Trust in the Lord. Have faith; do not despair. Trust in the Lord. Psalm 27:14
I used to believe that a sermon was only delivered by a speaker; one who uses words. Apparently, sermons are not limited to that. Anyone becomes a preacher when people watch them extend their faith toward a situation, using the Word of God as they go. Faith in Christ is what separates the believer from the unbeliever.
God is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. Psalm 144:2
In WWII, Japan surrendered to American forces and yet the news of the surrender took weeks and months to reach isolated Japanese garrisons. Soldiers continued to fight. Men continued to die. Those who were ignorant of Japan’s surrender were caught in the ‘not yet’.
I have often been confused by the promises of God. He is my healer. Does that mean that I will never know a sick period? He is my deliverer. Does that mean that I will never know a season of oppression? He is the God who avenges. Does that mean that He will settle all scores on the heels of wrongdoing? He is my strength. Does that mean that I will never languish in seasons of weakness? He is my shield. Does that mean that I will never be wounded by fiery arrows? He is my comfort. Does that mean that I will never feel alone or forsaken?
Now, I can know the right answers to all of those questions but I can get tripped up when I’m in a prolonged ‘not yet’ period.
Solomon said it another way in his well-known discourse. “There is an appointed time for everything. A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up.” Ecclesiastes 3
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. Psalm 40:11
Faithlessness invites me to give up on God. Now, I know the verse, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16 I learned it as a kid but learning the words and understand the meaning can be many decades removed.
There are situations that can appear absolutely hopeless. Evidence wants to prove that nothing changes because of my faith. Sometimes, things get worse. The pain of watching everything regress nearly shuts me down. The fatigue that accompanies long-term stress wears on me and causes me to look ten years older than I am. Numbness beckons to me like a drug and promises me rest. The thought of my heart sliding into hopeless oblivion is attractive. I just want the striving to cease.
Is this where you are today? You’ve been wrestling with God for a long time over one single thing. The more you pray, the more things seem to decline. To continue to keep your heart alive to hope and faith appears futile. You’re fast approaching the line where quitting pretends to be the smart thing to do. Dreaming is painful. God appears to be cruel as He withholds the blessing you seek.
This is what it is to live in the shadows. And I have. But let me testify that I have seen powerful prayers answered within the course of a week. The deliverance was glorious and there was no way I could have predicted its arrival. The ticking of heaven’s clock was indiscernible. While I waited, there were moments in the journey that I collapsed into faithlessness. It was a lonely place and I didn’t stay there long. Only prevailing in prayer brought the blessing and I’d like to believe that I have greater stamina in future spiritual battles because I’ve learned not to give up.
Over what issue have you taken hold of God in prayer today? How long have you labored? Hang on. Dig your fingers into the fabric of his robe and don’t let go. Today could be the day He speaks a word and prison bars open wide.
I am willing to prevail in prayer but can’t sustain it without Your grace. In Jesus name, Amen
You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. Psalm 77:14
Some of God’s children live and die and never ask Him for anything big. They live in the ‘safe’ zone. Others do nothing but ask for the miraculous but it would serve them well to make sure they’re asking for the right reason, the ultimate glory of God. Having walked with God for a lifetime, I know that He loves to perform wonders but He waits until I ask. But here’s a warning. When what I need the most intersects my prayer life, logic can nullify my faith if I allow it.
I think of Sarah. Her cycle of womanhood was long over. Logic. Science. These proved that it was humanly impossible to bear a child in old age. She and Abram had spent the breadth of their marriage asking God to open her womb but at some point, she stopped believing. When the announcement was made that she would have a son, Sarah laughed at the thought of such a physical impossibility.
Miracles aren’t miracles without the ‘impossibility’ factor. Is this not why faith is so difficult? We are surrounded by circumstantial physical evidence that disproves feasibility. If I have a history of not having seen God’s power move on my behalf, then I will always lean toward logic and move away from what seems ludicrous. History controls belief.
What might I ask God for today if all reserve was moved out of the way? Where would others laugh in my face and rehearse the evidence against faith-filled prayer?
That points precisely, perhaps, to what God would, and can, do. “But you can’t ask God for that!” Satan whispers. His taunts, like arrows, come at me in thoughts but also through the mouths of friends and family. He is not above using faithless believers to parrot faithless words. So few walk by faith and I should remember that the next time a brother or sister in Christ comes with their ‘prudent’ warnings.
God has placed me in many impossible situations throughout my life. There were times I had to pray for a miracle or there would be some horrible consequence. For survival’s sake, I hung onto faith, stood in the Word, and prayed for a miracle. I’d like to say that faith is becoming my default response but I know myself better than that. Faith is hardest when I’ve invested years of prayer into my request.
God defies the odds. He cares nothing about physics, past evidence, and present obstacles. He who spoke to the earth, a planet that was once dark and lifeless, and transformed it into a stunning environment full of limitless possibilities, is the same God who can do anything miraculous in my world. There is something more critical to pray for than the request itself ~ that my faith would remain if God says no – or wait.
Lord, show me where I can exercise faith today. For what should I trust You that defies all odds? I’ll go there. In Jesus name, Amen
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Psalm 59:1-4
Christianity is a dangerous enterprise. Jesus has always been a threat to someone’s power or ideology.
