My Rock, My Fortress, My Deliverer

A passage of scripture that it seems like I cannot get away from lately is 2 Samuel 22.  I have read it over and over, and each time I do it seems like it grows richer and deeper and more beautiful to me.  Truly the word of God is living and active; what a gift it is!  I feel like most of what I want to do is to share this gem of a passage with you and interject a few comments here and there.  May the Word of God shape you, encourage you, empower you, and bless you richly as it has me.

This all started when I was drawn to verses 2 and 3 of this passage as a memory verse for my 2 year old.  We were out looking for "clues" about who God is in nature and talking about how God is our rock.  We then made up litte motions to teach us verses 2-3, "The LORD is my rock (fist motion) and my fortress (make a house over you with your hands) and my deliverer (two thumbs point to yourself), the God of my strength (flex muscles), in whom I will trust (open palms to God)."  We would recite these verses often to help us memorize it well.  Then I began to get drawn into the entire passage.  Let me share a little of that with you...

2 Samuel 22

Praise for God’s Deliverance

22 Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ² And he said:^[a]

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
³ The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
⁴ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

*Oh what confidence in the Lord and who He is!  He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer!  I trust Him, He is my strength.  He is my victory.  He is my stronghold and refuge.  He is most worthy of my praise, for He saves me.  He hears me when I call to Him and there is absolutely nothing that is too hard for Him and no one who is stronger than Him.  He is the One to have on your side, and we can be confident here that He is absolutely for us.  He is our defender, He is the mighty warrior who protects us.  What shall we fear?  Whom shall we fear?  Nothing is too great for Him.  Don't believe me?  Read on...

⁵ “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
⁶ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

*It doesn't get much more desperate than that, folks.  Are the waves of death surrounding you?  Are floods of ungodliness and evil making you afraid?  Are overwhelming sorrows upon you and the snares of death confronting you?  No matter what our situation, God is greater...so what do we do? 

⁷ In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

*Cry out to Him, beloved!  He is there, He is listening, His will hear and respond.  Just watch...

⁸ “Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of heaven^[b] quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
⁹ Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
¹⁰ He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
¹¹ He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen^[c] upon the wings of the wind.
¹² He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
¹³ From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴ “The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
¹⁵ He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

*Wow, does this get you fired up like it does me?  This is my God!  He is mighty, He is the strongest of all, and you DO NOT mess with those that are His!  So often we can portray certain elements of God as all that God is.  I think in today's culture especially we can hung up that God is only love, only forgiveness, only mercy.  We get to thinking the He would never do anything like this, and surely never get mad.  While God is absolutely those things, He is also justice, holiness, jealousy, righteousness, and if you look in His word there are most definitely things that make Him angry.  All I am saying is that you do not want to be against God, and you most certainly do no want to mess with His people.  He is like a protective Father, and if you mess with His kids, He is coming after you.

¹⁷ “He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
¹⁸ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.

*Your enemy is stronger than you.  Satan is stronger than you.  But God is stronger than Satan and all evil!  Do not try to fight your battles yourself or you will lose.  Cry out to God, He is your support, He is your deliverer, He is the one who saves you.

²⁰ He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

*Ahh, I love this verse!  Now we get to the "why" of all of this.  Why does He deliver me, save me, respond when I cry out to Him, defeat all of my enemies?  Why is He on my side?  Very painly, "He delivered me because He delighted in me."  He delights in me!  And He delights in you.

²¹ “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.

*I am going to skip a little bit here, but I will just say a quick note on this section.  As for my righteousness, it is not found in my own works but in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  The only reason that I am seen as clean and righteous before God is because of the blood of Jesus.  He has taken all of my sin upon Himself and thus made me pure, spotless, and blameless before the Father that I might spend eternity in Heaven with God.  Thank you Jesus!

²⁹ “For You are my lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

*Do you feel like there is any area of your life that is cloaked in darkness or uncertainty?  Do you need guidance, wisdom, direction?  Go to the Lord.  He is your lamp and He alone will enlighten your darkess and show you the way.  

³⁰ For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³² “For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
³³ God is my strength and power,^[e]
And He makes my^[f] way perfect.
³⁴ He makes my^[g] feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
³⁵ He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶ “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁷ You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.

*Precious, precious, precious truths.  I can say nothing here but go back and read this again, it is so rich!

