on my journey but along the way, I buy pieces of land and call them home.  I do this ‘just in case’ God doesn’t come through.

         Any backup plan I’ve made infers that I can’t really trust God’s promises. I may as well say to Him, “Ok, I admit it.  I’m taking care of myself because I don’t really believe You’ll come through for me!”  As a Father who has given me everything, does this not wound our relationship?  Imagine if you said this to a friend, a husband or wife, or to anyone who has loved you well.

         So, what would it mean if I said to God, “I really do believe You ~ and to prove it, I’ll do _____________(this).”  

What if You asked me for proof of my belief?  Is that not what an act of faith is?  Show me how to invest in the Promised Land.  Amen

Journal Question:  Have an honest conversation with God about the status of your faith in Him.  He already knows but only when you speak it, will there be the chance for Him to speak into your heart.

WHAT HER LIFE TEACHES ME

Sarah lived 127 years; And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.  Genesis 23:1-2

         It is only right and fair to remember Sarah’s life today.  She lived 127 years and survived many hardships.  Her struggles were public as many of her triumphs and failures were captured for all of us to read.  After all is said and done, she was named as an example of trust in Yahweh.  Isaiah 51:2  She is mentioned as one whose faith counted as righteousness.  Romans 4:19  She did a lot wrong but, oh, she did a lot right.  What can I learn from her?

         She persevered.  Abraham loved her but was anything but a perfect husband.  She was used to trick two kings into believing that she was a sibling, not a wife.  As a pawn on account of her beauty, she was taken as part of the kings’ harem.  When Abraham failed to protect her, God stepped in to guard her chastity.  In spite of this betrayal in her marriage, she appeared to stay emotionally engaged and teachable in Abraham’s company.

         She grew in her faith until her death.  Refusing to coast, she ultimately believed God for the birth of the promised child, Isaac, at age 90.  In her old age, God renamed her for her faith.  When I wonder if God forgets the aged, I remember her story.  God can, and will, do a new thing regardless of whether or not I’ve passed the ‘prime of life.’  Age is irrelevant in the kingdom.

         She was not perfect.  She gave her slave girl to be a concubine to Abraham.  Sarah was desperate and caved into doubt instead of faith.  In spite of this and the catastrophic outcome of the birth of Ishmael, their marriage lasted and Abraham mourned her death.  Forgiveness, not bitterness, won in their marital relationship.

         I’m halfway to Sarah’s age.  I often fight the urge to coast instead of engage.  I’m aware today that there is so much life to live yet.  God’s greatest work in me is ahead of me, not behind me.  On a good day, I don’t struggle with joy and purpose.  On a bad day, I must, and will, fight for my faith.

I will not be crippled in any way by my failures, Father.  They are teachers, not catalysts for defeat.  I stay engaged today, fully alive unto You.  Amen

Journal Question: You’ve heard the phrase ‘the living dead’.  Is there any part of you who died because of some failure of tragedy?  Would you be open to God resurrecting you, every part of you, to the abundant life He promised?  Talk to Him about it.

MARK IT AND CALL IT HOLY

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns.  So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”.  Genesis 22:13-14

         I can be an ungrateful person.  I can cry out to the Lord when in a difficult place, ask for a way of escape, and when God miraculously provides, just walk away in relief and wonder if it was a coincidence.  One thing I’m sure didn’t happen in this story of Abraham and Isaac.  When the lamb appeared in the thicket, Abraham knew who provided it.  He drove a stake in the ground spiritually and called God, “Yahweh”, meaning ‘the Lord will provide.’  He never even thought of the word coincidence.

         Part of the reason I have failed to recognize God’s miraculous interventions in my life has been because I thought Him to be stingy.  When things worked out, I couldn’t bring myself to admit that He did it.  My experience with some caregivers turning a blind eye to my emotional needs tainted my view of a God who says He loves and He cares.

         I want to be grateful, not just for the big things, but the little things.  For all of God’s answers to prayer, I don’t want to say, “Whew!”, and just walk away.  I want to mark the spot, note His provision, declare Him my Yahweh, and praise Him for His faithfulness.

         To this day, Abraham’s declaration of ‘Yahweh’ remains.  The Jewish people continued to commemorate that event on the mountain each time they made sacrifices in the temple.  One man’s expression of overwhelming gratitude touched generations after him.  His passion continues to spread like wildfire in my spirit.

