Who is He to you?

I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2 (HCSB)

A friend of mine was deeply hurting. I’m talking gut-wrenching hurt from a tremendous loss. We were texting back and forth but honestly, I was slow to respond because I wanted to pray. This was hard. How do you even respond to such pain?

In my response I said “I am not sure why God allowed this.” Later, I heard Satan say “Why did you say that? You are just going to drive her farther from God. How do you know how she feels about that?”

At first, my reaction was to listen to that voice and I started to spiral into a “What have I done?” scenario. But then, I slowed my thoughts and prayed. And as I began to process my response I wondered. Would I want to serve a God who was not in complete control? If God did not have authority over everything, what would be the point?

We want everything to turn out just the way we want. I know I do. I don’t like the pain, death, bad things that happen. It makes my heart hurt. As I ponder and pray through all of this, I figure I have two choices. I can believe God is in control or I can believe that he’s not. This choice then becomes about who I believe God is.

Do I believe that Satan will do everything he can to turn us from trusting God? Yes.
Do I believe that God allows these things? Yes.
Do I always understand why? No.
Do I believe that in spite of all that my eyes see that he loves us and that his plan is bigger and better than I can comprehend? Yes.

Jesus told us in the Bible that we were going to have bad days, hard days....days like he had. We shouldn’t be surprised by what’s happening. What we should do is hold on to our belief in a God that has not relinquished his authority on this world. We need to “see” with our faith, not just our eyes.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Unseen but There

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭(GNT)‬‬

I don’t know about you but I hope for a lot. I am always thinking of things I want. I guess a more accurate statement would be that I am always thinking of how I want things to be. I think of plans, how great it would be if things were _________________ (fill in the blank.)

But life rarely looks like how I imagine it. I read today’s verse and want to fill in my blanks. I can’t stop there though, I have to dig a little deeper. 

Faith isn’t just hoping for things. It isn’t believing that the things I want will come to pass. It’s about walking the walk of faith.

For example, if I am in the middle of a problem; pick one. Could be loss of a job, a difficult health diagnosis, trouble with a child, someone being divisive and hurting me or my loved ones. Really, pick any problem. I can sit here and hope for better things and I can be certain they things are going to look like I want them to at some point….even if I can’t see it.

But it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, God allows things that hurt. He allows the difficult trials and heart wrenching events. He does this for our growth. 

That, I think is the thing we have to believe in. We can believe that God is good and that no matter what is happening in our life, he is in the middle of it. We can believe that he only wants our best and sometimes to get there, we have to experience a “worst.” The character that grows and the trust that blossoms from having to go to him when you can’t do anything else, those are more important to him than things being easy. 

He is more interested in your final destination than your momentary happiness. Another thing we can believe even though we can’t always see it? Jesus is in the middle of all of it with you. He has not left you to figure it out. He will not abandon you during the process. He is with you. He is leading and fighting for you - even though you might not be able to see it. You are loved.

Believing that, leaning into that....especially during the hard times…...that is faith.

Moving Mountains

I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. Matthew 17:20 (NLT)

I often read this passage and wondered if you really could move a mountain if you had enough faith. You know, one minute you are looking at it and the next minute it’s gone…..moved to the right or the left. I had (okay, have) my doubts that I could physically move a mountain.

Recently, I decided to do a fast one day a week. There are three types of fasts. A food fast where you abstain from food totally, a modified food fast where you give up some food like sugar or coffee and a soul fast where you give up something in your life that you do a lot. All of these are done to spend more time in prayer with emphasized dependence on Jesus. I chose not to do a food fast for a lot of reasons that are too complicated to explain here so I do a soul fast. I gave up noise. Noise on my fast days are fasting from social media, TV, radio, audio books or anything that makes noise in my head. I fast for 24 hours each week.

