LAUGHTER IN A MOMENT OF DISBELIEF

         I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”    Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed.  Genesis 17:16-17

         I’m one of God’s children who is not so unlike others in His family.  I have had incredible prayers answered.  Some were so desperate that when He broke through with deliverance, I fell to my knees and cried out, not with tears, but with laughter.  I’m pretty reserved so anyone who knows me is sitting wide-eyed right about now.

         Laughter has gotten a bad rap.  It does not always mean derision or unbelief as many might tell you.  For me, my outburst of laughter came with words in staccato.  “Oh Lord, you did it!  Thank you.  This is too good to be true.”  I hugged Him in the air and danced, literally.  If He hadn’t delivered, I would be stooped and old for my age today.  My only hope was in Him.  I was out of options.

         How can we say what kind of laughter Abraham had when God announced the coming birth of a child in his old age?  Maybe it was of the praising kind.  Perhaps it celebrated a God so good, so faithful, that laughter expressed celebration.

         Now, I know that the real test is not laughter that celebrates after a miracle but one that expresses faith before it happens.  “Lord, I’m celebrating Your power.  I know You can do this.  I celebrate Your goodness even though I don’t see it yet.”  I’ve had a few of those too but not half as many as I would like to tell you I’ve had.  My faith has been so weak at times.  What did I do instead?  The opposite of laughing.  Merriam Webster’s Dictionary spells them out in quite a long list; crying, moaning, sobbing, wailing, frowning, pouting, and scowling.  Not that there shouldn’t be tears in God’s waiting room.  There should.  But there should always be the presence of joyful confidence in a God who can, and will, break through the dark clouds.

Today is a day to remember.  I celebrate You with a joyous spirit.  Amen

PRINCESS TO PRINCESS

And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.  Genesis 17:15

         Sarai means princess.  So does Sarah.  She was once of nobility among her people, her father’s princess.  Once God spoke her name, changed it slightly, she was named as one who would share in the covenant God made with Abraham.  She would be God’s princess.  The name change might seem insignificant, but it was a sign that she would be foundational in the new thing God was doing with their future.

         When I was born, my parents gave me a name.  How I felt about it depended on how others said it.  Did they use it to call me with joy?  Did they ever say it tenderly as I went to sleep?  Did they tweak it and morph it into an endearing nickname?  If none of the above was true, I’ll probably not only despise my name but also myself.

         Something happens though when God calls my name. The very voice of Love gives it a unique sound in my spirit.  There is no way God can touch anything without the properties of it changing.

         Satan would love to use a common thing like a name to inspire self-hatred.  He goads others to ridicule.  He knows that with enough negative input, I’ll associate my name with painful memories.

         God can, and wants to, heal the meaning of my name.  It shouldn’t be hard.  I have His Spirit living inside.  If I just be still and ask Him to speak my name, won’t He do it?  He is a wooing God.

You are personal and eager to do things I’ve never even thought of asking.  Expand the possibilities.  Amen

THE MARK AND WHO CAN SEE IT

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.  Genesis 17:10

            What a covenant God made with Abraham!  God intended to give him and all his descendants a physical sign that they were His chosen people.  Circumcision, a surgical procedure, was performed on male children at eight days old.  It was a ‘seal of righteousness’ that all humankind could see.

            Today, I am also marked with a seal, but not with a physical mark.  The ‘seal of righteousness’ upon me is spiritual and can only be seen with spiritual eyes.  The Holy Spirit is my seal.  Just as every human being could see evidence of a circumcision, so every spiritual being can see evidence of the Holy Spirit who marks me.  Angels see Him.  Demons see Him.

            The sign of God’s blessing and covenant upon Israel made them plenty of enemies.  Even to this day.  The sign of God’s blessing upon me, the indwelling of the Spirit, also earns me plenty of spiritual enemies.  When Satan sees me, he sees the presence of God.  His hatred cannot be underestimated but neither can God’s favor for His child.

            When I look at myself in the mirror, am I consumed with disgust and a measure of self-hatred?  How tragic.  The spirit world sees Jesus when they see me.  I vow to do a better job at remembering that I am a mortal shell that houses divinity.

Those who hate me – hated you first.  Help me treat respectfully what you love, starting with myself.  Amen 

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.  Psalm 144:1

Trains ~ Perceives by sight or some other sense.  Distinguishes and discriminates.