For all You did in 2013, thank you.  You were so faithful to me.  It was a holy year and I remember each place where you were Yahweh.  Amen

Journal Question:  Does your family consider God to be a God who provides?  What one or two stories can you tell them from your own experience that they’ll always remember?

THE EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE OF A NEW YEAR

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, 
and their faces shall never be ashamed.  Psalm 34:4-5 

         I’ve been praying about what to write at the beginning of this brand new year. Yesterday, God gave it to me in a beautiful moment of breakthrough with our new golden retriever named Mollie.

         Last summer, our 13-year-old family dog went into kidney failure and had to be put down.  It was an awful day as it is for anyone who makes their pet a part of the family.  A month later, I decided to surprise my husband with a new golden retriever.  Because we are ‘rescue people’, I went straight to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta.  After a 6-week process, and after much prayer that God would bring us the dog of His choice, Mollie became ours.  As with any rescue dog, she came with a story and with some fears to overcome.

         The day we picked her up and drove home, I stroked her face and said to her, “You’ve just had your last bad day!”  From that moment on, she’s been loved well.  She’s my companion and spends the day with me in my office.  As with all our pets, I’ve come to make up little love songs for her; short songs like jingles on TV.  I sing them to her a dozen times a day.

         How long has it taken her to relax in this atmosphere of love?  Quite a while.  The love is safe but she doesn’t fully know it yet.  Just yesterday, there was a breakthrough moment.  Continue reading “The Emotional Landscape of a New Year” →

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND WORKS

Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  Genesis 22:10-12

         Here’s the stuff of Christian maturity.  First, I am justified by faith.  But then, I am to be justified by works as well.  I am to walk to my Mt. Moriah in obedience to whatever God asks of me.  To say I have faith, but then not have the courage to walk it out, cheapens, if not nullifies, my words.

         God asked Abraham for one of the hardest things anyone has ever done to obey God.  Though I’m sure there was inner anguish, there is no account that he argued with God or postponed his obedience.  God spoke, Abraham acted. He trusted God that there would be a redemptive ending.  He believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead.  For us, that may be a stretch but nothing like it was for Abraham.  To date, there had never been a resurrection from the dead.  Abraham stretched his faith to include something for which there had been no precedent.

         I am not saved by works, but by faith.  I know that.  But faith without works is a tragedy.  When God calls me to do something difficult but my faith falters and I run away from my ‘Ninevah’, the purpose for which I was created falls apart. I miss out on the exhilarating provision of a lamb and those around me miss out on the story God wanted to write through my obedience.  If Satan can’t take away my eternal destiny, he’ll do the next best thing ~ convince me that I can’t trust God.  His rhetoric will posture God as unreasonable and reckless with my life.

         “Was not Abraham justified by works when he offered up his son, Isaac, on the altar?”  James 2:21  Indeed.  From that moment on, the world has re-told the story.  As much as it is recounted, we still can’t grasp the breadth of his faith.  It is a God-story and defies the inclination of every Christian to play it safe.

Show me how others view me and the many words I offer about You and the life of faith.  Do they take them seriously?  And do You, Lord?  Amen

Journal Question:  Is there something God has called you to do and you’ve put it aside for a time?  What has been the effect on others?  What has been the effect on you and your walk with God?

THE MOMENT THAT HANGS IN THE BALANCE

And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  Genesis 22:7

         Perhaps you’ve gotten a phone call, or several, that started with… “I’m sorry but I’m afraid I have some bad news to tell you.”  You had a physical visceral reaction and your mind was scrambling to prepare for what was coming.

         I remember calling my parents from the Pittsburgh airport to find out the results of my mother’s recent sonogram.  I was thirty at the time.  My sister, Nancy, was kind and soft.  Asked me how my trip was going.  But I knew in my spirit she was giving me time to prepare for the bad news she had to deliver.  My mother had inoperable cancer with a short time to live.  I will never forget that day nor how I felt.

         Can you feel this pivotal moment between Isaac and Abraham?  Isaac knows there’s going to be a sacrifice.  The wood is ready.  But there is no visible sign of a lamb.  Did he even think it possible that he might be the sacrifice?  From the look on his father’s face, mostly likely he knew something cataclysmic was at stake.

         These kinds of pivotal moments are terrifying.  No amount of personal power and self-sufficiency can prepare me to feel like life is under my control.  It isn’t.  My gut knows it and that’s why I grasping for anyone to tell me this is a bad dream and I’ll wake up.  At that moment, I’m a child.