Now that you have the background, when I started the fast I decided to make a list of things I wanted to especially pray for. You know, like when I went to look at Facebook and realized I was fasting so I’d pray. I came up with a list of 10 things that were really important to me. And the thought popped into my head “This is a mountain of things to pray for.” And it was. Each thing on the list are huge God things. God has to move for them to become what he wants them to become. They are all big audacious prayers (BAPs).

I realized as I looked at my mountain that it would take some faith to move them. And I realized that some days my faith was super, duper small…..like a mustard seed. But Jesus said “If your faith is teeny weeny like a mustard seed, you can still apply it to the mountain.” So I do.

I have lovingly come to call my list “The Mountain.” When praying I often say Lord, please move the mountain. And you know what, there has been and is tiny movement on the mountain. The entire mountain has not yet gotten up and moved (maybe that’s because I put some BAPs on there) but there is crumbling here and there. Some things shifted to a different spot. Some parts have fallen away all together. God is at work on my mountain.

I know he’s at work on yours too. Take all of those things that you are staring at that seem so overwhelming and put them on the mountain. Then, apply the tiniest amount of faith and keep at it. Every day pray for the mountain in your life and watch God move it.

The Twisting Path

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Genesis 45:5 (NIV)

Joe was, well Joe. He had lots of brothers and sisters. They argued just like any normal family. But overall things were good. His mom had died when he was young but he was very close to his father. One day, through circumstances beyond his control, Joe found himself in a foreign city working as a slave for someone else. I can’t imagine the emotions you would go through if you were in that situation.

But Joe, knowing God, did his best to serve the man who owned him. As life would have it, not everyone had the same morals as Joe. The man’s wife was more about her own pleasure and kept trying to get Joe to sleep with her. Joe refused because….well, he knew God and he didn’t want to offend the man of the house. That could result in a bad situation.

Even though Joe did everything right, he ended up in prison because the wife lied. I wonder where his mind went with that? I mean, you do everything right and everything keeps going wrong. But God has his eye on Joe. And Joe, true to his character, continued to do the best he could where he was.

While he was in prison, he helped out some guys who worked for a very important politician. When one of them was released, Joe asked him to remember him. Did he do that? Nope. I wonder if that made Joe bitter? Here he helped this guy and the guy forgot him.

Finally, one day the guy did remember Joe. The very important politician got him out of prison to utilize his unique skills. And Joe did such a great job! He became very, very important. He had lots of money; he controlled everything. The only person who had more power than he did was the politician.

A few years had passed and Joe was working his new job. By now, he had a wife and some children. He still missed his father but God had really blessed him. Suddenly, the men who had caused him to end up in the foreign land showed up. They needed help. Now Joe knew who they were right away. If I were him, I may have thrown them in the same prison I ended up in. What goes around comes around! But not Joe.

You see, Joe knew God. And he realized that all that he went through was for a reason. Because of him, many people’s lives were changed. Many people were better off because of the different path he was forced to walk. Joe knew this was a God thing, not a Joe thing.

As we walk our broken road, our twisted path today, maybe we could be more like Joe. We may not necessarily understand why everything is happening but we can know the God that is in charge and trust in his plan.

My Faith Stands On.....

And Abram believed the Lord . Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

Abram and Sarai were old. Really old. They were way past the age of child-bearing. Yet when God told Abram that he would have a son, Abram believed him. And as years went by and nothing happened, Abram still believed God.

Why? As we look at our circumstances and they look impossible, it is so easy for us to give up and think (pick one) God forgot or we heard him wrong or we did something to change his mind or God doesn’t love us or fill in the blank because we each have our own nuance of this.

Abram believed God and he kept walking. Romans 4:18-21 says:

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

Do you see that? Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping…..and He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

What was he putting his hope in if there was no reason? What do you put your hope in when it seems hopeless? Is it possible that we should not be hoping in our circumstances or the things we see but in what we don’t see? Shouldn’t our hope be in the God we know and love? How about this? Shouldn’t our hope be in the intentions we know God has for our lives?