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!

You have delivered me ...
⁵⁰ Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.

*So how do we respond to all of this?  God has said that He delivers us because He delights in us.  He makes our way perfect and sets us on high places.  How can we possibly respond to such unmerited favor?  We see the answer here...praise Him!  Exalt and bless His name.  Give thanks in all things, sing praises to Him always.  Share His mighty deeds with those who don't know Him.  Praise Him, for He is most worthy of our praise! 

Thank you God for Your Word, for your Love, for Your Power.  Thank You for being our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer simply because You delight in us.  We respond in praise to You and we bless and exalt Your Name.  Who is like You, Lord?  Indeed, there is none like You, none but You.  Thank you for protecting us as your children.  We love you and trust You, Abba Father.  Amen.

Droopy Basil

I live in the great and glorious state of Texas. :)  And there is only one word to describe Texas this time of year...HOT!  It is so hot that when you are outside for any length of time, you can literally feel the heat like fire on your skin.  Thankfully, the Lord has extravagantly blessed us with two marvelous inventions that make the hot summer days bearable, pools and air conditioning!

While I can come inside and escape the blazing sun, my poor little basil plant, that started off this whole blog, cannot.  A few mintes ago, I walked outside to snag a few leaves and noticed that my basil plant was looking pretty droopy.  I grabbed the hose and doused it with water, giving my little plant a nice long drink.  About 5 minutes later I went back outside to find my basil plant back to it's perky self.  I was a bit amazed at how quickly the water perked the plant back up!  So, I picked a few leaves afterall and added them into my homemade eggplant parmesean that will serve as tonights dinner.  Yum, I can't wait!

This little scenario sparked a verse in my mind that Eli and I have been reciting lately.  John 7:37-38 says, "³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 

Do you find yourself feeling "droopy" because the heat of life is getting to you?  Are you thirsty?  If so, there is great news for you...Jesus Himself is inviting you to come and to drink.  He is the one who douses us with living water, quenching our thirst and renewing our spirit.  We are revived and replenished instantly in Christ.  While the heat may not necessarily go away, we receive a new source of strength, hope, and courage that allows us to endure and thrive even in the midst of our greatest trials.  And when we find ourselves perked back up with the living water that Jesus offers to us freely, we can once again be effectively used for the purpose Christ has for us. 

Oh Lord, we are so thirsty for You.  We thank You that You indeed are all that we need.  We thank You for Your invitation to come to You and to drink.  We accept Your offer; we come to You now, Jesus, and we drink deeply of the living water that You provide.  Thank you for the satisfying, thirst quenching life that is found in you, Jesus.        

How Do You Ask?

At the age of two, my little son is beginning to really get a feel for what he wants.  He is often times very particular about things, and if everything does not go "just so" a cry of outrage at the great injustice done to him by his insensitive parents in not following his exact will may be heard for miles around.

The thing is, that as a parent who love this child beyond words, I want to give Him what he wants.  It pleases my heart to fulfill his request and see my child happy.  Many times, I do just that.  For example, he may say, "Mama, wanna read a book with me?"  "Sure Eli," I say, "I would love to read a book with you."  I will sit down indian style on the floor, he will crawl up into my lap, and we will read away.  He's happy, I'm happy, and all is right in the world. :)

On the other hand, there are times when I am not able to able to instantly fulfill my son's requests. 
One of those times is when his request does not align with what is best for him.  Oh, he may think it is best alright.  Cookies and goldfish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner sounds like a great idea when you are two.  But as his mom, the one primarily responsible for making sure that he receives not only what his taste buds desire but also the nutrients his body needs, I cannot with a good conscience fulfill this request.  Cry and protest as he may, I cannot give him what is not best for him.  Say he wants to run into the street.  "Mama, may I please run into the street?" No matter how nicely or consitently he askes this question, my answer will always be the same...No!  I am willing to sacrifice his happiness at moments to do what I need to do to protect him and provide for him in ways that are best.

Another time that I may not fulfill his request is when his request is not a request at all, but a demand.  Often times, his demands will start out "I want..." or "Give me..."  One question my husband and I find ourselves repeating over and over around here is, "How do you ask?"  Today when we were leaving church, our son said, "I want a snack Dada."  "How do you ask?" said my husband.  After thinking for a moment, I helped him out from the front seat, "Just say, 'may I have a snack please, Dada?'" Sure enough, our little parrot repeated it perfecty, his demand changed to a respectful request, and we responded by fulfilling his request.