         God knows.  At conversion, God became my new Father.  He offered me a relationship where He would become my personal, sovereign, all-powerful Parent.  I was invited to live as a daughter, a much loved daughter, one who could feel safe to need Him for every breath.  To live childlike with Him, even on good days, especially on good days, is to secure a posture that prepares me for awful moments when I will cry out, “Abba, Daddy!”  It won’t feel awkward on my tongue.  In fact, it will be instinctive when I run home to Him for strength.

         The world says, ‘Maturity is becoming more independent.’  God says, ‘Maturity is becoming more childlike.’  For any of us who feel like our lives hang in the balance, it is an illusion.  Our Father holds us securely.  I need to run home, recall His reassuring words, so that I can feel what ‘is’.  Life may seem like it is unraveling but God holds the threads.

Every day of my life is planned, not only the events but the provisions.  I need nothing more than I need You, Lord.  Amen

Journal Question:  Has there ever been a moment where you felt God didn’t care about you?  Is that moment resolved in your heart?  If not, it will become a spiritual cancer that metastasizes that next time you face a crisis.  Work this past experience out with God in prayer.  Ask Him to show You the truth about it.

TRUSTING GOD WITH MY CHILD

         And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.  Genesis 22:6

         We can watch our children suffer from many causes.  They may get sick just because we live in a fallen world.  They may groan under the consequences of their own choices.  But additionally, if they have heard the call of God on their lives, we will see their faith tested.  Perhaps we’ve walked a similar road and we know how crushing this testing can be.  There will be moments when we cry out, “Lord, it’s all I can do to trust You with my child.  Please strengthen my faith!”

         As I watch my child come to the end of their resources as Jesus did in the desert of His testing, I will do about anything to end their torment.  But the worst part of divine shaping is not the physical pain but spiritual anguish.  To see childlike faith crack into pieces rocks a parent’s heart.  I stay on my knees and ask God to preserve my child’s confidence in His love and promises. 

Continue reading “Trusting God With My Child” →

HOW FAITH TALKS

         On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”  Genesis 22:5-6

         I must know my God well to have the kind of faith necessary in times of testing.  There was at least one thing Abraham knew going into this experience.  His God was against human sacrifice.  That’s a critical piece to this story.  God had no intention of allowing Abraham to go through with this sacrifice of Isaac.  Did Abraham know that?  Down deep, I believe he did.  What he spoke to his young servants confirms it.

         In Hebrew, the language is much stronger than in English.  Here is what he told the servants.  “We are determined to go, we are determined to worship, we are determined to return.”  Abraham predicted the return of, not only himself, but his son as well.

         This is how faith talks.  I know my God.  I know what He has promised to do.  I see my circumstances with eyes of faith and predict an outcome as if it’s already happened.  But most of the time, the language of my prayers doesn’t match the language of my everyday conversations.  I am a dual fountain.

Continue reading “How Faith Talks” →

TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.  And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  Genesis 22:3

         I am a worrier.  I admit it.  I obsess over things from every angle, especially in the night, and work myself up into a crisis.  So when God is clearly leading me down a path of pain, a path of difficult obedience, my history has been this ~ I have tried to take in the whole journey and everything I will experience along the way, and then I end up declaring that it’s all too much.  I can’t do it.  It’s overwhelming.  Such were the laments of a woman who needed wisdom.

         Abraham knew the ultimate test that awaited him at the top of Mt. Moriah.  Isaac would be sacrificed.  There were many steps before placing his son on the altar, beginning with making preparations for the trip.  He took the first step by saddling his donkey, getting his team together for the trip, cutting the wood, and saying goodbye to Sarah.

         God gives daily manna.  Not enough for the week or the month.  I can’t collect enough wisdom and grace to last the breadth of a journey; only what I need today.  For today’s challenges, the wind of the Spirit will blow across my path and strengthen me.  I will find coping resources outside of myself as God faithfully infuses me with the faith of His Son, Jesus.

         What has God told you to do?  Like Jonah, are you running because you are considering the breadth of your entire faith pilgrimage?  Dear daughter of God, it is too much.  You cannot carry the load of all your tomorrows. Take the first step.  What is it?  Then, harness your mind against thoughts of the future.  This is the recipe for the way of the cross.

Oh Lord, I breathe deeply of You.  I’m packing my bags for the journey. Amen

Journal Question:  Imagine this.  Your child tells you on the first day of school that he can’t handle the final exams next June.  He’s having nightmares about them and wants to quit school.  Write out what your advice would be.  Can you hear God speaking to you about your own faith journey?