There’s a new movie out in the theatres called The Young Messiah. I’ve attended it twice and have been equally moved both times. While fictional, the movie portrays what the 12th year of Jesus life might have looked like. The story starts in Alexandria, Egypt. Jesus and His family had lived there since Joseph was told to take Mary and Jesus away from Judea. You remember that every male child was massacred and Jesus was the only one to survive Herod’s rampage.
The movie shows the possibility that Jesus spent much of his life in danger, even though young. Joseph and Mary lived with the stress of keeping their son alive. His touch on people was profound even though He was a child. The searing truths He spoke about God exposed evil and those who had an issue with God took issue with Him. The storyline proposes that Jesus raised a dead bird to life and even healed the sick. His compassion for people urged Him to ask His Father in heaven for healing. And it came! News of His spiritual power was hard to keep quiet and threats to annihilate Him were everywhere. Joseph and Mary begged onlookers to keep news of Jesus quiet.
On the one hand, it’s hard to understand why someone who just wants to love God provokes such anger. Worship is a quiet thing and a private endeavor, right? I used to think so. But to love God means to accept the great commission of His Son, Jesus. To convert and to make disciples is to challenge the god of this world, the very one who comes disguised as the respected leader of all man-made religions. To share Jesus is to threaten every other world view, even if done with love and compassion.
I understand, Lord. I’m not called to live as someone who loves You. I’m called to let You live through me. It’s Your life they see. You were hated once and will be hated again and again as Your glory shines through Your servants. Advance Your kingdom in the midst of hatred. In Jesus’ name, Amen
No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Psalm 25:3
I’ve been acquainted with numerous Christian organizations that wanted to legislate nearly every part of life. Admittedly, if someone listened to everyone who had an opinion about every peripheral issue of life, they’d be frozen in place. So many have something to say about everything.
Having lived in a fishbowl of some notoriety, I can tell you that your life is often studied by others. With study comes criticism. Some is ludicrous, some is ignorant due to lack of information, and some is probably justified. Sifting through it though, and sorting out the hurt feelings that come from others’ comments, is difficult. Criticism usually comes from those with whom you have no personal relationship.
So, am I to adjust my behavior to every person who say they are offended by me? That can’t be the right answer because legalism will always be with us. So will honest seekers who stumble because we’re a forgiven, yet sinful, people.
I believe, for me, the answer lies in considering the one I am offending. If the spirit of legalism rules this person’s life, seeking to encroach upon the true spirit of liberty Jesus died to extend to His children, then I am not obligated to comply. I want to extend the grace of Christ Jesus to others so why would I take on a yoke that Jesus died to free me from?
But, if I encounter someone who is honestly seeking Jesus, one who loves the Word and is growing in his faith, but also one who stumbles over a particular thing I’m doing, I should consider his fragile faith and change my behavior. I am not to impeded in any way what God is building.
For any of us who have walked out of the pit of legalism into the spacious place of grace, this can seem like a step backwards. It might feel like I am walking again in the bondage I left behind. It probably does feel like that but it is not like that. Look, I can’t sort this out without prayer and looking for the nod of my Savior over whether anothers issue with me is a valid one. If it is, Jesus will give me the grace to consider my brother even though it will take some time for my emotions, damaged by past experience, to catch up. Legalism will always be a tender spot for any of us who have been beaten up under its umbrella.
Who can sort it out? Only Your Spirit. I’m glad You’re in me, teaching me, making hard things clear. Thank you for the grace to obey when my feelings betray me. In Jesus name, Amen
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. Psalm 74:21
Why do seasons of disgrace often span a decade or two? Shame doesn’t usually last a month or two and God can appear to be out of the picture completely; ignoring me when I’m oppressed. When a wilderness marks a large portion of my life, can I know that God is in the process of bringing about redemption? Yes, if I am God’s child. Captivity is never His intended outcome. No daughter of promise is to suffer crippling shame. God said, “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.” Isaiah 61:7 Shame is to be replaced with double favor. Disgrace is to move out of the way for joy.
I have known seasons of affliction. None of them were short. All taught me perseverance, the power of prayer, and the nature of the wilderness. While great spiritual things prevailed at the end, the beginnings and middle of these seasons were pretty ugly. I had no clue how to navigate the years. Now I do know and that feeds my passion for ministry. Continue reading “An Atmosphere of Disgrace”
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
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. If they have followed 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 testing can be. There will be moments when we cry out, “Lord, it’s hard 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.
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Many have prayed for the will of God, followed His voice, and experienced complete disillusionment when they found themselves in hostile surroundings. They blame God for being unloving or they blame themselves for being poor listeners. Hostility within the will of God is common and should not surprise God’s children.
Some years back, our family lived in a hostile environment. We begged, daily, for release. We were willing to move anywhere and do anything to escape our surroundings. Surely, we reasoned, God wouldn’t want for us to endure such a place. Yet, every request for a move away was met by the silence of God. Continue reading “Living Amidst Hostility”
I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. Psalm 66:17
There are many times I don’t know how to pray because I don’t know what God’s purposes are for a certain situation. If I know I’m going to lose my job, do I bear down in prayer to keep it, or do I just assume God is using that loss to lead me somewhere else? If I’m experiencing a tragedy, do I ask God to take it away or do I assume that, like Job, God has ordained this chain of events to further His glory in some way?
This is where a prayer life gets stuck. I don’t know what to pray for because I don’t know the will of God. Because I don’t know, I can abandon prayer altogether. That would be, and has been for me, a mistake. Continue reading “Crying Out Is a Holy Expression of Faith”
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