Sometimes this situation plays out differently.  Sometimes Eli makes his demand, and we respond with "how do you ask?"  In not immediately receiving what he wants, he begins to throw a fit.  The odd thing about this situation is that it was never our intention to withhold his request, we simply did not like the way he was asking.  The problem was not with the "what" that he was asking for, it was the "how."  Because he has begun to throw a fit, however, we must now deal with a bigger issue, his heart.

I'm sure that by now, many of you are following where I am going with this analogy.  I feel that latley God has been showing me so much about my prayers, requests, and responses to Him through my experiences with my son. 

First, He is my loving Father and delights in giving me what I want.  God loves to say yes to us.  He loves to have us come to Him and pour out our hearts to Him and ask Him for whatever we need.  He is an extravagant giver, He loves us beyond words, and just as a parents receives joy in blessing their children and seeing them happy, God loves to bless us!  In the Old Testament, for example, God appears to Solomon and basically gives him a blank check.  "At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5)  In the New Testament, Jesus famously invites us to ask, saying, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) 

Certainly, God wants us to ask and He loves to answer us, but as anyone who has ever prayed has experienced, God does not always answer us immediately or in the way that we ask.  Could it be that you are specifically asking for something that is not best for you?  Do you spend your time repeatedly asking for cookies for breakfast or a chance to play in the street for a change?  In that case, God may be willing to deny your request and forgo your happiness for your own good.  Maybe you are asking for something that is good, but He has something different in store for you that is far better.  Will you trust Him with that?  Will you rest in the fact that He is your Good and Loving Father, and if your request is not being met that He has a reason behind it that is ultimately for your own good?  Trust Him, wait on Him, and worship Him in the process.

Or, could it be that you are not asking, but demanding your will from God, rather than submitting to His?  Could you be a little tyrant of a two year old, thinking that you know what is best and demanding that God do things your way, in your timing, and perfectly to your liking.  Check yourself in this, how are you asking?  Are you asking God for your own will, or are you asking God to conform your heart to His Will and praying according to it?  Maybe God is not yet answering you because He wants to train you and teach you how to present your request to Him respectfully.  Phillipians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Are you presenting your request to God with thanksgiving?  Are you resolved that no matter He responds, you will praise Him?  God may be saying, "How do you ask?"  He may not have a problem with the "what" at all...maybe the problem is the "how."

Another question to ask yourself is "how will you respond to His no?"  If you ask God for something and the answer is "no" or "wait," what do you do?  Do you let out a cry that God is unfair and unjust?  Do you think that He was unable to fulfill your request?  Do you get angry, believing that somehow, deep down, you deserved it and He either failed you or cheated you by not providing your request?  Do you think that God doesn't care, or maybe that He is just distant, mean, or harsh?
What is in your heart?  Examine it.  God already knows, and if your response is unfavorable when your requests go unmet, maybe God wants to get to a deeper issue in you and teach you a deeper level of trust in Him.

God wants us to take our requests to Him, to trust them fully to Him, and to rejoice with whatever answer He provides.  The only way to do this is to stop looking at the situation and to start looking at our God.  We will never understand everything that He does.  The Bible says, "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."(Ps 145:3)  His greatness IS unsearchable, we cannot understand it...do you trust that He is indeed great?  In all of His ways?  In everything?  In every answer including no or wait?  We are not called to understand Him, we are called to praise Him.  He is great, He is worthy of our praise.  Give Him the praise the He deserves, not because you get what you want, but because of who He is.  Trust Him.  Even if He has not answered your request, trust that He is a Sovereign, All Powerful, Omnipresent, Loving, Merciful, Gracious, and Good God.  Trust Him, praise Him, worship Him, because in the end this whole thing isn't really about us, it's about Him.