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PRAYER:  Teach me how to fight my enemy like You did, Jesus.  He comes at me like he came at you; quoting scripture, presenting spiritual arguments in such a persuasive way that it’s hard to discern if what I’m hearing is a God-breathed idea.  But You knew the difference when You were in the desert and You will train me to develop my spiritual senses, too.

Many decisions lay in front of me.  How do I know Your plans for me?  My enemy mimics Your voice and wants to lead me to do something spiritual at the wrong time.  The consequences are too great if I am a novice.

He told You to turn stones to bread when You were hungry.  It wasn’t an evil idea Lord, because You did it later with the loaves and fishes.  The miracle in the desert would have just been premature but how did You know?   Was it because He promised You a way out of pain before it was time?

Today, I am asking You to teach me, train me, make me sharp and discerning.  You promised You would when You sent Your Spirit to live inside Your children.  “He will become your teacher and guide,” You said.   How I need You.  Satan would have me move when I should be still, speak when I should hold my tongue, overextend myself when I should simplify, feel guilty when I should celebrate Your forgiveness, and even bring an end to something holy when it’s nearly time for advancement.

Speak Your Word into my spirit.  Speak loudly and clearly.  You promised that Your sheep would know Your voice.  So, let me know without a doubt that it’s You and not him.  Or, let me know that it’s him and not You.  Give me the precise Word to speak to overcome the voice of the tempter and liar.  Make me skilled and seasoned with the Sword for a battle that I cannot see.  All for Your honor and glory.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

HOW I AM DEFINED

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.  Genesis 17:5

            Anyone who names me has a position of authority over me.  My name can be a  source of joy or source of pain, depending on the relationship I have with the name-giver.  I am always struck by how deeply some people hate their names.  It goes beyond wincing at the sound of it.  Oftentimes, a person was named after a relative they didn’t care for.  For years they struggled with it, only to adopt some nickname to avoid using their real name.

            Abram’s name, given at birth, means ‘my father is great’.  It speaks of his prestigious ancestry.  His name was all about the family he came from.  When God called him for spiritual greatness, he gave him a new name.  Abraham means ‘father of many nations.’  The focus shifted from his past to his future.

            When someone is given a new name in scripture, they are receiving a new status, calling, or change in character.   The timid are named strong.  The insecure is named a solid rock.  Whom God favors, God renames.

            In ignorance, I can feel forgotten.  God only renames the spiritually great, right? If I believe that, I will flounder in my sense of identity.  I will not grasp who I am; not only by virtue of who God created me to be, but who I am in regeneration and redemption.  I have a new name in Christ.  With that change comes privileges and responsibilities that define my future.  I am like Abraham after all.

            Satan is a liar and accuser.  His mission is to destroy every confidence I have in Christ.  He is constantly trying to convince me that I am not who God says I am, that  I’m a fake.  But if I understand the new name I’ve been given as God’s child, I will live safely in a fortress of strength.  No accusation of Satan will be successful against me.  He will not be able to undermine my confidence.

            So I take Revelation 3:12 in deeply today. “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

            Like Abraham, my new name is all about my future.  Inscribed on my body, soul, and spirit (a three-fold spiritual tattoo) is the name of God, his city, and his Son!  Every time Satan looks at me, he sees the name Jesus.  I’m branded for eternity and though he sees it and knows it, he’s counting on the fact that I don’t.  Or, that I’ll forget it when I sin and fall flat on my face. I must remember that my new name has been forged through forgiveness, not failure. When God looks at me, now and forever, he sees Jesus.  My calling is new and my character change is in process.

When you write with your pen, Lord, it’s with permanent ink.  Amen

AM I TOO OLD?

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Genesis 17:1-2

         Is anyone too old to come to Jesus?  We know the right answer.  “No, anyone, at any age, can trust Christ.”  Yet, we can despair over the elderly parent close to us.  They seem too far gone in their ability to see truth and trust a Savior.  They have a history of sin and scripture says that sin upon sin brings deception.  Their eyes are blinded by a lifetime of iniquity.  Yet, new birth happens with prayer, warfare, scripture and a loving and gentle perseverance.

         Is anyone too old for God to do a new thing?  Again, we know the right answer.  “God can call someone at 80 and his greatest achievement for the kingdom can be ahead of him.”  Yet, we can despair over ourselves when, at mid-life, we feel we have blown it.  The prime years of life are behind us and we believe we are too far gone for God to offer a pristine beginning.  We call our life to this point ~ ‘wasted years’.