Ahhhh, that’s a different twist huh? If we know that God loves us and his intention for our life is to save us, wouldn’t that be where our faith should rest? You see, often we look at how things are going and determine that God isn’t working. We are basing that thought on a fleeting circumstance - a moment in time. God is looking at the big picture and he’s working to fill in the puzzle pieces so the picture is complete for his purpose in your life. I bet if we really think about it, deep down we understand that his complete picture is very different (and should be) from our temporary one.

Some days it is really hard to keep walking when you look around and it just doesn’t make sense. It’s on those days especially when we have to return our gaze to the Good we know. That Good is God. His intentions for you are perfect. Hold on to that and let that be where your faith stands.

A Minute In It - The Hall of Faith

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11:17-31

Read the names below of the people mentioned in the text. What did they have to have faith for? Did they always see the outcome of their faith?

Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Israelites crossing the Red Sea
Israelites marching around Jericho
Rahab

What do you need to have faith in today? Will you see the outcome of your faith? If not, will you still believe?

Can A Mustard Seed Move A Mountain?

Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. Matthew 21:21 (NLT)

It’s kind of ironic that today I seem to be writing about moving a mountain. I woke up feeling not so faithful. You know, it seemed like every day this week there was something that challenged my faith. By today, my faith was as small as a mustard seed. And I told God that this morning. :-)

We each have our mountains. They look really different depending on who you are and what you are facing right now. And, the mountain can change over time. As things move and progress, what is on our mountain becomes different. What do I mean by “what is on our mountain”?

Recently, I started digging in a little to understand fasting better. I can honestly say as a Christian, I know what it is and I know how it’s done but deep down, I don’t think I really get it. I am asking God to explain this and show me what he wants me to know about it.

I decided to start a weekly fast. What better way to find out about something than to start doing it, right? So, I set the time, the type of fast and then got to “What am I fasting for?” So, I made a list. I have a list of 10 things where I am asking to see God’s movement. As I looked at my list I thought “That’s a lot of stuff. Looks like a mountain of stuff.” And then during my worship one of the days following I read today’s Scripture. I’m sure that wasn’t a coincidence.

As I fasted, I began praying for the mountain. And now, even when I am not fasting, I pray that God will move in things on the mountain. When I have days like today when my faith is very, very small, I remember that God is bigger than my faith. I remember what he has done in the past and how he shows up all the time - maybe not in the exact way I want but he still shows up. I remember that while I have my mountain and some days I look at it too often, I need to move my focus to take in the view from where I stand. I need to reflect on the journey that I am on instead of the obstacles that loom ahead.

It boils down to what I truly believe in my heart. Do I believe in a God who loves me and is involved in my life? Do I believe that he has shown up in the past and everything, although sometimes painful, has worked out for the best? Do I know in my heart that God is more powerful than any mountain I am staring at? And most importantly, do I believe he is willing to get involved?

I do. So as I continue to climb this mountain, instead of looking at the rocky trail ahead, I am going to adjust my view to the One who stands at the end of the path and keep walking toward Him. I can’t wait to see how he moves this mountain!

Trusting I AM

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:35-40 (NLT)

Jesus, do you say that to me? “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have faith in me? Don’t you believe what I tell you?” I am sure you do. But Lord, like the disciples I am watching the waves crash on my boat. I’m seeing it fill with water and I feel the pull as it seems to sink just a little lower into the depths of the black. I feel the sting of the cold water as it washes over my body. And Lord, I can’t swim when the waves are so rough.

“Do you trust that I will not let you sink?”

Yes, sort of, but how do I reconcile that you do let some people sink that deep. Some people lose everything - including their lives. That makes me afraid.

“They didn’t sink. I was holding them. What they learned to trust was that my love is not dependent on your circumstances. Just because the waves are fierce doesn’t mean I am not walking in the storm with you. Is it possible that you trust what you see more than you trust who I AM?”