Oh Lord, we magnify You and exalt Your name.  You the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and we honor you as thus, Jesus.  We submit our hearts to you and ask that you will teach us to pray prayers that are not focused on building our own kingdoms, but on building Yours.  We trust You, Lord, and we love You.  We say, Jesus, that you are Faithful and True.  We submit our every care, concern, and request to you with thanksgiving and a resolve that however you choose to answer, we will praise you and we will trust You.  Ultimately, Jesus, we thank you that we have everything that we need in you.  And in the words of David, our hearts agree, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." (Ps 27:4)  You, oh Lord, are our greatest desire; above all else, please give us more of You.  We make this prayer in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.

Fruitless Zucchini

I have a zucchini plant that produces the most beautiful blooms.  It has rich green leaves, buds with much potential, and gorgeous orange flowers.  But there is one problem with my zucchini plant...it never produces any fruit.  While I enjoy the orange blossoms, I did not buy the plant to serve as a flower.  I bought it to produce zucchini.  I planted it in good soil, I water it regulary, and yet to date my plant has not produced a single fruit.

As I was checking on my zucchini plant the other day, I couldn't help but sense an admonition from the Lord in this.  In my spirit, I felt God tenderly say, "Don't be all bloom and no fruit."

The Bible has much to say about bearing fruit. 

In the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, God tells the very first people, Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply..." (Gen 1:28).  From the start, we are commanded to bear fruit.  All throughout His Word He carries out this word picture of His people "bearing fruit."  Jesus often talks about our fruit and is recorded in all of the gospels using this analogy.  He talks about a tree being known by its fruit; He tells the parable about the seed falling on good soil and producing fruit a hundredfold, etc.  In Galations we read about the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22).  Old Testament and New Testament alike, the call to bear fruit is clear. 

So what does this mean?  Are we to leave our citified lives and move out to an apple orchard to literally produce fruit.  Of course not.  We are being called to live out our faith.  James is very well known for writing, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).  While this verse has stirred up a great deal of controversary throughout the ages, James is not talking about salvation here.  He is not saying that you must do works to be saved.  Salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone.  But rather when we trust in Jesus, when we are born again of His Spirit, our very identity and purpose changes.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  Our new identity and purpose...fruit bearers!

So, getting back to my zucchini plant...what if we don't bear fruit?  What if we bud and we bloom and look great to all those around us and yet fail to truly live out what we are called to do.  Here are a few thoughts per my zucchini plant.

First, our fruit does not determine our identity.  Even if my zucchini plant fails to produce a single fruit, it is still a zucchini plant.  Likewise, if you truly have trusted in the death of Jesus Christ alone as payment for your sin and received Him as your Lord and Savior and the King of your life, then you are once and for all a child of God.  By His grace alone, we have received the great exchange..."For God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousnss of God" (2 Cor 5:21).  Whether or not I bear fruit does not change my identy. My zucchini plant is still a zucchini plant, it is just not fulfilling it's purpose.

Your fruit does not drive your identity, but rather your identity should drive your fruit.  My zucchini plant does not have to first produce a zucchini to become a zucchini plant, but rather it should produce zucchini because it is a zucchini plant.  I hope you didn't lose me there in the abundant use of the word zucchini. :)  What I am saying is that we don't first do good works and bear fruit to be deemed a Christian.  Rather, when we become a believer and follower of Christ, our identity is changed and thus we bear fruit.  Works and fruit do not merit our salvation, but they are what we were designed to do. We are most fulfilled in doing them, most satisfied when filling the intent and purpose we were created for.

Paul expresses this much better than I can in his letter to the Ephesians.  He writes, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:8-10)

Saved by grace through faith in order that we might do good works.  They have been prepared for us specifically and intentionally by God.  Will we do them?

This is where my conviction comes in.  I feel like there are so many blooms that God springs up in me, but I can fall short on turning that bloom into fruit.  I hear a sermon or a teaching or read a scripture that stirs my heart.  I am moved to do something, to help the poor, to visit the eldery, to serve, to share the gospel with someone, to invite a neighbor to church, to write someone and email, to share a verse or encouragement with someone who needs a boost...whatever it may be.  Then, the day gets busy, my schedule fills up, I second guess myself, I get to cleaning and doing other "important" chores and let that bloom die without ever bearing any fruit.

Does this mean that I will die and go to hell?  Does God reject me because I failed to follow through?  No, of course not...it is by the blood of Christ alone that I am granted to free gift of eternal life.  But nonetheless, I have missed out on an opportunity that He had provided me to bear fruit for Him.  To do a good work that He had prepared beforehand for me to do.  To be fulfilled in living out my purpose, to add meaning to this life, to make an eternal difference.  To build His Kingdom instead of just my own. 