         I consider Abram.  He was ninety-nine when the Lord appeared and reiterated the blessing and covenant.  God is about to change his name ~ a cataclysmic spiritual event that always precedes spiritual greatness.  He is anything but washed up.  Though, if we were to talk with Abram, he would need days, not hours, to tell us stories of his life.  Yes, he had taken great steps of faith but also matched them with great steps of failure.  He had betrayed his wife, taken a handmaiden to produce an heir, and made a mess of family relationships.  If anyone could have felt disqualified, it was Abram.

         Are you thinking of a senior adult as you read this?  I am.  A woman in her nineties.  Three marriages.  Two daughters who hate her; one physically assaulted her recently.  She’s seen it all over the course of her life.  Successful in business but jaded by the majority who have done anything for power, sex, and wealth.  She doesn’t know Jesus yet.  But recently, God has allowed her need of Him to surface and she’s open to the reality of prayer and God’s loving intervention.  This is a first.  Somehow, through a lifetime of experiences that would give anyone a hard heart, the love of Christ is breaking through to hers.  Soon, He will call her name.  She will hear and her greatest days may be ahead of her.  She’s got five more years before she’s as old as Abram when God spoke.  A God who is not impressed, nor restrained, by the limits of old age ~ stunned him.

No one is too old.  Not others.  Not me.  No one is too far gone.  Not others.  Not me.  In You, Jesus, all things are made new. Amen

HEAT DAMAGED

I have become like wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.  Psalm 119:83

A wineskin is a ancient bottle made of leather.  If it got too near someone’s campfire for too long a period, it would dry out, crack, and become unusable. However, a little bit of exposure to the smoke would be a good thing because the wine would take on a distinctive smoky overtone. Continue reading “HEAT DAMAGED” →

WHAT CONSTITUTES AFFINITY?

I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.  Psalm 119:63

    When the Spirit of God is mighty in a stranger, and I see His Spirit in them, I can honestly say that I love them.  Spirit recognizes Spirit and there is instant communion, even if unspoken.

    When two people are drawn together by their love for God and each is on a journey to love God above all others, the fellowship they share is of infinite value.  Over time, the love deepens and the spiritual bond defies explanation.  When two people are drawn together by reasons other than a common love for the Spirit and do not share a commitment to radical discipleship, a chasm will develop that neither can fix.  What one values is earthy things, the other values Christ.  That difference pulls them in opposite directions.  True and lasting affinity is only born of the Spirit.

    I have spent less than five hours with a Spirit-person and had deeper fellowship than with lifelong friends.  Continue reading “WHAT CONSTITUTES AFFINITY” →

REVIVING MY HOPE

So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”  Genesis 16:13

         Jesus revealed His true identity to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.  God revealed His true identity to Hagar at a well in the middle of the wilderness somewhere on the way to Egypt.  The well was a stopping place, a resting place.  It was there that, in the lives of these two women, divine encounters occurred.  They were so powerful that it changed the courses of their lives.

         I read of their stories and I can long to be in their shoes for those few moments.  But wait!  I can be. Weary children of God can still stop by a well, dip their cup, and experience God.

         Who can’t relate to Hagar at some point in their life?  Maybe you’re there now.  Sinned against, singled out as the object of someone’s anger, you are fragile as an eggshell.  You can’t conceive of how you might go on and ever trust again.  You can feel your heart shriveling, closing off, and becoming cynical.  This abuse has happened so many times that it appears this is to be your way of life.  Why doesn’t God stop it?  Does He see you or are you a forgotten child?

         Run to the well.  Jesus is Living Water and the scriptures are the point of encounter.  Rest there.  Bring your aching heart and will it to hope once more in the God who sees.  El Roi.  Hagar named the Lord “The One who sees me.”  In the deafening silence of her wilderness, there was One who saw, One who spoke, One who made outrageous promises.

         God loves to be experienced.  He promises that, for any who search, He will be found.  Today, I make the scriptures my resting place and I won’t stop drinking until my thirst is quenched.  This has never been, nor will ever be, a futile endeavor.

You made the sands upon which I walk.  The earth is Yours and I am never alone.  Even when I see nothing but sand, You see nothing but me.  Amen

THE STORY OF INSIDE OUT

She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold— which they used for Baal. Hosea 2:8

Once upon a time, a man became a father. He held his newborn daughter close and breathed in the wonder of her. When she turned two, he threw her into the air and exclaimed in delight. Was any child more perfect? At night, while his child of promise slept, he dreamt of the all the things he could give her that would make her happy. His list was long. Continue reading “The Story Of Inside Out” →