So how do we bear fruit?  The key is in Galations 5:22, a familiar verse to many.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Verse 25 says "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  Did you catch it?  The key is that the fruit is not truly ours to bear on our own...it is the fruit of the SPIRIT.  It is only by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit of God living and working in us that we bear fruit.  One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible is Romans 11:36.  It says, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen."  This is all about God~ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This fruit that we are to bear is from Him, through Him and to Him.  It is all for His glory.

Oh Lord, I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit living in me that you will make me an abundant fruit bearer.  I invite You, Holy Spirit, to come and abide in me and to do Your work in and through me.   I pray that You will enable and equip me to complete and fulfill every good work that you have prepared beforehand for me to do.  I pray that You will give me Your eyes today that I might see people as you see them, give me ears that are tuned into Your voice alone, make me Your hands and feet, use me as Your mouthpiece to share the Good News of the Life and Salvation and Hope and Joy and Love that are found only in You, Jesus.  Use me to build Your Kingdom, Lord.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

I will leave you with one closing thought from John 15:

 Jesus Himself says: "“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful....No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ...I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing....You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last."

Now get out there and go bear fruit that will last!

The Aroma of Christ

Earlier today, Eli and I were driving with the windows rolled down and the wind blowing through our hair (one of my favorite things to do).  While it was warm out, there was a nice breeze and my little guy and I were savoring a little "windows down" time before the summer heat hits us full on.  As I drove past a strip of restaurants, I was allured by a variety of different smells.  The smell of Raisin' Canes chicken strips and french fries invaded my car, and who doesn't like the smell of fried chicken...or fried anything for that matter?  Though previously not hungry, I suddenly felt my appetite awakened!  Since I had just left the gym, we resisted the temptation, but the point is that smells are powerful!

In 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul writes "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  Wow!  We are to be the aroma of Christ...  As I meditate on this, I think again about the power that smells have.  In the case of the food aromas that I experienced earlier, they awakened a hunger in me that I was not previously aware of.  I think in the same way, God is saying, "You are to be my aroma to the world.  Many will not know they're hungry, but you are to draw them to me.  Awaken in them a hunger for me." 

O Holy God, I pray that you will make us the strong and pleasant aroma of Christ to all those around us...those who are saved and those who are perishing.  May we awaken in people a hunger for you.  You alone can satisfy the longing of our heart.  In you alone is life.  We love you, Lord. Amen.    

     


2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

My Messy House

Lord,
Tonight as I look around my house and see all that needs to be done, I thank you for the gentle reminder of how much I have to be grateful for.  Rather than seeing a house that needs cleaning, I thank you on this rainy night for a roof over our heads.  I see a messy kitchen and am so thankful that we have ample food to eat.  Many around the world will go to bed hungry on this very night.  Lord be with them and use me to help them in any way that I can.  I see clothes hampers full of dirty clothes waiting to be washed.  Thank you Lord that we have clothes to wear and so many to choose from.  I see five pairs of shoes that need to be returned to their closets.  Thank you for shoes to cover our feet.  Shoes are something taken for granted in our culture and our day, but I think about the many throughout history and in poor countries today that would consider a single pair of shoes to be a luxury.  Thank you for blessing me with comfortable shoes...may you lead me in your paths of righteousness that I might be a blessing to those in need.  I see toys to be picked up and little messes from my son throughout the house.  Oh God, thank you for the gift of our precious child.  We prayed and prayed a child, and you so graciously answered our prayer in our sweet Eli.  What a joy and a blessing he is.  Thank you that he is healthy and active, spending his days playing with toys and enjoying life.  Thank you for all of the material blessings you have bestoyed on us that he has to play with and we have to enjoy.  I think on the many who have never experienced the joy of having a child and have walked through years or possibly a lifetime of infertility.  I think of the many who have lost children and those who have children suffering from illness and disease.  My heart breaks for them, and I pray even now, Holy Spirit, that you will be their comforter...that you will indeed "restore their soul" (Ps. 23:3) and mend broken hearts.

Thank you for my many blessings, Lord.  I have so much.  I am blessed beyond words and beyond measure.  Thank you, oh God, for my messy house and all the ways it reminds me of your goodness and your grace toward us tonight.

In Jesus Name,
Amen   

If we REALLY believed?

Oh how our lives would look differently if we really believed God. About everything. All the time. Without fail.

As a Bible believing, Spirit filled, born again follower of Jesus, I would proudly profess that I really believe God. I could give you a whole list of things that I believe to be true. I could tell you about my belief in God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. I could tell you how I believe in His Word. That the Bible is the inerrant word of God...perfect and complete in every way. I could tell you about all of the promises of God and spout off scripture after scripture, and surely I believe all of that to be true.

But do I really believe it? I mean, REALLY. Enough to live it. Enough to trust it. Enough to rest in it.

Are you like me, dear Christian? Do you know it and believe it in your head, and so often fail to really believe it in your heart?

I say again, how different our lives would look if we really believed Him. Radically different! Drastically changed! Indeed, we would be a force to be reckoned with.


Here is a little taste of what we would be like if we truly took God at His word...

*We would be fearless! Oh the power of fear in this world. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of heights, fear of death, fear of illness, fear of tragedy, fear of evil, fear of cockroaches (which I guess should go in the previous category...). How much time and energy we waste on misguided fear! I am preaching to myself here, as fear is my greatest foe against my trust in God. And yet, God is most certainly not silent on this issue. I cannot even count the number of times that God says "fear not" or "do not be afraid".
Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 43:1-5 says "But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...you are precious in My sight...you are honored and I love you...Do not fear, for I am with you.."

Go back and read that again and this time put your name in place of Jacob and Israel. Do you realize the vastness of this promise? If I truly believed this all the time and took God at His word, this alone would have the power to radically change me. And this is but the tip of the iceberg! If you struggle with fear (as I would suspect we all do at some level), I challenge you to go and look it up. Spend some time with God on this issue. Read His promises that He has given personally to you in His Word. And believe Him. You will not be the same.


*We would pray! From everything that I have learned about God and from God, I am beginning to realize something that is both incredible and overwhelming at the same time. I am beginning to realize just how BIG our God is, and that even my wildest comprehension of His vastness is but a drop in the ocean of the reality of it. God is showing me that He is so much bigger than I give Him credit for. He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present. Everything is His. Everyone is under His Authority. And this God, who is Mighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Victorious even over death, invites me to come to Him and pray. "Come," He says, "share your heart with me. Sit and visit. Tell me anything and everything. And no matter what, I will love you. I will help you. I will heal you. I will mend your broken heart. I will provide for you. I will protect you. Ask for ANYTHING in my name and I will give it to you (Jn 14:13)." Wow! What if we really believed that? What if we truly believed that the God of the Universe, possessing every resource and having all power, longed to hear from us and moved in power when we asked Him for things. I suspect that if we truly knew who He was and the incredible power that there is in prayer that we would be a people who prayed a great deal more than we do. Not out of obligation, but out of desperation and desire. That we would spend less time trying to fix things ourselves, talking about things, complaining, etc, and more time praying about them. Not boring, stiff, formal prayer; not "hurry up and pray so I can eat" kind of prayer, but intimate and passionate communication with a Powerful God who hears and responds.

How else would we look different if we always believed Him? We would always trust Him. We would be kept in perfect peace at all times, regardless of the circumstances. We would know that we are loved infinitely more than we can imagine by our Holy God, and freely pour that love out on others. We would bear no shame, but praise Him for the restoration and redemption that we have in Christ. We would love always, rejoice always, forgive always. We would be filled with the fruits of the Spirit, we would serve, we would love the "least of these." Our words would always bless, encourage, edify, and be seasoned with grace. We would build His kingdom instead of building our own. We would expectantly wait for His return and fervently share the Gospel with a lost and dying world. We would worship.

Oh that I could expand on every one of these and more. Some of you are probably surprised that I didn't, knowing how long winded I can be. :) My prayer for you and for me is that we will live like we really believe God. That we will take Him at His Word. That His word will not just be a book of stories and promises and good morals that we believe in our heads, but it would be a powerful, life giving, world altering force. I pray that we as we have a greater revelation of who He is and learn to really believe Him in our hearts, that He will transform us through the power of His Word and His Spirit and that we will be radically different for His Glory.